We were arriving at the castle owned by the twins after four days travelling. It was awesome.

A single tower rose from the middle of the castle. Four towers, smaller ones, rose from each cardinal point. The main building was circular. At its base, there were several houses, probably where the servants resided. It wasn’t a town, but the noise coming from there screamed ‘city life’.

The castle looked like it was carved from the mountain behind it, having a similar color to its rocks. The whole village was surrounded by a 10 meters high wall. From here, we could only see the towers and the gate of the walls.

From what I heard, there was a giant mine behind the castle, and it was the main resource from this area. It was the only mithril mine in all the territory of Hagavia, and it was one of the three in all the Royal Continent. Needless to say, it was an expensive metal, and gave the twins a huge income.

Okay, I know what you are thinking ‘You just arrived at the forest Gyp! How can you already be there?’

So now, I will resume of what happened on these last four days.

First, I will explain our speed.

The things that pulled the cart weren’t actual horses. I thought they were, but then I saw they had 6 legs (and almost died of heart attack). It was a close relative from horses, but they were raised by elves and infused with magic, so they were a lot quicker than the normal ones. They were called Bö. But they were quite weaker in terms of combat, so they were only used as transport (and they were expensive).

They were so fast that it wasn’t possible to follow them on feet, so I passed almost four days inside the cart with only Kat to talk, when she wasn’t sleeping.

And I discovered more about the world, while talking with her. For example, the traditions of some Werebeast tribes.

In general, they were a warmongering (and gambling) race. So they made rules. One of them is that when they lose a battle, the losers should be taken as slaves by the winner. This made the hot blooded tribes think carefully before attacking others, and decreased the violence rate of the race.

So the slavery custom actually came from the Beastman, and not from Humans, as I first thought. Again, I should stop my biased view of Humans.

Of course, this also made some of the more pacific ethnics find ways to avoid battle. One of them was the Champion Duel, where the champions of enemy tribes would fight, and only the champion who lost would be taken as a slave. Reka came from one of these Duels.

Also, I learned that Beastman had a surprisingly slow growth rate. This made no sense from my point view. Why would a race so connected to fighting grow so slowly?

And I also discovered that she was 15 years old (the shock almost made me faint. She didn’t look older than 7!)

I learned some 'common sense' things that I didn’t know.

The blue panel I usually read things, is what they call ‘God’s Scriptures’, and it’s actually a language that not many domain (hell, some can’t even read their own language). So, the Pilgrim’s innate ability to read it is something out of this world (no pun intended).

She almost fainted (retribution for the win) when I carelessly said that I could read it. She made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. According to her, it would make get involved to the wrong people, so I promised her.

Also, the time needed to control mana was roughly 5 years. And to control a Mana type would take another year. Yeah, the Pilgrims learned it is less than a week. The bonus given by our title was no joke.

Of course I didn’t tell her I was a mage. It would be too much of a shock for only one day of conversation.

And about Hagravia. I discovered lots of things about it too.

It was the only country were women commanded. According to legends, the founder of this country was the only woman hero, who earned her hero grade through battle. To honor her, it was made custom to let the Queen rule the country.

The castle where we were going was also rumored to be one of the best places a slave could work. It was said that this family was attached with their personal servant, being compassionate, just and kind with them.

I also discovered how to play card games better. I even increased my winning rate to 9 every time we played (we still had to stop to eat). I’m still not telling how many I lost.

And one of the most interesting things that happened. I discovered why Leader-san was so kind. I t turns out that he was a slave long ago. He was a gladiator, and with every win, he gathered money, until he was able to buy his freedom. I guess it is awkward for him to choose this line of business, but maybe he is just trying to save others from the terror of slavery.

Of course, not only good men worked here.

On the day following the aurora borealis (wait, it come from south… so ‘australis’, I guess?) one of the slavers got quite angry from losing the card game. He even tried to vent out at the slaves. Being unable to fight back, Reka could only endure the blows. Until Leader-san came.

