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༺ Huge Variable༻
"Oh my, Lord Frey! Have you arrived? We sincerely welcome you to our slave market!"
As Frey walked forward with the fox beastkin, someone approached him with a friendly expression and greeted him.
"If only I had been present during your previous visit, I could have served you better! It's such a pity! If there's any assistance or aid you require…"
"Enough with the fuss."
Frey cut off his words wearing an irritated expression, and whispered to the man still smiling brightly at him,
"Should the person in charge of the slave market be doing this?"
"Ha ha, don't worry! Given the unprecedented scale this time, we have been meticulously cautious in hiring our staff! That's why it will run smoothly even without me!"
Upon hearing the man's slightly condescending voice akin to that of a shrewd businessman, Frey asked.
"So, what brings you here?"
Frowning slightly, he asked again.
"Ah, well, I have a few questions to ask you!"
With his ever-so-friendly smile, the man began his story.
"Have you decided to sweep up all the beastkin slaves today?"
"What are you insinuating?"
"What do I mean? Aren't you depleting the beastkin population right now, Lord Frey?"
The man uttered, soon wearing a mischievous expression, and continued,
"Well, if it's Lord Frey, not even all the female slaves here would be enough, right? You have quite the reputation in that regard…"
"What are you trying to say?"
As Frey asked in a cold voice, the man rubbed his hands together and got to the crux of the matter.
"So, how many are you planning to buy today?"
"I'll buy as many as I want, is there a problem?"
"Um, well… under normal circumstances, I would be elated to hear that answer…"
As Frey responded calmly, the man began to appear slightly troubled.
"Um, don't you know, Lord Frey? Amongst the visitors attending our market today, there are numerous VIPs."
"So, what's the point?"
"Well, the thing is, if Lord Frey monopolizes the slaves, um… how should I put it? Not everyone would be satisfied."
In order to persuade the typically self-centered Frey, the man desperately tried to convey his message with the utmost effort.
At that juncture, VIPs who couldn't buy the slaves they desired due to Frey's prior purchases had already begun to voice their dissent.
"A monopoly? Can't they just pay a higher amount and buy them? Hasn't this been the established system for a long time?"
"Well, to pay more than the amount you paid, Lord Frey… Even for nobles, it would be quite a burden."
"Really?"
As Frey scratched his head at that, the man began to plead with a pitiful expression.
"Please, Lord Frey! I never thought I'd say this, but could you take it a little easy…"
"Fine."
"…Huh?"
The man, who had expected an enraged Frey to punch him, was bewildered when Frey surprisingly agreed.
"I have a limited amount of money to spend. I was planning to cut back anyway."
"Oh, is that so? Anyway, understood! Thank you!"
The man, who had been flustered for a while, hastily bowed in gratitude when Frey responded with a bitter expression.
"…Hehe."
"Do you have more questions?"
Just as Frey was about to leave the corridor with the fox beastkin in tow, he glanced at the man for a moment, turned his head, and asked as the man quietly followed him.
"Well, I do, but it's not a big deal! Just a simple survey!"
"A survey?"
"Yes, we've been conducting a preference survey among VIPs regarding the market slaves!"
As Frey furrowed his eyebrows, the man began to ask questions with a smile.
"What's your favorite type of slave? What race? Age range? Build?"
"I'm busy right now, so let's do this later…"
"Oh, speaking of which, this one… is a fox beastkin, isn't it?"
As Frey stepped back from the man who approached with a gleam in his eyes, the man turned his gaze to the beastkin beside Frey.
"Let's see… Judging by the tail's shape and color, it's from the mountains of the Eastern Continent. Wow, your discerning eye is truly amazing. Such a specimen only appears once a decade…"
After swiftly deducing some information merely by glancing at the beastkin, he murmured with a regretful expression.
"If I had noticed her earlier, I would have made her an exclusive item and utilized her for entertaining guests, but since she's already sold, there's nothing I can do."
"You don't seem to know everything about this place either, do you?"
"Of course not! The scale of this place is so huge! Even though I'm very knowledgeable in this field, there are limits to what I can do!"
"…Yeah, I figured."
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Frey, who had murmured with a meaningful expression, soon smiled and said.
"It's nothing. Anyway, I'm going to take my newly purchased slave for a stroll."
"Have a good time! By the way, there's a secret rest area for nobles across from the waiting room!"
Leaving the man who bowed his head behind, Frey began transmitting telepathic messages while avoiding the gaze of the fox beastkin who continued to glare at him.
"Did you all hear that? Even the person in charge doesn't know everything. So, adapt more flexibly depending on the situation. And don't forget the location of the secret rest area."
