But his eyes were turned downward, and Yusurika seemed rather timid for some reason. Hmm... Does my selection upset the captain somehow? Not like I care.
“I’d like to head home by tomorrow,” I said. “We’ll finish this before morning.”
My cape fluttered behind me as I headed for the slave merchant, my knights in tow.
✶✶✶
“Eeeep!” the owner of the slave shop cried.
This rotund, middle-aged man who resembled a plump pig fell to the ground as I stormed right in. There was a sea of blood behind me, created by the Dark Knights who’d killed the shop’s guards. I created a regular-sized Dark Ball and pointed my spell at the terrified slave merchant.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” I rumbled. “Where is your ledger?”
“D-Do you even know what you lot are doing?!” the owner screeched. “I’m close friends with the Lord Clinton and— Eaaaagh?!”
The annoying merchant refused to shut his trap, so I did it for him by piercing through his left foot with my spear.
“I haven’t permitted you to speak about anything but the matter at hand,” I growled. “Next time you say something stupid, I’ll skewer that blabbering mouth of yours.”
When I pointed my weapon at his face, he jolted. Holding back a scream, he nodded vigorously.
“Where’s the ledger?!” I demanded.
“Th-The back drawer of the storage,” he murmured.
Carlos immediately made a beeline for the storage unit before I even asked. Within a few minutes, he returned with a stack of documents in hand.
“I’ve secured the ledger, along with past records,” he said. “The villagers’ names match the people that Clinton trafficked.”
“Good work,” I said.
I stepped on the merchant as he was still restrained while I spoke to my butler.
“Where are the ones from Roguebert now?” I asked.
Carlos flipped through the ledger. “A majority of them have already been purchased. As for the buyers... Some are within your fief, while a few of them are a good distance away, out of your territory.”
I clicked my tongue with annoyance. What a pain... I could deal with all of this with a snap of my fingers if I were within my own fief, but killing someone beyond those borders would surely bring a whole host of trouble. But...this merchant had customers outside of my land?
Humans were different from other cargo, taking exponentially more money and effort to transport. Those costs would only rise higher if traveling a long distance to another territory. And the longer the journey was, the more likely the carriage would have to pass several inspection points, increasing the risk of getting caught. Is there a more convenient slave trade route somewhere? I don’t have time to look into that right now—worst case, I might have to give up on the residents that are out of my territory.
“There should be a villager called Norn among the list of names,” I said. “Where has Norn been sold off to?”
“Norn...” Carlos muttered as he knitted his brows and flipped through the ledger. “She’s been sold out of your territory, to the Stelia fief in the north.”
“What?!”
I felt compelled to bury my head in my hands. Why is she, of all people, out of my reach? And to the Stelia fief, no less, so far from the Lightless lands... No, it’s only far if we go by land. By sea, it’s not too bad of a trip. The Devil’s Sea prevented us from using the ocean, is all. Since I took care of the Wicked Whale and the kraken that was likely dubbed the devil that devoured ships, the sea could be traversed relatively safely, but until then, the slaves could only have been transported on land. And traveling by carriage would have meant passing through several fiefs, the Lightless lands, and Stelia. It honestly seems unlikely that they took a route by land...
“Hey,” I said, pointing my spear back at the plump man.
“E-Eek?!” the slave merchant screamed.
“Did you guys use a teleporting crystal?”
A teleporting crystal was a magic crystal that could be crushed to teleport the owner to a predetermined location that was already marked by a spell. The item was very valuable, of course, but because its convenience also brought potential danger, the kingdom had banned both use and trade of the item. Either way, it was heavily restricted due to the risks. It wasn’t an item that a mere slave merchant could possibly get his hands on, but that was the only logical conclusion I would find. Carlos and the other Dark Knights looked clearly shocked, but the slave merchant’s eyes clearly darted around nervously.
“Uh, I don’t know what you’re—” he mumbled.
I took the tip of my spear to gouge out a part of his cheek.
“Gaaah?!” he screamed, his voice unpleasant to my ears.
“Don’t you agree that efficiency is quite important?” I asked. “Next time I deem your words worthless, I’ll cut off your arm. Hmm, do you think screaming also counts as unnecessary noise?”
I pierced his hand with the tip of my spear, and the merchant practically clapped his hand over his mouth to prevent any noise from leaking. Very good. I want to hear as little of that grating voice as possible.
“How did you sell those people to clients outside of this fief?” I demanded.
“As you say, I... I used a teleporting crystal...” he mumbled.
I knew it...
“And where is this crystal?” I asked.
“In the drawer by the entrance of this room...” he eked out. “Th-The key’s in my pocket...”
It was unexpected to see this merchant comply so easily. Perhaps he had already resigned himself to his fate.
As he stated, I found a few teleporting crystals in the drawer. I know these are rare, but with the number of clients he has, this is fewer than I thought... A teleporting crystal was a onetime use item; once it was crushed to teleport the caster, it was done. Does he not keep an ample stock here? Where did he get these illegal crystals anyway?
I asked the merchant to identify the crystal that sent the user to Stelia before I gave my butler my order.
“Carlos, take the Dark Knights and shelter any other Roguebert citizens,” I ordered. “I’ll head to Stelia.”
“What?! You mustn’t, my lord!” he cried. “I can’t send you off alone.”
I expected Carlos to put up a bit of a fight, but I needed someone to take charge here.
“I won’t be alone,” I said. “I’ll take Yusurika with me.”
“What?!” the female knight cried, not expecting her name to be called.
This was my compromise, but Carlos refused to back down.
“I still cannot agree with this!” he insisted. “You’re just recovering from your injuries, and you don’t have your left arm either!”
“You’re a bit more stubborn than usual, I see...” I muttered.
“Pardon my insolence, but that’s my line, my lord! I cannot just sit back and watch you push yourself!”
He was so insistent that I let out a deep sigh. We’ll go nowhere at this rate... Very well. This is a bit forceful, but I’m given no other choice. I coursed my mana through my body and used my enhanced strength to grab Yusurika to bring her close. I jumped away from Carlos as the knight’s helm fell from her head and rolled on the ground.
“Huh?! Whoa!” Yusurika yelped.
“My lord!” Carlos cried.
Yusurika panicked as her face was revealed for the world to see, but I kept her in my arms. Carlos twisted his face with displeasure, and the Dark Knights were stunned as I took my chance to crush the crystal that would teleport me to Stelia.
A moment later, a magic circle enveloped Yusurika and me. Since this crystal could only be used once, this was also a one-way trip. And since there was no means of canceling the spell after it started, there was no going back. As the mana glow turned brighter still, I flashed a cheeky grin at Carlos.
“I’ll find a way home somehow,” I said. “I’ll leave the rest to you, Carlos.”
“My lord...” my butler murmured.
As Yusurika and I were teleported away, the last thing I saw was Carlos’s exhausted face.