Chapter 7

Seven days ago, Maybell, a thirteen-year-old apprentice maid of the Marquis of Sherden, was shocked by the words of her master, Evan D. Sherden.

'I will not laugh as much as possible in the future,' the boy said.

Why? I can't believe that he came from the Marquis, who looked like a gorilla. He was born pretty, more handsome than the Marquis by 100 times! It is a universal loss if he does not laugh!

What happened to him? Did he lose his facial muscles when he fell?

At some point in agony, Maybell's brain struck lightning.

'I won't smile at you in the future.'

That's it! That's when Evan said that he didn't like her!

As I think about it now, I become more certain. That day, Evan started stopping me from getting inside his room!

And what's more, he started doing strange poses in the yard!

It was all a sign that he didn't like me!

At that moment, Maybell decided.

I need to stop his anger against me. I'm going to make Evan laugh again! I'm going to make him fall in love with me and make me his exclusive maid!

"I hate you. You need to hate me, too." Evan trampled on Maybell's resolve. They were sitting in a carriage going to the city.

"I will never make you my exclusive maid. I don't want to get stabbed," he said.

"Who is stabbing who?" She was confused.

"Maybell, think carefully," he kindly explained to her, smiling.

"Let's say you have a boyfriend."

"Yeah."

"The boyfriend had an affair."

"Yeah."

"Well, there is a knife in your hand. Are you going to stab your boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

"So, I hate you!"

I'm only thirteen years old, it's scary to be this positive about something that hasn't happened yet.

"That will only happen if I got a boyfriend, and I will never stab my master… Oh… Are you trying to say… wow. You're nine years old and already this bold!" she exclaimed. But to be honest, it was a little exciting!

"I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend! I'm will never ask you to!" Evan said.

"In addition, how confident you are to already assume that you will be cheating on me?"

"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore." Evan shook his head and turned away from Maybell, who was consumed with fantasy.

Gradually, the city that has been affected severely by the dungeon reflux came to their view.

Collapsed buildings, roads… people are trying to recover scrap between the rubble. It was a far cry to what the city once was.

"… the number of people has also decreased," Evan observed.

"I don't think a lot would come in until the city has been restored. The knights hired dungeon explorers as mercenaries, and they are still in search of any missing monsters…"

"Master," Maybell spoke, "as I told you earlier, it is not a good time for shopping. But what are you going to buy?"

"A person."

"A person? … … Ugh! Slave market!"

"Bingo."

In the Dungeon City of Sherden, there was a slave market that was legally operated by the state.

Here, they sold people.

People of countries who lost to wars; captives; those who were sold for debt; orphans; unrecognized races…

Human greed has reached such depths that the state has chosen to run the slave market and regulate it since they could not completely stop it.

Slaves must be purchased with a clear purpose, guaranteed rights, and at least a minimal amount of dignity.

Well, I think the state was half-successful, Evan thought.

The country's slave management system has certainly provided better conditions for many of the slaves. In the state's eyes, they did a good job of ensuring that slaves are not forced into unwanted sex trafficking or as part of human experiments.

Of course, if you are a nobleman or a merchant who has a lot of money, it is possible to forge slave documents. If you take slaves and leave them on the battlefield or inside a dungeon, no one could stop you. Perfect management is impossible, unless for someone who has very powerful magic…

… Actually, there was one in Yo-Ma Great War 3 who could probably have the magic skills to do it.

A very, very famous character, not only because of her appearance but because of her powerful abilities.

Of course, there was an ending where Evan was killed by this character.

Where could the Bloody Witch be now? She's probably a kid just like me now, Evan thought.

If he feels like it, he can try to locate all the elements that could be harmful to him and stop it from the source. Evan felt like a god rather than the second son of the Marquis.

Suddenly, Maybell let out a scream.

"You are going to the slave market to find a new maid! You will abandon me and put that maid next to you! A maid who is prettier, calmer, and more mature than me!"

Evan thought Maybell was pretty enough. She was a charming girl with a soft brown bob cut, round blue eyes, and a slender neck. Honestly, he can't believe that she was just an Extra.

"Isn't it a little strange to say 'abandon'? I just said I wouldn't make you my exclusive maid."

"I knew it! Master, please, I'll do well. Make me an exclusive maid!" she tearfully pleaded.

Maybell grabs her crotch and puts her knees together as she cried.

Evan sighed as he looked at her.

"You seem to have a little twisted purpose. And I told you, I'm not going to get a maid right now."

"Then…?"

At that time, the carriage stopped, and a knight came to open the door for Evan.

"Good morning, Master. We have arrived."

In an advanced game such as the Yo-Ma Great War 3, there was no common face CG.

Evan looked at the knight's face and immediately felt comfortable.

It was another extra, a knight named Dyne.

"Thank you, Dyne."

"Let's go, Master!"

Shopping for a slave was different than just walking inside a store and looking around.

Although slave markets operate legally, these places are not located in the middle of the city. It was located on a side street.

