Chapter 597

《Content Warning - The following chapter contains material that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audiences: Slavery. Reader discretion is strongly advised.》

Raon clenched his hand as weakly as if he were grabbing a leaf.

“Aaaah!”

The noble-looking young man had somewhat learned martial arts, but he couldn’t even struggle because of the huge difference in strength and just kept screaming.

“A-are you crazy?”

“Let him go right now!”

“Do you have a death wish?!”

The warriors sharing the same table as him came running towards them and drew their swords.

Their bloodlust was as sticky as blood, showing that they’d killed many people before.

“The other clients are eating.”

Raon chuckled and pulled the youngster in his hand behind his shoulder.

“Let’s go to a quiet place for our conversation.”

He threw the guy in his hand to the right wall, where no one was sitting.

Whaaam!

The arrogant man destroyed the wall with his back and collapsed to the ground.

“Aaaack!”

It wasn’t enough to make him faint, but it must’ve been painful enough since he started to scream while rubbing his back on the ground.

“Err…”

“Y-you’re crazy…”

The warriors stood there with trembling chins because of the completely unexpected situation.

Raon ignored the warriors, went over the wall, and grabbed the arrogant man’s head once again.

“How dare you?! Who do you think he is?”

The middle-aged man who seemed to be the boss of the warriors walked up to him with trembling lips.

“Who is he?” Raon asked, creating an aura barrier to prevent the information from leaking.

“He is the second son of House Komarn, the famous family of swordsmen, Lord Makren!”

The middle-aged man shoved his sword at Raon, telling him to let him go right away if he didn’t want to die.

“M-Makren, the second son of House Komarn?”

Raon’s lips parted upon hearing his identity.

“You should know about House Komarn since you are a warrior. Let him down right now if you don’t want to get even your family killed!”

“Kuhuhu…”

The so-called Makren from house Komarn curled his lips into a smile.

“It’s already too late. I’ll have all your families killed, not just yours but also for that man and girl with you!”

He gave an evil smile full of bloodlust, saying that it was already all over for him.

“So scary. But where is Komarn even located?”

Raon looked at Dorian with a hollow laugh.

“Wh-what?!”

“You freak!”

Makren and the middle-aged man’s expressions shifted from sneer to wide-eyed surprise.

“It’s a house that newly gained prestige as swordsmen, located slightly south from the center of the continent.”

Dorian nodded at him while paying the pub’s manager for the damage to the wall. The manager was even smiling, implying that he must’ve paid quite a lot.

“Are they powerful?”

“You should be able to wipe them out on your own, vice division leader.”

“Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!”

Makren barked, calling it impossible.

“Kill those arrogant things right now!” the middle-aged man shouted, and the warriors charged towards Raon.

Cring!

Raon turned around without caring about them, and Dorian, Rimmer, and Leiran made the move instead.

“Don’t make it annoying. Lower your swords.”

“I don’t want to kill people in other people’s pubs. I’d like your cooperation.”

“I’ll kill you.”

They unleashed their frightening bloodlust, pointing their swords and bows at warriors’ necks.

“Wh-what?!”

“I couldn’t even see them…”

The warriors from House Komarn realized the difference in an instant and put down their swords with trembling hands.

“Wh-who are you?” Makren Komarn asked, his lips trembling in fear.

“I’m the one who will be asking questions.”

Raon smiled faintly and weakly clenched his hand.

“Aaaaack!”

It was enough to make Makren scream like he couldn’t take it anymore, his arms hanging weakly.

“What did you mean when you said you would pay more than an auction?”

“Y-your grip is too strong…”

He begged for him to weaken his grip with trembling lips. Raon weakened his grip slightly to allow him to speak.

“I’ll break your skull if you don’t answer properly.”

“I meant what I said. I was saying that I wanted to buy the elves.”

“How did you figure them out even though they are wearing robes?”

“I-it was a bit noticeable because elves started to appear in the marketplace.”

“In the marketplace?”

“I-it’s a famous story. Because the great forest was burnt and Seipia’s barrier was destroyed, the injured elves were sold in the auction… Aaack!”

Raon unconsciously clenched his hand upon hearing that they were sold in the auction. Makren floundered his limbs, shouting that he was going to die.

“So, you’re basically telling me that the injured elves are being kidnapped and sold in the auction, right?” Raon asked again, summarizing Makren’s response.

“I-indeed. Elven slaves are extremely rare, but they started to show up in the auction after that incident…”

Makren told him that he’d mistaken Siyan and the other elves for slaves because he was on his way to buy slaves.

Raon furrowed his brow while watching Makren tremble in fear.

