Chapter 29: Absolutely Never Bet Against a Slave Trader
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: Absolutely Never Bet Against a Slave Trader
“If I win, you’ll set me free?”
Did I hear him wrong?
Even though Alfia had heard Karami’s proposal clearly, she asked again in disbelief.
But Karami’s answer was unchanged.
“Yes, I will set you free.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Isn’t this an opportunity for you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
It was, of course, what she’d been hoping for, but hearing it so suddenly left Alfia bewildered. She never imagined he’d free her just for being good at holding her liquor.
Still, accepting it rashly would be a huge mistake. Even an elf as ignorant of the ways of the world as she was knew that much.
“What if I lose? What are you betting?”
“I won’t be betting anything.”
“What…?”
Karami’s eyes curved into an elegant arc.
“Because making a bet when you already know the outcome isn’t a wager, it’s fraud.”
His tone suggested his victory was a foregone conclusion. At the blatant provocation, Alfia’s eyebrow twitched. He was clearly smiling, but no one would have thought he was actually amused.
It was as if an ice spirit had appeared, making the temperature drop.
“Fine, is that how it is? Good. Let’s do it. I didn’t think I’d be liberated this easily~”
Though she’d been forced to drink for reasons of birth, Alfia now prided herself on being a connoisseur. When it came to drinking, she was confident she wouldn’t lose to anyone.
Especially when provoked like this. To back down now would be a disgrace to all elves.
This was no longer a contest between her and Karami.
It was a battle between elves and humans.
“So, how do we do this? We just trade shots?”
“Something like that. Before we start, I just need to use the restroom.”
“Do as you please.”
Karami left his seat but returned quickly and sat down.
“I’ll leave the judging to the Master. Please stop us when you determine one of us can’t drink anymore.”
“I’ll do that.”
Karami filled both their glasses to the brim.
“Shall we start with a light toast for the first glass?”
“If you wish.”
The man and woman exchanged smiles that weren’t quite smiles and clinked their glasses.
Clink.
A clear sound rang out.
*
After downing their first shot, the two began to exchange questions along with their drinks.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I’m Alfia Liliand.”
“A playful flower? It’s a beautiful name.”
“Save the sugar-coated compliments. You’re Karami, right? What do you do?”
“I’m a slave trader. Unfortunately, I also have the moniker of ‘Slave Reaper’.”
“Slave Reaper? What’s that?”
“It’s a name I earned for killing slaves. It’s quite bitter, really. I pride myself on treating my slaves better than anyone, yet this is the name I get.”
Being unfamiliar with human society, Alfia didn’t quite understand, but she could tell something wasn’t right.
And if he was a Reaper… Alfia asked again, her voice low and heavy with anxiety.
“Have you enslaved other elves besides me?”
“Of course. Elves are money pits at first, but once you have the foundation, they can be used in all sorts of fields. Occasionally you find one who can brew potions, and with just one of them, you can rake in cash in no time.”
“…”
So it was true.
She could feel a faint aura of the forest from Karami, but its concentration was far from ordinary. You wouldn’t get that just by rolling around in a forest.
‘The World Tree.’
The first tree of the world. It was the aura of the World Tree, the spiritual pillar of the elves. It must have seeped into his body from being around the elves of her homeland for so long.
There was no other way Karami’s body could carry the aura of the World Tree.
“Where did all those elves go?”
“I returned them all to the embrace of nature.”
Alfia mulled over the words ‘the embrace of nature’.
For an elf, the embrace of nature meant returning to their homeland, the Great Forest. Since Karami seemed well-versed in elven culture, he might have used it with that meaning.
But Karami was the Slave Reaper. If the embrace of nature he meant was…
Alfia stopped thinking too deeply. Her heart felt heavy. She focused only on winning this bet.
One glass.
Another glass.
An endless Moebius strip of glasses being emptied and refilled. As the cycle repeated, nine empty bottles were soon rolling around on the floor.
Each bottle was a fine liquor costing several dozen gold coins, so as their number grew, a look of joy spread across Victor’s face.
Karami, who usually used Emily as an excuse to get free drinks, had for some reason offered to pay this time.
It didn’t matter who won.
As long as they kept drinking, Victor was more than thankful.
In contrast, Alfia’s pale face was flushed red, and behind that facade, her heart felt like it was being scorched black.
Elves naturally have a high tolerance for alcohol. Alfia, in particular, was a cut above most elves, yet even she was getting drunk.
Thanks to the alcohol coursing through her body, the pain had subsided, but with it, the light of freedom grew more distant. Karami’s complexion hadn’t changed at all from when they’d started drinking.
“You… you can really… really drink, can’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m a great drinker, just that I enjoy it in moderation. But Miss Alfia, you don’t look so well. Perhaps it’s time to give up?”
