Volume 7 - CH 10.1

Herman led me to a corner where huge warehouses stood in a row, not far from the city gates.

It seemed to be a place where a large trading company stored the goods they brought in.

“Come on, come on. This way, please.”

Herman led the way.

Neg was not by his side. It seemed that the grudge-monger remained in the trading house.

Apparently, at least, he was regarded as someone with whom he could make a proper deal. Or perhaps it was simply a matter of the number of people who could ride in the carriage.

We followed Herman’s lead and eventually arrived at a relatively small wooden warehouse.

“ Muh! Who’s there?.”

A huge man with a spear, who seemed to be a sentry, sharply moved towards us, but as soon as he saw Herman’s face, he immediately calmed his temper.

Herman is in a good mood and calls out to the sentry.

“Hm. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, thank you. How are you doing today? What about those guys?”

“They are our guests. We’d like to take a look at the products. Show us around.”

“Yes, of course.”

The huge man on guard rattles the lock and opens the door to the warehouse

The smell of stale air immediately stung my nostrils, and I frowned.

“Well, …… please, come this way.”

The giant man called out to us in a manner he was not accustomed to and walked straight into the warehouse.

As we hesitated, Herman said cheerfully.

“No, it smells terrible, right? The slaves of this society are expensive, and they are treated relatively well, so even this is better… It’s not really a place to guide customers, so please forgive me. Come on, let’s go.”

We reluctantly follow Herman as he calmly enters.

Inside the warehouse, cages with iron bars fitted in wooden frames are lined up.

But there is no one inside.

“The entire warehouse is currently leased by the association for the slaves of the demon tribe. The goods are stored in the back of the building.”

Herman explained, perhaps sensing my quizzical look.

The big man standing guard stopped at a certain point.

“It starts here, sir.”

It seemed that there was indeed someone sitting in the cage.

However, it was dimly lit in the warehouse, and because of the overcast weather, it was difficult to make out their appearance from the window light alone.

Herman said in a troubled voice, 

“I should have brought a light. I’m sure there’s one at …….”

“No need.”

With that, I let the light fly.

A faint light illuminates a figure in the cage.

“Oh, you’re a magician. That’s very convenient magic.”

I observe the figure inside the cage, aside the giant man.

It seemed to be a girl who was puzzled by the sudden light.

She was about the same age as we were. She was wearing a simple kantou gown, shackles on her hands, and a metal collar with a strange flow of power around her neck.

She has jet-black hair and eyes. The face and the limbs extending from the hem are white as a dead man’s, and black lines like tattoos run across the surface.

Among the demons who attacked the academy in the past, there was a man who looked like this.

“…divine demons huh?”

“exactly”

Herman said in a confident voice.

“We have about 15 in stock in total. What do you think, Seika-dono? She looks like a frail girl, but her physical strength can overwhelm a big man, and her innate magic overwhelms even medium-sized monsters. Among the demons, It’s a race with particularly strong power.”

“How did you get this thing?”

“That’s the seed of business, so please forgive me. Well, let’s just say that the demons have a connection.”

“Are you a kidnapper?”

“Please forgive me.”

I took my eyes off Herman, who was smiling suspiciously, and looked at the girl.

According to Rurumu, the person she was looking for gave birth to a child sixteen years ago.

Considering that, I feel like she’s too young, but… god demons should have a much longer lifespan than humans, so you can’t tell just by looking at them.

When I glanced to the side, Rurumu and Nozuro had grim expressions on their faces, but that was all.

Then it doesn’t look like this girl…?

“Would you like to take a closer look, customer?”

After saying that lightly, the giant took out a bunch of keys and began to unlock the iron bars.

I say without thinking.

“Hey, is it okay to do that?”

“Hehe, don’t worry.”

The giant opened the iron-barred door completely and stepped inside and grabbed the girl’s handcuffs.

“Hey, get up!”

“No, no, stop”

The girl resists.

It seemed true that she was strong, and despite the difference in physique, the giant seemed to be having trouble.

But at that moment――――The flow of power in the girl’s collar increased.

A glowing curse mark appears on her neck. At the same time, the divine demon girl began to suffer.

“Ugh… Kaha…”

“Cause you’re making me go through all that hassle. Oh, man.”

The giant pulled the limp girl’s shackles and led her out of her cage.

I mutter.

“That was…”

“It looks like the collar of servitude has worked.”

I ask Herman, who said it casually.

“What is that?”

“It’s a collar that prevents slaves from resisting. It’s a kind of magic tool, and if you try to escape, defy your master, or try to remove the collar by force, you’ll start suffering like before. We can handle the divine demons safely.”

“Since they’re more docile than normal slaves, it’s easy and helpful for me too. Usually, when there’s a rebellious slave, I have to hit the cage.”

“Hmm… that’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.”

“It’s an expensive item, and I don’t usually use it unless It’s such a dangerous slave. It’s not profitable.”

“I see.”

It’s quite a complicated spell. I don’t think mass production is that easy.

“So, what do you think, customer?”

The giant man lifts the manacles and thrusts the divine demon slave in front of me.

The thin kantou gown stuck to her skin, exposing the lines of the girl’s body.

“I don’t know what you would use such a dangerous slave for, but …… she’s a good one.  She’s got a nice face and a decent amount of flesh. This skin is weird to me, but I guess you can have some fun with it. If you’re interested, you can take a look at her naked.　Wouldn’t that be nice ?”

Saying so, the giant man put his hand on the girl’s kantou gown.

The hem is lifted up, exposing her white thighs and the black lines running along them, but the girl looks at me blankly and shows no sign of resistance.

I sigh.

In fact, I am only here to look for someone and have no intention of buying. I’m not going to buy her at all.

Also, I was concerned about the way Amiyu and the others were looking at me.

I was about to say no when the sound of something shattering —- echoed through the warehouse.

“……?”

Everyone wondered what the sound was and looked around.