The Slave Market That Was, and Is No More

The night in Belheim was filthy and damp. Isilia and I stepped into the Blood-stained Pig, a run-down tavern on the outskirts of the city.

Creeeak.

"Welcome."

"How many?"

"Two," I replied.

The stench of cheap alcohol wafted from every table. Most of the patrons looked like mercenaries, merchants, or slave traders.

"Let's ask around here. A place like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this is the fastest way to find the location of the slave market," I whispered in a low voice.

Isilia couldn't hide her discomfort. Though she sat with the elegant posture befitting a High Elf, I could feel the filthy gazes of the patrons crawling all over her body.

After taking a sip of the cheap ale the server brought over, I turned to a burly man at the neighboring table.

"Hey there. The atmosphere in this city has been a bit strange lately... I've been seeing slaves in collars, even though I heard slavery was abolished. What's the story?"

The man tilted his mug, a greasy smirk spreading across his face. "Haha, you an outsider? A new order has taken over Belheim lately."

"With a few nobles and merchant guild masters backing it from the shadows, the slave market is thriving again. Especially Elves or beastmen of good bloodlines—they fetch a pretty penny."

A drunken man from another table chimed in. "Hey, look at that blonde Elf sitting over there. Now that's a prime piece of meat. Pale skin, huge tits, long ears... Hey, pal, you looking to sell her? I'll give you up to seven hundred gold. Or you could just rent her out to me for the night."

My brow twitched. My fists clenched of their own accord. Isilia's face turned pale, flushed with deep humiliation. She gently grabbed my sleeve.

"...These bastards."

"Aren, it's okay," Isilia said, forcing a sweet smile to reassure me.

I barely managed to pull my hand away from my sword, but rage boiled deep within me. Standing up from my seat, I spoke coldly.

"Why don't you shut your filthy mouth? That woman is my wife. If you utter another word of that bullshit, I'll rip your tongue out."

The tavern fell dead silent for a moment. But soon, mocking laughter erupted from all sides.

"Wife? Bwahaha! A mere mercenary claiming an Elf as his wife?"

"What an idiot. A beauty like that only has value when she belongs to a proper master."

Their jeers and mockery echoed in my ears.

"Wait... Aren!" Before Isilia could even finish her sentence, I drew my sword and slashed the drunken man.

Slash!

"Aaaah!"

"He's insane! Run!"

"Someone stop this bastard!"

Screams echoed throughout the tavern. Isilia squeezed her eyes shut. It didn't take long before the shrieks inside the establishment began to die down, one by one.

"Let's go, Isilia."

Isilia looked at me with worried eyes, starting to say something before hesitating.

"Thank you for worrying about me."

"Oh, it's nothing, silly."

Honestly, if I hadn't stepped in, Isilia probably would have taken the initiative and slaughtered everyone here herself. We hadn't been reunited for long, but whether it was due to my past-life memories or just intuition, I was absolutely certain of it. That was why I had acted first.

We locked the tavern door behind us and slipped away. As we walked down the streets, we spotted a signpost indicating the location of the slave market.

"This is it." I tightened my grip on the token in my hand. It was the slave market pass I had taken from Volak.

We headed toward the underground entrance indicated by the sign. It was a secret passage leading beneath a ruined warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

The stairs leading down were damp, reeking of a nauseating stench. The faint sounds of clanking chains, groans, and cracking whips drifted up from below.

The burly guard watching the entrance checked my pass, his eyes narrowing.

This is...! Master Volak's pass...

I must inform Master Shadow immediately...

The guard's brow twitched slightly as he spoke. "Go on in."

Rumble—clank.

The iron gate slid open, and as we stepped through, the underground slave market was revealed.

Dozens of iron cages held members of various demi-human races in wretched conditions. One man bled from vivid whip lashes across his back, while a young rabbit beastman lay collapsed on the floor with a broken leg. A wolf beastman gasped for breath, his iron collar clamped far too tight around his neck. Elves were left bound hand and foot, completely neglected.

