~ Chapter 67: Sapherya’s gift ~

[Leonidas' point of view]

 The slave market, if I could describe it in one word that would be 'energetic'.

The moment we stepped through the alley and entered this part of the town, we were met with a lot of adults, both from the noble and the rich commoner side. They were looking around with great interest at the 'merchandise' put on display. What surprised me though, was the fact that these people, who barely wore anything else other than a simple loincloth and linen strip to cover their chest and shame, were trying to do their best to attract a potential customer. The men were flexing their muscles and the women made sweet eyes at everyone while adopting a sexier pose.

Normally, you would think that the ones who were degraded to the level of a slave weren't going to be too happy about having a collar around their neck and someone to order them around to do various things, including indecent ones. On this world, however, things were a bit different than how they were back on Earth. There, they didn't have any sort of device or drug that could induce the same effects as the magical slave collar did here. They made handling criminals far easier and more efficient.

True, there were prisons here, but such things were a luxury that most of the times didn't mean anything good for the prisoner. Powerful nobles and important war prisoners were often sent behind bars for the simple reason of either keeping them away from society or to torture the truth out of them. After all, having a slave collar didn't automatically make one unable to lie.

On the other hand, most of the commoners and unimportant nobles were either turned into slaves or sent to work in the mines for a predetermined period of time given by the gravity of their crimes. Those who ended up as slaves could be seen standing on these stages, trying to catch the attention of a good master.

There was a catch about that 'predetermined period of time'. When one became a slave, depending on how serious their crime was, they could opt to regain their freedom after some time had passed or if they earned enough at work. Of course, rapists and murderers weren't given this opportunity. In exchange for a guaranteed ticket to freedom, however, they wore special collars that made them highly submissive to their master.

When mother explained this to us, she didn't go into details as such individuals didn't concern us, but from what I came to understand, most of those who ended up as slaves preferred to be given the life sentence, since they would have a better chance to one day be freed by a kind master.

It didn't matter if I didn't know everything about what happened to these people. In due time, such matters would be revealed to me, and I was going to deal with them then.

To be honest, the idea of enslaving humans or any other sapient species felt wrong and twisted to me, who was born on Earth. However, this very thought made me realize and understand something equally important: this wasn't Earth.

More so, in the Medieval times of Earth, fate wasn't as benevolent with criminals as it was on this planet. Having to spend a lot of time on hospital beds meant watching a lot of documentary programs alongside the usually brain-dead ones.

Back then, petty criminals like thieves, even children who stole an apple because of hunger, would usually have one or both of their hands cut off. Depending on the country, however, they would be given a public execution for the delight of the people.

If the crimes they committed were more serious, such as murder or rape, their punishment would become more and more brutal to the point where a modern human would have his stomach turned upside down if they witnessed it.

For example, torture, dismemberment, mutilation, or flaying were considered to be a common moderate punishment, to the point that such things were done on the street in the eyes of the public of all ages. On the other hand, reverse hanging, burning alive, or getting the criminal ripped apart by horses was considered more brutal because recovering the body was a bit more difficult. As for women, they sometimes had extra punishments outside of the public eye. Thus, these slaves from Sapherya's world who ended up in a brothel or a mine instead of a butcher house or on a torturer's table could be considered rather lucky.

If there was no slavery through magic here, then what happened on Earth in the Medieval Age could have happened here as well. That was why I saw acquiring a slave more as a means of saving someone, as giving them a second chance at a better life.

We stopped by at every merchant who was displaying his slaves on stages, and we also looked at some of those held in the back. No matter how beautiful the women were or how skilled they seemed to be, none of them caught my attention. The same was for my little sister. While she looked at them from head to toe, only one word came out of our mouth: weak.

While I had a rough idea of what Cassandra was looking for in a slave, I was hoping that in my case, my skill [Oracle Eyes] was going to reveal the best options for me. In the end, we only had the possibility to pick two slaves, one for myself and the other for my little sister. This wasn't like buying a car, it was more like buying an apartment. You had to feel comfortable living in it, with the neighbors, and the neighborhood. It was very different from renting, where if you got the loosing stick, you just had to put up with the situation for a while until you found something better.

If I ignored all of this and simply went with what was in my mind right now, I would have picked the first beautiful big breasted woman I laid my eyes on. Cassandra, on the other hand, was a bit pickier. The handsome men who made most women blush ended up being ignored completely by her. Their existence to her was akin to air, intangible and invisible.

When I saw her like this, somewhere in my heart I prayed that the man who was going to swoop her off her feet one day wasn't going to be some muscle-brain who loved to shout early in the morning things like: Muscles are JUSTICE!

Right when we were about to make a left turn, Cassandra pointed at the stall in front of us and told us to go see who they had on display there.

