Chapter 493: Declaration of War (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 493: Declaration of War (4)
Boooooom!
I broke down the wall, crawled through it into a new, empty hallway, and proceeded to take up my jog again. Whenever I ended up surrounded, I would simply swing my hammer at another wall and continue on my merry way.
Boooooom!
Occasionally, one of the walls would lead to a dead end, but that wasn't a problem. Because of the layout of the building, I could also go upstairs and downstairs as well.
Boooooom!
As I smashed through the ceiling and jumped upstairs, I found myself in an unusual place. It was a poorly lit corridor with dozens of steel bars spanning its length on both sides. Behind those bars were people of every race, including some barbarians. And every one of them was marked with an identical tattoo in a similar location.
Slaves...
Even though a massive barbarian had just burst through the floor, they all stared out into space blankly, looking utterly lifeless. As a twenty-first-century barbarian, it was an unsettling sight.
So slaves still exist in this world.
Slavery was illegal in Rafdonia. At one point in its history, those who committed grave sins had been legally forced into bondage, but that practice had long since disappeared after the law was revised about a hundred years ago. The slaves who had committed heinous crimes were promptly executed and the people who were enslaved for misdemeanors had been forced to pay a fine before being restored their status as ordinary citizens. In the end, though, most died shortly after, as an ex-slave had no hope of paying their taxes.
As I looked around, I noticed a little boy who still had some life in his eyes. I walked over to talk to him. "Hey." When I called out to him, he skittered away until his back was up against the wall, clearly terrified. I ignored his reaction and continued. "How were you caught and put here?"
Unfortunately, the only response I got came from somewhere behind me. "...S-Stop! Baron Yandel!"
Don't these guys know when to quit? They should know by now that they won't be able to subdue me.
I ignored them too and stared at the little boy in front of me. Surprisingly, the shouts of the people chasing after me seemed to help elicit a response from the boy. "The Giant...?" he quietly murmured, his eyes going wide. "Giant... I heard you're a hero who saves people and punishes bad guys... Is that true?"
"Well, sort of."
"...Did you come here to save us too?"
"No," I said honestly. "I just happened to find you. So tell me, how did you end up here?"
The big guy who had been chasing me and begging me to stop slowly drew near. The little boy flicked his gaze between the two of us before cautiously answering me. "My mom... she couldn't pay her debt, so I had to pay it back instead."
"Your mom? What happened to her?"
"Because she couldn't pay her taxes... she died."
"What about that elf girl next to you?" I asked, glancing down at the girl sitting next to him behind the bars.
"She couldn't pay her debts back either," the little boy quietly explained. "She had the money, but the bad guys wouldn't take it. That's why she was brought here."
I said nothing.
"She actually managed to escape once and came back to save me, but... after the bad guys dragged her away a few times, she doesn't talk anymore."
"I see."
That was why this kid was the only one with a spark of life left in his eyes. Those who tried to rebel and fight back must have faced intense abuse. It was easier to break a person's spirit than most would assume.
Then that settles it...
After wrapping up my conversation with the little boy, I turned my attention to the big guys. The one at the front of the pack flinched when our eyes met. He looked like a bully who had just been caught picking on someone weaker than him.
Step.
I approached, my steps deliberately slow. "You know something?" I asked. He lifted his shield with a silent gulp. "I haven't killed any of you so far." I knew they were bad guys, so I beat them down without mercy, but I still moderated my strength so they at least wouldn't die. "Why do you think that is?"
"...You don't want to make an enemy of us either. That's what the higher-ups have determined."
"Is that so? That's correct," I calmly agreed.
The reason these guys hadn't hurt me was because they had guessed my intentions from the start. Otherwise, they would have never treated an intruder like this. If I had been running around beating everyone to death, there was no way they would only be holding up shields and trying to subdue me. That was why I had planned to assert my dominance just a little bit, then have a peaceful conversation with the boss here to get what I wanted and leave.
However, things were different now.
"Please tell us what you want."
Why did I always make a Plan B? Because this world was full of variables. There would always be something out there that might force me to change my plans—just like this.
"We are ready to have a conversation with—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I put all my strength into clocking him in the jaw.
Crack!
Despite his large size, he flew into the wall like a baseball and dropped to the ground with a thud, wriggling like a bug on its last legs.
"How resilient," I said, looking down at him. "I even swung to kill."
