Ch. 265

“It seems to be that way. I’ll go first.”

Rovenin leaned in and whispered something only Ash could hear, which instantly annoyed me.

It was like he was blatantly treating me as if I wasn’t even here.

Well, I suppose that’s better than being seen as a potential romantic partner…

But either way, it’s pissing me off.

—

The seat we finally found was way off in a corner, and I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being treated poorly.

It was our fault for being late, but with all the lights out, it was hard to even find the place.

[Hey, you bastards! What do they take us for! With the Master’s wealth, we could buy this whole ship! A corner seat like this! Hmph, spit!]

[Just be quiet. It’s because we’re hiding our identities.]

[Still! It’s pissing me off!]

I calmed Rai, who was writhing furiously inside my clothes.

[It’s fine. A Water Spirit Mage doesn’t really need a ship. I wouldn’t buy something like this.]

I could tell just by glancing around as we moved.

The ones occupying the best seats in the center were the major, big-shot clients, while those pushed to the corners like me were the less important, small-time customers.

At this rate, we were being treated as little more than spectators.

Come to think of it, this Black Market was clearly anonymous in name only. In reality, everyone more or less knew who was who.

Just like how the Information Guild guarantees anonymity while still digging into a client’s background.

-170 Golden, 170 Golden. Any more? If not, it will be sold to the gentleman in row A.

While I was fumbling around, the auction had kept going and was already halfway through.

What had just sold for what felt like two billion to me was some ornate, nameless dagger.

I sat down and looked at the stage where the auctioneer stood, a bright spotlight focused only on him.

The item now up for auction was a brooch the size of a fist, glittering so intensely I could see it even from here.

Not that it was something I cared about.

-As for this next item, it is decorated with Serden’s Blue Opal…

They said the Veiled Mirror would be last, so I still had a long wait ahead of me.

I turned away from the stage and examined what had been set out at my seat.

On the table sat a candlestick and a pitcher. I opened the pitcher and found drinking water.

Unable to hide that this was my first time at an auction, I ended up fiddling with everything.

There was a sheet of high-quality paper listing today’s items, a paddle engraved with the seat number…

And a pair of binoculars, placed neatly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The method was simple: raise the paddle if you wanted to buy something, which signaled a bid.

The auctioneer would then raise the price by a set increment. If a price war broke out, bidders sometimes called out the amount directly.

But since a noble couldn’t possibly raise their own voice in such a vulgar way, the guard standing behind them sometimes shouted instead to convey their master’s intentions.

They were both guard and attendant.

“50 Golden.”

“80.”

-80, we have 80 Golden. Any more?

“100!”

-Yes, we have 100 Golden from row H. 110 Golden, do we have 110? We have a bid for 110 Golden from row J. Do we have 120 Golden?

As I discreetly studied how people bought things, I heard the two men behind me whispering in low voices.

“Looks like about 300 people.”

“334 people.”

“…Precise.”

“Including the miscellaneous personnel on the other floors, it’s 518.”

“Is that so…?”

At Ash’s weary voice, I turned and saw the two of them huddled close, whispering.

‘What are they doing, making me jealous?’

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing. We were just getting a headcount of how many people are in here.”

“Why would you do that?”

“We might need to escape. You never know what might happen.”

Ash seemed to believe there was a high probability that incidents and accidents occurred wherever I was.

Why was that? I truly had no idea.

“You can get a headcount just by sensing presences?”

All I could tell was that it was crowded. Being able to distinguish hundreds of presences one by one was a skill in itself.

I looked around again.

The number of guards brought by the major guests participating in the auction far exceeded the guests themselves.

I definitely would’ve stood out if I’d come alone.

Looking at other seats, the setup was similar everywhere: one person sitting, and about two standing behind them as guards.

-Everyone, you’ve waited a long time! This is today’s one and only slave offering.

‘Did I just… hear something I shouldn’t have?’

-As it is the only one, we have prepared a high-quality product, so you can look forward to it.

My brow furrowed on its own, and I snapped my gaze back to the front.

A mobile iron cage was being set up beside the auctioneer, who stood in the center of the light.

“…They sell slaves, too?”

-Behold! Unrivaled in rarity, a Dark Elf. A rare item indeed.

As the cloth covering the cage was pulled away, gasps erupted from the audience.

‘You motherfuckers…’

The curse detonated inside me, but it never made it out. I was too dumbfounded.

I’d shown up at a Black Market I’d been excitedly looking forward to, only for a slave to appear. The feeling was indescribable.

The thing I hate most is the slave trade. Misery washed over me, and then anger swallowed everything.

I was about to spring up in a fit of rage, but Ash’s hand landed on my shoulder, pressing me back into my seat.

“I knew this would happen. Slaves are one of the items that are never missing from a Black Market.”

“What! I thought they only sold goods?”

“Slaves… are goods, too.”

I finally understood why Ash had insisted on coming with me.

He’d guessed I might explode if I saw something like this.

“Usually, they’re distributed through the slave market, but I’ve heard the Black Market also holds a pretty large share. I thought you might not know.”

