Chapter 26: Black Market (2)

<Sotiro U Tigres> 

[Level: 5/49] 

[Stamina: 03]

[Strength: 02]

[Agility: 06] 

[Mana: 08]

[Spirit: 03]

[Sense: 06] 

[Divinity: 01] 

[Traits: Dual Magic Core Heart (S), Magic Genius (A), Beast’s Acuity (B), and 2 others] 

[Skills: Beastman Martial Arts (C), Basic Mana Circulation Method (D)]

[Description: 12 years old, human race. A black-market product with outstanding talent. He sharpens his claws while dreaming of a shining future.]

While I silently stared at the boy’s sheet, the shopkeeper opened his mouth.

“He’s a boy born with agility and mana comparable to an average knight. If raised well, he could reach the level of a knight commander in a small country. And since he’s quite pretty, if you happen to prefer that sort of—”

“I’m not into that.”

“My apologies.”

The quick apology was pleasing.

I asked the shopkeeper.

“How much for this one?”

“He shows promise as a warrior, but because of his excessively wild personality, even we treated him like a troublesome item… Ten platinum coins will be more than enough.”

Watching the shopkeeper gauge my reaction, I barely swallowed a laugh.

Characters with potential levels in the 40s are commonly called “quasi-Twelve Hero” tier among readers.

And the boy in front of me possessed potential infinitely close to the Twelve Heroes even among them.

That such a boy was worth only ten platinum coins.

Well, a slave who doesn’t obey his master is useless anyway, so it wasn’t incomprehensible.

Unless someone already knew the future where this boy would rise to greatness or had a scouter attached to their eyes, it was natural to undervalue him like this shopkeeper.

But I fit both categories.

On top of that, I also knew that this boy was far more suited to being a mage than a warrior.

“I’ll buy him. Ah, don’t put the slave seal on him.”

A slave branded with the seal feels excruciating pain the moment they disobey their master’s command.

However, it’s not all-powerful; it doesn’t work on opponents with much higher levels.

Seeming surprised by the unexpected request, the shopkeeper stared at me for a moment before asking.

“Pardon me, but how do you plan to transport the goods? We can deliver him discreetly to your residence through our channels if you’d like.”

Human trafficking is legally prohibited in both the Croa Kingdom and the Stroke Grand Duchy.

He was offering to handle everything cleanly so I wouldn’t get tangled in troublesome matters.

But I shook my head.

“No need for delivery. I’ll take him myself. Put him in a soundproof capsule.”

“Understood.”

I was officially participating in the black market as Ebel Stroke’s proxy.

If I left it to the Gray Caravan, the delivery would go to the Liperta border instead of the Stroke mansion in Rykrol.

Soon, the shopkeeper approached a young mage standing in the corner and said.

“Levi. ‘Package’ him.”

“Yes.”

The mage named Levi walked toward the metal cage.

Mana began rippling around him.

Possessing outstanding senses, Sotiro instinctively felt the spell being cast.

Following the beastman sixth sense warning him of danger, he stepped back.

But trapped inside the iron cage, there was nowhere for him to run.

Levi aimed his index finger at Sotiro.

“<Holt Needle>”

“Ugh!”

A purple flash shot from the finger and pierced near the boy’s left collarbone.

Hit by it, Sotiro began convulsing violently, then collapsed to the floor as if fainting.

The mage opened the cage door without a shred of emotion.

Using telekinesis magic, he moved the collapsed Sotiro into a coffin-like box.

I received the box from the mage.

It was made of lightweight alloy, and inside were buoyancy stones.

Thanks to the buoyancy they generated, Sotiro was probably floating gently right now.

Because of that, it wasn’t heavy at all.

Two straps were attached to the box.

I slung it on my back like a backpack.

“Thank you for your patronage, customer.”

I left the slave shop Colors while being seen off by the shopkeeper.

Linia asked.

“You only asked the guide for the locations of information brokers and slave traders earlier. Does that mean all your business is finished now?”

“No. There’s one more place.”

The original purpose of visiting the black market—securing Sotiro U Tigres—was successfully achieved.

But I had only just planted the seed.

Now it was time to grow the branches.

I headed toward a certain shop.

At first glance, it was a plain store that didn’t seem to fit the black market.

But sometimes a name carries such overwhelming influence that even the flashiest decoration pales in comparison.

For example… the name of the Alphanium Library, the academic faction where the world’s greatest minds gather.

“Welcome. I am Gilbert, manager of the Alphanium General Store, Talos branch. How may I assist you?”

“May I look around for a bit?”

“Of course.”

I browsed the displayed goods.

Mana Rampage Pill (B)

-Temporarily increases mana output dramatically

※Extremely high risk of mana circuit rupture

Essence of Fixation (A-)

-When combined with other materials, grants strong permanence

※Slows metabolism when ingested

Alphanium Universal Potion (B+)

Slightly raises potential level when taken over a long period

-Promotes mana and physical recovery when ingested

-Mildly cures illnesses when ingested

-Calms energy veins when ingested

-When ingested…

I momentarily stopped walking.

Items with a “+” symbol are of higher completion than regular ones.

