When my gaze turned to Irene, the staff member approached, checked her face, and began explaining.
“As expected, you have a keen eye. She’s someone who can use the sword. And, she’s quite pretty, so we placed her over there. Unlike the others, she arrived just yesterday.”
I’d already seen that she’d learned swordsmanship.
I looked straight at her and spoke.
“If I get you out of here, what will you give me in return?”
“If you grant me one thing I desire, I can give you everything.”
“Something you desire?”
“Revenge.”
Unlike before, her eyes now were filled with nothing but the desire for vengeance.
“Revenge… everything, you say. Come closer.”
I beckoned her near.
She came over obediently.
I spoke quietly into her ear.
“I know your family. Will you give me your family’s secret techniques?”
She flinched in surprise at my words.
But she nodded quietly.
“I’ll seal the deal with this.”
The staff member seemed quite curious about our conversation, but only for a moment.
I quickly handed over 50 gold, and with that, there were no more Slaves left for me to purchase.
“Sir…”
Back at the reception room, I rubbed my tired eyes and took a brief rest.
Now it was time for the Slaves to come in one by one for their contracts.
The very first ones brought in were, surprisingly, a middle-aged man accompanied by a woman and a young man.
At that moment, I recognized who they were.
They were Smith the craftsman and his family.
Smith had a bent back.
Yet, seeing his sturdy frame and well-developed muscles, you couldn’t help but think of him as a true artisan.
However, having become Slaves and being unable to eat properly while suffering hardships, their shoulders drooped and their faces were sunken.
“These are Smith and his family, as you requested. Here are their Slave Registration Books.”
I received three sheets of Feather Paper.
But instead of immediately bleeding on them for the contract, I addressed Smith.
“Master Smith. I want to employ you.”
He looked at me in confusion.
“I value your skills highly. When I sat in a chair you made, I longed to see you. It was so comfortable, you see. So, I have an offer for you. Work for me, and I’ll free both your wife and son from slavery.”
At my words, Smith’s mouth opened wide.
“Are you serious?”
“I give you my word and my name.”
To prove it, I handed all three Feather Papers to Smith himself.
Puhk, puhk, puhk.
Smith tore them all up.
Of course, simply destroying the papers didn’t instantly free them from slavery.
In Smith’s case, as a craftsman, he bore no Brand of Slavery, but his wife and son bore marks on the backs of their hands, identifying them as Slaves.
“Do you have a Mage who can erase the Brands?”
“Yes, I’ll call one right away.”
The sharp-eyed staffer hurried to summon a Mage.
The Mage arrived and erased the Slave Brands from the hands of Smith’s wife and son.
I watched the Mage’s every word and move with great care, and as a result, gained what I wanted.
-You have acquired the Skill ‘Brand of Slavery.’
-You can now apply or erase Slave Brands.
Satisfied, I nodded.
“My carriage is outside. Wait for me there.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Smith took his wife and son and left.
He was not the same Smith who had entered at first. At the very least, his figure as he departed looked much more at ease and confident.
Next, the staff member brought in Irene.
She was still wearing the ragged, thin clothing from her time in the cell.
Prick.
A tiny needle pricked my fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the Feather Paper.
Then Irene, too, let a drop of blood fall.
“Jenny, take Irene to that room and help her change.”
“Yes.”
The two of them were about the same height, so there would be no issues with the clothes.
After that, I processed contracts for the remaining 80 Slaves.
I let a drop of blood fall onto each of the 80 sheets of Feather Paper, and each Slave entered in turn, letting a single drop of blood fall in the same way.
Even just doing this took an hour.
By then, outside, dusk had already begun to fall.
“Looks like we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
Perhaps it was because I’d been slow, but also because I’d taken my time to select the Slaves with my special Skill.
But thanks to that selection Skill, I’d discovered some excellent talents, so I was fully satisfied.
When all the procedures were complete, the staff member bowed and addressed me once more.
“Thank you, esteemed customer. What would you like to do with the 80 Slaves? Will you take them with you now, or come for them tomorrow?”
“Oh, I can pick them up tomorrow?”
“Yes, we can provide that level of service.”
He was truly a sharp merchant.
I told him I’d pick them up the next day.
Then I handed over ten gold coins, telling him to make sure the Slaves got some food.
At first, I’d considered not giving even a single gold coin, but I figured this much was necessary.
“Understood. I swear by my name to feed them well and watch over them.”
“Then I’ll be off.”
Just then, Jenny and Irene came out the door.
Jenny looked a bit downcast, while Irene seemed somewhat frustrated.
Well then—
And so, I returned to the inn.
***
At the inn, after a simple meal and a mug of beer, I went up to my room.
I sat on the bed, and Irene stood before me.
“Well, now that it’s just the two of us, let’s finish our earlier conversation.”
I grabbed the neck of a wine bottle from my dimensional bag and shook it.
Clink, clink.
It was a fairly high-quality wine, one I’d saved for special occasions.
