34-Episode 34: Slavery, Suspicious of a Thousand Cava...




 As we walked through the center of Santor, we noticed that only stores related to weapons and food were open. Not a single store related to entertainment or hobbies was open, a clear indication of how the war was robbing people's minds of their leisure.
 Even in such a desolate town, only the tavern was open, and we opened the door without thinking. However, the moment we stepped in, the strange atmosphere stopped Benetnash and the others who were leading the way. The tavern, which is normally a lively place for better or worse, was uncomfortably quiet, even though most of the seats were filled with soldiers, and they were just drinking in silence.

'Master Seretia, Master Walth, this way, please.

 Benetnash went to a vacant table at the back of the room and seated Seretia and me against the wall, so that we were shielded from the soldiers' gaze.

When Seretia said, "I'm sorry," Benetnash replied with a single word, "No.

Seretia does not look well.

 You will find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

I'm sure the people drinking here with a death look on their faces are slaves.

The ones drinking in silence, I suppose.

 Some of them may be military personnel, but from the sounds of it, most of them are slaves.

There are slaves in the Eurasian Kingdom, but not this bad. Besides, I want to eliminate slaves from the Eurasian Kingdom in the future.

 I was convinced that this was the reason for the special treatment of me, but I must say that this idea was a bit naive for someone who ruled a country. In the Kingdom of Carlitz, you don't see many slaves on the streets, but most of them are sold to war zones like this, or spend their days in the mines and other harsh places.
 In the Kingdom of Eurecia, too, if there is a surplus of slaves, they will be expelled via merchants, and if there is not enough, they will be purchased. In the end, abolishing the system will not make it viable. If you really want to abolish slavery, go to ----.

If you want to abolish slavery, you need at least two things: power that surpasses that of the Kingdom of Carlitz, and absolute centripetal force that will make your people and other nations groan. If you don't have them, you will be isolated or attacked by other nations. At best, it will be used as a haven for criminals, and there is no future for the Kingdom of Eurasia.

I know that, I know that. That's what the crown system is for. I'm sure you'll do great things.

 I'm amazed at your optimism, but more than that, if you feel that way, I can't understand why I'm a slave.

The moment you say, "Well, then, first of all, I'm going to have to get my blood spell removed ......," you are stopped by Celestia.

You know I can't help you with that. Besides, I need Walth to help me with one of my dreams. Or is ...... Walth willing to risk his life for me without the Blood Qi curse?

"...... Yes, it would be interesting to risk it.

 In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it here.
 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

"What's going on?

 I said as if to confirm, and Neya turned to the entrance and said, "It seems that General Gaster of the Royal Army has entered.

 A man with tanned skin and a warrior's air came in, accompanied by a squire. He took a seat at a table some distance away from us and sat down roughly.
 It looked to me as if Neya and Benetnash had deliberately turned their heads away.

"Do you know each other?

 Neya's face twisted a little as she answered, "I was only invited to the guild headquarters once.

You don't look too happy about it.

I've heard that he's been called the Immortal Guster, and he's had a lot of success, but I don't think he's that good.

"Immortal" is another exaggeration. ......

 I'm not sure what to make of this.
 The man ordered a large amount of meat and alcohol with his followers and began to talk loudly, not caring about the people around him.

The man's arrogant attitude,............, and if you look at him for a while, you'll see that he's a bit creepy,....... Neyer slurred his words.

If Neya says so, then it must be something serious, but for now, let's talk about our future plans.

 I took my mind off the man for a moment and decided to make a suggestion to the merchant guild based on the story of the Ruberia royal family.
 The adventurer's guild might have new information about the paganism, but there is no adventurer's guild in this country because the church has a policy of withdrawing from countries that have been at war for more than two years.

"Well, may I? Fekuda, sitting at the far end of the room, raises her hand, her curly hair shaking.

"You can tell me anything you want.

You can tell me anything you want. ---- I like Master Walth's idea, but I think you could also go south and leave the country immediately. ...... Fekda said fearfully.

 Neyer nodded in affirmation to Fekda's words.

I've thought about it, but I don't think we should leave here empty-handed. Time is limited. We don't even know where to find information, so we might as well go to the Merchant's Guild and get some information to help us decide where to go. What do you think, Seretia?

 Celestia thoughtfully considered both my opinion and Fekuda's.

I'd like to leave this country right away, but it won't take long to stop by the merchant guild, so I think we can do that first.

 It was a wise decision, and when I looked at Neya sitting in front of me for confirmation, her face was already turned to that man. The squire sitting next to Gaster had just risen and was about to leave his seat.

Neyer whispered, "Master Walth, we are almost there.

 At the same time, a strange scene unfolded.
 Gaster and the squire had just been talking loudly and eating in a manner that could be described as brash or crude. However, as soon as the squire disappeared, his hands stopped and his movements became sluggish, as if he were a cripple. The change was so eerie that you could almost feel that Guster had become a different person, that everything had become something else.

What the hell was that ......?

"This is what I'm talking about.

 It's something in the shape of a person.
 It was something in the shape of a man, and my mind was nagging me to see if I could just dismiss it as something creepy.
 The squire who had left his seat was a swordsman, not a magician, so it was hard to imagine that he was controlling it.
 The magic power was about the same as a person's, and there were no signs of magic use.

 ---- Guster the Immortal.
 The fact that he is called that may have something to do with this change.
 If it has anything to do with paganism, we may find the answer to the relationship between Ars and paganism and the existence of Ars.
 Just as I was thinking this, Celestia's hand grabbed my arm.

What the hell is she trying to do? That must be the Thousand Horsemen of the Kingdom. I can understand why Walth suspects paganism, but if you mess with him, you might be late getting out of the country, or worse, you might never get out.

---- Yes, I was a little hasty.



 If I were on my own, it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm not in that position right now.
 Fiel also looked at me with concern.
 I felt it was a bit troublesome to not be able to move freely, but I told myself that it was good to cool down.

 After watching Gaster for a while, I found out that the moment the squire returned, he reverted to his arrogant personality, as if something had switched.
 I don't know what the logic behind this is, but it's an unusual change.
 The only thing I was sure of was that the squire was the trigger for this change.

 I needed to find out if this change was unique to this man Gaster, if there were others like him, and if it had anything to do with paganism.
 When I told this to the others, they all seemed to feel the same way, and no one objected.