My Disciples Think I’m Strong – Chapter 283

“How’s Ella doing?”

“She’s getting much better. Her skin still seems to struggle under the sun, but she’s taken off all the bandages.”

“That’s a relief.”

Seems she’s recovering well. Thank goodness an S-Class talent isn’t dead. It’s not such a bad thing to have her indebted to me. She’ll surely be useful when the time comes.

“Why are you packing weapons too?”

“When problems arise, shouldn’t I at least have a weapon to protect myself?”

I spoke while equipped with the sword known as “The Unbreakable Glory of the Past” and a necklace called “Frost’s Hobby”.

Even if Glair, a 6th Tier Magician, were to protect me now, not preparing would be foolish. The person I might have to deal with at this slave auction could be Inkuro, an S-Class Adventurer.

With my life at stake at every move, I couldn’t help but feel afraid even with these artifacts prepared.

“I see. But with skills like yours, can’t you just use magic without a weapon?”

Do you even understand the struggles of an ordinary person who doesn’t know magic or how to fight? It’s just sad.

“It’s good to have more weapons. You never know what situation might arise.”

“I guess that’s true. Let’s head out then.”

Glair and I wore our masks. The mask enchanted with a distortion magic turned Glair’s blue hair to gold.

There was no physical change, but the mere absence of his blue hair, the symbol of Todiah, would make it impossible for anyone to recognize him as Glair.

And I’d also look different. Probably.

We passed through the black market and headed towards Wyrang’s Indulgence.

Before the Wyrang’s Indulgence tavern, burly men guarded the entrance. We walked up to them without hesitation.

Showing my money pouch allowed us to enter freely. However, I had no choice but to leave my precious weapon with a waiting woman inside.

“Two Slave Drinks, please.”

“…Understood.”

Glair placed twenty gold coins on the table. That was for both of us. The bartender took it, then handed us a glass filled with a black liquid.

“Enjoy your time.”

The number tags we received after paying were 87 and 88.

Glair looked at the tags and threw a glance at the drink named Slave.

“Is it safe to drink this?”

“Well, I don’t really know.”

It should be a world I can trust…

In the end, it seemed she decided against drinking it, sniffing it a few times before putting it down.

“By the way… what are you planning to do with the slaves you’re buying? It doesn’t seem like you’re just buying them for… simple pleasures.”

“That’s not something I need to explain to you.”

“How rude.”

Glair chuckled at my blunt attitude as he surveyed our surroundings. It was hard to recognize anyone since everyone wore masks, but there was one person I could recognize.

“…That one looks like Inkuro.”

I glanced towards where he was looking.

There sat a muscular man wearing a deep-cut top, with tanned skin, his legs crossed, and women draped around him, flirting.

Inkuro. An S-Class Adventurer.

If he were to have a title, it would probably be “Embodiment of Lust.” The only reason he bought slaves was purely for his sexual desires.

His earnings from adventuring were only spent on sex.

“He doesn’t seem to be acting different than I heard.”

He clicked his tongue while watching Inkuro before turning his head away.

Should I call him a doting father, or just someone committed to his family?

With a strong sense of chastity, he must be quite discontent with someone like Inkuro, who enjoys leisure.

I also found it distasteful. Living a life surrounded by women. That’s just infuriatingly enviable.

Anyway, the person to watch out for the most was Inkuro.

He’s not only strong but has likely amassed quite a fortune from adventuring.

“Glair.”

“What is it?”

“If you and Inkuro ended up fighting, who would win?”

“Well… I can’t say for sure. I’ve never fought him for real. But even if he is an S-Class Adventurer, I wouldn’t lose.”

In the end, he is just claiming he’d win.

It was a statement that lowered my confidence, but I could only hope that what he said was true.

Of course, the best scenario would be to pass by without any conflict.

*

Before long, a person wearing a goblin mask came out and began to guide everyone to the auction site.

As he introduced the Third Slave Auction, he led people through the entrance that appeared on the wall. We followed his lead inside.

After finding a middle seat, the slave auction began.

As the host introduced the first item, a wolf beastman came out, prompting the audience to start calling out prices.

It started with 100 gold coins.

Commoners used money they could earn in a lifetime so casually here.

Before long, a winning bidder was decided. It was number 41.

The next slave auction began shortly after.

As the tent was raised, a blonde girl with ragged clothing appeared, seated and slumped.

Her clothes were in tatters, but her face, hair, and skin were all well taken care of. The only similarity to the previous beastman was the restraint devices on her neck and limbs.

“This slave was born as the daughter of a count from the neighboring Aioum Kingdom, but she has been turned into a slave for the crime of treason. She has just recently become an adult and possesses a plump and voluptuous body. The minimum bid will start at 150 gold!”

This information matches as well.

There was a noble from the Aioum Kingdom, next to the Pretéum Empire, who acted as a spy for the demon tribe.

Although he was forced to do it due to being compromised by the demons, he couldn’t avoid extermination due to his actions as a spy.

And that girl has turned into a demon herself to take revenge on the kingdom that destroyed her family.

Her name is Stella Forna.

The only daughter of the Forna family and one of the slaves I need to buy today.