"Aren... this is..."

"Sick bastards." The sheer depravity of the scene and the environment was enough to make me gag.

We walked toward the source of a loud commotion. With every step we took, the caged slaves stole fleeting, hopeless glances at us.

An auction was underway in one corner.

"Next item! A twenty-year-old female cat beastman! A virgin! Starting bid, six hundred gold!" the auctioneer bellowed, cracking his whip. The fragile cat beastman trembled, weeping silently.

In the spectator stands, men drooled as they drove up the price.

"Eight hundred and fifty gold!"

"Nine hundred gold! I want a taste of her tonight!"

"One thousand gold then! Since she's just reached adulthood..."

Isilia covered her mouth, her body trembling. Just then, voices drifted over from nearby.

"Look at that Elf... Holy shit. I've never seen a body like that before."

"I wouldn't mind bidding up to two thousand gold for her."

"Hey, pal! Can't you rent that Elf out for a bit? Just for an hour..."

The last thread of my patience finally snapped. But just as I was about to step forward, a man nearby caught sight of the pass in my hand, his face instantly draining of color.

"That pass... that's Volak's! Why does this bastard have it?!"

At that moment, another guard shouted, "He's the one who killed Volak! Grab him! Kill him!"

"Because of you, our boss, Master Shadow, is furious!"

"Killing you is our ticket into his good graces!"

"Ah, so I'm busted?" In an instant, chaos erupted. Twelve armed guards drew their weapons in unison, surrounding us.

"You dared to kill Master Volak? So you're that bastard!"

"Seize the Elf bitch, and torture the man to death!"

I drew my sword, a cold smirk playing on my lips. "I'll send you all to keep him company."

The battle began. Isilia utilized her natural magic to manipulate the surrounding flora, binding the guards' feet.

"Ugh... a mere Elf!"

"This grass won't cut!"

"Inform Master Shadow that the bastard who killed Volak is here!"

"Someone help me!"

Blood splattered with every swing of my sword against the immobilized guards. However, more guards kept rushing in from all directions; their numbers were overwhelming. One of them aimed a spear at my blind spot from behind.

"Aren!" Isilia cried out, unleashing her magic. Vines wrapped around the spear, hoisting the guard into the air. Her emerald eyes blazed with fury.

"How dare you... touch my husband!"

The market instantly descended into utter pandemonium. Cages shattered, and the slaves began to escape one by one.

"The cages are open...!"

"R-Run!"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Everyone, run for it!"

Seizing the chaos, the captive slaves fled. I cut down every guard who rushed us and rounded up the patrons who had frequented the market. However, the operator of the slave market, the one known as Shadow, had already escaped.

Slipping through a secret passage, Shadow gnashed his teeth. "Those bastards... how dare they ruin our business? I'll kill them."

"I will absolutely tear them apart."

"I'll have to rebuild the business in another city."

"I must contact them."

Panting heavily, he escaped the confines of the slave market and began to scale the mountain path. "I swear..."

Just as I shattered the final cage, a familiar voice echoed from behind, making me spin around.

"Aren...!!"

A healthy, brown-skinned warrior woman with short, black-and-grey striped hair, striking blue eyes, wolf ears, and a tail was sprinting toward me. Heavy iron chains were still bound around her wrists.

"Oh, right."

Crack!

With a sudden flex of her arms, the iron chains binding her shattered into pieces and clattered to the floor.

"W-What the...?"

She leaped forward, throwing herself into my arms. "Aren! Master!!! I missed you! I missed you so, so much!"

Wrapping her arms tightly around my neck, she kissed me deeply without a moment's hesitation. It was a wild, passionate kiss. Her tail wagged furiously, expressing her sheer ecstasy.

"Mmph...!" Isilia's eyes went wide at the sight. Her pointed ears trembled violently. "...Aren! Who is that woman?!"

