Buying Slaves (2)
“At first, the Albirose Refugee Camp was nothing more than a barren field in a harsh environment. But now, the modest dreams of the refugees who wanted to live ordinary lives are taking root. It’s grown to the size of a small town, with plenty of shops, so you can buy most of what you need for daily life right here in the camp.”
Listening with interest to Marcus’s story from the passenger seat, I drove the carriage until the distant view of the refugee camp came into sight. I had thought it would be no bigger than a playground, but the sheer scale of the place surprised me. The dense rows of countless houses left me astonished once more.
“Is there somewhere I can exchange gold coins for currency in circulation?”
“Silver coins would be pretty heavy to carry around, wouldn’t they?”
“I want to stop by some miscellaneous shops before heading to the slave market, but gold coins are too large an amount. I doubt the small merchants could handle the change.”
“Of course there is. A place this big could practically call itself a city—why wouldn’t it have one? There’s even a royal bank.”
“A bank too? Perfect. I can just go there and trade with confidence.”
Anything run by the kingdom should be trustworthy. But Marcus waved his hand dismissively.
“No, no. The bank only sees currency at face value, so they’ll buy it at the printed amount. You’ll take a loss.”
“They sold it for 800 beni when it was first issued ten years ago, so they’ll only give me 800 beni?”
“That’s right.” Marcus smiled, pleased that I had understood so quickly.
“Then what’s this talk about 3,000 beni?”
“That’s the value the coin collectors assign. If you want a high price for that gold coin, you have to go to a coin collector. They’ll still undercut you compared to selling directly to collectors who love commemorative coins, but we don’t have time to haggle. We’ll have to sell it even if we can’t get the full market price.”
A gasp of admiration escaped me. Wow. If even the undercut price is 3,000 beni, just how much is this coin actually worth on the open market?
Once inside the refugee camp, we headed straight for a coin collector. The moment I showed the gold coin and explained it was a commemorative piece issued by the kingdom, the shopkeeper examined it carefully for a long while before breaking into a bright smile.
“It’s genuine. I’ll buy it for 4,500 beni.”
I nearly choked. The shopkeeper swallowed hard, explaining that only a thousand of these coins had ever been minted, making them rare enough that they no longer circulated. Without any further negotiation, I sold it at the offered price.
I also learned something new: there were denominations higher than the beni. Including those, the money the shopkeeper handed over filled two sacks the size of a human head.
“Hehe, take care on your way. Ah! I heard the Dark Forest appeared in our region recently, so may the gods’ blessings and good fortune be with you on your return home!”
Delighted by the rare commemorative coin, the collector even walked us to the door and wished us safe travels.
“What’s the Dark Forest?” I asked Marcus as I climbed onto the driver’s seat. A shadow crossed his face, his expression troubled. Was it some powerful monster?
“A cursed forest.”
“A forest? Can’t we just avoid going inside?”
“That would be the natural way of things, but that damned forest moves on its own. It suddenly appears in open fields, traps travelers inside, and drains the blood and life from their bodies.”
“What the hell…”
A moving forest? Did it have legs?
“If you get trapped inside, can’t you escape?”
“Some strong or lucky people have made it out alive. But for weak folks like us, surviving in there is nearly impossible. It usually appears at night and vanishes by morning. Think we could last that long?”
Marcus glanced at me and poked my stomach with a grin.
“Could we? Think we could?”
“Haha.”
His playful tone made me laugh along with him.
“Just in case, we should prepare thoroughly before heading back. We need to buy food too.”
“From what people say, it only shows up at night, so as long as we return before sunset, we shouldn’t run into it.”
“That’s a relief. Whoops, we’d better hurry.”
I set the wagon in motion right away. Our next stop was a weapons shop Marcus knew. Tucked away in a gloomy back alley, the place dealt in swords and spears as well as all sorts of hidden weapons. I piled the counter high with everything Marcus picked out. After settling the bill, we stopped by a temple and bought ten bottles of the lowest-grade healing potions. Then we visited a leather workshop, a poison dealer, a general store, a lumberyard, a butcher shop, and countless other places, stocking up on poisons, hidden weapons, trap materials, meat, and more.
Especially after leaving the butcher, a smile lingered on my lips. Equipment was important, but the thought of eating pork again after so long filled me with joy. The meat from the mountain camp was all wild game, strong-smelling and unpleasant. After three hours of shopping that filled half the wagon bed, we had 3,100 beni left. With that money in hand, we finally headed for the slave market.