Everyone standing behind him immediately flinched in response. However, despite what I'd done to him, the bug still hadn't figured out the situation he was in. "Why... did you do that?"
Oh, that?
"Didn't you say so yourself, Your Lordship? That you don't want to make an enemy of us?"
"Yeah, I did." I stalked closer, lifting my hammer and staring down at him as he writhed in pain.
When he saw that I had my weapon raised, his expression shifted. "Stop. You are going to regret this..."
What a strange thing to say. "Why would I regret this?" I swung my hammer down as hard as I could.
Crack!
His squirming body stopped moving.
"You'll be the ones regretting it."
This was the right choice.
There was no further conversation to be had. After I was done bashing his face in with my hammer, the rest of them clamped their mouths shut and raised their guards, scrutinizing every little move I made.
Step.
As soon as I took a step forward, the group of large men took a step back in unison. But just as I was about to rush at all of them—
"I see."
That was why this kid was the only one with a spark of life left in his eyes. Those who tried to rebel and fight back must have faced intense abuse. It was easier to break a person's spirit than most would assume.
Then that settles it...
After wrapping up my conversation with the little boy, I turned my attention to the big guys. The one at the front of the pack flinched when our eyes met. He looked like a bully who had just been caught picking on someone weaker than him.
Step.
I approached, my steps deliberately slow. "You know something?" I asked. He lifted his shield with a silent gulp. "I haven't killed any of you so far." I knew they were bad guys, so I beat them down without mercy, but I still moderated my strength so they at least wouldn't die. "Why do you think that is?"
"...You don't want to make an enemy of us either. That's what the higher-ups have determined."
"Is that so? That's correct," I calmly agreed.
The reason these guys hadn't hurt me was because they had guessed my intentions from the start. Otherwise, they would have never treated an intruder like this. If I had been running around beating everyone to death, there was no way they would only be holding up shields and trying to subdue me. That was why I had planned to assert my dominance just a little bit, then have a peaceful conversation with the boss here to get what I wanted and leave.
However, things were different now.
"Please tell us what you want."
Why did I always make a Plan B? Because this world was full of variables. There would always be something out there that might force me to change my plans—just like this.
"We are ready to have a conversation with—"
Before he could finish his sentence, I put all my strength into clocking him in the jaw.
Crack!
Despite his large size, he flew into the wall like a baseball and dropped to the ground with a thud, wriggling like a bug on its last legs.
"How resilient," I said, looking down at him. "I even swung to kill."
Everyone standing behind him immediately flinched in response. However, despite what I'd done to him, the bug still hadn't figured out the situation he was in. "Why... did you do that?"
Oh, that?
"Didn't you say so yourself, Your Lordship? That you don't want to make an enemy of us?"
"Yeah, I did." I stalked closer, lifting my hammer and staring down at him as he writhed in pain.
When he saw that I had my weapon raised, his expression shifted. "Stop. You are going to regret this..."
What a strange thing to say. "Why would I regret this?" I swung my hammer down as hard as I could.
Crack!
His squirming body stopped moving.
"You'll be the ones regretting it."
This was the right choice.
There was no further conversation to be had. After I was done bashing his face in with my hammer, the rest of them clamped their mouths shut and raised their guards, scrutinizing every little move I made.
Step.
As soon as I took a step forward, the group of large men took a step back in unison. But just as I was about to rush at all of them—
Creeeak!
Suddenly, the thick iron door behind me creaked open. When I turned around, I found a middle-aged man surrounded by a heavy escort of large guards walking into the room.
"Let's stop here, Baron Yandel," he called out to me.
"Who are you?"
"I am Mel, the current head of the Shadow Organization." Simply put, he was in charge of this black market. The man who called himself Mel glanced over at his subordinate on the ground. "That friend of mine over there. Is he still alive?"
"...He's still breathing, Boss."
"That's a relief." Mel then turned back to me and asked, "Baron Yandel, before we begin our conversation, may I treat my friend over there first?"
"Do you think that I, a baron of Rafdonia, would accept the demands of a criminal who committed treason?"
"Haha, treason... It seems that you have a very low opinion of us."
"Then is there another opinion I should have? You clearly disobey the strict laws of Rafdonia."
"Hm, I see." He nodded like I had a point. "Then, everyone, get out of the way."
Our audience's eyes bugged out at his orders.
"Boss!"
"It's too dangerous!"
His underlings started to protest, but Mel was stubborn. "I won't say it twice."
