episode_0033

As planned yesterday, we left Franca before dawn the next day and started hiking towards the opposite peak where we could overlook the fortress.

The mountain was less steep than the mountain we climbed yesterday, so it was easier to climb, but the distance traveled was longer.

So I had no choice but to hasten my steps and the intervals between breaks became further apart.

There was a lot of snow, but I was so used to walking on snowshoes that I was able to follow Laura without falling.

Perhaps because I left the city earlier than yesterday and climbed the mountain diligently, I was able to arrive at my destination, the peak, when my pocket watch showed noon.

I wanted to take a break and drink some warm coffee from Laura, but I held back because if I started a fire on the peak, all I could do was teach the enemy my location.

We lay down on a warm carpet at the edge of the peak and looked at the situation in the fortress through a telescope.

The fortress was in an overall dilapidated and collapsed state as it had been a long time since it had been touched by human hands.

It was once owned by humans, but now it has become a nest for birds of prey.

The Bird of Prey tribe had bonfires set up everywhere and was roasting and eating what appeared to be slaughtered people whole.

Sharing meat and drinking alcohol may seem like the scene of a typical festival, but it is merely the scene of an incident where cannibalism takes place.

Looking elsewhere through my telescope, I spotted two groups of people locked in iron bars beyond the inner wall of the half-collapsed fortress.

In a spacious prison on one side, young women who had been reduced to breeding tools were imprisoned with their limbs cut off and half absorbed in strange lumps of flesh, just like they had seen in the goblin breeding den.

And in the narrow prison on the other side, there were many people mixed in, and they were probably kept there to be used as food.

Several bonfires made of human bones were lit near the prison, which appears to have been a measure to prevent people from dying before being eaten.

The sight of people being dragged to cold, high places, awaiting a miserable end, or who have already met a terrible end, feels very pitiful.

While I was feeling sorry for them, Laura was diligently writing something down on her map.

As if he were the person who received the request.

I tried to write something down later, but Laura didn’t even give me a chance to hold a pencil.

“Rebecca, I wrote down all the details of the report. Please check.”

“Thank you for writing on my behalf.”

I patted Laura’s head and checked what she wrote.

It detailed not only what I saw but also what I missed.

Looking at the records of the composition of the military unit, the type of guard duty, and even the appearance and characteristics of the commander, it makes me think that he is not a former bounty hunter for nothing.

“It was really well written. Just take it like this and report it. I will definitely repay you when I return.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Laura kissed my cheek and smiled.

Now all that’s left is to go down the mountain and return to Franca.

But I feel sorry for the people trapped there.

However, going to the rescue would put not only my life but also Laura’s life in danger.

Even if you have a high-performance magic rifle or magic armor, it is difficult to handle the volume of items moving systematically.

Even if I had a telescopic scope, long-distance sniping is not easy, so it would be impossible to kill the commander and scare the others away with it.

For now, the right answer is to just go down today.

Make sure you have a telescopic sight, or even if you don’t have one, find a way to get the sniping skill.

And let’s increase the number of people in the party by purchasing one more slave.

You can buy multiple slaves at once, but then it becomes difficult to manage them as part of a harem, so it is better to proceed one by one.

“Laura, should we stop now?”

“Yes, there is no more information available here. However, it is too dangerous to even conduct night reconnaissance, which is not in the request conditions.”

“I think so too. Let’s hope that others will rescue the people trapped there based on the information we brought.”

“Maybe we will be given that opportunity.”

“It could be so. Just like I participated in the Knights’ operation last time.”

I had some expectations, remembering the blue question mark on the map window.

Even if it’s not like a gift from a lord, you might be able to get some decent compensation.

“That’s right. If you get rewarded for something good… bow down!”

Laura suddenly pulled me to the floor.

Her breathing was heavy and I could hear her heart beating loudly.

“What’s going on?”

“Look towards the entrance over there.”

As Laura said, I turned my head towards the entrance of the fortress, whose door had already disappeared.

what? They’re people, right?

A group of heavily armed people are having a conversation with a group of birds of prey!

My setting is that demons cannot communicate, so any deal or negotiation is impossible.

But, for some reason, those people were behaving differently from the worldview I had created.

They thoroughly covered their faces with fur hats and masks, and after quickly finishing the conversation, they handed over the tied people to the birds of prey, received a box from them, and checked the contents.

Rather than the birds of prey kidnapping people and bringing them to the fortress, people were selling people to the demons.

I quickly opened the map window and tried to find out their personal information, but the distance was so far that I couldn’t come within the range of my human tracking skills.

Fuck! I should know who those bastards are so I can report them to the Knights!

“Rebecca, there is no clue to your identity. I think I have no choice but to report only the circumstances.”

“Can we catch up with those guys here?”

“It’s impossible because the paths are completely opposite. However, there is a high risk of creating a path that does not exist.”

