Disastrous Romance - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
She didn’t want to take a step anywhere, so she stood at the entrance, staring blankly. A man who looked like a goat approached her. His yellow mustache, like something out of a cartoon, was striking.
“You must be an adventurer. Are you here to buy a slave?”
He rubbed his palms together and spoke with a carefree expression. It was a scene she had already seen when she played the first peerless’s man’s ending route. It felt strange to have someone she had only seen in graphics speak to her. Elijah suppressed the strange feeling and spoke appropriately.
“…Yes, how do I choose?”
“Let me show you around. Follow me.”
The man entered the cave, glancing over the slaves imprisoned in iron cages as he explained. “The ones on this side are the top-grade. They’ve been through extensive training, so they’re highly obedient.”
All of them were clearly malnourished, with ribs jutting out. As he said, the slaves sitting in the cages didn’t show any sign of resistance, simply staring blankly into space. It was questionable whether they were even sane.
But Elijah didn’t need anyone here. The first peerless man, though a slave, was far from obedient. He wasn’t top-grade.
“What about those being whipped over there?”
“Ah… those are the lowest grade. They still haven’t learned their place and keep trying to rise above it. You don’t need to see them.”
The man looked at them with disdain. He gestured toward the front cages, trying to steer her away. His attitude only solidified Elijah’s conviction.
“I’d like to take a look, though.”
“If you insist… let’s go!”
He turned around, making it abundantly clear he wasn’t enthusiastic about it.
As they approached the center, the horrifying conditions became even more apparent. Over twenty people, their necks shackled and connected by chains, were lined up.
Their wrists were bound together in front of them, and their ankles were shackled with short chains. There was no way they could escape.
One of them must be the capture target… but it was impossible to tell from this distance. Elijah swallowed, feeling a knot of anxiety in her stomach. Even as she observed the slaves, the whipping continued.
“…Ugh… ”
A rasping, strained voice echoed in her ears. Could it be him? She moved closer to get a better look.
“Oh, brave warrior! It’s dangerous to get too close.”
Ignoring him, Elijah pressed on, impulsively throwing out a question.
“How much would it cost to take all these people?”
“Well… you see, according to Imperial law, there’s a cost on the second slave onwards… ”
The man trailed off, looking uncomfortable. He gave her a strained smile and scanned her from head to toe. He didn’t need to say it outright for her to understand his thoughts.
‘This isn’t something you can afford.’
The blatant disregard was infuriating. Even though she was currently penniless, Elijah Denvier was still a name that commanded respect.
“How much?”
“From the second one onwards, it’s 500,000 Deva each… so all of them would be at least 100 million Deva… ”
“100 million?”
“Yes… haha.”
He laughed awkwardly, as if he’d said something he shouldn’t have. The average annual income for a wealthy middle-class commoner was around 100,000 Deva. For Elijah, who was supposed to be on an adventure far from home, this was an impossible price.
But when he looked her up and down again, as if saying ‘I told you so,’ something inside her boiled over. She forced it down, calmly deciding to deal with it later.
“Alright. I’ll just take one today.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. Are you really sure you want to choose from this side?”
“Yes.”
Apparently, the commotion had alerted some of the slaves, who turned their heads towards her. Their narrowed, glaring eyes were definitely different from the slaves in the top-grade cages.
Elijah scanned the men, who made up the majority. Since they were all nak*d, it was easy to distinguish them. This was her first time seeing a man’s body so exposed, but it wasn’t as unpleasant as she’d expected.
‘Is it because it’s a dating sim game?’
Despite the dreadful situation, they were all strikingly handsome. She met the eyes of the slaves who were staring at her, looking for anything exceptional. She was confident she’d recognize the face of the peerless man she’d been looking at day and night.
Meanwhile, the whipping continued, and the slaves chained together screamed in agony. Elijah flinched, taking a step back.
Then, one of the slaves near her caught her eye. His piercing blue eyes flashed with a chilling intensity. It felt like she was facing a wild beast, and she flinched back.
“Ouch!”
He lunged at her, his bound hands grabbing her ankle. Caught off guard, she gasped and trembled.
Ding!
[Notice: Contact with one of the Continent’s Four Peerless Men. List updated.]
A faint notification appeared. Even in her state of confusion, she understood the message and stared blankly at the slave holding her ankle.
Could he be twenty? Unlike his fierce eyes earlier, he looked young. His black hair was matted and dirty, and his nak*d body was covered in soot. His upper body, which had been beaten with whips and clubs, was scarred with scabs and wounds.
But despite his miserable condition, his body was sculpted with fine muscles. His abused body evoked a sense of transgression, further aro*sing her. Even among these handsome men, he stood out, immediately capturing her attention.
His clear blue eyes met hers, and Elijah’s focus shattered.
“This bast*rd!”
The man had already pulled out a club that looked like a police baton and roared. A brutal beating ensued.
“Ugh… ”
The sickening sound of impact echoed, and the slave’s grip on her ankle tightened. With these unexpected events happening one after another, Elijah froze. She felt a tingling sensation in her ankle but remained transfixed by the vibrant blue.
But when she saw the dark purple bruises blooming on the slave’s back, she snapped out of it.
“Wait! Wait!”
