I glared at the pitiful remains of a man , lying under the wreckage of the wall. His mouth was foaming, and I could only see the whites of his eyes. Fainted, huh.

I stared down at my fist, which was covered in blood. It stung a bit, because not only was there his blood, there was also my blood on it.

Right when my fist was about to hit that guy, some resistance met my fist. It was like a burning wall of flames, and when I shattered it, it pierced my hands, like glass shards. It caused a wound on my hand, but I still pushed on, paying no attention to it.

And now that I check it, I could see that the entire skin on my fingers were peeled off, and bleeding. My arm was pretty much covered in blood, so I took the cloth I used to wipe the girl’s face, and tied up my hand, preventing it from bleeding any more. The white cloth was slowly turning red.

I turned back to the girl, who was lying on the ground, with her face planted in the ground. I walked up to her, and kept my hand at her neck. Good. There’s a pulse. She only fainted.

I turn her over, and pick her up in a princess carry. I walked over to the receptionist san.

“Y-yes?”

She looked plenty scared of me. Well, maybe it was a bit too much violence. Doesn’t matter. That guy deserved it.

“Is she registered as his slave?”

“Yes.”

“How do I transfer ownership?”

I bit my tongue after saying ownership, in order to keep myself from strangling me. Ownership? Don’t kid me!

It’s totally normal here, so I just kept my opinions to myself.

“A-Yes. You need to go to the Slave Traders and officially transfer it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be valid, and Marco san can act against you. Since it’s an official duel and I bore witness to it, you can show that as proof, and we’ll without doubt testify it as true.”

“ I see. Where do I meet these…Slave traders?”

“North of the guild, there’s….”

People continued to stare at me strangely, as I walked through the streets of Ravenblack. I ignored them, and kept moving, making sure that the girl in my arms didn’t feel uncomfortable in the slightest.

After I beat up the douch-Marco, I picked her up in my arms and moved out of the guild, disregarding the stares of disbelief sent at me. Maria rushed after me, and attacked me with a barrage of questions.

“Yuuya?! What are you doing?”

“Mm? Taking her away from the bad guy?”

“Bad guy? What’re you talking about? And more importantly, h-h-how did you beat Marco!?”

“I… punched him?”

Is it just me, or does Maria look shocked at my comment? It’s true you know? I only punched him. But that dude, he wasn’t normal, that’s for sure. That barrier…

“Maria, do you know anything about a barrier around people?”

“A-Ah yes, that’s what I wanted to ask! How did you break through his Mana barrier?”

“Mana…barrier?”

According to Maria sensei, adventurers ranked Black gold rank and above generally begin training their mana manipulation in order to make the mana barrier. It’s an external barrier, and just like it’s name, made with mana. If you get the needed artifact, you can maintain it for indefinite periods of time, as long as you store mana in it. The actual method is like pouring mana on one’s body, and it hardens after time, forming an invisible layer of skin. You can make it a few mm thick at most, and beyond that would be stupid and non conservative. Experienced adventurers train this method, and keep it up every time they can in order to prevent surprise lethal attacks.

Marco had one, and I shattered it with my fist. Big deal, it seems.

“Yuuya, why did you save her?”

“Un? She doesn’t want to be a slave, and everyone has their own rights.”

“Rights? Yuuya, bu—“

“Maria, does that mean you don’t mind becoming a slave and a men’s toy?”

I question her, and I guess I had a really cold look on my face, since Maria immediately stopped talking. Good, I guess.

“Oi! Anyone here?”

I ask at the Slave Trader’s tent, a huge pavilion, which was like a circus tent. At the entrance, lots of cages were placed, like walls. Inside them, there were many monsters, starved and weak.

I keep moving, and call out. Then, from another alley like path, a man emerged.

He was a dwarf without a beard. Well, a human I guess.

He wore a long tailcoat, and swung around a stick with a gem embedded at its end, which sparkled like electricity. He had a monocle and an all white handle bar moustache. Baldy.

“Yo~ho! I’m the slave trader of these parts, Likir! What brings you here, oh so wonderful stranger~?”

He spoke, dancing around and swinging his stick around.

“I want to transfer ownership.”

“Owner~ship? Of that slave’s?”

I nod my head, getting sick of this comic character.

He whisks the stick around, and gestures me to follow him.

“This is our proud establishment, the Laikur trading company~! How is it~? How is it~? I established this establishment about 2 years ago, and this establishment is working wonderfully even after 2 years of the establishment of this establishment!”

That’s a lot of establishments. What’s with this guy?

Maria stayed out, since she doesn’t want to see this place.

Inside, the reason became apparent.

A lot of cages, and in it were…

People.

A lot of them, starving and naked, without a shred of light in their eyes. Steeling myself, I kept moving forward, ignoring the people around me.

“It seems custom~er san doesn’t like these ones? Don’t worry~ I have my premium products too~”

He keeps talking, and I kept ignoring him.

Suddenly, a man, who was naked, with rat ears on his head, rushed at the slave trader from his cage, his face like an animal’s. The slave trader swung his stick and tapped the cage with the stone.

“AWwAWWAWWAwaw!”

The rat man fell to the ground, seemingly electrocuted. What is with this treatment?

“Oh~ I’m sorry customer ~san had to see that~!”

He kept walking, still swinging his stick.

Finally, we entered a wider room, with a desk at the corner and shelves across the room with files in it. He walked over to one and pulled out a file, and after reading it, turned to me.

“Marco~san bought this. Shall we~proceed to the legal punishment?~”

He threatened me with a smile. Bastard.

