Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: City of Desire and Despair (7)
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Martin left Sien in their room and headed out with the butler.
Their destination was the mansion's fourth floor.
Unlike the other floors, there was only a single room here, at the end of the hallway.
Knock knock.
The butler rapped lightly on the door.
"Come in."
A voice called from inside, as if it had been waiting.
The door swung open on its own without anyone touching it.
The butler stepped aside as if accustomed to this.
"Please, go ahead."
Martin entered the room in silence.
A man stood by the window—the Human King.
His build was even larger than when they had last met, but Martin wasn't particularly surprised.
He and Sien had used polymorph artifacts to alter their own physiques and appearances, after all.
There was no reason the other side couldn't do the same.
Whoosh.
As the door closed, the Human King slowly turned around.
Like the Dark King, he wore a golden mask covering half his face.
"I am the Human King."
The man finally spoke.
His tone differed from when he had been unmasked, but Martin replied without concern.
"To think I'd get to meet one of the underworld's most fearsome heavyweights in person. It's an honor. I'd love to give you my name, but rules are rules, so please bear with me just this once."
"I understand, so no need to worry. These are my rules, after all—naturally, they must be followed."
"Thank you for your understanding. That said, I'm curious why the Human King summoned me."
"I simply wanted a word with you. I was curious about the tycoon who earned the Dark King's approval."
"And now that you've seen me?"
"You're impossible to read. I've met many people, but none match up."
The Human King's tone seemed calm at first glance.
But Martin detected the killing intent laced within it.
It wasn't a genuine intent to kill—not yet—but it was clear he wasn't pleased with Martin's presence.
'It can't be that he's seen through my identity.'
The story of him cracking down on criminals was long since widespread.
The rumor that the Dark King had fled after clashing with him had also spread subtly.
For the Dark King to recommend him?
No one in their right mind would draw that conclusion.
On top of that, he'd thoroughly changed his appearance with polymorph magic and deliberately altered his voice.
He'd even tweaked his speech patterns slightly.
Even the Human King would struggle to recognize him.
That left only one possibility.
'It's because of that guy.'
Martin thought of the lion mask.
He was now certain his guess about the man's identity was correct.
There was no other reason for the Human King to react so sensitively to him.
"The continent is vast, and there are many people. Isn't it natural that you know fewer than you don't, even for the Human King?"
"Well said. But in my domain, few dare to stir up open conflict."
"I'll apologize for the disturbance first. That said, it was self-defense. They picked the fight—could I just sit there and take it? Even so, I held back from killing him out of respect for the host's domain."
"That was a wise choice. Had you taken one more step, you wouldn't have seen tomorrow's sunrise."
"Hmm. Now I'm truly curious. About that man's identity, I mean. He didn't seem like much, yet he has the attention of the underworld's top titan, the Human King."
Rumble!
A terrifying pressure crushed down on Martin the moment his words ended.
But he didn't resist.
They would clash eventually, but now was not the time.
Even a dog bites harder in its own home, as the saying goes.
This was the man's perfect territory.
And he was stronger than Martin at present.
It was no place for a fight.
Drip.
Blood trickled from Martin's mouth due to internal injuries.
Even seeing this, the Human King didn't relent.
No—he pressed even harder.
"For the Dark King's sake, I won't take your life. But you'd best stop running your mouth. This is the first and last mercy I'll show."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. Now, to the main point. Will you sell me the dwarf and the elf? I'll add a hundred high-grade magic stones on top of what you paid."
"I'm truly sorry, but that's not possible. I bought them for my own purposes."
"Do you think you can bear my wrath if you push this?"
"Of course not. But I won't go down without a fight."
Martin slowly raised his right hand.
The Human King watched him in silence.
'Normally, I'd kill you on the spot.'
He'd issued a command in his own domain.
Yet the man had openly defied it.
For his own authority, he should eliminate him without fail.
But now was a tricky time.
He needed to stay in peak condition to kill Martin Adalbert.
"Enough."
The Human King withdrew his pressure as he spoke.
Martin lowered his hand as well.
"Very well. I'll give up on the elf and dwarf."
"Thank you for understanding."
Martin replied politely.
He'd anticipated from the start that the man didn't truly want the elf and dwarf.
No—more accurately, he wanted them, but not desperately.
If he had, they never would have gone up for auction in the first place.
The reason he'd stepped in anyway was his fondness for the 'lion mask.'
'I have to deal with him, so I can't fight here.'
Knowing that, Martin had answered boldly.
