Chapter 1
「Is that ...... a town ......?」
Squinting, he saw the shadows of buildings beyond the dust.
The dim overall image seemed to be more than one or two houses.
Hazuki, a dark-haired girl, looks out at the town in a saluting pose and raises a cheerful voice.
「Ohhhhh! It's such a nostalgic scenery!」
「How did you manage to go through such a journey alone, Hazuki-chan? I feel like I'm going to have heartbreak, traveling in the desert.」
Mars and his party spent a month traveling through the desert to reach the Neustein Valley, Hazuki's hometown.
Their destination was the Great Norn Tomb, the Seven Great Dungeons in the valley.
The purpose of the attack is to destroy the corpse of Norn, the ancient chief of the Tomb Guard that is buried in the dungeon.
Norn was the chief of the Tomb Guard whose mission was to protect and prevent the use of necromancy, but he was a high priest who indulged in the practice of necromancy himself and betrayed his clan.
When Norn was cornered by his own people and on his deathbed, he unleashed an extermination curse that prevented the Hazuki clan from having any sons.
「It's all for the sake of the Tomb Guard's mission, after all! And if we don't find adventurers who can destroy Norn's corpse, one day my clan will cease to exist!」
「Yeah, let's do our best. I'd like to trudge through that dungeon too.」
The destruction of Norn's corpse is Hazuki's objective, not Mars' main objective.
Mars' objective is the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, a book containing supernatural magic that can only be obtained in dungeons.
Even those who have no magical background can acquire in an instant the kind of magic that it would take a gifted person a lifetime to acquire, just by looking through it.
However, even though Mars had trudged through two dungeons up to this point, he could not find the book he wanted.
Since the magic is related to time, it may not exist in dungeons that can be easily overcome, so Mars decided to challenge the difficult dungeon called the Seven Great Dungeons.
If it is a difficult dungeon that is unprecedented, he may be able to obtain the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, which contains magic that can bridge the gap in life expectancy between him and Lilia, an elf with a long life span.
The purpose of hir journey has not changed since the time he met Lilia.
He wants to live with the people he loves. That is all.
「H-have we finally arrived ......? I-In a way, the journey through the desert, was tougher than tackling a dungeon because, there were fewer monsters, so there was no tension and the scenery didn't change. ......」
A nodding Lilia, out of breath and holding a tree-branch cane, says, letting all the air out of her lungs.
The foot-dragging desert pilgrimage was tough on Lilia, who was the least physically fit of the group.
The elven race was not the most physically robust.
The reason for the walk was that although there were regular horse-drawn wagon tours as part of the transportation network, there were no horse-drawn wagons that could carry Lilia, a different race.
Even if they wanted to buy a carriage, there was no one in Mars and his party who was familiar with the handling of horses.
「Hmmm, the town doesn't look valley. Or rather, it's not a valley, but a flatland, isn't it?」
「Oh you, ...... that kind of joke is in poor taste, you know ......?
Lilia makes a sound as if she is really praying that it is a joke.
Her proud, sensational body figure is hidden by a robe to protect her from the sun. In addition, she wears long-sleeved clothes inside.
This is to protect her from sunburn and the heat of the outside temperature. At the recommendation of Hazuki, who is from a desert area, Mars knows this through modern knowledge, so he obediently follows her advice.
Since the hood covers the head, only the eyes can be seen from the outside.
Lilia's long ears, her pride, and joy as an elf were also hidden.
「The Neustein Valley is still a long way off! That's a trading town with an oasis! Let me think......I think it's about fifty more kilometers to the village!」
「Fifty ......!? ――M-my apologies, Master,...... I will become nourishing the cactus here,......」
thump, Lilia collapsed to her knees in the sand.
The shock was so great that she was convinced she was almost there.
She seemed to have completely run out of energy, so Mars decided to give Lilia a piggyback ride.
「Let's take a break at that oasis town. We can buy supplies for the dungeon in the trading town. It's not too far, so Lilia can rest on my back for a while.」
「My apologies again...... why am I so physically weak? I should work out more......」
With a shudder, Lilia utters words of remorse.
