Chapter 1. Slave Market

Fantasy.

A word that, frankly, excites men.

A frequent subject in various media, including movies, dramas, and novels.

Vast grasslands and exotic races.

Unseen ecosystems, mystical magic, and spirits.

It's an attractive echo that satisfies the desire for the unknown and the yearning for freedom held within the hearts of those who live like cogs in a dense cityscape.

However.

Where there is light, there is always darkness.

Just as there's the hopeful fantasy that ordinary people imagine…

There's also the despairing version.

Medieval-style outdated facilities, poor sanitation, and a catastrophic state of public order where bandits appear as soon as you leave civilization.

Add to that corrupt nobles, peasants who farm their entire lives, and ordinary soldiers dragged into war to be burned horribly by magic.

Just like reality.

In the fantasy world, too, there are tragedies that are hard to bear witness to.

It's truly regrettable.

Since it's fantasy, can't we just see the good parts? Mystical magic, hopeful heroes, unrealistically beautiful elves, and so on?

How great would that be?

No tragedy, no suffering, no starvation.

Just a free and happy world.

Huh?

Isn't that right?

"Fuck..."

Lying on the hard, musty floor, I looked up at the ceiling.

I see planks covered in cobwebs that look like they could collapse at any moment.

Yeah, I looked up at the ceiling and saw planks.

Is this a fucking house?

Since I was reborn in a fantasy world, couldn't I have been born into a better situation?

"Honey, we don't have enough money for this winter."

"Oh yeah? Then we'll have to sell one of the brats."

Instead of being born to poor, destitute parents who sell their children because they're broke, for fuck's sake.

***

*BANG!!*

"Stay put!"

I was sold.

The reason? I gave them a 'disrespectful' look.

That's just how I was born.

Can the manufacturers get away with being so irresponsible? Those fucking bastards.

"Sob… Mom...."

"I'm cold...."

I'm surrounded by kids who were sold just like me.

They've all been identified as the biggest freeloaders in their families and are now sitting in this corner of the Slave Market.

"Hey, hey! Shut up!"

And the Laborers of this Slave Market are glaring, spitting on, and poking these kids with sticks to intimidate them.

...A typical Medieval Fantasy slave market.

What's going to happen to me now?

I hit my head against the wall in the furthest corner of the cage and thought.

Since being reincarnated into this world, I've only been begging for food in a dilapidated shack, so I don't really know anything…

Judging from my memories of my past life, this is a Medieval Fantasy world, so there are a lot of possibilities for where I could be sold.

In the worst case, I'll be sold as an experimental subject to some crazy Magician Woman, or if I'm lucky, to a male brothel.

I've been told I have a pretty face, even if I'm not exactly charming, so the latter is probably more likely.

...Fuck.

What's lucky about that?

Either way, it's fucked up.

But I don't have the guts to bite my tongue and die either.

So I just lament my life in this helplessness.

What sin did I commit in my past life... Oh, right. I did commit some.

Is this punishment?

Just as I was thinking that was more likely than just bad luck…

"Don't worry, everyone…!"

The biggest boy here started comforting the other kids.

He looks a bit older, maybe a teenager.

It's unusual, considering they usually sell young kids like me and the others, who have no labor power.

"O-Our country outlawed this kind of slavery, so they'll come to rescue us soon."

The boy told us a story that might have given us hope.

Selling kids is illegal? I didn't know. I've only ever begged.

More than that, he knows about laws? He must be somewhat educated.

"T-There's a city nearby… so maybe the Security Squad from there…"

I listened for now.

He knows more than me, so he might say something helpful…

*CLANG!*

"Shut the fuck up!"

…I thought I might hear something useful.

But apparently we were being too loud, because a Slave Trader roughly opened the cage door.

"This little shit's babbling on and on!"

Then he started kicking the big boy, who was the most noticeable.

"Ouch! Oww!"

"Stop! You bastard!"

He must have been waiting for a chance to get at the boy, who was the biggest and most noticeable in the cage.

He also looked sturdy, so it didn't seem like he'd break any bones from that beating.

Watching this, I discreetly surveyed the outside.

In my sight, there was only this one Slave Trader and two or three Laborers.

I remember seeing that this cage was on the outskirts of the Slave Market when I was brought here....

Is this my chance?

Subtly.

Carefully, I got up without making it obvious and walked past the trembling kids.

