Though I returned in less than a month, the innkeeper couple welcomed me warmly.
The room I used before was still vacant, and when I asked why, the older brother explained that he had kept it for me, not knowing when I’d come back.
“Why keep it? You could’ve taken in another guest.”
It was Amy, not the innkeeper, who answered my brusque remark.
“He said he felt like you’d return soon, so he didn’t take anyone else. But there aren’t that many guests these days, so there was no one to put in there anyway.”
Amy sat on a chair, legs swinging, cheeks puffed up with the candy I’d given her.
How can someone be so brutally honest with such a cute face? Her expression was so adorable and funny that I burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha!”
It had truly been a long time since I laughed so heartily.
This really is a good place.
“Hm, hm. It’s not that we have no guests at all, you know.”
Perhaps trying to hide his flushed ears, the innkeeper brother turned away and brought me a glass of beer.
Seeing him like that, something popped into my mind.
“By the way, brother, what’s your name? I never asked until now.”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you when we first met? It’s Arnold.”
“Did you? Arnold… I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
We exchanged jokes like this as we drank our beer.
All the other guests had gone up to bed by now, so only the innkeeper couple, Jenny, Amy, and I remained, making for a pleasant evening.
As time passed, the innkeeper’s wife, Amy, and Jenny went off to bed, leaving only Arnold and me.
The lively chatter from earlier faded, and the hall became quiet.
We took our beers outside.
“Ahem. Be sure to come visit now and then.”
“I will. I might be busy now that I’ve become a Lord, but if I have business in the capital, I’ll drop by, even if only for a short while.”
“Hmph. Hard to believe that green mercenary who knew nothing about the world has become a Noble now.”
Arnold chuckled as he sipped his beer.
“Have you ever thought about going back?”
“Going back to what?”
“To being a Knight.”
At my words, Arnold stopped laughing.
He looked at me with a surprised face.
“What are you talking about?”
“I tend to have an eye for people.”
The truth was, I’d been waiting for a chance to talk alone with Arnold.
Why? On a whim, I’d used my ‘Selection’ skill on him, and what I saw surprised me.
-Name: Arnold
- Hidden Ability: High
- Nature: Good
- Special Note: Retired Knight who lost his name.
A retired Knight who lost his name.
That one line told me everything I needed to know.
He must have been involved in some incident, lost his title, and now runs an inn because of it.
“I know you practice your sword outside every morning at dawn to keep your skills sharp.”
“Ha, I thought no one noticed….”
“That’s why I have a proposal for you.”
“What is it?”
“Become my Knight.”
He didn’t respond.
So I spoke from the heart.
“I want to create a territory unlike anything that’s existed before. But what I have now is terribly lacking. That’s why I need you. Someone strong enough to protect both me and the people of my land, and who can become the foundation for the Knights I’ll raise in the future.”
He still said nothing.
“But I can promise you one thing—I’ll make sure those kids become proper Knights.”
Following my gaze, Arnold looked in the same direction.
There, Ers and Eks were cautiously sneaking out of the inn, quietly moving to one side.
After making sure no one was around, the two of them started swinging wooden swords.
Arnold was probably seeing this for the first time—his sons practicing with swords at dawn.
I used the ‘Selection’ skill on them and confirmed that both had talent with the sword.
“They’ll become Knights greater than you, brother.”
Arnold still said nothing. He simply watched in silence as his two sons swung their swords.
He kept watching until the boys finished their training, wiped off their sweat with towels, and went back inside.
“Give me a few months.”
“I’ll wait.”
Arnold had made up his mind.
I felt a great sense of relief.
I had secured a Knight of real ability.
It was good for me, and good for Arnold’s family.
No matter what, I would make sure it turned out well.
On my honor.
***
The next day, after taking my time to prepare and leaving the inn, I stopped by the Magic Tower before heading to the Slave Market.
A few spellbooks I suddenly remembered to buy weren’t as expensive as I thought, so I was able to purchase them without worry.
Next, I headed for the Slave Market.
Since I’d already been there once, I had no trouble finding the way.
“What do you think?”
“Yes.”
I glanced over and asked Jenny.
She looked puzzled at first, then, realizing what I meant, smiled quietly.
“It’s been nine months already?”
“I think so.”
It had been about that long since Jenny and I first met here.
You could say it was a short time, but to me, it felt incredibly long.
Surviving and making money on the battlefield had made both of us stronger.
As we reminisced, the carriage arrived at the entrance.
Receiving masks from the guards, we approached the mansion where a man bowed to greet us.
“Welcome.”
He greeted us formally.
But when he lifted his head, Jenny and I recognized him immediately.
“It’s that man from before.”
“It is.”
I was wearing a mask, but Jenny wasn’t.
Perhaps that’s why the man also seemed to remember who I was.
“It’s been a while.”
“It has. The slave you bought last time is serving you well, I hope?”
I patted Jenny on the shoulder.
Truly, bringing her away from here had been a good decision.
