“Your majesty”

The monocle wearing minister bowed. But different from before, the minister now had spiky grey hair. The 15th Minister felt scared of his liege, as he had witnessed the fate of his predecessor, the 14th minister.

“Speak”

The king grunted as he paced around his royal chamber. It had a luxurious feel to it, with an extravagant bed with mesmerizing drapes over them. The entire floor was carpeted with beautifully embroidered cloth, and the room was covered in a dull yellow light, giving it a mysterious feel.

The beauty of the royal chamber was ruined by the image of the pig like king that stood in the room. He regarded the minister with cold eyes, already contemplating ways on how to kill him.

“We have discovered the mole in our kingdom, your majesty”

“Oh~?”

The king’s mood immediately improved, joy filling him from this unexpected news. The minister could live a little longer thanks to this, but his fate was already decided.

The demon Pegasus had invaded the Gureis kingdom. No alarm had sounded, no one had noticed it. She was suddenly there. The kingdom’s barrier should have prevented her entry, but she could enter without much difficulty. Meaning, there was a mole inside the kingdom. Someone who was in a position high enough to allow her entry without being suspected. A traitor.

“Who is it?”

“It’s the young lord from the Venturus family. “

“Higher nobility? That’s a surprise. But perhaps even they were unaware of it. Doesn’t matter. Behead all of them. Make them an example”

The king nonchalantly orders their deaths and walks away, caring not for trials and such.

“There is other news your majesty”

“Huh? There’s more?”

The king turns back, his face expressing irritation.

“Klaus Venturus, that is, the traitor has already fled, your majesty”

“So? Hunt him down! Send a couple Seekers. They’re freeloading here anyways!”

“Your majesty, it has already been done. But… His path is towards the Qutyis kingdom. And to top it off it’s the time of the slave market too. Finding him would be…”

“The Slave Market huh. True, he can mask himself and not look inconspicuous. And from among the crowd, it’d be difficult even for the Seekers to find him…”

The minister looks down, nervousness etched on his face. If he couldn’t execute the orders of the king properly, his death was just an eventuality. He racked his brains in order to find a solution. And he happened upon one too.

“Your majesty, if I may?”

“Speak”

“Since it’s the slave market, no noble could resist getting some slaves. And since he’s running away, a combat slave would be optimum for him…”

The king appeared thoughtful, his grotesque face contorting in confusion.

“But in order to sniff him out even if he made a purchase… the amount won’t be negligible…”

The minister stayed silent, since this was all he could do. The king began walking around again, his pudgy hand on his chin. He picked up an apple and began rolling it around in his hand, thinking. Then, he arrived at a conclusion.

“Send a tribute to the Slave Trader Union. Along with the request. An appropriate reward, mind you. We wouldn’t want to insult them. That mole won’t be escaping today…”

The king crushed the apple, rage consuming his face. He grit his teeth, ignoring the nervous minister before me.

“Oi, Guard Captain!”

He grunts at the doorway, and immediately, a man wearing full body armor appears. He stands erect, the helmet covering his face.

“Take this man to the ring. You know what to do. And dispatch a contingent of knights, along with some of the seekers. Hunt him down. Send the tribute well before the knights. We need to kill him as soon as possible”

“My kinggg!”

The minister yells as he gets dragged away by the captain. The king turns his attention towards the window, where the sun was just rising.

‘The slave market huh… Perhaps I should pay a visit too’

The king thought, looking at the horrifying scene that was concealed by the drapes over the bed. A group of dismembered women, their faces etched with agony lay there. That was what was left of them after the king had satisfied his carnal desires.

****************************************************************************

A hooded man walks through the streets of Qutyis, the long cloak fluttering behind him. A mask covered what little of his face could be seen. The man walked into an alleyway, his steps quickening.

The young lord of the Venturus family, a former noble, Klaus walked towards the slave market, intending to buy some capable slaves. He was a supporter of the demons, and one of the many spies that invaded Gureis. A familiar. The scar on his neck tingled, signifying that his lord was calling.

‘I’m being tracked..’

Klaus noted to himself, noticing the faint magic of a Seeker acting on him.

‘Humph. Foolishness. To think they’d even dream of finding me in Qutyis. Truly, the demons should rule this world. Or destroy it.’