I didn't know how he normally disciplined them, but as soon as he said that, they all shut their mouths and started to leave.
Step, step.
Mel walked forward, approaching me. Now, the only two left in this hall full of cells was the two of us. To be honest, I was surprised by his gall. Was he incredibly strong? Confident enough that he could take me on? Or did he simply not care if he died here? There were a million possibilities that filled my head.
Step.
However, even as my mind reeled, he walked right past me and squatted down by his underling on the floor, leaving his back completely defenseless as he took out a potion from his pocket.
Sizzle!
Roiling bubbles started to boil up on his underling's punched-in face. The big guy, who had been on the verge of death, began to tremble a bit.
"That's a high-quality potion."
"Yes, it is."
I didn't understand this at all. Just what in the world was happening? Unable to come up with an answer no matter how much I mulled it over, I decided to flat-out ask him. "What are you trying to do here?"
"I'm only saving someone that was about to die."
"But you could have died instead."
"Yes, that's true. But this man is one of my people."
I was momentarily rendered speechless. I had met countless leaders before, but I had never met someone like him. "You're risking your life for a reason like that?"
"A person's values and priorities are subjective. Just like how you changed your plan the moment you stumbled across these slaves here."
"...You're a funny guy."
"Now, how about we go somewhere else? This place isn't the most conducive to conversation." He immediately turned back down the hallway, offering me his defenseless back again. I was dumbfounded, but all I could do for now was follow him.
Creeeak!
Suddenly, the thick iron door behind me creaked open. When I turned around, I found a middle-aged man surrounded by a heavy escort of large guards walking into the room.
"Let's stop here, Baron Yandel," he called out to me.
"Who are you?"
"I am Mel, the current head of the Shadow Organization." Simply put, he was in charge of this black market. The man who called himself Mel glanced over at his subordinate on the ground. "That friend of mine over there. Is he still alive?"
"...He's still breathing, Boss."
"That's a relief." Mel then turned back to me and asked, "Baron Yandel, before we begin our conversation, may I treat my friend over there first?"
"Do you think that I, a baron of Rafdonia, would accept the demands of a criminal who committed treason?"
"Haha, treason... It seems that you have a very low opinion of us."
"Then is there another opinion I should have? You clearly disobey the strict laws of Rafdonia."
"Hm, I see." He nodded like I had a point. "Then, everyone, get out of the way."
Our audience's eyes bugged out at his orders.
"Boss!"
"It's too dangerous!"
His underlings started to protest, but Mel was stubborn. "I won't say it twice."
I didn't know how he normally disciplined them, but as soon as he said that, they all shut their mouths and started to leave.
Step, step.
Mel walked forward, approaching me. Now, the only two left in this hall full of cells was the two of us. To be honest, I was surprised by his gall. Was he incredibly strong? Confident enough that he could take me on? Or did he simply not care if he died here? There were a million possibilities that filled my head.
Step.
However, even as my mind reeled, he walked right past me and squatted down by his underling on the floor, leaving his back completely defenseless as he took out a potion from his pocket.
Sizzle!
Roiling bubbles started to boil up on his underling's punched-in face. The big guy, who had been on the verge of death, began to tremble a bit.
"That's a high-quality potion."
"Yes, it is."
I didn't understand this at all. Just what in the world was happening? Unable to come up with an answer no matter how much I mulled it over, I decided to flat-out ask him. "What are you trying to do here?"
"I'm only saving someone that was about to die."
"But you could have died instead."
"Yes, that's true. But this man is one of my people."
I was momentarily rendered speechless. I had met countless leaders before, but I had never met someone like him. "You're risking your life for a reason like that?"
"A person's values and priorities are subjective. Just like how you changed your plan the moment you stumbled across these slaves here."
"...You're a funny guy."
"Now, how about we go somewhere else? This place isn't the most conducive to conversation." He immediately turned back down the hallway, offering me his defenseless back again. I was dumbfounded, but all I could do for now was follow him.
After passing through several doors, we eventually reached a small room. "This is a private room reserved for our guests. All of our customers have already returned to the city for the day, so you don't have to worry about anyone disrupting us." He sat down at the table in the center of the room, then looked at me in an apparent invitation to sit down with him.
At this point, I couldn't help but ask him, "Are you not afraid?"
"I am afraid."
"Doesn't look like it."
"Well, it can't be helped, can it? If I hurt you, Baron Yandel, then that will be the end of me. Both my family and this place will be wiped off the map. I am not so reckless as to risk such a thing happening."