Kaina spared Isilia a brief glance before nuzzling her face against my chest. "Master... I smell that Elf all over Master's body..."

After calming her down, I looked back and forth between the two of them. "...Let's clean up here first and head to an inn."

Late that night, inside our inn room.

"So, Kaina... you're saying you and Aren were married in a past life...?" Isilia asked, her expression a mix of bewilderment and confusion. But honestly, I was far more bewildered than she was.

"That's right! We were husband and wife in our past lives!"

"I traveled far and wide looking for a man stronger than me, and Aren was the only human who ever defeated me!"

"Aren... I think you have some explaining to do?" Isilia said, her eyes narrowing.

Apparently, Kaina had harbored a desire to marry the strongest man in her past life, but not a single man had been able to best her. That was, until I defeated her, causing her to fall head over heels in love and marry me...

"No, wait, something doesn't add up here."

"What is so strange, Master?"

"I was married to Isilia in my past life...?"

"Aren, I didn't know you were that kind of man..." Isilia muttered, giving me a cold glare.

Reassuring the glaring Isilia, I continued to listen to Kaina's story, only to notice a glaring inconsistency.

"Wait... a Black Mage participated in that tournament too?"

"Is there a problem with that?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kaina asked, completely unbothered.

"Master defeated the Black Mage with a single strike in the match..."

I was certain I had eradicated all the Black Mages in my past life as a Hero. Yet, a tournament? And I fought one in a match? As Kaina and Isilia exchanged stories about the "me" they each knew, they quickly arrived at a conclusion.

"So Aren is..."

"So Master is..."

"A playboy!"

"A cheater..."

"Hey, that conclusion is completely wrong!"

The actual conclusion was this: the "me" who married Isilia and the "me" who married Kaina were the same, yet different. To put it simply, there was the past life where I married Isilia, the past life where I married Kaina, and then there was the current me.

In the world where I married Isilia, the Black Mages had tried to destroy the world. But in the world where I married Kaina, the Black Mages had shown no such destructive tendencies and had actually left behind various positive achievements.

"So, about that..."

"What is it, Master?"

"Why is this happening?"

Kaina pushed me down onto the bed, her hands slowly caressing my body.

"Didn't you say your past-life memories returned after mating with that Elf?"

"So, do it with me too."

"Then your memories. They will return."

"Wait, Kaina! Aren is mine!" Isilia protested. "He's mine..."

Her body heat and wild scent stimulated my senses. Leaning in close, Kaina whispered in my ear. "Aren... hurry. I'm... in heat."

Driven by instinct, Kaina parted her legs and pulled me down. *Slide.* It happened in an instant. Her depths were incredibly hot and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wet.

"Ah... Hngh...!" She began to move her hips wildly, like a wild beast. With every frantic thrust, her voluptuous breasts bounced heavily.

"Ah...! Yes... harder!"

Watching from the side, Isilia finally couldn't take it anymore and crawled over. "L-Let me join too."

"Aren might be Kaina's husband, but... he's my husband too!" She shed her clothes. And so, the night of the three of us began.

While Kaina rode me with wild intensity from above, I shared a deep, emotional kiss with Isilia.

"Ah... if you touch my... tail...!"

"Master... I'm... cumming!!"

"Hngh...!" With a wet, squelching sound, Kaina's entire body shuddered violently.

"Aren... you can keep going, right?" Isilia smiled sweetly as she climbed on top of me. "Ah..."

The room filled with the sweet, breathless moans of the two women. Kaina's primal, beastly movements blended perfectly with Isilia's soft, tender caresses.

The moment I reached my climax, a surge of new power coursed through my body. Glowing letters began to materialize in my mind.

Drenched in sweat, Kaina buried her face in my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chest and whispered, "Master... do it again..."

Isilia glared at Kaina with a hint of jealousy before chiming in. "M-Me too!" The night was still young.