Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: The Slave Disguise
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Two weeks ago, in the hold of a smuggling passenger ship.
"Why do we have to play the roles of slaves?"
Hwi Juran Muyel asked, and Gorgota Paluga answered.
"Unlike the southern continent, where war has caused chaos and classes are heavily mixed due to necessity, the homeland of the Danri United Kingdom has social statuses clearly divided by species. Races with tails, known as yumi, hold the highest status. On the other hand, tailless races called mumi have the lowest."
At those words, Ramin Solost Muyel asked,
"Hold on. Froglin don't have tails either."
"You didn't know? We have tails when we're young. They gradually shorten as we grow."
"Really? I had no idea."
"People usually don't care about races other than their own."
Gorgota continued.
"Originally, the reason for yumi, mumi, and the in-between banmi stems from the unification wars of the United Kingdom. The species that belonged to Danri became the mainstream in the United Kingdom, while mumi species were generally major races from other nations."
Ramin said,
"The royal family in the Garang Kingdom where I was born were gnomes. I vaguely remember the lord of the village I lived in being a gnome too..."
Juran said,
"Still, aren't other roles possible? Not all mumi classes are slaves."
"That's true. But all things considered, slave status will be the most convenient. For other statuses, most mumi are serfs tied to rice paddies and fields, or factory laborers. Mumi face many restrictions on movement, so if they wander without special reason, they'll be checked for status everywhere. And there are other reasons too."
"Other reasons?"
Gorgota said,
"The identities provided by the intelligence agency aren't just fake papers—they're quite detailed. We'll meet an intelligence agent operating in the United Kingdom and get further assistance from them."
"Another agent?"
Gorgota nodded.
"Espionage work happens more overseas than domestically. We received orders before escaping Thunderhold."
Ramin wasn't thrilled about relying on help, but he resolved to play the role somehow.
After all, a vampire's life was always an act.
Not living fully as oneself, but pretending not to drink blood, pretending not to harm others.
'...I figured as much, but this is even more degrading than I thought.'
Neither Ramin nor Juran, who had agreed to the slave roles, were assigned particularly grueling tasks.
If anything, Gorgota, playing the slave trader, seemed the busiest.
Gorgota, under the name Gor, was coordinating with the United Kingdom noble Revoni Dorandot, and to Ramin's eyes, he seemed more like a natural-born slave trader than a spy.
But overhearing their conversation didn't sit well.
Noble Revoni, mounted on a centaur, walked along and said,
"But employing humans as beasts of burden—quite the unique taste."
Gorgota was riding beside him on horseback.
Revoni had offered to switch centaurs if he wanted, but Gorgota politely declined with an excuse.
Gorgota replied,
"In the Ronante-Oroban Alliance, human slaves are common. I've heard there are many human slaves in the United Kingdom too, called mumi."
"True. But using them as beasts is a bit..."
"A bit?"
"Sturdier races. Centaurs aren't treated as banmi in the United Kingdom. This centaur was demoted to slavery as punishment. We prefer banmi slaves. Mumi slaves aren't really for burden work... right. I just don't want them drawing attention."
"Ah."
"That's what worries me a bit."
"Pardon?"
Revoni said,
"If the Ronante-Oroban Alliance mainly uses single-bodied mumi like humans as slaves, it might be hard to get proper value when buying this time."
Gorgota smiled and said,
"No need to worry. In fact, Your Excellency Revoni should be pleased."
"Is that so?"
"Our Ronante-Oroban Alliance avoids using races the United Kingdom calls banmi as beasts because they're considered fierce, so considering supply and demand, we can provide more banmi slaves."
"Oh ho."
"It's just balancing the market, isn't it?"
"That sounds plausible."
Upon arriving at Revoni's villa, Gorgota entered the mansion with him.
Revoni mentioned that the mansion had once been used by a Froglin noble and had a swimming pool attached to the banquet hall.
Gorgota left Ramin and Juran behind and went inside.
Ramin and Juran were led to the stables.
"Seriously? Even as attached beasts, we can't enter that huge mansion?"
"Sister, I think Gorgota did this out of consideration for us."
"Consideration?"
"We'd have to keep acting like slaves inside the mansion, which would be stressful. Here, even with the horse manure smell, we can relax."
"My thought... no, I think even if so, it's not for our sake but because he's worried we'll slip up."
"Well, there's probably a bit of that too."
Juran looked at Ramin with a smiling face.
"You can speak casually. And with titles too."
