From the inn, they headed toward the city gate. Guards and soldier guarded the gate and checked every wagon that passed it without any mistake. Theo and Lyana, since they didn't come with a wagon, could enter the gate with minimal checking. Despite it being the capital city, there was no magic checking, just like Theo had expected.

Lyana was intrigued the moment she entered the city gate. She wanted to explore the city, but Theo dragged her to the Slaver guild. He forced her with one question. "We must be quick, don't we? Because you're tired."

When they walked the street, they became the center of attention. Most men couldn't keep their eyes off Lyana, even when she covered her head with a hood. And most women, if not all, couldn't help but be charmed by Theo. Lyana hated the experience. Theo walked next to her, hoping that it would somehow calm her down.

They passed a huge marketplace, a square, guard barrack, and Adventurer guild building. They went to a few place before going to the slaver guild. First was the adventurer guild to exchange the chimera's and Hydra's remain. Lucky for him, the one in charge of exchange was a woman. With a little bit of charm, flirt, and persuasion, Theo was able to get a nice price.

Next, Theo visited the local armorer to order a special armor. He spent a good time there choosing the material, model, and enchantment for the armor.

The slaver guild was located on a huge square. It was a complex of at least a dozen huge tent and a huge stone building for auction. It was a very organized and clean place. The front side at least.

The guild that day was pretty crowded, with some noble and rich citizen went in and out of the tent. Theo approached one particular beast-men who wore noble clothes and grabbed his shoulder from behind. The beast-men turned and his eyes widen in surprise, pleasant surprise.

"Theo!" He stretched his arm out.

"Jackal!" They both hugged and tapped each other's back.

"My God! You have grown! What bring you to the capital?"

"Always the same."

"Ah! Blood on your sword and woman on your cock!" He laughed jovially and looked at Lyana behind Theo before returning his gaze to him. "So what you're here for? You already have a bed warmer there."

Lyana almost snapped hearing Jackal's rude remark, but Theo tapped her shoulder to remind her. He was the kind of people Lyana hated the most, the one who think other people as just a tool or object.

"What do you think?" Theo asked back.

Jackal nodded with a smile on his face. "Another bed warmer." He turned to face one of the tents. "Come with me. I show you some of our wares."

Jackal walked inside, Theo and Lyana followed behind. She caught up to him and whispered. "You know that man?"

"No. That's why I know his name and he knew me." He answered sarcastically. She looked at him with a confused look, not getting his sarcasm."I know him. I worked as his guard when I was a mercenary. I also sold some slave to him. One of the most successful slavers in all of Amaryn kingdom and also one of its richest inhabitant. He's vulgar and his mouth isn't known to be restrained, but he's kind...as long as you're not on the wrong end of the chain. It's pretty ironic how the most successful slavers is a beast-kin."

Hundreds of cages greeted them as they entered the first tent. Exotic, rare, dangerous creature stared at them as they passed their cages. White tiger, Dire wolf, Southrend Thunderbird, Multi-tailed fox, those are a few of the many creatures caged in that tent. Unlike humanoid slave who wore slave collar, animals are marked with magic that prevented them from attacking their master. If they tried to, an electric shock will run through their body. It's not a foolproof method, if the beast has a pain resistance skill, the shock wouldn't stop it. But it still better than nothing.

"Wow. I've never seen so many rare creatures in one place before." Said Lyana in amazement, already forgetting her hatred toward Jackal.

"Demon realm doesn't have anything like this?" Theo whispered. Aware of beast-men extraordinary hearing, he was careful to not reveal Lyana identity.

"Slaver in demon realm have no interest in animals. Not that there are much variety of animals there."

Lyana stopped walking. There was something strange in the air, chill crept down her spine. There was a trace of magic not from the slavers. powerful yet very subtle. subtle enough that she couldn't trace back the source or who it was directed towards. She was about to warn Theo about it, but Jackal spoke first.

"Any preference? Category to help us search the ideal for you."

"Must be beautiful. Not too old. Not too young of course. Like my father said, I don't want this story to be reported. Virgin would be a plus, untrained in pleasuring but trained in the discipline. If there's any."

"The tent on the right is for pleasure slave, and on the left is for servant slave. You're probably going to find it on the left."

Theo looked behind Jackal and noticed an opening to another tent. It was dark and covered. He knew that it wasn't meant to be entered, but it made him even more curious. "What about the one back there?"

Jack turned to see what Theo meant. "Oh, that? That's where the failed and dangerous slave located. I don't recommend going there, but well, you're not the person who I can say no to." He walked to the opening and opened the cover.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Lyana caught Theo's hand before he followed Jackal. "Theo, be careful. There's something strange going on here. There's a strange magic in the air."

Theo smiled. "Relax, Lyana. Maybe you mistook the slaver's magic."

"No! I'm telling you, It's not the slaver's magic."

"Alright, alright, I'll be careful." Theo said. He shrugged. "But really, what's the worst that could happen to me?"

Theo and Lyana followed behind. He didn't know why, but something from that tent just drew him there, like something was calling him from inside. Whispering his name, in a seductive way.

The tent was full of cages. A mess of a place and was dirty. Some filled with a crazy looking slave, but a few aren't. One particular woman caught his attention, she was weeping on the cage floor, naked with her clothes torn to pieces all around her. Her long black hair was covered with all kind of dirt.

"What's wrong with her?" Theo asked while slowly approaching the woman.

"Be careful to not put your hand inside the cage."

"Please.... Help me...." The woman wept, pleading for Theo to help her.

Theo stood just outside the cage. He just stood there with his hand on his side not touching the cage.

"Please...." The weep turned to cry, but soon enough, the cry turned to laugh. Hysteric, Maniac laugh. "You're not stupid aren't you?" Her body transformed. she grew thrice her original size, black fur sprouted on her skin, and her face turned to that of a wolf.