“I won her fair and square in a match. Ask the guild if you will.”

“I see~”

Out of the shadows, a man emerges, robed in black and whispers something in the slave trader’s ears. He nods, and the man walks into the shadow, and his presence disappears again.

“True~True~ So shall we begin the transfer process?”

“Don’t we need Marco?”

“Of course~ We need his blood, which we have already~!”

He beckons me to the centre of the room, and I head there.

“Ashta uldaris graven tahties!”

He exclaims something, and a circle emerges from the ground, red in color. A magic circle. I’m not good with these.

He walks up to me, takes the girl’s hand, and pricks it with a needle he took from the tailcoat. Then, he walks to the back of the room, and after a while, comes back, with a vial of blood.

He stops near the centre of the circle, and pours the blood onto the circle, and then dips the needle with the girl’s blood in it, all the while muttering something.

The circle glows, and begins pulsing. Soon after, it shatters.

The man, smiles pleasantly at me.

“Well~ we did the process”

“It’s done?”

“Not yet. Payment will be needed after all~”

“How much?”

“1 gold~!”

“Fine…”

I guess he needs his profits. I throw the coin at him, and he catches it.

“The girl is free now~ Have a good day~!”

I walked out, albeit a bit faster. This guy, he’s dangerous.

“Eat up!”

I poured the steaming hot stew made of 20 silver’s meat in a bowl in front of her.

She stares at it, and then at me.

Geez…. Whatever.

I take a spoon, and extend a spoonful in front of her. She looks at it, and then bites down.

Her face turns red hot, and she clutches her throat, as if keeping herself from screaming.

“Idiot! You need to blow on it before eating!”

I give her a glass of water, and she chugs that down, surprisingly.

We were back at the inn, and now taking care of the girl. I already got her an ID card, since it seems she needs one in order for her to not be captured as a slave.

NameSakiStatusCommonerRaceHumanGenderFemale[tr]Age17JobNone

“Yuuya, we need to talk about what we’re going to do with her”

“Umu… Yup.”

“What’re we gonna do with her?”

What we are gonna do with her huh….

Now that I think about it, my plan only covered the valiant saving.

Oh dear, I messed up.

“Yuuya, perchance, it’s not like you don’t have any idea right?”

Maria questions me, and I can so totally see the demon behind her!

“Haha… Of course not. I obviously made a plan!”

“I see. That’s good. So what’s your plan, Yuu~ya~ san?”

Maria, that’s threatening, you know? I’m getting chills, you know?

“Well, I guess I want her to be able to survive on her own for now?”

“Yuuya, are you dumb? Or are you just dumb?”

“Eh?”

“Able to survive?! She’s nothing but bones! She’ll drop dead if you leave her alone for a day!”

True… I need to have her be able to live without troubles for now.

“Then, why don’t we take her with us?” (Mili)

“”Rejected”” (Maria&Yuuya)

“She might get in trouble”(Yuuya)

“She’ll be deadweight!” (Maria)

Mili sinks down, dejected.

“Well. We’ll take her with us until we get to Ugras? And then we’ll find somebody to take care of her”

“Take care of her? Why would anyone—“

“Maria, everything will work out. Definitely~!”

“Sigh…”

Maria gave up, sighing. Good. Obstacle one is cleared. Mili seems to have no comment regarding this matter too.

“Then, how about we head to Ugras?” (Yuuya)

“We’ll need to head to the guild tomorrow. Maybe some new request? And there might be requests we overlooked?” (Maria)

“That’s true… Then, we’ll head to the guild tomorrow! Mili, you’re coming with us too! Saki, you’ll stay here, and eat. That’s an order! Eat until you’re full!”

Yup! Our course of action got changed a bit, but we’re doing it nevertheless!

******

The guild was as noisy as always, with everyone cackling and boasting about their quests and kills. But today, was a bit different.

As soon as we stepped in, the entire guild turned silent, and turned their eyes towards us.

Should I give a speech now?

Maria ignores them and heads in, with Mia in suit. I imitate them and head to the request board. Yup, wasting time is no good.

Right, we’re finding a good quest today!

“No good huh..?” (Yuuya)

“Not a bit” (Maria)

Like yesterday, we were relaxing on the chairs, feeling dejected from the failure. Mili kept at it, scouring the request board, not leaving even one quest unchecked. Oooh déjà vu. I look at the guild entrance, and just like yesterday, Marco walks in.

Except today, his face was bandaged, with his nose completely covered. His eyes were teary, and he walked in, ignoring the stares of ridicule sent at him.

He saw me, and his eyes widened in terror. He immediately turned and walked away, towards a group of people sitting in the opposite side of the restaurant. Heh. What a scaredy cat.

I was feeling pretty good about myself until i looked at Maria. She was staring at me, leaking killing intent. The real thing.

“Yuuya”

A sweet voice greets me, and I look towards it, seeing Mili. She holds up a request. I take it from her, and read it.

EscortRequestorGold ranked party’s clericDestinationUgrasNeed an escort of warriors in order to head to Ugras. Focusing on leveling, and heading to Ugras at the fastest pace, so using the Yolvian highway. (2 slots)Recommended rankPlatinumReward40 silvers per adventurer.

“Mili! You’re a genius!”

She puffs her chest out.

“Of course!”

Hehe.

This quest, it’s perfect! It’s a cleric too! Meaning, we get magic support.

“Our path is decided, Maria! Check this out!”

I show Maria the quest, and even she looks pleased by it. Perfect.

Time to meet this mage!