「No, generally speaking, I am physically fit. Aside from me, Hazuki-chan is a rather unusual category. Her legs and feet are too strong. I thought so in the previous dungeon, but she is so physically strong that it is hard to imagine from her meek appearance.」
Mars said as he carried Lilia on his back, enjoying the feeling of her breasts crushed against his back and the softness of her lifted thighs.
Hazuki, who was walking a little ahead, showed no sign of fatigue and was making a lot of unnecessary movements such as going sideways, spinning around, and jumping.
「Ah! Lilia-san only is unfair! I want Mars-san to give me a piggyback ride too! I'm fine. though!」
「Fuh, fufufu... ......――Slaves should walk around with sand weights in their shoes like slaves!」
「Lilia-san is also a slave, aren't you!? The heat is making you crazy!? You're more like a queen, though!?」
Lilia smiles broadly at Hazuki as she perches herself on Mars' back.
Lilia, who is always cool, is unusually high-spirited.
Rather than laughing because she was having fun, it was as if she was exhausted and burst into a strange smile.
The fatigue of wandering in the desert for more than a month has been released by the relief of arriving soon.
But it was an illusion, like a mirage in the desert, so she could no longer help but laugh.
She's kind of a bad girl, Mars laughs.
The three of them walk slowly toward the shadow of the town they can see.
「In general, why are you so energetic? A fish out of water...... no, a pervert woman out of sand」
「Li-Lilia-san, aren't you feeling well all of a sudden after being carried on Mars-san's back ......? I'm not a pervert!」
Wrapping her arms tightly around Mars's neck, Lilia makes lighthearted remarks to Hazuki.
Hazuki is relieved but has mixed feelings: her usual tone and energy are back.
「Well, from my point of view, rocky terrain and forests are more tiring. Besides, this is a trade route and there is not enough sand for horses to walk on. In other words,......I'm used to it!」
「――I wish the whole world were a forest.」
Half ignoring Hazuki, Lilia presses her face against the nape of Mars' neck and swears.
She had heard many times that it was what she was used to. Even though she knew it, she would say it like a grudge.
Lilia is confident that she can move quickly in the forest, as elves are known as forest elves.
「We're almost there. I think we'll manage to get there before nightfall. Let's stay in that town today. I want to drink as much water as I can. I feel like all the water in my body is being sucked up by the sand.」
「I would also like to take a bath ...... my hair is stiff from the sand, and my sweat ......i-it doesn't smell does it?」
「Wouldn't you rather I was the one smelling it? Lilia and Hazuki-chan don't smell like that. Both of you smell nice. I guess it's a girl's smell, after all.」
「I can smell a little sweat from Master, but it's not a bad smell, okay? Rather......」
Lilia nuzzles her reddening face into the nape of Mars' neck.
It is usually in the middle of the night, in bed, that she smells Mars' sweat.
「We'll be fineee! It's an oasis town, so there's plenty of water! The food is good too! All the kids in the Town Guard's village get their allowance sucked out of here!」
「...... you'd travel fifty kilometers to come to visit here by any chance?」
「That's right? There is no particular place to play in Tomb Guard's Village. We buy our clothes there! All the fashionable people wear clothes there!」
「No wonder your legs and feet are strong. ......」
――The round trip is a hundred kilometers just to go out and have a little fun. ......The scale is too big.
The town of Oasis was bustling.
The town is like a one-sided arcade on both sides of the street extending from the main gate, where a variety of stalls line the street. The width of the street is about the width of a four-lane road and a sidewalk in modern Japan.
The street is not that big, but there are more people here than one might imagine.
The stalls were filled with sales slogans, and one got the sense that this was a fairly lively town.
Mars thinks the scene is like a combination of the Egyptian townscape that once existed in the world and the density of a fresh fish market.
There is little greenery, and the sunlight reflects off the sand, making it beyond hot and hurting the eyes.
Overall, the environment seemed to be devoid of water.
