I stare at my hands. I feel a force surrounding my body. I look at the sword on the wall, and direct it to horizontally cut the roof of the cage. The sword moves by itself in the air and slashes the cage like butter. I remove the roof of the cage, and gently reach out to Kanko with my hands. Careful not to damage her other wing, I wrap her in my handkerchief. I am glad I washed my handkerchief last night. I stare at her for a few more moments. The dogkin was surprised when he witnessed my unusual magic, but it was only for a moment.

“She’s still alive, but her heartbeat is faint. You can still save her.”

The dogkin doesn’t confirm whether Kanko was the one I was looking for. He must’ve heard Kanko’s last words before she fell unconscious. He watches me as I gently loosen my expression from hearing that, then directs his gaze to Kanko which I’m holding. He pats my shoulder, and moves to pickpocket the merchant. He returns and holds out a pouch full of gold coins in front of me. I stare at his hand holding the pouch.

“You will need this. Don’t feel guilty, and consider it this merchant’s karma for involving himself with you.” (Dogkin)

I inspected my surroundings and found my stolen bag laying on the floor. I pick it up, and silently accept the pouch from him. I put the pouch in my bag. As I give one last glance at Kanko, I turn to glare at the merchant. At that moment, the merchant wakes up.

“What happened!? W-Who are you!? Oi! Someone broke into the basement!” (Merchant)

He panics as he looks around the room

“You. Where did you put this fairy’s wing?” (Meirou)

“W-Why should I tell you that! That fairy is my property, you know! Thiefs! Oi! There are intruders in the basement! Oi!” 「The fairy's wing? There’s no way I'm telling you that. I spent-」 (Merchant)

I glance at a nearby sword, and it moves to cut the merchant’s foot off.

“AHHHHHHHH!!!” (Merchant)

“Didn’t you hear me? I said where did you put this fairy’s wing?” (Meirou)

He screams in pain as he falls to the ground. I position the sword over his other foot, and malicious glare at him silently.

“I-I put the… fairy’s wing behind… the skinned f-fur…” (Merchant)

I walk over to examine the pile of skinned fur, and it was there in a small jar. I grab and place the jar in my bag, and return my glare towards the merchant. Should I kill him? Or let him go? As if understanding, the dogkin spoke interrupting my line of thought-

“There is no need for you to kill him. Just cut off one of his arms as well, and let his fate set its course.” (Dogkin)

The merchant turns to find out the owner of the voice, and gasp after seeing the dogkin’s face. It seems he didn’t realize there was a second intruder nearby. The dogkin was completely silent behind the merchant as the merchant was going hysterical after all.

“Hah… Hah…” (Merchant)

I see. That is also a way for someone to suffer. I will let him live. I direct the sword with my thoughts, and the sword moves to cut one of the merchant’s arms.

“GYYAAAAAA!!!” (Merchant)

“I honestly want to kill you, but you are not a life worth bloodying my hands over. I hope you live your life in misery.” (Meirou)

As I was about to turn to leave with the dogkin, Sophie and her husband arrives to the scene. Her expression becomes stern when she recognizes the merchant face.

“Mitou…? You were involved in this business?” (Sophie)

She looks down to the merchant’s injuries. She turns to me, and sees a fairy wrapped in a handkerchief missing a wing, cradled in my left hand. She stares at the fairy in sympathy. It seems she has gotten a general understanding of what went on in this room. The husband just casually glances around the room.

“Oh? If it isn’t Mitou? How are you feeling?” (Sophie’s husband)

He nonchalantly strikes up a conversation, ignoring the fact that the merchant is profusely bleeding right now.

“Oi! I’m bleeding here! It hurts! Please save me!” (Merchant)

The husband stares at the merchant as if he’s seeing something peculiar.

“Why are you asking your intruders to save you? Guhahaha! You chose this path yourself, so you should’ve prepared yourself to die.” (Sophie’s husband)

“Hah… Hah… Hah…” (Merchant)

“Hah… Mitou. You brought this upon yourself.” (Dogkin)

The dogkin was leaning against the wall near the entrance with his eyes closed as he threw in his two cents. Sophie’s husband continues to watch the merchant, as if he was hoping for some sort of reply.

“Loss for words? This is the end then. Good bye, old friend.” (Sophie’s husband)

The husband slowly raises his sword, and gazed down at the merchant. A split second later, he stabs the sword into the merchant’s head. He turns to Sophie.