"Are you sure you want one, Master? You didn't get approval from the Marquis." The escort knight couldn't hide his anxiety as Evan stepped down the carriage, eyes wandering.

"Dyne, you're here to protect me."

"Of course, yes, Master, but this is not a good place for your education environment."

"I know how this world works. I didn't come here to look at them like animals at the zoo, or to simply show off my money. I came to save the people I need."

"If you need someone who would teach you martial arts… the Marquis will have one for you if you just ask."

Of course, the Marquis will give Evan someone to teach him martial arts. It was the same in the game. Still, Evan died a lot.

Now, he will make sure he gets someone else. Someone who will not allow him to die.

"I want to pick them out myself," he replied to his escort.

"Huh. indeed… … Nowadays, I hear a lot of servants and maids grumble that Master is different, but now I know. You've changed a lot, I'm impressed."

Probably, when the servants and maids say he's 'different' meant something else than what the escort knight sees as 'different', but Evan decided not to tackle it.

He had suffered enough conversation with Maybell inside the carriage.

"Oh, please don't have a child that's pretty enough to catch your eyes…" Maybell's eyes were red from crying.

"You'll see it for yourself. Did you think you'll just be waiting here?" Evan told her.

"Okay!" she jumped down, excited.

After leaving the carriage to the soldiers, the three of them stepped into the building. Each had different thoughts.

The head of the exchange approached them. It is an exchange where slave traders register and trade slaves. The head looked like an aristocrat, even if he was not a noble.

"Nice to meet you. I am the exchange manager – oh! Master Evan?"

The head looked at the sight before him.

A knight and a girl dressed in a maid's outfit.

With them was the second son of the Marquis, one with the same name as their city, Sherden. It was impossible not to recognize the child. The head of the exchange bowed his head as he greeted him.

"Why did you come here yourself, Master? If you had called, we would have brought them to you…"

"I'd like to see them myself."

"Huh, huh… yes… but we have not prepared…"

"It's fine. I like it as it is." Evan cut him off. "I want to see children of a similar age to me."

"… Umm, I don't think we have…"

"I know you do. Are there children who lost their parents in this disaster?"

The head of the exchange glanced at the knight. It is not something that a 9-year-old would want, so he wanted to confirm it with his escort.

The knight shook his head firmly as if to say he was indeed just an escort. It would be Evan who will decide.

Eventually, the head of the exchange sighed. When he spoke again, he was more straightforward and forceful.

"They sold themselves to survive. Some of them do it, Master. All these children were… Somehow, they may not fit what the Master…"

"That means that all of those children are desperately trying to live."

Evan's words shocked the head of the exchange. This, too, was something he never expected to hear from a child.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Evan said. "Please lead me to them."

"Okay…" The head of the exchange couldn't say anything anymore. He immediately called a person, whispered something, then led Evan, Maybell, and Dyne to a large room.

Inside, the escort knight whispered to Evan.

"Mr. Master, I understand your noble intention, but if you take too many of them… it may be hard for the Marquis to manage…"

"You don't have to worry, Dyne. I only need one person."

"Mr. Master, a pretty girl, would be…"

"What I need is a boy, Maybell, a boy."

"Can you consider again before you decide, Master Evan…"

"Oh, this is really annoying."

The head of the exchange served them tea and went to the back. After a few moments, he reappeared.

"Here, Master. These are the children you said you want. I selected children under the age of 12…"

Several children followed the head of the exchange into the room, but Evan couldn't help but notice that the head of the exchange looked sweaty and panicking.

"There are some children you haven't brought in," he realized and said as much.

"Young Master?!"

"I said I would like to see it as it is."

Evan spoke resolutely and looked around the children who had been called.

Most of the children looked disgusting. One of them was pretty, but…

"You can take them all out. I need to see them."

"Young Master…"

"Well, come on. Are you going to make me say it twice?"

The head of the exchange froze with shock. He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

"But these children were born weak."

"It doesn't matter. I want to see them."

"… I have no choice…"

The exchange manager admitted that Evan was a formidable guest.

Most of the buyers in the slave market trusted the head's suggestion, but it seemed like the young boy has different standards in choosing his slave.

The young slaves lined up and left the room with the head of the exchange.

When the head came back, he only had two children with him.

"They are a little dirty… There are bruises, but it's okay, though. These children are smaller than the others… as I said before, children with congenital weakness are… …

"Dyne." Evan opened his mouth at the sight of the two children in front of him. "I said I just need one person…"

One of them had dark hair and dark skin, around the same age as Evan. Despite his young age, his beauty was already obvious.

Silent K/Night!

"Forget that. I realized I need two," Evan told his escort.

The other child had black hair and dark red eyes, darker than blood.

Pale white skin.

The child's hair was cut short, like a man, but she can't hide her beauty.

"I will need both of them."

Like the Silent K/Night, she was ranked in the Top 5 strongest characters in Yo-Ma Great War 3.

The most powerful sorceress.

The one who gave death to Evan in one of the endings.

In front of Evan was the young Bloody Witch.