Chapter 109 – Headhunters (7)

“What is this again…”

At first, when a skeleton came out, I thought so. Because there may be some circumstances. However, when dozens of skeletons were rolling around in the hallway, I felt nothing but an ominous feeling.

‘If you look at the traces, it seems that some died fighting.’

Looking at the scratches and dried bloodstains on the walls and armor, it is definitive. But who were they and why did they fight?

Looking around the hallways for clues, I found graffiti on the walls. It was scribbled with a knife or something sharp.

-God, why did you abandon your pitiful servants? Please have mercy.

– Curse the one who forsook us.

– Damn bitch. Fucking year. Fucking year. A buggy year. Search search search search fuck.

In addition to these, graffiti was widely engraved throughout the hallway, except for a few, most of them cursing and slandering someone. However, the curious thing is that the space where someone should write is empty.

Clean as if it never existed, with no traces of someone digging or erasing it.

Belita called me while examining the graffiti with puzzled eyes.

“Hey, Yuseong Han, come over here.”

Belita was standing in front of a light purple curtain. As I approached, she knocked her fist on her tent and shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s blocked.”

I followed her and knocked on her tent. It feels like hitting a car glass. She drew her dagger, held it in reverse and took it down. Her hand gripping her dagger ricocheted away with her intense resistance.

“There is no trace left. Seris, hit it as hard as you can with your shield.”

“Yes.”

Seris grabbed her shield and pulled it up to her waist. She slammed her fist hard, adding strength to her back. But this time, she didn’t even scratch the purple curtain.

On the other hand,

“Uh huh?”

Seris’s wooden shield was shattered in half.

“Yoo, Yoosung, this is…”

“Are you okay. I’ve been using it for a long time, so let’s buy a new one now.”

“But… I see.”

Even though she decided to buy her new shield, Seris was very depressed. I wonder if looking at her broken shield with her bewildered eyes made me feel attached.

‘I’ll have to buy an iron shield that won’t break easily next time.’

She’ll be a bit heavy, but it’s probably no big deal for Seris. I turned my attention back to the mauve curtain.

It’s translucent, so you can’t see what’s inside, and it blocks outside intrusion. It’s like…

“It seems to be a barrier.”

“What’s inside that’s why I put it like this?”

“That I don’t know either. But…”

Patrick looked at the corpses on the floor.

“Seeing how many knights were guarding it, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary item.”

I counted the number of knights corpses rolling on the floor. Just looking at it, there were over twenty nine. If you look around the rooms, there might be more.

‘Is there some great treasure inside?’

Maybe it contains high-grade artifacts.

“So, is there any way to break through this? Whether it’s an ordinary item or a great item, you’ll have to go inside to check it out.”

Belita nodded her chin and pointed at the barrier. Patrick shook her head.

“As we saw earlier, it won’t open with physical force. If the barrier was open that easily, I wouldn’t have hit it at all.”

“Are you saying there is no way right now?”

“Yes. In the first place, I’ve only heard of the barrier, but today is the first time I’ve seen it. Of course I don’t know how to solve it. Do you guys know?”

We shook our heads.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to leave it alone.”

“I’m not going to give up, though. Life can change depending on what’s inside. Don’t do this Let’s leave the temple at once. After that, go to the capital and get rid of the elves, then find out how to break the barrier.”

“But don’t the elves know where the temple is? I sold it, but what if the elves tell others the location of the temple?”

“Ah… I didn’t think of that.”

“Why don’t we just dispose of it here?”

“Here?”

Patrick made a puzzled expression. Belita tapped him on the shoulder and pretended to cut her neck with her thumb. Patrick made a knowing face, then he sighed.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. Because sometimes you have to know how to sacrifice a cow for your generation.”

“Now, wait, what are you talking about? Are you going to kill us all?”

Ariel said in an urgent voice. It seems terrifying to die from stretching out like that.

“No, you don’t kill me. You will be our housekeeper.”

At my one word, everyone’s eyes were focused on me except for me. Sisters Patrick and Celis looked surprised, and Belita looked puzzled.

Seris sneaked up to me.

“Um, Yoosung… This is the first time I’ve heard of this..?”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you because urgent things keep happening. I’ll explain the details once you leave the temple.”

“Yes…”

Seris nodded her head. Then, Ariel, who had been absent-minded, came to her senses and began to have seizures.

“My, why do I have to be a housekeeper like you? Do not be ridiculous!”

“Then would you like to die with the other elves?”

“I’m sorry…”

Ariel’s brow furrowed, and a look of anger appeared on her face. However, that anger gradually turned into her resignation, and she just opened her mouth as she was about to say something, then bit her lip tight. Ariel, who was biting her lips and looking down at her floor, said in her crawling voice.

“…Help me.”

“Okay, then calmly…”

“Save my friends too.”

“That’s not allowed. As I said earlier, your friends know where the temple is. There’s no guarantee they won’t tell anyone else.”

“If I ask the forest spirits, no one will open it. Then no problem.”

“How can I believe what you say? Above all, there is no guarantee that the spirits of the forest will obey you, right?”

“Really. I can be sure because I’ve asked for it before. If you don’t believe me, you can test it.”

She was very confident in her words, and she gave up. She looked at Patrick and he scratched the back of her head.

“If it’s as long as that elf says, it’s fine for us. Because you’ll get a few gold coins right away.”

In the end, we decided to take a test to see if Ariel was right and came out of the basement. As she was about to leave the temple, she saw Seris packing her bag.

