The Nine Seats

I clenched my molars tight and walked slowly forward.

Slaves lined both sides of the path.

The sight of them was horrific.

There was not a shred of hope left in their eyes — nothing but the dead, glassy stare of fish laid out on a market stall. And every last one of them wore something locked around their neck.

I quietly asked Aera.

"What's that thing around their necks? They can't even run away. Why bother putting those on them?"

Putty, standing beside us, overheard and answered in her place.

"Those are subordination artifacts."

"Excuse me?"

"A great many masters worry, you see. What if their slave harbors a grudge and turns on them someday? That little fear is precisely why these artifacts came into being."

He beckoned one of the slaves over and held the collar up so I could see it properly. A small magic stone was set into the necklace.

"Monster hide with a magic stone embedded in it — that's the design. If the wearer tries to remove it, or attempts to attack their master, electricity pours straight out of the stone. It's a lightning-attribute magic stone, you understand."

A vein throbbed hard at my temple.

"If you've got something like that, you could at least let them live like human beings! Locking people up in a pigsty like this — isn't that going too far?!"

Strength had crept into my voice before I knew it, and my fists were clenched tight.

Putty gave me an awkward little smile.

"My, what a pure-hearted gentleman. Is this your first time visiting a place like this, sir?"

"Yeah, it is! What of it?"

"If you've never seen slaves before, I can understand the anger. But this, too, is the culture of this nation. Perfectly legal, I might add."

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his brow as though wiping away sweat.

"And I don't treat my slaves particularly badly, you know. Even with those collars, escape isn't entirely impossible — that's why I keep them locked up."

He tucked the handkerchief away again, then paused for effect.

"Perhaps… if you truly feel so sorry for them, why doesn't the gentleman simply buy these slaves himself?"

"What?"

"If you purchased them, they could live somewhere far better. Or you could free them, of course."

"Th-that's…"

I froze.

He was right. With enough money, I could pull people out of this place. I could give them their freedom…

But the price of buying a slave was nowhere near an amount I could spend out of simple goodwill.

Putty clasped his hands together and bowed at the waist, peering up at me. Behind that smooth, polished pitch, I could almost hear the real thought: If you're so bothered, then you go ahead and save them.

But I was a pauper who couldn't save a single one of them.

I couldn't look Putty in the eye. I turned my head away.

Aera took one look at the bitter expression on my face and spoke.

"Let's go, Giseok. We've seen enough."

"You're just going to leave? Can't we at least… one person…"

At that, Aera fixed Putty with a cold stare. He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Ah, well. Nothing to be done, then. Do come visit us again."

And with that, we left the shop.

Once we were outside, Aiham clapped me on the shoulder.

"You held it together well, Giseok."

"I could barely stand watching it either…"

Neither of them had taken it well.

"I'm sorry. I was the one who insisted we go in."

They looked at my face and both let out a sigh.

"Don't be. If you'd never seen it before, of course you'd be curious."

"Yeah, Giseok. How about we grab a drink and shake this off?"

"Hah… maybe. You two aren't coming?"

"I don't drink when I'm here on business," Aera said. "You all go ahead. Enjoy yourselves."

Old man Lu spoke up as well.

"I must remain to guard Lady Aera."

"Then it's just us!"

Aiham slung an arm over my shoulder.

I've really got good friends.

Thanks to them, I managed to settle my foul mood at least a little that night.

I woke to the fierce light of early morning sun.

All of us escorting the carriage were sharing the same inn, the same room. I turned my head and looked at the bed beside mine.

Aiham was snoring away.

Sleeping like a rock with the day already this bright.

"Hey! Aiham, get up! It's morning already."

"Nnngh…"

He just rolled over.

The guy looked so diligent on the surface, but it turned out he was a real heavy sleeper. I decided to let him rest a little longer and slipped out of the room first.

The door creaked open — and Old man Lu was standing right outside, waiting.

I flinched.

"Good morning, Giseok."

