In The Basement Of Duke Ivanstein's Mansion - Chapter 4

15 years ago.

At the end of the faintly trembling breaths, not even despair could form. Everyone knew that this was just the beginning, too early to collapse now.

This was the slave storage of a human auction house, which could be considered the bottom of the continent. The slaves were crammed into a space so narrow they could barely stretch out an arm.

This was the third time Mel and her mother had entered this auction house as merchandise. With her previous experiences, Mel was able to secure the most secluded spot. To survive until reaching the auction stage, one must absolutely avoid drawing attention.

“Huff, huff…”

Mel looked worriedly at her mother, who was panting, unable to breathe properly. With so many people crammed into this stuffy, dust-filled space, it wasn’t an environment her frail mother could endure.

“Cough, cough!”

Her mother finally couldn’t hold it in and coughed. Mel hurriedly covered her mother’s mouth. Her mother’s face turned red from lack of air. She knew this wasn’t right, but there was no choice. Making loud noises here was dangerous.

The guard in charge of the slave storage was blind but had very sensitive ears. He had the monstrous strength to break a person’s bones with just one slap of his large palm. Even at the slightest whimper, he would scratch his ears vigorously, enter the storage, and beat any slaves within reach. An innocent person could be punished for a sound made by someone else.

“My ears itch. My ears, my ears itch.”

Sure enough, the storage guard came down the stairs, scratching his ears like a madman. He tormented his ears to the point where blood pooled between his raised fingernails. His ears had long since lost their shape, and where they should have been were now just hollow cavities.

“Who is it, who’s tormenting me? Who is it, who?”

As the guard entered, tearing at the door of the slave storage room, fear filled everyone’s eyes. Slaves beaten by the guard became disabled and were sold at a pittance. That was the situation slaves feared most. Slaves who couldn’t perform proper labor were worthless, and that meant death.

“Hah.”

The guard reached out towards the slave closest to the door he had torn off. It was a boy right next to a slave whose head had been cracked by the guard not long ago. Before the blood from that incident had even dried, it was his turn. There was no way to avoid the guard in this cramped space.

‘No!’

She couldn’t let that boy suffer because of her and her mother. Mel bit her lip and quickly looked around. She picked up a small stone from the uneven floor and quickly threw it towards the wall.

Tak, tadak.

There was a small sound of the pebble hitting the wall and falling. It was a very faint sound.

“Noisy, noisy, noisy!”

Even at that small sound, the guard covered his ears in agony. Mel didn’t miss the opportunity and continued to throw pebbles on the floor.

Realizing this was a way to delay the guard’s violence, the slaves began to pick up and throw stones like Mel. As several were thrown at once, the guard’s face twisted horribly, and he started scratching his ears again. As the hand reaching for him was withdrawn, the slave boy seemed to lose strength in his legs and collapsed.

“Enough! Damaging the goods can only be overlooked so many times. How long do you think the Master will put up with you?”

Just then, the auction manager came down to the basement, having heard the guard’s near-scream. The auction manager swung the whip in his hand with a bored expression, as if thoroughly sick of the situation.

“Argh!”

Blood burst from the guard’s back. Mel exhaled the breath she had been holding as she watched the guard curl up like a ball.

The guard, of course, wasn’t held responsible for killing slaves since managing them was his job. But the manager had to sell the slaves at the highest possible price to build his performance record. That’s why the manager disliked the guard.

This should be enough to vent the frustrations that had built up. Mel thought so as she held her mother’s hand and lowered her body further.

“As if there weren’t already too few usable slaves, now they’re all about to starve to death, you damned fool!”

Crack, crack. With each neurotic lash of the whip, the slaves trembled.

Mel tried hard to put strength into her legs that were about to give out. If the manager hadn’t come in just then, she would probably have died at the guard’s hands. Thinking this, the trembling in her body subsided.

“Tsk, blood has splattered on the merchandise.”

The manager only stopped whipping when the blind guard lost consciousness. He roughly wiped the blood off his whip and looked around the storage room. Most of the slaves at the front were covered in blood.

“They need to go up soon, what should I do…”

The manager’s insensitive eyes calculated the value of the goods.

In any case, slaves given a good price had a slightly higher chance of surviving longer. Mel, who had started this life from birth, knew this market flow well. They had to be given the highest possible price. Only then could they meet a good master who knew the value of money.

“You, you, you. Come here.”

The manager pulled forward a few slaves who had been splattered with blood.

“You here, you there, yes, you here.”

The slaves were largely classified into four categories: male slaves, female slaves, particularly good-looking male and female slaves, and slaves with unique characteristics. Mel knew the uses of slaves divided like this. She also knew that she and her mother would be separated into different categories.

“Oh, this one’s quite usable.”

When it came to Mel and her mother’s turn, the manager’s eyes briefly sparkled.

No matter how sick and worn her face was from the harsh life of a slave, Mel’s mother was an outstanding beauty. She was prettier than any slave Mel had seen growing up, or even any noble ladies. So when they entered such an auction house again, it was easy to predict what would happen to her mother. As the situation she had prepared for approached, Mel’s body suddenly stiffened.

‘If anyone touches mother, I’ll kill them all.’

Mel clenched her fists and her eyes flashed fiercely. It wasn’t a look a mere ten-year-old should have.

Her mother gently embraced the trembling Mel. Just that warmth and affectionate embrace was enough to calm her tension. Even though her body couldn’t keep up and she had to rely on her young daughter, a mother was still a mother.

Mel removed her mother’s hands and stepped forward.

“I’m glad to greet you again, Manager.”

“You know me?”

Until now, no merchandise had dared to speak so boldly to the manager. However, Mel was still young, and thinking it was the ignorance of an immature person, it didn’t upset him.

“Of course. How could I forget the kindness you showed me when I was younger?”

“Oh ho.”

The manager showed interest in the child’s blatant flattery, which revealed her cunning intentions.

“You helped my mother and me to be sold together without being separated. My master was so pleased. I grew up hearing that I should be grateful to you, Manager.”

“Is that so? Who was your master?”

A twisted smile spread across the manager’s face at Mel’s words.

The demand for a mother and child together was fixed. Nobles who couldn’t let go of their desire for honor even while buying slaves. They were good customers who paid big money for that cheap sympathy.

“It was Lord Perodrono of the Deborono County in the Kingdom of Stelvenia.”

Her former master, the second son of Count Deborono from the Stelvenia Kingdom, was a fairly good master in his own way. He enjoyed carrying the young Mel around like a piece of jewelry, attracting sympathetic glances from tender-hearted ladies.

So Mel was treated quite well and was able to receive some education, albeit for show. If he hadn’t had to sell his slave due to gambling debts, she would have continued a fairly tolerable life as a slave.

“Ah, so that disgracefully fallen fellow was your former master.”

“Master’s friends took pity on my situation of caring for my sick mother. Thanks to that, I was able to grow up safely in my mother’s arms, so of course, this is a kindness bestowed upon me by the manager.”

“You’re right about that.”

The manager nodded his head vigorously and only then scrutinized Mel carefully. It wasn’t easy for a young slave girl to grow up so neatly. Usually, they would be separated from their mothers, rolling in the mud, sold to perverts, or to those with undesirable appetites.

In contrast, Mel’s black hair was glossy and soft, and her eyes, like green leaves, sparkled brightly. The fact that she hadn’t lost the innocence unique to children alone showed how she had been treated.

Noble clients liked slaves who moved quickly and perceptively according to their wishes. By the looks of it, this child seemed to have scratched her master’s itches well so far.