Arrival at Hamel

"You're just going to leave those?"

Selena, who had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠woken me with her usual morning fellatio, pointed at the two "human saplings" sprawled in a corner of the clearing where we'd spent the night, just before we left.

"Yeah. If their repentance reaches the heavens, someone'll come save them."

I nodded without a shred of hesitation, took Selena by the hand, and led her out of the clearing toward the ferry landing.

The landing was quiet in the early morning. Waiting for a boat to cut through the thick river mist, I glanced at Selena, who kept twitching her hips every so often.

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh..."

She shot me a resentful look, then whipped her head away.

Well... it was probably her ass.

I'd already figured as much before asking — last night I'd spent quite a while working on it, though the results had been almost nonexistent — and the awkwardness was clearly getting to her. I resolved then and there to find the right tools as soon as possible and develop her properly, until nothing felt strange anymore.

I'm definitely going to need anal toys... If they don't exist here, do I have to make them? Beads should be easy enough — just string sturdy thread through some balls... but sticks and plugs, hmm...

I was still fretting over what to do if this world had no anal gear when a carriage rolled up to the landing.

"Oh. A couple on a trip? How romantic. Yes, indeed."

We're not a couple, though. Do we look that good together? Heh heh...

"Even if you're a bit poor, those are the good times."

Uh... we do look pretty broke... I need to get her into some high-defense clothes soon.

"Haaah... When's the boat getting here..."

Doesn't care about anyone around him, huh?

"Even a bastard like that has a woman like her..."

Hold on. What was that last one?

A neatly dressed middle-aged man. A middle-aged beauty being escorted down by the man who'd stepped out first. A handsome young man grumbling through a long yawn. And a younger man who looked fairly put-together but still fell well short of the first one.

The four of them climbed down from the carriage, each tossing out a remark, and before long a boat carrying three passengers docked at the landing.

"One silver a head."

Skipping any greeting or introduction, the boatman demanded the fare first. I pressed two silvers into his hand, boarded the ferry, and held out my hand to Selena, who was still standing behind me.

Ever since hearing the word "couple," she'd been blushing nonstop. She gently took my hand.

"What a damn joke."

Okay, but what is that guy's problem?

Just as the urge to kick the snide bastard in the head surged up again, the hand of the man with the drowsy expression moved.

— Thwack!

"Guh?!"

The man who'd just smacked the snide one across the back of the head with his open palm spoke in a voice thick with irritation.

"Keep the jealousy in check, you asshole."

The one who'd taken the hit to the skull and screamed immediately roared back.

"Who the hell are you?! You look like a damn rent boy!"

The man, slapped with an absurd insult, scowled and raised his fist again — only for the middle-aged man who'd boarded right after us to step in.

"Now, now. What kind of talk is that? Apologize at once. And you — enough. Even if he was in the wrong, starting with violence is no way to handle it."

"Hah... Fine."

The man let out a long sigh and lowered his fist, but the one who'd been hit and spewed abuse showed no intention of apologizing.

"Apologize and get on board. If we don't leave soon, people will be waiting at the far landing. Or would you rather take the next boat?"

Even the temperamental one didn't fancy standing in the river wind until the next ferry arrived, so he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offered a grudging apology.

"I went too far."

Yeah, that's a pretty weak apology...

But the man who'd been insulted never seemed interested in receiving one. He boarded without a word.

— Nod.

He'd done it out of his own irritation, but he'd still cracked the skull I'd wanted to crack myself. I dipped my head in a small gesture of thanks.

The man who received my greeting glanced briefly at Selena's lower belly, then took his seat.

Well. Having something like that on your lower belly would look pretty strange.

The leftover bastard ground his teeth at the sight and paid his fare.

Once every passenger was aboard, the boatman hauled in the mooring rope and slowly worked the oars, driving the ferry across the river.

For a long while we rode the current, river wind brushing past us with every stroke of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the oars.

At last we arrived at a landing where three or four people were milling about.

"So that's Hamel..."

I muttered at the city, far larger than it had looked from across the river. Selena tilted her head.

"A city this size... there's no way I wouldn't know it..."

I wonder how she'll react when she finds out everything I said was true.

