I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

“After calculation, 76 silver.”

I flinched at the words of the magic stone exchange employee. I tapped my thigh, hidden under the desk, with my finger.

“How would you like your exchange? All in silver coins? Or would you like a mix with silver-gold coins?”

“Five silver-gold coins. The rest all in silver, please.”

“Understood.”

The female employee took coins from the safe. After counting them one by one, she put them in a box and handed it to me.

“Here you are. Please check and confirm the amount yourself.”

I took the case and checked each coin inside. The quantity was accurate, so I immediately put them in my pouch.

“Thank you. Please visit us again.”

After receiving the employee’s greeting, I left. I walked on the street, pretending to be calm. Upon reaching the square, I sat on a small bench. I took out a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth.

“Hehehe…”

I tapped the pouch tied to my waist. With each tap, there was a jingling sound. It was a noise that made me happy just hearing it.

When was it that I was living so miserably in the labyrinth? Now I’m rejoicing over earning this much. Even I thought I was quite simple.

But how could I not be happy? I earned more than what I had spent before entering the labyrinth yesterday. How could I not be pleased?

How should I use this money? I thought for a moment while repeatedly putting the cigarette in my mouth and taking it out.

‘Maybe I’ll visit the slave market.’

The Labyrinth City was where the most slave traders in the continent came. It was a place where many slaves were produced and also where many were needed.

Since I came out early anyway, I should look for a slave. Though I had no problems dealing with orcs and goblins, a front line was essential when considering guardians.

Thinking that I should also buy cigarettes soon, I got up from the bench. After buying and eating some street food, I walked toward the slave district.

“Come on. Many cheap slaves here! From five-year-old children to eighty-year-old elders! We have various age groups, so come take a look!”

“If you want sex slaves, this way! A very pretty one came in today!”

Upon entering the slave district, touting was rampant. Some conducted business by just laying wooden planks in the alley, while others shouted from building entrances.

The air was more lively than in the commercial district, but it couldn’t hide a strange gloominess. There was an atmosphere that slaves emitted.

I walked on the sidewalk, looking at the slaves. None of those I had seen so far caught my eye. Indeed, my standards had become too high because of Egun.

“If you want combat slaves, come this way! We have mercenary slaves who worked as mercenaries, and explorers who were active in the labyrinth!”

As I was wandering around, I heard interesting news. I walked in the direction of the voice.

“Welcome!”

As I approached the building entrance, the touting man greeted me with a smile.

“I’d like to look at some slaves.”

“Then, I was thinking of consulting with you directly. Would that be alright?”

“As you wish.”

“Elaine! I need to attend to a customer, so you take over now. It was your turn next anyway.”

“How long have you been touting? Already a customer comes in. Lucky bastard. Go in.”

At the blonde man’s words, another man got up and scratched the back of his head.

“Please follow me.”

I followed him along the corridor. He opened a door in the middle and stepped aside, so I went in.

“Thank you very much for visiting our ‘Celeste Slave Trading Company.’ My name is Dante. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Romon.”

I grabbed Dante’s hand for a handshake. He took out paper and a pen from the drawer and handed them to me.

“The gender and age of the slave you need. And for what purpose you are buying. How much your budget is. I would appreciate it if you could write it here.”

“The system is very well-organized. Is this how slave traders typically operate?”

“How could that be? As you saw on your way here, there are more people who handle slaves roughly on the streets. That only lowers the value of the merchandise.”

“You mean this place is different from others?”

“Yes. We definitely deal with only valuable slaves. To begin with, combat slaves have strong pride, so they cannot be treated roughly.”

I nodded and filled out the paper. By the time I had written everything, refreshments were placed on the desk.

“Let me check for a moment.”

Leaning against the sofa, I put a cookie in my mouth.

The sweet taste of sugar and the soft flavor of butter. My mood improved dramatically with the sweetness I hadn’t tasted in a long time.

“Hmm.”

Unlike me, whose mood had improved, the man sitting across from me frowned.

“Is there a problem?”

