Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: City of Desire and Despair (6)
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Crack.
As soon as Martin gave permission, Sien released her grip on both wrists.
The lion-masked man sneered at the sight.
"Pathetic upstarts who don't know their place. You think the likes of you can take me on?"
"I don't care who you are. What matters is that I'm in a really bad mood."
"Slapping women isn't my style, but I'll teach you a lesson in his place."
Martin chuckled inwardly at the lion-masked man's words.
He honestly wanted to burst out laughing, but he held it back, considering Sien's mood.
The opponent wasn't without skill.
His martial arts and unique ability were each at the 2-circle level, reaching 4 circles in total.
But he wasn't on Sien's level.
It was already pitiful enough, but he'd gone and provoked Sien's anger on top of that.
No joke—this guy really needed prayers for his next life now.
"What the hell are you babbling about, you lunatic?"
"I'll start by teaching you how to speak to your elders!"
Flash!
The lion-masked man slid forward like a snake, thrusting his right fist toward Sien.
The clean trajectory was impressive.
Moreover, infused with mana, it packed enough power to easily shatter a boulder.
Boom!
The moment his fist collided with Sien's face, a deafening roar shook the entire room.
"That's it?"
Sien asked in an indifferent tone.
The lion-masked man instinctively sensed it wasn't bravado.
He panicked even more.
"N-No way! You took my punch without even using mana?!"
"What? That had mana in it? You were acting all high and mighty, so I thought it was something special, but it's even more pathetic than I expected."
"Shut up!"
This time, the lion-masked man unleashed his left fist.
He even wrapped it in aura, slamming it into Sien's face once more.
KABOOM!
The explosion was even louder than before.
A framed picture couldn't withstand the shock and fell to the floor, shattering.
Yet she didn't so much as scream, not even a groan.
"That all?"
"N-No way!"
The lion-masked man was genuinely shocked.
He hadn't used his unique ability, but this time he'd gone all out.
Yet he hadn't inflicted any damage.
On top of that, he hadn't even cracked the mask covering her face.
"Nothing more to see here."
Grab.
Sien seized the lion-masked man's right arm.
She squeezed hard.
"Arrrghhh!"
She hadn't circulated any mana.
It was pure grip strength alone, yet the lion-masked man wailed in agony.
It felt like being crushed in a vice.
He desperately poured mana into his right arm to resist, but it did nothing to ease the pain.
"If you don't have the skill, at least don't act tough."
Crunch.
Sien's fist slammed into the lion-masked man's abdomen.
No aura, no mana—yet his waist bent like a shrimp.
As if waiting for it, she followed up with a knee strike to his head.
"Guhk!"
Blood sprayed from the lion-masked man's mouth.
He'd circulated mana at full power to prevent his mask and bones from shattering, but he couldn't fully dissipate the impact.
Martin whispered softly to her.
"Try not to hit the face if possible."
"Why?"
"If someone I know comes out from under a broken mask, it'll get complicated."
"Got it."
Sien nodded in agreement.
She raised her right fist to resume pummeling him.
But then—
"Stop!"
"If you don't want to die, let go of that hand right now!"
Two men who looked like guards burst into the room.
But their shouts ended there.
KABOOM!
"Gahk!"
"Argh!"
In an instant, they were smashed into the floor.
Martin had amplified the gravity with Distortion of All Things.
"I'll finish this quick, so shut up and wait."
"Thanks for the help."
With that, Sien relentlessly targeted the lion-masked man's torso and legs.
All he could do was curl up and try to mitigate the impacts.
It didn't help much.
"D-Do you even know who I am, doing this to me...?"
"I told you already. I don't care. And I warned you, right? Shut up and take it. Why didn't you listen?"
"Uwaaaah!"
The lion-masked man's screams grew louder.
When Sien infused mana into both fists, it became utterly unbearable for him.
She didn't care and kept beating him.
Thud.
Finally, he collapsed face-down on the floor.
He was still trembling, conscious, but couldn't get up.
Sien had stomped on his neck.
"Aren't you overreacting? I didn't even break any bones."
"Y-You bitch, I don't know who you are, but you'll regret this..."
"If I don't want regrets, I guess I'll have to kill you."
"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
"I know your type well. You start the fight, get beaten, hold a grudge, and come back for revenge."
"I absolutely won't!"
"Don't believe you."
Sien prepared to press down with her foot.
To snap his neck.
Martin gently restrained her.
"That's enough. It's sufficient."
"I told you, guys like this always come back for revenge. No reason to make things messy."
"Still, let him go this time."
Martin replied calmly.
It wasn't out of pity.
Killing him just for picking a fight?
That might fly in the black market, but here, the guy's identity bothered him.
He looked familiar, no matter how he saw it.
'He's someone I'm going to kill anyway, but I need a proper justification.'
That way, he could avoid responsibility.
And steer events in his desired direction.
"Consider yourself lucky."
Sien finally lifted her foot.
Martin withdrew his unique ability as well.
The guards, now free to move, hurriedly supported the lion-masked man and fled without looking back.
Watching their retreating figures, Sien spoke.
"Why'd you let him go?"
"He seemed familiar."
"Who do you think it is?"
"Probably..."
Martin named one person.
Sien looked surprised.
"If that's true, shouldn't we be careful around him too?"
"He's not worth that much caution. He's been disowned by his family anyway."
