episode_0005

In the dim cage, a bird with broken wings lifted its head at the faint glimmer of light filtering in.

“…Ugh.”

It shoved the food on the plate down its throat.

Human food.

Certainly unimaginable to slaves, but for a vampire, it was merely the taste of forcing a stack of scrolls into its mouth.

If it ended there, it would be fortunate. Occasionally, after eating food that tasted like neglected mop for a week, it would vomit all day long.

In those hellish days, it would enter a lightless room and touch those unwanted.

With every moment, the blue veins beneath the skin became visible, driving Yuriya to such a serious state that she would self-harm.

As always, while clutching her stomach and grinding her teeth, in the midst of it,

The damned voice of that cursed orc rang in her ears.

“You may take her to the mansion immediately. Since he was just a spare room, you can enjoy him from tonight. Perhaps… even so, it would be better to refrain from any play that might break him.”

Is he being sold again?

This time, to where?

That cursed whip-wielding master?

Or the damned man who tried to force himself on me?

Even the name “noble” now fills me with disgust.

“Yuriya. This person is your new master from today. You will move to the mansion straight away, so make sure she knows that.”

….

“Nice to meet you, Yuriya,” I greeted.

Yuriya, huddled in the corner of the room, embraced her knees, and her eyes turned slightly toward me.

She had rushed over with quick steps, only to stumble, appearing utterly desolate.

Observing her closely, Rachel raised a skeptical question.

“Hmm? Did we not give her proper food? She looks terribly drained.”

“Oh, it’s this slave. We feed her various meals every day, but I’ve never seen her eat well. That’s why she’s become so thin. When she came in, she seemed better than this… ”

The orc was about to offer an excuse to Rachel when

Swiftly,

My hand slipped through the iron bars.

Despite the wide-eyed gaze of the slave merchant and the mother’s protest,

I caught it.

The hand of the final boss cornered at the cliff’s edge.

It was an extremely cold hand.

Just as I was about to be startled by the icy touch that could almost be mistaken for a corpse, my eyes met Yuriya’s, who had come up silently.

“…”

Unlike what I had seen from a distance, her appearance was quite gaunt.

“Th-this…”

I desperately held back the urge to say something, feeling it was too burdensome to even bring it to my lips.

I examined Yuriya’s hand near the iron bars in the light.

As the concealed scars were revealed, I involuntarily ground my teeth.

What should have been flawlessly fair and unblemished hands were a mess.

Traces of cuts from blades,

burn marks from touching something hot,

scars on her wrist, which seemed like wounds placed in a spot one would never intentionally harm.

Countless scars that bore the pain of dozens of needles and not even proper skin care.

There were so many minor scars on her hands, as if she had dipped them into a gravel pit at times.

Even the flesh that had turned black due to being torn and treated with cheap potions.

My teeth chattered.

Since she had her back turned, she couldn’t see my expression.

Even I didn’t know what kind of face I was making right now.

Yuriya seemed momentarily frightened by me, but now she was looking at me with a sense of wonder, as if she had encountered someone who cared about her appearance for the first time.

That conclusion ignited an even more intense emotion within me.

In retrospect, it was hypocritical.

To think that I, who had desecrated the body of a thief, couldn’t bear to see the misery of a girl.

But it was clear that my anger was growing to an uncontrollable extent.

And so, I decided to get the kid out of here first.

“…Enough with the unnecessary talk. Let this child go. The carriage is already prepared elsewhere, so why don’t we hurry and go check the documents?”

My voice trembled faintly. I couldn’t hide all of my emotions either.

As soon as Noyesang heard those words, he opened the door and left the room.

Rachel was no different. She seemed curious about what I was up to, but she sent me a proud look as if she were impressed, even going so far as to provide soundproofing for me.

What on earth is she so moved by? Once again, she was acting impressive and showing off.

In the midst of this, I felt a faint trembling in her hand.

“…Can you please let go now?” Yuria said with a trembling gaze.

Having held onto her for quite some time, Yuria, who was staring at my slightly warmed hand with a fluttering gaze, blinked her eyelids and alternated her gaze between me.

[ ? The final boss is taking an interest in you. ]

[ !!!!! Your life is in danger. ]

[ Overcame it with some unforeseen variables. ]

“…Why me,” she began to say, before I could finish, she answered. There was no need to hear the rest.

“Because I can empathize. Besides, restraint is difficult.”

Yuria stared at me with wide eyes, as if she were stunned.

Nobles despise vampires, so naturally, it was surprising.

I asked her in a voice trembling with anger at her pitiful appearance, “Wounds are—”

“Ah, oh.”

As soon as I brought up those words, she covered her scarred body with her clothes. But my pent-up strength had not allowed that until now. I had never gestured for her to hide her wounds because they looked unsightly.

Yet, despite that, I instinctively realized that she was behaving like this due to her ‘experience.’ Knowing through education that if she didn’t act this way, she would face other punishments.

And I was already convinced that the education was not gentle after seeing her hands.