‘This is no good.’

He was hoping that he’d guessed it wrong, but it ended up being right in the worst way possible.

“Where’s that marine marketplace located?”

“I-it’s at Peren River.”

“River? It’s not in the ocean?”

“It’s a river connected to Rable River, and it’s practically an ocean because of how wide it is.”

He even explained without being asked because of how terrified he was.

‘Rable River…’

The South-North Union ruled over Rable River. Raon could guess that the South-North Union was involved with the marine marketplace.

“Can I join the auction if I head there right now?”

“I-indeed.”

“What about the letter of invitation?”

“What?”

“You have a letter of invitation, don’t you?”

A slave auction like that didn’t accept random buyers. He must’ve had a letter of invitation to filter special people for entry.

“H-here you go…”

Makren took a black envelope that seemed to devour light from his inner pocket and handed it over.

Raon opened it, and the contents invited Makren to the marine marketplace.

“Those demonic humans!”

Leiran smashed the land with her clenched fist, unable to withstand her frustration.

“Sir Raon.”

Siyan came towards him and lowered her head. The look in her eyes didn’t display her usual shyness.

“Is it possible to slightly delay the return journey to Zieghart?”

Even her quiet voice was raging with anger.

“Of course. We’ll go.”

Even Rimmer was coldly showing his murderous intent, lacking his usual playful attitude.

“Dorian.”

Raon waved his hand at Dorian while looking at those three elves.

“You got the tools for disguise, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. It’s a necessity.”

Dorian nodded and took out a large box from his belly pocket.

“We won’t be suspected if we join the auction by disguising ourselves as them.”

Raon pointed at the letter of invitation in his hand and the warriors from House Komarn, including Makren.

“I’ll rescue the elves, so you should wait outside, Lady Siyan and Lady Leiran…”

“N-no!”

Leiran firmly shook her head.

“Please bring us with you!”

She went on her knees, pleading with him to allow her to join.

“I’d also like to ask the same,” Siyan stated, carefully lowering her head from next to Leiran.

“Elves will be quickly found out even with a disguise because of their ears.”

“Ah, that’s not an issue.”

Dorian shook his head and took out a disguise tool designed for elves from the toolbox. It could change the shape of their ears.

“Why do you even have that?”

“It’s a necessity.”

Dorian shook his hand with a grin.

What doesn’t count as a necessity to him?

‘I don’t even know…’

* * *

Raon, Rimmer, Dorian, Leiran, and Siyan headed to Peren River after disguising themselves.

He could see a river as wide as an ocean, just like Makren had described, and a single ship was floating in the middle of it.

‘Is it the marine marketplace?’

Makren had explained that the marine marketplace was located on that ship.

It looked like an ordinary ship at a glance, but Raon could tell that the flow of mana was slightly distorted after a closer examination with aura perception.

“Let’s go.”

Since he was disguised as Makren Komarn, he arrogantly gestured with his chin and walked towards a boatsman, who had a small boat docked on the gravel.

“I want to cross the timeline.”

He told him the secret code while showing the letter of invitation, and a blue light leaked from his old gaze.

‘He is powerful.’

Raon could feel that he was at the novice level of Master. The boatsman seemed to be in charge of the first inspection.

The boatsman lowered his head, wrinkles forming around his eyes.

“I’ll guide you very far away.”

He lifted his hand, gesturing for them to get in the boat.

Raon nodded and boarded the old boat. It looked like it would sink at any moment, but it smoothly advanced and reached the ship floating at the center of the river.

A rope ladder descended from the ship, inviting them to climb.

“I’ll climb first.”

Just as Dorian was about to grab the ladder, Raon slapped his hand and shook his head.

“Stop doing what you aren’t asked.”

He pushed Dorian aside and climbed onto the ship before him. It was part of the act to mimic Makren’s spoiled attitude.

There was nothing out of the ordinary on the ship. A few sailors were cleaning the deck, and a middle-aged sailor who wasn’t wearing a shirt pointed his chin at the cabin for the sailors.

“Hmph.”

Raon snorted and opened the cabin door that the middle-aged man had pointed at.

He could see multiple doors on the left and right. The light was off in all of them, and only the central corridor was faintly illuminated.

Raon tilted his head because he couldn’t tell where to go, and a man wearing a suit came out from the room on the left, lowering his head at him.

“Dear Makren Komarn, welcome to the marine marketplace.”

He raised his hand to invite them to enter with his head still lowered. The room looked like an ordinary cabin, but there were stairs at the center, leading downstairs.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Harry. I’m in charge of guiding Sir Makren today.”