There were seven slaves on the small stage: three were beautiful young men with an androgynous appearance, one was an old lady in her fifties, another was an one-eyed pirate, and the last two were women in their twenties wearing a stern expressions and showing off their perfectly sculpted muscles.

“Look at the black-haired one! She's buffed!” Cassandra squealed, but it wasn't her who caught my attention.

The slave standing next to the one my little sister was interested in was a woman with piercing hazel eyes and dirty unkempt red hair. Just like all the others, she was wearing a linen strip chest binder and a simple loincloth to hide her shame, leaving the rest of her body to be admired by all those who gazed upon her. This woman had well-developed muscles and countless scars she had acquired from her adventures. They were the symbol of her struggles, survival, and strength.

What was interesting about her, however, was the fact that the divine light only I could see with the [Oracle Eyes] skill was shining brightly around her.

I thought for a moment that I was just seeing things, so I rubbed my eyes. The light didn't disappear.

“Mother, I think I want that one! The one with black hair! She has the best muscles!” Cassandra said full of energy.

Compared to the redhead, the other one did look more fit, but there was something about her I didn't like. Her gaze was cold and the air around her reminded me of Damascus. Maybe it was just me, though?

“Sister, that one is better.” I pointed at the redhead.

“Her?” Cassandra tilted her head to the left.

“Yes!” I nodded.

She looked back at her and analyzed her carefully from her perspective.

“She looks... weak.”

“Weak? She looks like she could crush my head between her thighs with ridiculous ease!” I rebuked.

“But... she looks weak.” she insisted.

I let out a sigh and then pointed at my head, signaling her to use her telepathy on me.

Little sister, trust me on this one, the redhead is the slave you want. I have a good feeling about her. Actually, I would even go so far as to say that the gods are holding up signs and pointing at her. Either way, just trust your older brother on this one, the redhead is far better than the other one! I thought while looking into her eyes.

Cassandra continued to look at me for a moment and then turned towards those two. She narrowed her eyes at them, but only the redhead looked back at her. The other one was smiling and licking her lips while looking at me.

I felt a chill going down my spine.

“I see now. Out of the two, that one is sane.” she said pointing at the redhead. “The other one is...” she continued and then stopped, grimacing. Cassandra looked at me and continued “a danger to brother.” there was worry in her eyes.

“Huh?” I blinked surprised and then felt another chill run down my spine.

The black-haired woman just winked at me, but nobody seemed to have noticed that.

“So, have you made your choice?” mother asked.

“Yes! That one!” Cassandra replied with a bright smile on her lips and pointed at the redhead.

“I'll go speak with the merchant.” father said and then walked away.

Not that long after he left, the woman was removed from the stage and then the black-haired one soon followed. Someone else must have bought her. I pitied the fool.

Mother brought us to where father was negotiating the contract with the merchant. There was a bit of a problem with the price, and I think I heard the word 'cursed' during their exchange. Eventually, they both came to an agreement and father handed him a bag of coins. Cassandra signed the contract using a drop of her blood and then a transfer spell was applied on the collar of the redhead.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. My name is Valeria Skullcrusher.” said the woman after she made a bow before my little sister.

Valeria who? Did she just say Skullcrusher?! She said Skullcrusher, right?! What kind of family name is Skullcrusher?! I rebuked in my mind while keeping my lips sealed tight.

“Fumu!” Cassandra nodded “Are you strong or weak?” she asked.

“I am a former Godlike Rank Adventurer, but I was cursed when I went adventuring in a new dungeon and now only someone with Kreatull's Blessing can truly command me. I will obey simple orders, but my strength is not what it once was. I apologize, Mistress, if the merchant who sold me didn't tell you this.” she made a short bow.

This woman is quite honest at heart, isn't she? I thought.

“Hm? Sit!” Cassandra ordered.

Valeria sat down on the ground, blinking surprised.

“Paw!”

Valeria placed her hand on top of Cassandra's.

“Bark!”

“Woof!” Valeria obeyed.

“Roll over!”

Valeria rolled on the ground one time.

“OI! She's not a dog! Stop making that muscled older sister act like a well-trained pooch!” I rebuked.

Cassandra ignored me and nodded like a wise woman.

“I like her. She's a good purchase!” she said with a smile.

I let out a sigh of defeat and then shrugged.

This meant it was my turn to pick a slave. Once I did, we were going to return to the mansion and then head towards our own separate schools.

To make things easier on us, we already said goodbye to each other. During the past two days, we played a lot together and mother even made a small celebration party for our admission. It was fun and simple. In a way, it was similar to an average day without training and with more cake. We both wanted to leave as though we were just going on a small trip to Briston and back. Maybe it was our innocent way of ignoring the pessimistic thought that we wouldn't get to see our family for months to come.

