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The Truth About The Slave Trader
I was shaking inside the dimly lit office. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
My fingertips - which were almost burning just a moment ago - are now cooled by sweat and feel frozen stiff. The feeling of my shirt drenched in sweat - sticking to my back - feels unpleasant. And then, I was completely terrified by the man standing diagonally behind me.
Myluc - looking like a terrifying wax doll instead of a person - finally approached. At first, he walked quietly with long strides with each step in a rough, forceful gait. Then, he snatched the bundle of letters from me.
「You saw it」
It was a quiet voice.
Just from that alone, I can feel the intense anger inside him.
「……yes」
With great effort, I squeeze out a small voice from the back of my throat.
I know I should not look, but I did it anyway. I can not avoid punishment with this. The key to the office in my hand was lent to me, and only for doing work and reading in the end. Doing something like entering the office without permission just due to curiosity, even if I am not a slave it is a clear abuse of authority.
But, he barely managed to keep his raging emotions from exploding.
「Since you’ve seen it, then there’s nothing I can do」
His rough and bony hands crumple the wrinkled paper once more.
「I was careless. I left it here, on the desk, along with the other letters. If I don’t want to show it to you, I should have placed it on that shelf along with the other sensitive documents」
「No」
He did not blame me even in this situation. No, I am sure he felt like that, but he showed restraint.
But, to take advantage of that would be downright rude.
「This was because, my selfishness」
I handed over the key in my hand while saying that.
「I’m sorry for acting out of line and forgetting my place」
But, Myluc shook his head.
「It is fine. You can keep that.....also」
He crosses his arms and starts pacing inside the room. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Listen, do not tell Tamaria, no matter what. As for why, you understand, right?」
「Yes」
「Do you really understand? Listen, even if you try to be kind and plan to tell her the truth」
Myluc suddenly stopped walking and turned around with an unusually serious expression on his face.
「Tamaria would die if she knew about this fact」
I suddenly felt a chill run through me.
Myluc looked down and spoke in a low tone.
「From the start, I had no intention of taking them both.....especially Detel」
It is already quite dark outside.
Myluc looked out of the window, as though his thoughts were somewhere far away. Due to the lighting, I could not tell what expression he had.
「Tamaria seemed to still be able to endure it but Detel......how could such a timid and fragile kid like him live as a slave.....so that is why if I were to buy someone, it will be the older sister. Even so, their parents」
He must have remembered the time when he purchased them both before.. Towards the end, his voice sounded as if it was forced out of him.
「He was seriously going to abandon his child! If it is going to be that way, then he might as well have kept the capable older sister first and thrown his youngest son a bleak future away. But then he quickly changed his mind when the older sister protected her brother and insisted that she should be the one to go! He said, ‘So troublesome, It’s going to be easier to just sell the two of you then’, can you believe that!」
Myluc's voice was filled with intense anger, more than I have ever heard before. He kept on talking without pause.
「And sure enough! Tamaria is worried about Detel and cannot leave! She intentionally made foolish mistakes even in auctions so she won’t get sold. She only hoped Detel would get sold and get accepted into a good place safely.....but, who would want such a quiet, excessively timid kid? Even I would not want to buy him. And as I thought, no one would be willing to purchase Detel at the auctions, that’s why」
Unawares, he had clenched his fist. Breathing heavily. And he was almost screaming out loud.
「That’s why, I bowed and begged that Yokona to take him in! Absolutely free! I told him that although he is a slightly timid he is not a bad kid, and he will become a loyal servant if you just give him proper education. And that bastard sold him - off all people - to some perverted noble! He even went as far as shamelessly asking for another one! Making fun of me like that!」
Did that kind of thing happen?
So Myluc was not making any profit? Would that not make him completely in the red?
Did he, prioritize Detel’s future instead of gain and loss? Why, only Detel?
……no.
Could it be, he has always put profit last in his mind?
「So, who got happy in the end? Tamaria can no longer be taken into a noble’s house. She will be sent to a brothel. A girl with no relatives or family with nowhere else to live. She puts herself on the line for her brother, and this is the result.....」
He leaned his back against the wall, collapsing to the floor with his big hands covering his face. His voice had become faint and hoarse. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Myluc.....-san」
I nervously asked about the doubts that appeared in my mind.
「Why, did you, become a slave trader?」
He does not reply. He does not even look at me.
「You could have raised Tamaria, no, not just her, but a lot of the children you took in.....」
「That is not possible」
A gloomy voice interrupted.
「Why?」
「Will you never know about it unless someone tells you?」
It was a low, groaning voice that felt like coming from the depths of the earth.
It was filled with deep resentment and hate.