"But as I said before..."
"Even if I'm not really your sister, you can call older women that, right? Or should I make you call me grandma?"
Ramin flicked Juran's horn with his finger.
"Ow."
Juran felt the vibration through her horn.
Ramin shook his flicked finger lightly, looking more pained himself.
Ramin said,
"I don't mind calling you sister, but ease up on the teasing."
"Sorry."
Juran said,
"Did you not get along with Hwikyung?"
"Not exactly."
"Sharing stories about Hwikyung might help track her down, no?"
Ramin seemed to ponder, glanced around the stable, then said,
"I grew up in a big family with lots of siblings. Five above and five below, I think, but it's old memories, so not sure. Anyway, I didn't get much attention. Growing up in a family like that isn't anything special. Most families are similar. Normally, I'd have become a noble house maid or toiled in the fields my whole life and died."
"And then?"
"A plague spread. Didn't know at the time, but it hit the whole continent, not just Garang Kingdom. With the plague short on labor, food shortages, and bad harvests, we held out the first year, but by two or three, all my five siblings above and below were gone. My parents decided to sell me, but it turned out worse than going to a noble house."
"Why?"
"Food was scarce, right? Villages bought kids from one village to sell to others with different races."
Juran grimaced.
"So that means..."
"To eat."
Ramin added,
"Understand. It was a tough time."
"I do. But as the same species, it's a bit heartbreaking..."
"No need to feel bad. Did those kid-trading merchants come to human villages empty-handed? How else would I know my fate?"
Juran fell silent.
Feeling he'd shut her down unnecessarily, Ramin moved on.
"Anyway, I left that village. But other villages didn't always have surplus or kids to resell, so I saw many sold before me without being sold. Once, I nearly was, but they took a bigger kid behind me, delaying my turn."
"..."
"Then we were raided. Troll bandits, but it wasn't a good era even for bandits. Merchant fled at sight, kids scattered. My escape direction was bad though."
"Captured?"
"Arrow hit my leg. But before the troll reached me, a horned human woman sneaked up behind it and cleaved its head with an axe. It was Hwikyung."
Juran said in an expectant tone,
"And she saved you, sister?"
"Uh, yeah? Sort of?"
"Sort of?"
"It's ambiguous whether it was a straight rescue."
"Huh? How so?"
"Hwikyung didn't just save me—she gave a choice. Get drained dry by her, or become her beast."
Ramin saw Juran's face show complex feelings toward her ancestor's personality-breaking traits and thought he shouldn't have said it.
Still, harboring some emotions toward Hwikyung, Ramin didn't want to end the story there.
"Ah, but still..."
At that moment, the stable door opened.
It was the female centaur Revoni had been riding earlier.
Unlike before, her hands weren't bound, no gag in her mouth.
The saddle on her back was removed.
Ramin whispered,
"What do we do now?"
"What kind of 'now' is this?"
"Any magic to not feel awkward alone in a foreign stable with a slave centaur?"
"That's pretty rude thinking."
Contrary to Ramin's expectations, the centaur strode confidently toward Ramin and Juran.
The centaur said,
"No need to worry, Ramin."
"Uh, how do you know my name..."
"I don't defecate here."
"..."
"Ah, no. I was the only one conscious of that."
Juran said from the side,
"Not at all. That's a relief."
Ramin panicked seeing Juran's expression genuinely relieved.
Ramin said,
"No, wait. That's not the point—how do you know my name?"
Then a familiar Froglin entered the stable.
It was Gorgota.
Gorgota said,
"Ah, no worries. Ramin, Juran. Sorry for the late introduction. This centaur is Tella, our intelligence agency's Agent 13."
"Ah."
Tella nodded.
Gorgota continued,
"Wanted to come out sooner, but that party dragged on. Fortunately, he's weak to alcohol and passed out quick. But you'll have to spend the night here."
"That's fine."
Tella said,
"Slave is just a cover. Different mission from yours, but no better way to get close to Revoni. You might be surprised since it's my first appearance like this in the Empire."
"Yes, a bit."
"In the United Kingdom, strong banmi or mumi often wear restraints at their owner's whim. Slave labor camps are full of shackled ogres and trolls."
Ramin frowned.
"Slave labor camps?"
"For ones like me serving as beasts or mounts, it's the lucky case. Major crimes like treason usually mean unpaid labor in camps until death."
Gorgota said,
"That's why missions like Tella's are crucial."
"Mission...?"
Tella smiled and said,
"Revolution."