"Thank you. We'll take our leave then. I need to inform them about the purchase."
"Understood. The items will be sent right away—see to it they're received."
Martin bowed courteously at the Human King's words.
Then he left the room with Sien.
'Now the real work begins.'
He'd secured the cards he wanted.
All that remained was to execute the plan he'd devised before coming here.
Timing was everything, so Martin pondered his next moves.
* * *
After meeting the Human King, Martin returned to the room.
The guards were already inside.
They gripped the collars of the dwarf Andrea and the high elf Solen.
One of them spoke up as soon as he saw Martin.
"Handing over the merchandise to bidder number twelve. This is an artifact—press the button, and the magic circle will activate."
"Got it. We've received them properly, so you're dismissed."
"Yes. Thank you sincerely for your patronage. We hope to serve you again."
The guards maintained utmost courtesy.
This guest had spent far more than the average VIP, so they needed to leave a good impression to the end.
Once they left, only Martin's group remained in the room, along with the now-enslaved high elf and dwarf.
"You'd be better off killing me, human. I will never craft battle gear for you."
"I have no intention of fawning over humans for their amusement. If you have any conscience, kill me now."
Andrea and Solen glared at Martin and Sien with open hostility.
Without the collar and the magic circle etched into their bodies, they would have charged right then.
Whoosh.
Martin removed his mask, revealing his face.
At the same time, he used Distortion of All Things to manipulate the air, ensuring no sound escaped.
Solen and Andrea were briefly stunned by his elf-like beauty, but it was fleeting.
They were truly flustered by Martin's next words.
"My name is Martin Adalbert. Even dwarfs and elves should know the Adalbert family."
"The Adalberts... lords of the northern empire. For one of the three great noble houses to buy slaves—truly fallen."
"Fallen or not, some honor remains. Stop insulting us and kill us."
"I understand your hatred for humans. I can't fully represent them, but as the Adalbert family's young master, I apologize for humanity's atrocities."
Martin approached Andrea as he spoke.
He extended his right hand.
Andrea closed his eyes at the sight.
'At least he knows honor.'
The young master of one of the three great noble houses was no different from a crown prince.
Such a man valued honor and would grant him a clean death.
Tap.
Martin's palm pressed precisely against the right collarbone, where the magic circle was etched.
He activated Distortion of All Things once more.
Vmmm!
Vast mana surged into Andrea's body, enveloping the magic circle.
Tampering recklessly would trigger an explosion, but Martin manipulated the mana without a care.
Crunch!
The power of Distortion of All Things shattered the circle's core in an instant.
Powder-like light scattered, and the collarbone's magic circle vanished completely.
"Wh-what is this...?"
Andrea trembled at the unexpected turn.
But Martin turned to Solen.
"...No matter what you do, I won't serve humans."
"Doesn't matter. I never planned to enslave you anyway."
Martin placed his right hand on Solen's left collarbone.
He used Distortion of All Things to cleanly erase the magic circle.
They were still collared, but with their abilities, breaking free would be simple.
They had essentially regained their freedom.
Of course, even combined, they couldn't beat Sien, let alone Martin.
"Before coming here, I sent people to Altaire Forest and the Lanens Mountains. We'll rescue every elf and dwarf captured for the slave markets, regardless of origin."
Elves traded with fellow elves via warp devices, as did dwarfs with dwarfs.
With their small populations, their bonds were far stronger than among humans.
"I'll send you home, so spread the word to your kin from Altaire and Lanens. Tell them Martin Adalbert is nothing like the humans they know."
"What's your goal, human?"
"What do you want from us?"
Solen and Andrea stared at Martin with hardened expressions.
He'd spent a fortune to buy them.
They couldn't fathom why he'd release them to their kin.
"Simple. I want to get along with Altaire's elves and Lanens' dwarfs. We're all from the North, after all, right?"
Northern Great Unification.
To achieve that grand vision, he needed them on board.
But Andrea scoffed.
"Humans have committed countless horrors against our kin and the dwarfs. Thinking you can earn trust just by freeing us is a grave mistake."
"I know that much. That's why I'll prove my sincerity another way."
Martin grinned as he replied to Solen.
His following declaration left Solen and Andrea aghast.
"I'm going to smash Akella City's black market—specifically, the slave market—this time around. Not just my family's forces, but Altaire's elves and Lanens' dwarfs are stepping up too. We'll be comrades in arms. That should make them see me differently, no? Proof that not all humans are bad."
Solen and Andrea could only stare at him in stunned silence at his confident demeanor.