“I am not willing to compromise, Mister Espero. Either abide by the conditions or leave.”

Silcard kept a cool head and spoke politely despite being berated and shouted at.

“I’m not leaving this place without any slaves. If you continue your stupid defiance, then you leave me no choice, Silcard!”

Garcia huffed and puffed in anger, which seemed to get more intense when Arthur and co arrived. He seemed to dislike being embarrassed when others were around.

“I’m the head of the Espero Family! You think a mere slave trader can stop me?!”

“I apologise for any inconvenience, Mister Espero.”

The more Silcard continued his respectful and calm attitude, the more furious Espero got.

In the end, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and actually kicked Silcard, causing him to fall backwards.

Even then, Silcard got up and apologetically bowed.

“We apologise for this unsightly display, Sir Jeremy.”

The assistant leaned closer to Arthur and whispered an apology.

“No problem. I’d like to buy that slave, if possible.”

Arthur motioned toward Isabella, who stood out amongst the rest. She looked malnourished, and was one of the handful of human slaves in here.

At the same time, Espero faced the slaves and blurted out,

“I want her and her!”

Garcia pointed at two people: The female white-haired beastman named Khar’ya, and at Isabella.

Silcard glanced at the two targets before responding,

“Those two also come with certain conditions, which- I regret to say- Mister Espero cannot-”

“To hell with you bullshit! I just have to say one word to the Sultan and your entire business will close down. Just shut up and take this!”

Espero threw a bag of Gold Coins towards Silcard and then gestured for his knight.

Like a moving giant, the knight stepped forward only for Robert to block his path.

“Sir, our client had chosen the human slave first.”

The knight remained silent, he just extended his hand and pushed Robert out of the way.

Christopher caught Robert before he could fall to the ground.

“Mister Espero, I believe I was the first to choose that slave.”

“Huh?”

The plump aristocrat furrowed his brow and looked at Arthur. He inspected his attire and then glanced at Evelyn and Christopher, who were dressed like proper escorts.

He didn’t behave as unreasonably as he did with Silcard, instead, he smiled,

“I’ll owe you a favor for this, okay? What’s your name?”

“Jeremy Golrad.”

“Golrad? I don’t know a family of that name.”

“I hail from the Western Continent, Mister Espero.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll not forget this favor, okay?”

Garcia approached Arthur and offered a handshake to show his appreciation.

“If you really want that slave, then I don’t mind. I can always choose another, right?”

“Exactly!”

The two shook hands as the knight dragged Isabella and Khar’ya away from the slaves.

“Transfer the ownership of the Enslaving Spell to me, Silcard!” Impatiently ordered Garcia.

“...”

Although, deep inside, Silcard was livid, he still kept his cool and actually obeyed Garcia. He tried to put a strong front in front of Espero, but it didn’t work out.

Even if he wanted to resist, it would only result in more disastrous consequences. As a slave trader, he didn’t have the power to openly defy a well-known aristocrat. There were still other ways to get back the slaves.

“Hehehehe… good job good job! This is how you do business!”

Satisfied with the quick transaction, Espero licked his lips as he ogled Khar’ya and Isabella.

He didn’t linger there any longer. He spat a bunch of reproachful and nasty remarks at Silcard and then headed to the next slave trader.

“I’m sorry, Sir Jeremy.”

Once the annoyances were gone, Robert apologised with his head down.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I apologise as well, Sir. You were eligible to buy that particular slave, but…”

Silcard gritted his teeth as he bowed. Then, he faced the slaves and said,

“We will manage. Khar’ya will be safe, you have my word.”

The Slaves reacted differently, but most were either relieved or full of trust toward Silcard.

“Mister Silcard, can we talk in your office? I have something to tell you.”

Arthur looked at the slave trader and smiled. Of course, he wasn’t going to let Isabella get taken, and although he had the ability to break her free, he was going to ask for Silcard’s help.

It was apparent that Silcard wasn’t going to sit still, so Arthur planned to reveal a bit of the truth to him and then proceed from there.

That way, at least, if something unexpected happened, it wouldn’t all fall on Arthur’s head.

“A-ah… alright. This way, please.”

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Jeremy Golrad. The slave I actually wanted to buy is a friend of mine, so I have no intention of letting Garcia Espero have her.”

Upon hearing this, Silcard looked at Robert and gave him a signal. The assistant then exited the office and went to fetch something.

“I feel like you do not want that female beastman to fall into his hands either, am I correct?”

“You definitely are, Sir Jeremy. However, my hands are tied.”

Silcard appeared troubled as he avoided Arthur’s gaze.

“Let us drop this pretence, Mister Silcard. I think we should work together.”

“I-I beg your pardon?”

“I’m going to get my friend back and your help would be appreciated. As a slave trader, surely you have valuable information you’d happily share with me for the sake of our common goal?”

