The Blue-Haired Demon
I wanted a ranged dealer. A mage slave like Margaret seemed ideal, but I doubted any mage would ever become a slave. If not, an archer would be the next best choice.
I’d hold the front line, Syucali would strike from the enemy’s rear, and a ranged slave behind me would complete the formation. With just the three of us, we could handle most requests. It felt like a solid party composition.
“What do you think?”
“Nom nom nom…?”
Syucali looked up at me while devouring the food I’d made.
“Umm… shouldn’t we just do whatever Master wants?”
“Of course we’ll do what I want. I’m asking for your opinion as someone who’s been an adventurer for a long time.”
“I’ve always worked alone. And I believe Master’s thoughts run much deeper than mine. Nom~ Mmm~ This bread is so soft and sweet!”
“...”
It seemed Syucali didn’t really care who joined as a slave. She’s completely indifferent.
“Don’t complain later if you don’t get along with them.”
“Yeees~ Yum yum~”
I figured anyone I brought back would be competent enough. “If you’re done eating, get ready to head out.”
“Yes, Master.”
Today was the day the slave traders came to the village. Just as I’d planned from the beginning, I intended to add one more member to the party.
“Welcome, honored guest.”
In an empty clearing on the edge of the village, the slave caravan had set up shop. People bound in shackles stood under the watchful eyes of overseers. They must have just arrived and were displaying their stock.
“Looks like we came early.”
“You’re our first customer. Hehehe.”
The slave trader in a black suit gave a crooked smile and let out an unpleasant laugh.
“By the way, Syucali.”
The trader approached Syucali, who stood beside me.
“So you became his slave, huh?”
He glanced down at her backside and licked his lips.
“Shut up.”
“Hehehe. Didn’t I tell you? I said you might end up on the receiving end one day.”
Syucali drew her dagger toward the trader’s disgusting laughter.
“Want to die?”
“Whoa, whoa~ Just kidding. I’m joking.”
The trader quickly backed away from Syucali and moved closer to me.
“Impressive. To think you managed to tame that prickly Syucali into a slave. I half-expected her to erase the slave brand and turn her blade on her master.”
He whispered quietly, offering what sounded like both praise and a warning.
“If you have any good slaves, I’d like to see them.”
“Ah~ Of course. Right this way. Hehehe.”
I followed the trader, examining the displayed slaves one by one.
“There aren’t as many slaves as I expected.”
“There can’t be. If too many run away, we can’t chase them all.”
Even with this many overseer mercenaries, he still complained about how difficult slave management was.
“If you want more slaves, visit the Prates territory. It’s packed with truly astonishing slaves. Hehehe.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
This caravan seemed focused solely on buying slaves as they traveled from village to village.
“What kind of slave are you looking for? I can recommend either a labor slave or one skilled with a sword.”
“I want someone who can fight.”
“Then you’ll like this side. We have plenty of fierce ones.”
The area the trader pointed to held slaves locked not only in shackles but inside small iron cages.
“Grrrr…”
“Gurgle… gurgle…”
From beastkin growling like wild animals to grotesquely shaped monster slaves, a wide variety of races were on display. I observed each one carefully.
The slave I chose wouldn’t be someone to use and discard. I was selecting a party member to survive this other world with me. In a sense, we’d become as close as family. I decided to focus on those who had the will to watch my back and carry out any request without complaint.
I approached the first one—a wolf-eared beastkin.
“Grrrr.”
“Do you want to live?”
“I want to live!”
“Then if I tell you to die for me, can you do it?”
“I don’t want that!”
“If I give you a mission, will you carry it out with me?”
“I don’t know! Maybe if you feed me?”
I had no interest in raising a child. I immediately moved on to the next slave.
I approached a sinister-looking woman.
“What are you good at?”
“Killing you…”
“How would you do it?”
“Let me out and I’ll show you.”
I had no intention of traveling with a psychopath. I was looking for a slave to guard my back, not one who would stab it.
I spent several hours having one-on-one conversations with the caged slaves. But it wasn’t easy to find the right one. Most either wanted to kill me or were clearly planning to run away at the first opportunity.
There were a few special slaves, but I wasn’t looking for anything special. I needed someone with the will to live alongside me.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone here.”
“What a shame.”
The trader looked fed up after watching me examine slaves all day. His smile had vanished; he no longer saw me as a proper customer.
“When’s the next visit?”
“About three months from now?”
“That’s a long wait.”
“We have many other places to visit.”
I walked with the trader toward the exit.
“If you tell me what kind of slave you’re looking for, I can keep an eye out in advance.”