Once again, Frey transmitted telepathic messages to everyone and started to walk slowly down the corridor, relying on his cane.
"Human."
"…Hmm?"
As Frey walked down the corridor for a while, he glanced back at the fox beastkin who had called him with a puzzled expression.
"Where are you going?"
As the fox beastkin quietly stared at Frey and posed a question, he responded with a ridiculous expression.
"Your form of addressing me is a mess, and you even dare to use informal speech. It seems you are unaware of your place; one word from me and you're done."
"I'm not familiar with the Southern Continent language. So, please understand… Ugh!"
The fox beastkin, who was replying in a hushed voice, suddenly started to choke as Frey abruptly yanked hard on her collar.
"If you don't know it, you shouldn't speak so casually until you become accustomed to it."
"Cough, choke! Ugh…"
As the fox beastkin grabbed her throat and teared up, Frey looked at her for a moment and then gently tugged on the leash to signal her to start walking.
"…Human."
"Ugh."
As they once again proceeded along the quiet corridor again for a while, Frey turned his head with an annoyed expression upon hearing the fox beastkin's low voice once more.
"Are you fearless? Or do you want to die?"
"I have a question."
Staring at Frey with an intense gaze, the fox beastkin asked in a cold voice.
"Why do you do this? This kind of thing?"
"…What?"
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the shiny blade concealed in her hands.
"Why did you buy the children who were with me?"
"Hmm…"
Until now, her predatory instincts had been fully awakened.
"It's been a while since I last encountered an untrained slave. A slave who remains oblivious to their own situation is also a rarity. It'll be fun to break you."
"Answer me, human."
"Are you really asking because you don't know?"
With a sneer, Frey replied to her.
"I'm going to lock them all up in my cellar and turn them into sex slaves. You, especially being a rare beauty, will be exclusively mine."
"…They're young."
"What?"
"Younger than me and even younger than you."
Her grip on the concealed blade tightened as she growled menacingly.
"Unable to feel the weight of conscience…Ugh!"
At that moment, Frey forcefully yanked her collar once more.
'…This is my chance!'
And that was the moment she had been waiting for since she had grasped the blade.
Swish!
"…Huff."
In the blink of an eye, the blade was poised at Frey's throat.
Despite being significantly weakened by the bracelet, she used her unique agility and the force from Frey's pull to create her own triumph.
"…Human, don't move."
Having succeeded in her rebellion, she pressed herself against Frey, who was wearing a stiff expression, and began to whisper in a cold voice.
"Your life is now mine."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. So, you must obey my commands."
At her words, Frey began to smile.
"What's so funny, human?"
"No, it's nothing. Just…"
As the fox beastkin increased the pressure on the blade against his throat, and asked for a reason, Frey replied with a look of amusement.
"It's the first time a slave has attacked me. I find it somewhat intriguing."
"Can't you understand the situation? Human? You're now…"
"Regardless, you cannot harm me."
As he said that and reached for her throat, the fox beastkin frowned and tried to stab the blade slightly into his neck, but…
"…Huh?"
The blade, which had been aimed sharply at Frey's throat,
No matter how much force she exerted,
It didn't budge an inch.
"Why is that? You said my life is yours?"
"What… What is this? Why…"
As she was puzzled by the strange phenomenon, she started to look confused when Frey, who had extended his hand toward her, began to gently stroke her throat.
"The bracelet you're wearing is not solely imbued with a weakening curse."
"A… curse?"
"That's right. In addition to the weakening curse, the bracelet also contains a 'curse of obedience'."
As he said that, Frey whispered softly into her ear.
"Don't move and stay still."
"....!"
Then, her body froze in an instant.
"Ugh, ugh…"
The fox beastkin, who had been desperately struggling to break free from the situation, soon realized that it was futile and looked forward.
"...…Hehe."
And at that moment, she began to feel fear for the first time.
The shock of having a boy, who seemed to be no match for her, gently caressing her defenseless neck.
On the other side of his hand, the collar that was gradually tightening, began cutting off the oxygen supply.
For the first time in her life, she experienced the eerie and chilling power called 'magic'.
"Ugh, ugh…"
These realizations led her to comprehend the true nature of oppression for the first time in her life.
Not the justifiable and reasonable oppression enforced by the village's rules or the control of the adults, but rather a violent and irrational oppression.
The fear of having to become a plaything for the man in front of her for the rest of her life, a fear that gripped her after she had fled the village in search of freedom, was enough to paralyze her reasoning.
"I-I'm sorry…"
"What?"
"I-I made a mistake… I apologize for my mistake. So, please stop now…"
That's why she even apologized to the human, whom she had secretly looked down on in her heart.
