Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 15: Slave

Chapter 15: Slave

In the quiet of the late night, residents asleep, I, along with Carlos and the dark knights, visited the Clinton residence in the port town.

Why did we return to the Clinton residence at this late hour? It was to eliminate any lingering threats.

Fol—Faratiana Rougvelt, the possibility of her becoming hostile to the Lightless family in the future must be crushed, no matter how small it may seem.

There are no longer unjust heavy taxes imposed on Rougvelt. The monster problem has been resolved too. The only thing left is the abscense of Norn, Fol’s childhood friend, who was sold to a slave trader.

In the third chapter of the story, there was an episode where the drastically changed Norn and Faratiana reunited after being sold to the empire for human experiments. Somehow, that reunion seemed to stir up hatred within the protagonist’s faction, specifically Faratiana, towards the Lightless family.

The root of all evil lies with the imperial agents conducting human experiments, and even going back further, it was the fault of Clinton, the slave trader, and the magistrate who engaged in human trafficking.

So, can we really blame the Lightless family or Rofus for everything? Well, since it’s within Lightless territory, one could argue there was negligence on their part.

If that’s the case, then the blame lies with my father, the head of the household. 

Personally, I find it hard to accept, but it’s a fact that the anger was directed at no one else but me.

What’s this? Is every inconvenience in the world my responsibility?

It’s utterly absurd, but if that’s the case, then I’ll thoroughly crush any elements that may provoke anger or resentment on others.

If saving Norn, Fol’s childhood friend who was sold into slavery, means postponing my own death in the future, then I’ll gladly do it.

It takes half a day by carriage from Rougvelt to this port town, but with my magically enhanced legs, it won’t take more than half an hour to run there.

However, upon arriving at the port town, Carlos and Alba seemed to be in a hurry, and some of the dark knights following us were panting for some reason.

Even though they are the dark knights that the Lightless family boasts of, they are quite disappointing.

Though I didn’t specifically mention it, Alba noticed my gaze and saluted, saying, “I will explain later.”

He’s still as sharp as ever.

By the way, Alba had prohibited unauthorized statements, but since he came to me and apologized, promising not to make any more unnecessary remarks, I’ve temporarily lifted the ban.

Now, at this late hour, as we entered the Clinton residence, we were greeted by the servants. We pushed them aside and quickly took control of the mansion with the dark knights.

Since the security was almost non-existent, it was almost like occupying the mansion without any resistance.

Most of the private soldiers had been sent out to sea for the monster hunting, yet the majority of them ended up as mere debris at sea.

By the way, besides the servants, those who were present were Clinton’s wife, his three children, and a few others who were presumed to be his concubines or mistresses, according to reports from the dark knights.

We restrained them all for now and threw them into the basement of the mansion.

I’ll leave it up to my father to decide what to do with them. He’ll surely take care of it.

By the way, I briefly explained the situation to Alba, the head of the dark knights, as to why we were doing this.

I explained about Clinton’s corruption, the abduction of the villagers, and the progress leading to the suppression of the monster problem.

Given the nature of the matter, it was quite amusing to see Alba visibly flustered.

Apart from dealing with the monster suppression, corruption by officials and abductions would be something Alba would want to report to my father immediately.

Well, I won’t bother with such troublesome matters.

The place is the conference room of the Clinton residence, and piled up like a mountain on the round table are evidence of Clinton’s corruption.

From among them, I picked out records of human trafficking and tossed them to Alba.

“We will recover the sold villagers. You all should move.”

Alba quickly glanced through the records of human trafficking at a frightening speed and looked up.

“According to the records, there have been nearly forty villagers sold to slave traders in the past six months alone. Recovering them all will take quite some time. If it’s going to take a long time, I can’t decide on my own as to whether to continue with it…”

Implicitly, Alba seemed to be intent on seeking my father’s judgment.

To which I responded with a snort.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying to help everyone.”

Recovering all the abducted villagers would indeed take a lot of time, as Alba said.

My goal is to protect only Norn, Fol’s childhood friend. 