“Your budget is much less than I thought. Is this your first time visiting a slave trader?”

“That’s right.”

“I see. With this amount of money, you can only buy slaves sold in alleys. Combat slaves are actually more expensive than most sex slaves.”

At Dante’s words, I pursed my lips. I had no idea slaves were so expensive. It seems I was too excited.

“Then, with my current budget, are there no combat slaves I can purchase?”

“There might be elsewhere, but the quality wouldn’t be good. You’d probably only get old, worn-out ones.”

“You’re saying there are none here.”

“Hmm.”

He leaned against the sofa and picked up a teacup. After sipping the tea, he fell into thought for a moment.

“Well. Actually, there is one among the slaves I manage. However, I’m keeping it because it’s troublesome to deal with.”

“It seems there’s a problem.”

“There’s a mental issue. And I’m not sure if it has value as a combat slave.”

“What kind of slave is it?”

“Gender is female. Age is only 24, so not too old. Uses a sword as a weapon, and has experience as an adventurer. She’s been down to the greenskin layer, they say.”

So far, everything he said was to my liking.

“Up to this point, it sounds like there’s no problem at all.”

“The important part comes next. While exploring the labyrinth, she injured one leg and has difficulty moving.”

Using a sword but with an injured leg. It was essentially a death sentence for a swordswoman.

“Can I see her?”

“That’s not difficult, but if you meet her directly, you’ll be disappointed. Most customers are lured by the low price, but then they recoil in disgust.”

Dante organized the papers and then stood up.

“Follow me.”

I followed him out of the room. Going down the stairs at the end of the corridor, a long passage with iron bars appeared. Inside, there were various furniture and people.

“From here. To there are the slaves I manage.”

He pointed at the slaves like a child showing off his possessions. Looking at the slaves’ appearance, they all definitely looked like they could fight well.

“And this is the slave I mentioned.”

The area with the smallest space among the numerous iron bars. A woman was lying there.

“Black hair?”

I muttered and turned my head toward Dante. He subtly avoided my gaze. It seemed he had deliberately not mentioned it.

“When I mention black hair, everyone says it’s ominous and doesn’t even come to look at her face. So I had no choice but to hide it arbitrarily. If you’re displeased, I apologize.”

At his words, I sighed deeply.

I wasn’t upset that she had black hair. I was upset that she was discriminated against for that reason.

“Can I see her face?”

I said, pulling my robe down even more. I was afraid that his current friendly attitude would change if he saw my hair.

“Of course. Hey! There’s a customer! Get up!”

He tapped the iron bars. The woman inside flinched. The woman who had been lying on the straw mat slowly got up.

“……”

The woman looked at us without saying anything.

Her appearance itself was beautiful, but her eyes were empty, making it feel like looking at a corpse. Moreover, she was so emaciated that it was painfully sad to look at.

It was like seeing a victim of famine.

“Are you not feeding her?”

“We feed her consistently every day. However, she doesn’t eat. Even when force-fed, she vomits everything, so we can’t do anything. It’s a relief that she at least drinks a little water.”

“Haven’t you thought about selling her to a brothel?”

“That corpse? The Labyrinth City has the largest brothel district on the continent. Even if she has a pretty face, no one would accept her in that state.”

Dante said that, but she was probably rejected due to her black hair. She wouldn’t have been this thin from the beginning. If that wasn’t the case, she would have been sold to a brothel.

‘I understand why he introduced her to me, someone who doesn’t qualify.’

Originally, humans survive tenaciously in any situation as long as they have a reason to live. Conversely, no matter how abundant, they die too easily without that reason.

That woman had no will to live. So she wouldn’t last long. He was trying to sell her somehow before having to dispose of the body.

I don’t understand why Dante accepted such a woman as a slave in the first place. The others seemed to be worth dozens of gold just by looking at them.

“What would you like to do?”

Honestly, I wasn’t very attracted.

What’s the point of having a pretty face? She’s so thin. Even if I buy her, she won’t last long. But is there any reason to buy her?

After various thoughts, I made my decision.

“I…”