Surprisingly, Irene picked up a glass from nearby and held it out to me, so I poured her some and took the glass myself.
“Irene, last descendant of the Hero Darkrai of the Creseria Continent.”
Irene’s face showed clear surprise at my words.
“Well, seems I’m the only one who knows this for now. Anyway, let’s put that aside for a moment—tell me about your revenge.”
I sipped my wine and listened to Irene’s story.
“Very well, I’ll explain.”
She began to share her story.
***
Long ago, the Demon King descended upon the Creseria Continent.
The Demon King united all the Monsters of the continent and led them to bring ruin to the human world.
Humanity was driven to the very brink of destruction, but resisted until the end.
Even the Dragons rose to protect the Creseria Continent and fought against the Demon King’s army, but they were not enough to stop it.
At that moment, Darkrai appeared.
Receiving Divine Revelation, he descended and, with overwhelming strength, defeated the Demon King’s army. Together with the Dragons, he fought to the end and drove his sword through the Demon King’s heart.
When the war ended, Darkrai could have claimed both wealth and honor, yet he vanished without a trace.
That was a thousand years ago.
“According to history and our family’s oral tradition, my family has lived in hiding in a village ever since. The Divine Revelation at that time only covered the defeat of the Demon King’s army, and afterwards, our ancestor lost his power. However, the ‘Oro Techniques’ and ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ were left as books and passed down in the family.”
Her ancestor disappeared into the annals of history, but the family continued on.
Some became famous mercenaries, others knights who carried on the family line.
But in their later years, they always returned to their homeland and spent their old age there—that was the Heroic Law of the Darkrai family.
However, the family, which had managed to survive for so long, was destroyed after being caught up in the recent war.
In the western kingdom of the continent, the Vindo Bona Kingdom, two dukes were engaged in a struggle.
The royal family had collapsed.
All the royalty had met tragic ends.
Thus, the two dukes fought to claim the throne, and in the process, the village where Irene resided was razed.
“I want the death of the Aysild Duke. I remember his soldiers slaughtering the people of our village and treating the women like toys. Among them, the younger children and I were made Slaves because we were young. That is the revenge I seek.”
The target of her revenge was the Vindo Bona Kingdom, the kingdom bordering directly next to the Londinium Empire.
“Hm… I see. But honestly, there’s not much I can do right now. I’m just a Baron who’s only recently been appointed to a Garrison.”
I spoke honestly about my situation.
Irene’s face showed a hint of embarrassment.
“Well, unlike what you might have expected, I’m just a new lord with a slightly special perspective.”
Before me, Irene clenched her fists tight, trembling.
Yet, her eyes held a touch of despair. Her face was an expression of mixed feelings.
No doubt her mind was in turmoil.
She must have believed that, since I’d seen through her true identity, I must be someone of considerable power.
But regrettably, I only possessed a rather unique system.
“So, here’s what I’m thinking.”
At my words, her eyes met mine.
“Teach me your family’s swordsmanship and Oro Techniques. In exchange, I’ll free you from slavery. And while you train to gain the strength for your revenge, you can stay in my Garrison. Of course, you’ll have to pay me back at night, from time to time.”
Hearing this, she looked like she’d finally figured things out.
“Well, suit yourself if you don’t like it.”
My real goal was the Oro Techniques.
Honestly, I could’ve tried to convince her with promises of revenge, or now that she was a Slave, I could’ve forced her to comply. But I preferred a mutually beneficial arrangement.
That would foster more trust.
Plus, if she grew stronger while training, I could have her hunt Monsters under the pretext of earning her keep.
If she really refused and I gained nothing, I could always put her to work as a maid.
It was a bit of a waste of 50 gold, but if a pretty girl served me, that wouldn’t be so bad.
In short, I had nothing to lose.
“Think it over carefully.”
With that, I lay down on the bed.
Today had been exhausting.
I’d been using Skills and racking my brain all day.
All I wanted was rest.
So I drifted off to sleep.
***
When I woke, I moved busily.
Now it was time to return to the Garrison.
I had 750 gold left.
The first thing I bought was a freight wagon and a horse to pull it.
There, I loaded basic clothing and enough weapons and armor for 80 Slaves.
I also bought tools for Smith to use, which took another 100 gold in an instant.
But that wasn’t the end of my expenses.
Traveling alone, I could have made it to the Garrison in two weeks. But with 80 Slaves on foot, it would take at least a month.
It was impossible for me to manage them all alone, so I needed to hire mercenaries.
I hired two B-rank mercenaries and ten of rank C.
Since I promised generous pay, the mercenaries gladly accepted the commission.
It was just a month’s work, and as there weren’t many Monsters in the area, and it was just simple escort duty, plenty of mercenaries flocked to the job. It took a while to select the right people.
Once everything was ready, I led the Slaves on the journey to my Garrison.
Our party traveled for a full month, and by the time we arrived at the Garrison, it was already time to prepare for winter.