SOTBW - 33

“Hmm, a woman with platinum blonde hair and dark red eyes? Well, dark red eyes are a bit rare, but platinum blonde is common in the slave market…”

Najane hid her troubled expression as she left the shop. This was already the seventeenth dead-end. She pulled her hood down and gazed at the seemingly endless row of slave markets.

She had heard that there were hundreds of slave traders in the black market. As the fallen citizens from the Kingdom of Bastronia poured in, many began selling their children or offering themselves as merchandise to survive, making slave trading a common profession, second only to mercenaries.

If the slaves were lucky, they might end up doing menial tasks in a noble’s mansion, but for female slaves, there was a chance they would be sold to a brothel if things went wrong.

Especially for the traders, slaves that were difficult to sell were often sold off at a low price to ship captains operating multiple ships or to wealthy pimps. The men would spend their lives rowing on massive trade ships, eventually dying in agony while spitting blood, and the women would sell their bodies to unwanted buyers, eventually dying of syphilis.

Every night, Najane prayed to Sylin. Please, let Luna be safe. Please, don’t let anyone treat her carelessly.

Sighing, Najane started walking again. Since she was already at the black market, she bought some drugs from a dealer. She no longer asked Maximón to curse for her.

Naturally, the bouts of heat came irregularly, and each time, the best she could do was smoke as much of the drugs and tranquilizers as she could.

The cheaper the drugs, the faster they spread through her body. Though it was obviously bad for her health, she chose to let her body decay rather than want to embrace Maximón again.

She carefully tucked the tranquilizers the dealer had filled her pocket with into her arms and quickened her pace. It would probably take weeks to visit every slave market. Her once irregular training had become more regular, and days where she didn’t even have an hour for herself became common.

At least on the days she managed to get a light nap, she considered herself lucky. For some time now, Najane had been suffering from insomnia. The reason was obvious: the harsh drugs and tranquilizers.

As her body developed a tolerance, she had to increase the dosage little by little, and on days when she smoked, she would stay up all night with her eyes wide open. On days when she had overused the drugs, her limbs would tingle, and her heart would tremble uncontrollably, preventing her from resting at all.

Thanks to that, Amelia, who saw Najane getting thinner, was desperate to feed her more meat. She seemed to think that Najane’s weakness was due to her poor meals.

Wandering through the market, she entered a new slave shop. There, naked women with shackles were lined up against the wall. Najane carefully checked if Luna was among them, then asked the presumed owner the same question.

“Have you recently bought or sold a slave with platinum blonde hair and dark red eyes? She speaks in Kalonosian…”

“If it’s platinum blonde, it’s too common to know. Especially around this summer, there’s been a surge of people from Elgort, so it’s hard to find a specific slave just by that description.”

“I see…”

“There’s a shop at the very end of the slave market, on the eastern side, that only deals with platinum blonde slaves. It’s at the far end, so it should be easy to find. Why don’t you check there instead?”

At least she got some information. Najane left the shop and walked east.

She had to return to the knight’s order before four o’clock. As the sun set, the Serith began to raid earlier and earlier.

These days, if it was past six in the evening, battles would start. Since it was winter and dawn came slower, it was natural for more soldiers to collapse from exhaustion.

Checking the position of the sun, Najane walked quickly, almost running, due to her anxious heart. Then, she saw a crowd gathered, watching something. In her hurry, Najane pushed through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse. There were several carts filled with slaves and armed mercenaries standing nearby.

“Wow, talk about luck. Selling all these slaves to the Count’s family at once. They must have made thousands of Lirangs from this deal!”

Most of the people watching were slave traders. Najane stopped in her tracks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the slaves boarding the carts. Then, a woman staggered out of the shop, waiting for her turn to get on the cart. She immediately caught Najane’s eye.

She slightly pulled back her hood and looked at the woman. A gaunt figure with freckles covering her cheeks and fiery red hair. It was Laura. The person who had sold Najane and Luna to the slave trader.

In an instant, Najane lost all sense of reason and rushed at Laura. The scene around them turned chaotic. With bloodshot eyes, Najane grabbed Laura by the neck.

Laura, shocked, didn’t understand what was happening at first, but soon began to sob uncontrollably. Najane, punching Laura, shouted:

“You traitor! Where is Luna? Answer me, Laura!”

The mercenaries, drawing their weapons, surrounded Najane. As their sharp swords flashed, the onlookers screamed and fled. Najane looked at them with hollow eyes. If they interfered, she was ready to eliminate them.

