-Master Av…

-Lukas…just call me Lukas, I would be troubled if you called me Master in public, you can call me Master in private if you wish, but I want you to call me Lukas whenever we are with other people.

-…ah…I understand ma…I mean…Lu..Lukas.

Gabriella said, nodding her head as she realized that her master was actually hiding his real name, she immediately connected that he must have enemies from which he was hiding from for him to take on a fake name, already she felt herself wanting to get stronger quicker so that she could protect her master, but for now she needed to follow her master’s lead even if she felt uncouth for calling her master by his fake name and not properly addressing him as her master.

Avian was glad that this women could at least think properly, either way Avian felt extremely excited at the moment, who knew that he would be able to get a [Knight] in this slave market of all places, she didn’t even need a slave mark and would follow him with absolute obedience, though he didn’t actually believe that as he still kept a thin wall of caution against this female knight, but overall Avian felt like he had just hit the mother lode as he turned towards Hilton while pulling out 10 small gold pieces from his breast pocket which actually came from his space ring, 6 more than the original amount he quoted, but he still gave them to Hilton who readily took them.

-I trust that word of this won’t get out?

-Of course, our company keeps our transaction between customers in high secrecy you don’t need to be worried about a single thing, but thanks for your patronage my good sir.

Avian nodded, confident that Hilton understood where he was coming from since if anyone knew that the [Knight] had chosen a master, Avian would immediately become someone of interest by many organizations which he seriously didn’t want, how Hilton would hide this was not of his concern only that he did.

On another note since Gabriella didn’t possess a [Slave Mark], it technically meant she wasn’t a slave anymore even though she followed Avian with absolute loyalty as her master, freeing slaves was one thing Avian was aware of as slave owners could choose to free their slaves if they wanted to, but this was limited to non-criminal slaves as criminal slaves would be kept as a slave as a sort of prison sentence, if it was found out that they were freed at some point while being a criminal slave, they would be immediately called to be retrieved while the previous owner would face heavy charges of freeing criminal slaves making it so that almost no one freed criminal slaves as no one wanted to get charged.

Gabriella for example was a criminal slave since she was involved with the attempted coup of the queen of Theoram, the thing was Avian didn’t know much about international laws regarding this as she was technically a criminal within Theoram not in Redria which is why he wanted to ask Hilton about this.

Hilton guessed the look within Avian’s eyes and spoke before Avian could even ask as he told him everything he wanted to know.

-You don’t need to worry about your [Knights] status, for all intents and purposes she is no criminal within Redria or any other country as she hadn’t committed any crimes, but if you one day decide to go to Theoram with your [Knight] then beware as the laws there still view her as a criminal which way bring forth some complications.

-I see, thank you.

With the that out of the way, Avian decided to go buy his last slave, the one rearguard he wanted as a ranged fighter in his party.

Gabriella who now would follow Avian, asked Avian what he was doing and what she could do to help.

Having now gotten a far more reliable subordinate under him, Avian felt like he could do far more many things with this [Knight] under him, including her he could even officially make a party which would get him far more benefits compared to not having a party.

Thinking of this, he basically explained Gabriella a quick rundown of the things he was planning on doing and why he was here, Gabriella listened quietly without interrupting and as Avian finished, Gabriella basically understood everything, she was actually very approving of this path of action as that would make her path to strength a lot faster including her masters who she wanted to protect, she also came to understand that her master was a very smart person and a very efficient one at that, he didn’t actually tell her anything about what happened previously though which is why Gabriella had no idea who Cornelia was as she gave her a fleeting glance, which Cornelia found momentarily strange as she felt a strange ill intent, before speaking.

-Ma..I mean Lukas, if you are buying a ranged combat slave with your requirements, may I recommend someone here?

-Hoh?

Those words a bit unexpected, but Avian didn’t really think it was bad, Hilton on other felt a bit surprised as his role was slowly being taken from him from this former slave, he didn’t like it at all as he wanted to be the one to show Avian his wares as this was his market, but Avian raised his hand to stop Hilton as he calmed him.

-Now, now, I am sorry, but can you let my subordinate do this just once? As her master I would like to give her an opportunity if this isn’t too much to ask.

-Grr…fine.

Hilton yielded, not much he could do about it after Avian spoke up to her that much, Gabriella didn’t really care as her opinion regarding the slave merchant was lower than that of a rat’s, gaining this opportunity she also didn’t dare to flunk it as she knew exactly the perfect person for her master.

Walking with a knowing gait Gabriella lead the other 3 through the shady area walking past numerous cages with slaves.

