Human Slave Life (3)
It had been two days since Yushin and his crew crossed the Akiteon Mountains when they finally arrived in Pamplona.
They were headed for auction, to be sold off at a slave trading auction house. Yushin let out a deep sigh. He'd thought he'd been through every twist and turn this otherworld could throw at him, but to think there was an even deeper bottom to the pit. It was like discovering another underground layer beneath what he'd assumed was rock bottom.
"That choker around your necks is a magic tool that can turn your heads to mush with a single signal. If you don't want to end up as pulp, you'd better obey nice and quiet."
An elf who seemed to be in charge of managing the slaves destined for auction spoke up. What a nasty piece of work. Her beautiful face was at odds with her vicious personality.
Yushin and his men fiddled with the chokers around their necks, testing reactions. Apparently, it was a magic device the Liberia Elf Kingdom slapped on slaves. Given the lightning attribute magic packed into such a tiny thing, it didn't seem like a bluff.
"We're fucked."
Yushin voiced his feelings bluntly. Him, a slave? In the Liberia Elf Kingdom, no less. If Martin Luther King Jr. could see this, he'd probably smash his hammer down on the foreheads of these racist elves.
"Who the hell's even gonna buy us..."
"Since it's come to this, I hope my buyer turns out to be a sexy big-sis elf."
"What about a kind, mom-like older elf? She could take care of me till I kick the bucket—singing lullabies at bedtime or reading me storybooks."
His subordinates were already throwing in the towel. They'd crossed the border. This was the Liberia Elf Kingdom. The moment they passed the Akiteon Mountains, escape chances dropped to zero. No way could they cross back over those mountains past the forest folk elves and make it to the Valua Kingdom.
That elf escort mentioned Pamplona earlier. Pamplona—the major city in the elf kingdom infamous for slave trading.
He'd heard of it before. But he'd never dreamed he'd end up here, let alone as merchandise on the block. What "purpose" would they fetch as slaves? According to the elf who'd escorted them, the slaves sold here weren't just for grunt labor. A small mercy, maybe... but the situation was still bleak as hell.
"Fuck."
BAM!!!
He swung his foot at the iron bars. But these weren't ordinary bars—a deafening clang echoed, yet they didn't even bend.
Right now, around twenty of them were caged like animals. Locked in massive pens, waiting their turn on the auction block.
The noise outside was picking up. Voices of countless elves. The auction must've started.
"B-Boss!"
"What the hell happens to us now..."
Yushin answered his men's pleas.
"Pray you get a good master."
But even as he said it, Yushin scanned his surroundings relentlessly, racking his brain for an escape route. He scratched at the choker on his neck, refusing to lose hope even in this dead-end mess. But with the auction house crawling with elves, there was no way out. They'd end up sold off just like the slaves going up on stage one by one.
* * *
The Liberia Elf Kingdom was infamous for its thriving slave system. Unlike human nations that dabbled in slavery on the sly, the elves ran it out in the open. The state managed slaves directly, even promoting the culture. Why? Elves desperately needed population growth and labor to keep the country running. So they turned all war captives into slaves and distributed them nationwide like a business.
"Looks like we're up last."
Bilen said. Leticia, standing beside her father and watching the auction stage, spoke up.
"Yeah. I wish they'd hurry it up..."
"No need to rush. Just relax."
Bilen figured none of the nobles packed into the auction house like clouds had more wealth than him. His domain, Santander Forest, boasted some of the elf kingdom's top-tier finances. Even if the other nobles pooled their money, he was confident he could snag the human swordsman he had his eye on. He'd pour out enough wealth to make his territory wobble. He had to have him, burdens be damned.
But why's Ardena the warrior captain here?
Bilen spotted Ardena amid the crowd. Gorgeous golden hair. Clear green eyes. A beauty elf with snow-white skin like a winter flurry, staring imperiously at the stage.
"Isn't that your friend over there?"
Bilen asked. A girl who looked like her little sister stood beside Ardena. Ardena the warrior captain's sister, Alone Valencia. Both Alone and Leticia attended Bria Academy. With Alone's looks so similar to her big sis, it was obvious at a glance.
"Not a friend. She's a total failure who can't even use Mana Blade right before graduation. Nothing for Father to worry about."
"Hm, not blessed with mana, huh. Well, can't have all sisters be geniuses. If Valencia Forest only produced prodigies, that would be unfair."
