Chapter 1: The beginning of revenge.

- "Move, you bastard!"

Clad in armor, the knight led a boy across the square – a boy who had just turned 11 years old.

The boy's wrists were bound by heavy shackles, and a short chain connected the shackles on his feet.

His steps were heavy, his tears long dried in his eyes, leaving only salt streaks on his cheeks. Drops of blood from chafed areas where the shackles had rubbed against his skin adorned his hands and feet.

The boy reeked, covered in dirt, battered, and bleeding; his condition was truly terrible.

"I'll kill them, I'll kill them all. These monsters will pay for what they did, even this knight who kindly beat me," thought the boy.

But could he really kill them?

Right now, he was just a slave, miserable and weak, unable to take care of himself. How could he possibly achieve revenge?

When they reached the end of the square, the wicked knight said:

"You'll be sold now, you pathetic piece of shit."

"It'll be amusing if some old geezer buys you and plays with you at night."

A malicious grin spread across his face, highlighting the rotten soul of the knight.

"Now undress!"

The boy, eager to avoid further beatings, obediently started to undress.

Despite the chains and his appearance, the boy had a rather slender body, and his face was quite handsome.

If not for the chains and his situation, he could have passed for a noble offspring, even in simple clothing.

"Come closer, look at this slave. He's young and full of strength, quite the handsome lad!" the knight said enviously.

"He can help you with household chores, or perhaps be your plaything. This slave is suitable for any of your desires!"

A countless number of people passed by, looking at the little slave with contempt.

In the boy's eyes, fear mixed with anger; he hated all these people with all his heart and soul.

He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, and blood dripped from his wounds onto the stone of the square.

Approaching them, an aristocrat licked his lips and said:

"This little one is lovely. Clean him up, and he'll be a fine addition to my estate. I'll buy him; how much do you want for this gem?"

"Ten gold coins, sir," the knight replied.

"Here, take eleven. Ten for the slave, and one for making me happy!"

Greedy, the knight snatched the money, and a smile appeared on his face.

But then, another man approached, around 40 years old, handsome with a thick silver beard. He was tall and well-built, dressed like an aristocrat, but his sword seemed unremarkable.

At first glance, anyone would think it was just an ordinary piece of iron, unfit for such a gentleman to carry. But appearances can be deceiving.

The man stared into the boy's eyes for a long moment, then smiled and said:

"I'll buy him and offer more than this fatty."

The aristocrat turned red, his veins bulging on his forehead.

"How dare you speak to me like that, you wretched creature!" said the barrel-like man.

The man with the silver beard simply looked at the barrel and continued:

"I'll offer 20 gold coins for the boy."

The barrel-like man scoffed, "Hmph, forget it. I'll find myself another plaything."

The man handed 50 gold coins to the knight, who then released the boy.

After that, the man waved his hand, and the boy's shackles fell off his hands and feet.

"Boy, you're free now, but it's better if you come with me," said the man.

The knight was amazed by the man's ability to remove the shackles. Not many people possessed such powers.

But what surprised him even more was that he had paid 50 gold coins for the slave, only to set him free.

However, he no longer cared about these people. Today, he intended to celebrate this occasion and visit the red-light district.

The boy stared at the man for a long time, not fully understanding what was happening. He wanted to believe, but he couldn't.

The man understood this and then said:

"Come with me, and I'll make you stronger. I'll help you with your goal of seeking revenge, won't I?"

The boy looked at him, and hope sparkled in his eyes – hope for gaining strength, the strength that would help him achieve revenge.

Gritting his teeth, the boy said, "Fine, I'll follow you, but if you betray me, I'll kill you."

Marvin smiled, and the boy put on his tattered clothes as they set out on their journey.

After about an hour of walking, they left the city behind.

When they had gone far enough, the boy asked, "Why did you help me?"

Without turning around, Marvin kept walking and replied, "My name is Marvin. I simply enjoy helping people. That's all you need to know for now."

"Marvin, where are we heading?"

"First and foremost, we need to dress you properly. These filthy rags make you look like a slave, and I don't want that. I also want you to feel more comfortable. In about four hours' walk from here, there's a small village. We'll visit my friend there, and he'll clothe you properly."

"Do you have anything to eat?"

"Yes, my apologies, I completely forgot that you probably haven't eaten in a long time. Let's stop, and you can have some food."

***

In Efri's perspective:

When we stopped for a break, Marvin took out some food from his dimensional bracelet and offered it to me. It was dried meat, water, and a piece of bread.

"Quite modest for such a wealthy man," I thought.

I eagerly devoured the meat, but as I chewed, I choked, and Marvin raised an eyebrow at me.

Then I hastily washed it down with water.

After an hour of rest, thanks to the old man, and after filling my stomach, we resumed our journey.

We had to walk for four hours, but with the reinforcement of my legs by mana, it shouldn't have been a problem—or so I thought. However, after about two hours, I realized that my core was depleting, and I didn't have enough mana to sustain such a pace.

As I stopped using mana to support my legs, walking became extremely difficult, and exhaustion weighed heavily on my body. Even the nourishing food I ate couldn't fully restore my strength.

I needed a good rest, at least for a few days.

