If You Don't Know, You Deserve a Beating
Mass slave shipment. Rita and Scarlet are probably being held here.
Seeing them advertise it on such a massive scale, complete with posters, I figured the operation was too big to ignore.
I hurried to the location, and the sheer size of it was staggering.
Countless carriages were lined up at what looked like the entrance, and a steady stream of people flowed inside.
Even from a quick glance, it was obvious a huge crowd had packed into the building.
I slipped between the bodies and entered the store. The moment I stepped inside, I barely held back the urge to vomit.
What the hell is that smell...?
An indescribable, vile stench slammed into me. If food waste sat out fermenting at room temperature for a month, this would be exactly what it smelled like.
My body outright rejected it. Just breathing made my chest tighten and my lungs seize up.
Simply being in this place soured my mood.
Let's get out of here. Fast.
This was no place for human beings.
I pushed through the throng, searching for the blue-haired and red-haired girls who symbolized Rita and Scarlet. After what felt like an eternity, I finally spotted them.
They were locked inside a narrow iron cage, hugging their knees and staring blankly into space.
At first glance, their faces looked completely lifeless—like people who had lost every last shred of hope.
Their expressions seemed devoid of emotion. But I knew better. They still had feelings left. They had simply been worn down and eroded so thoroughly that those emotions had shrunk to something almost invisible.
I called over a staff member to purchase them.
"The redhead and the bluehead. I'll take both."
The employee smiled brightly.
"Excellent eye, sir. These two only arrived yesterday, so they're in perfect health and possess qualities that far exceed—"
I cut him off before he could launch into a sales pitch about their physical traits.
"I don't need the details. How much?"
The man's face flickered with mild annoyance, but he answered.
"Since they just came in yesterday, two gold each."
Four gold total.
For an adventurer like me, it was a hefty sum, but I'd already accepted that cost.
I pulled five gold coins from my pocket.
"Four gold for the two of them, plus one extra."
"And the extra gold is for...?"
The employee glared at me. I grabbed his shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
"I want to take them right now. Hand them over immediately and the extra gold is yours."
My offer was too sweet for him to refuse.
People working in this underground trade rarely received decent pay. The reason was simple: buying and selling slaves violated the kingdom's laws. Transactions could only happen in the shadows, where the actual sellers reaped massive profits. The lowly employees beneath them often went unpaid for months.
Most of the people in this business were either back-alley thugs or outright criminals.
Sure enough, the employee's eyes sparkled. He darted off and returned holding a document.
The undersigned hereby transfers full ownership of the following slaves to the bearer:
— Red-haired girl (Scarlet)
— Blue-haired girl (Rita)
By signing below, all rights, responsibilities, and legal claims are permanently transferred. This document is binding under shadow trade conventions.
"Just sign here, sir."
His tone had completely changed. I handed over the extra gold coin. He took it with a huge grin, then unlocked the cage and brought Rita and Scarlet out.
Large iron chains hung around their necks.
I looked at them, signed the certificate, and with that, they officially became mine.
Grasping the chains that bound them, I headed straight out of the store. I had zero desire to spend another second in that wretched place.
As I stepped outside with the girls and prepared to head home, a voice called out from behind me.
"Hey. Hold on a moment."
I turned around, and the moment I saw his face, my expression froze.
That bastard...
The man who had spoken to me was the very same one who had purchased Rita and Scarlet in the original novel.
The description had only mentioned his greedy potbelly and toad-like face, but seeing him in the flesh, it matched perfectly.
"Those slaves over there... they're yours?"
The man pointed at Scarlet and Rita.
"Yeah. What about it?"
He let out a booming laugh and continued.
"What a bold young fellow. I'll be direct. Any chance you'd sell those slaves to me?"
He licked his lips as he spoke.
It was obvious he wanted Rita and Scarlet, but there was no chance in hell I would hand them over.
"No."
I turned away with a firm refusal, but the man refused to give up.
"Ten gold. Ten gold each. I'll even throw in a pretty slave as a bonus. Think it over."
I ignored him and tried to walk away, but two massive men built like bears stepped into my path.
"Now, now. That's awfully rude."
The toad-like man approached, sneering.
"Humans are creatures that think, after all. That's why inferior beasts can never mingle with us."
"Yet you rejected my offer twice. I applaud your courage."
He clapped his hands together lightly.
Then he stopped and narrowed his eyes.
"However, in this situation, I'd call it bravado rather than courage."
"Last warning. Leave the girls and walk away. Do it now and you'll leave this place unharmed."
The toad had delivered his ultimatum.
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Fuck off."
Crack!
Veins bulged across the man's face. He roared at the two thugs behind me.
"Beat that arrogant little shit to a pulp!"
"Don't even dream of leaving this street in one piece!"
The two men lumbered toward me on the toad's command.
I let out a long sigh as I watched them approach.
It wasn't a sigh of fear. It was the sigh of someone who knew he'd just gotten dragged into something annoying.
I glanced at the toad.
"If you'd just let me walk away, none of this would have happened..."
"It's too late for regrets! You're going to die here today!"
"Yeah... it's definitely too late to regret it now."
"You guys, I mean."
I raised both hands and cast my magic.
This man had no idea how I'd managed to secure a house and money after arriving in this world. He didn't know why I'd chosen the adventurer path.
"M-Magic? Without a chant?!"
The toad's eyes widened in shock.
Normally, every elemental spell required a specific incantation. It was the foundation of casting. Magic without a chant was like an empty shell—powerless.
Chantless casting was supposed to be impossible. Even master mages couldn't do it.
"Never thought I'd have to use this on people."
I aimed the spell at the approaching thugs.
"Don't hate me too much. This is just the price of having a small brain."
Red lights flickered into existence around me, then surged forward and swallowed the two men.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
They screamed and thrashed in agony.
It was mental magic that made the victim feel as if their entire body was being consumed by flames. No physical damage was dealt, yet the pain was excruciating.
"Guh..."
The two men didn't last long. They collapsed where they stood.
"W-What is this?!"
The toad shouted at his fallen bodyguards.
"After all the money I've poured into you two! Get up right now!"
I simply stared at the toad.
His face flushed purple with rage. The sight was so ridiculous that I couldn't hold back my laughter.
"Y-You...!"
When I burst out laughing, the toad's face twisted with fury. He pointed at me and snarled.
"I'll repay this humiliation without fail! The next time we meet, I will kill you!"
He spun on his heel and tried to slink away.
I grabbed his shoulder before he could escape.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Huh...?"
The rage on his face instantly melted into panic.
He must have thought I'd let him walk away.
That was a very bad assumption.
"You made me angry. Did you really think you could just leave?"
I tightened my grip on his shoulder and whispered so only he could hear.
"Welcome to hell."
The moment the words left my mouth, I drove my foot squarely into his balls.
"I'll only keep hitting you until you pass out."
A monster...!
The toad saw it clearly—the face of a devil smiling as he raised his leg toward his most precious jewels.
That smile looked exactly like a demon's.