Chapter 33

Vampire (1)

Armed men pulling carriages filled with people exuded a dark and gloomy atmosphere. When I scanned their levels, they were all over 30, quite high.

【Lv. 57】

Moreover, the man with long hair standing at the forefront of the procession had a level almost reaching 60, making him seem like the leader.

They didn't seem like a simple slave caravan; their high levels made me wonder what kind of people they were.

With my heightened senses, I could hear the murmurs of passersby.

"......Balkirov."

"Hey, don't stare so obviously."

Balkirov?

The name sounded familiar, and I soon recalled who they were. Balkirov, weren't they the largest and most notorious group in the 3rd Principality?

'Right, those guys.'

Information began to surface in my mind.

They primarily dealt in slave trading and engaged in various other dirty deeds without hesitation, making them a dangerous organization.

In the game, there was a side story where a high-ranking official from the Principality Castle attended a secret auction held by them as a VIP and was assassinated.

I observed the slaves locked in the iron cages.

Their eyes were all lifeless, showing no will to live.

Of course, in this fantasy world where the caste system was fully alive, slaves existed.

I remembered that slavery was illegal in some countries, but that wasn't the case in Caldric.

Even if it were illegal in a specific principality, a ruler could make it legal if they wished, but there was no reason for any ruler to do so.

"Hey, you! Why are you just passing through when you should be in line?"

At that moment, a young man descended from a carriage not far in front of me, looking displeased.

He appeared to be a noble, accompanied by a guard, and he approached the passing slave traders.

The atmosphere among the onlookers grew tense as they watched.

The long-haired leader approached the young man and grinned.

"Sir, as you can see, we have many items to transport, so it's cumbersome to line up. Please bear with us for a moment."

While saying this, he pointed to the slaves in the back, referring to them as items.

"Bear with it? Are you joking? With such a ridiculous reason......"

"Sir, may I ask which house you belong to?"

The man chuckled and said,

"House? Are you threatening me? My father is the deputy mayor of Volcadien Chail City in the 1st Principality! How dare you, mere slave traders......"

The men laughed at his unexpected response, causing the young man to be taken aback.

"Th-These scoundrels, really?"

"Ah, I didn't recognize the son of the deputy mayor and acted rudely. I apologize."

"Y-Yeah. I......"

"However, it seems you're from a distant place and don't know who we are."

The long-haired man whispered into the young man's ear.

Thanks to my heightened senses, I could hear the whisper clearly.

"......Stop being a nuisance and get lost, brat. Don't act up with your insignificant position. Should I twist your limbs off?"

The young man turned pale and retreated without a word.

The long-haired man smiled as if nothing had happened, bowed slightly, and continued on his way.

I watched the entire scene and let out a hollow laugh.

'What a joke.'

If they were Balkirov, they likely had deep connections with many high-ranking officials in the Principality Castle. No wonder they were the most notorious group in a principality.

A noble from another principality, especially from a mere deputy mayor's family, wouldn't even be worth their attention.

The young man watched them leave, his face contorted with humiliation, and then returned to his carriage.

The guards at the city gate, seemingly familiar with them, let them pass into the city one by one after a brief exchange.

"Your expression is bad."

Ashell was looking at them with a cold gaze, so I spoke to her.

"No, it's not."

"Are you feeling sorry for the slaves?"

"......Yes, honestly."

"Do you want to help them?"

"No. I know it's beyond my control."

She was right.

This was different from helping an employee in the 5th Principality last time.

In this world, slave trading is legal, and they are just merchants operating within that framework.

They might be committing various illegal activities, but on the surface, that's what it is.

But what if I killed all those men and freed the slaves?

What would I do with the freed slaves? Would I take full responsibility to help them lead normal lives?

And what about the Balkirov gang? They would seek revenge if I interfered first.

Of course, with the power of a ruler, I could eradicate such an organization, even if it belonged to the 3rd Principality, as opposing a ruler is never tolerated in Caldric.

But what would that mean?

'It would just be a momentary self-satisfaction.'

There are countless slave traders and slaves on this continent, not just the Balkirov.

Would I kill all the slave traders I encounter and free the slaves without considering the consequences?

That would make me no different from a reckless person, causing trouble without any clear standards or beliefs.

I would help those in need within my capabilities, but going beyond that would be too much.

My current primary goal is to gather the Hidden Pieces and increase my chances of survival.

I'm not wandering around Caldric to play the role of a righteous crusader.

'Still, it's pitiful.'

Regardless, from a modern perspective, it was a tragic scene of human rights abuse.

I watched the carriages disappear into the city one by one.

"......!"

Then, my eyes widened.

I noticed a young girl among the slaves in the last carriage.

A young girl with black hair and red eyes.

'......Vampire?'

I enhanced my vision with heightened senses and could see the fangs protruding from her mouth.

She was definitely a vampire.

