How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Slave Trader (3)

A group was gradually approaching. We held the reins of our horses and slightly increased our speed, slowly approaching them.

Creaking sound. The carriage was slowly approaching along the road, making a rather unpleasant noise.

At first glance, they looked like a merchant’s party. However, it wasn’t difficult to realize they were slave traders.

The cargo compartments, created by connecting and modifying cargo wagons, were tightly packed with bars like a prison.

And the unpleasant noise the carriage made included the sobbing cries of someone inside.

Thud. The sides of the carriage were already covered in scratches, perhaps because the men beside the carriage would occasionally strike it with the sides of their spears as if annoyed by the noise.

“Slave traders……”

Jerit, who easily recognized their identity, muttered with a frown.

They also seemed to notice our presence approaching from behind, as the carriage slowly came to a halt.

Creak. Several men at the back turned towards us with grim expressions.

They didn’t seem surprised, as if they had no intention of hiding the fact that they were slave traders in the first place.

Clench. I could feel Jerit clenching his fists.

It was a natural reaction. Buying and selling slaves was forbidden by the Church.

Of course, such strict rules didn’t apply to all continents. Slavery was still prevalent in many countries, large and small, including the Cravassia Empire. Even in areas under the Church’s influence, the trading of slaves was quite frequent, evading the eyes of the central authority.

However, it was rare to see them operating so openly. In other words, they weren’t even trying to be discreet.

Even though this area near Schwarzcolm, close to the north, was barely touched by the Church’s influence, it was still under the jurisdiction of the Holy See.

Their actions were clearly crossing the line.

“Hey.”

The first to break the uneasy silence was one of the men. Looking down at us from atop his horse with an arrogant gaze, he continued speaking in a rude tone, a broomstick slung over his shoulder.

“What’s your business?”

He didn’t attack right away.

Unlike the refugees who were easy targets, he seemed to think that Jerit and I, armed and traveling through the north, weren’t pushovers.

However, the way he tilted his head and questioned us with a provocative tone suggested he didn’t think he would lose a fight. He probably just didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and lightly raised a hand to stop Jerit, who was about to step forward with an indignant look. Even if we were to punish them, I wanted to have a brief conversation first.

“The carriage is too noisy.”

Snicker. The large man, who appeared to be their leader, let out a small laugh at my words and casually lowered the large axe he carried on his shoulder.

“As you can see, we have a lot of cargo. Interested?”

He treated the living slaves like mere objects without a second thought. I continued my questions casually.

“Where are you headed?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Schwarzcolm.”

“Seems like you have a bulk buyer. Who in the city?”

“Of course, the Ma─”

The man, who almost answered my casual question without thinking, frowned and turned his horse’s head.

“This little brat……”

He seemed displeased with my relaxed and condescending attitude. He twisted and gripped the handle of his broomstick.

I looked at the large axe blade, still stained with fresh blood.

As it appeared, they didn’t seem to care much about the Church’s doctrines.

Well, it wasn’t particularly strange. Not everyone on the continent was a devout believer who followed the Church’s teachings. Especially now, with the frequent battles against the Catacombs, the Inquisition and the Holy See had little capacity to pay attention to their surroundings.

“Unless you want to join those inside the carriage with one arm chopped off, you better get lost……”

The man, who had gathered the rest of his cronies around him, glared at us with a ferocious expression and stopped mid-sentence, his eyes fixated on something.

“Huh?”

His gaze was directed at Saintess Sophia, who was staring at the slave traders with a hardened expression.

Of course, he didn’t recognize her as the noble and sacred Saintess. To begin with, not many clergymen knew her face, and these thugs who captured and traded refugees from the north wouldn’t have been able to discern the holy aura she possessed.

What drew the men’s attention was Sophia’s appearance. She had just shed her girlish looks, and it seemed to have stimulated the slave traders’ lust.

“What a beauty to be wasted in this countryside.”

Whistle. A whistle filled with impure intentions came from among the men. Some even snickered and exchanged lewd jokes among themselves.

Thud. The man, who had been gripping his bloodstained axe as if he would swing it at me any moment, placed it back on his shoulder and continued speaking with a disgusting smile.

“How about it, missy? Ditch those weaklings and come with us. You can earn unimaginable wealth in the big city─”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Swish.

Jerit, who had drawn his sword, spurred his horse and charged into their midst.

I had anticipated his move, but I didn’t stop him. To facilitate a better conversation, it was necessary to change the situation a bit.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh, the clash of metal, and cries of surprise filled the air.

“You bastard! Kill him!”

The large man, who had retreated behind his subordinates in a panic, shouted as he watched Jerit wielding his sword with ferocious momentum.

However, Jerit’s sword, having already penetrated the heart of the group, was dancing fiercely.