Patrick told her.

“I think we’d better leave that bundle here.”

“…Yes?”

“This is the legacy of the elves from 500 years ago. People will be suspicious if they suddenly appear in the market in bulk. Find a way to break through that barrier, and take it with you when you break through and get the treasure.”

“That, that…”

Seris’ eyes trembled wildly. She turned her gaze to me and gave me a longing look. I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“I’m sorry, but Uncle Patrick is right. Let’s go get it next time. Doesn’t anyone take it anyway?”

“…Yes.”

Celis reluctantly put down her bundle. As she leaves the room, she looks very sorry to see that she keeps glancing back at her until she leaves the temple.

“Mr. Yooseong, wouldn’t it be okay to just a little, a little bit? Just enough to buy a house…”

You haven’t given up yet.

I put my hand on her head and gently stroked her.

“Be patient. I will be sure to come get it later.”

“Huh…”

Seris’ shoulders drooped. Once again she looked back and she murmured.

“Bye bye, my pretty garden…”

* * *

The capital city can be said to be the heart of the country where all infrastructure is concentrated. The same is true of Avila, the capital of the Fromm kingdom.

The high and solid walls and dense buildings built in the castle were definitely better than Kalita or Bahran. However, since Nana and Seris had recently been to the ancient elven temple, they were not very impressed.

After entering the capital, we followed Patrick to the slave trader. Seeing that it is located on the outskirts rather than the center of the city, it seems that people’s eyes are not good no matter how legal it is.

“Go in.”

Patrick entered the slavers’ building first and we followed him. The inside structure was just like a normal store. It’s because the items on display are different from ordinary stores.

‘Leashes, whips… I have all sorts of things.’

I pinched the cheek of Celis, whose eyes were glowing.

“Ah, ah…”

“You’re saying you’re sick.”

To open your eyes to something new just because you stopped taking netorase.

Could not forgive

While I was chasing Cerith, Patrick went inside her shop and talked to the slave dealer.

“You came to sell slaves? Let’s see.”

The skinny man with hollow cheeks looked this way and widened his eyes at the elves. He walked quickly and inspected the elves.

“Were the pandas elves?”

The slave trader touched an elf’s hair to check the texture of his hair. The elf frowned and pushed him away. Instead of being offended, the slave trader smiled happily.

“Judging by his wild behavior, he must be a wild elf. I heard it’s hard to find these days… Where did you get it?”

“It’s a secret. So will you live or not?”

“Of course you have to buy it. How about this price per person?”

The slave trader spread a finger. Patrick shook his head.

“It’s too much to hit. I heard that wild elves are sold at high prices to maniacs.”

“…You knew. So if it’s like this…”

The slave trader and Patrick continued to negotiate a price. While I was eavesdropping on it from the side, I heard another earnest voice from the other side.

“If you don’t sell it. If you don’t sell it! He said he would release me!”

The elf who gave directions grabbed Belita by the collar and shook her wildly. Belita didn’t even react, as if she was tired of it, as she had already been beaten a few times on the way.

After some time, Patrick and the slave trader negotiated a price.

“Ah, I see. Wouldn’t it be nice to buy it at regular price? Hey, the nobleman is very picky.”

If that’s the case, there’s not much left. The slave trader murmured and set a price for each elf separately.

“This guy has a nice face, but he has a bad skeleton. 1 gold 50 silver. The balance between the face and body is not bad. 2 gold.”

The gaze of the slave trader who was appraising the elves like that reached Ariel. His eyes widened, and he said admiringly.

“Ohh… She has glossy green hair and elegant green eyes, her skin is as white and smooth as milk, and her breasts are full. It’s thin up to the waist! 3 gold!”

Ariel frowned at the appraisal that seemed to be dealing with an object. However, he soon cringed slightly at the excited slave trader’s eyes. I sighed and pulled Ariel close to her.

“Sorry, but this guy is not for sale. I plan to use it as a housekeeper.”

“…Using an elf like this as a housekeeper? No, this elf is too wasteful to be used as a housekeeper. I will raise it for 4 gold.”

“No need.”

“…5 gold.”

“It’s done.”

“Okay… Then how about something like this? A well-educated elf will serve as your housekeeper. They are much more docile than the picky wild elves and have a lot of charm, so they will be much cuter.”

“It’s okay.”

“Are you short of it? Then…”

He has been persistent in selling Ariel ever since. It wasn’t until after my persistent refusal and worse Patrick intervened that I gave up.

“Oops… I get it. So, did this elf come to engrave his mark?”

“Yes.”

Imprinting is essential to having a slave. Not only does it prevent slaves from harming their masters, but it also clearly indicates who owns the slaves.

“All right. Ellie, John, come out!”

A rice cake stand and a brown-haired woman came out from inside the store. The slave trader gave them instructions.

“John, you put these elves behind bars, Ellie, you put your mark on these elves.”

“Engrave? Who is the owner?”

“That’s me.”

Raising her hand, the woman named Ellie nodded her head and went inside her shop.

“Come with me, both of you. I will engrave your mark on you.”

I dragged the disgruntled Ariel and followed her into the store.

“They say they don’t sell it! He said he didn’t sell it!! Let go of this, let go of this!!!”

Ignoring the voice of the guidance elf from behind.

As we went downstairs, we entered Ellie into the room to her left. As I followed her, she handed me a stiff piece of parchment.

“…This?”

“It’s an engraving option. Pick the one you like.”