"Isn't what you're doing now reckless too?"
"Well, if I die, then I die. There's nothing more to it. At the end of the day, someone else will step up and take my place, and though it might take some time, everything will return to the way it was. Dirty water always pools at the bottom, after all."
I stared at him in silence.
"Oh, and killing me might help you vent your anger, but it would also mean you wouldn't walk out of here with what you initially came here for."
How could someone be so brave? Despite only having exchanged a few words with him, I could already tell just how impressive he was. However, there was no need to beat around the bush any longer. "So what do you want to say?"
"You should be the one to answer that, not me. Didn't you come here because you wanted something?"
Oh. Damn, yeah, that's true.
I was once again left speechless by his response. Still, since I didn't want to look like the weaker party in this negotiation, I decided to launch right into my demands without a second thought. "Give me the identities of your clients." That was my main motivation for visiting the black market today.
"Some of the wizards... are making requests through the black market."
As supply dwindled, some wizards had been going to the black market to obtain barbarian hearts.
"Your Lordship! O-On the black market... there is also a bounty for your heart."
Someone had asked for my heart.
"I-I'm not lying... I was just offered the job through the black market. I-I don't know anything else... I-I don't know who made the request, either..."
Someone else had made a request to sabotage our raid against the Lord of the Floor.
"I see... So that's why you came all the way here."
"I don't need excuses, so give me an answer."
"Asking for the personal information of our clients is a very difficult demand to make of someone in my position."
"Are you saying you won't do it?"
"No. I'm a merchant, after all. This will reduce the number of commissions we receive, but it would still be more beneficial to us than it would be to make an enemy of you."
"So?"
"I will arrange for the personal information of our clients to be delivered to you within the day," Mel said, calmly accepting my request.
This conversation wasn't going how I had expected it would at all. The only reason I ran around causing all that mayhem beforehand was because I assumed our negotiations would be a long, drawn-out fight.
"Is that everything?" he inquired.
"No, there is one more thing."
"Please tell me."
I gave Mel my final request. "Free the slaves that are locked up here."
I can't just leave after seeing that.
"Hmmm. I see that you are the type who believes in universal dignity."
"You're asking a lot of questions and making a lot of noises, but all I need to hear from you is a yes or a no."
"...May I think it over for a moment?"
"Go ahead."
Once given my permission, Mel closed his eyes without any fear, mulling my request over. About three minutes later, he finally opened them. "All right. I will free the slaves and refrain from working in the slave industry from now on."
"...You came to that decision quickly."
He met my eye like a man with nothing to hide. "In truth, it's a business I've wanted to part ways with myself."
"You already wanted to leave it?"
"There have been quite a few instances where buyers have been unable to properly manage their slaves, and there have been a number of occasions where that nearly led to major issues and scandals."
So he had tried to cut ties with the industry several times as a result, but had been unable to find the justification he needed to do so? Well, it must have been hard to just shut it down given the large profits this side of the business had garnered the black market for hundreds of years.
"However, since it's by your request," he continued, "now no one will be able to oppose my decision. This worked out rather well for us. Then, is that everything?"
"Yeah. I'll get out of your way as soon as I am given your clients' information and see the slaves released."
"In that case, I will work toward fulfilling your requests as soon as possible."
After wrapping up our conversation, he summoned his underlings back and doled out orders. By daybreak, I was given the information I needed, and the hundreds of slaves were all set free.
"Mel Asmond," I asked as I was about to leave, "why were you willing to give in to my demands so easily?"
Rather than responding, he stared at me for a long moment, a strange look on his face. "...I see you are already aware of the house I hail from."
That's because I completed the Black Market event in the game.
As a result, I knew that House Asmond had reigned as king of this jungle for many years.
Still, I didn't let him distract me. "That's not what I asked you," I said firmly.
In the face of my stubbornness, he freely spoke his mind. "Heroes are always short-lived. There's no reason for us to be on the end of a falling blade."
In other words, with the way I acted, he figured I wouldn't live for much longer anyway.
Mel Asmond, the head of the black market. What an interesting guy.
For some reason, I had a feeling I would be seeing him again in the future.
After passing through several doors, we eventually reached a small room. "This is a private room reserved for our guests. All of our customers have already returned to the city for the day, so you don't have to worry about anyone disrupting us." He sat down at the table in the center of the room, then looked at me in an apparent invitation to sit down with him.
