"Please take me to the slave market."
The slave market was near the very heart of the central district of Leodo, built along the southwest edge of the oasis. It was clear at a glance that several of the buildings had been constructed by skilled masons, with dedicated platforms for the slaves to stand on, so that those who visited the market could conveniently inspect the products. There were also tents scattered all around the plaza, and even some merchants who simply had the slaves lined up on a carpet laid on the ground.
Perhaps because of a need for manual labor, there was a preponderance of male animal people with good physiques. As for women, it was mostly human women who were capable of producing children with basically every race. Amazons were the least common at a glance. The most beautiful specimens were displayed at the front to garner the most attention. Most of them were beautiful girls with exotic darker skin, wearing almost entirely transparent veils. Probably to make it obvious at a glance that they had not been damaged.
To the right was a gorgeous oasis. And to the left was a garden filled with slaves whose resignation was pasted across their faces.
Not a bad display, Freya thought unironically.
If Hestia or Artemis or Astrea saw it, they would surely have pursed their lips in disgust. Well, Artemis would probably have pulled out her bow and arrow before going on a rampage to save all those who wanted to be saved.
"Welcome, welcome, milady! Welcome to our slave market! My name is Rozzo, the manager of this establishment."
Having reached the trading company she was looking for, Freya was greeted by a human similar to Bofman. He was middle-aged, average height, and average build. His face was not too shabby, and he had a beard. His attire was top class, so much so that even if all the other merchants nearby pooled their resources, they still would not match him. Put bluntly, he was arguably a superior version of Bofman.
"Hey, Rozzo, this is the Lady Freya, whose renown sends tremors through
even the Labyrinth City. Carelessness won't be forgiven," Bofman said as he leaned forward to emphasize his point.
"Come now, Bofman. Just because your trading company lost out to
mine…You remind me of that Far East saying: 'You're a tanuki trading on a tiger's reputation.' Or was it a fox?" Rozzo snickered a bit at him. "And this coming from a small little company that can't even afford to buy a building on the island. You might be a bit too green for this kind of conversation."
"Arghhhh! That's rich coming from the weakest of the big four!" Bofman's face turned red as he stomped the ground.
They seemed to have some kind of history, but Freya really could not care less. And honestly, the scene of a full-grown adult's flabby stomach jiggling in frustration was just hideous.
"There was a child among the slaves who were brought here that caught my interest. Would it be possible to see them?"
"But of course!—Hey, line 'em up!"
Even without Bofman saying anything, Rozzo had already found out about Freya. He did not hesitate to do as she asked, ordering one of his underlings line up the slaves he had just gotten in.
"…How revolting."
Freya looked around the surroundings again as the slaves were being readied. The only people who were lively were the merchants. The majority of the sea of slaves was hunched over, looking down at the ground like convicted criminals.
It was not like anyone who became a slave did it because they wanted to. If you looked hard enough, maybe you could find one or two hoping to be bought by a kind master or perhaps dreaming of a livelihood that was better than whatever they had left behind. But at least as far as Freya's eyes could see, everyone's spirit was clouded over.
Having lost their pride their dignity stripped from them, the despair stained not just their faces, but reached all the way to their souls. There was not even anyone begging for help. Nor was anyone praying to the gods. Freya coughed a little, as if the despair filling the air made it hard to breathe. It was almost a mournful sigh.
The eagle-eyed Bofman was the only one who seemed to notice, though, as he kept glancing over at her nervously, perhaps concerned about the goddess's mood.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here are the items you requested. As you know, we only just received these products, so they have not received any training at all. However…"
Finally, the slaves were lined up in a single row under the brutal sun's rays. They had surely been walking for quite a long distance. Every last one of them looked exhausted. The elderly and youngest children looked like they might collapse at any moment. Rozzo alone had a grin on his face.
Freya started walking along the line. She completely ignored the pleading gazes and the eyes of those who had been charmed by her looks, simply confirming the faces of all the slaves in order.
And then she found her. "…!"
The girl from before.
When the girl noticed the shadow had stopped in front of her, she looked up, and her breath caught. Freya put her finger under the girl's chin and made sure their eyes met.
"You, what is your name?" "...Ali."
As if unable to defy the goddess's divine will, she whispered that and nothing more. Her voice was like a singing lyre that could be heard across the sands of the desert night. Her eyes narrowing, Freya released the girl and looked around again. Everyone was watching her, as if entranced by the goddess's each and every move.
