Chapter 26: Sold

Van decided to check his status. The theory classes said that he would awaken a world's energy upon entry, and that his status would adapt to that world's power system, so he wanted to check if it happened already.

<> Status <> 

Name: Van Brown

Mana: 30/30 

Rank: 2nd Fragment Apprentice

<> Worlds <> 

Earth

Pibar

Fendor

<> End <> 

Van's status and worlds tab had changed. In the worlds tab, Fendor had been added, but what caught Van's eye was his status. He noticed that his "Type" and "Level" had been removed. Ignoring it, Van looked at the new additions.

'Good, I have mana, but I don't know how to use it yet.' He thought. 'But my rank and rank potential are gone. What's a 2nd Fragment Apprentice?'

Van felt a headache coming on. Once he got his situation in control, he would need to learn more about Fendor and its power system. 

Closing his status, Van decided to talk to the person next to him. It was a thin, malnourished boy about his age, and he didn't spare a glance at Van.

"Hey." Van called his attention, and the boy turned to look at him. Van saw that his eyes looked lifeless and empty. "Do you know where they're taking us?" 

"We're going to be sold off to nobles as servants." The boy had a raspy voice. "Pray that you get a nice one." 

The boy looked away and closed his eyes before Van could inquire further. Van tried to ask the others but none seemed in the mood to talk. Having nothing to do, Van decided to go to sleep. 

A few hours passed, and Van was woken up by the sound of someone banging on the cart's door. The door opened, and Van saw a normal knight peer inside, pointing at a few of them, including Van.

"You, you, you, and you. Come on, Lord Raphael is waiting." 

Another knight pulled them off the cart one by one before shutting the door and locking it. Van examined his surroundings, and saw that they were currently standing in front of a wide gate, behind it lay a beautiful garden, a path in the center leading up to a massive estate higher on the land. He saw plenty of servants walking the grounds and tending to the plants. 

"Follow me, and don't lag behind." The knight bound each of them to a rope before walking through the gates. 

Van complied, noticing the red plume knight watching them from the driver's seat of the cart. The knight led them up the path, stopping in front of the manor, where a few people stood. 

At the front stood an extravagantly dressed man, with sharp eyes and black curly hair. Two robed figures stood on either side of him, with servants lined up far behind.

All the servants bowed, the well-dressed man moving forward to greet the knight. 

"Greetings, Lord Raphael, I hope these things I picked up will interest you." The knight bowed his head, gesturing to Van and the others.

Lord Raphael looked them over one by one. There was a man, an older woman, Van, and a child. Van felt like he was being dissected under his gaze. Lord Raphael continued to examine them until he was satisfied.

Lord Raphael nodded before snapping his fingers. A butler came forward, carrying a small wooden box. The butler opened it to show the contents to the knight, who looked pleased with the contents. Van was only able to glimpse some gems before the box was shut once more.

"This is my 'donation' to the capital for the gift you have brought me. There's also a little extra in there for you and your friends, as a thank you." 

"Thank you, Lord Raphael!" The knight accepted the box and bowed to Lord Raphael before turning to the slaves. "Do not be useless to Lord Raphael!" 

The knight's gaze lingered on Van before he returned down the path, joining the cart before it drove away. 

'So I'm with this guy now…' Van eyed Lord Raphael warily, who smiled at him. 

The butler approached them. Van got ready for a fight, but he didn't need to. The butler cut the rope bounding them, ripping the iron cuffs off them one by one with his bare hands.

Van rubbed his wrists as Lord Raphael explained to them. 

"I don't believe in mistreating servants. All I ask of you is you accomplish the tasks given to you, and you will all be given a roof over your head, food in your belly, and an allowance." He warmly smiled at them. "Now please follow Donald over here, he will get you all fresh clothes and some lunch before you start working."

He gestured to the butler, who immediately turned around and led them to a side entrance to the manor. They entered a locker room where the butler gave them towels and similar maid and butler outfits before directing them to the showers. 

'I wasn't expecting showers in a Fantasy world.' Van thought as he rinsed all the dirt off his body. It was good to get a chance to relax after the past few hours. 'Maybe it's not wholly like Earth's medieval era.' 

After taking a shower, Van put on his butler outfit. It consisted of black shoes, black pants, a white long sleeved shirt with frills near the collar, and a black dress coat over it. 

Van examined himself in a nearby mirror. He thought about the previous events that led up to this moment. He took a deep breath and gathered himself.

'This is my life, for now.' He thought. 'Gotta be able to survive before we can reach Transcendence.'

He entered the servant's dining room, which was small, but clean. There was a table in the middle of the room where the other 3 slaves Van arrived with were eating, his plate untouched, a seat ready for him. 

Van sat down and began to eat. The rest were already dressed in their new outfits, the child getting a stain on his shirt. The mood was livelier than it was in the cart.

"We really hit the jackpot!" The man of the group said, biting into some meat. He was one of the ones that ignored Van when he was trying to get information. 

"Lord Raphael is one of the best nobles who could have bought us!"