Halsem sat awkwardly. His pale face was drenched in a cold sweat as he continued to peek to his right without saying a word.
"Ah, our merchant boss is very humble. Look, he's prepared jobs for a couple of muscle-heads like us."
Halsem twitched upon hearing Tom's explanation, and then looked to his left.
"Yes, that's right. Our boss is a very kind person!"
Ellin nodded emphatically. Halsem was so addicted to gambling before because of the thrill, but, presently, he was experiencing enough thrill to make his heart stop.
'I don't want this kind of thrill!'
This pair of people—no, monsters with human faces, sitting on both sides of him had 'requested' his cooperation. They were asking for him to help them enter Canibar with his identity as a 'merchant'. As merchants often hired mercenaries, they wouldn't draw any suspicion. Also, they had helped refugees, making it that much easier to operate with the favor of the local lord.
'More than anything, there is already a merchant's certificate drawn up in Halsem's name. As in, he already has the identity as a merchant, so it shouldn't be much of a problem to move around.'
The only issue was that he was registered as a merchant of crafts, but that could be changed at any time. To a Slave Merchant, that is.
Count Shabel looked strangely at Halsem's pale face.
"You are looking quite pale. Are you unwell?"
Halsem tried to respond to Shabel's question.
'What should I do? Tell the truth? What should I say…? Won't these monsters kill me if I speak the truth? But if I don't…?'
Halsem recalled the events in the Golden Fief. The Devil of Lania had descended in that place, causing hundreds of Undead to appear and swallow the region whole. The only saving grace was that the atrocious Undead and the Devil of Lania himself had vanished, causing the entire territory to remain abandoned.
'What if the same thing happens in this place as well…?'
It was a huge problem! Countless would die! In that case, it was smarter to just let them know of their identity!
Halsem tightened his fists.
'Be brave! Have the courage to save others!'
When Halsem tried to speak, Ellin whispered into his ears.
"I'll chew you up?"
"…?!"
Halse immediately froze and shut his mouth. It wasn't that difficult for him to tell whether she was joking or not. She was a Demon, and it was well-known that they ate humans.
He spoke to Shabel, who was looking right at them.
"N-no, it's not…hing… My stomach… is a bit upset…"
Halsem replied while avoiding his gaze. He had ended up submitting to his fears. Shabel looked surprised at his response.
"Is that so? Then let me call the mages right away. Ah, I have moved all your luggage to my estate. It won't bother me if you choose to stay a few days there. Also…" Shabel looked apologetic on this final point as he scanned the three companions. "Would it be okay if I inspected your luggage? I would also like to see your identity cards. As these are such times, we must maintain our security."
Tom peered over at Halsem, who remained limp, having given in to defeat. So, Tom spoke in his Halsem's place.
"Yes, of course."
***
The estate's guest room was humble. It had an appropriately sized table and bed, along with simple furniture such as a shelf and a sofa. Ellin jumped onto the bed immediately upon entering the room. She felt drunk on the soft sensation of the sheets and rolled around on top.
"Aaaah-! So good! This feeling…! Humans are so clever! How did they make such a bed? The straw beds in the Demon Kingdom are so rough!"
'Are those really beds?'
Tom smiled bitterly at Ellin's words. In reality, he was also thinking of the beds they were used to; they were of primitive design, with only a piece of cloth on top of some straw. If one put in a bit more effort into it, they would use bamboo as well. It was like heaven and hell in comparison to the ones made by humans.
Tom looked to the side. Halsem was sitting on the sofa, bouncing his leg with his hands clasped together, muttering to himself like a madman.
"I-I'm going to die. I'm going to die…! I'll be eaten and killed! I'll be chewed up and killed…!"
"…Just what did you say to him?"
When Tom spoke to Ellin, she simply waved her hand dismissively.
"Hm? Ah, well… I was so happy that we've met after so long. I joked around with him without meaning to…"
"It looks like he's traumatized because of the joke."
"I-is that right…? Ah, I'm also sorry. I promised to move without drawing any attention, and it ended up like this…"
Ellin looked worried, in case she had caused wrinkles in the plans. It wasn't good for them to have met human nobility. However, Tom shook his head reassuringly.
"No, it is rather a good thing. It would have been different had we arrived here with a traveler or mercenary identity at a time like this."
If they had been refused entry due to the current political climate, they would have had to sneak in during the middle of the night.
"The biggest problem is that security is tighter than I reckoned. Well… I thought we could just move the Dwarves after purchasing them, but we might catch unwanted attention if we purchase close to a hundred of them. Rather, we might be suspected of being an agent of the Holy Kingdom, redirecting valuable labor away from Aylans."
"Is that so? Well… there must be no way to send them to the kingdom after buying them now."
Tom shook his head in response.
"It isn't that there is no way. There is still Warp Magic."
He was aware of the coordinates of the Demon Kingdom, and he had drawn out the seal of Warp as well. At Tom's level, he should be able to move a hundred or so Dwarves at a time.
'…The problem is that the limit is about 100. Would it be okay if we move them a day at a time?'
Warp magic required a dozen people to move even a single person, with mana consumption in proportion to the distance traveled. There were many that said 'such magic shouldn't exist in the first place', or 'it's only used in emergency situations'. It was so extreme that people said it was magic made by perverts that enjoyed mana exhaustion. Even for Tom, about a hundred was his limit.
"W-what are you planning on doing with me?"
Tom and Ellin looked at Halsem. He mustered all his courage to look them in the eyes but ended up lowering his gaze again. He stuttered fearfully.
"A-are you going to eat me? O-or are you going to make me into an undead?"
Tom smiled in response to Halsem's question as he sat down on the sofa across him. There was an oppressive atmosphere around Halsem, like a prisoner waiting for his execution as he continued to peek at Tom again and again.
Tom looked serious while trying to speak to Halsem again.
"I wish to ask for your help."
"Help? Hah… w-what kind of help? Mister Holy Knight… No, monster…!"
Halsem pointed his finger at Tom. When Tom smiled, he pulled his finger back and retracted his attitude immediately.
"…Sir."
"Even if you call me Sir Monster, I will still be hurt."
"I-in any case… W-what do you want…? For someone like you, you shouldn't need help from someone like me, right? You're not trying to ask me to help you make this whole territory into hell? I-I might be some gambler that makes a living off the backs of others, but I'm not that cold! I-I won't take part in it!"
"No, no. We don't wish to make any kind of spectacle. We're not some perverts drunk on murder…"
"You're… not?"
When Halsem asked him seriously, Tom simply scratched his head and looked troubled.
"Yes, we have only come here with one objective."
"That objective is…?"
"To buy slaves."
— Ω —