「Is it a festival at this time of the year?」
「I don't think it's the atmosphere of a festival.」
There is an air of enjoyment, but it feels a little different from a festival.
The crowd seemed to be focused on something specific.
「It seems that the dungeon in this city has been conquered, Master.」
Lilia overhears Mars.
She seems to have heard what the crowd was talking about with her excellent hearing.
「What, there is a dungeon here!? I don't know anything about it!?」
「It seems it was recently discovered. It was in the basement of a butcher shop. The store was closed after being accused of selling meat from dungeon monsters. ......」
「So you mean this is a ...... triumphal parade?」
Wading through the crowd, they saw a procession in the middle of the street, led by a four-horse cart of great stature.
There is only one carriage at the front, followed by a group of about 1,000 people on foot.
「Slaves, huh」
「A great number of people ......」
The slaves were all similarly dressed and collared and carried gold and silver treasures as if to be held up.
The lead carriage was a roofless type for parades.
A dark-skinned young man, dressed in pure white and loose-fitting clothes, waved one hand to the crowd atop the carriage.
He did not smile, and his demeanor was rather intimidating.
He was wearing gold jewelry all over his body, which, from Mars' point of view, was in poor taste.
He has short black hair, and although he is not a so-called model-type handsome man with thin lines, he is muscular and tall, which makes him fearless. He is a good-looking sportsman-type guy, Mars thought.
What drew Mars' attention most was the large number of tattoos engraved on both of the man's thick arms.
It is a slave crest, Mars is convinced, comparing it with the back of his own left hand.
「Does that guy look like a treader? Right ......」
「That number of slaves ......――As far as I'm concerned, they're not a human beings.」
Lilia says in a disdainful tone, but anxiously and strongly grips the hem of Mars' dress.
She is probably being strong because this is the race she is least comfortable with.
A woman with red hair stands next to the man. She seems to be a member of his entourage, judging from her appearance.
She is wearing white light armor, which is somewhat gaudy but is intended to be practical.
She is tall and slender, older than Lilia and Hazuki, and appears to be in her early twenties.
She looked around expressionlessly and made no attempt to hide her wariness.
She is beautiful but not pretty, Mars thinks.
「I can't speak for others either, but ...... the number of slaves is a bit unusual.」
There is not much he can know about the man, but he had a guess about the group.
―The boss of this group is the man, and their dungeon strategy is probably a way to use up the slaves.
「T-that's some scary atmosphere. ......」
「There doesn't seem to be any trust at all. Well, I don't trust pervert women either.」
「Eehh!?」
「No, it's Lilia's joke. Don't take it seriously.」
The slaves' gazes turned toward the tattooed man, some even glaring at him.
The reason for the look of hatred on their faces, which is the opposite of radiant even though it is just after the capturing, is probably because the slaves are not voluntarily cooperating with him.
It is not hard to imagine that the man keeps what he gets to himself.
――Slave crests are activated and the slaves who don't like it are made to go on a suicide mission.
It is a method that has no respect for the will or humanity of others, but it is also the most effective and efficient way to use up the resource of slaves.
They are made to carry luggage along the way, fight monsters in the dungeon, and discard the exhausted ones in turn.
This is an efficient method that allows them to maintain logistics and battle lines while they are healthy, and when their strength is gone, they are disposed of together with the enemy, thereby reducing the consumption of food and other supplies. However, it is not a humane method of warfare.
Mars would not do it even if he thought about it. No, few human beings would be able to choose that option.
Of course, this is only a guess by Mars.
But that man is the kind of man who dresses his slaves in shabby clothes, still makes them carry his luggage, and only he gets the credit for it.
Mars guess would not be so far off.
The man in the carriage seemed to be a man who could easily cut down others.
「Master, at the feet of that man!」
「Oh. There's a girl. Do the cat-like ears on her head mean she's of different races......?」
There was a cat-eared girl in a dangerous place under the carriage, right next to the wheels.
She was a different kind of girl, with long bright silver hair that reached almost to the top of her waist, and a tail as silver as her hair growing out of the area above her buttocks.