"You sell an enraged werewolf?" Theo asked Jackal.

She charged at the cage's metal bar where Theo stood, but her body fell before she touched it. An electric shock ran through her body as she cried in anguish, this time the cry was real. "I RIP YOU APART!" She screamed with a scary voice.

"I'm sorry for such a display, but she was a tough nut. We already lost two trainers to her." Jackal apologized. "If she doesn't mellow down by next month, I'm afraid I have to sell her to a 'special' customer." Jackal stood next to the cage and stared down the woman. "Shame. A werewolf beauty is rare."

Not her. There was something, someone else here that drew Theo to the tent. Theo turned to face away from the werewolf and immediately, something caught his eyes. Glistening violet eyes stared at him from the dark. Their gaze met and his heart told him to approach the eyes.

He slowly walked to the dark corner. A lone cage sat there, no other cage or any crate was placed near it. On it, a girl in her teens, 15 at most, stood staring at him. Though if his experience had something to say, she was older than she appeared, 18 or 19.

She had a deep violet hair that touched the ground. She stood only as tall as his chest with bright white skin showing from her almost transparent apparel, not that it covered much in the first place. She had a cute petite body that went well with her innocent face. But not enough to be called Loli. She actually looked pretty mature despite her small body.

"Master...Buy me please." She said with hypnotizing voice. He shuddered when he heard it. Her voice remained in his head for a while.

"How about her?" Theo asked Jackal without averting his gaze from the girl.

"Oh, that girl. It's a shame really, she has a beautiful face, exotic eye, and hair color. She also got Class 3 magic as a talent, but she's a bad omen. Two nobles that bought her, hang themselves, and three trainers died in a bizarre way while handling her."

"No. How much for her?"

"Didn't you hear my explanation, Theo? She's not for sale, she's too dangerous." Jackal turned to face him, but Theo eyes still fixated on the girl.

"I don't care. I don't believe in bad omen."

"No!"

"Jackal."

Jackal stepped between Theo and the girl. "I won't let a friend die. And even if you're not my friend I won't let you, if you die the blame will be put on slaver's guild."

"I'll sign a non-involvement paper. That should be enough right?"

"For Ketu Sake Theo! You're not going to back down aren't you?" He started to raise his voice to almost on an angry level.

"No. You know me." He answered with a calm and composed voice.

"Okay! How much are you willing to pay?" Jackal asked this time he was angry. He knew Theo wasn't that rich, as long as he doesn't pay too much he will reject it.

"400 gold and 100 gold for you as a gift," Theo answered without a thought as if saying that amount of gold didn't worth much.

Jackal was flabbergasted. That amount of money wasn't something someone like Theo have lying around. "With that kind of money, I can give you two of the best slave girl here." Jackal offered him, but Theo ignored his offer. Seeing that Theo didn't heed his warning nor did he accept his generous offer, Jackal slammed the book he held in his hand on the ground. "FUCK IT!"

If the amount of money offered was that much it wasn't a matter if he rejects it or not anymore. Even if he reject it, another slaver of his status could sell the girl to him.

Lyana grabbed Theo from behind. "Theo! Are you out of your mind?"

He turned toward her. "What?"

"Think about it again!"

He averted his gaze from Lyana to the slave girl "What is there to think again?"

"Come with me!" Jackal yelled as he left the tent.

Theo followed him behind and went to manage all the document needed for a risky purchase. He signed a non-involvement paper to prove that whatever happened to him regarding his slave purchase, the slaver's guild has no involvement in it whatsoever.

Lyana realized something wrong was going on. Theo was not necessarily a frugal person, but this was too much. What even more shocking to her was the fact that Theo rejected Jackal's generous offer of two women.

Theo and Jackal returned to the tent after a few minutes. Lyana and the girl Theo bought were chatting. Lyana suspected that the girl cast a mind magic on Theo, but she couldn't feel any magic from her and thus have no proof of it, which was strange. She was confident in her magic detecting abilities, yet the girl magic was far too subtle.

Jackal released her from the cage and gave the collar key to Theo before leaving the tent. Anger still evident in the way he walked. Theo didn't mind him and instead focused on his new slave.

"Tell me your name." He said with a smile.

"My name is Vivien." She gave him a perfect courteous bow, strange for a slave."But now that I'm your slave you can call me anything, master and please take good care of me."

No slave would be that nice to a new master, even if the new master was someone as charming as Theo. Not unless she was trained, and she was not.

"I'll call you Vivi. And call me Theo-Sama."

"Theo..Sama." She asked confused about the 'Sama' part.

"That's what Nippon people call their master."

"Amazing Theo-sama!" She looked at him with wonder in her eyes. "As expected of my master. Theo-Sama knows a lot." She sounded excited.

"Of course I know a lot. I'm Theo-Sama! The one who will become the greatest adventurer and the man who will have the greatest harem in this world!" He pounded his chest.

"Theo. We should return to the inn." Lyana said reminding Theo that was so absorbed by the girl.

"Vivi, this is Lyana, my adventuring companion. And my future girlfriend."

"I'm not your girlfriend!" She replied.

"Not yet," Theo added with a small laugh.

"You wish!"

"Yes, I wish. Anyway, how old are you Vivi?"

"I'm 18 Theo-Sama! I just turned 18 last month. Though most people say I look younger than my age."

Theo smiled "Now let's go buy some clothes for you, Vivi." Theo pulled Vivi near his body and walked out of the tent.

Lyana watched both of them as they walked out from the tent. Theo had been acting strangely. It was the girl, but Lyana had no way to prove it to Theo, and even if she did prove it, what would Theo do? If she truly controlled Theo's mind, then telling him would be more dangerous for herself.

She has to stop this, but she has to do it using her own power.