Chapter 43.1

‘lucas?’

i turned my head in surprise, but what caught my eye wasn’t the target character ‘lucas’.

“lucas, you lazy slave, what are you doing moving so slowly!”

a fat merchant shouted at a man who fell on the floor while carrying something similar to a rice bag.

thump! thump!

when he struck down the whip he held in his hand, red blood seeped from the back of the man who was shaking on the floor.

“move now! we must deliver all the goods by noon!”

at the words of the merchant wearing a gold necklace around his thick neck, the man got up with the bag that looked bigger and heavier than him. his shaking skinny legs were as thin as branches in the middle of winter.

“his name is lucas…” i murmured quietly.

when i lowered my eyes at the hard-to-see sight, the man standing next to me shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.

“all the names of the tan male slaves are lucas. it means hunter in shamua words.”

“what? was it something like that?”

i was appalled by his explanation. although it wasn’t explained in detail in the game, the tan people were beast people, and ‘lucas’ had pointed ears, so he must’ve been from a beast tribe.

‘then it wasn’t his real name, but a title for a slave?’

“yes. that’s why i don’t understand why the master is so desperate to find someone with that name.”

i sighed as i looked up at the man who nodded his head. if i don’t even know his real name, finding lucas was literally trying to find a needle in a sand desert.

it was a moment when i was trying to understand my mixed feelings at the thought i should just give up and wait for another quest.

there was a loud sound of something falling over, and as i turned my head, i saw the merchant kicking the slave violently.

“you stupid lazy punk! die! die!”

he was whipping the fallen slave like he was really intent on killing him. surprised, i turn toward them, and the man reached out his long arm to block my way.

“where are you going?”

i stomped my foot at the man’s sour voice.

“let me go. i have to go and stop it.”

“why?”

why? i laughed out loud at his words.

“what are you going to do if you die like that?” he asked.

“if you die, you die, what can you do?”

the man shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the fallen slave, “that tan seems to be a private slave, so only that fat merchant will lose.”

i opened my eyes with tears at his words as if the slave’s life belonged to the merchant.

“you are a slave too, aren’t you angry as well?”

the smile left his eyes at my words. i wiggled my fingers, avoiding his eyes, which turned cold in an instant.

“i’m sorry…”

“…”

“it’s my fault for saying something strange.”

he was in the same position as a slave who was beaten to death by a merchant, so even if he was angry, he couldn’t do anything.

i felt restless and bit my lips at the expressionless man’s face. it was a mistake. i didn’t know his pain, and i haven’t experienced such shame.

“i went overboard. i’m sorry if i offended you,” i said.

“apologizing to a slave. what an eccentric master.”

i shut my eyes tightly at the man’s sarcasm.

“it’s hard to believe on your part, but i don’t consider you as my slave. rian isn’t really my slave either,” i tried to explain, looking up at the man with my chin raised high. “even if the return period is almost over, i don’t plan on giving you back to the store. that’s why i brought you here.”

“are you saying you’re going to buy me? do you have any money?” he asked.

he already knew how much i had with me in the first place and laughed in disbelief. having hit the nail on the head, i clasped my mouth in embarrassment.

“well, that’s not the case, but… but i’ll set you free somehow.”

even as he heard me, it didn’t matter. the man’s eyes narrowed at my boast and i bowed my head to avoid his sharp eyes.

“how can i believe that?”

“you don’t have to believe now. you can just watch.”

the man smirked and i think he still didn’t believe me.

“you really hit hard, master.”

still, when i suddenly thought i wanted to see that smile with my own eyes, he walked past me.

“argh! what are you?”

he grabbed the merchant’s thick arm as he beat the slave to death and broke it with one hand. along with the sound of cracking bones, the sound of a pig’s scream resonated at the alley’s entrance.