Once he had justification, a guy like that wasn't worth worrying about.
"Did you all enjoy your break? Now, I'll introduce our final friend! It's the forest fairy, an elf!"
"Woooow!"
"Yaaay!"
No sooner had the auctioneer finished than the hall erupted in cheers.
* * *
Elf.
A race nicknamed forest fairies, born with exceptional aptitude for magic.
Their long ears, more than twice the length of a human's, were certainly striking, but their beauty stood out even more.
It applied to every individual, regardless of age or gender—that was why they were coveted as slaves.
"Everyone here surely knows. Elves are even rarer than dwarves! Yet amazingly, our staff successfully encountered an elf in the south. She showed interest in the world outside the forest and willingly followed them."
"What nonsense coming out of that gaping mouth."
Sien muttered coldly.
Even after beating the lion-masked man, her anger hadn't subsided.
But Martin couldn't pay her any mind.
The word "south" had triggered a memory.
'There was definitely an elf-related incident in the south around this time.'
It had been such a huge deal that he remembered it clearly.
How it unfolded, what the outcome was—he knew it all.
Except for one thing: which market the enslaved elf was first sold at.
'It might not even be here. Elves captured as slaves number in the double digits every year anyway.'
The chances of encountering the key figure were slim, no matter how he thought about it.
Just rescue the elf about to appear.
Martin concluded thus and waited for the main item.
"And this elf is a female!"
"Kuhahaha! A female elf—first time seeing one in person!"
"Get lost! She's mine!"
"Who says so? The female elf is mine! Don't get in the way of my dream!"
Human malice and desire swirled through the hall.
As if reveling in it, the auctioneer shouted louder.
"Now is the time for the forest fairy, the elf, to appear! Please give her a warm welcome!"
Step, step.
The platform curtains parted, and guards appeared.
But it was the female elf following behind who captured everyone's gaze.
At the same time, Martin's eyes widened.
'No way, that elf is...?'
Her fiery red hair reached down to her waist, softer than any silk.
Her sparkling crimson eyes evoked the finest rubies, and her milky skin and figure were statue-worthy.
But what drew his eyes was something else.
Even bound in iron chains at her limbs and neck, the elf exuded an untouchable nobility.
Overwhelmed, the guests and auctioneer fell silent.
"...Martin."
"Yeah."
"Just to check. That elf... isn't she nobility? Can't be sure from afar, but it looks like she has an open mana core on her head."
"Sigh. You nailed it, Sien. She's manifested her unique ability—2 circles. Add in her magic, and that's 5 circles total."
"What the hell have these lunatics done? Kidnapping a high elf! They won't be the ones dealing with the war!"
Among elves and dwarves, status was determined by unique ability manifestation.
Elves revered those with unique abilities as high elves.
Kidnapping one was tantamount to a declaration of war.
The auctioneer knew this full well yet continued smoothly.
"This elf's name is Solen! She boasts 3-circle magic prowess! Starting bid: 100 high-grade mana stones... Whoa! Guest 7 bids 150 right off the bat! Oh! Now 200!"
"Such a lovely elf! And among them, the special Solen! Who will live with this goddess-like elf? My heart's racing for no reason!"
"Haa."
Hearing her name, Martin sighed and sorted his thoughts.
Exclude Nicholas von Roys's influence.
Rescue a fellow slave from the market to befriend the other races, thereby bolstering his forces.
All difficult goals, so he steeled his resolve.
'But this is too much to handle.'
The auctioneer clearly knew she was a high elf but nothing more.
Otherwise, he couldn't be so relaxed.
Unfortunately, Solen wasn't just any high elf.
Every elf village had a grand elder at its pinnacle, and Solen was the daughter of the one ruling a southern village.
Practically a princess—that was Solen.
'And it really did spark a war.'
Furious at his daughter's kidnapping, the grand elder declared war on the Altheria Empire three years later.
Elves from various regions rallied, spreading the flames across the empire.
The Klaus family, pinnacle of the south, surrendering their great patriarch ended the war, but the empire's chaos grew uncontrollable.
"Guest 7 bids 450! No higher bids?"
"500."
Martin finally joined the bidding.
He dumped 500 high-grade mana stones into the hole.
"Wow! 500! Guest 12 shows us what a true rich man's leisure looks like. Oh! Guest 7 counters with 600, determined to win! No more from Guest 12?!"
"700."
"Kyaaa! No need for 10s! Guest 12 ups it by 100—applause for that prowess! Guest 7, anything? If not... 720 now!"
"800."
Martin added another 100, sealing the deal.
800 high-grade mana stones was beyond most high nobles.
As if to prove it, Guest 7 couldn't raise further.
"800! 800! No one else for the elf? Last call? No one! Sold at 800! Following the dwarf, the elf goes to Guest 12!"
He'd secured the elf he wanted, but Martin couldn't celebrate.
He had no idea how this elf would shape future events.
But there was no time to dwell.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
The door opened at Martin's response.
An elderly man in butler attire entered.
"The master wishes to see you."
In the slave market, "master" referred to one person.
The Human King.
The pinnacle of Akella City's underworld had summoned Martin.
'It's been a while since I last saw your true face, Heinz Schwarzenbeck.'
Even before his regression, they'd only fought—no proper conversation.
Curious, Martin nodded.