“Glair.”

“Is it that girl?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

He nodded while fidgeting with the 87 tag.

“Whoa, she looks quite appealing.”

Golden Sun clicked his tongue.

He seems to be getting excited already and raised the 21 tag. He was ready to participate in the auction.

“400 gold.”

He raised the tag to call out the price.

The chatter among the audience grew as Golden Sun made a bold bid right from the start.

It was a conceited display, filled with vanity.

I was trying to assert that I had more money than most nobles, but such acts were essentially meaningless in an auction.

Moreover, my strong backing wasn’t someone who would fuss over just a few hundred gold.

Glair watched silently, then raised the 87 tag high while saying:

“One thousand.”

“?”

In an instant, the auction hall fell silent at Glair’s deep voice.

“One thousand…! One thousand has come out! Anyone else?!”

The host’s shout brought some murmurs among the crowd.

“What’s this?”

Inkuro ground his teeth as he glared at Glair, who raised his hand high without a care. He sneered as if finding it ridiculous.

“Laughing…? One thousand one hundred!!”

“Now, one thousand one hundred has come…!”

“Two thousand.”

“Uh…?”

Showing off as if to say, if you’re going to splurge, do it properly, he bumped up the price like this. Even an S-Class Adventurer couldn’t nonchalantly throw around thousands of gold coins. Naturally, it should be nobles at least at the marquis level who could.

In the end, Inkuro yielded to Glair’s overwhelming financial power. That must have stung his pride quite a bit.

“By the way, Glair. Isn’t two thousand a bit excessive? You could have raised it by five hundred and it would’ve been fine.”

“That just doesn’t suit my temper.”

He smiled with his lips curling up. The gleam of his chin visible through the mask, revealing a rather annoying grin. Just how far does a noble’s extravagance warrant?

Finally, the host brought down the hammer three times onto the wooden board.

“It’s sold! The 87th winning bidder can take the slave immediately, but will you pay now or continue the auction?”

“I’ll continue.”

“Understood!”

Inkuro glared at Glair before scoffing and turning his head away.

“What a trifling matter.”

As Stella was led out by the goblin-masked individuals, the auction continued.

An auction of slaves that held no interest to us continued, and it was the eleventh when they announced the next one.

“Our next item is an elf! She is only ten years old, but I can boldly say that her appearance surpasses any slave present here!”

“Ten years old…? Isn’t she a bit too young?”

“If we consider raising her, that might be a bit of a hassle.”

“Alright, let’s unveil her!”

As the tent was taken down, a blonde, wall-eyed elf with completely dead eyes appeared.

Her body was sufficiently clean but looked disturbingly thin. It seemed like she’d break if merely touched.

Her gaze and movements could not hide the signs of something being wrong.

Yet, even in such a state, her beauty still shone through.

Could this really be the world’s most beautiful elf?

Even while playing a game, I used to think her illustrations were genuine works of art.

“Wow… her face is insane!”

“If she’s fed and fattened up, she could serve as a signboard worker.”

“When she becomes an adult, it’ll be such a delight.”

“Now, starting at 300 gold!”

“Five hundred.”

Inkuro shouted. The nobles murmured.

Isn’t this the same guy who already spent nearly two thousand seven hundred gold on slaves, now calling out five hundred gold?

But this felt right, more of a show and an attempt to dominate.

“500 gold! Anyone else?”

“Glair.”

“Is it that girl?”

My call brought Glair to nonchalantly respond while licking his lips hesitantly.

“Yeah.”

“She’s young. Perhaps…?”

“I buy it because it has its uses, so just shut up and hold up the tag.”

“I’ll trust you on that.”

As if I would think of him as some pervert.

If he were weaker than I, I truly would’ve slapped him.

“One thousand.”

Again, starting at one thousand. However, Inkuro, unwilling to fall behind, shouted back.

“One thousand ten—”

“Two thousand.”

As though seeing it as a joke, I raised my bid before he even finished his sentence.

“Hey, you bastard!!”

“Please calm down! No disputes allowed!”

Inkuro yelled, and the host quickly brought his hammer down on the board. The goblin-masked workers around tensed up with their hands over their weapons.

“Ugh…! Damn it…!”

Inkuro hit the support wall, showing his frustration, but there was nothing he could do.

On any note, I had expected the bid to be two thousand gold. Did it really escalate to four thousand gold?

“Is it alright?”

“You’re saying that because it went higher than expected?”

I nodded.

“It’s fine. If I bought Ella’s life for four thousand gold, then that’s practically a steal.”

This time, instead of ridicule, he wore a satisfied smile.

“And I’m glad I could repay my benefactor like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Then buying two means the auction ends here, right?”

“That would appear to be the case. Stand up.”

“Will the 87th winning bidder please take the slave?”

The auctioneer spoke to Glair, who held the 87 tag. He stood up immediately, nodding. I, occupying the seat beside him, also stood.

“Is that so? Then please follow the guide behind the podium.”

As the goblin-masked person who approached us said, “Shall we go,”

Now, let’s check on that girl who was supposed to be our deputy commander and the Third Hero.