As a side task, I’ll help the other villagers abducted from Rougvelt, atleast those who we will come upon.

It would be unnatural to protect only Norn. The records of human trafficking include names, ages, and places of origin of other people too after all.

With this much information, identifying them is easy.

“We’ll focus on villagers from Rougvelt. In the past six months… roughly nine people were abducted.”

“Nine people, if that’s the case…”

Alba glanced at the dark knights behind him. Being a capable person, he was probably already considering the formation of squads and strategies.

“Don’t overthink it. The task is simple. Attack the slave traders, recover the villagers if they’re there. If they’ve already been sold, interrogate the merchants to find out where they were sold, or make them reveal the location of the ledger. Then attack that place and rescue the villagers. That’s all there is to it.”

It’s been a long time since slavery was abolished in the kingdom. Under kingdom law, human trafficking, let alone the existence of slave traders, is illegal.

It seems that such pests have taken root in our Lightless territory.

“I know you understand this well, but make sure to eradicate the slave traders, including their employees. And also the buyers of the slaves. Don’t forget to collect the ledger.”

“…As you wish.”

For now, this time, we’re only rescuing the subjects of Rougvelt, but there are bound to be others who have bought slaves.

Typically, those who purchase slaves are wealthy individuals, nobles, and major merchants.

If we can exploit that weakness, it’ll be a significant advantage for the Lightless family.

Now, according to the ledger, there are two slave traders who specifically dealt with Rougvelt’s residents.

I point to the slave trader who sold Norn.

“I and Carlos will go here. We’ll borrow a few knights. The rest is up to you, Alba.”

“…Will the young master also participate in the raid?”

Alba shows a slightly puzzled expression.

Seems like she didn’t expect me to take action myself.

“Is there a problem?”

“No… as you wish.”

Alba salutes.

I pass by him and survey the dark knights lined up behind him.

Then, I stop before one of the knights.

“Hmm…”

“You.”

“!? Uh… y-yes.”

The dark knight I addressed recoils as if on cue and hastily salutes.

A female voice leaks from the armor; she must be Yurika.

“The three of you as well, follow me.”

Carlos, Yurika, and three others knights I picked, saluted and followed behind me.

Suddenly, I feel Alba’s gaze.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Alba lowers his gaze.

For some reason, Yurika seems jittery.

Huh? Was my choice not favorable to Alba?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“I want to return to the capital by tomorrow. We’ll finish this by morning.”

With the dark knights behind me, I swirl my cloak.

Our destination is the slave trader.

“Gyaaa!”

The slave trader’s shop.

I step on the fat belly of the middle-aged man, the slave trader, who collapses like a pig.

Behind me, a sea of blood from the guards the dark knights have slain slowly spreads throughout the floor.

I conjure a regular-sized dark lance into my hand and point it at the trembling slave trader.

“I’ll ask you again. Where are the ledgers?”

“Y-you… do you know what you’re doing? I-I’m acquainted with Lord Clinton—Aaagh!”

I pierce the annoying slave trader’s right leg with the lance.

“Don’t say anything other than what you’re asked. Next time, I’ll stick this lance directly into that dirty mouth of yours.”

“…”

The slave trader nods nervously as I aim the lance at his face.

“Where are the ledgers?”

“T-they’re… in the storage room, at the back of the shelf…”

Upon hearing that, Carlos rushes to the storage room before I command him.

He returns in minutes, holding a bundle of documents.

“We’ve secured the ledgers, including past records. The names of Rougvelt’s residents match those in Clinton’s records of human trafficking evidences.”

“Good work.”

I keep the slave trader pinned down and urge Carlos on.

“So, about Rougvelt’s residents?”

Carlos quickly checks the ledgers.

“Most of them have already been purchased. Buyers… some are within the territory, while others are from outside.”

I click my tongue.

Dealing with outsiders would be troublesome.

Killing people in other territories would lead to various complications.

In the Lightless territory, it would still be manageable, but if the slave trader dealt with outsiders?