Once these four boring years were going to be over, we were going to see each other a lot more often because we were going to attend the same High Magic Academy. With a bit of luck, maybe I would even get to be in the same class as my cute little sister. This way, I could easily hunt down any wannabe man that wished to court her and then lock him up in an underground torture room... Erm, I mean make sure no dangerous guy lurked around her.

Thus, we continued to browse the stores in the hope of finding a good slave for myself. Considering that we could only get a debt slave, our selection was a bit limited. Speaking of which, Cassandra's slave, Valeria, ended up as one because of her curse. Unable to use her full strength, she kept failing quests until she gathered a huge debt and was forced to sell herself into slavery. Her old friends apparently didn't bother to help her that much.

This meant that my little sister's opinion of her wasn't wrong. In her current condition, Valeria was rather weak, but if unleashed, she was probably one of the most powerful individuals here.

At the street intersection where we bought Cassandra's slave, we turned left and followed the road while browsing through the other shops. Once we looked at everything on this side, we were going to turn back and look at the stores on the other side as well. I had a feeling I was going to find my slave at the very last one. I just knew it was either going to be a cute cat-girl or big breasted older sister type with long flowing hair, a kind personality, and with an hourglass figure, maybe slightly athletic, but definitely not packing the type of muscles you could lift tanks with.

At one point, I saw someone who caught my attention. This time, it wasn't because she had a light aura around her. Rather, she felt a bit dark, but there was a peculiar characteristic about her I hadn't noticed in the others around here. This woman's ears were pointed and a bit longer than those of a regular human. Not only that, but she had the type of body that made men of all ages gulp after her. Well, all except for me, my body had yet to reach puberty, so looking at her big chest only made me feel hungry. My mind, however, withheld from leaving a comment.

“She's a charmer, I tell you! Just look at those shapes! She is sure to make you feel boundless pleasure in bed! She's an elf too, which means her looks won't fade away even after a decade or two had passed!” bragged the merchant who was selling her, trying to entice the male buyers to start counting their coins.

“What is her reason for becoming a slave?” a concerned noble asked.

“Oh? She's a serial killer, a rapist, and an arsonist.” the merchant replied with a smile.

“So, she can fight?” he asked.

“Most definitely! She's considered an Emperor Rank Threat!” declared the merchant.

I stopped listening here.

That's the first I saw an elf at this slave market. All of the slaves I have seen so far are humans. Is it because this is a small town and individuals like her are considered a rarity? I wondered as I was moving away from the stage.

Just then, a glimmer of light caught my attention, and I turned around. In that moment, I saw the elf being escorted off the stage. Someone had bought her, but she wasn't the one who was shining, it was the new slave that was being brought onto the stage.

I gulped and stepped closer.

The light was definitely shining brightly around this one, covering their whole body. No one else could see it except those with the [Oracle Eyes] skill. It was telling me that this was the individual I was supposed to save. This slave was the one whom the gods have chosen for me.

Yet, I couldn't help but twitch when I saw who it was being embraced by this divine light.

“Leo? Did you find a slave you are interested in?” mother asked when she noticed that I kept staring at this stage.

“Y-Yes...” I replied in shaken tone of voice that made it sound as though my very soul had been sucked out of my body, and with a trembling hand, I pointed at the individual chosen by the gods “T-T-That o-one...”

My family looked in that direction, and what they saw surprised even them.

There, on the stage, was a middle-aged man, probably around fifty years or so, with gray hair tied in a small ponytail at the back. His well-trimmed facial hair formed what was called an anchor beard. This old man was wearing only a simple loincloth like all the other male slaves at this market, leaving his body to be seen by his potential buyers. He was covered in well-sculpted muscles that emanated strength and grace.

Like the other slaves, he was taking several poses with the purpose of capturing the attention of his new master. If not for that cursed blinding light around him, my brain would have hit the ignore button faster than people hit Like on a viral post on the internet.

Then, the merchant shouted “So, anyone wishes to buy Timothy Gahart, this fine 54-years-old combat butler?”

And with that line, he got my parents approval instantly.

No doubt he was a debt slave given the fact that he was chosen by Sapherya.

On the other hand, while this was a joyous find for my family and even Cassandra considered him to be a good specimen, on the inside, I was crying tears of blood.

With this brilliantly stupid move, Sapherya crushed my dreams of dressing up in frilly clothes a cute cat-girl or a hot woman with curves in all the right places.

“S.A.R.G.E, you IDIOT!” I shouted at the sky, surprising everyone around me.

That day, all the statues of Sapherya suffered from a mysterious random crack and certain individuals rumored to be able to hear the voice of the gods claimed to have heard the painful wails of a certain goddess...