Bilen nodded. Valencia Forest had already birthed the once-in-a-generation genius Ardena Valencia. High elf nobles joked that the eldest daughter had hogged all the talent and potential that should've gone to her younger sister Alone. Ardena was the kingdom's youngest warrior captain, while little sis Alone was on the verge of repeating a year at the academy due to her dismal skills.
"Alright, then! Time for the biggest auction of the day! As you noble guests already know, we've got a very special item sourced straight from the Valua Kingdom!"
The female auctioneer shouted. The blonde beauty drew all eyes to the stage, her voice booming with passion—unlike the mechanical tone she'd used for the other slaves. Naturally, an auctioneer's heart raced for the priciest lots. She was certain this human about to hit the stage would fetch a career-making sum.
"Get up on stage, now!"
"Fuck, just say it without shoving, asshole."
"Defy orders, and we'll activate that choker right now!"
"Go ahead. The crowd'll love watching a slave's head turn to mush onstage."
"Kuh!"
Dressed in crisp new clothes, Yushin was marched up to the stage. The audience reacted instantly. The elf nobles watching the stage lit up with anticipation—they'd been waiting for this.
A Six Sword Realm swordsman. The Valua knight who'd felled warrior captain Ardena. One of the Kingdom's Seven Swords. A rare black-haired, black-eyed man from the continent. And a virgin. All these traits jacked up Yushin Gilliard's slave price to the moon.
"Ladies and gentlemen, from the Valua Kingdom: knight and Kingdom's Seven Swords member Yushin Gilliard! You all know the drill, so no long intro—let's jump straight into bidding!"
No point dragging out explanations. The auctioneer seized the instantly heated atmosphere and kicked off the real action.
"Starting bid: 1 billion Aiter!"
A few nobles gasped at her words. 1 billion as the floor? What kind of insane auction was this? It was meant to shake off the small-fry nobles with lighter purses.
"1.03 billion!"
"1.1 billion!"
"12... 1.3 billion!"
Nobles raised their paddles. The auctioneer hawk-eyed them all, driving the price higher.
Watching the ridiculous scene from the stage, Yushin muttered, "That's more than my entire net worth."
The elf nobles' frenzy to claim him was creepy in its persistence. Was this how elves felt when slave hunters sold them off? Shared suffering, maybe. Yushin grew to despise the slave system itself. He wanted to punch the beaming auctioneer and every gawking spectator in the face, one by one.
"3 billion!"
Chained in cuffs and watching the crowd's madness, Yushin heard a shout that silenced the room. 3 billion. For one slave. A middle-aged man overwhelmed the hall with his bid.
A mustachioed man. Bilen Santander. Master of Santander Forest, one of the elf kingdom's top tycoons. He smirked like he'd clinched victory, surveying the crowd with eyes screaming, "Top me if you dare!"
"3.1 billion! 3.1 billion!"
Some elf yelled. Bilen scoffed.
"3.5 billion Aiter. Payable immediately from my deposit at Yggdrasil Bank."
Bilen stretched his silk-gloved hands toward the auctioneer and the crowd. Wealth crushed the nobles. Yushin clicked his tongue at the burning greed in the middle-aged elf's eyes. No way he'd end up as some uncle elf's boy toy. Maybe the horsemanship gave him a firm ass? Else why drop 3.5 billion Aiter like that?
"3.5 billion!"
"Good lord, the Golden Santander lives up to the name."
"Even for a Six Sword Realm knight, no one can drop billions on a single slave..."
The high elf nobles backed off. Even selling off liquid family assets on the spot wouldn't cover it. Casual elf spectators were out of the question, whispering as they gawked at Bilen.
"How's he dropping 3.5 billion?"
"How bad did he want him?"
"We have 3.5 billion! Anyone higher? Higher?"
The auctioneer asked, but she already half-assumed it was done. Seasoned as she was, she figured Santander Forest—with its famed coffers—would take it.
"4 billion."
Just as everyone thought Bilen Santander had won Yushin Gilliard, a woman raised her paddle. She'd been watching quietly behind Bilen and Leticia. Ardena Valencia. The elf kingdom's warrior captain herself outbid him.
The auction house flipped into frenzy at the unexpected warrior captain's entry.
"4 billion...! 4 billion bid!"
The auctioneer cried.