As I was sobbing with a pained heart, he smiled reassuringly and turned around. Then he took off his mask and shouted loudly. Once the raid on the secret auction house had begun, Darius had to command the soldiers.

“Secure the safety of the traded slaves and do not let go of the identities of those who committed illegal acts!”

“Y-You bastards! Do you know who I am, laying your hands on me! You lowly northern scum!”

“Yes, yes, the king of those lowly northern scum is now ordering us to arrest you. We’ll escort you to prison very politely.”

The guests who had been dazed by the mermaid’s song slowly began to regain their senses.

New chaos erupted as the ugly group that had been singing mermaid songs just moments ago panicked at the ropes binding them.

“You there, didn’t you boast that this auction house would be safe even if monsters attacked?”

“Eeeek!”

The secret auction house staff who tried to escape leaving the guests behind in the confusion were also caught on the spot.

New anger was added to a place that had been filled only with the sorrow of slaves.

“You mad fools! How dare you tie me up like a filthy slave!”

“Gag that one.”

Darius raised an eyebrow. Only after stuffing cloth into the mouths of guests who couldn’t accept the changed reality did the situation somewhat settle down.

Meanwhile, Barbarossa was cheerfully and thoroughly emptying the guests’ pockets.

“Dear customers, we’ll be confiscating illegal funds.”

“Mmph mmph mmph!”

“No need for thanks, we’re more grateful!”

‘That born scoundrel. Thanks. I’ll give you some pocket money later.’

While Lucian was looking at distant mountains as if in pain, turning a blind eye to Barbarossa’s plundering.

“Lord Lucian, how did you know to put cotton in your ears?”

Even I, who was present, didn’t know that’s what would happen when the mermaid sang and was helplessly caught off guard.

When we raided the auction site, all the soldiers had cotton in their ears, thanks to which our soldiers were able to easily organize the scene without confusion.

“If you hadn’t thought of that, something terrible would have really happened. You were truly quick-witted.”

“Ah, well.”

“Mmph mmph mmph!”

At that moment, the bound customers were in uproar as if trying to answer.

Ah, right. We were still in the middle of cleaning up.

“Tell me later.”

As Darius just jerked his chin, Lord Lucian removed the cloth that had been stuffed into the mouth of a man who had been particularly unruly since earlier.

“Cough, cough! You damn Inkhart bastards!”

“Well, well. What an unexpected person.”

And a sneer crossed Lord Lucian’s face as he removed the hood and confirmed the man’s face.

“My lord, the Fairy Count from the capital has come all the way here. The one who spat in front of us saying his morals had hit rock bottom for overseeing slave traders.”

“Eek! You think you’ve become something by capturing me!”

“Ah.”

Darius swung his scabbard. Whack.

“…I didn’t say to hit him.”

“Hit?”

Darius said calmly.

“I just gave a little warning to someone arrested in an illegal slave auction house not protected by Inkhart law.”

“Hmm, when you put it that way, it does seem like a very trivial matter.”

Lord Lucian changed his perspective and then kicked the Fairy Count along with Darius.

“A backwater lord from nowhere! How dare you lay hands on a real noble’s body!”

“There have been rumors that Count Fairy believes in black magic and buys people’s hearts, but I didn’t expect to confirm noble family gossip here.”

“That’s an interesting story. Shall we spread it throughout the empire? If we borrow the mouths of mercenaries going between territories, it would spread very quickly.”

Barbarossa cackled.

“For a long time, we in the north have tried very hard to eradicate the slave industry, but because of you pigs, we couldn’t root it out and the industry has been rolling along well. I think it would be good for you all to experience that position today.”

You think you’ve become something by capturing me?

Of course.

It feels damn good to arrest and bring to their knees the noble gentlemen who put on airs in the capital.

We confirmed the identities of the customers and carefully recorded their crimes. Regarding punishment, as the situation seemed to be wrapping up, the next order of business was freeing the illegal slaves.

“You can take out the cotton now.”

To free the beastkin, we had to be careful of the mermaid’s singing. So as I was looking for something to block my ears more tightly before approaching the mermaid, Sylphid said.

“I’ll talk to them. There should be some who can understand my voice.”

While the beastkin could barely communicate with humans, those with high spirit sensitivity could converse with spirits, so Sylphid sought out such beastkin to explain the situation.

Of course, expressing sympathy for the unfortunate circumstance of being captured by slave traders, as well as that the newly appeared humans were trying to overturn this slave market and free the slaves.

“Inkhart feels sorry for all of you. It may be difficult to trust humans again, but if you need support to forget these painful memories, please say so. We will do our best anytime.”

Darius, who had been watching me converse with the beastkin through Sylphid, spoke abruptly.

“Please convey this as well.”

“He says so.”

I asked Sylphid playfully smiling.

That’s when it happened.