“…You knew?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me!”

“Because if I did… I was afraid you’d say you were going to wipe them out immediately…”

The problem was that Ash knew my criminal record far too well.

His voice carried tension, like he was recalling what happened in Mielta.

“Geenie, I’m just as uncomfortable with the slave trade as you are. I know many have been unjustly enslaved. I dream of the day they can be freed… But to do that, we must be cautious.”

“Ugh…”

I realized I’d been complacent—thinking only about having fun, and not about how much filth might be traded here.

I still hadn’t seen enough of the world’s ugliness.

‘Should I just quit and destroy everything? We’re on a ship. I could just sink the whole thing.’

Of everyone on this ship, including myself, it was safe to say none were innocent.

If I had to pick just one, it would be Ash.

“Don’t.”

Even though I was only grinding my teeth in silence, Ash seemed to know exactly what I wanted to do.

His placating voice had a calm strength to it.

“Now that we know how it’s run, the important thing is to get out of here safely first. That’s the only way we can report this information. To root out something like this, you have to be careful. Otherwise, they’ll just hide deeper. Then they’ll be even harder to catch.”

“…This is so annoying.”

“We feel the same way.”

“…”

“But not now. You know that too, don’t you? And you said there was something you really wanted, didn’t you? Have you forgotten?”

Ash had apparently decided that me buying an item through illegal channels was far better than me causing a scene on the ship.

He was putting everything into coaxing and calming me down so I wouldn’t explode.

-As you may know, Dark Elves are sensitive, and they often starve themselves to death when captured. I guarantee you’ve never seen one this healthy! Pick up your binoculars and take a closer look. Isn’t he fierce and beautiful?

Dark Elves were among the rarest of the rare races, which meant that as slaves, you could name your price. They were far rarer than Elves or Merfolk.

In my case, I’d seen one once before… but wait?

-He is truly a powerful one. The number of hunters who died trying to capture him was eighty-three, and those who were crippled numbered forty-seven… Isn’t that incredible? I highly recommend him for protection! He would also be useful for combat or assassination.

I picked up the binoculars on the table.

And as if locking him in an iron cage wasn’t enough, I zoomed in on the face of the Dark Elf, whose hands and feet were tightly bound.

But his hair was a mess, and a gag covered his mouth, so I couldn’t see him clearly. What kind of pervert puts a gag on someone? All you can see is them drooling.

“Ugh, let me see your face… your face… Hold still. You’re thrashing around so much.”

Even in that situation, the Dark Elf hadn’t given up on escaping. He was violently shaking his whole body.

Each time he did, the iron cage—something that looked like it weighed several hundred kilograms—rattled and shook along with him.

Even from this distance, it was obvious he was overflowing with strength.

And it wasn’t just the cage and chains restraining him.

The visible restraints alone were over ten. That meant his magical abilities were just as powerful.

He looked like he’d been tortured quite a bit. Despite being dressed in clean clothes, I could see wounds from being beaten on his ankles and below his neck.

-When you think of Elves, aren’t they a race of beauty? The same goes for Dark Elves. They have a different flavor than Elves. His intense gaze is his charm. Everyone, take a look.

With a clank, one of the hulks standing behind the cage roughly yanked a chain.

It must have been connected to the Dark Elf’s neck, because I could finally see his face.

My eyes met his furious gaze head-on. Even through the binoculars, the fact that the light in his eyes was still alive pleased me.

-I would like to call this ‘ferocious beauty.’ Isn’t he as merciless and beautiful as a wild beast? Doesn’t your heart pound with the desire to tame him? Your hands and feet must be trembling with the desire to possess him.

His face was marked where he’d been struck, but it couldn’t fully hide his innate beauty.

Along with his spirit, what was revealed was a form so perfectly beautiful it almost felt violent.

It was a kind of ‘beauty’ no human could ever obtain, no matter how many times they were reborn. A face befitting an Elf—a race said to have been blessed by the gods as the most beautiful.

His jawline and the tip of his nose were sharp yet full of strength, enough to make you forget every beautiful work of art you’d ever seen, and his unique ashen-gray skin captivated with an otherworldly light.

His silver eyes, tinged with blue, glittered fiercely with anger, stirring possessive desire in the wicked.

A living being—dangerously radiant like a weapon—was right there.

How could anyone not be bewitched? Anyone would want to reach out.

-He is also perfect for keeping locked up to enjoy as a decorative piece! I dare guarantee that you will have fun taming him. As he is such a rare species, the starting price is quite high… but I trust that those with refined tastes will know his value. Well then, we will start at 150 Golden.

A mansion’s price for a single slave… even to me, who didn’t know the going rate, it seemed extraordinary. It wouldn’t have felt insufficient even as a final bid, let alone a starting price.

The other bidders seemed to think so too, because jeers quickly erupted through the audience.

“150? That’s ridiculous.”

“He’s just a slave. That’s too expensive.”

“He looks dangerous, and he hasn’t even been tamed.”

“Who in their right mind would buy a guy like that?”

Rai and I became serious for a different reason.

[Master, that guy…]

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