Red blood splattered into the air, and the slave traders’ screams of panic scattered in disarray. They were armed, but the tide of the battle was rapidly turning in one direction.

These ragtag bandits, who only preyed on refugees heading south from their hometowns, stood no chance against an Esquire formally trained by the Holy See.

Of course, we were outnumbered. As Jerit dealt with the three or four slave traders surrounding him, a slave trader aiming a crossbow at Jerit from afar caught my eye.

“……!”

Before Jerit, who had also noticed him, could hurriedly lower his head, a beam of light shot from my hand struck the slave trader first, faster than the crossbow bolt.

Bam!

The Spear of Light, imbued with immense physical force, pierced through both the crossbow and the slave trader’s body before disappearing into the field behind them.

“Eek!”

“Ma, Magic! It’s a mage!”

The beam of light instantly drew everyone’s attention. However, Jerit’s sword didn’t stop.

I nodded as I watched his clean and decisive strike, which swung once more, drawing blood from another man. Well learned.

I slowly approached them on horseback. The remaining slave traders had already lost their will to fight. Some even abandoned everything and attempted to flee on horseback.

Of course, fleeing with a mage at your back was one of the worst possible actions.

Woooong. The beam of light that left my hand split into several strands as if it were alive.

Swish. The beams of light, drawing smooth curves, swiftly crossed the air, precisely striking the slave traders on their horses, leaving the animals unharmed.

“Da, Damn it!”

Now, only the leader, who had fled behind his subordinates as soon as the fight began, remained.

He tried to escape on horseback but, upon seeing several of his men instantly sent to meet their maker, he gave up and tightly gripped his bloodstained axe.

And his next choice wasn’t a wise one either.

Whoosh. The axe left the man’s hand and flew towards me with a heavy sound.

It was a better counterattack than charging at a mage with an axe in hand, but it was still meaningless.

Clang. The axe, blocked by the barrier that had risen in front of me, bounced off harmlessly.

“Hi, Hieek!”

And the next moment. Jerit, who had moved in front of the man, swung the hilt of his sword with all his might.

Thud. The heavy hilt struck the leader’s face with a dull thud.

Teeth flew out along with blood. Unable to withstand the pain of the ruthless blow, the man’s body immediately collapsed to the ground.

“Now.”

I slowly opened my mouth, looking down at the man. It was safe to assume he had backing, considering the circumstances.

“Who is the one placing large orders for slaves?”

Groan. I continued speaking in a gentle voice to the man who was crawling on the ground, groaning with an unclear pronunciation.

“I would appreciate it if you answered while I’m still asking nicely.”

“……!”

The man, immediately understanding the implication in my words, managed to raise his body and shouted.

“Ma, Magic Tower! They go to the Magic Tower!”

“Magic Tower?”

He quickly nodded at my question. He didn’t seem to be lying.

“Ye, Yes! Supplying slaves to the Black Magic Tower in Schwarzcolm is─”

I nodded and immediately swung my sword.

Slash. The man’s face, still speaking, didn’t even register that his throat had been cut. No, he didn’t even seem to notice when the sword was drawn.

I had heard all the information I needed. There was no reason to keep him alive. Even if we took him to another city, the punishment for a slave trader who violated the Church’s teachings was burning at the stake.

“……”

Silence followed. Jerit, who had wiped the blood off his blade using the clothes of the fallen slave traders, let out a heavy sigh and looked at me.

“Could it be that the Magic Tower in Schwarzcolm is violating the doctrines and colluding with heretics?”

“Hmm.”

I didn’t answer and walked towards the carriage.

Mages of the Magic Tower were an easy breed to understand.

For those who pursued the mysteries of truth and phenomena, followers of wisdom, the Church’s doctrines and old-fashioned rules held little significance.

Rather than having a specific purpose of colluding with heretics and betraying the Church, it was more likely that they were simply looking for victims to use in their magical experiments.

Of course, since this was near the north, close to the remaining Catacomb, the possibility of mages colluding with heretics, as Jerit suggested, wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Slide.

I reached out towards the bars of the carriage that stood still among the corpses.

“……”

Inside, I could sense the slaves, or rather, the refugees, holding their breath in fear due to the commotion and the sounds of destruction outside.

They were probably offering desperate prayers to God.

I simply manipulated my holy power.

Crack. The sturdy lock broke, and the tightly shut carriage door creaked open.

“……!”

Sunlight streamed inside. I could see the refugees inside cautiously poking their heads out with frightened faces, feeling the fresh air of freedom.

God hadn’t answered their prayers. It was just a stroke of luck, a coincidence that they had encountered us.

However, the result was the same.

“……”

Slaves specifically requested by the Magic Tower.

As I carefully observed those who stumbled out of the carriage, I noticed something strange and narrowed my eyes.

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