“Hmm… I want someone with mission capability and loyalty.”
“For both of those, you’d need at least a slave captured from a battlefield.”
Come to think of it, what I wanted was close to a soldier. Someone who would give their all for the mission and devote themselves to their comrades.
“We do have a few like that right now…”
“You do?”
“Yes. If you look over there, there are some. But there’s a problem.”
“I’ll have to check for myself.”
“Follow me.”
Just as I was about to leave, the news that there was a slave I might want gave me one last spark of hope.
“Here they are.”
The slaves were wrapped in bandages across various parts of their bodies. I wondered how brutal the fighting must have been for their wounds to be this severe. Their eyes were all lifeless. They looked like defeated remnants. Some appeared to be mercenaries hired for the war.
“As you can see, their injuries are serious. Many have lost limbs, so using them as normal slaves would be difficult.”
The trader was right. They might have the spirit I wanted, but their bodies were far from normal. Missing limbs were the baseline, and they seemed to carry illnesses as well.
“Let me take a look anyway.”
“By all means.”
I examined the defeated soldiers. Most looked completely broken in will.
“Human… take me with you.”
“Hmm?”
One of the slaves called out to me first. She had blue eyes and blue hair…
“She’s a demon.”
“A demon?”
“Yes. A prisoner from the demon army captured by the hero’s forces.”
A horn like a sharpened fang protruded from her head. The right one was broken. A bandage covered one eye, suggesting she had lost it. Most importantly, I could see mana concentrated on the shackles binding her limbs.
“Demons are similar to humans yet different. They have a Demon King and noble-like families.”
“So they’re basically humans with a different appearance.”
“That’s probably why they hate each other. They wage war over it.”
It felt like self-loathing. Like hating your reflection in the mirror because it looks too similar. On Earth, people had waged countless wars simply because of different skin colors.
“How much?”
“If she were healthy, I could ask for thousands of gold. But as you can see, her injuries are severe. She’s a mage from the demon race, but unfortunately all her mana circles have been destroyed.”
“If the mana circles are destroyed, she can’t use magic?”
“Correct. She’ll never be able to use it again. Aside from her appearance, she’s no different from an ordinary slave. And with her disabilities… I’d need at least 150 gold.”
“I’ll buy her.”
“Hmm? You’ll buy her?”
“Not selling?”
When I asked again, the trader grinned.
“Hehe… No, no. I’ll sell her right away.”
The trader looked like he thought he was burning 150 gold. But there was something he didn’t know—my ability. I had the power to heal women. I believed it would work on a demon who was similar to a human.
“Master, a demon will be dangerous.”
But Syucali was worried.
“Why?”
“Because demons have the power to break slave magic.”
Syucali knew about my healing ability. She was warning me that if I restored the demon woman, she could break free of my control and run away at any time.
“Demon. I’ll buy you.”
“Good.”
“In return, follow me.”
“…I’ll follow.”
I looked at Syucali.
“She says she’ll follow.”
“You believe that?”
“This demon reached out to me with great difficulty. So I’ll trust her.”
“Ugh… If something bad happens later, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Syucali was anxious, but she had no choice but to follow my decision.
Eos has been registered as your slave.
-Clink~
“There we go~ Now please perform the slave marking.”
The trader handed me a branding iron heated to a glowing red.
I took it and approached the demon.
“I’ll brand your shoulder.”
The demon naturally offered her shoulder, revealing her dark skin. It had a slight sun-tanned tone.
-Sizzle…!
The demon frowned but didn’t let out a single groan. I could tell she possessed incredible tenacity and willpower. Jackpot.
I’d expected to spend at least 500 gold, but I came out ahead.
“Thank you, you sucker—I mean, valued customer. Have a safe trip back. Hehe.”
With the trader’s farewell, we headed back to the village.
“What’s your name?”
“Eos.”
“Good. With the remaining money, I’ll buy some clothes for Eos.”
On the way back to Syucali’s hideout, I decided to get her some new clothes.
“Master, um… I’d like to eat something delicious too.”
“We’ll buy ingredients as well.”
“Master is the best!”
Syucali clapped her hands in delight.
“Should I call you Master?”
“My name is Kang Seo-ja. Call me whatever you like.”
“Understood, Master.”
Deep blue hair and eyes that resembled a clear blue lake. In some ways she resembled the blue-haired knight apprentice I’d met before, yet she felt completely different. An aura of shadow seemed to cloak her entire body. Her copper-toned skin and horns gave her an alien presence.
“So, demon. What is your purpose?”
There had to be a reason she singled me out. I decided to slowly learn more about her.