Episode 59: Slave Trader
The two executives of the thief gang we captured the other day…
We caught them to learn about the structure and organization of this country and its territories, as well as common knowledge.
That’s how we found out about the existence of the slave system.
It seems that not only are members of the upper classes like nobles able to own slaves, but there are also slave traders with shops in town who buy and sell slaves. I don’t think this country is serious about running things properly.
“A slave system? There was one in Brostwill too, though.”
“Criminal slaves, huh? That’s fine because the state completely manages those criminals.”
The general public can’t just acquire slaves.
“Slaves are basically people. They become useful as military force, so they’re used in wars and rebellions.”
That’s nothing but a threat to those who govern the country. Under the Unified Space Force’s control, the slave system was prohibited. Well, even under the protection of the Unified Space Force, there were plenty of star systems that used the slave system. In the end, the military is just the military, and the kings and lords who governed had more authority. If those guys incorporated it as a law within their own territory as a ‘special case,’ there was nothing we could do.
And then, when a rebellion using those slaves occurred, they’d contact us? What a joke.
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yeah. It’s unbelievable that people who can use swords and magic, people who can fight, are being bought and sold.”
Of course, those kinds of people probably fetch a high price.
“This way, please.”
“Ah. It’s a good impression that it’s so clean.”
They’re treating humans as merchandise. If the place is dirty, they might get sick. I wouldn’t want to buy anything from a store that can’t properly manage its merchandise, so the appearance of the store is important.
I’m planning to set up a shop in the Town of Solva near the base, but I thought it would be better to visit the capital city to buy slaves since it’s a bigger city.
“Welcome! Welcome to the Arl塔尔 Trading Company.”
“Excuse me.”
We were greeted by a beautiful and alluring woman.
“I’m looking for someone who can do business.”
“Business, you say?”
“Yes. Someone who used to have a store somewhere, or even a traveling merchant. They need to be able to read and write at a minimum. It would be good if they could do calculations.”
“Understood. Do you have any gender preferences?”
“None.”
“Are you considering combat abilities?”
“Not necessary.”
“I see. As for race… we don’t have any elves, but do they have to be Human?”
“No particular specifications.”
…There are only Humans, me, Barbatos-san, and Beatrice-san. Everyone else is a Beastman.
“What age range are you looking for?”
Barbatos-san glanced at me.
“They don’t have to be extremely young… but I guess old people are out of the question.”
I answered in place of Barbatos-san.
We’re planning to have them purchase heavy items like salt and wheat, so it would be difficult if they couldn’t carry heavy loads to some extent.
“I understand. Then, I will bring you some candidates. Please wait a moment while they tidy themselves up.”
Barbatos-san and I nodded at the woman’s words.
“Hmm. I had misunderstood what a slave trader was like.”
“The treatment of serious criminals is probably different.”
Serious criminals probably don’t end up with civilian slave traders… well, maybe they do in this country.
After waiting for a while, three slaves were brought before us.
“This is Heinz, a Beastman. As you can see, he’s a bear Beastman, so he’s strong. He used to work at one of our affiliated trading companies, but he embezzled money and became a slave.”
A young bear Beastman male. He’s certainly burly.
I appreciate that they tell us the circumstances of how they became slaves, even if it’s brief.
“This is Joshua, a Human. He used to be a traveling merchant. He took on a job from a large trading company, but failed to deliver. He even took out a loan to try to complete the job, and he injured someone while trying to escape from the debt collectors. He was then captured and became a slave.”
Joshua is somewhere between middle-aged and elderly. I wouldn’t say he’s burly, but he has a solid appearance, as expected of someone who used to be a traveling merchant. Yeah… well, I knew it, but they become slaves because they did something bad.
“This is Fiorina, also a Human. She wasn’t originally a merchant, but she can read, write, and do calculations, so I brought her along. She’s an alchemist, but she was calling herself a Magic Item engineer… She received an advance from a certain noble and then ran away. She was later captured. It seems she could only do simple repairs on Magic Items.”
The last woman is a young woman who seems a little too thin.
“Oh? So you can make potions too?”
This might be good.
When I asked, the guide nodded, so Fiorina opened her mouth.
“Y-yes, I can. But the quality of the good ones… well…”
“Be honest?”
“I can’t make high-quality ones without good tools. Still, I can make ones that are above average, but not the highest quality… I don’t have much Magical Power.”
“I see…”
Barbatos-san, having realized my intentions, also nodded.
“Heinz is 320 gold coins, Joshua is 560 gold coins, and Fiorina is 620 gold coins. If you purchase all of them, there will be a discount of 5 gold coins.”
“There’s quite a difference in the amounts.”
“The amounts are related to their debts and abilities. Originally, Heinz would be the most expensive because he’s strong and has stamina… but Joshua injured someone and had a lot of debt to begin with. Fiorina defrauded a noble and can also use magic, albeit simple magic, so her amount is higher.”
“I see.”
“Heinz is a good deal, you know? We trained him as a merchant when he worked for our affiliate, and he was good enough to be put in charge of a store someday. Well, that was until he got hooked on a certain prostitute.”
“Then why didn’t you just have him work at your place?”
Ah, that’s right. Barbatos-san is sharp.
“Heinz’s face was somewhat known within our trading company. We can’t have others thinking that they can commit fraud, get caught, become a slave, and still work here.”
“Ah, that’s certainly true. My apologies.”
After that, we heard from Heinz himself, as well as Joshua and Fiorina.
“Then, we’ll take Heinz… and Fiorina.”
“Thank you very much. When will you be paying?”
“I can pay now. I have enough on hand.”
“…Ah, I see. You have something convenient!”
Well, I don’t look like I’m carrying three or five hundred gold coins on me.