“Phew, I guess so.”

“We just have to report this to the Adventurer’s Guild. That’s the best.”

I nodded at Laura’s words.

What is important to me now is enjoying my new life, not risking my life out of a meager sense of justice.

You can’t do something recklessly with only sympathy for the people who were sold to the demons and anger towards the scum who sold them.

“Let’s go back to Franca.”

“Yes, Rebecca.”

I suppressed my unpleasant feeling and came down from the peak with Laura.

By the time we came down from the mountain, the sunset had already set, and the roads connecting the city and village were busy with people rushing back to their homes.

Today, unfortunately, no one was willing to give me a ride, so I walked a long way to Franca.

I tried asking the drivers I met along the way to give me a ride, but it was in vain.

Finally, we arrived at Franca at night, but the gates were already tightly closed.

Those who couldn’t make it on time gathered at the campsite near the castle gate and pitched their tents.

But I have no intention of sleeping out in the open even if I have a tent in my bag.

I think it’s already time to use the certificate Veronica gave me.

I walked confidently towards the gatekeepers standing in front of the castle gate.

Then the gatekeepers put their hands on their holsters and became wary of me.

“Stop. You can’t enter the city now.”

“Please look at this.”

“This is… Excuse me! We will open it right away.”

As soon as the gatekeeper checked the certificate that appeared like a hologram, he hurriedly opened the small door under the castle gate.

After all, it’s good to have good connections, right? I can’t believe you can pass right through like this.

I entered Franca, receiving envious looks from the campground people.

Unlike the quiet outside, the inside of the castle wall is lively even at this time, just like the Franca I know.

Now that the gangs in the slums have been wiped out, it feels much safer than before.

“The Adventurer’s Guild is already closed, so I’ll have to report it tomorrow. Then, shall we go to the slave market?”

“It will be difficult to find good slaves on days when there is no auction.”

“Really? Well, I don’t plan on buying it right away, so let’s take a look first.”

“Yes, Rebecca.”

I watched Laura’s reaction carefully, but she didn’t seem as scary as last time.

Notification in advance. I meant it when I said that I would support my harem as long as I kept it well.

I opened the map window and followed the route to the slave market in the old town.

Although the slave market is small in scale to be called a market, there were quite a lot of people visiting it.

These may be people who could not find the slaves they wanted at auction or who do not want to spend a lot of money to buy them.

The slave I want is a young woman who is pretty, kind to me, and can acquire special skills through bondage quests.

No matter how pretty she is, if she doesn’t get along well with Laura, it’s difficult for her to show a rebellious attitude towards me.

The slaves always sold at the slave market were not locked up or tied up, but sat in rows inside the store waiting for their new masters.

Occasionally, slaves were brought out for promotional purposes, but almost all of them emphasized that they were good at their jobs, and only in one place did their appearance appear as an advantage.

Since my goal was not to get people to work, I naturally headed to a store that valued looks.

The atmosphere inside the store was almost like that of a brothel, but there was a sign clearly posted stating that prostitution would not be conducted here.

What they’re saying is, look at it first, buy it if you like it, take it home, and then have sex.

“Welcome. Wow, you are such a great customer. Hohoho!”

“Ah, hello.”

The person who welcomed me was a dark elf woman who was twice as tall as me.

She had several snakes wrapped around her thick neck, and when Laura saw them, she hid behind me.

Dark elves have long, pointed ears like elves, but their skin is light brown and they all have red hair and orange eyes.

Elves like plants, but dark elves like animals, especially reptiles.

That’s why every household keeps pet snakes, lizards, turtles, and even crocodiles.

I have no aversion to insects or reptiles, so I thought of the snakes wrapped around the woman’s neck as nothing more than a curious sight.

“Is there a product you are specifically looking for?”

“I stopped by because the atmosphere seemed different from other places. Can I take a look?”

“Of course. Don’t be pressured and feel free to take a look. Oh, don’t touch the product. Oh hoho!”

The lady smiled peculiarly, took the cigarette in her hand, and went back to chatting with the person who seemed to be her friend.

I looked at the pretty slaves sitting on the chairs with cushions and used my analysis skills to check their abilities.

But there was no slave I really liked.

It was annoying to see something lacking or a rebellious or blank look in their eyes.

I tried talking to a few people who seemed okay, but I didn’t like their attitudes.

The results of examining more than 10 slaves were completely empty.

There were no slaves that met all the criteria I had set, and none were useful as combat slaves.

“Laura, what do you think?”

“I think it would be a good idea to try the next auction.”

Laura had the same thoughts as me.

She looked at the slaves with a much stricter eye than I, who used analysis skills, and it made the slaves feel intimidated.

“Then let’s go out. Ugh!”

I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach, feeling pain as if I was being stabbed by something.

What on earth? I thought there was a hole in my stomach, but luckily there was no blood.