“Sophie, return home with the lad. I’ll handle the rest with the rest of our group which will be arriving soon.” (Sophie’s husband)

The dogkin also nods at us.

“I understand. Let’s go, Meirou.” (Sophie)

I silently follow Sophie up the stairs, and exit the building. The catkin falls in my field of vision. It seems she’s laying unconscious not far from the entrance. I look up at the night sky. It might be already past midnight. I continue down the direction of the inn.

…

As we arrive back at the inn. Sophie quickly runs over to get some healing herbs and bandages.

“Ow!” (Meirou)

I suddenly realize my injury has reopened since who knows when, as my bandages were stained in red. Sophie turns to look over to me worriedly.

“Don’t worry about me. Please quickly treat her first.” (Meirou)

Sophie nods, and continues to quickly rummage in the back corner for the bandages and herbs. She quickly returns to the table. By that time, Kanko seems to have regained consciousness.

“M-Meirou… y-y..you’ve returned… to save… m-me… ah..haha… I’m glad…” (Kanko)

“Of course.” (Meirou)

As she reached out both her hands, I move my index finger for her to hold. I warmly gaze at her. Sophie looks at our exchange with an affectionate gaze.

“Meirou, what is her name?” (Sophie)

“Her name is Kanko.” (Meirou)

I unwrap the handkerchief, revealing Kanko’s legs. Sophie flinched from the sight of it.

“How cruel…” (Sophie)

Kanko shook from suddenly hearing another voice nearby. I nod to her to trust Sophie. Kanko turns to catch a glimpse of Sophie.

“Okay. Kanko, I want you to endure the pain that you’re about to feel. Are you prepared?” (Sophie)

“Y-Yes…” (Kanko)

Sophie nods, then holds Kanko’s left leg with her fingers. At that moment, she starts turning it.

“A-Ah-AHHHHHHH!!!!” (Kanko)

Then the ankle.

“AhhAHHHH!?!!! I-IT DO-ESN’T Hurt! It doesn’t hurt!” 「It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!」 (Kanko)

I watch Kanko in anguish, as she digs her hands into my finger; but I was determined not to avert my eyes. As we move onto her right leg, she faints halfway through the treatment. Sophie sighs with beads of sweat on her forehead, as she finally let’s go of Kanko’s leg, signaling the end the treatment. She then applies healing herbs onto Kanko’s back, and wraps Kanko’s legs in small strips of bandages. I carefully lifted Kanko up and felt her small heart pulsing, affirming that she is still alive.

“Thank you… so much for today. I will never forget this favor.” (Meirou)

I earnestly show my gratitude towards Sophie’s priceless kindness, and bow my head to her. I don’t think I would have enough mental fortitude to personally follow through with this treatment myself, even if I knew the procedures.

“I simply went on making decisions on my own. Please raise your head.” 「There is no need to bow your head for this… Ahaha. It was mentally draining to inflict pain onto this child for the treatment, but I am glad that I was able to save another life. I was simply trying to lessen the burden of my past sin.」 (Sophie)

She then gazes up at the ceiling with a distant look.

“Talking to you reminds me of someone I knew in the past.” 「You really do act like her…」 (Sophie)

Sometimes, I wonder if there is an off switch for my mind-reading ability. I feel guilty for unconsciously invading Sophie thoughts, which I think she will never put into words for the rest of her life.

“Still, please allow me to do this. This is very important to me.” (Meirou)

“I see…” (Sophie)

She pats my head which was still lowered, then suddenly stands up and moves to hug me. I was startled for a second, then I started tearing up a bit and simply stood there in her arms. Thank you, Sophie.

…

As I woke up the next morning; I see Kanko sleeping on a soft neatly-folded hand towel, on the desk beside me. I also spot the pouch full of gold coins sitting beside her. I am so glad that I was able to save Kanko in time. There are many things I want to sit down and think about, especially regarding my new psychokinetic-like ability I was consciously using yesterday; but my number one priority right now is buying a slave with combat experience, before anything else happens. I gained a new ability, but I will still need a reliable companion to watch my back. I grab the pouch, put it in my bag, and leave the room. I first notice Sophie’s husband on his way to the kitchen from the dining room.

“Thank you for your help yesterday! I will never forget this favor!” (Meirou)

I bow my head and repeat the same lines I’ve said to Sophie yesterday.