It’s not that they’re fundamentally different; think of a normal apple (D) becoming a perfectly ripened apple (D+).

Therefore, the Alphanium Universal Potion (B+) could be inferred to be crafted by an exceptionally skilled alchemist.

It might even have been personally made by the current head of the Alphanium Library, ‘Ileme Beilbit’, or the great scholar ‘Heinrich Budenberg’.

After looking through everything, I gathered the items marked with “+” and brought them to the counter.

“How much in total?”

“The Alphanium Universal Potion is four platinum coins per bottle. Five bottles plus the rest of the items come to sixty platinum coins.”

Sixty platinum coins was roughly the annual budget of a small territory.

I once again realized that buying massive amounts of Yin-Yang Herbs for practically pocket change had truly been highway robbery.

I pondered for a moment.

Honestly, for someone like me who had memorized the locations of every S-grade and A-grade elixir, buying these was close to a waste.

But.

Jingle!

“Thank you for your patronage.”

Since I possessed future knowledge, I could earn mountains of money anytime.

There was no need to act like a miser.

Having finished all my business, I left the black market.

I counted the remaining platinum coins: sixty-three.

It had decreased a lot, but it was still more than enough seed money for the business I had in mind.

“Hm… more left than I expected. Should I have spent everything except ten coins on more elixirs?”

Or it wouldn’t have been bad to buy equipment forged by the Toin tribe blacksmiths.

Though not on the level of legendary artifacts from ruins, they boasted the highest quality among ready-made items.

“Goodness. The young master really is generous. When you spent dozens of platinum coins on just a few potions, my heart was pounding even though it wasn’t my money.”

“If you keep following me, you’ll stop blinking at most things.”

It’ll be different around Part 3 when that personality-wrecked Tiamia revives.

The shock she’ll feel when she learns the true nature of that bitch will be no joke.

I really am worried.

I should lay some groundwork in advance by selling the prophetic dream story.

We climbed the stairs, exited the mobile city Talos, spent a night at Baron Vine’s mansion, and set off again the next day.

“It’s regrettable to part with a friend of the heart so soon.”

“I feel the same, Your Highness.”

Julian, a character who never appeared in the original novel, came out to see us off.

Once the time comes when my clan is complete and I can live large, I should repay this favor by helping his family enter Talos.

Three days later.

Almost midnight.

Having hurried day and night, I returned to my private room in the Stroke mansion and opened the transported box.

From inside crawled out a boy who looked half-dead.

“OOO…”

“He’s even skinnier than when I saw him in the black market after four days without food. Linia, bring anything edible.”

“Yes, young master.”

Linia went to the kitchen and brought back an assortment of food.

Rye bread, sausages, smoked fish, wine, meat soup, and even fruits and sweet rolls for dessert.

“…What is this.”

For something brought in the middle of the night, it was astonishingly luxurious.

I asked her, puzzled.

“Didn’t the kitchen staff say anything?”

“You used to eat late-night snacks very often before you started having prophetic dreams, young master. So the head chef was only surprised for a moment before accepting it.”

Well, well.

The original owner’s pig-like habits are helpful sometimes.

I had almost forgotten, but because the original Aiden was such trash, even slightly immoral actions are treated leniently.

I felt that anew.

I held out a plate to Sotiro, who had been groaning on the floor.

“Hey. Sorry for starving you until now. Hurry and eat this.”

“…!”

Sotiro’s eyes widened at the contents of the plate.

As if all his earlier groaning had been an act, he shot up and began devouring the food like a starving beast.

CRUNCH CRUNCH!

SMACK SMACK!!

GULP GULP!

SCRAPE SCRAPE!

Sotiro emptied every plate clean and even chugged an entire large bottle of wine in one go.

Rubbing his satisfied belly, he finally looked at me with a hint of goodwill and asked.

“That voice… You’re the one who said you were buying me from the slave trader, right?”

“That’s correct. The illegitimate son of the Fierce Tiger King, Sotiro U Tigres.”

“…!”

At the words I had prepared in advance, the boy’s face twisted in shock.

Of course he’d be shocked.

According to the setting, Sotiro never told anyone about his origins or real name during his days as a slave.

The reason was simple.

If word got out, his life would be in danger.

“You! Are you perhaps an external collaborator hired by the enforcement department of ‘Safaria’? Did you come to secretly dispose of me?”

Sotiro asked in a trembling voice.

The ‘Safaria’ he mentioned was the city where all twelve beastman tribes gathered.

And its enforcement department mostly cleaned up after the higher-ups.

For example, if a tribal leader had an illegitimate child from fooling around with a human, the enforcement department would erase that ‘stain’ before the leader’s moral failing became known.

I smirked at the trembling Sotiro.

“No. I brought you here to give you a chance.”

“A… chance?”

“Yeah. A chance to learn magic, wash your identity clean, get a pretty bride as a bonus, and—if everything goes perfectly—maybe even earn recognition from the tiger tribe leader who’s your father.”

“…I can’t believe it. There must be something you want from me, right?”

Something I want.

There is.

A very, very great deal.