Hilton watching this felt a bit regretful as there were numerous slaves he wanted to recommend Avian who they were just passing and when they finally reached the slave Gabriella wanted to show, Hilton’s expression got even worse as he exactly who the female knight was showing and felt as if she was running his reputation to the ground leading them here when there were dozens of ranged combat slaves who he believed were far superior!

He turned towards Avian expressing exactly that as he started talking.

-Sir Lukas, I believe your incompetent [Knight] has wasted your time, this girl she is showing us while a ranged combatant is simply not one of the best we have to offer, at most she is slightly above the bottom of the barrel, instead how about I show you a woman who has the [Crossbowman] blessing or a former female soldier with a [Javelin Thrower] blessing, those blessing have one of the highest ranged damage a blessing can put out and excellent future potential as well…

As he started babbling, Gabriella looked at Hilton as if she was looking down on him before interrupting.

-Those may be some formidable ranged combat blessings, but blessings aren’t what make a person strong neither are they what my master needs, [Crossbowmen] and [Javelin Throwers] are the most effective in wars and sieges and against other people, since we are going to be making an adventurer party fighting monsters, we will be mostly be traveling in a small group in different terrain where those blessings won’t be able to show their full might, instead of taking people with those kinds of blessings we need individuals that can work in all kinds of environments and be of significant help.

-And she is the person?

Gabriella looked at Avian upon his question, her eyes full of conviction and confidence as she replied.

-Yes!

Hearing this Hilton had nothing to say as he couldn’t exactly argue as she wasn’t exactly wrong, because of this his face was extremely red as he glared at the [Knight] with anger while Gabriella glared back causing imaginary sparks to fly between them which Cornelia noticed and wanted nothing to do with having experienced the earlier glare from Gabriella a few minutes before.

Avian completely ignored these two idiots and looked at the girl bellow inside the cage, she had been quiet this entire time using a rag as a blanket to hide herself keeping half of her face hidden.

Up until now Avian had been encountering and buying some pretty unique individuals as his slaves, the abused rabbit girl, the dumb half-orc, the slave knight, they all had something to them that made them unique and different from the others, it wasn’t Avian’s intention to gather such a misfit group and hodge-podge of individuals into one pot, he merely tried to get the best buck for his money.

While he didn’t know Gabriella for too long, he did trust her experience as a former knight, hearing what she said earlier, Avian realized that those people who had those blessings while powerful as ranged fighters weren’t what he actually needed which is why he felt very much inclined to buy this girl, but first he needed to know something.

-Hey, what’s your name?

The girl shivered some more, Avian didn’t get a look at her because she was hidden behind the rag she was using as a blanket, looking at her face or as much as he could see, he realized that her appearance was pretty ordinary for a girl making him imagine a farm girl when he looked at her with the freckles on her face and slightly tanned skin, her hair too, her age looked to be pretty close to his and Cornelia’s as well, meaning she was very young, still in her teens compared to Ogra and Gabriella who were past their twenties.

-Aye?

-I am asking what your name is? Listen I am looking to buy a slave for my adventurer’s party, Gabri…I mean the [Knight] here said that you were the person I need, so are you the person I need?

-…

She was silent, turning her eyes towards Gabriella as she was still in the middle of a staring contest with Hilton.

-The big sister did? I…dun know, I…I likely am not though sorry.

She said, Avian noticing the deep accent she had while also noticing that she seemed to be hesitant about talking in general, not because she was shy, but because it looked as if she found it hard to talk as if something was hindering her.

Out of all the slaves Avian had seen so far, this girl was the most ordinary one he had seen, in fact she didn’t even look like someone who was meant to be here, but ended up here by mistake, for a moment Avian wondered if she was just acting which is why she was acting this way, but observing and being quite sure with himself through his years of experience with people, he knew that this girl had nothing to hide which is why Avian for the first time showed interest as he wondered how this girl ended up.

He could have stopped and asked Hilton since he seemed to know every single slave in his market like he knew the back of his hand, but he didn’t as for some reason Avian wanted to hear it from this girl’s mouth.

-How did you get here? What did you do? Did bandits capture you or something and after having their way with you they sold you here?

Avian’s blunt questioning garnered another round of shivering from the girl as her face also turned red from the indecent events Avian was describing, she quickly shook her head in denial as she replied.

-Nay! That did not happen! I…I…My pa…he went into debt from gambling…and he couldn’t pay back so we had to sell our farm, but it was still not enough, not knowing how to repay those scary folk who demanded the money, my pa one day went out and told me that he would get back once he got the money, he went out and never came back…the scary folk one day came back and when they saw that my pa wasn’t there to pay…they took me and sold me here to get the money…I’ve been here for 2 months now and I don’t know anything…

-I see

Avian said, feeling a bit surprised as the story was actually far more ordinary then he assumed, then again the slaves he bought had far more interesting circumstances and stories to tell which is why maybe Avian was expected something a bit too much after hearing those stories when in reality many of the slave’s present were just like this girl who were abandoned by those they trusted and loved, the world was a vicious place, you could never be too careful even against those you considered family.