“You don’t have to worry about that lad. Me and my wife were acquainted with the ringleader, so you might’ve gotten involved because of us. I will apologize for putting you through such an ordeal.” (Sophie’s husband)

He smiles at me, and I accept his roundabout show of kindness. He continues to the kitchen. I spot Sophie from the back entrance.

“Oh, good morning, Meirou. Does your injury still hurt?” (Sophie)

“Morning. It doesn’t hurt as much as yesterday, but it still feels very stiff. I’ll be going out for a bit, so please look after Kanko for me.” (Meirou)

Sophie nods with a dependable expression. She doesn’t stop me even though I should be resting, since my wounds could reopen once again. She must've noticed something from my expression.

“Leave it to me. I will look after her, so quickly take care of your business.” (Sophie)

I can feel at ease if Sophie and co. are nearby. For now, Kanko is in safe hands. I wave good bye and quickly walk over to the Travelers’ Guild building.

“Hello, how may I help you today?” (Guild representative)

“Ah, do you have any information on slave houses?” (Meirou)

“Slave houses?... We do, but I will have to charge you 10 silver coins for that information. Is that all right?” (Guild Representative)

“Yes.” (Meirou)

I hand her a gold coin, and received 15 silver coins as change. She grabs a piece of paper, and writes down the directions.

“In this town, there is only one large slave house. The location is not known to the public, so please burn this piece of paper once you find the building.” (Guild Representative)

I see…. so that’s why they charge for this information. It is to stress the idea that this information is not easily obtainable. If you paid for something, you would be less willing to share it to others.

“I understand.” (Meirou)

I accept the piece of paper and exit the building. I look at the directions and walk over to the far side of town. I arrive at a shabby-looking house. It looks just like any other house owned by a commoner. I knock on the door, and hear footsteps approaching. As the door opens, I see a man in his 40’s with an intimidating aura. He gives a good look at the visitor.

“What do you want?” (slave trader?)

“Slaves.” (Meirou)

I replied straight to the point, and handed him the piece of paper that the guild representative gave me.

“Hoh… I see. The Travelers’ Guild recommended you. Come in.” (slave trader?)

I enter the house. It was just a normal house. I survey my surroundings with a questionable expression. The man catches my expression.

“This whole floor is just for camouflage. Follow me.” (slave trader?)

I follow him, and he uses one of his keys to open a secret door behind the stairs that led to the 2nd floor. I continue following him down to the basement, and was surprised to encounter a fancy room made for nobles. There was a table in the middle of the room, with two red couches on opposite sides of the table. I notice two metallic doors on the other side of the room. The golden lights in a jar somehow brightens the whole room, place on the table. I sit down on the couch, while the man sits on the opposite side facing me.

“Now then, I am Baido. A slave trader of this small town.” (slave trader?)

“I see. How many slaves do you have right now?” (Meirou)

“Around 40 slaves right now. What are you looking for?” (Slave Trader)

“What kind of races are the slaves?” (Meirou)

“Just beastkin and humans.” (Slave Trader)

“I want someone with combat experience.” (Meirou)

“Hmm… then I would recommend getting a beastkin, since they are born with innate abilities and are cheap. I don’t have any humans with combat experience.” (Slave Trader)

“I see, then can I have a look at the beastkin?” (Meirou)

“Follow me.” (Slave Trader)

The slave trader stands up, and leads me to one of the doors on the other side of the room. Inside was pitch black. The slave trader places another jar in the middle of the room, and quietly chants something. Suddenly, bright light from the jar lightens the room. This room is slightly bigger than the previous room, and it was full of cages with beastkin of varying ages. What stood out to me, was how eerily quiet it was in this room. I can see at least 22 cages on site, yet there wasn’t a single sound. I can hear panting from time to time as I walk around the room, but that’s it. I also notice that every one of them appear very young.

“What is the age range for these slaves?” (Meirou)

“9 to 14 years old.” (Slave Trader)

「…Ah, it’s so bright...」 (???)

「………」 (???)

「I’m… sorry…」 (???)

「Mother… 」 (???)

As I look at some of their faces, thoughts flow into my mind. The beastkin’s eyes were all hollow, and they are despondent towards my stare. It seems there are only dogkin, catkin, and rabbitkin in this room.. Slaves from the other two mysterious tribes are not in sight.