With each tug from Yuria’s hands, my anger grew more intense.

What on earth did she do?

I had thought about whether the final boss would do such a thing while reading this novel. But now, it seemed that I myself might entertain such thoughts.

I held onto Yuria, who was trying to escape, until the very end, pressing close until our lips almost met, gazing into Yuria’s pupils.

“…I am different from them, so you don’t have to be too afraid. Blood heals wounds; taste it.”

My upper and lower lips quivered.

Dizzy, her mind couldn’t quite grasp the situation yet.

“Uh, um… ah,”

She trembled as if unable to finish choosing her words.

Gently, she applied ointment to the cut on her fingertip, and I pretended not to notice the gulp as she swallowed her fear.

I refrained from any action that might provoke suspicion or catch someone’s eye.

Just as I was about to leave,

“W-wait, just a moment, please stay here…”

With an urgent voice, Yuria grabbed my hand, looking up at me.

Her grip trembled. She seemed hesitant.

She looked like an abandoned kitten, silently pleading not to be left behind.

Please don’t go.

It was precisely that kind of behavior.

In a way, Yuria was in a tremendous state of anxiety.

After all, she had learned about the existence of nobles who were vampires and were trying to claim her for themselves.

-Thunk.

But it was precisely at that moment that the returning orc merchant witnessed Yuria tugging at my clothes.

His previously relaxed expression turned into one of shock, enough to be considered rude.

“She, she doesn’t even know her place!”

A slave daring to touch a noble’s body was not permitted.

It was one of the most basic common senses in this world.

“Why can’t you just get lost!!! After I raised you, you still dare to disturb our esteemed guests…”

The boy who had just returned from opening the door pulled out a whip from his waist.

Judging by the various potions in his pocket, it was clear that, instead of scars, the reason for the other slaves’ deteriorated mental states could be attributed to him.

“This brat was the problem after all. As expected.”

Physiognomy is a science.

The heavily wrinkled orc merchant shouted angrily.

“Aren’t you going to apologize!!!”

He snapped the whip with force.

The wounds on her hands were the marks he left.

As a powerless girl who had to pretend, Yuria had no choice but to endure the whip, which had been modified multiple times to inflict pain without resistance.

But could I really lose it in front of the newly purchased slave?

Or perhaps, are the other nobles just going to let it slide because she’s a sex slave?

The latter possibility was highly likely.

If a mere servant dared to touch a noble’s body recklessly, responding in that manner would be appropriate.

So, I couldn’t just dispose of him right away.

The force behind my punch was overwhelming, but if I unleashed it, I would surely tarnish my reputation.

At best, I would be seen as a ruffian, and if Rachel were to witness this, she would undoubtedly scold me without hesitation.

“Therefore, the most optimal way I’ve come up with to deal with this guy is…”

– Crack!

The whip struck none other than Britna Ian’s arm.

…Oh,

Did I hit him?

Before he could even be surprised by my protective action, seeing the bruise rapidly forming, he could only despair.

Ian rolled up his sleeve to reveal his scars more prominently and said, “I hope you didn’t damage the merchandise. Oh, but now you’re not merchandise. I’d prefer if you didn’t lay a hand on my exclusive maid. If your hand goes out once more, I might just hang your head right here.”

“……….”

For about 3 seconds, the dumbfounded orc merchant stared at me.

Exclusive maid?

The disposable serving girl who was just sold.

Suddenly promoted so quickly to an exclusive maid, no, declared as such, I couldn’t even keep up with the situation properly.

But his gaze was too sincere to be just a means to spy on himself.

However, if his torn clothes and bruised areas were revealed, it would be as good as losing his life.

Thud!

Thus, he had no choice but to bury his head in the ground.

Blood trickled down the orc’s green forehead.

His yellow eyes, always repulsive, glanced at me intermittently.

It was an unspoken plea for mercy.

Yet, the one holding his life had no intention of sparing it.

“This guy must die as part of Yuria’s revenge. Not at my hands, though.”

He chuckled, covering his scars with his outer garment once again.

Eventually, a white hand emerged from the iron bars and grabbed my arm.

“M-master. May I ask what your name is once again?”

“…”

The sight was so horrifying that the gaze of the orc, pinned to the ground, slowly turned towards them. A hurried breath. A swirling gaze. The person who had just experienced the sight of the noble who had protected them was trembling as they spoke, their voice quivering. Their face begged for an answer to this question. Unable to ignore it, I opened my mouth and replied, “It’s a bit fast, but let me say it with my own mouth. Brittany Ian, you can call me Ian, Ian is fine too.” “Brittany Ian… Ian, Ian, Ian,… Ian.” As if vowing to never forget, the desperate voice repeated it several times. Uriah’s gaze somehow seemed dangerously intense. [??????? Your life is in danger.] [Level: 99] But at the same time, it felt like the temperature around had dropped by several degrees. “Ian…. What are you doing?” North Ice Palace. Rachel found herself in the worst possible situation, witnessing this scene live.