The suited man introduced himself as Harry and bowed once again.

“Please come this way.”

He turned around and went down the stairs, inviting them to follow.

‘Powerful warriors are hiding.’

Warriors were hidden all around the staircase, above, below, to the left, and to the right.

Raon confirmed their locations while walking down the stairs since they were rather skilled. Harry opened the curtain after descending by about a floor, and a whole different world appeared.

Under the dazzling light of the golden chandelier, people wearing luxurious suits and dresses were having fun gambling.

He could see the common games like poker and roulette, but there were also some strange games that he’d never seen before.

“It’s a small entertainment prepared for our guests.”

Harry raised his hand, inviting him to play a round.

“I’m not interested.”

Raon firmly shook his head.

“You are true to your goal.”

Harry smiled cheerfully and nodded.

“What you are looking for is down below.”

He calmly walked past the casino, implying that they should follow.

Raon looked behind him just in case, and Rimmer fortunately wasn’t showing any interest in gambling. It was understandable, as he could be extremely serious when it came down to it.

Harry went past a black door and kept walking down the stairs. He was going even deeper than the path towards the casino. They finally reached their destination after descending about four floors.

“It’s here.”

Harry opened an antique door that seemed to be made of red leather, and a dark room appeared with faint lighting coming from the floor.

It had the same layout as a tiered auditorium, but it was extremely wide and deep. Such a huge lecture hall would only be found in places like the Magic Tower.

‘There are so many nasty people here.’

Most of the seats were already taken even though the auction hadn’t even started yet.

“Please come this way.”

Harry guided them to seat number 253. Raon sat on the luxurious chair with a black leather back support, and a woman wearing a maid’s outfit came to him to fill his glass.

“The auction is going to start in thirty minutes, and the goods that you are looking for will appear in two hours.”

He smiled deeply, implying that he already knew what Makren was looking for.

“I understand.”

“I hope that your stay is pleasant.”

Raon shook his hand dismissively and Harry quietly stepped back.

“We should only need to wait a little while.”

He created an aura barrier so that no one else could hear them and looked at Leiran and Siyan.

“Haa…”

Leiran raised her lowered head, her hand trembling in anger.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can hold myself back.”

“What?”

“I can feel the presence of our kin inside.”

She bit her lip, saying that she’d already noticed the presence of the elves.

“......”

Siyan also sensed it, and her fist was trembling furiously on her knee.

‘Hmm…’

Raon furrowed his brow.

‘I didn’t mention it to them on purpose…’

He hadn’t told them about the presence of the elves to prevent them from getting angry, but they’d both noticed it on their own.

“Stay calm and wait for now.”

Rimmer closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked as relaxed as always, but he seemed to be more infuriated than anyone else in the group.

Raon caught his breath and waited for the auction to start. The light on the platform turned on soon enough, and a handsome man wearing a black tuxedo who exuded a refined aura stepped forward.

“Welcome to the marine auction. I’m Eren, the auctioneer of the day.”

He placed his hand on his chest and bowed respectfully. The bidders simply watched the auctioneer without saying anything.

“We have a lot of quiet guests today.”

The auctioneer nodded with a refreshing smile on his face.

“Then we should get started right away.”

He cheerfully clapped his hands, and a woman wearing a red dress brought out a small urn from the right side.

“We have good stuff from the start.”

The auctioneer received the urn and placed it on the table at the center.

“This urn is called Sionen, an ancient artifact. If you place fruit or food inside, it imparts a heavenly sweetness to them. Quite peculiar, yes, but it wouldn’t be on this auction if that was its only feature."

He carefully put down the urn and raised his finger.

“The real draw of the urn Sionen is its ability to enhance the elixirs. The elixir’s effect increases by over 10% if it’s made with this urn. It’s definitely a must-have since elixirs are so rare nowadays.”

The auctioneer finished the explanation and stepped back behind the urn.

“We’ll start the bid at 10 gold. Oh! 100 gold already! Gentleman number 222 called 100 gold!”

People weren’t too interested at first, but they rapidly raised their hands upon hearing that it could enhance elixirs.

Buy it!

Wrath briskly stood up and raised his finger like the other bidders.

‘Why would you even want that? It’s not like you consume elixirs…’

It enhances the sweetness!

He furrowed his brow, scolding Raon for his idiocy.

Say, for example, we place bead ice cream in there. Just think about it. Imagine how delicious it’s going to be!

‘......’

Raon realized he was gravely mistaken. He sighed while shaking his head.

‘Please keep it to yourself for today.’

* * *

Raon watched the auction while chatting with Wrath, and the time passed quickly.

