Chapter 17

Slave Auction (2)

The woman had hair as white as snow and reddish-brown skin. The hall was agitated by the mysterious appearance, unheard of in the Empire.

She was Caucasian.

The Caucasians, gathered in the Caucasian Autonomous Region, were a closed and sparsely populated people. Even in Tiflis, you don’t see many Caucasians.

Like the slaves before her, the woman on the leash stumbled after a few steps and collapsed. Instead of a whip, the man grabs her by the hair and pulls her to her feet.

“As you can see, this is a very rare commodity. One hundred percent Caucasian.”

The air in the room changed. The attendees, who had lost interest in the auction, couldn’t take their eyes off the new item.

Callion’s hand tightened on the chair handle. With a crack, the knob shattered, stinging his fingers, but he didn’t realize it.

It was obvious where the women sold at slave auctions would end up and what fate awaited them. That word meant something.

And if they were Caucasian, neither from the empire nor the kingdom, there would be no concern for repercussions, making their treatment even more brutal.

“Starting at 20 cels.”

The auction began, and people raised their hands in fear.

30., 40, 50. The bid quickly skyrocketed.

“100! We’ve passed 100 cels!”

The emcee shouted at the top of his lungs.

After 100, the number of hands dropped significantly.

“140 cels! Any more bids?”

Adelaide, who had been watching the action, raised her hand.

“150.”

“I’ve got 150! Any bids for 160?”

The table in front of her called out 160. Adelaide responded immediately.

“200.”

“Yes, 200 cels!”

“250.”

“300.”

It was a good thing she’d brought all the money from the jewelry sale.

Adelaide was going to buy her, no matter what.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Just watch. Three hundred and fifty.”

“Three hundred and fifty! Three hundred and fifty. Do you want to continue?”

“360.”

Adelaide wasn’t alone; the competitive table wasn’t about to give up its rare Caucasian slave so easily.

No sooner had Adelaide bid 350 than her opponent raised 10. She raised her hand again.

“Four hundred cels.”

Those watching began to murmur, indicating Adelaide’s determination.

It was a lot of money for a slave, but it was worth it.

The female slave’s tongue is not cut out. There must have been something she saw and heard before she came to the auction house.

And if she doesn’t save her now…….

“Four hundred cels! Any higher bid?”

“450.”

“Five hundred.”

Adelaide raised the bid without hesitation. The people were amazed at the amount of money, which was more than enough to buy all the slaves released today.

Even the table in front of her, who had been bidding competitively, no longer raised their hands.

“Five hundred cels, you win!”

Adelaide had won.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

With the main event over, the excitement in the auction house died down.

Adelaide slipped out of the chapel as soon as the last auction was over. She knew people were curious about her identity.

Callion’s breathing was ragged as he exited the chapel. He looked like he had a lot to say, but he didn’t dare speak in case there were ears to hear.

“Pardon me. You won the slave auction, didn’t you?”

The guard who had escorted them in said: Adelaide nodded.

“Please come to the office.”

The servant led them to a prayer room in the back of the chapel.

The prayer room was small, barely fitting two or three people. It was apparently to keep the winning bidders from bumping into each other.

“Welcome.”

The man sitting in the prayer room greeted them warmly. The man in the priestly robes was not masked.

He didn’t seem to think there would be any repercussions for showing his face to the winner of the auction.

“A very impressive auction.”

The priest said it cheerfully. Adelaide ignored him and asked.

“What about the goods?”

“The prizes are handed over after payment is received.”

Adelaide immediately handed over 500 cels.

The sight of the priest greedily counting the notes was sickening.

“Is everything in order?”

“Don’t worry. We haven’t touched a hair.”

Was this what came out of a priest’s mouth?

No matter how corrupted the temple is, it is still a place of worship for the gods, and yet he would casually engage in human trafficking.

It was deplorable that such a shameless crime was taking place on his territory.

His clenched fists shook with anger. Adelaide tapped Callion in the arm, pretending it was a mistake.

“Exactly 500 cels. Will you take her away now? Or would you prefer us to send her to your desired location?”

“What about the others?”

“Usually, we send them to designated locations. They cannot ride in the same carriage as the slaves.”

Slaves are treated no better than livestock, so riding in the same carriage with nobles is unthinkable.

She opened her mouth bluntly.

“Then send her to our designated location.”

“Please write down where you would like her to be sent.”

