Chapter 142: The Corrupt Merchant (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: The Corrupt Merchant (4)
With Zeke's defeat, the situation was quickly resolved.
The men who had boasted of being masters of the North had been defeated by a single woman. They knelt before Azyeth, huddled together.
There were injured, but no one was dead.
Just a little frozen, a little cut.
This was thanks to Azyeth faithfully following Karami's order to never kill.
‘What in the world is a person like that?’
Meanwhile, Bifen, who had been watching from a corner, couldn't hide his astonishment.
As far as Bifen knew, there was no one stronger than Zeke. And yet, that same Zeke had been defeated so helplessly.
After all that talk about being the strongest.
He blamed himself for trusting a barbarian.
‘My business is ruined.’
He planned to hurry back, wrap up his business, and skip town. Now that Zeke, his backer, was gone, the people he'd scammed would be sharpening their knives and coming for him.
It was a shame he couldn't get revenge on Karami, but if he stayed in business, they were bound to meet again someday.
"You just wait. I'll make sure you can never set foot in this business again."
The classic line of a loser. Vowing revenge, Bifen stealthily turned to leave.
Thwack!
"Gah?!"
An arrow flew from somewhere, grazing the tip of Bifen's nose before embedding itself in the wall. A stinging pain followed, and a drop of blood formed on the bridge of his nose.
If the arrow had been just a hair to the side, or if Bifen had been a single step faster, it would have pierced his cheek.
"Who is it! Who's shooting arrows so recklessly!"
Wondering what kind of madman would do such a thing, Bifen looked in the direction the arrow had come from.
"It was me, you fucking swindler."
It was Linvar.
"What is this dangerous stunt! Are you trying to kill me?"
"That's right, you bastard. I've come to collect payment for everything you cheated our tribe out of. With your life."
Linvar nocked a new arrow on her bowstring. A chill ran down Bifen's spine. As a merchant, he was quick to read people. She was serious.
He couldn't die here, in this backwater, to a mere barbarian's arrow.
"W-wait a moment! I'll give it back! I'll give you everything I've taken! Besides, if you kill me here, you won't be able to get the supplies you need in the future, will you?!"
"Ah, I've already taken care of that."
Behind Linvar, Karami emerged from the shadows.
Bifen's narrow eyes widened.
"The... The Slave Reaper?!"
"Haha, don't be so surprised. Anyone would think the real Grim Reaper had just appeared."
Right, since the slave Azyeth was here, it was only natural that her master, Karami, would be here too.
"Taken care of it? What do you mean?"
"I'm quite well-connected, you see. I've already found someone to replace you. And best of all, they won't backstab their clients like you do."
"Found someone? Already?"
It had only been a week since he'd parted ways with Karami. That was barely enough time to find someone, let alone arrange for the transport of goods.
For Bifen, it was unbelievable.
"Hmm, what should I do with you? You don't have much use... Perhaps I could use you as a sacrifice to appease the tribe's anger?"
"Eek?! I'll do anything you say, please just spare my life!"
Bifen dropped into his customary grovel.
A merchant, not a warrior, had no pride more important than his life.
"Oh? You'll really do anything I say?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Bifen answered without a shred of hesitation.
He just had to get out of here somehow.
As long as he was alive, he had the capital to make a comeback anytime.
"Good. I'm not one to enjoy harming others, myself."
The idea of a Reaper not enjoying harming people was absurd, but seeing a way out, Bifen's face brightened.
"You just have to hand over all your funds, your business rights, and all your information on the merchant's association. Do that, and I'll let you keep your life."
"...Excuse me?"
His face had been bright right up until those conditions came out of Karami's mouth.
"W-wait a minute. If you take everything, how am I supposed to make a living?"
"Do I have to worry about that, too? If you're a truly competent merchant, you should be able to climb back up from the bottom. What's wrong? Don't have the confidence? Because I do."
Karami crouched in front of the prostrated Bifen and gave him a pointed smile.
"I'd recommend you don't even think about hiding anything. I only show mercy once."
Bifen realized too late.
This Slave Reaper was a corrupt merchant who played with people's lives.
*
After his "successful negotiation" with Bifen, Karami left him in Linvar's care.
Linvar might take out her personal feelings on Bifen, but that wasn't Karami's problem.
Karami returned to Azyeth's side.
Before her were the tribesmen, their hands and feet bound in ice.
Zeke glared fiercely and bellowed at Karami.
"So it's you. The one they call the Slave Reaper! Hiding behind a woman and just giving orders. For such a grand title, you don't have a shred of manliness in you!"
"Hahaha, if I were the type to fight myself, why would I be a merchant? I'd be a knight. And besides, could I be any more pathetic than you, who lost to a woman?"
"You silver-tongued bastard!"
As Zeke tried to jump up, ice covered his body. He was frozen solid from the neck down, unable to move.
"You'd better watch your mouth. If I kick you, your body will shatter like ice."
"Kugh...!"
When Karami placed his foot on Zeke's chest, Zeke could only grind his teeth in fury, unable to say a word.
"Rami... can't break."
"Pardon?"
Azyeth, who was standing beside him, interjected.
