Chapter 99

The 'slave mark' was broken.

Through the joint efforts of my dear Noem and my reliable Avinion.

When two people who are almost all-powerful on their own combine their strength, there are few things that are truly impossible.

Starting with the first success, they proceeded to strip away the 'slave marks' from all the female slaves the nobleman had brought with him.

"Ah!? My collection!?"

The nobleman, who could only watch the scene, was the self-proclaimed master of these women. Paralyzed by fear of me, he could neither interfere with our actions nor escape.

"...No! I have treated them well! I provided them with clothes and food, and they lived a much richer life than commoners! They must be grateful for that! The bond between me and them won't be lost just because the 'slave mark' is gone!"

He clung to his hope. How would his hope be rewarded...?

◆

"Ugh!? Spit!? Gahaaaaa!?"

The nobleman, who had just been treated as a slave, was now being beaten by the three girls he had once controlled.

"Wait!? Don't kick me, don't step on me!? Why!? I gave you the best clothes and life...!?"

"Shut up, kidnapper! You brought us here against our will and acted like our master! How dare you!?"

One of the girls, now freed from her bonds, said through tears.

"I... was supposed to get married the next day! I was kidnapped and made a slave...! Give it back! Give me back the days I was supposed to spend with my husband!"

"I want to go back to my parents! Why did I have to be with you!? You're disgusting!!"

"I have to work to feed my younger brothers! Maybe they're already...! I'll kill you! At least I'll avenge them!"

The former master, whom they had just been trying to protect, was now being beaten and nearly killed.

Even if you provide food and clothing and treat people like pets, humans have dignity. Once you take away their free will, deny their personality, and trample their dignity, there is no way to form a bond with such a person.

What the nobleman did was nothing more than a self-satisfying doll play. The girls who were forced to participate in it suffered greatly.

Even if they themselves were unharmed, the pain and despair for those who loved them in their hometowns must have been immense. To suddenly disappear without even knowing the reason.

This reaffirmed the evil nature of slave traders.

"Master, you're still immersed in this. The work is not yet finished."

"Yes, the other slaves will return due to the effect of the 'slave mark'! We need to catch up and remove it quickly!"

That's right. Since they are only walking, they can't have gone far. If I carry Noem and run at full speed, we can catch up quickly.

While I try to stop them, Noem and Avinion will remove the 'slave marks' one by one.

"Doing it one by one is troublesome."

"But there is no established method for removing it from a group, so we have to do it the hard way! Fortunately, we have plenty of the disenchantment potion. We have more than enough even if we give it to everyone here!"

Thanks to Noem and the others' efforts, we managed to remove the 'slave marks' from all the slaves present and restore them to ordinary people.

They had been deprived of their basic human rights for a long time and were finally able to regain them.

Their reactions varied; some were happy, some were relieved, and some were crying in sorrow. They must have realized that they had lost something that could never be regained during the time they were not themselves.

In any case, they were finally allowed to cry and laugh, things that were not permitted while they were slaves. They had finally regained what they should have had as human beings.

"Ah...!? Such a 'slave mark'? The best system that supports the Republic of Bluebalm is being broken...!?"

On the other hand, the fallen slave trader was trembling at the situation. He was still lying on the ground, unable to get up from the damage I had inflicted.

"Isn't this a crisis for the slave state!? This is terrible, terrible...!?"

"It's fine, really."

Our goal is to destroy the Bluebalm slave state. A country that kidnaps people and makes them slaves should disappear; it wouldn't bother anyone except the bad guys.

So, we decided to continue our efforts to dismantle the slave state...

"What should we do in this situation...!?"

In front of us were over a hundred former slaves who had just been rescued.

Leaving them behind and moving on would hurt our conscience. Just freeing them and saying goodbye would be as irresponsible as the scumbag traders who made them slaves.

"Can we somehow ensure their safety... and possibly return them to where they were before they were kidnapped?"

"It will take a lot of time to complete. If the slave state prepares for an attack during that time...?"

While Noem and I were discussing this, a former slave, a sturdy-looking man, approached us.

"You don't need to worry about us. We can take care of ourselves."

"Huh, but...!?"

"I was a soldier in a certain country. I was captured during a war, sold, and ended up as a slave here."

The man explained. He had had a tumultuous life.

"Because of that, I have combat skills. If I have weapons, I can handle bandits. There are several others among the former slaves who have combat experience. We plan to protect the weaker women and cross the border."

"Oh...!?"

"Once we find a village, we will explain the situation and seek protection. Fortunately, this area seems to be on the outskirts of the Bluebalm slave state, so the journey shouldn't be too difficult."

They could take weapons and food from the slave traders.

If they do this, it would be extremely helpful for us, who are heading towards the center of the slave state...!?

They were able to make such bold statements immediately after being freed from the 'slave mark' and regaining their free will. It really showed how free and open human will can be.

◆

We walked in completely opposite directions, wishing each other well.

The freed people would first leave the slave state and eventually return to their hometowns.

We continued to delve deeper into the slave state. Fortunately, we obtained information about the capital of the Bluebalm slave state from the testimony of the former slaves.

The capital, King of the World, is located further east from here.

Most of the people captured by the slave state are there, living unjust lives as slaves. There are also high-ranking slave traders and the council that oversees them, as well as the governor at the top.

I was amazed that they were able to gather such information while being deprived of their free will by the 'slave mark'. According to their testimony, the 'slave mark' does not take away their consciousness.

Their consciousness is clear, and their memories are continuous. They are in a very sane state, but for some reason, they cannot disobey the orders of the one called 'master', and they even feel a desire to 'obey joyfully' from deep within.

Since it does not control their memories or thoughts, a skilled swordsman can still use the sword techniques he has mastered, and if scholars or officials are made slaves, they will spill secrets.

This made me realize the terrifying nature of the 'slave mark' once again.

"...Hmm, I'm not satisfied."

While we hurried on our way, Avinion said.

"What's wrong?"

"This 'slave mark', the more I learn about it, the more terrifying its effects seem. Can such a powerful effect really be achieved by a human skill?"

Huh?

Skill?

Is this 'slave mark' the effect of a skill?

"Is there any other cause that could explain this mystery? However, it's hard to believe that something of this scale and this malicious effect can be achieved by a personal skill. It even resists the interference of a demigod like me, even if only for a moment!"

Avinion, is it just that you can't stand it?

Don't be discouraged. Even transcenders stumble sometimes. Besides, we managed to solve it with Noem's help.

"No! It's impossible for the power of a demigod to be outdone by a mere human skill! There must be a significant secret behind this! Something grand and spectacular!"

"Okay, okay."

I brushed off Avinion's competitiveness, but later I realized that this was indeed the core of the battle.