As a bruised and dirty boy was led through the bustling market, his wrists bound by magic-nullifying handcuffs, a big burly man walked alongside him. They approached a stall where slaves were being sold, and the burly man spoke up.
"Hey Jeffrey, I've got a slave for you. How much will I get for him? He's 15 years old, in pretty good shape, though he's got an ugly face if you ask me."
'Who's he calling ugly,' Cain thought.
Jeffrey, the slave trader, raised an eyebrow, "Oh, Damian, since when were you in the slave trading business?"
"Nah, I caught this kid trying to steal from me, so I taught him a lesson," Damian replied casually.
"Well, you are right; he is in good shape. How about 120,000UC for him?" Jeffrey offered.
"Is that it? He's got to be worth more. Look at him; he has a bit of muscle," Damian tried to negotiate.
"Fine, since we're friends, Damian, I'll give you 135,000UC for him."
"Perfect," Damian replied, sealing the deal.
Damian quickly provided his banking details, and as soon as he received the payment, he punched the boy in the gut and left.
'Hey, you punching me in the gut was not part of the plan. Just wait, I'll get you,' Cain vowed, glaring at Damian.
Indeed, this was Cain's plan—to infiltrate the slave trade to find and rescue 'that' person who was also locked up here.
Jeffrey led Cain to a large building in another part of the town. Inside, Cain saw nearly 500 slaves—some crying, some screaming, and others with a lifeless look in their eyes, showing they had given up hope.
Once inside, Jeffrey removed the handcuffs from Cain. These cuffs were expensive and limited in number, so Jeffrey planned to use them for other slaves.
Without the cuffs restricting him, a guard approached Cain and kicked him.
"Haa... My wife left me yesterday, so I need to let out some stress. All the other slaves are boring; they've all given up. But I can tell just by looking at you that you still have some fighting spirit... Uh, I can't wait to break you," the guard said with a sadistic smile.
'Well, just so you know, you are first on my to-kill list, asshole.'
"But before we have our fun, let's brand you. We can't have you trying to run away now, can we?" the guard sneered, leading Cain to another room.
In this room, Cain saw blood on the walls and heard screams so painful they sent chills down his spine.
A cloaked man entered and cast [Soul Slave], a dark and illegal magic spell that compelled the branded person to obey their master's every order. The possession of a soul through this spell made it a convenient tool for slave traders.
The only way to cancel the spell was for the caster to die or willingly remove it.
Cain's plan was to infiltrate the slaves and have Jax and his subordinates follow the casters of [Soul Slave] to eliminate them. Once they were dead, Cain would escape with 'that' person, and they would use the portal underneath Jax's business to flee. They had to complete this within four days as Cain still had to return to the academy.
As the [Soul Slave] spell activated, Cain let out a blood-curdling scream. His body felt as though it was being cooked from the inside out, and he endured the most excruciating pain of both his lives. Though it seemed like an eternity, the process lasted merely five minutes.
Afterward, the guard returned and moved Cain.
"Hey, hurry up, slave! We don't have all day. If you don't come now, I'll beat you even more," the guard taunted.
This caught Cain's attention, and he forced his body up, following the guard back to the other slaves.
Once again among the captives, Cain used the opportunity to scan the crowd. He sought 'that' person but wasn't sure if he would recognize her. All he had was the description from the novel he read.
Then, he saw them—golden eyes shining like the sun, with brown hair. Despite the girl's malnourishment and dirt-covered appearance, her extreme beauty was evident, rivaling that of the other heroines.
He was quite certain it was her, but he still wanted to know her name.
"Hi, I'm Cain Stardust. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself, approaching the girl.
The girl glanced at him, and it seemed like forever since she had seen someone so cheerful. His presence comforted her.
"Hhh... Hi, I'm Leah, Leah Edgesword," she replied shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Leah Edgesword."
'I finally found you. Don't worry; I won't let you get hurt like you did in the novel. You'll have a happy life with your brother.'
Leah Edgesword—Leo Edgesword's sister. Oh, you're wondering who Leo Edgesword is? Well, that was Leo's surname before he got adopted. Yes, the girl Cain just saved is one of the protagonist's little sisters.