The Place Where I Was Sold as a Slave Was the Imperial Palace

＜Guests at the Slave Market＞

* * *

The man who entered the tent appeared to be only twenty or so.

Even though he is young, he is a person who somehow feels like he has gone through all the hardships of childbirth.

And he was quite tall. One head seemed bigger than the others.

The man was wearing a white shirt with a lot of wrinkles and a top that fell slightly below his shoulders than his vest.

It looks like a vest, but unlike modern ones, the fabric goes up to the bottom of the chin like a turtleneck.

The pale yellow fabric looked luxurious, but not flashy. It feels a bit sleazy.

The bottoms were tight tights and socks, just like Rudy had been wearing before.

When a man enters, men wearing metal necklaces are very nervous.

Perhaps he was in charge of managing this tent.

The corner where Rudy is is where there is a passage leading from the entrance.

Although it was inside, surprisingly, I could see almost the entire inside of the tent.

Rudy clung to the wooden fence and pouted.

As soon as the man in the yellow vest entered the tent, he gave an order in a clear voice.

“Clean up the inside of the tent. An important guest from the Empire is coming.”

As soon as the man stopped talking, the men with iron necklaces began to move in unison.

Sweep the floor and clear the aisles.

The vest man walked around the tent, telling them to put this slave inside or to put the slaves on the other side to the front.

As soon as the vest man gives instructions, the men in the iron collars move the slaves out of the cages and clean up the filth in them.

While everyone was busy, the vest man walked around the cage checking on the slaves.

As we stood in front of us with the youngest and prettiest women, the man in the vest called out to one of the men in the chain.

“hey! You should wipe these children’s faces.”

The man with the iron chain hurriedly ran over and bowed his head.

“Yes, I understand, little master. Shall I change some clothes?”

“No, there is nothing like that. I do not have time. Oh, but before the guests arrive, brush your hair if you have time. It’s too messy.”

Judging from what he calls a little master, it seems that the vest man is the son of a slave trader.

Rudy looked at the man quietly.

I didn’t know it at first, but it was a bit similar to the slave trader I saw in the Duchy of Watoringu.

Until now, I tried to be invisible, but now I am in a position to sell myself well.

Before coming here, I heard a lot of stories.

Even when they were in the tents of the Duchy of Watoringu, or even when they were riding in the bean sprouts-like slave wagons, people muttered the stories of the slaves they knew when they had the energy.

Most of them were terrified words.

It might have seemed that if I didn’t say anything, I would drown in fear.

Maybe I shared my anxious feelings and was comforted by talking to others.

Slavery has been around for a long time. Even if you don’t own slaves, there are countless people like that around you.

People talked about the plight of slaves they had seen in the days when they did not know they would be slaves.

The slave most people know is a thing. No one thought it strange. Until they became slaves, no one even felt sorry for them.

What people learned from watching slaves was that they should never go against the will of slave traders or masters.

It is not a crime for a master to kill a slave he owns. Hitting, kicking and overexploiting is a daily routine.

Depending on the master’s feelings, the slave lived and died.

Standing out from a good master is the best a slave can do.

The little owner gave some instructions and gradually moved closer to Rudy’s cage.

Rudy quickly pulled himself away from the fence and headed for a corner.

Stand quietly with your head bowed to look polite.

I didn’t want to do anything that seemed out of place in a situation where I didn’t know what kind of person the other person was.

But the little owner seemed to know him. I stopped and looked inside us.

“I guess that kid is the child my father talked about.”

The little master stares at him silently. Snake-like eyes seemed to crawl all over her body.

“Come here.”

“…”

The little master calls him.

Rudy walked out in front of us as soon as he stopped talking. Walked up to the wooden plank and stopped.

Judging from the reactions of the men with the metal chains, it seems that this man hates slow reactions. Whatever he says, you’d better act quickly.

“Oh, the little guy is not even afraid. You seem to be quick-witted.”

The little owner winked at me, and the man with the metal necklace next to me opened the door to the cage.

“Come out and see.”

When Rudy went outside, the little master raised his face and looked around.

“You are beautiful. Say something.”

“…”

I don’t know what you want.

Rudy hesitated for a moment, but immediately opened his mouth.

“Little chief, thank you. The river water is so cold that I’m afraid I’ll catch a cold.”

Try to speak in a child’s tone as much as possible.

The corner of the little owner’s mouth went up slightly.

“It’s okay. He has a fine appearance, his words are classy for his age, and his attitude is polite. It seems that you have been educated in your own way. Seeing that he survived the trip for several days, he seems to be in good health… That should be enough to sell.”

The little master wanted to say something more, but he heard a voice calling him from the entrance of the tent.