Imagining the face she'd make when she realized this wasn't the Rieu Continent but the Kalla Continent — that I'd been reincarnated into another world — I started walking toward the distant castle gate.

"Let's just go. We'll figure everything out at the temple."

"Okay..."

Selena nodded, and we followed the thoroughfare thronged with endless carriages until we found ourselves before the castle gate, where lightly armed guards stood watch.

Good — looks like they don't do inspections.

Given my job, I'd been a little worried about what would happen if a big city started checking IDs. I was just about to pass through the gate with a sigh of relief when—

"Identification."

A guard who'd been standing there yawning blankly stepped into my path.

Huh?

I blinked in confusion. The guard repeated himself.

"Identification."

Why? Why just us?

People were still walking through the gate right now, and he wasn't paying them the slightest attention — only stopping us. I wanted to demand an explanation, but I knew that would be the same as announcing, "We're suspicious people." So I put on the gentlest smile I could manage.

"Haha. You must have it rough in this heat. The people of Hamel can live without worry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thanks to guards like you who protect the city day and night. You see, on the way here I ran into something truly terrifying—"

Recalling lines like "You can't spit on a smiling face" and "Praise makes even a whale dance," I was about to launch into a tear-jerking tale of a lost ID, complete with every flowery flourish I could invent, when the tip of the spear resting on the guard's shoulder swung toward me.

"Identification."

The guard leveled his spear and repeated the same word. Selena, watching our standoff, tilted her head and spoke up.

"Master? What's the matter? Just show him your ID."

Because if they find out I'm a slave merchant, this is going to get messy...

"Master? You. Are you this man's slave?"

"Yeah."

Ah...

"Reinforcements!!!"

The guard aiming his spear at me bellowed, and several more identically armed guards poured out from inside the gate.

Where the hell were that many people hiding? Is this whole wall hollow?

Briefly escaping reality at the sight of the guards surrounding us in an instant, I came back, waved my hands, and spoke in the brightest voice I could muster.

"Haha. Th-that's just a title... no, more of a pet name. She's not actually a slave or anything."

"Master. What are you talking about? You even branded me with a seal."

Aaaah...

The moment they heard the word "branded," spear tips ringed my throat. I regretted, with sudden clarity, that I'd never properly taught Selena that this was the Kalla Continent, not the Rieu Continent — that slavery didn't exist here — and that going around calling herself a slave would make my life hell. I'd vaguely assumed she'd accept reality eventually.

"What are you doing all of a sudden?! Master! I'll get you out of this right now!"

Startled by the guards' reaction, Selena hastily began casting magic to free me — only to be subdued in an instant by a lightly armored man who appeared out of nowhere.

Huh?

I was still debating whether to calm Selena down, go quietly, and explain everything from the start, or take her help and make a run for it, when the man who'd appeared out of thin air solved my dilemma for me. I looked at him.

While I was still reading the same pathetic status window and piecing together the man who'd neutralized Selena in a heartbeat, the guard who'd first stopped me snapped to attention and saluted at the top of his lungs.

"Chief of Security, sir!"

Ronald returned the salute with a raised hand, then passed the limp Selena over as he spoke.

"What's going on? Why are you confronting a high-ranking mage?"

The guard carefully took Selena and explained the situation.

"He says she's that man's slave. She testified herself that she'd been branded with a slave seal."

Ronald tilted his head at the report, then pointed at the several ice spears scattered across the ground.

"A slave? A mage who can produce that many ice spears in the blink of an eye — belonging to a nobody like him? It's a good thing you ambushed her. If you hadn't, this whole place would've been leveled."

"B-but the woman said it herself. That she's that man's slave, and that she bears a slave brand. M-moreover, that man refused the order to present identification and just kept spouting nonsense."

At the additional explanation, Ronald's brow furrowed. He pointed at me.

"Search him."

"Yes, sir!"

The guards answered and began frisking me. Before long they found the ID card in my pants pocket.

"Identification found! Name: Han Mir! Age: twenty-three! Job... primary job... Slave Merchant!"

The instant the guard read the contents of the ID card aloud, every gaze of the people passing through the gate locked onto me — and Ronald's expression went hard.

If I ask them to take me to the temple... they'll go, right...?