At this point, I couldn't help but ask him, "Are you not afraid?"
"I am afraid."
"Doesn't look like it."
"Well, it can't be helped, can it? If I hurt you, Baron Yandel, then that will be the end of me. Both my family and this place will be wiped off the map. I am not so reckless as to risk such a thing happening."
"Isn't what you're doing now reckless too?"
"Well, if I die, then I die. There's nothing more to it. At the end of the day, someone else will step up and take my place, and though it might take some time, everything will return to the way it was. Dirty water always pools at the bottom, after all."
I stared at him in silence.
"Oh, and killing me might help you vent your anger, but it would also mean you wouldn't walk out of here with what you initially came here for."
How could someone be so brave? Despite only having exchanged a few words with him, I could already tell just how impressive he was. However, there was no need to beat around the bush any longer. "So what do you want to say?"
"You should be the one to answer that, not me. Didn't you come here because you wanted something?"
Oh. Damn, yeah, that's true.
I was once again left speechless by his response. Still, since I didn't want to look like the weaker party in this negotiation, I decided to launch right into my demands without a second thought. "Give me the identities of your clients." That was my main motivation for visiting the black market today.
"Some of the wizards... are making requests through the black market."
As supply dwindled, some wizards had been going to the black market to obtain barbarian hearts.
"Your Lordship! O-On the black market... there is also a bounty for your heart."
Someone had asked for my heart.
"I-I'm not lying... I was just offered the job through the black market. I-I don't know anything else... I-I don't know who made the request, either..."
Someone else had made a request to sabotage our raid against the Lord of the Floor.
"I see... So that's why you came all the way here."
"I don't need excuses, so give me an answer."
"Asking for the personal information of our clients is a very difficult demand to make of someone in my position."
"Are you saying you won't do it?"
"No. I'm a merchant, after all. This will reduce the number of commissions we receive, but it would still be more beneficial to us than it would be to make an enemy of you."
"So?"
"I will arrange for the personal information of our clients to be delivered to you within the day," Mel said, calmly accepting my request.
This conversation wasn't going how I had expected it would at all. The only reason I ran around causing all that mayhem beforehand was because I assumed our negotiations would be a long, drawn-out fight.
"Is that everything?" he inquired.
"No, there is one more thing."
"Please tell me."
I gave Mel my final request. "Free the slaves that are locked up here."
I can't just leave after seeing that.
"Hmmm. I see that you are the type who believes in universal dignity."
"You're asking a lot of questions and making a lot of noises, but all I need to hear from you is a yes or a no."
"...May I think it over for a moment?"
"Go ahead."
Once given my permission, Mel closed his eyes without any fear, mulling my request over. About three minutes later, he finally opened them. "All right. I will free the slaves and refrain from working in the slave industry from now on."
"...You came to that decision quickly."
He met my eye like a man with nothing to hide. "In truth, it's a business I've wanted to part ways with myself."
"You already wanted to leave it?"
"There have been quite a few instances where buyers have been unable to properly manage their slaves, and there have been a number of occasions where that nearly led to major issues and scandals."
So he had tried to cut ties with the industry several times as a result, but had been unable to find the justification he needed to do so? Well, it must have been hard to just shut it down given the large profits this side of the business had garnered the black market for hundreds of years.
"However, since it's by your request," he continued, "now no one will be able to oppose my decision. This worked out rather well for us. Then, is that everything?"
"Yeah. I'll get out of your way as soon as I am given your clients' information and see the slaves released."
"In that case, I will work toward fulfilling your requests as soon as possible."
After wrapping up our conversation, he summoned his underlings back and doled out orders. By daybreak, I was given the information I needed, and the hundreds of slaves were all set free.
"Mel Asmond," I asked as I was about to leave, "why were you willing to give in to my demands so easily?"
Rather than responding, he stared at me for a long moment, a strange look on his face. "...I see you are already aware of the house I hail from."
That's because I completed the Black Market event in the game.
As a result, I knew that House Asmond had reigned as king of this jungle for many years.
Still, I didn't let him distract me. "That's not what I asked you," I said firmly.
In the face of my stubbornness, he freely spoke his mind. "Heroes are always short-lived. There's no reason for us to be on the end of a falling blade."
In other words, with the way I acted, he figured I wouldn't live for much longer anyway.
Mel Asmond, the head of the black market. What an interesting guy.
For some reason, I had a feeling I would be seeing him again in the future.