The two women in the cage appeared young, likely in their early twenties by human standards. The elf, with her pale skin, might have been much older, given her race’s extended lifespan. The other girl was a beast-kin, with long white ears-a bunny-girl? Broken thought, frowning at the increasingly strange and varied beings he’d encountered throughout the day. The two women had their hands and necks bound in heavy shackles, with strange devices fastened around their throats-likely the source of their enslavement. It wasn’t clear how the demons had managed to capture them, but it was obvious they had been taken from Yunatea. “Yo, I know you all fancy these two treasures, don’t you? Kekeke,” the merchant sneered, his frog-like grin widening. “This one here is an elf, famous for her beauty. Look at her pale skin, just what people in Yunatea love. And this one,” he continued, grabbing the bunny-girl’s long ears, “is a beast-kin, a real bunny girl. You can own her too, and if you want to eat her- kekeke-that’s an option. I’m sure she’ll taste delicious.”
“I want to taste them!” a few demons yelled from the crowd.
“Let me lick them to make sure they’re worth it.”
“Yes, that elf looks yummy. I want her too.”
Eat? Broken’s stomach churned at the realization. They’re selling them as food? A wave of revulsion washed over him.
“No, no, no,” the merchant barked. “You can’t touch them yet. You can take them home for 100 gold each, or for a special promo, take both for 180 gold coins!”
“I’ll take them for 50 gold coins.”
“What kind of food costs that much? Are you out of your mind?” another demon scoffed. “Let me lick them and decide if they’re worth it.”
“I want the elf girl. They say elves are good with magic, but this one looks fragile.”
Curious about the two women, Broken decided to inspect their status. He checked the bunny- girl first.
[Name: Mira]
[Level: 175]
[Strength: ??? | Agility: 650 | Intelligence: 320 | Constitution: ??? | Stamina: ???]
Wait… Broken froze as he read her stats. Level 175? That was unexpectedly high, especially compared to the merchant, who was only level 120.
He then shifted his focus to the elf girl, and his surprise grew.
[Name: Elowen]
[Level: ???]
[Strength: ??? | Agility: 577 | Intelligence: 657 | Constitution: ??? | Stamina: 325]
Though her level wasn’t visible, her agility, intelligence, and stamina were incredibly high- indicating she was likely more powerful than the bunny-girl.
How could they have been captured by a merchant with such a lower level? It made little
sense. Perhaps that explained why they were priced so cheaply? But then again, was 100 gold coins really that cheap?
“Broken…” Subaru whispered from the side.
Broken turned to him, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“Do you want to buy them?”
“Huh?” Broken didn’t know how to respond to such a strange question, so he remained silent.
He looked back at the two slaves. To his surprise, the elf was staring directly at him.
Is she really looking at me? he wondered.
He glanced to the side, then back at her, and there was no doubt-she was focused on him.
-If you tell them my level, I’ll kill you.
What? Broken thought, startled by the voice he suddenly heard in his head. He quickly looked around, checking Subaru, who seemed engrossed in the slave auction, paying no attention to him.
It couldn’t have been him…
-Yes, I’m the elf. If you tell them my level, I’ll kill you.
Eh? Broken’s mind raced as he glanced back at the elf. How could she know he had inspected her status? And more importantly, how was she communicating with him?
-What are you doing here? You’re human. If you reveal my level, I’ll scream and expose your disguise.
Broken locked eyes with the elf again, her gaze sharp and threatening.
She knows!
“Broken…” Subaru whispered again. “If you want to buy them, I can lend you the money. You can pay me back in dollars later-interesting offer, right?”
“For what?” Broken replied, puzzled.
“You know you can do those things with your slaves, right?” Subaru said, smirking.
Broken shot him a confused look, unsure of what Subaru was getting at.
“Yes, have fun and do those things. Normally, you’d only be able to do that with NPCs who have a ‘married’ status with you,” Subaru elaborated with a sly grin, “but you can also do it with slaves. And look at them-an elf and a bunny-girl. Doesn’t that catch your interest?” Broken felt a wave of unease. He hadn’t expected Subaru’s offer to take this turn, and it only deepened his discomfort, especially knowing the elf was aware of their true identities. Could this come back to haunt them, creating bigger problems down the line?
“But we can’t take them out of here, right?”
“Ah, I see your point. True enough. But still, 200 gold coins for slaves like that? I’d say it’s worth it,” Subaru giggled.
“Why don’t you buy them, then?”
“Ah!” Subaru stammered, suddenly flustered. “Uh, no… haha… I mean… no…” He couldn’t seem to come up with a proper response, and Broken could sense his awkwardness.
“What is the elf girl doing here?” Broken wondered, his mind racing with questions. “And are she and the bunny-girl somehow connected?”
So far, the elf had only threatened him about exposing her level. As long as he kept his distance and didn’t get involved with them, there wouldn’t be any problems, right?
-I need your help
Her voice echoed again in his mind.
Help?
-I can’t hear your response, but I need your help. Please…
Broken watched as the two enslaved women were roughly secured by the merchant’s lackeys. The demons in the crowd were growing more eager, their hunger for the girls obvious. The slaves were shoved into a cage atop a carriage, a cloth thrown over them to hide them from
view.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll return tomorrow for more potential buyers. But if no one claims them within the week, I’ll place them in an auction,” the merchant with the frog head
announced.
With that, the merchant’s party moved out, pushing the carriage forward, the demon beast
resembling a horse pulling it along.
Just then, Broken received a message from Freya.
“Broken, is there anything concerning you? Everyone’s at their posts-Elincia, Maylock,
Livelywood.”
“And Charmelyn?”
“Missing her already?”
“Freya…”
“Haha, okay, okay. Charmelyn’s also sitting near the farming fields.”
With that thought, Broken felt a sense of relief. At least he could be certain that the infiltrator who had managed to slip into Hell wasn’t from the Ass Guild, including Charmelyn-the only one he knew capable of pulling off such a move.
The demons that had gathered earlier, drawn in by the sight of the two slaves, began to lose interest and slowly dispersed. Subaru nudged Broken again.
“Broken, Marlene’s back at the inn. She said she wants to talk to you.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Despite the situation, Broken couldn’t shake the thoughts about the two women slaves,
especially the elf girl who had somehow communicated telepathically with him. Both of their levels were no joke-around 180-while most of the demons in this small town barely crossed
the 100 mark.
Maybe they had been captured by someone far stronger and deliberately sold in this place, he reasoned. But a bigger question gnawed at him: “Why did the elf girl threaten me not to
reveal her level?”
“And had she begged for help? To free her from slavery?” The thoughts churned in his mind as they made their way back to the inn.