"Hehe…"
Frey quietly clasped her throat.
For some reason, he didn't tighten his grip, but simply wrapped his small hand around her throat.
'Is he implying that he can kill me anytime…?'
However, the hidden meaning of his action that she guessed only intensified her fear.
"Please, spare…"
As a result, before she knew it, she was pleading with Frey with a sob.
"…Please spare me."
No matter how much she had prided herself as a noble member of the fox tribe and a great warrior, the irrational evil she had encountered for the first time in the vast world was not something a young fox beastkin, who had been worshiped by the villagers and inexperienced in life's trials, could handle.
Swoosh…
"Hehe…"
As a result, the fox beastkin, who had been completely consumed by fear, experienced a chilling sensation whenever Frey's touch brushed against her neck, as though her throat were on the verge of snapping.
And so, she could only endure what felt like an eternally silent passage of time.
"…What's your name?"
After what seemed like an eternity to her, Frey finally removed his hand from her neck, and asked her a question in a soft voice.
"Mi-Miho."
"Alright, Miho. You won't do such a thing again, right?"
Upon hearing those words, Miho hastily nodded her head, and Frey quietly led her to the door of a room.
"Wait here for a moment."
"Wh-Where is this…"
"This is my private waiting room. It's where my captured slaves gather."
With that said, Frey stroked Miho's head and whispered,
"I'll come to get you when I'm done with my business. Then we can go for a walk again and do all sorts of fun things."
"Uh-ugh…"
After finishing his words, Frey pushed her into the room, smiled briefly, and turned away.
"...…Ah."
Left alone with the slaves Frey had procured, she experienced a brief moment of fear and despair before cautiously looking around.
""...….""
It was the same for all the slaves in the room.
Because they had all been subjected to similar treatment at the hands of Frey prior to their arrival in this room.
Despite the fact that there were even some who were stronger than Miho among them.
'…I want to go back, to my home.'
In such a situation, Miho experienced her powerlessness for the first time and buried her face in her knees, trembling quietly.
It was the moment when a sprout that had emerged from the ground with an innocent dream of finding freedom was about to be ruthlessly trampled.
"Hello, everyone."
Without any warning or notice, Dmir Khan appeared in their midst, having received a signal from someone.
""...!?""
The slaves began to stare at the gentleman in the suit who had suddenly appeared.
"…Indeed, as expected of him. Each of them is the strongest among their races."
Satisfied with their reactions, Dmir Khan said.
"I'll be straightforward."
In a soft voice that resonated throughout the room, he made a proposal.
"…I offer you the power to bring this place down."
Upon hearing those words, the slaves made a bewildered expression, and he quietly added,
"But in return, join the Demon King's army."
Instead, join the Demon King's army.
"No way! Who are you to decide that?"
Having placed the fox-girl Miho in the waiting room to catch his breath, Frey heard Dmir Khan's words echoing in his head, smiling and whispering,
"…Anyway, they are quite useful guys, aren't they?"
"Frey, I found a way to remove the self-destruction magic on the slaves' collars! Come here for a moment…"
Irina's telepathic message then resounded in his head.
"I've been breaking it with magic from the stars so far?"
'Is that… even possible?'
"Just by sending magic into their collars, it worked?"
While scratching his head, Frey said.
"Everyone report! Are there any noticeable anomalies or variables at the moment?"
He then sent a telepathic message to everyone.
"This is Kania. No problems here. By the way, Master, is it really true that the girl is not a sub-heroine?"
"I'm not sure, I've been focusing on magic restoration."
"This is Clana, we have a problem."
Soon, with his eyes closed, Frey attentively listened to the telepathic messages and began to frown at Clana's words about there being a problem.
"The Royal Knights Commander and the Holy Knights Commander have appeared."
"What? What did I do again?"
But then he heard her words and made a relieved expression.
"It's natural for the two who are blinded by the recent influx of talent to make an appearance here. They're probably trying to pick out strong male slaves."
"But, but…"
"Leave them alone. They've only come to observe. And they're not strong enough to cause any setbacks in our plans."
Calmly responding, Frey started to walk away, humming a tune.
"There's one more variable."
"...!!!"
Suddenly, he stopped and froze.
"Don't be surprised, right now, in this place…"
"I know."
"Huh?"
Within his line of sight.
"Frey!!! You despicable, wicked, cunning, lowly, contemptible, and evil person!!!"
"I can see it right now."
A huge variable named Ferloche was approaching.
"I will definitely kill you today!!!"
At that moment, no one knew how this variable would impact the situation.
You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02