“Welcome! Beautiful, healthy slaves who will obey their masters without question and work diligently are waiting for you!”
The slave market wasn’t run by a single company but was a street formed by many slave traders gathered together. Just like stray dogs lined up at a market on festival days, slaves locked in iron cages stood in rows on both sides of the street. Each trader called out to passersby from in front of their cages.
“Whoa…”
I stood frozen for a moment, dazed. Hearing about a slave market was one thing, but seeing it in person was a tremendous shock. The sight was so brutal that it was hard to watch—slaves weren’t even treated as human.
“What kind of slave are you looking for, sir?”
One trader approached us with a greasy smile. Marcus turned to look at me.
“Wouldn’t a strong one be good?”
The old man’s expression remained calm, as if the scene didn’t faze him at all. I needed to learn that composure myself. I had to become a bandit who never lost his cool, no matter the situation. Wait—bandit, not “thief.”
“Are you looking for a male? What age range?”
When the trader’s eager gaze turned to me, I scratched my cheek and answered.
“Someone good at cleaning, strong, and just diligent and sincere would be fine. Hmm… Let’s just walk around once first.”
I decided to look around and see if any slave caught my eye at first glance. But as time passed, none really stood out. No feeling at all. I was about to conclude that today just wasn’t the day when Marcus and I exchanged impressions about the slave market while walking slowly. Suddenly, in the corner of one cage, I spotted two young sisters huddled together, trembling in fear as they clung to each other.
The feeling came. In the bleak life of a bandit group, physical rest was necessary, but mental stability was just as important. In that sense, seeing the children’s smiles every day would bring great comfort and peace. With that positive energy, we could work cheerfully and with renewed strength. I wasn’t planning to take my slaves out bandit-hunting anyway—they only needed to handle household chores. If they helped with laundry, cleaning, and errands, my workload would be cut in half. It would be a huge relief.
“How much for those two?”
I approached the trader selling the sisters and asked. The man, leaning against the cage, looked me up and down, took in my shabby clothes, and answered dismissively.
“Those girls are expensive.”
“How much?”
“They’re meant for nobles, so try somewhere else. We only deal with big clients.”
Oh? He was looking down on me because of my appearance. I held up the two heavy sacks of money right in front of his face and tapped them lightly with my fist.
“Don’t worry about the money. How much?”
The trader, being a trader, recognized the sound of money instantly. His eyes widened at the solid clink of coins, and his arrogant attitude vanished like snow melting in spring.
“Hehe, sir. If you had money, you should’ve said so earlier. Why hide it? Our slaves are high quality, so we usually only trade with nobles, but I’ll make a special exception just for you. Heh-heh.”
Money really did open doors. Even closed ones swung open on their own.
“Interested in the sisters, are you?”
“Yes, those two.”
When I pointed to the trembling girls in the corner of the cage, the trader leapt over to them in one bound.
“These two are sisters from the same family. The older one is twelve, the younger is six. To briefly explain their background, they’re half-noble by blood—their mother was a noble and their father a commoner. Their maternal grandfather, who opposed the marriage, had their father killed and sold the two children to a slave trader. Their mother took her own life from the shock. Tut-tut.”
Hmm. Tragic. I looked down at the children. Their eyes, watching me, were filled with fear.
Don’t be scared. Uncle isn’t a bad person.
Still, both of them looked cute, kind, and pure. I liked them.
“What do you think?”
I turned to Marcus and asked.
“Planning to use them for work?”
“Cleaning.”
“That’s it?”
“Also for peace of mind.”
“Don’t tell me you swing that way?”
“That way?”
Ah, that way. The old man was saying something dangerous. I ignored him and crouched down in front of the children. Up close, the older one had a surprisingly mature air for her age, while the younger one looked round and adorable.
“Uncle’s name is Hyunwoo. What are your names?”
I tried speaking in a gentle voice, but they only trembled, showing no sign of opening their mouths.
“Uncle wants to live with you. What do you think? Want to come with me? I’m not going to force you. If you want, we’ll go together. If not, I’ll leave you here. How about it?”
The children stared at me without blinking, as if trying to determine whether I was good or bad. Soon, the younger one spoke first.
“I want to go.”
Then the older one found her voice as well.
“…I’m Haida. My little sister is Evynee.”
“Thank you, kids.”
The fact that they thought well of me brought a pleased smile to my lips. If it weren’t for the cage, I would have ruffled their hair.
I stood up and looked at the trader.
“How much are they?”
“The older one is 100 colling, and the younger one is 75 colling. Heh-heh.”