บท 6: My L-lord

The interior of the large, oval-shaped building was poorly designed, but after all, this was not a fashion center, it was a slave market. The slaves stood in small cages. Most of their faces had expressions of unhappiness and emptiness, but some wore a happy expression, or rather, a mask of happiness. After all, most slave buyers preferred docile slaves who wouldn't cause trouble, especially if they were looking for a sex slave. For this reason, some slaves forced themselves to smile, hoping to escape this hell faster. Additionally, if the slave market's stock of slaves was filled to capacity, the oldest and most useless slaves were killed. This is why every slave wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Neonidas continued to walk between the cages, his eyes searching for just one person. Since things were not very clear in the novel and Neonidas's memory was far from flawless, he did not know exactly where he would find the man he was looking for, but he knew what he looked like. Neonidas wandered around the slave market, walking from one place to another. The slave traders around him approached, eagerly trying to sell their slaves.

"Come here, my dear! Hey, sir! If you want to know what true pleasure is, you should buy one of my girls. I can find any woman you want," the trader called out to him. Neonidas looked at the man who addressed him, then at the slaves he mentioned.

He could use them for a brothel, but he didn't want to force any of the girls into work. After all, even though he had an eccentric character compared to most of society, he had still been raised by modern moral standards. Despite his morality being more transparent, it still existed, and even Neonidas had some red lines.

"Naah..."Neonidas turned and continued on his way, but stopped when he saw a man in one of the cages of the trader who had spoken to him.

His face was extremely grim, and there seemed to be no sign of life in his eyes. He had long white hair and a feminine face. His long white lashes, small nose, milk-white skin, blue eyes, dimples, and pink cheeks made him look like a woman, but he was a man. He was one of the main harem members loved by the main character of the story, and also the third most beloved character by the readers. Of course, considering that the readers were mostly teenage girls, it was quite natural for them to like this kind of man. But aside from all that, he possessed an unprecedented healing and strengthening ability throughout the empire, along with an immense Mana capacity.

It was clear from every aspect of Neonidas that he was a wealthy man. After all, even though he sold everything unnecessary and expensive in his mansion, he hadn't sold his clothes. For this reason, the surrounding slave traders salivated when they looked at Neonidas.

"My lord! I must warn you in advance, the person you're looking at is a man. If you want a capable woman to warm your bed, I can help. Of course, if you want a white-haired woman... That's impossible. You won't find a silver-haired slave in the entire slave market, not just with me. However, even though he's a man, I can train him in a few months to pleasure you," the trader continued.

"No, I will buy him now" Neonidas said after hearing the trader's offer, and he saw the trader's astonished look, followed by a smile.

"Hmm, I suppose you're more enjoyable than I thought... I like sissy boys too. If you want, we can take special orders," the trader said, rubbing his sweaty mustache.

Neonidas, already tired of the bad reputation he had across the empire, sighed and turned to the slave trader. "I plan to use him for that purpose, old man. Now, tell me the price of the slave."

The trader's eyes lit up when he saw Neonidas' willing demeanor. "Ah, of course, my lord! But this will require a fortune... 10 gold coins," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he quoted the price.

"Alright, I'll take him," Neonidas said to the guard behind him, who didn't look like a guard. The guard started to take out gold coins from the pouch next to him.

The slave trader quickly placed a few documents on top of that box and began filling them out. "Yes, of course. This slave has a name, but you can also give him one if you prefer. Which would you prefer?"

"Keep his original name."

"Then I'll register the slave's name as Soren. Would you like to purchase a magical slave collar? I need to note this in the official documents," the trader asked.

"Yes, I'll take it."

Neonidas looked at his new slave, Soren, who was now part of the story's male lead cast. Soren looked at him like a curious cat, but still had a deep anger on his face. Neonidas knew why he was angry and planned to resolve that issue after this.

"Please sign your name here, sir," the trader said, pausing to allow Neonidas to fill out the documents.

Neonidas quickly wrote his name and handed the documents back to the trader. When the slave trader saw the name "Neonidas" on the document, his eyes widened, and sweat began pouring down his back. He had just sold a slave to a duke, but fortunately, he hadn't said anything unnecessary. Using all his willpower, the slave trader turned around as calmly as possible, smiling as he opened Soren's cage. With trembling hands, he placed the slave collar around Soren's neck and then handed Neonidas the stone that controlled the collar.

When this stone was infused with mana, the collar would cause the slave to suffer, and if enough mana was used, the slave could die. Fortunately, it didn't require too much mana, so even Neonidas could use the magical stone. Once everything was settled, Neonidas, his guards, and Soren headed to his carriage. As Soren got into the carriage, the guards mounted their horses.

Neonidas looked at Soren. Soren occasionally looked shyly at Neonidas and his shyness made him even more feminine "…Let's skip the boring talk and get straight to the point. You won't ask any questions, you'll just say yes or no. Do you understand?" Neonidas asked, his expression clearly showing his boredom.

Soren looked at Neonidas in confusion. "Do you understand?" Neonidas said louder.

Soren nodded in fear. "Y-yes, I understand, sir."

"Good. Now, all I want from you is to be my protector... You might question why you're going to be my protector, but forget about that. You'll do everything you can to get stronger. In exchange, I'll save your sister. Do you accept?"

Soren's eyes widened in surprise, and he stared at Neonidas with his mouth open. But before he could say anything, Neonidas cut him off, saying, "Just yes or no. How I know about your sister is none of your concern. Yes or no?"

Soren had no choice but to obey Neonidas's directive. His situation left him with no options. His thoughts were chaotic, but the instant anger and helplessness prevented him from suppressing his emotions. He had to respond without thinking about the consequences of Neonidas's request.

"Yes, I accept," Soren responded, his voice trembling. He had found a glimmer of hope for his sister, but he couldn't fully comprehend what this would mean for him.

When Neonidas heard this response, he seemed pleased. A slight smile appeared on his face. "Wonderful! With the power I'll give you, you'll be able to save your sister with my help! How about that? Isn't it an unimaginably good offer? Yes, it is. Hahaha. But.... don't ever forget where this help comes from. What I want from you in return for all this is unconditional loyalty. Got it?" Neonidas asked.

Soren thought for a moment about how strange this man was. But still, a strange feeling inside him told him that he could trust this man, and he didn't want to reject that strange feeling. After all, it was this strange power he had rejected last time that caused him to lose his sister.

"Y-yes… If you can save my sister, I swear to dedicate my life to you..... My L-lord!"