“Oh my, my! oh my god! What should I do with this? Sorry, customer! Our product has become so rude.”

The lady ran towards me, making a fuss, and bowed her head and apologized.

I don’t even really know what’s going on yet.

As I stood up with Laura’s support, I saw a Cubus woman, or succubus, holding a broom in front of me.

She was wearing an eye patch over her right eye, and her hands were shaking as if she was so scared that she didn’t even dare to make eye contact with me.

“Did I get stabbed by this person’s horns?”

“Yes, Rebecca. While I was cleaning, I bent down, but Rebecca turned around and stabbed me. I’m sorry for not being able to stop it in advance.”

“No, it was my mistake.”

I smiled sheepishly and looked at the succubus who had unintentionally stabbed me with her horn.

As befits a Cubus, she had an outstanding appearance. Her long, shiny black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her ruby-red eyes were very attractive.

Her body was as slender and slim as Laura’s, and her breasts were slightly larger than hers.

It is a little shorter than Laura, so the top of its head touches my mouth, but if you add the length of the horns that rise above it, it is similar to my height.

He was wearing a fancy-looking eyepatch over his right eye, but I don’t know if it was for fashion or to hide his disability.

She was wearing revealing clothes like a young succubus, but she looked quite timid, contrary to the atmosphere conveyed by her clothes.

“Iris! Please apologize properly to the customer.”

“Sorry.”

A succubus named Iris apologized to me in a hushed voice.

I was intrigued in many ways and tried my analysis skills on Iris.

Coincidentally, he was the same age as Laura, his status was obviously a slave, and his occupation was a domestic slave.

Looking at the status, strength and agility are E rank, stamina and health are D rank like Laura, and magic power is B rank, which is higher than me, having invested special points twice.

The reason why Iris’ magic rank is particularly high is probably the result of my assumption that the Cubus tribe is born with magical abilities.

Judging from the cases so far, it seems that the status related to the characteristics of the race always starts at B rank.

I also wanted to see the detailed personal information window, but I couldn’t because I don’t own Iris.

‘He looks great and his status is good, but his attitude is too timid. ‘I don’t like wearing an eyepatch that much.’

I still have regrets about Iris, who has clear disadvantages but has far more advantages than the slaves I’ve seen so far.

And even if I don’t buy it in the end, I want to know why the eye patch is worn.

“Why is this person wearing an eye patch?”

“It’s because I can’t control my magical eyes properly.”

“Mystic eye?”

“Yes, those unusual eyes that are said to contain magical powers. They say it’s a magical eye that helps with sniping, but since I can’t control it, it doesn’t sell, so we just have them do odd jobs at our store.”

I was very intrigued by the power of the Demon Eye.

If I could control it, I could immediately overcome the limitations I experienced on the mountain peak.

But if there’s no way to control it, it’s no different from trickery.

If you don’t buy Iris and get it under control somehow, you’ll just lose your money.

What I want is not a timid domestic slave, but a proper female combat slave.

“Laura, what do you think?”

“In my experience, power that you cannot control is as bad as not having it. However, if Rebecca wants Iris, I will not object.”

Although Laura said that, it was clear that she did not like Iris.

As I watched her attitude, my lingering affection for Iris gradually disappeared.

So we were about to leave the store, but suddenly the woman stopped me.

“Hold on a moment, our pretty customer!”

“Why are you doing that?”

“I will rent that product for free for three days, so why not try it out and decide for yourself?”

It seems that the lady wants to sell Iris, which is in perpetual stock, to me somehow.

If you lend it to me for free, I will be able to test Iris’s magical eye, so there’s nothing wrong with that.

“That’s an attractive offer. Are there any conditions for renting?”

“Hohoho! The product must not be damaged by violence or sexual acts.”

“Good. Iris, if you understand, follow me.”

I motioned for Iris to come, and she bowed to the lady, put her broom in the corner, and came towards me.

Looking closer, the fascinating atmosphere unique to the Cubus tribe became even more evident.

“Thank you very much. My name is Iris.”

“My name is Rebecca. And this friend is called Laura. Although I am a slave like you, you are a special person to me, so be careful about what you say and do.”

I briefly introduced ourselves to Iris.

And Laura, who heard the introduction that she was a special person, seemed to be in a good mood, looking at me with a bright smile and wagging her tail.

“I understand. Please take care, Laura.”

“Nice to meet you. Make sure you don’t disappoint Rebecca for three days.”

“Yes, I will work hard.”

As Laura subtly put pressure on Iris, Iris looked very nervous.

I feel like I’m watching a small child standing in front of a wild beast.

“Laura, please help Iris get along well. Got it?”

“Yes, Rebecca. Please leave slave education to me.”

Hmm… When Laura mentions the word education, I feel worried for some reason.

Surely you won’t bother Iris?

I went back to the hotel with the two of them, feeling a little anxious.