He greeted me with a polite bow.

"Haha… Good morning, Butler Lu."

"And why hasn't Aiham come out with you?"

"Ah… well… he's still asleep."

"Is that so?"

In that instant, a glint flashed through Old man Lu's eyes.

"Heh heh heh. I'll wake him myself. Why don't you head downstairs and have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breakfast first, Giseok."

"Haha… Understood."

Aiham, you're in for it. Sorry, buddy — I'm out of here first!

Old man Lu took hold of the doorknob and stepped inside. The door creaked shut behind him with a solid clack—

"Aaaagh!"

A scream tore out of the room.

That was definitely Aiham's.

I pretended I hadn't heard a thing and went downstairs to eat breakfast.

A little while later, after I'd finished eating and was nursing a cup of tea, Aiham came down. There was a fresh lump rising on his forehead.

"Hey. You okay?"

He wiped at the corner of his eye and muttered,

"You could've woken me up…"

"I didn't know the butler was standing right outside either."

Aiham dropped into a seat and started in on his food. I asked him,

"What are you up to today?"

"Later on Lady Aera wants to look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around Tebe for anything worth selling, so I'll probably go with her."

"Yeah? Should I tag along too?"

"Nah, you're fine. This is guild business — no reason to drag you into the hassle."

Since we'd come all the way to another country, he told me I should at least go sightseeing. Fair enough. Covering this kind of distance by carriage normally cost a fortune. Might as well enjoy being here while I could.

So after I finished eating, I found myself walking the streets alone.

Maybe I'll go check out some gear.

I only had two silver coins in my pocket — but looking was free, wasn't it?

I headed for a weapons shop.

Jingle—

The bell over the door rang, and the man inside greeted me.

"Welcome."

I bowed in return and started browsing.

True to a human-supremacist nation, the shopkeeper was human. I made my way over to the daggers — the weapon I used most. I could equip other weapons, sure, but without the matching mastery, a dagger was still what I handled best.

Here we go.

As a military power, the Empire was famous for its arms. I examined the daggers one by one.

The first one to catch my eye was a kris. It was a beautifully curved dagger — not like a kukri, but with a sinuous, wavy blade.

I checked another.

Holy hell. They've got gear like this?

Blue mithril with a red glow shimmering from within. I brushed a fingertip lightly along the edge. The blade wasn't cold like ordinary steel — it was strangely warm.

This is a seriously good dagger.

A fire-attribute enchantment — that was a term I'd never seen before. I asked the shopkeeper. No point pretending; I clearly couldn't afford it anyway.

"Master, what's the effect of the fire attribute on this dagger?"

"Ah, yes, sir. When you cut an enemy, it sears the wound slightly with flame. It's typically used to slow the regeneration of plant-type monsters."

That was an incredible item.

"And if you wear it somewhere cold, the parts of you it touches stay a little warmer. Hahaha."

"Nice. So, uh… how much is it?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment.

"We don't get stock like this in often. That one runs about ten gold coins."

Ten gold. I wanted it so badly.

But… I couldn't even buy holy water right now, and I barely had enough for food…

"Hahaha. My wallet's a bit light at the moment. I'll come back another time."

"If you don't buy it now, it may not be here later — but I suppose it can't be helped. Do stop by again."

I coveted it, sure — but it was so far out of reach that I didn't even feel that disappointed. If it had been just a little short, maybe…

Should I check out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a magic-tool shop too?

I was walking down the street when I noticed a crowd clustered up ahead — maybe twenty people or so, packed tight.

"What's going on? Why's everyone gathered like that?"

I pushed closer and quickly saw the reason.

It was a play.

"We humans endured humiliation at the hands of other races — forced to suffer under their power!"

A man was laying out the background, like a narrator.

"But then! Our great Emperor ascended the throne!"

"Woooooo!!"

The word Emperor alone sent a roar of excitement through the crowd.