And then.

*THUD!* *THUD!*

"This little shit!"

"Ouch! Oww!!"

I approached the Slave Trader, who was busy beating the boy.

He's about 170cm tall?

He's taller and bigger than the adults I've seen.

“You what the…”

Before the slave trader, who'd noticed me approaching, could react…

*Thud.*

I lunged, grabbing his ankle.

“Hah, trying to stop me… GAAAAAAAH!!”

*Crack-crunch-grind-*

Using my whole body, I twisted.

“AAAAAGH!! You little shit!! AAAARGH!!”

As the slave trader writhed on the ground… all that remained was the open cage door.

“Run if you don’t want to be slaves here!”

I yelled, then bolted out of the cage. Most were frozen in fear, but a few quick-witted ones, including the boy who’d been getting beaten, followed.

“Uh, uhh…!”

“The brats are escaping!”

Commotion erupted.

“Chase them!”

“Catch them all!”

The laborers nearby and the other slave traders all came running.

“This way!”

Desperate to escape before more people gathered, I dodged and weaved through the laborers, running as fast as my legs would carry me. I’d seen a forest past the entrance earlier. For now, just focus on escaping.

The other kids…

I hope they make it out.

I’m in no position to look after anyone else.

Recalling the path I'd taken when brought in, I sprinted towards the entrance.

“Get him!”

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Dodging and deflecting the laborers' grabs…

“You little bastard!”

And when I couldn’t avoid them…

*Whoosh.*

*Wham!!*

“Oof!”

I’d throw myself at their shins, aiming for the flimsy-looking bones, using my small size to my advantage.

It only made them flinch, but it was enough to break free.

The slave market was bigger than I’d thought, and a lot of laborers had responded to the commotion. But…

“Got you, you little shit!”

“Where do you brats think you're going!”

…they were distracted by the other kids too. I took the lead, reaching the wide-open entrance.

Is this it? Freedom?

Once I’m out, how do I get to a city from the forest?

I had some basic survival knowledge, but this was a different world, and fear crept in.

Still, it’s fucking better than slavery.

Trying to find a city in the forest with no sense of direction is better than being auctioned off, not knowing who’ll buy me.

Hoping the boy’s words were true, I was about to step out into the open… when…

*Stop.*

As if my desperate run had been a lie, my body froze in front of the entrance.

“Spirited, aren’t you?”

I’d overlooked one crucial detail. This was a fantasy world with magic and Aura.

“Hey!”

“Where's he going!”

I heard the hurried shouts of laborers and slave traders behind me, but… I was paralyzed before the man who'd suddenly appeared.

When did he get there?

A tall, thin man, at least two heads taller than the average adult, with a fedora pulled low over his face. He gave off the impression of a giant, withered tree. The moment I saw him, my body locked up.

And he definitely wasn’t there before.

In the blink of an eye, no, not even a blink, he was standing in front of me as if he’d always been there.

…Is he some kind of Sword Master from the stories?

One thing was clear: he was the same level of monster as the Magicians I'd heard whispers of in the slums.

Then…

“Get him!”

*Thwack!*

A searing pain in the back of my head… my vision blurred… and as I lost consciousness, I thought…

I’m royally fucked.

***

Later…

“You little fucker! My ankle!”

The slave trader whose ankle I’d twisted beat me relentlessly for days. The bastard limped; guess I did a good job.

Still, it fucking hurt.

The only upside was that I was considered merchandise.

“This bastard’s ankle too…!”

“If you want to do that, buy him yourself.”

“Fuck!!”

The other slave traders, eager to inflict the same pain, kept their hands off my ankles.

Then, one day…

“Sigh… Fine… No need to kill him myself.”

With those words, the slave trader stopped beating me, and I was caged and transported somewhere.

They even covered the cage with a black cloth. Where were they taking me?

I spent a long time confined in the dark, bumpy cage, nursing my throbbing bruises.

“Out!”

The cloth was ripped off, blinding me with the sudden light. I was dragged out, unable to open my eyes.

Then, slowly… my eyes adjusted to the light… and what I saw was…

“Well, this is your home now.”

…a giant Colosseum.

So I wasn’t going on the auction block after all.

“Twist ankles all you want here, kid.”

Whether it was out of spite or not, I’d been fast-tracked to my specialty, straight to the source.