“Well come back, Master.”
When Arthur returned from his nocturnal foray, Evelyn was standing near the lifeless human host on the bed.
“You’re not going to save that girl, are you?”
“It’s nothing so dramatic.” Arthur sat up and avoided her piercing eyes, “I do want to bring her with me, however. Nevermind that, the slave trader- or at least the place in which he keeps his slaves- wasn’t as bad as I imagined. Maybe this will be easier than I thought.”
“Please don’t change the subject, Master. Why do you want the girl?”
“You’re going to have to give her a direct answer, Arthur. She’s awfully persistent.” Said Chris as he laid on the bed, incessantly turning left and right from boredom.
“Chris explained it to you, did he not? I’m linked to her. She’s also from my previous world. I want to know why this is happening.”
“Or you could ignore it and avoid any unnecessary problems. It could be a trap.”
Arthur shook his head, fully-convinced that Isabella wasn't putting on an act. When he had first ‘met’ her, she was captured by the demon-like creatures and she looked as shocked as Lucy to see him appear in front of her like a ghost.
Isabella acted like any ordinary person would have in her position. She was wary and didn’t divulge her real identity. Then again, she was a tad young and wasn’t able to completely hide her emotions.
“Aren’t you forgetting that we’re here to look for the Devil Doctor, Master? Getting side-tracked will only waste our time.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Evelyn. We were never in a rush to do anything. We have all the time in the world, so we should be alright. The Devil Doctor isn’t going anywhere, and for now, getting the girl is my priority. I understand your cautiousness, I do, but the girl isn’t dangerous. Trust me.”
Evelyn let out a soft sigh and maintained a short silence before nodding her head. She didn’t look fully-convinced, but it was apparent that Arthur was set on freeing Isabella.
“I’m a bit curious, actually. Is she from the same Earth or a parallel one? What about the year? The calendar of this world is completely different so I can’t keep track. I have so many questions for her.”
Chris excitedly rambled for minutes while the other two each lied on their own bed. Arthur didn’t need to sleep daily, like a normal human, but he liked to do so to calm his mind and feel refreshed the next morning.
“Quit ogling.”
Evelyn, who had changed into a modest sleeping outfit, glared at the overly-energetic Chris.
“You’re not half bad, Evelyn. You would easily be able to seduce a wealthy businessman back on earth.”
“Keep your comments to yourself.” She paused for half a beat and added, “You really talk too much.”
“Unlike Arthur, I like to voice my thoughts and express myself. Anyway, do you have any ex-lovers? I’m not that sleepy so let’s talk a bit. Hmm… for example, does that dress you always wear feel comfortable? Doesn’t it restrict your movements when fighting? Even under the scorching heat of the sun you didn’t take it off. I assumed you would have had lighter clothes.”
“She’s the wrong person to talk to about such trivial matters, Chris. Also, that dress is something I bought.”
“Oh! Is that so? She seems to always keep it clean. Signs of affection, perhaps? Do you have a crush on Arthur?”
Evelyn didn’t deign to give any response, when Christopher said such provocative and baseless assumptions. Eventually, she had to listen to the two friends talk back and forth about absolutely pointless topics.
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“Don’t ruin our cover, Chris. Remember what we talked about.”
Arthur, possessing a human male host and wearing clean and presentable clothes, looked at his friend.
“I know. Geez! You’re like a nagging grandma. Me and Evelyn are your ‘protectors’.Will it work, though? I thought the concept of having proper credentials and identifications existed in this world too.”
“It does, but it’s not as extreme as back on Earth. The majority of the populace doesn’t have one, moreso in this city. Now, let’s go. Furthermore, most merchants won’t care for those as long as they get paid.”
“I still think this is a bad idea, Master.”
“We’ll know soon enough. If things backfire, we could always flee.”
After careful deliberation, Arthur decided upon a less discret approach to getting Isabella. As she was a slave, he would just buy her off. After that, he would try to remove the spell put on her, thus granting her true freedom.
A little later, the three arrived at the Slave Market and headed straight into the Fedge Slave Entreprise.
They were met with no obstruction and were let in by the guards at the front.
“Good morning. I’m Robert, Mister Silcard’s assistant. How may I help you?”
The bespectacled and pale-skinned man arrived shortly thereafter. He politely bowed and inspected the three of them before focusing on Arthur, who was dressed like an aristocrat.
“I’m here to buy a slave.”
“Of course. How may I address you, sir?”
“Jeremy.”
“Alright. Sir Jeremy, please follow me.”
Robert neither asked unnecessary questions nor wasted any time. He immediately guided them to the Slave Quarters downstairs. They passed by some guards and a couple of workers, all of which seemed a bit nervous.
“Please excuse this tense atmosphere. We have another client and his status is making everyone at edge.”
“Is that so? Who is it?”
“He is head of the Espero Family. Garcia Espero.”
The assistant paused for half a beat and then spoke again,
“Our slaves are being treated properly and are in peak condition, Sir Jeremy. I must warn you, however, that some cannot be bought unless certain conditions are met.”
“Conditions?”
“I’ll explain it to you once we’re there. My apologies.”
Except for his deadpan expression, Robert behaved quite professionally and carried himself in a certain elegance. It was hard to picture him as the assistant of a Slave Trader.
“Heey… psst…”
Arthur was busy looking around only for Chris to tap his shoulder and whisper,
“This guy’s level is higher than the rest.”
“Oh?”
Chris wanted to continue, but when Robert glanced at them, he just wryly smiled and awkwardly leaned his head back.
Soon, they reached the Slave Quarters, but Silcard and Garcia were also there. The former had a deep frown on his face and didn’t look pleased.
“They are slaves! Why would I need to do any of that?!”
Espero Garcia looked like a man in his mid-forties, with curly black hair, a triangular faced with tanned skin and a small thin beard. His green eyes were glaring at Silcard as he moved his hand in an exaggerated manner to display his displeasure.
Arthur also saw a tall knight standing at the entrance. He was probably Espero’s escort.
The knight was like a statue, unmoving and silent, not at all disturbed by the argument between his boss and the slave trader.
Evelyn’s hand twitched ever-so-slightly when she made eye contact with him. It was subtle, but she could feel something eerie emit from the knight.
‘He’s like one of those Paladins.’ She thought as she kept her guard-up, feeling a bit tense.
“This way, Sir Jeremy. Those are all the available slaves.”
Robert took them a bit to the front, where all the slaves were standing next to each other. Some looked afraid and others nervous.
They were all trying to avoid Espero’s gaze and try to be as inconspicuous and uninteresting as ever.
“This is why your business is bound to fail, Silcard! No one cares about your bullshit values and conditions. I’m here to buy slaves and that’s what I’ll do!”
Espero was beyond angry, his face red and eyes glaring piercingly at the relatively calm Silcard.
“Sure. You can buy slaves, but not from here. I can run my business however I want.”
“Do you really want to do this, Silcard? Because of the Sultan, I’ve forgiven you for what you did to me in the past, but that I won’t tolerate anymore of your nonsense.”
It was clear that Espero was being unreasonable and didn’t want to follow the conditions set by Silcard. He was throwing a loud fit and breathing heavily. Then again, such petty behavior was expected for typical arrogant aristocrats, especially those hailing from the Despot Collective. They were notably infamous for being haughty and stupid, generally looking down upon by the aristocrats of the Global Azakin Empire.