“G-give up? What are you talking about? I’m still perfectly fine!”
Alfia declared bravely.
*
“I’m… fine. Perfectly fine…”
The fierce competition came to an end when they opened the eleventh bottle.
Alfia, who had already been showing signs, swayed her head precariously before finally slamming her forehead onto the table with a thud!
She didn’t get up.
With that one headbutt, the scales of victory were shattered.
“You’ve won, lad.”
“Haa, so it seems.”
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and slump into my chair like a slug. Staring at the back of the passed-out Alfia’s head, I couldn’t hide my sense of futility.
‘Is this an elf? She’s a drinking elephant.’
No, with ears that long, maybe an ‘ear-lephant.’
Anyway.
The problem wasn’t getting drunk, it was that I was getting too full to drink anymore. I knew she could drink, but I had no idea it was to this extent.
One is a squirrel who eats Slime Fritters.
The other is a drinking elephant.
Truly a unique bunch of slaves. Then again, I also have a vampire who drinks milk instead of blood, so I guess I should be used to it.
‘How much did all this cost?’
Empty bottles were scattered everywhere.
I bought all of that with my own money.
Alfia was wary of me. I needed to raise her affinity, and there was nothing better than alcohol for that.
But if she drank for free, it would be a gift from Victor, not me. So I had no choice but to buy the drinks.
“You can really hold your liquor. Were you always this good?”
“It’s a basic skill for a slave trader.”
A lie.
In truth, I’m a terrible drinker. My original self wasn’t a heavy drinker, and Karami was the same. So how did I beat that elephant, you ask?
Ding.
A system notification chimed.
[The duration of the Potion of Invulnerability has ended.]
What else?
An item, of course.
A brokenly overpowered item that grants immunity to all debuffs, including poison. Its duration is only an hour, but its cooldown is a whopping one week. And it costs a staggering 5,000 points.
And I just used it on a mere drinking contest.
Thanks to it, the alcohol was no different from a tasty beverage, and I didn’t feel drunk at all. If Alfia had held out just a little longer and the duration had run out, I would’ve been the one with my head on the table.
A kind master who gave her a chance to escape.
I raised her affinity, even if just by a little.
And with this much alcohol in her, she won’t feel any pain.
I’m glad it all worked out.
“Let’s go, ugly elephant. Your neck will hurt if you sleep like that.”
“Ugh… I’m not ugly… I’m super pretty…”
“Alright, pretty elephant.”
“Heeheehee… pretty.”
I hoisted the sleep-talking Alfia onto my back.
“Master, thank you for your trouble today.”
“Hoho, what trouble? I’d welcome this kind of trouble anytime. I think I earned more than when you give me a request. Now I can buy Emily a pretty dress.”
Leaving Victor beaming at his pouch of gold coins, I returned to the room and laid Alfia on the bed.
With every breath she exhaled, the smell of alcohol and the forest mingled in the air. Her pale face was flushed red, and just as you’d expect from an elf, she was ridiculously beautiful.
I stared intently at her as she slept, looking much more peaceful than before.
[Alfia, the Eternally Suffering Elf]
In truth, my first encounter with her wasn’t supposed to be at the garrison.
A scenario where I rescue her doesn’t even exist.
Alfia was supposed to be kidnapped by that mercenary group and handed over to Roperman, the leader of the Desert Rose Merchant Group and an avid collector.
At first, Roperman treasures Alfia, but his attitude changes completely when he discovers her major flaw.
She suffers every kind of humiliation a woman could endure at his hands, and when even alcohol can’t numb the pain, she’s forced to take drugs.
Pickled in drugs, Alfia’s mind melts away, and only then does she appear on the slave market for a pittance. That’s where we were supposed to meet for the first time.
That’s the original story.
The main character of a weeb game getting broken after being sexually humiliated by some weirdo.
‘The unicorn brigade wouldn’t just stand by and watch. They’d cough up blood.’
Naturally, the community forums exploded in flames, and faced with fierce backlash from the players, the game company revised the story.
‘Ta-da! Actually, Roperman is impotent and a sadist who gets pleasure from violence. So Alfia is abused, but not sexually humiliated.’
Something like that.
So, if I just waited a little, I could have gotten her for cheap, and by nursing the broken Alfia back to health, her affinity would have shot up in no time.
I know the rest of the story perfectly, so I could have easily proceeded to her liberation. I could have, but…
Wait until she’s broken?
‘Absolutely not.’
Twisting the story will be hard.
Predicting the future will become more difficult.
But who am I? A lover of slaves, am I not?
If there are hardships, they’re my burden to bear. I’d rather die than see them suffer.
I brushed back Alfia’s golden bangs, damp with sweat.
“Just wait a little longer. I’ll make it so your body no longer has to suffer, and then I’ll return you to the embrace of nature.”