Avian would know, he too grew up with a deadbeat father after all who abandoned his mother upon knowing about her pregnancy leaving with almost nothing, but compared to everyone else who suffered psychologically all their life, Avian used the suffering he bore to become the person he was today.

Normally people who experienced the same thing would sympathize with those who went through similar experiences, but Avian did no such thing, again he couldn’t care less, he had it hard too after all maybe even harder than this girl, but compared to this girl he wasn’t a slave, the only thing he could do here was give this girl an opportunity, if she grabbed it then it was lucky for her, if she didn’t…

-So, now that you are here, can I ask you, what do you want?

-What…I want?

-Yes, you can’t be saying you are going to stay here all your life being a slave forever right? That’s not how a person should live, everyone has hopes and dreams even if only vague, even someone like you should have something in mind, tell me what do want and don’t tell me you don’t know.

-I…

The girl thought for a moment, looking down at her rag of a blanket for a few seconds before looking back up at Avian lower her blanket and letting him see her face which just as he imagined looked like nothing special, but it still had its own charm in it, the innocent and kind vibe it gave off would like charm hundreds of men even if she wasn’t beautiful.

-I…I want to see my father…

-To exact revenge?

Avian asked, as that something he wanted to do when he was younger but abandoned later in his life when he got older even when he once found his father as he saw no point in doing something so pointless.

But the girl unexpectedly shook her head before showing a determined look on her face.

-I want to ask him…why did he leave me?

-Huh…

The answer momentarily stumped Avian, but he understood where she was coming from, she was still young after all, when he was younger he didn’t always want revenge, he too wanted answers to questions he couldn’t have.

He wondered if this girl would be able to do something he couldn’t, which is why he smiled momentarily before asking.

-Is that so? Then how about this, I buy you and you join me, and once we get strong enough we go and find your father so you can ask him, after that it’s up to you to decide what to do next, but I want you to follow me and do as I say without question, can you do that?

-…

Again silence, but this time it looked like the girl was seriously considering it, she bit her lower lip before looking back at Avian with a bit more courage than last time.

-Ay! Take me with you!

That’s all Avian needed to hear and as he got up and looked at the other two who were still locked in a staring match he tapped at Hiltons shoulder as he stopped staring at Gabriella before saying.

-I am buying this girl, as I requested previously, give her the highest level [Slave Mark], I go ahead and wait for you at the exit for my slaves and with your money.

-Ah…uhh, Yes, understood, thank you for patronage.

-Haha…

Feeling like he was once again defeat, Hilton slumped his shoulders while Gabriella simply laughed triumphantly, Avian felt like these two a bit too odd for being so competitive for something so useless, while Cornelia didn’t know what to feel as she once again felt the eerie glare of Gabriella pass to her, this time she started to be able to identify it as she realized that it was the same glare she gave to Hilton when they were competing for what slave to recommend to Avian.

-(It can’t be! Is she perhaps seeing me as a rival?! There is no way I can be the rival of a knight right?!)

Unfortunately for her, she was right as Gabriella indeed dubbed her as a rival for her master’s favor in her mind, ever since she was little Gabriella was always very competitive about everything she could compete in, back when she was a vassal knight under her lady, she always excelled in everything and became her number 1, this time too she wanted be the one only for her master, especially since it was the master she had sworn to protect.

Not noticing this brief moment from occurring Avian simply started to walk away towards the exit, but just as he was walking the girl in the cage suddenly rattled her cage holding the bars in both hands as she squished her face through the bars towards Avian while shouting.

-My…My name is not GIRL!

-I…I, my name is Deborah!

Avian stopped, turning his head before replying.

-I see, so Deborah, I expect you to work hard and I expect you to not run off like your father, if you ever do so, don’t expect me to show mercy, if you want to meet your father then it’s not enough to be as you are right now, again I expect much from you so don’t disappoint me.

-Aye! I mean…Yes!

Deborah beamed, looking determined as she watched Avian walk away, but knowing this time that he wouldn’t gone too long and that she would meet him immediately soon.

And with that Avian finished his slave purchase, with much satisfaction on his part as he went out spending less then he acquired, he started to thinking what to do with the extra money and as he came near the exit Is saw within the bazaar the many different monsters and carriages that were being sold.

His heavy pouch and his tired legs could afford to lighten up a bit.

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