“Please, come in.”
I followed the man inside as he guided us, and at the same time, I stated my business.
“I’m in need of slaves. Preferably young men.”
“Slaves, you say? You’ve come to the right place. Millcus Trading Company specializes in slaves, and this time, we’ve brought in a large batch.”
Last time, he hadn’t said much and simply conducted business, but now, for the first time, he mentioned his own company.
And I was a little surprised by the name.
Currently, on the Creseria Continent, there are two large trading companies and five medium-sized ones.
Among the five medium-sized companies, the one considered the most outstanding was the Millcus Trading Company.
They mainly dealt with Nobles, and their headquarters’ location was a mystery.
‘It’s bigger than I thought. Or maybe it’s lucky this is the Millcus Trading Company?’
Millcus Trading Company had a reputation for striving to rise from medium to large, and people often said that with just the right opportunity, they’d make it.
I subtly fiddled with the Noble’s signet ring on my finger to reveal my status.
The man noticed and nodded slightly.
At this critical stage of moving up to a large company, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to scam a Noble.
If they did, rumors would destroy them instantly.
The man led me to a reception room.
It was twice as nice as the one from my previous visit.
But I only stayed there briefly before being led to where the slaves were kept.
“My apologies, but it’s a bit of a walk. We have so many more now that we had to use a different place.”
“Lead on.”
I followed him.
Rather than the building I’d entered before, we headed to another structure at the back.
Again, I took stairs down to the basement, but this time, the prison was several times larger than before.
“Oh ho…”
Inside the prison, I saw countless slaves.
“They’re all young people brought from the western continent. After a country fell, we gathered them up.”
He led me further in without hesitation.
At the end, there were two large cells, and he gestured toward them.
“These are separated for those with pretty faces and good bodies. For these, you’d need to pay at least 100 gold each.”
I had to admit it.
Everyone in those cells was not only good-looking, but clearly just children.
Most were between 12 and 17, not yet adults.
Exactly the kind of slaves Nobles would want.
But that wasn’t my interest.
Just in case, I used ‘Selection’ to check if any of them had special talents.
“Not much…”
There were plenty with average abilities.
“Since I’m looking for a certain number, show me the ones with the best value for the price, not the expensive ones.”
The man looked surprised at my request, then replied.
“How many do you need?”
“Around 80.”
“Oh?”
He grinned broadly at that.
“In that case, you can pick from all except those two places I showed you. The price will be 15 gold each.”
He stepped back and called the guards visible in the distance.
A bunch of keys and weapons dangled from his belt.
“All right, let’s see what I can find.”
From here, it was a competition against myself—to select the right people.
Selection.
I looked over the slaves in all 20 cells.
According to the staff, there were a total of 500 slaves here.
I had to use the Selection skill on every single one.
-Skill ‘Selection’ has leveled up.
In an instant, the skill leveled up, and after five hours of careful selection, I chose 80 slaves.
“Thank you, honored guest.”
I took out 1,200 gold right there and handed it to the staff, who looked extremely satisfied.
That’s when I remembered something Karl had said.
“By the way, I heard you have a slave named Smith. A craftsman who became a slave.”
“Ah, yes. I know that one well.”
“I’ll take him too.”
“That will be 30 gold.”
According to the staff, since Smith was once a famous craftsman, his price was a bit higher, especially since he had committed a crime against a Noble.
That’s why it was 30 gold.
“It’ll be 50 gold if you want his whole family as well.”
That’s when I realized Smith hadn’t been taken alone.
Naturally, I bought all of them. It would be easier to use them that way.
In no time at all, I’d spent 1,250 gold.
All the slaves I had chosen were being taken out by the guards to get them ready to leave.
There wasn’t enough space here to make contracts with each one, after all.
“As a final service, you can choose one more person from the first cell I showed you, at half price.”
“Hm?”
“We have a system for assessing each customer’s trust and rank. Since you spent over a thousand gold, and all at once in cash, not only are we upgrading your rank, but we’ll also offer you this service.”
He smiled slyly.
‘Good.’
Pleased, I smiled and returned to the first cell.
There, I contemplated over the five I’d noticed earlier.
To be honest, any of them would be a good choice. All were to my liking.
But then, I felt a gaze on me.
“Hm?”
Looking over, I saw a beautiful young woman staring at me.
Her eyes were desperate, begging me to save her. Yet, beneath that, I sensed a deep anger.
I instinctively used my Selection skill.
-Name: Irene
- Hidden Ability: High
- Nature: Good, Evil.
- Special Note: Skilled in swordsmanship. Seeks revenge.
- Skill ‘Selection’ is now level 10.
- Additional information is now available.
- Special Note: Last descendant of Darkrai, Hero of the Creseria Continent.
‘Crazy? A Hero’s descendant?’
As the skill leveled up, a new phrase appeared—one that astonished me.
Whoever she is, she’s said to be the last descendant of a Hero.
A true prize.