"Upon taking the throne, in a mere three years His Majesty conquered four cities of the beastman nation of Tuscar — a people who had long treated us humans as an inferior race!"

Four cities in three years?!

Most cities were ringed by walls. Taking four of them in three years was no small feat.

"And at last — he struck at Turkan, the very heart of Tuscar!"

A man in a prop crown and a red cape stood at center stage — clearly playing the Emperor of the Empire. A mob of actors in beastman costumes came surging toward him.

"Those beasts swarmed His Majesty in a rabble, seeking to overwhelm him — but our Cardin Emperor is the Chosen Sovereign! He and the nine of the Nine Seats alone strode forth to meet that horde in battle!"

"Only ten of them? Isn't that way too few?"

"Against that many beastmen??"

Then someone playing a member of the Nine Seats appeared — though they seemed short on cast, because only one came out.

"Oh, marvel of marvels! Our great Emperor and the Nine Seats seized the capital of Turkan with but ten warriors!!"

"Whoa! Ten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people — that's insane!"

"So freaking cool!!!"

The children in the crowd went wild. Heroic tales always became the dreams and longings of the young.

"And the wicked enemy king, Urku…"

With those words, the man in the prop crown and red cape drove a wooden sword into the actor dressed as a bear beastman. A pouch of ketchup hidden in the costume burst open — and at the same instant, the narrator bellowed at the top of his lungs,

"—was EXECUTED!!!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Waaaaaah!"

"And so our Cardin Empire became the strongest nation in the world, and we humans rose as the supreme race — fit to command those beastly creatures! Long live His Majesty!!"

"Long live!!!!"

True to a human-supremacist nation, the entire play was one long exercise in trampling every other race as inferior — and heaping praise on the Emperor.

Still… the Emperor and the Nine Seats…

If the play were even half true — if ten people really had taken a beastman capital — that would be an absurd level of power. But stories were just stories. There had to be plenty of exaggeration mixed in.

By the time the play wound down, a great deal of time had passed. A red glow was already settling over the sky.

I should head back.

Missing the magic-tool shop was a shame, but I turned and walked toward the inn.

"Giseok, you're back?"

Aera and Aiham had already returned to the inn.

"Yeah. Find anything worth selling today?"

"We bought a few things, but there wasn't as much as I'd hoped."

"Yeah, that's why we came back early."

No big haul for anyone, it seemed.

"Giseok, where did you go?"

"Me? I stopped by a weapons shop and watched a play."

"A play?"

"Yeah. Pretty much nothing but praise for the Emperor and the Nine Seats, though."

Talking about it sparked a question, so I asked.

"So what exactly are the Nine Seats?"

Aera answered before Aiham could.

"The Nine Seats are the nine Dukes who serve as the Emperor's sword and shield."

"Nine Dukes?"

"Yes. The moment the Emperor of the Empire took the throne, he demoted every existing Duke in one sweep. The ones he elevated in their place are the current Nine Seats — the companions who adventured alongside him before he became Emperor."

Demoting every Duke in the realm at once… the backlash must have been enormous.

"Let's eat first," Aera said.

"Sure. Let me just wash my hands."

We had dinner, talked for a while, and turned in early.

Hnnnkkk—

I woke to the sound of Aiham's snoring.

"Aiham… that nose of yours is something else…"

I was the only one awake. How was everyone else sleeping through a racket like that?

I lay back down. I missed having a private room so badly it hurt.

Hah. Nothing I can do about snoring…

I closed my eyes again. Once we left the city, sleeping arrangements would get rough. I needed to rest while I still could.

And just as I was about to drift off—

A black shadow slipped past the window.

What was that? Just now— a cat?

Probably nothing.

I started to close my eyes again — and then I felt it.

A thick, crushing killing intent.

I yanked a dagger from my inventory and brought it up toward the source of that murderous aura in a single motion.

Clang—

Steel rang against steel.

My eyes snapped wide open.

Standing before me was an assassin in a black mask.