The Best Merchandise (2)

‘To hear news about my kin in this way.’

In fact, I still didn’t really feel like they were my kin, but anyway, they are the descendants left behind by climbers like me from long ago, and the people of this world see me as an elf like them.

Maybe that’s why, ever since hearing about the elf slave, it had been bothering me. After hearing the enemies’ plotting, I felt uneasy and returned to the lodging for now.

“Did things not go well? Why do you look like that?”

Patrick, who had arrived earlier and was resting, noticed my expression as I took off my hood and hairband, and spoke first.

“How much do you know about elf slaves?”

“Wh-what?”

I tried bringing it up to him. His reaction was more intense than I expected.

“Why is your reaction so intense? I just asked.”

“S-slavery is illegal. At least in Suan or here in Id.”

“So there are places where it’s legal?”

“…It’s like other things. They think it’s fine if they don’t get caught.”

Patrick cleared his throat and, as I expected, shared his extensive knowledge. As I knew, slavery wasn’t entirely legal, but from the beginning, not everything in this world goes according to the law.

Rather, things that are hard to obtain easily tend to increase in value. Slaves that weren’t just for labor, but somewhat special slaves, were considered a kind of secret luxury item and were valued accordingly.

The same was true for elf slaves. The fact that there aren’t many of them means they have rarity, and the elves’ characteristic beautiful appearance had value beyond just rarity.

It meant it was sufficient to be an item that a branch leader of an organization aiming for a big break and promotion would covet.

“Why are you suddenly asking this?”

“It seems an elf has been captured somewhere in this city. Those who caught that person are trying to sell them as a slave.”

I told Patrick and Lina, who were tense, about what I had overheard. Their eyes widened.

“Shouldn’t we report it to the city guard and save them?”

Lina looked at me and suggested reporting it.

Probably because I’m an elf too, she thought I was concerned. I was concerned, but I had no intention of going out of my way to intervene. My ears twitched at Lina’s suggestion to report it.

“Will reporting it work?”

However, I had doubts about the city guard. Because I had seen Ethan, while hating public authority, still diligently bribing and entertaining their executives to maintain minimal connections with the guard.

What we’re focusing on is the safety of that elf, but it didn’t seem like everything would end safely just by making one report.

‘It’s clearly an opportunity to bring down Ethan’s competitors.’

Of course, I had no intention of letting this go. Now that I clearly knew who had struck first at Ethan, it was time to retaliate against them.

As they had conveniently given us a justification and excuse first, we couldn’t help but use it. It was an opportunity to get things done without lifting a finger by using the city guard.

“Tomorrow night, you two report this fact to the city guard and make them raid the designated place. If you report it as travelers who happened to see it, we can prevent any potential issues.”

“What about you, Isilia?”

“I’m going to hide nearby and only move in case of emergency. If things go well, there’s no need for me to step in.”

I grinned at Lina’s worried question. The enemies weren’t mindlessly stupid, but they had no idea who I was or what powers I wielded, so I could move relatively easily.

I intended to make the most of that advantage and look for opportunities.

* * *

“Did you find out?”

“Yeah. They believed it right away when I sent a bit of her hair as evidence. They’ll send their people right away. We’re going to make a fortune.”

It was midday with the sun high in the sky, but this place was still a basement shrouded in darkness and dampness.

Rogers, of this thug group occupying this space lit only by lamps, glanced to the side after hearing his grinning colleague’s answer that things were going well.

“…”

There, a blonde woman, tightly bound with chains and handcuffs and locked in an iron cage, was glaring at him with green eyes burning with anger. Her mouth was gagged, but she was clearly showing what it means to curse with one’s eyes.

“That’s what you get for trusting the wrong person. I told you Steven was a rat who wouldn’t hesitate to betray if he saw an opportunity. And this time, I betrayed him.”

Rogers laughed mockingly at her. It was a laugh that included self-praise for his bold decision to hit his friend over the head and snatch her away when he heard they had caught an elf.

‘Yes, I was stupid.’

She gritted her teeth as she looked at Rogers.

It was her who had disobeyed her seniors’ advice not to reveal that she was an elf if she was going to travel the continent alone, and it was her who had failed to realize that the colleague she thought was trustworthy was actually a human trafficker who drugged and sold people.

It was a life lesson she would never forget. If she had a second chance, that is.

“Go ahead and get angry while you still can. I haven’t seen many, but somehow all the elf slaves I’ve seen acted like submissive pets, as if they were happy, no matter what happened to them. Let’s go, we can open some celebratory drinks in advance, right?”

Rogers mocked and intimidated her, then left the room with his colleagues, cackling.

She struggled hard but couldn’t break free from her restraints. She also had no way to call for help.

She wanted to resist, but despair was gradually overtaking hope.

‘No. If this continues…’

Trapped in the basement where she couldn’t tell the passage of time, she was dripping with cold sweat from anxiety. If she couldn’t do anything like this, she would be sold to another slave trader tonight, and dragged to a place where no one would know what would happen to her.

“…?”

It was then that a cool breeze blew in. She, who had been staring blankly at the floor, widened her eyes as she felt the breeze she hadn’t noticed at first.

Come to think of it, there was no way such a fresh breeze could blow in this tightly sealed basement.

[I’ve reported to the city guard to rescue you. Don’t worry and wait.]

“Huh!?”

And she was shocked, her eyes widening at the voice that tickled her long ears as if the wind was whispering.

“You’re tied up? Your mouth is gagged too? It doesn’t really matter.”

Of course, it was Isilia who had sent the wind spirit to relay the message to her in the basement.

Isilia, who already knew that this place on the outskirts of the city, which looked like an ordinary commercial building from the outside, was where Herman would raid with his subordinates tonight, had come here first while her companions went to the city guard.

“Let them fight among themselves and get taken care of.”

She smirked as she talked with the spirits and climbed up to the rooftop of a nearby building to watch the scene she had created.

As the sun was starting to set, Rogers’ gang was already indulging in celebration, thinking they had succeeded, while Herman, who had obtained this information in utmost secrecy, was secretly gathering dozens of his armed subordinates to snatch the elf.

“What? Who are you!”

“Attack!”

And the quiet street instantly turned into a battlefield between the two organizations.

As armed gang members started indiscriminately beating those who discovered them, unsuspecting passersby screamed and ran away, and the street quickly turned into a chaotic mess.

The fight was one-sided, with Herman’s subordinates, who had succeeded in the surprise attack, mercilessly beating their opponents with clubs and other weapons they held.

‘Now if only the city guard arrives on time.’

Grinning as things unfolded as she had anticipated, Isilia glanced at the castle visible in the distance. They had been informed of both the place and time in advance, so it would be ridiculous if they couldn’t make it on time.

“Search quickly! They must be keeping it safely stored. Don’t touch anything else! We don’t have time!”

Having finally entered the building, Herman urged his subordinates to find the elf. Since they had come knowing everything from the start, it didn’t take long to discover her locked in the basement.

“Herman! You son of a bitch!”

“A washed-up hunting dog trying to swallow something like this alone. You should know your place.”

As the subordinates dragged out the bound woman from the iron cage, Herman mocked Rogers, who was writhing on the floor, beaten to a pulp by his men.

“It’s the city guard!”

“Brother! The city guard is rushing here!”

“Wh-what?! How on earth already…!?”

That’s when the city guard burst in. The lookouts urgently relayed the news after seeing soldiers rushing from the castle.

Herman, who had originally planned to leisurely clean up afterwards, stammered in panic. He might rule the underworld, but he couldn’t dare to confront the margrave’s private soldiers.