In the sunlight, her silver hair looked light blue.
She seems to be quite petite. From a distance, she is probably much smaller than Lilia and Hazuki.
「A beast, right. However, considering her size and lack of body hair, I would say that she is a human mixed ......, but more of a human mixed with a beastman.」
「Looks human except for the ears and tails.」
The girl was dressed in a one-piece top and bottom outfit that resembled an earth-colored burlap sack and was fitted with a metal collar that looked more robust than Lilia's.
A thick chain lead from the man's hand was linked to the collar, which tightened as the carriage moved up and down on the gravel.
She seemed to be desperately grasping the collar with both hands to keep it from tightening.
The leashes seemed artificially short, and the cat-eared girl on the chain wagged her tail and managed to keep up with the procession by standing on tiptoe and jumping.
She was not even allowed to wear shoes.
If she fell, she would be caught in the wheels, and not only would she be seriously injured, but her life would be in danger.
「It's hurts-nya! It's pulling-nya!」
「Don't let your filthy beastly cries dampen the cheers of the crowds who are praising us. Who do you think is keeping you alive, huh!?」
Perhaps annoyed by the girl's voice, the man who pulled up the chain pulled up sharply and turned his eyes and voice toward the cat-eared girl coldly, not the kind of coldness one would expect from a human being.
「My neck, I'm in pain, nya, I can't breathe-nya. ......!」
The man pulls up more forcefully on the leash lead, and the cat-eared girl floats completely in the air.
With her fingers twisted between the collar and neck, the girl flails her legs and struggles desperately, but her resistance is soon stopped.
Because one cruel word the man released completely deprived the girl of her bodily freedom.
『――Nemu Nail. Drain Strength and do not resist at all.』
The man's left arm glows with a dull light.
Mars, holding the same one, also sees it for the first time, activating the slave crest.
Normally, it exists to prevent slaves from rebelling, but for the man, it was an instrument of cruelty.
Despite the life-threatening threat of being hanged, the cat-eared girl ― Nemu ― dangles her arms and legs slackly without any resistance, her eyes wide open, and her face neutral and straight. Only the thin neck was finally able to support Nem's weight.
All of her free wills had been blocked by the slave crest.
Tears streamed from Nem's eyes as she lost the power to resist, and Mars felt the fire of life flickering faintly in his eyes.
――What should I do? It is easy to save her.
But even if we save her for a moment, it won't solve the problem fundamentally.
「It's so cruel........What the hell does he think life is ......!」
「That's how different races are treated. They are no better than livestock. ――If I hadn't been bought by Master, I might have suffered the same fate.」
Nem's groaning is drowned out by the crowd.
No one is willing to help her when they see her being hoisted unsteadily up.
A spectacle of a different race, no better than livestock. That is the norm as far as public perception is concerned. Mars and Hazuki are the only exceptions.
「Master.」
「Mars-san!」
Both Lilia and Hazuki stare at Mars.
They both had a look that appealed to something in their eyes.
Aside from Hazuki, it is rare that even Lilia has such eyes.
Did she feel a sense of closeness because of her different race, or did she remember her own past?
Although he did not know for sure what Lilia's feelings were, Mars had a definite answer to give.
「I know. ――Let's help her.」
The man's expression doesn't change despite the abuse.
It suggests that this devilish behavior is a routine against Nemu.
Whether it is by being used and discarded in the dungeon or by this spectacular behavior, Nemu will be killed in the not-too-distant future.
I know I'm going to get myself into trouble.
We know that we will needlessly make more enemies.
I know that it would be hypocritical of me not to help the other slaves.
However, if we don't go through with this, Lilia and Hazuki-chan's impression of me will be terrible.
Now that we have seen it, we will feel bad if we overlook it.
If we make new friends, they will be helpful in the dungeon.
I couldn't find a reason not to help her that would outweigh the reasons to help her.
Whether we help or not, we will regret it somewhere in the end.
It is a normal part of life to regret past choices. If that is the case...
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Nekomimi, kita!
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