Tap!

Half of the platform’s lighting was suddenly turned off. The remaining lighting also dimmed, creating a strange atmosphere.

“I’d like to express our gratitude to the VIPs who are still here.”

The auctioneer raised the tone of his voice slightly, a faint smile on his face.

“We are going to start the special auction, exclusively operated by us.”

Raon realized that what he’d been waiting for had finally arrived as soon as he heard about the special auction.

“Our guests today are lucky because it’s really special.”

The auctioneer lightly clapped his hands twice.

Clang.

Along with the sound of shaking chains, a woman wearing a yellow dress walked out from behind the right side of the curtain. A chain that didn’t match with the dress was hanging from her neck.

Her face couldn’t be seen because it was hidden behind a thick veil, but Raon could tell that she was extremely beautiful.

“Everyone in this place should already be aware that there was a huge fire at Seipia recently. And we ‘happened’ to rescue the injured ones from there.”

The auctioneer explained while touching the shoulder of the woman wearing the veil. The woman’s shoulders were trembling, showing how frightened she was.

“We treated the injured ones, and are even giving them this opportunity to meet great owners. This must be the ideal society, filled with benevolence.”

The auctioneer shook his finger, babbling some nonsense.

“Let me introduce her to you. Her name is Casia, from the Uren Branch Clan!”

The auctioneer declared and took off the woman’s veil at the same time. With pointy ears, translucent skin, and fluttering hair, the mesmerizing face of the elf was revealed under the lightning.

“Ooh!”

“She really is an elf!”

“She’s extremely beautiful…”

“It was worth the wait!”

People’s excitement filled the entire auction house.

“She is…”

“Stop it and start the bid already!”

“Ahaha! How impatient, but fine. The bid will start at 1 gold this time.”

“1000 gold!”

Someone even shouted the amount instead of raising their hand.

“Hmm…”

“Damn it…”

Siyan and Leiran’s shoulders trembled intensely. They seemed to know the elf named Casia.

Blood was streaming down from their lips. They really seemed to be doing their best to hold themselves back.

“Wait a bit more, since we don’t know yet how many more they have.”

Raon created an aura barrier and shook his hand towards them. They nodded heavily in acknowledgment.

“The gentleman is so generous! Number 210 won the bid for Casia!”

Casia’s bidding had already ended in the meantime. She was purchased by an old man with a huge belly for an astronomical price.

“It’s too early to be disappointed. No, everyone should be aware, because the auction hasn’t even started yet.”

The auctioneer chuckled and clapped his hands again. Before the two clapping sounds even finished echoing, a slightly smaller woman than Casia came out, her face hidden behind a veil just like Casia.

“This girl unfortunately lost her parents to the fire. She is looking for new gentle parents.”

He walked towards her with a grin on his face and took off the veil hiding her face. The female elf trembled, her lips quivering. She had short blonde hair and eyes that curved slightly upwards.

“Heirin from the Cotton Branch Clan is looking for her own—”

“Heirin!”

Leiran screamed, unable to hold herself back anymore. Raon was expecting that result from the moment she was introduced to as being from the Cotton Branch Clan, the same clan as Leiran.

“L-Leiran…”

Heirin’s pale lips trembled as she looked at Leiran.

“You sons of bitches!”

Leiran drew her bow and spread an intense bloodlust around her.

“Oh my, we have some precious guests here.”

The auctioneer smiled cheerfully without losing his composure at all.

“Items just walked right into our hands! What a beautiful and generous world this is!”

He snapped his fingers, and warriors hiding all around the auction house jumped out to surround them.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Raon guessed that he wouldn’t have been able to suppress his anger either if the annex building’s maids were being auctioned instead.

“Dear elves, we aren’t in Seipia right now. The protector isn’t here to save you.”

The auctioneer turned his head around with a grin on his face. He seemed to be used to such an occurrence.

“Every river belongs to the South-North Union. Since you are on a river now, you won’t be able to leave on your own accord.”

“Haa…”

Raon sighed briefly and stood up.

“Does the South-North Union really own this river? But Zieghart’s domain is right north of it.”

“You are apparently not an elf but a member of Zieghart.”

The auctioneer chuckled and nodded his head.

“You are right. Zieghart’s domain is right north of it. But that’s the case about the land, and we are on a river right now. Only the South-North Union’s flag is embedded on this river…”

“No, this river belongs to Zieghart starting from now.”

Raon pulled back the hood that had been covering his face. His blond hair cascaded down, and his red eyes gleamed with a fierce light, dispelling the darkness around him.

“Because Zieghart is wherever I am.”

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]