"Hey, I've decided what I'm going to buy," Freya said.
"Ooooh! Really?!" Rozzo looked ecstatic at the goddess's words. "Very well then, which of them did you—"
Before the slave trader could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the goddess's next words.
"All of them."
Time stood still. "...…Huh?"
Underneath that intense merciless sun, for just a second, the entire slave market fell silent. Everyone had the same reaction. The girl who called
herself Ali, Bofman, and all the slaves nearby—none of them could move, not believing their ears. Rozzo, who was looking at the goddess, was the only one who managed to utter a sound.
"I said all of them. Every item you have in your inventory…and anything else for sale in this market. I'll take all of them."
She thrust her demand at the frozen slave merchant. As time stood still in the market, Freya smiled. It was the smile of an empress confident in her ability to do whatever tyrannical, irrational, or absurd thing she desired.
"This dull scenery is unpleasant, and this is a small town, so it is particularly eye-catching. Seeing slaves is unpleasant," Freya began speaking freely, without any inhibition. "After I'm gone, you may continue trading flesh to your hearts' content. However, while I am in this town, I insist you not show me anything that will ruin my mood."
And for that reason alone, she bought all the slaves. Not out of charity or compassion. Just because she wanted to change the scenery of the town for the few days she would be staying there.
"…M-milady! I'm honored, but if I may…our products all come at a price befitting their quality…T-to buy every…every one of the slaves in this market would be…!"
Managing to break free from his stasis, Rozzo's face started to twitch as he tried to point out as politely as he could what he was thinking: There's no way you could possibly do that. But Freya would not brook any back talk. Her smile widened as she asked the slave merchant before her a question.
"Who am I?"
"…Milady, you are the Goddess Freya." "And what is my familia?"
"…Freya Familia, milady."
"And what is my familia's known for?"
"…For being the most beautiful and most powerful! They are the followers of the goddess who has amassed more fame and wealth than any in the world!"
The slave trader broke into a cold sweat. And finally, Freya had one last question. "I can have all of them, right?"
"—Yes, Goddess!"
Rozzo bowed, unable to do anything other than obey. At the sight of that,
all the other slave traders turned pale and followed suit. The entire slave market was bowed before a single deity.
The next moment—
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
—a staggering roar shattered the silence. Bofman and his attendants covered their ears to dampen the clamor. Men and women, young and old, people of every race. It was like the desert itself cheered. The cascade of voices sounded like a chorus of thundering waterfalls. There were those who cheered in joy. There were those who choked back tears. And there were those who dropped to their knees, clasped their hands together, and offered up a prayer of thanks to the goddess. The explosive swell of emotion coming from the slaves shook the entire market—no, the entire town.
The girl who was the goddess's true target stood there in shock as Freya turned away from her and calmly started walking away.
"Bofman, undo those children's bonds. My children do not need such accessories."
"R-right away, milady!"
Bofman's shoulders jolted as he called out to his trainees. Snatching the keys away from the merchants, they undid the restraints on the slaves one after the other. There was no way the number of employees he had there would be enough, so one was sent running to the Fazoul Trading Company's headquarters to gather every last person working there to help release all the slaves.
The slave market, filled with an unending stream of cheers, was about to become even busier. And, indifferent to everything going on around her, Freya walked briskly forward as Bofman desperately tried to keep up.
"L-Lady Freya! If I may, the money to pay the merchants…?"
"Just give me an advance on it. I'll give you a contract with the familia later to cover the costs."
Leaving Bofman aside as he went bug-eyed at the incendiary situation she was handing off to him, Freya added another item to her order.
"Also, ready something to transport those children."
"Those children" were, of course, the slaves she had just bought. She had paid for hundreds of them. Bofman was already in a cold sweat as he
desperately tried to get his mouth to work.
"L-Lady Freya! Pardon me, but transport them where? My deepest apologies, but with the buildings my trading company has, housing all these slaves would be…!"
In response to Bofman's misgivings, Freya needed just a single finger to answer. The oasis in the middle of their field of view. She was pointing at the largest building in the town that looked almost like a castle with a dome, built in the middle of the island at the heart of the oasis.
"I'll buy that mansion as well."
This time, Bofman's jaw dropped as if it had come loose.