“If you left them alone, wouldn’t they try to kill themselves?” (Meirou)

“They are currently under the order ‘Do not die’ along with ‘Do not speak’, with a temporary slave contract. If a slave somehow manages to kill themselves, they will have to go through excruciating pain by going against the order for a period of time; before they can die. My subordinates would hear the screams before then.” (Slave Trader)

When I finish my round around the room, two caught my eye. Out of the nearly all rabbitkin which had white fur, there was a single one that stood out with brown fur. Most of the dogkin have either black, brown, or white fur, but there was one that had red-orange fur… similar to the appearance of a fox.

“Is there something special about these two?” (Meirou)

I point to that rabbitkin and dogkin.

“Ah… that rabbitkin with brown hair and fur are known as a sign of misfortune. Rabbitkin are acclaimed for their beautiful white appearance, so those born with brown or black appearances are exiled and sold as slaves from a young age. I’m at a loss since no one is willing to buy such a slave. The dogkin is not that special. If you head further towards the east, you’ll encounter more of them-” (Slave Trader)

“I’ll take both of them.” (Meirou)

I interrupt the slave master mid-sentence with my decision, and he stares at me in surprise. Then he nods and moves to open the cages to grab them.

“Oi you, stand up.” (Slave Trader)

He grabs the rabbitkin and forcibly gets her to stand up, and does the same to the young dogkin. He pulls them along back to the fancy room, with me following behind. He turns to face me after locking the door.

“The 14 year old female rabbitkin will be 1 gold coin, and the 10 year old female dogkin will be 5 gold coins.” (Slave Merchant)

I was amazed by how cheap the rabbitkin was. Was she that much of a burden? I take out 6 gold coins, and hand it to him. He accepts it, and takes out two rings while chanting something. The rings turn into light, and reform into scrolls. He places the scrolls onto the table.

“Give me your hand.” (Slave Merchant)

I lift my left hand, and he takes out a small knife to lightly cut my thumb. A few drops of blood fall onto the scroll and evaporates. He moves to give the second scroll some blood as well. At the same moment, the two slaves starts holding their chests in pain.

“O-O-w, ow, ow” (Dogkin)

The dogkin voices her pain, while the rabbitkin holds her chest trying to endure it. The pain lasts for about 10 seconds, then both scrolls disperses into light and disappears. The slave trader then forcibly attach collars around both their necks, and cover their mouths.

“T-Tight… Ahh-Mhgmm!?” 「I-I can’t breath…」 (Dogkin)

“Ah- W-W-Wait-Mhmgmm!?” 「No, no, no, no! I’m scared! I’m scared! What’s going to happen to me!?」 (Rabbitkin)

Then he covers their heads with a cloth, bound their limbs, and threw them into a large gray bag that could be used for packing food.

“Wait! What are you doing!?” (Meirou)

“Huh? I’m packing them. Is this your first time buying a slave?” (Slave Trader)

“……” (Meirou)

“This is standard procedure. This is to ensure that the slaves don’t get over their heads just because they were finally sold to a master. For slave houses in larger cities, it is to hide the slave house’s location from the slaves.” (Slave Trader)

“Hide their location from the slaves?” (Meirou)

“There were cases where slaves would return to the slave house’s location to attempt to free their friends after all.” (Slave Trader)

I couldn’t say anything back. Ever since I entered the beastkin’s room, I’ve been having this bitter taste in my mouth. I should quickly finish my business here and leave as soon as possible. The slave trader hands me the bag, and I carefully move it over my shoulder.

“…Isn’t this a bit too light.” (Meirou)

“The bag is imbued with magic. No matter what is thrown in the bag, the weight of the bag will remain fixed. Light as a feather. Only the volume of the bag will increase. Be careful not to throw the bag, or you might kill the slaves inside.” (Slave Trader)

“……” (Meirou)

We walk upstairs as I listen to his explanation.

“Now then, thank you for your business.” (Slave Trader)

I stiffly nod to him, and exit the house. The treatment of slaves is bad even at slave houses. I was expecting some decent treatment before slaves are sent out, but that was wishful thinking on my part. I look at the large bag over my shoulder. There is a bit of movement, but no struggling. I quicken my pace, so I can release them from their bounds once I return. I sincerely hope that Tayori, Mein and Numeke have avoided falling into slavery. Now that I’ve gained some reliable companions, I can earnestly start my search. By the end of today, it would now be 5 days since I’ve been dropped into this world. So much has happened. I never thought in such a short amount of time that I would receive so many encounters. I look up at the bright sky, and pray for everyone else’s safety as I return to the inn.

...