Transporting people incurs significant costs unlike goods.

Especially with distant territories involved, the cost increases.

With distance comes a higher likelihood of encountering security checkpoints on the way.

Has a convenient transportation route for slaves already been secured?

There’s no time to figure that out.

The worst-case scenario: giving up on Rougvelt’s residents sold outside the territory.

“Is there a resident named Norn within those who were sold? Where was she sold?”

“Norn… right…”

Carlos furrows his brows as he looks through the ledgers.

“Outside the territory, in the northern Steria territory.”

“Huh…?”

I instinctively clutch my head.

Of all people, Norn’s buyer is from outside the territory?

And it’s the northern Steria territory?

How was it again from the Lightless territory…?

Hmm… It’s gonna be a long trip if we did it by land, but…

If it’s by sea, it’s not that far, but ships couldn’t pass through the Devil’s Sea due to the demons like the demon Kraken, which was just defeated.

“Hey.”

“Aaagh!”

I aim the lance at the slave trader again.

“Do you have a teleportation crystal?”

Teleportation crystal.

A magical crystal that, when crushed, teleports its owner to a pre-marked location.

It’s rare and highly valuable, but due to its high utility and danger, its use and circulation are strictly prohibited and heavily regulated in the kingdom.

It’s not something a mere slave trader would have, but it’s the only plausible explanation.

Carlos and the dark knights look surprised, and the slave trader stammers.

“W-what… are you talking about…?”

I gouge the slave trader’s cheek with the lance.

“Aaargh!”

The slave trader’s piercing scream fills the air.

“Let’s work efficiently, shall we? If I judge that you’re speaking unnecessary words again, I’ll chop off your arm immediately. By the way, are screams unnecessary words? What do you think?”

I push the lance towards his face, and the slave trader covers his mouth as if to stifle his screams.

That’s fine; I don’t want to hear your annoying voice anyway.

“So, how are you dealing with transactions with clients outside the territory?”

“…As you said… I-it’s the teleportation crystal.”

I see.

“Where is it?”

“It’s… on the shelf by the entrance of this room… the key is… in my pocket…”

The slave trader seems resigned and readily shares information.

As the slave trader said, several teleportation crystals were stored.

It’s indeed rare, but there are fewer than I thought.

Once crushed, a teleportation crystal is a one-time consumable.

Does that mean they don’t keep a stock here?

I’m curious about where they got them from, too.

For now, I ask the slave trader about the teleportation crystal marked for Steria territory and instruct Carlos.

“Carlos, command the dark knights to protect Rougvelt’s residents. I’ll go to Steria territory.”

“You can’t… You can’t go alone, young master!”

Carlos’s objection was expected.

But, it’s a fact that I need someone who can command in my absence.

“I’m not alone. I’ll take Yurika with me.”

“Eh!?”

Yurika was surprised when I suddenly mentioned her name.

Although I offered an alternative, Carlos persists.

“No, young master. You’re still recovering from your illness, and you’ve even lost your left arm.”

“…You’re unusually disobedient.”

“It’s my duty! I can’t overlook this!”

Carlos’s vehement objection prompts me to let out a deep sigh.

This won’t get us anywhere.

I have no choice but to take somewhat forceful measures.

I channel magic through my body, relying on enhanced strength and pull Yurika, who is nearby, closer to me, putting some distance between us and Carlos.

Yurika’s helmet falls off due to the impact and rolls on the floor.

“W-Woah!”

Amidst Yurika’s bewildered babbling, with her face now exposed, and Carlos’s contorted expression, the dark knights become agitated.

In the midst of the commotion, I grasp the teleportation crystal marked for Steria territory and crush it.

In the next instant, Yurika and I are enveloped in magic.

Teleportation crystals are essentially disposable, one-way tickets to a marked location. Once crushed, there’s no turning back.

The shimmering light of teleportation grows stronger.

I glance back at Carlos, who looks annoyed and fatigued.

This won’t resolve the issue.

Well, there’s no helping it; I had to resort to more forceful means.