I had known from the very beginning that they wouldn’t send us back. Ever since Anna disappeared, I had been tracking similar missing person cases. The patterns were too obvious once you knew where to look. To gather information, I hacked into police databases, combing through dismissed reports of missing individuals—cases conveniently written off as anomalies, thanks to the world’s correction effect erasing all evidence. That was where I started.
From there, I expanded my search. I installed thousands of security cameras and deployed drones in strategic locations. I tracked telephone numbers that abruptly became inactive and monitored their last known signals. It was a straightforward process, though it required a staggering amount of resources.
Fortunately for me, money wasn’t an obstacle. What would have bankrupted most people was little more than a drop in the bucket for me.
In the end, my efforts uncovered a chilling truth: Anna wasn’t the only one. Over the past twenty years, hundreds of individuals had been summoned to another world. Not a single one had returned to Earth.
And now, as I stand here, I’m beginning to understand why. Many of those people were likely never meant to return. They were turned into slaves instead.
———————————
“So, who are our highest bidders this time?” Sophia asks nonchalantly as she prepares the glowing slave collars, her tone casual as though discussing mere livestock.
The bearded knight beside her smirks. “That handsome guy fetched the highest bid,” he says, nodding toward me. “Even without any talent, the ladies were practically fighting over him. In the end, Lady Arina offered a whopping two million crowns! Guess she really has a thing for men like him, huh? Haha.”
“Oh, naturally!” Sophia exclaims, her tone suddenly lively. “Lady Arina does love her men young and handsome, doesn’t she?”
She turns toward me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. Without warning, she steps closer, pressing her face against my abdomen as her hands roam across my chest and abs. Her touch is deliberate, almost reverent, as if appraising a prized possession.
“Oh my,” she breathes, her voice dripping with mock admiration. “He’s so young and handsome… and these muscles!” She presses harder, tracing along the ridges of my torso. “Are you absolutely certain he doesn’t have at least a Heroic Rank talent? This body is—oh, what’s this?”
Her hand begins to slide lower…
“HEY! STOP!” The other knight, the one without a beard, instantly interrupts. “Are – are you even allowed to do that? If you touch him there, he will wake up!”
Sophia rolls her eyes, her expression equal parts annoyance and mockery. “Oh, shut up,” she retorts. “There’s no way anyone can break through my spell once it’s been successfully applied, unless their mental resistance is through the roof. And besides,” she smirks, her fingers trailing along my chest, “I’m just making sure this man is in prime condition to serve Lady Arina. Don’t tell me… you’re jealous of him, are you?”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Haa!? Jealous of a sex slave? Are you out of your mind?” the knight barks, his face flushing with indignation.
Sophia tilts her head, her smirk deepening. “Jeez! Then why are you getting so annoyed all of a sudden?” she quips, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
Without waiting for a reply, she turns her attention to Yumi, who remains eerily still under the spell. “Anyways, what about the little girl here?”
The bearded knight steps in with a casual shrug. “She’s going to Count Marevilla. Half a million crowns. She’s cute, but other than that, there’s nothing special.”
Sophia’s face twists in disgust. “Eh? That old man? Isn’t he, like, seventy-five years old? What the heck?”
“Yeah,” the knight replies. “Total sicko bastard. But, well… it’s none of our business, is it?”
Sophia sighs deeply, her earlier bravado giving way to a fleeting moment of unease. “You’re right… but I still feel bad. Thinking about what’s going to happen to this little girl—it makes me nauseous.”
“Hey,” the bearded knight interjects. “Just do your job properly. If you think of them as livestock, maybe it’ll be easier.”
Sophia nods, her usual confidence dimming as she murmurs, “Yeah…”
————————
Hearing their conversation, my stomach churns violently. Just hours ago, we were heralded as heroes, celebrated with grandeur. Now, we’re nothing more than merchandise, destined to be sold to the highest bidder. The thought of becoming a sex slave—a toy for the worst kinds of people—fills me with a fury I’ve never known.
It’s a fate worse than death.
I always suspected the King had secrets, but never in my darkest nightmares did I imagine this.
Sophia, seemingly composed again, returns to her craft table to complete the spell. With practiced precision, she approaches me, a needle in her hand. The prick of the needle is sharp but brief, and as my blood drips onto the iron collar, it begins to glow once more, the strange runes pulsing with an ominous light.
Even without knowing the exact mechanics, it’s clear what Sophia is doing. She’s binding me through blood, creating an unbreakable connection that will force me into servitude. Once the collar locks around my neck, I’ll be nothing more than a puppet, enslaved to her commands.
But then, just as she’s about to secure the collar, she hesitates. Her hands tremble slightly, her expression faltering.
“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re feeling empathy for them?” the bearded knight asks.
“Huh? No!” Sophia snaps. “What are you talking about?”
Yet, her discomfort is unmistakable.
I wonder what that’s about.
Regardless, she still proceeds.
But it’s not like I’m going to let her have her way!
Just as she is about to lock the collar in place, I swiftly grab her wrist. With a powerful punch, BAM! I strike her face, and using all the force I can muster, I thrust her onto the ground.
“WHAT!??” The two royal knights are stunned.
They quickly regain their composure in less than a second though. After all, royal knights are all trained to respond to any situation. Swords are drawn in a blur of motion as they charge toward me, their movements precise and deadly.
“NO!!!” Sophia screams from the ground. “DON’T KILL HIM! WE NEED HIM ALIVE!!!”
Even after having her face slammed down so hard like that, she still has the strength to shout!
But to kill me or capture me again?
Like hell I would let that happen easily!
Sure, I have trained in martial arts, but squaring off against two royal knights isn’t something I’d bet on. So, how can a newcomer like me overpower the two elite knights of the King?
Well, the answer is simple.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The deafening shots ring out.
My custom-made Desert Eagles gleams menacingly under the dim light.
Two knights.
Two bullets each, direct hits to their faces—double-tapped.
Their heads explode in a grotesque spray of blood and bone, painting the walls with crimson.