The headcount was roughly around 10.
Their armaments were nothing more than crude blades. They weren't a professional gang, just some thugs working here.
"You'll regret this. What if I were a noble?"
"Heh! Trying to fool a merchant's eyes? Kid, a merchant lives by his wits."
"So, are your wits good or bad?"
"Where do you get off with this bluff! Besides, nobles never come alone. I was suspicious from the moment I saw you."
I quickly analyzed the situation.
Not a professional gang, and not many in number. Easy to handle.
"Did Devito send you? What's your purpose? Are you trying to swallow us too?"
"Stop talking nonsense and answer the questions if you don't want to get hurt."
"Yeah, we'll catch you and torture you slowly until you spill everything. What are you waiting for, guys!"
-Swish!
Suddenly, jagged daggers flew in.
I ducked to avoid them and moved towards the wall to break out of the encirclement.
"You're quicker than I thought? Are you from the slums?"
"Ask me after you catch me."
-Thwack!
I grabbed the arm of the guy coming at me and punched him in the face.
He went down in one blow, making the others hesitate. I seized the opportunity and kicked another one away.
"What, what?! Damn it! Who are you!"
If I used Full Ignition, I could finish them in three seconds.
But showing my brain energy to these small fries would be a huge waste. Besides, they didn't have any fighting spirit.
"You guys aren't even worth warming up for."
I threw a few punches without thinking, and it was already over.
Even without magic, my physical stats were 70 each, far beyond what a normal person could handle.
These low-level fights were more boring than interesting. I walked towards the sprawled-out thugs and lowered my voice.
"Kneel."
"Ugh…"
"Should I break a bone or two? Your neck? Your back?"
"No! I'll, I'll kneel…!"
They were quick to act, probably because of the survival-of-the-fittest world they lived in.
They knelt in a row, watching my every move.
"From now on, answer my questions immediately. Got it?"
"Yes, yes…!"
"I heard this place was originally Hamil Merchant Guild's building. Why are you guys here?"
"Ah…! The previous owner went bankrupt, so we took over…"
"Then who's Devito? Is he a slaver too?"
"…Yes, he is. But weren't you sent by him, young master…?"
"I'm the only one asking questions."
"Yes, yes…"
There are only two ways for a street rat to avoid becoming a slave.
Either be talented like Liu and become a servant, or run from slavers for life.
If Hamil Merchant Guild went under, there's a high chance Lisa became a slave.
Since the members are checking the smaller families that might buy slaves, raiding the slavers might be faster.
I asked again.
"Where are the people?"
"People…? Do you mean the merchandise display?"
Merchandise? This bastard still treats people like objects.
He hasn't come to his senses yet.
In a fit of anger, I lightly slapped the man's cheek.
"Can't you talk properly?"
"Yes…! Mer.chan.dise.dis.play."
-Smack!
"Gah…!"
"Talk properly."
"Mer!chan!dise!dis!play!"
-Smack-!
The man's cheek was swollen, and he kept bowing his head, tears streaming down his face. Seeing his face, which looked like he was dying from injustice, I could once again feel how slaves were perceived in this world.
Even after getting hit, he still said the same thing.
"I, I was wrong! I'll talk properly!"
"What were you wrong about?"
"My pronunciation was off…?"
"Looks like you still don't get it."
Slap! Smack! Smack-!
After a series of slaps, the man fainted. I asked the guy next to him.
"What was he wrong about?"
"H-huh…!"
"I asked you, answer me."
"I-I'm sorry! If you tell me, I'll engrave it in my heart!"
"Slaves are people too. How can you treat people like objects?"
"Ah…!"
"Just because you have a bit more power than others, you use people as a means to make money? This world can turn a decent noble into a slave if you run around a few cities. Should we make you like that too?"
"I'm sorry…! We were really wrong! We won't do it again!"
"Let's live with at least some decency. It's not that hard, right?"
"Y-yes, it is!"
"Lead the way."
At my gesture, the man stood up, trembling.
He led me to a place that looked like a thick iron cage, like an animal pen.
When I pulled back the black cloth, there were people inside.
"…"
The stench was unbearable, as if they hadn't properly taken care of their waste. The miserable sight made me angry again.
"Hoo… I'll give you one last chance to act human. Bring all the money from the safe. And the keys too."
"Huh…?"
"Aren't you going to run?"
"Ah, yes! I'll bring it right away!"
I looked inside the cage.
There wasn't a single young person, let alone anyone with blonde hair.
Just a bunch of white-haired old people.
"Ha…"
It's a sad reality, but slaves fetch a higher price when they're young and youthful.
Those kinds of slaves were probably with this Devito or whatever his name was.
"H-here it is!"
A moment later, the man brought a large box. I had him open the cage and opened the door wide.
But the old people just huddled in the corner, trembling.
For a moment, my heart ached.
"Come out."
"…"
"If you don't come out now, you'll live there forever."
The old people looked back and forth between the gang and me. I roughly understood what they meant and made the thugs kneel again, and then they started to move a little.
Exactly 14 people.
Thin arms and legs exposed under their tattered rags.
Seeing their hollow cheeks, I divided the money I took from the slavers equally among them.
"Use this money to buy some clothes and good food. And come to the teleport gate in front of the harbor. I'll be there."
"Why are you showing us such kindness…"
"Of course, you can leave. If you do, go as close to the imperial palace as possible. The closer you are to the center of the empire, the stricter the slaver crackdown is."
"Ah…"
I sent the old people away and put the slaver gang inside the cage.
"Stay there for a while. You should experience it too, right?"
The knights who arrived at the teleport gate were wide-eyed at the astonishing sight.
Zed was among the old slaves, and they were holding his hands, crying.
The point wasn't the tears, but the hands.
Arahan was the most prestigious family in the empire, the nobility of nobles. For slaves to be holding the hands of such an Arahan.
"Why is Lord Zed…?"
Even more surprising was Zed's reaction.
The empire had a class system of nobles, commoners, and lower classes, and the lower classes weren't even allowed to make eye contact with nobles. But Zed was making eye contact and even holding their hands.
"Zed… no, young master!"
The knights rushed over at the sight beyond their comprehension.
They couldn't call him by his name, so they called him young master, which surprised the old people too.
"Young master…? Are you really a noble? You clearly said you weren't earlier…?"
"Ah, don't worry about it."
Even with Zed's words, the old people kept their distance and bowed. Even among the lower classes in the southern region, everyone knew the knights of Bahal. For those knights to call him young master meant he was a scion of Bahal.
"Ah, my goodness! We didn't recognize such a high-ranking person… we deserve to die."
"I said it's fine."
Zed glared at the members. The knights were just in a state of continuous bewilderment.
Why was Arahan holding hands with slaves and using honorifics? It was an incomprehensible situation.
"Um… who are these people?"
One of the members, unable to contain his curiosity,