Silcard appeared a bit hesitant as he tapped his finger on the table and thoughtfully looked at Arthur.

After a brief bout of silence, he spoke again,

“I will see what I can do.”

…

“Excellent! Today’s prizes are splendid!”

Garcia looked at the 6 slaves standing in front of him. 2 were bought from Silcard and the rest were from another Slave Trader.

Unsurprisingly, they were all females, either beastman or human, and it was easy to guess why someone like him bought them.

Most of them had a look of disgust and rage, but due to the Enslaving Spell, they literally couldn’t resist. As their owner, if Garcia were to order them to do something, they had to do it.

A distance away, Silcard and Robert could be seen exiting the building and getting on a carriage.

Noticing this, Garcia snorted and cursed under his breath before turning toward the knight.

“Contact that agency. I want something done.”

The knight nodded and took a relatively small black orb, which he poured a bit of Mana into it. After that, he just put it back and dragged the slaves into the carriage.

Late at night,

The Kasr

The Kasr was the Sultan’s residence, a magnificent work of art that was filled with beautiful gardens and intricately designed walls and pillars. It held a majestic atmosphere and was filled with beautiful luminous lamps distributed evenly across the hallways and corridors.

The place wasn’t as heavily-guarded as one would expect from a place of this size. It was mostly empty, but it felt less cramped and gloomy than a castle or a fort.

The bright yellow walls were made of unique materials that made them resistant to magic and strong impacts, and the several golden domes were imbued with layers of barriers to protect from any airborne attacks.

In the Central Hall, a banquet was currently held, though there were only two guests: Two wide tables were next to each other, filled with all manners of delicacies and drinks.

There were a couple of women dressed in suggestive outfits dancing at a small platform, as a way to entertain the guests.

The Sultan, Mehmed II, wore an inner robe with long sleeves that buttoned from the elbow down to the wrist and consisted of cuffs, a short kaftan made of heavier silk material, and a long outer-robe with fur lining and buttons made of jewels.

He had long dark hair, a long mustache that matched his chiselled beard, a short and small nose, and two hazy brown narrow eyes.

“Still nothing, Your Grace?”

Mehmed was slumping on the main seat, a lazy expression on his face as he looked at the woman sitting close to him.

She was dressed in an elaborate and distinct robe, one which was easily recognisable as it could only be worn by the High Apprentices of the Mages of the Dark Magic Tower.

“I informed my men last night. You can’t expect me to find someone in a haystack as big as this desert in just a day.”

“This matter is really urgent, Your Grace. He must be found-”

The Sultan sighed and raised his hand to interrupt her,

“I understand, Velvet. I assure you that I will find the Mage you’re looking for.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Velvet bit her lips and didn’t dare to insist anymore. The Sultan was wont to behave in such a disinterested manner, but she still couldn’t get used to it as it made him look as if he wasn’t actually doing his best.

“Your Grace, there really is nothing better than the food found here!”

Another voice came from the other side of the table. Espero Garcia, the second guest of this banquet, was eating his fill and sipping some of the finest wine in the continent.

His knight was at the far back, near the entrance of the Central Hall.

In fact, Espero’s new slaves were also brought along.

“What do you think of them, Your Grace?”

Espero chuckled and pointed toward the six females. They were cleaned up and dressed in fancy clothes.

Garcia hoped that Mehmed would show interest in one of the slaves, but ke know that such a probability was pitifully low, if not non-existent.

Mehmed II, with a bored look, threw a fleeting glance at the six of them.

“...”

‘Damnit, no response. Whatever, they still got some use.’ Espero kept his wide smile and didn’t bring up the matter again.

“What brings the esteemed Velvet Nostradamus here?”

“None of your concern!”

Velvet lashed out with contempt at Garcia’s question, but he laughed it off to not make things awkward.

“I was just curious. My apologies.”

“Don’t talk to me. I want nothing to do with creeps like you.”

Even then, Velvet didn’t hide her disdain and blatantly insulted him. Surprisingly, Mehmed let out a chuckle, which made Garcia’s face red from shame.

“She is right. You indulge yourself too much and waste money on slaves everyday. Abstinence could prove helpful, Garcia.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Speaking of which, I heard there were some trouble at the markets today?”

Garcia didn’t know how the Sultan knew, but he wasn’t that surprised. He squeezed a smile and nodded,

“It was a minor problem, Your Grace. A slave trader was not being cooperative.”

“Yes, I know. It was Silcard.”

“...”-Espero

“Still, in our fair city, you are a guest, Garcia Espero. I will look the other way this time, but, next time, I expect you to follow the rules of any establishment you visit.”

“A-absolutely, Your Grace!”

Garcia stopped eating and stood up. He bowed toward the Sultan then hurriedly excused himself to the bathroom.

There, he took out the black orb and activated it.

“What is it?”

When a voice came from the orb, Garcia quickly said,

“The deal is off! Don’t do it!”