"This... is my magic. Rami can't ever break it..."
Azyeth knew from watching him just how weak Karami was. He couldn't even handle mana. He could never break magical ice, which was different from ordinary ice.
Silence fell.
Karami picked up a weapon lying on the ground.
"Haha, if you don't answer obediently, I'll use this weapon to..."
"That's also impossible..."
"..."
Karami tossed the weapon aside.
"Hahahaha! If you show any sign of resistance, my slave will shatter you to pieces. It would be wise to obey."
Karami tried his best to ignore the stares directed at him.
"What do you want?"
"First, I plan to get the people you've kidnapped. Now, who wants to bring them here? First come, first served, two people."
Only a few knew what "first come, first served" meant. Two men, who were always quick-witted, scrambled out.
"Those fucking traitors!"
The ones who caught on late cursed them, but it was pointless. They were a disorderly mob driven by selfish desires to begin with. Loyalty was out of the question.
The two who had disappeared soon returned with people. Most of them were women. Not a single one was unscathed; it seemed they had been through a terrible ordeal.
The women were surprised to see the tribesmen kneeling, but at the same time, they looked at Karami, the one who had made them kneel, with fear.
"Hello, everyone. You must have suffered a great deal, but you can rest easy now."
"...Who are you?"
"A slave trader."
"Ah..."
It was one misfortune after another. The dark future made her so dizzy that one of the women staggered.
"Oh, miss!"
"My, I didn't realize you were so weak. But don't you worry. I'll make sure you all have very healthy bodies."
"Ah..."
The women collapsed one after another.
*
Their suffering must have been so immense that the victims kept fainting as if from anemia whenever I spoke to them.
These heartless, bloodthirsty barbarians.
How could they let people get into this state?
I scraped together some clothes for the women, loaded them onto the Snow Cloud Association carriage I'd called for in advance, and sent them to the city.
They would take good care of the rest.
I handed the subdued tribesmen over to Brund's Knight Order. They must have already been grinding their teeth over them, because they thanked me repeatedly and hauled them away with bright faces.
A perfect cleanup.
‘I got the item I needed, too~’
The jeweled ring in my hand. It was the item Zeke had been wearing. If I gave it to Darka, she would tell me a new story.
Frost Hollow was now empty, all the people gone. In its center stood Azyeth, staring blankly at her surroundings.
"What are you doing?"
"Just..."
It seemed she was engraving a new impression onto her mind.
"Miss Azyeth, how did you feel when you were fighting those people?"
"Well... I don't know...?"
"Did you not feel anything from their expressions or their voices?"
Azyeth recalled the recent battle and finally managed an answer.
"They looked... scared."
"Anything else?"
"Angry...?"
She answered uncertainly, as if she wasn't sure.
These were unfamiliar emotions for Azyeth. For someone who had only seen positive things in Lake Fortress, it must have felt strange.
"And what about you, Miss Azyeth, when you were swinging your sword? Was it fun?"
Azyeth shook her head.
"Not... fun. Don't want to do it..."
Her usual slow way of speaking. But this time, it held a will I hadn't seen before.
A smile spread across my lips at that.
I was worried she might say it was fun, but thankfully, she didn't.
"Hmm, I see. Since you don't like it, Miss Azyeth, I won't make you do this kind of thing anymore."
"You won't...?"
"Of course. It's a master's duty not to make his slave do things she dislikes."
Azyeth tilted her head.
Her expression said she didn't quite understand, but she didn't seem to think too deeply about it. It was as if simply knowing he wouldn't make her do things she disliked was enough.
Azyeth, whose emotions are locked away, needs to experience as many different feelings as possible. Not just the good, but the bad as well.
In most cases, emotions precede reason. It's something even people who don't think deeply can naturally feel as they live their lives.
The new emotions she experienced today will steadily accumulate within her and stimulate her frozen sensibilities.
It would surely work out for her in a good way.
"Now, let's get out of this gloomy place. Let's go back to the village. The people must be eagerly waiting for you, Miss Azyeth."
"Okay..."
I started walking toward the exit.
But Azyeth didn't follow, just stood there.
"What's wrong?"
"Uhm. It's nothing..."
What's this? I've lived long enough to see her mumble evasively.
Her gaze was directed slightly downward... Don't tell me?
"Were you just staring at my ass?"
"No..."
"I knew it. They say kids learn the bad stuff first. I can't believe you're interested in men's asses, Miss Azyeth."
"It's not like..."
She can't even deny it properly, so it must be true. I'm shocked.
"Still, for a slave to look at her master with such lewd eyes... Sigh... This won't do. You go on ahead, Miss Azyeth. I'll follow behind you."
"..."
So subtly you'd miss it if you weren't looking closely, Azyeth pouted.
Looks like she's got a complaint about me.
"What's this? Rebelling against your master, who's like the heavens to you?"
Azyeth, who had been staring at me with narrowed eyes, turned and started walking without a backward glance. To think even Azyeth would look at me like that.
‘Is she also hitting puberty or something?’
"You reap what you sow," as they say, but why do all the slaves I raise turn out like this?
I'd have no regrets if they were just half as wonderful as their master.