「Noor. People have the responsibility to survive on their own. It is also their right. Even if you are a child or a slave. This is important. If you give up on this, then you will lose even the meaning of your life. But, idiots will not understand that. Suppose that I said I will raise the children I took in out of goodwill. To put it mildly, needy peasants will come to me from all over and will probably force their children on me. What do you think about that?」
「That’s……」
「If you think I am lying, you can try going to the former Tock Barony. There are proofs over there」
It is very possible. I mean, the folks in my previous village of Linga will definitely do that without hesitation.
The level of progress in this world is far behind that of my previous life’s Japan. The standard of the people is also low. And sadly, you can not establish philanthropic works with uncivilized people. As for why, that is because they can not understand why it is done, even if they see people handing out money or food, or even receiving benefits from it themselves. What if it is in a business, then? It will be either that they do not express their gratitude or that they will soon forget about it. And before they could think carefully about the meaning of the philanthropic works, the ignorant people would quickly turn their attention elsewhere. Meaning.....they will take what they could get, and they did not mind stealing if there was an opportunity.
「What is the point of planting nothing but grass that can not grow with its own strength in a flowerbed? I must be hated. And the parents letting their child go must be sad. Seeing this, they must finally reconsider and try to protect their children on their own」
「But, that’s why.....」
Myluc staggeringly stood up.
「You, you know how much I earn, right? But, you probably do not know how it was used. It is all recorded in that sensitive documents cabinet. I unexpectedly do not have that much money I can freely use」
I really don’t get it. I don’t get it, but somehow I understand.
Myluc is a man with special circumstances. He purposely became a slave trader not because he was considering its profits but because he considered it his job.
「That’s enough. Return to your room. You understand now, do not tell Tamaria about this, ever. Let that girl believe that her brother is living as a servant of a wealthy merchant and live happily. They will never meet again」
I could not organize my thoughts. But, I could not find any reason to go against Myluc’s consideration for now.
I bowed and left the office.
•••
「……huh? What’s the matter? Oi, Noor」
Wyst called out to me when I returned to our room.
Crap, did it show on my face?
「Did something happen?」
「Nothing happened」
「No way, right? Tell me about it」
He is already leaning forward from his bed, full of curiosity.
This cunning boy would never miss an opportunity to get from his opponent. So there is no other choice but to take on the offensive.
「Fine. Something happened. But I won’t tell you」
「Why not」
「Just because. Even if you tell me you’re going to jump out of the window if I tell you, I still won’t tell you about it. Not only you, but whoever asks」
Wyst's eyes widened when I firmly declared so. But he gradually pulls back.
「……fine」
「Sorry」
Despite apologizing, I had no intention to disclose it. I do not know just how much shock Tamaria would receive if she knew about this. I think saying that ‘she will die’ is a bit of an exaggeration. But telling this fact will only lead to a tragic result.
And saying 「This is a secret just between us 」 and ending up by telling Wyst about it is unfair. It would not be surprising if I accidentally let it slip, and even if I did not do that, I am sure I would not be able to talk to Tamaria freely anymore.
「It must have been something really bad to make Myluc completely angry」
「Yeah……」
I felt so tired throughout my whole body and plopped down onto my bed.
「Hey, Noor」
「What?」
「It’s fine if you’re going to sleep, but it’s about time for dinner, y’know」
•
The commotion happened after dinner time, when we were resting in our room. The sun had already set.
A girl’s scream can be heard coming from the courtyard.
「Someone help!」
That.....was Dona’s voice
Both Wyst and I got up from our beds, pulled the doorknob, and tumbled outside.
It was a scene of chaos in the courtyard. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Stop! Please! Throw it away!」
「Let me go! Out of my way, let me go!」
Tamaria and Dona are grappling with each other. To make things more dangerous, Tamaria is holding a kitchen knife with a reverse grip. And that is where Dona is clinging to.
「Oi」
「Un」
Wyst and I nodded to each other and grabbed Tamaria from the left and right. We did not reach for the knife suddenly. We might get injured if we approached it carelessly. That was why, we pulled both of her arms from left and right. Even with her strength, it was impossible for her to swing the knife in her hand with 3 people’s strength holding her down. Wyst and I reached out and pried her fingers from the knife one by one, and the knife fell to the floor while making a metallic sound.
「Don’t get in my waayyy! Aaaahh!」
This madness is something I can not imagine coming from her usual self. Just, what in the world happened?
Could she possibly, knew about Detel’s death? But, it is too quick. I have not told anyone about it, and there is no way Myluc will tell her.
「Please, let me die! Aaah, I’m going to kill you! Kill!」
But from her words and actions, I can not help but think that everything has come to light. What does it mean?
Hearing the commotion, the adults came rushing out from all over. Jusa went around the back of Tamaria and did a nelson hold on her. We can rest easy now.