“Little Master! A customer has arrived.”

“…”

The little owner left Rudy and quickly walked out of the tent.

An air of relief flowed inside the tent.

It didn’t look like he was doing anything very unreasonable, but the men with the iron necklace seemed quite nervous.

Rudy went into the cage himself before being directed by anyone.

As I quietly sat down in the corner, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘ha···.’

According to the stories I’ve heard so far, it seems that the enemy country Kania asked for help from the Putegrin Empire when it couldn’t win the war.

I heard that slaves not sold here are taken to the Empire as a form of reparation.

From what I hear, the Empire is quite far from here.

I almost died on the trip for several days, but if a large number of slaves traveled long distances…

Even when slaves were brought in as commodities for sale, people died.

Of course, management would be more messy if they were just taking them as prisoners.

‘Do I have to sell myself here no matter what.’

Life has really become boring.

Rudy sighed and raised his head.

It seems that the small owner comes in with a guest. A horse was heard at the entrance.

The guest of the empire was a fairly fat man.

The imperial guest was wearing something like a round bread hat, but wearing such a hat on his round face made him look like an ugly bun.

Unlike the little master, the imperial guest was extravagantly dressed.

The white clothes decorated with gold thread were dotted with small jewels, and the amber pants made of the same fabric as the top had slashes at regular intervals.

Every time the imperial guest walked, colorful frills rippled through the gaps between the slashes.

The little master politely guided the imperial guest around the tent.

Occasionally stop in front of the slave and give an explanation.

It was said that this slave has a special appearance, so it shines when you polish it, or that this person knows how to calculate.

And when he reached Rudy’s pen, the little owner pointed at him and said,

“That child is going to be auctioned off tomorrow. Would you like to take a look?”

“huh? Are you going to auction off a young thing that might die sometime?”

The imperial guest quietly looked inside the cage.

Rudy stood up, put his hands in front of him and bowed his head slightly.

The little master said in a voice full of flattery, as if satisfied.

“It’s a bit of a risk, but I’m sure it’ll be a great buy.”

“Well, it seems smart from the way you react, but…”

“This child was trained by a high-class servant. His way of speaking and his actions are almost perfect.”

“Ohh, such a young child?”

As the imperial guest seemed surprised, the little master quickly gave Rudi an order.

“Tell the customer anything.”

Without a head or a tail, what would you say if you were told to say something out of the blue? I feel like I’m going to sigh involuntarily.

Rudy pursed his small lips as he hid his feelings.

“Master, I am very sorry to hear that you are very generous with Oneun Haepichi Tattani. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with Kokihan Son Ning.”

When I slightly raised my gaze, I saw the imperial guest’s eyes widen.

Wouldn’t it be tasteful to use the word noble? It’s hard to say anything because I don’t know how much vocabulary the common people of this era use.

The little owner grinned.

“How is it? Wouldn’t this be good enough to let the young boy from a noble family play with?”

“Surely so.”

The imperial guest nodded, and the little master started guiding again and moved on.

“This slave is strong enough not to die even if it is not fed for several days. That guy is a strong trader.”

The little master’s voice gradually faded away.

After the imperial guests left, the little master brought new guests into the tent several times.

Each time, Rudy received the same order and repeated the same words.

That evening, a dozen or so slaves in the worst-looking condition were sold.

I heard that the person who bought them was the mine’s slave buyer.

Upon learning that they were being sent to the mines, I saw the slaves struggling and crying not to be taken away.

All of the children in the pen with Rudy were sold to the mines, except for a girl about ten years old.

Small children are said to find it easy to get in and out of the mine’s small holes.

That’s why there is a certain portion of demand in mines…

I had heard that most of the children sold to the mines died within a year, said the girl who stayed in the cage with Rudy.

After that, it was sold to women in their thirties and older.

It seems that they are not going to a good place either.

At first glance, it seemed that he was sold as the lowest-ranking Changgwan.

Unlike the men, the women calmly followed their new owners.

It was only later that I learned that the only ones being offered for auction were slaves with some degree of competitiveness.

At least he was relieved that he seemed to be sold through a decent route, and a wry smile came out.

Later that night, a bowl of stew was distributed to a few of the auctioneers.

It is said that if you are not too energetic, you will not be able to get the right price.

As I put the musty-smelling stew into my mouth, I remembered the soy-sauce egg rice that I often ate on Earth.

Whenever I was too lazy to cook rice, I fried an egg, put it in soy sauce, and ate it.

I never thought the day would come when I miss that poor meal so much…

Tears fell drop by drop.

Ah, damn, it’s really something like a reincarnation in another world.

＜Guests at the Slave Market＞ End