The mask hid his smile as he walked towards the slave market, eager to buy some slaves and head to his lord.

He emerged through the alleyway, into an open clearing.

A dark atmosphere covered the place, and a lot of people stood there. They all wore masks or veils, intending to hide their identity. Only a few openly declared their identity. He picked up one of the boards that had been placed there, which signified his identity. Klaus walked towards the stages that had been set up by the various slave traders. He surveyed the slaves being displayed, intending to find a few that would be perfect for him.

“A perfect specimen, this man of the Lingis tribe has the perfect strength any one would need for protection. Please, look at his rippling body! He has been trained in the strictest of methods, and his body has been forged to protect you from any danger!”

A masked man declares, pushing to the front a naked man. His body was indeed fine, indicating his strength. Long blonde hair hung around his face, and his tanned face had a dead expression on it. Chains hung around him, restricting his movement.

‘Hou… This seems good enough’

Klaus begins bidding on the Lingis tribesmen, competing against several others. In the end he wins, owing to the humongous wealth he owned. He had looted every single coin from the Venturus family and fled, intending to escape perfectly.

“And it goes to bidder 314~!!”

The slave trader announces Klaus successfully buying the slave, and he walks towards the next stage.

‘I need more slaves… ‘

He bought three more of the slaves, two of them that would suit the rogue and Guardian role. Finishing up business, he heads towards the main office, in order to finish the branding.

“Yes? Bidder 314. Have you finished browsing?”

Klaus nods, intending to finish this quickly. The Gureis kingdom was hot on his trail, and he had no time to dilly dally. Sensing his attention, the receptionist directs him towards the room of Slave Trader Muno. He quickly heads towards there, and Muno greets him.

“Yes young master! We are happy for this opportunity! Please, show your finger!”

The greasy looking man, Muno greets him, his broken yellow teeth being revealed in his disgusting smile. Klaus wanted to cringe away from him, but right now, getting slaves was his priority. He removes the glove covering his right hand and extends it. Muno gestures to someone, and a small rat like boy rushes out. He pricks Klaus’s finger with a small needle, and carries the drop to Muno.

Muno quickly compounds the branding mixture, mixing in his blood. He pours the mixture on to the chests of the slaves and they begin screeching in pain from the golden hot liquid burning their skin. Muno keeps chanting, enchanting the brand.

Klaus absentmindedly lets his eyes wander over the slave market, bored by the process. He surveys the market through the window, inspecting the slaves that were on display.

Suddenly, his eyes widen.

‘Th-that?! Isn’t that?!’

Klaus runs out of the office, towards the stage. Without a doubt, it was him!

“Ah! Young master!”

Ignoring Muno’s call, he rushes towards the one he had spotted. That black hair…

He skids to a stop before the stage, surprise etching itself on his face. It was him!

A boy walked onto the stage. With hair as black as the night, and eyes like fire. He was barely fourteen, and his body was perfect for his age. He looked dead, but it was him without doubt.

‘Nexus Ellris Zoltive. Without a doubt, it’s him. The one my master desires.’

A fierce bidding war starts between the nobles. Unsurprisingly, nobles loved breaking children, and one like this would be something they’d never let go. Klaus gaze was transfixed on the boy, in surprise that he had found such a treasure here.

‘If I bring him back to my master….’

“1 million gold going once, twice-“

“10 million gold!”

A clear voice cut through the slave trader’s announcement, and he widened his eyes in surprise. 10 million gold?? That was the biggest payday they could get for him.

“T-t-ten million gold going once, going twice… No 23 is sold to Bidder 314! Please treasure him!”

The slave trader declares, overjoyed at this unexpected payday.

But an even happier smile twists the face of Klaus, feeling happy at being able to please his master. The masked man walked back towards the office, pleased at the unexpected find.

Yo! Nexus here!

It's been a long time since the last update... *checks the calendar* Yup, it has. Well, my schedule is screwed up due to some problems with my PC. [th_0gotas.gif] So, my updates are not gonna be on a regular basis, but only whenever possible. Well, I'll still keep writing chaps so that I can release it in one go [th_0fire.gif] (unless there's a clliffhanger... Mwahahahahah~! ) Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter :D :D :D