A little while later, children also came running over from the windows here and there. And finally, Myluc arrived with heavy footsteps. Seeing his appearance, Tamaria suddenly shook off Jusa’s restraint and glared at Myluc.
「What happened to Detel?」
Myluc could not answer her shrill question. There is something like a resignation in those eyes of his.
「Where is he, right now! Answer me!」
「He is with a merchant I know」
「You’re lying!」
He answered with a monotonous voice. But, Tamaria did not seem to believe it one bit.
「……answer me. Detel.....is still alive, right? Or.....」
Till the end, Myluc remained expressionless. But, Tamaria read the truth from his silence.
She immediately picked up a wooden stick lying near the sawmill.
「Uuuhh……uuaaaahhhhhh!」
A powerful blow hit Myluc’s forehead. His hat got blown away and the stick broke. Myluc did not waver, but a cut appeared between his eyes. And from there, blood slowly trickles out.
「Murderer! Kidnapper! Liar!」
Tamaria continues screaming with a cracked voice. Stamping her feet in anger that has no outlet.
「If only you hadn’t come to the village! If only you weren’t there!」
That’s not true. It’s probably, wrong.
Tamaria was, probably thinking that Myluc handed over Detel to a pervert noble out of his greed for money. But, earlier, I saw him telling part of the truth. I do not know what kind of past Myluc has, but the current him is definitely not someone obsessed with money.
If I have to guess, the reason why Myluc purchased children is only in cases where there is no other option but to do so. That is also probably why he took me in. Would you buy an unconscious, emaciated kid - where it would not be strange he could die any moment -, just because of his black hair? Myluc would have been in a total loss if I had died of exhaustion like that, or even if I had ended up with a serious disability. There are other examples, like Dona’s case. He probably took her after realizing the circumstances that left her without a place at home. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
And Tamaria’s case must also be the same. But, the current her can not even remember that.
「Then I....I! What for....」
Tamaria’s knees went weak as she ended up kneeling down on the spot. Then she began to crouch there and bawled.
The people around are looking at the scene in shock. That is natural. There is no one besides me and Myluc who knows the truth. Even Jusa probably does not know. This is the first time he heard that Detel might have been dead.
But, at this point, my thoughts were cut off.
「Noor」
His voice was awfully quiet. Myluc remained as expressionless as ever.
「Have you, forgotten what I said, earlier?」
I don’t know what you are talking about.
No.
This was, no way.
But, that was not true. I have not told anyone about it.
「Didn’t I tell you, absolutely don’t tell anyone」
He is, suspicious of me.
That’s ridiculous, I thought, but other than him, there are no other people he could think of as the suspect. Of course, that goes for me too.
「I have not told anyone else」
「Then, who does Tamaria know about it?」
「I don’t know」
I could only honestly say it.
But, that was when Jill came running. In her hand was the crumpled piece of paper.
「Was this letter in Tamaria and Dona’s room? I see, certainly, you have not told anyone about this. But, you secretly took out the letter and slipped it into their room, huh? How kind of you, Noor」
That’s absurd!
That letter should have been stored in Myluc’s sensitive documents shelf.I have not touched that shelf one bit. There is not even the possibility it was taken out along with the other documents by mistake.
But, he misunderstood my hesitation. He took it as a confusion caused by the fact that the truth had been found out. He walked in big strides towards me and stopped abruptly.
「This utter fool!」
At the same time as he shouted in anger, my vision became skewed diagonally. Just when I thought I had lost my sense of balance, the courtyard’s stone pavement appeared before my eyes. It was not until later that I realized that I had received Myluc’s blows without him holding back.
「I told you not to let her know!」
A sharp pain runs through the pit of my stomach. I can not breathe. Saliva, gastric juice, blood, and the dinner I ate come gushing out of my mouth. I was kicked so hard in my stomach.
「Stopp!」
A girl’s voice pierces my ears. Dona covered my face with her body.
「Move! Dona! Outta the way!」
Myluc’s enraged voice resounded. But, Dona had no intention to move away. She held my head tightly, closed her eyes, and kept trembling.
But, it seems that in his rage, he does not even realize the figure of the girl. It was when he was trying to kick me, along with Dona.
「Master! Stop it! You will kill them!」
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Jusa and Jill trying to hold down Myluc.
It’s painful. My nose and throat feel stuffy. I can not move even a single finger. Things started to get hazy.
Suddenly, I noticed a shadow looking down into the courtyard from the second-floor hallway. That shadow, had a faint smile on its face, seeing Tamaria - who collapsed in tears - and me writhing in pain.
I could not think of anything anymore. After that, I lost my consciousness. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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