We walked through a forest, its trees incredibly tall. Birds chirped their songs, and monkey-like creatures leaped from branch to branch.

Then the forest gave way to fields, and in the distance, we saw the city walls we were heading towards.

Here and there were cultivated fields with peasants working. As we passed by, they looked at me with pity and fear towards my presumed owner.

When we reached the city gates, there was a small queue, maybe about 20 people or so. I didn't bother counting, as I had no strength for even that; all I could think of was resting.

When it was our turn, the guards asked for our identification. Marvin showed them some kind of badge, and their eyes widened as they respectfully let us through. I could swear they glanced at me with disdain.

In this world, slaves were indeed hated and treated as animals or even worse, as beings unworthy of breathing the same air as their masters. As if it were their fault for becoming slaves.

Sure, there were people who lost their freedom in gambling or who couldn't pay their debts. The situations varied, but most slaves were not at fault.

They were either stolen or born to slave parents, automatically becoming slaves themselves, with no chance of another life.

Sometimes owners allowed their slaves to buy their freedom, but few chose to do so. Where could they go? They had no home or knowledge to live independently, so they preferred to remain slaves.

At least that way, they had food and a roof over their heads.

Walking through the city streets, it was dirty, with drunks lying in the corners, and beggars competing for charity.

Knights also strolled through the city, standing out among the riffraff. Occasionally, you could spot mages, but they were rare in such cities.

When we reached the town square, a fairly attractive view opened up before me.

It was astonishing to witness how different the city center was from the streets we walked through. It seemed like the knights intentionally chased away all beggars and drunks from the square so as not to spoil its appearance.

"Hey, catch her, she's a thief!" shouted a merchant.

At that moment, the same thief knocked me off my feet.

As we collided, our eyes met. She was a girl about my age, maybe slightly older.

In that split second, I saw her pointed ears. An elf! She was an elf, and a very beautiful one at that.

Elves were extremely rare, living high in the mountains, within dense forests. They were close to nature.

Elves lived throughout the kingdom, but their numbers were constantly dwindling due to slave owners and dark mages who believed that possessing their ears could enhance their magic, although there was no evidence of such claims. It was strange that people still believed in it... how foolish.

She had silvery hair and bright green eyes, with rosy, plump lips. She was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen.

She quickly leaped from one merchant stall to another and then climbed onto the rooftops, disappearing from sight.

I got up and asked Marvin, "Shouldn't we help her?"

"No, I think she can handle it herself. Elves are strong," Marvin replied.

I looked at him skeptically, but I didn't argue, and we continued on.

As we reached the end of the square, we found ourselves near a clothing store. As I had suspected, it was a very expensive store catering to the elite.

As we entered, a pleasant aroma welcomed us – spices that I had heard of, used to create a pleasant scent in homes and establishments. I had never encountered them before, but it was a delightful fragrance.

"Welcome to Sarrin's store," greeted a woman inside.

"Marvin, it's you again. What brings you back to my shop? Do you want me to create some incredible costume for you again, when you have no idea what it should be?" she said, with a quarrelsome tone, though there was warmth in her voice as she addressed him. She was around 50 years old, and I'd wager that when she was younger, men ran after her in droves.

She was tall with a slender figure, and her... well, let's say her ample bosom stood out amongst everything else. She had long chestnut hair that further accentuated her allure.

"Sarri, good to see you again," said Marvin.

"I need you to dress this young man properly," he continued.

She looked at me, and there was no hint of contempt or hatred in her gaze. Instead, I could see kindness and sympathy.

"Oh, my dear. Such a handsome boy. If only I were 35 years younger, you would be mine. Oh, what am I saying? Who dared to treat such a beautiful little boy so badly?"

"Such words are quite embarrassing," I thought.

"Hello, I hope you'll find a wonderful outfit for me," I smiled at her with the friendliest smile I could muster and waited.

"You're so polite too. Where did you find such a treasure, Marvin?" Sarri said.

"He was a slave, and they wanted to sell him. I bought him and took him as my pupil," Marvin explained.

"Seems like this boy is special if a penny-pincher like you spent your precious gold on a slave."

Then, we started trying on various clothes, and Sarri said everything suited me.

But I didn't really care; I just wanted to lie down and rest as soon as possible, though I did enjoy looking good.

In the end, we settled on two sets of clothes.

I changed into a gray shirt, black pants, and leather boots.

Sarri went somewhere and returned with a bracelet. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You're lucky to have such a teacher, little one. But I can see anger and despair in your eyes. You have a difficult path ahead. Wear this bracelet, and it will aid you. Now, take that old man of yours and get out of here."

When we left the store, I finally got a chance to take a closer look at the bracelet she put on my wrist. It was a woven leather bracelet, connected by a silver wolf's head. It was tastefully made, and I liked it, but there was something strange about it that I couldn't quite figure out. I decided I would deal with it later.

Then we went to the inn, had dinner, and headed to the hotel.

My room was ordinary, with a table, chair, and bed. There was a quill and a sheet of paper on the table. It was a fairly standard room for adventurers.

I just flopped onto the bed without even taking off my clothes, only touching the pillow. My vision darkened, and I fell asleep.