The priest stretched a piece of paper. Since she couldn’t ask to be sent to Tiflis Castle, she wrote down the name of the dingy inn where Sycamore had told her to contact him.

“I will have her sent by tomorrow morning.”

“I see.”

After settling the matter, Callion refused the guard’s escort and left the church immediately. People seemed curious about their identity.

Adelaide watched him walk ahead and smiled bitterly. It was the reaction she had hoped for, but it was not pleasant.

Arriving at the carriage, Callion threw the door open roughly. Lucid, who had been waiting for them, greeted them.

“You’ve taken so long. Did you see anything interesting? I’ve been dying of boredom waiting for you…….”

“Lucid, where’s Julian?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you tell Julian to follow us?”

Callion, who had thrown off his mask, asked in a low voice. Lucid, realizing the mood, answered immediately.

“He should be waiting about 10 minutes away.”

“Let’s leave right away.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lucid hurriedly climbed into the carriage and cracked his whip.

The carriage rattled and sped off, her body rattling violently, but she couldn’t ask for consideration.

Adelaide turned to Callion, who seemed colder than ever, and asked cautiously.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to round up everyone involved, find out who did this, and hold them accountable.”

“You shouldn’t act so rashly. Be rational.”

“I’m being reasonable enough.”

“No. Your Grace, you’re not.”

Callion’s eyes were sharp, as if they would eat her.

Instead of telling him to calm down, Adelaide took a deep breath for herself.

“You should capture those directly involved, but let the people who attended it go.”

“They’re involved in human trafficking, too.”

“People who attended without knowing the nature of the event shouldn’t be punished.”

He can’t punish people for attending an auction. Besides, most of the attendees are probably proxies of the nobility, so it’s just a matter of cutting off their tails.

Callion’s anger subsided at the calm explanation.

“I cannot turn a blind eye to them.”

“People with leverage are frightening, but those who expose them are not. A mouse will bite a cat when cornered.”

“…….”

“The guest list should be available. Just get your hands on that list.”

It wasn’t Callion’s preferred method. However, it was a clever and efficient approach.

Rather than condemning them with a half-hearted sense of justice, it was better to gather evidence and manipulate them.

He quickly made up his mind.

“I understand what you mean.”

Adelaide was finally relieved.

The rickety carriage came to a stop in the middle of the forest. Julian emerged from hiding among the trees.

“Julian, go to the church now and capture everyone inside, and confiscate anything suspicious.”

“Understood. And what about you, Your Grace?”

“I am going to the temple. Lucid, summon the knights and follow me.”

“Yes.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Samuel Dorfman, High Priest of the Temple of Therminas, was one of the most revered men in Tiflis.

Due to the influence of the kingdom’s unbelievers and the Coucasian, who worshiped their own gods, the people of Tiflis ignored the temple. Thus, Tiflis was considered a difficult place for preaching.

Most priests came with great aspirations but left with both hands empty. However, Samuel Dorfman was different.

He distributed food and medicine to the hungry and sick, gave shelter to the homeless, and took in orphans who had nowhere else to go and made them priests.

Because of his devotion, the Temple of Therminas grew in size every day. People considered Samuel Dorfman a saint.

Of course, his actions were not always motivated by a sense of duty and faith.

Samuel Dorfman was an ambitious man. He had come to Tiflis to be recognized for his role in establishing the Temple of Therminas and to become an archbishop.

However, his plans turned to ashes in an instant. The prince at the time, Callion, was the crown prince. Tiflis was ideal for building ties with the future emperor.

But the plan quickly fell apart. The crown prince never became emperor, and the empire was thrown into chaos.

With Callion’s lack of interest in the temple, Samuel’s situation was dire.

Feeling that there was nothing to gain from being stuck in this backwater, Samuel began to look for a way out of Tiflis.

“Why is it only 320 cels? The deposit was supposed to be 500 cels.”

Samuel furrowed his brow as he counted the money. The priest who handed over the money politely replied.

“We agreed to pay all at once after the auction.”

“Hmm, is the auction still ongoing?”

“I was informed that it ended a little while ago.”

“Tell them to clean up without leaving a trace.”

“I’ve taken care of it.”

“Keep a close eye to ensure no embezzlement…”

With a bang, the door to the priest’s chamber swung open.

“Who is it!”

“It’s been a long time, High Priest Dorfman.”

“Your, Your Grace!”