Damian isolated the sick slaves and used healing spells on most of them, which eventually proved useful. However, with so many people ill, Damian could only focus on treating the young and strong ones for now, as they had a faster healing rate.
Young bodies can heal faster, effectively suppressing the disease's growth.
As long as they receive healing spells, young people can survive hardships.
To treat as many people as possible, Damian spent hours casting spells on hundreds of individuals. Fortunately, Frieren reluctantly helped him, although she questioned if it was worth it for people who might flee once cured.
In the following weeks, Damian bought around fifteen hundred strong, young slaves who were sick at the time, along with others still ill.
Including the families of the sick slaves, Damian now had about 2,000 slaves under his control.
By the dawn of the month, specifically 3253, the plague was slowly subsiding from this point onward.
The blockade of the slave market camp has also been lifted, and the troops involved in this operation are preparing to return to the royal capital.
After deciding to buy one sick slave after another, Damian ensured to claim his territories. Due to this, he also had to respond to a call to arms, as he had been inactive for too long.
The first batch of citizens would be sent to his territory in a few weeks, but before that, he needed to create his first puppet with self-awareness.
When the heir of Baron Harden learned that Damian was returning to the battlefield, he ordered his territories to be cleared for the arrival of the new inhabitants who would be in the north, ushering in future opportunities.
After Damian acquired a large number of slaves who eventually recovered, a dozen slave traders secretly gathered and discussed taking action against this mysterious man.
"The mercenaries protecting the blockades at the slavers' place have left. When are we going to act against that noble who is practically alone in the company of that elf?"
"Do we really want to act against him? Damian is a hereditary noble. If we kill the noble, we'll be in trouble."
"We shouldn't worry; his actions have been careless for the past twenty years. He disappeared for a while but has been active in many villages to the north and south. His eliminations are notable, according to many villagers."
"He's a mage; it would be very complicated to deal with someone like him."
"His wartime performances are memorable. He's a second-class mage, but by now, he should be over fifty. At this point, his mana should have decreased."
Everyone knew that the sick slaves who fell into Damian's hands exceeded three Moo. Even if more than half of them were elderly, that would still be more than ten thousand gold coins. Nonetheless, many were tempted to kill Damian and keep his slaves, who had been settled in a camp on the outskirts of the city for months.
"Luther is right; we can't touch a mage like him. If you want to do something, you'll have to act on your own. I'm not getting involved in something like this; it would be suicide."
The nobles from the north were untouchable due to their bloody histories in their insatiable battles against demons. Killing a northern noble with Damian's strength would stir up a lot, and the slavers' place would end up closed.
"I, Lucas, will take care of eliminating him. If you want to be part of this, you'll receive your fair share of the profits." Lucas, who said this, made it clear that he would participate, causing many of the slave traders to withdraw.
Assassinating a noble is a very serious crime. Once exposed, the nobles who support the Chamber of Commerce will be implicated and killed as a result.
Many slave traders in the field have limited authority and dare not make their own decisions about such important matters.
The Weasley twins looked at each other. Both were the illegitimate children of nobles. Although they were also slave traders, their authority was much greater than that of their peers.
The two joined forces with three other slave traders and Lucas, who was the most active man. They gathered more than three hundred soldiers, quietly left the camp, and followed Damian's team as they moved away from their surroundings.
This attack group consisted of powerful mages and many soldiers in anti-magic armor, making them very deadly.
The Weasley twins were very decisive and planned to act before Damian left the sparsely populated mountainous area.
Taking advantage of the night, Lucas mobilized the elite, gave a few morale-boosting words, and immediately launched an attack on the camp.
One of the twins, Weasley, took the weaker soldiers and prepared to capture the slaves.
"Form up!"
"Raise your shields!"
Lucas carefully led over a hundred soldiers and gave orders one after another.
As they approached the camp, suddenly, two arrows were fired.
The bowstrings made a sharp sound, and the arrows cut through the air.
In the blink of an eye, two people fell alongside Lucas.
These two were actually elite soldiers and were easily killed by the surprise arrow attack.
Lucas couldn't help but show a look of astonishment on his face, which gradually turned into one of surprise.
He never expected there to be two sharp archers hidden in the camp.
They could accurately eliminate targets with just the faint moonlight at night, when nothing could be seen at all.
Such archers were very rare, even in the royal capital. To join the army, you had to be at least a captain and hold the position of squadron leader.
Seeing that the surprise attack had been exposed, Lucas roared, his body's muscles began to swell, and he immediately used the power rage spell.
Although Lucas was also just an illegitimate child, he had very good bloodline talents.
His father, Baron Joseph, planned to train him to be an officer, but he did not expect Lucas to get drunk and beat his comrade to death.
Although he saved his life by relying on the baron's influence, he also lost his future and could not develop in the army.
After this incident, Lucas could only become a dishonorable slave trader, doing dirty work for the Joseph family and becoming a hidden killer.
Lucas was only thirty years old and already a fourth-level knight. Relying on the power of his blood, he was harder to deal with than a fifth-level professional.
"With this treasure, I summon..."
But at that moment, a voice sounded in the darkness, and the ground shook, causing the soldiers in formation to stagger and fall.
"I know your existence isn't to kill humans, but these have betrayed their own kind, being worse than demons."
Lucas frowned. He could see a figure disappearing not far from his position and was prepared to fight.
In an instant, Lucas turned into a bloodthirsty beast.
But at that moment, the General Divino had appeared behind him, and with a single movement of his hand, at least a hundred people were cut in half.
Boom!
Blood and guts flew everywhere, causing many others to feel so terrified that they started to run.