Splash splash. The beautiful mermaid trapped in the large water tank showed her face again.

The mermaid opened and closed her lips.

“The child of water says she’s sorry for almost hurting you earlier.”

Sylphid lent her voice on behalf of the mermaid.

“She says she will return the favor for not letting her lose faith in one race.”

The mermaid took out a jewel from between her rainbow-colored scales. It was an opaque raw stone resembling sea glass.

“This is a promise between merfolk and humans. Mermaids will not harm humans. Humans likewise must not harm mermaids. As long as humans do not harm mermaids in the name of Inkhart, mermaids will believe in human goodwill.”

Fwooosh.

The mermaid shook water droplets from her tail. Unlike her elegant appearance, it was quite a mischievous attitude.

Darius and I as peace ambassadors between humans and merfolk. It feels like a heavy responsibility.

I wonder if we should do some campaign like, “Let’s cherish the inherited earth and natural environment” or something.

* * *

Aaron, the little boy sold at the slave market, was unconsciously rubbing his reddened wrists. Usually, the slave traders kept his arms tied, but today for some reason they had untied them, saying they “needed to look good for someone.”

Aaron kept fiddling with the wounded area, partly because the place where his arms had been tied hurt from chafing, and partly because his free arms felt strange.

“If anyone asks, make sure you answer that you’re sixteen. If you answer wrong, I’ll break your arms.”

Not only that, the slave traders had strongly cautioned Aaron. Aaron’s actual age was thirteen, which according to Inkhart regulations was too young to be sold as a slave.

But for a slave, such principles being upheld was a luxury.

‘The food is good today too.’

Aaron’s eyes widened.

During the time the slave trader was keeping him, they often didn’t even give him the porridge that was just barely enough to keep him alive.

But today, suddenly they provided all three meals, and the quality of the food was good.

‘I should hide one piece of bread.’

Aaron had family who were sold with him.

“Everyone, attention!”

Thud. Aaron’s hand, which was secretly slipping bread under his clothes, stopped.

Roll roll.

The round bread rolled under the table and stopped at the slave trader’s feet.

The slave trader looked at Aaron with a face turning red and blue, as if asking what he was doing at this crucial moment.

I’m going to get hit!

Aaron closed his eyes tightly at the familiar premonition of violence.

However, what he heard was not the slave trader’s fist, but an angelically kind voice.

“There’s plenty of bread, so eat something else instead of bread with dirt on it.”

I… didn’t get hit?

Aaron cautiously opened his eyes. Amidst all the slaves who had been eating now standing up with stiff faces, a woman was entering with a bright smile.

“Ah, but it’s a shame to throw away food that can still be eaten. You eat this.”

The woman roughly brushed off the dirt on the bread Aaron had dropped and offered it nonchalantly.

“You’re not eating? It’s a waste.”

“Ah, no…”

“This is even bread given by the lord’s wife.”

The slave trader couldn’t say no and ate the bread the woman gave him, chewing reluctantly.

The slave trader’s face was stiff as he ate the bread with sand crunching between his teeth.

“This is the meal eaten by the slaves you take care of so diligently like your own children. It would be a waste to throw it away just because it fell.”

Crack. There was a sound of teeth grinding, perhaps from biting sand wrong.

Aaron found this scene fascinating. The slave trader now eating dirty bread with a face like he was eating shit was especially cruel to female slaves.

“Are you hungry? You’re staring at what others are eating.”

“Yes.”

The slave trader’s eyes widened at Aaron’s answer.

“Ah, no. I’m not… hungry.”

“Hmm, do you always eat meals like this?”

Gulp. Aaron could now understand. The reason why the slave traders had so strongly cautioned to be more careful with their treatment and words than usual.

“Yes, yes.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen.”

“Are you trying to deceive someone right now?”

These words were not asked by the woman.

“Darius, you’re scaring the child.”

One of the men who came with the woman asked, and he too was dressed more luxuriously than anyone Aaron had ever seen.

Aaron immediately lowered his eyes.

“Um, they say it’s because I didn’t eat properly as I was growing up.”

Aaron answered in a small voice. The slave traders had prepared an answer for this question.

“But you just said you eat meals like this every day. The amount looks plenty sufficient.”

The woman still asked Aaron with a gentle smile.

“Did you not eat well as you grew up, or was the food terrible? Oh, and while I’m asking, I’d appreciate if you could explain what those wounds on your arms are. Everyone seems to have wounds on their arms.”

“It’s because this kid has a small appetite! Even though we try to feed him well, he won’t eat…ugh!”

“My lady did not ask you.”

The woman’s gaze, which had been kind, turned cold the moment she looked at the slave trader. It was a gaze like looking at a bug.

Hiik.

Aaron hiccupped at the temperature difference.

“Want to talk with me? I’m curious about how you ‘really’ lived here.”

The story heard after completely separating Aaron from the slave trader was shocking.