Chapter 88

"Slave traders...!?"

"More accurately, their errand boys."

The men, literally crushed and unable to move a muscle, were left as they were, with no need to worry about them escaping. However, to prevent them from suffocating or dying from shock due to pain, Noem administered potions to ensure they would survive at the bare minimum. It was a maintenance of a hellish state where the pain would unnecessarily drag on.

"Oh, let's all play at home, shall we?"

Noem, leading the children inside, provided a nice follow-up. Only Zeta, I, and the remains of the men were left outside.

"Ryuya, you must know that such people exist."

"Ah...!?"

People who buy and sell humans as commodities, the scum of the earth, the worst of the worst. These are slave traders, humans with no value in being kept alive.

"In this Centakilian Kingdom, the very existence of slaves is completely prohibited. Therefore, slave traders cannot operate openly. However, they do exist, hiding their activities in the shadows."

The men were groaning, or perhaps just making sounds as air passed through their mouths. They were no longer in a state of the living.

"Slave trading is profitable, so it's worth taking the risk. Especially if they can get their hands on high-value slaves."

"High-value...?"

"You can guess, skills."

Skills are something that reside in people. If someone is given a rare and highly useful skill, their value skyrockets.

I was reminded of my encounter with Noem. She was kidnapped from her hometown and being taken by slave traders because she was born with the SSS-rank skill, "Alchemist King."

"Someone must have caught wind that I have dual skills. They pretended to be buying land to get their hands on me."

"Really?"

"Land acquisition, while a crime, is much less severe than slave trading and harder for the guards to act on. The wicked are clever, indeed."

"You knew all this and...!?"

"I knew that eventually, it would come to this."

Zeta's voice was filled with a sense of resignation about life.

"I settled in this orphanage not just because it was my hometown, but because the Centakilian Kingdom completely prohibits slavery."

"Because it's prohibited, slave traders can't operate openly?"

"Yes, and for someone like me, who has a skill that can't be affiliated with any specific faction, it's a great comfort."

"Can't be affiliated with any specific faction? Why?"

"Ryuya, you became an S-rank adventurer, right? So you must have a guild card, don't you?"

"Huh? Ah...!?"

On my guild card, the fields for "Skills" and "Criminal Record" both read "None."

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Guild Registration Information

【Name】Ryuya

【Level】8,347,917

【Skills】None

【Criminal Record】None

【Affiliation】Adventurer's Guild: Centakilian Capital Branch

【Rank】S

【Suitable Jobs】All

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On my guild card, both the "Skills" and "Criminal Record" fields proudly display "None." While the lack of skills is one thing, the clean criminal record is a testament to my upright life and a source of pride.

"If I were to get a guild card, it would surely say 'Escaped from the Church.'"

"Ah!?"

"Then the Church would be notified immediately, and they would send people to come for me."

So, Zeta couldn't join any guild... and with no other options, she had to return to the orphanage in her hometown.

"The Church never lets anyone they've captured escape. They crush and enslave rebels to protect their pride. Surrounding countries, relying on heroes and healers, can't afford to oppose the Church. It's wiser to hand over any escapees they find."

"So, hiding in a corner of this slum, avoiding the sun and living in fear..."

And...

"Even in countries that recognize slavery, they can't kidnap and enslave people affiliated with guilds or knight orders. It would be considered pure damage and lead to conflict with their organizations. Conversely, rare skill holders who aren't affiliated with any organization are prime targets for them."

Zeta met all these conditions. The reason she was forced to live in the shadows...

"I thought I could escape them by hiding in a country that prohibits slavery, but I was naive. If they can get a rare skill holder, they seem willing to take some risks..."

Zeta's expression was filled with a sense of tragedy.

"I really hate my skills... They're not even useful, but their rarity makes me a target...!"

Zeta has dual skills. She possesses two skills, which are supposed to be limited to one per person.

However, both of her skills are common and mediocre. Even if she could use both simultaneously, they wouldn't stand a chance against more powerful skills. Still, they are of interest to enthusiasts.

Indeed, it must be a nuisance for her.

"Knowing all this, why don't you report them? To the city guards or the adventurer's guild...!"

"I already said, I'm a fugitive. If it becomes public that I escaped from the Church, they will take me back. Either way, my fate is to become a slave..."

To be a slave of the Church or a slave through slave traders to some unknown scumbag. Those are the only options for Zeta.

"I'm tired... That's the honest truth. I was trying to figure out how to protect the children from getting involved, and your arrival was a relief."

For slave traders, children are also relatively good commodities. Normally, they are small and not much use as labor, so their value is low. However, in this world, there are skills.

If a child reaches fourteen and receives the blessing ceremony and gets a good skill, their value can skyrocket.

I didn't need to know this kind of crap.

"Ryuya, you can protect the children through the country or the adventurer's guild, right? I know it's presumptuous of me to ask, but would you...?"

"But if it becomes public, you...!?"

"I don't care anymore. I should have been punished for abandoning you. I've been putting it off and I'm tired of it..."

Those words were a mix of self-destructive sentiment and a confession of the suffering she had endured.

Indeed, I felt abandoned.

On that day, when our skills were revealed and I was told I had "no skills," I was mercilessly left behind. I felt betrayed. I can't deny that I wished those who forgot our friendship just because I had no skills would die.

Still.

The suffering Zeta has endured for the past five years is too great to be a just punishment.

"Abinion"

"Yes, sir."

Abinion, who responds immediately when called, is excellent.

"Can you do it as usual?"

"Yes, sir, it is my pleasure to be of service to you."

Abinion's mist-like spirit form entered the bodies of the crushed men through their mouths and noses.

"Ughhhhhhhhhh...!"

"Aaahhhhhhhh...!"

The men writhed in agony, but I knew. You must have accumulated enough evil deeds to deserve this pain. Karma has been served. There is no room for sympathy.

"I have a general idea."

Abinion, who had directly touched their brains and extracted information through his spirit form, said.

"These are low-level lackeys, so they don't have much information, but they knew of several hideouts of slave traders in this country. The locations are clear."

"Got it, let's go."

One thing I can say for sure is that the idea of treating people as less than human, as slaves, is nothing but evil.

The slave traders who directly handle slaves, of course, and anyone who supports the idea of slavery for any reason, are intolerably evil.

I will not allow their existence. Once they enter my consciousness, I must kill them all.

So, following the information Abinion provided...

I decided to take action to exterminate the pests known as slave traders.