She never imagined she would reunite with a traitor in a place like this. She wanted to slit Laura’s throat immediately, but thinking of Luna, she barely held herself back.

“Get your hands off that slave. She’s a valuable commodity,” the mercenaries warned, thrusting their swords toward Najane. She stood up, stomping on Laura’s chest with her military boots. In the tense moment, Najane slowly reached for the sword at her waist.

Just as everyone held their breath in suspense, an elderly man appeared in front of Najane. The old man, with his hair white as snow, bowed so respectfully that it made her feel embarrassed. This made Najane quickly withdraw her hand from her waist.

“Why are you greeting me...?” Najane asked.

“Although I am a mere slave trader, I feel a deep sense of gratitude and regret toward the young knights who protect the fort. I’ve also heard quite a bit about the fame of the White Knight wandering through the fort,” the old man said, smiling softly with his eyes half-closed.

“I don’t know what the situation is, but the slave you’re stepping on is supposed to leave Noctis Fortress today. As a simple merchant, I’m required to deliver the slaves to the Count’s estate by the designated time… So, I ask you as an old man, please release her. I’m sure you don’t want to cause a scene in a place like this, do you?”

“Who is this woman’s new master?” Najane asked.

“Count Bordo,” the old man replied. “He...”

The old man trailed off, then whispered softly as he approached Najane.

“He’s a cruel man who enjoys bathing in the blood of young women. After fattening up healthy slaves, he draws their blood and repeats the process until they’re no longer useful, then he feeds them to the hunting dogs he’s raised with great care.”

Whether the old man’s words were true or not, Najane felt that Laura deserved divine retribution. Being a slave already felt like punishment.

She sighed and removed her foot from Laura’s chest. Only then did the mercenaries sheathe their swords. Najane apologized to the old man.

“I’m sorry, sir. I understand the slave is a valuable asset to you, but I hold a grudge against this woman. I won’t harm her any further. If you’re willing, I would just like to have a brief conversation with her. I swear on my honor and the name of Sylin that I won’t lay a hand on your slave.”

“Well, if you insist… I’ll allow a few minutes, though not long.”

The old man gestured to the mercenaries. They followed his orders and dragged the unconscious Laura back into the shop. Najane politely bowed to the old man before following the mercenaries inside.

Inside the shop’s parlor, Najane and Laura faced each other. Once the mercenaries left, Laura collapsed to her knees and began crying uncontrollably.

“I’m so sorry. I’m really sorry, miss…” Laura sobbed.

Najane gritted her teeth as she watched Laura’s tears. She wanted to strike Laura until her anger subsided, but remembering her promise to the old man, she clenched her fists and looked away. Laura’s crying was disgusting. Her face, always kind in the mansion, had deceived Najane, and in one morning, she had lost her freedom.

After splashing her face with cold water several times, Najane sat down on the sofa. For now, Laura was the only one who knew Luna’s whereabouts. She had to get some information from her, no matter what.

“…You thought you’d make a lot of money by selling us into slavery, but what are you doing here now?”

Najane, suppressing her anger, asked, and Laura cried like a child.

“I really regret what I did to you two. I’m sorry. I never expected it to turn out this way… After selling you, I was supposed to split the money, but I was betrayed… I’m so sorry… I’m really sorry…”

Najane, hearing Laura’s words, couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Who sold you out?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know, miss…”

“You must know who sold Luna and me to someone. Just tell me. At least the name of the slave trader.”

“K, Kieron… I think his name was Kieron. I don’t know his face. Others sold you two to that trader…” Laura said.

Kieron. Najane repeated the name in her mind as she stood up from the sofa. Laura, still kneeling on the floor, quickly clung to Najane’s legs.

“Please, miss, buy me. Please, I beg you. I’ll atone for what I did under your service. I’ll spend my life regretting and begging for your forgiveness. Please, please, save me. Miss, please…”

Laura screamed with a look of desperation that Najane had never seen before. Najane looked down at her, but she felt no sympathy. In fact, she wished that Laura’s misfortune would deepen even more than it already had.

The mercenaries came in and dragged the struggling Laura out of the shop. Laura fought back, desperately trying not to leave. But the mercenaries didn’t tolerate her resistance. Their fists relentlessly struck her lower back and abdomen.

Najane watched this scene for a moment before leaving the shop. The sun had nearly set by then. She looked down the road leading east, but with a regretful expression, she turned away.

Although she hadn’t found Luna, she had gained a clue.

That alone was enough to ease her mind.