SWNOVELXO Chapter 18 - Buying a Slave
Just as I was about to answer, a flame suddenly appeared before my eyes. As I startled back, the slave trader looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Is something wrong?”
Judging by his reaction, he didn’t seem to see the flame in front of me.
“…It’s nothing.”
A flame visible only to me. There was only one thing this could mean. It must be sent by Egun. But the question was, why did she suddenly intervene like this?
I had planned not to buy the slave. Not because of her black hair, but because nothing would change even if I bought her.
The will to live is not something someone else can find for you; you must find it yourself. Life is ultimately entirely your own.
“So what will you do?”
Dante urged me to make a decision. He looked somewhat anxious, as if he thought I wouldn’t make the purchase.
That was my original intention. But if Egun intervened like this, it must mean something.
“I’ll buy her.”
“Really?”
His expression brightened considerably. Well, how could he not be pleased when a slave who had been troublesome to deal with was leaving.
“Yes.”
“Understood. I’ll tell the staff to prepare right away. For now, please follow me.”
He seemed to be rushing, perhaps fearing I might change my mind. I followed the slave trader back up the stairs. We returned to the room where we had our conversation.
Gulp-
The refreshments from earlier were still there, so I picked one up and ate it.
“I can’t serve such cold tea to a valuable customer. I’ll prepare it again.”
He smiled broadly and brought new cookies and tea. As he poured it in front of me, he subtly handed me a contract.
“Please check everything and sign. Ah, do you know how to read? If not, I can read it to you.”
“No, I can read.”
Among mercenaries and adventurers, there were quite a few who couldn’t read. They thought such things weren’t necessary for living.
Certainly, the language and writing of this world weren’t easy. So it wouldn’t be easy to learn readily. I learned it to avoid being scammed or trapped.
“So if I buy a slave, the existing mark on the slave’s body disappears, and a new mark appears. And I can decide the pattern.”
“That’s right.”
“Will I also get a mark?”
“Yes. A mark is essential for handling slaves, so it’s unavoidable.”
Actually, having a mark wasn’t a big deal. Who would care about my appearance? They would rather look at my hair.
If there was one thing I was curious about, it was the mark itself.
“Once the owner’s mark appears, can they handle the slave as they please?”
“That depends on the amount you invest. The more expensive, the more powerful and effective mark can be engraved.”
“How are these marks engraved?”
“By borrowing the power of the contract devil. It’s possible through an object left by a contractor who has contracted with the contract devil.”
It was a bit confusing with the same word being repeated.
“I see.”
The slave I purchased wasn’t bought even by brothels because of her black hair. Meanwhile, they conduct slave trades using the power of devil contractors. Isn’t that ironic?
Well, is there any being as contradictory as humans? It’s only natural that when I do it, it’s romance, but when others do it, it’s adultery.
“In Romon’s case, since you’ve purchased a slave that was difficult to deal with, I’ll engrave a middle-grade mark for free.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Thanks to Romon, I can get ahead of others, so how could I not be grateful?”
“There seems to be some circumstance related to the slave I bought. For example, a task to sell a slave that others avoid?”
When I probed subtly, his eyes widened slightly. Dante cleared his throat and took a sip of tea. After contemplating for a moment, he finally spoke first.
“Since you are my benefactor, I should tell you. All those who work as slave traders in our Celeste Slave Trading Company are family members.”
Somehow, they did look close like family. Though there was a slightly edgy feeling.
“My father always said: Anyone can sell items that everyone wants, but it’s difficult to sell items that others avoid.”
“Here, ‘items’ refers to slaves, I assume.”
“Not entirely. Slaves are just one of the items we deal with. Celeste Trading Company sells various items.”
I didn’t know much about trading companies; is it a concept like a corporation?
“Father gave each of us brothers a slave and a troublesome slave at the same time. He said he would give an opportunity to the one with the best performance and the one who sells a difficult-to-sell slave.”
“So because I bought this slave, you’ll get that opportunity?”
“That’s right. This is all thanks to you, Romon.”
He smiled and picked up a cookie. His face was bright, showing he was genuinely pleased.
“I just bought the slave because I needed one. There’s no need to be so grateful.”
“What matters is that you bought that slave. I don’t know how the competition will go, but if there’s an opportunity in the future, I’ll help you.”
“I appreciate even just your words.”
Knock knock—
Just as we were finishing our conversation, someone knocked on the door. When Dante said to come in, a female employee entered.
“Mr. Dante. Preparations for engraving the mark on the slave are complete.”
“It seems preparations are ready. Let’s go together.”
I stood up. Dante took out various documents from the drawer. Holding them, we left the room together.
“This is the place.”
The female employee opened the door first and stepped aside slightly. It was exactly the same action as Dante had done.
Entering inside, I saw the black-haired woman sitting in a chair. She was the slave I had just purchased. Next to her, a woman was holding a branding iron.
“Where would you like the mark to be engraved?”
Somehow, it felt like rating an animal, which didn’t feel good. Especially because of the same hair color, I suppose.
“…Is there a recommended area?”
“The most preferred is the face. It’s at the level of announcing that they’re a slave, so they can’t run away. However, it has the disadvantage of potentially marring their appearance.”
“Ah.”
I had occasionally seen people on the streets with strange patterns on their faces. I thought they were all like thugs, but now I see they were slaves.
“Please put it on the back.”
“The back? It’s not a particularly recommended body part. There are quite a few people who sigh, saying their slaves climb up because they can’t see the mark.”
“Still, I’d like it on the back.”
“Understood. Then regarding the pattern?”
Fwoosh-
What pattern should I choose? As I was pondering, a flame rose before my eyes once again. It was a message from Egun.
“Flame. Please make it a pattern of a blazing flame.”
“Flame. This is a pattern I’m receiving for the first time. Alright. Hey, start right away.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dante ordered the female employee.
She drew flame patterns on paper several times. She drew many and showed them to me, asking me to select the one I liked.
“Please use this one.”
I chose the one most similar to what Egun had shown.
“Then we’ll begin.”
The employee drew the picture on the branding iron. According to Dante, it would be an object of the contract devil.
Sizzle—
“Kugh…”
After drawing the picture completely, she immediately pressed the branding iron against the back without hesitation. Judging by the smell of burning flesh, it seemed no different from actually being branded.
“Will it be the same when my mark is engraved?”
“How could it be? That was an object specifically requested to be like that. They say one can only realize they belong to someone else when they feel such pain.”
Dante’s words didn’t sit well with me. But from the point of purchasing a slave, I wasn’t much different from him.
“Where would the master like his mark engraved?”
“On the back of my hand.”
The employee put down the branding iron and approached me. She took out a small pen from her pocket and tapped the back of my hand.
“It’s done.”
It ended in less than a minute. When I raised my hand to check, there was a more elaborate pattern than what was engraved on the slave.
“With this, all procedures are complete.”
Dante handed me the documents he had brought earlier.
“Personal information about the slave. Points to be cautious about when handling the slave. And a document allowing you to receive items the slave used to carry. You can receive them by presenting it to the lobby staff.”
“I understand.”
Dante smiled and extended his hand.
“I don’t know when we’ll meet again, but if you need a slave next time, please stop by. I’ll give you special treatment.”
“I appreciate even just your words.”
“I’m sincere.”
I smiled, shook hands, and approached the slave.
“Let’s go. Follow me.”
She nodded slightly and began to follow me. I was worried if she could walk given how thin she was, but fortunately, it wasn’t that bad.
‘To think I’d buy a slave…’
I thought it would be a bit later if I were to buy one, but I never dreamed it would be this quick.
Why did Egun tell me to buy this woman? I should ask her tonight.