Black hair and red eyes are racial characteristics of vampires. Unless they are mutants, all vampires have black hair and red eyes.

I also heard the men next to her talking.

"......But who would bid on a vampire? It's creepy."

"Still, it's rare, so it will sell. How many nobles have perverted tastes?"

I stared at the girl crouched in the cage, listening to their conversation.

I kept watching until the carriage passed through the city gate and disappeared from sight.

"......"

I leaned back and fell into thought.

I didn't expect to see a rare race here, especially a captured one.

A sudden idea flashed through my mind.

'Vampire......Elrod Forest......'

Vampires, being a rare race, have strong racial bonds.

If I rescued this young vampire and took her to the Elrod Forest, what would happen?

I don't know if she belongs to the same tribe as the vampires in the Elrod Forest, but she is still a fellow vampire.

If I rescued and brought a fellow vampire, I could at least have a conversation without being attacked.

'So, that's a possible way?'

A perfect picture formed in my mind.

This seemed doable.

***

After entering the city and finding a place to stay, I immediately went to the slave trading post operated by Balkirov.

I passed the guards and entered the building, where I saw a counter employee.

A plump middle-aged woman was writing something and greeted me.

"Welcome, young master. What kind of slave are you looking for?"

I told her,

"I saw a vampire come in as a slave earlier."

"......Oh, yes. They just arrived."

The woman seemed a bit flustered and continued apologetically,

"However, that child is already scheduled to be sold to someone else, so you can't buy her. I'm sorry."

......Scheduled to be sold?

I instinctively knew she was lying and understood the hidden meaning.

'Now that I think about it, they mentioned an auction earlier.'

They were talking about the one in Domihawk City, the secret auction organized by Balkirov.

The vampire girl was likely scheduled to be auctioned.

I asked again,

"Is it impossible no matter how much I pay?"

"Yes, it is......"

"200 gold, two platinum coins?"

"......What?"

The woman lost her words for a moment and then said urgently,

"Please wait a moment, young master. I'll bring the branch manager......"

She went inside and returned a short while later with two men, one of whom I recognized.

'That guy.'

The long-haired man from the checkpoint earlier.

He approached me with a business smile and greeted me.

"Oh, hello! Young master, I heard you're here to buy a vampire slave."

"Right."

"This is the branch manager, Klink, and I am John, an officer of Balkirov."

John glanced at me and Ashell standing behind me.

"May I ask who you are, young master?"

"Is it necessary to know?"

My words slightly distorted his expression, but he quickly recovered.

"Ha ha! Of course not. I heard you're willing to buy a vampire slave for two platinum coins."

"Right."

"However, as you heard, it's already scheduled to be sold, so we have some difficulty......"

I cut him off firmly.

"Three platinum coins."

"......"

"I won't offer more. Stop stalling and just tell me if you'll sell at this price or not. If not, I'll leave."

I took out three platinum coins and held them up.

The branch manager, standing next to him, looked at him with a wavering gaze.

The man, who had been staring at me, smiled and replied,

"Understood, young master. I'll sell her to you for three platinum coins. Thank you for choosing our Balkirov slave trading post."

Following his guidance, I went down to the basement of the building.

The basement was filled with iron cages, each containing a slave, a sight that made me frown.

"Here we are."

In the final cell, young boys and girls were locked up.

Among them was the vampire girl I was looking for.

She had iron shackles on her ankles, which were chafed and scabbed with blood.

The man unlocked the cage and approached her, crouched in the corner.

"Stand up, vampire girl. Your master has come."

She slowly lifted her head and looked up at me.

Her empty eyes, filled with a mix of wariness and hostility, met mine.

I looked back at her and said,

"Remove the shackles."

"Yes, yes. Understood."

The man unlocked the shackles and led her out of the cage. Ashell took her.

"If you wish, I can have her bathed and cleaned up for you."

The man smiled at her, and she shuddered.

"I'll take her now."

"Understood. Then, the payment...... Thank you."

I immediately handed him the three platinum coins.

After returning to the ground floor, I was about to leave without further conversation when the man stopped me.

"Young master, have you heard of the secret auction we host in Domihawk City?"

I turned around.

The man grinned and took something out of his pocket.

"It's an auction where high-quality slaves of various races and treasures excavated from ruins are often sold. If you're interested, this is......"

He handed me an invitation in an elegant envelope.

"Visit the branch manager in Domihawk City, and he will guide you through the auction."

"......"

"Then, I look forward to seeing you again, young master."

Not a chance.

I turned and left the building.

Through my heightened senses, I could hear the men inside talking.

"Mr. John, is it really okay? She was supposed to be auctioned......"

"It's fine. I'll explain to the boss. Besides, we have another one."

"But still......"

"A vampire would fetch no more than 100 gold, but we sold her for several times that. How much profit is that? Heh. He seems to be a noble from another principality......"

I shook my head and headed back to the inn with the girl.