That was the day I swore to never disobey Leader-san. He was totally in scary mode. The years as a gladiator were clearly showed to us. He broke six rib bones, both arms and a leg of the slaver, leaving him one step from death. He called one of their healers to heal him, and broke him again. And left him on the road with his things. He had already disobeyed before, so he was harshly dealt with.

Oh, Reka was OK. He was a champion of his village. The healer also was good, so it only took some hours for him to be completely healed.

This little event made the trip more enjoyable for me and Kat.

That same night, Reka completely destroyed everyone on the cards. Even Kat wasn’t able to keep up with him. Needless to say, I quit after losing #$@ times for him. That day, he was the richest on the group.

And then, here we are. At castle Silberburg.

It was almost midday when we saw the gates.

It was one of these days with some clouds in the blue sky. We were not running anymore, so we could hear the forest. The bugs’ buzzing and the horses’ trot. It was really calming.

Leader-san already told his plans. He would enter alone with Reka in the castle, and we were to await him outside.

Reka was currently being ornate. No kidding. The amount of oil they are using to make his muscle glister against the sun and the amount of cream to make his hair gleam was absurd.

They even gave him some gold chains!

And in the four days we took to arrive here, Leader-san made him work out to get pumped, so now he was almost a Hulk (except for the tail and ears).

He was literally sparkling.

Well, it would still take some time for him to get ready. And his bored face told everyone he did not like all that arrangement.

Dragging a laugh cat with me, I went to pick our food.

Of course, it was before the gates opened.

Everybody just stared at it. The gates only opened to visitors, and there was definitely no one ahead of us. It was only us.

And then, some horses exited from the castle.

I looked at Leader-san. He was pale as a ghost.

“What the hell went wrong?” I heard him say.

The entourage was quickly coming our way. They were riding Bö.

On front of them, two young looking people were commanding. They both jumped when they arrived at our little camp.

One was a stunning girl. She was tall, with a wavy blonde hair. Even having small breasts for being slim, her clothes was good fitted for her, showing her curves very well (And what good curves she had). She looked like a model, and her serious face and blue eyes gave her a princess aura.

Besides the princess, was a young man. He was tall, with his blonde hair tied in a bun with a well shaved face. He also had blue eyes. From the way he walked to his face, he was a total prince charming. His armor wasn’t as tight as the girl’s, and was more intimidating than hers.

Even not knowing them, I could say they were nobility. And the coat of arms in both armors really gave it away. A black tower, over a white and silver field. These are the twins, Freyja and Freyr Wenz. And, by the look on their faces, they were pissed.

“JOSEP” a really mad princess walked in Leader-san direction (what? You thought I forgot to ask him his name? Leader-san sounds cooler).

Her brother was accumulating some mana, but didn’t look like he would attack. It seem more like a protection measure.

Freyja stopped in front of Leader-san, just some centimeters between them.

“You fucker. You made 10 of our servants die!” Well, now we get why she is pissed. Now, to discover why she was pissed with us.

“M-milady?” Leader-san looked taken aback. I‘ve never see him this way. “W-what did happen?”

“The merchant you recommended to us… do you remember him?” She backed off, and started to walk around him.

“Otis? Yes milady, what happened” It seems he got calmer. I guess years of working as a merchant gave him this ability of cool headed.

“That Pig! He sold us 3 sick servants!” She stopped at his front again and pulled her sword. “Did you know about it? Did you know about the sick ones” She put the tip of her sword against his throat.

…

Ohhhhh…

Now it makes sense.

The guy who kidnapped me had passed here before. And sold some sick slaves. And now they’re blaming Leader-san for supporting that business.

“Your Highness, you know I would never try to damage you in any way” He said, a lot calmer than before.

Freyja stared at him for a few seconds.

“On your knees” She ordered, pressing the sword against his skin, making a thin line of blood flow.

Leader-san was quick to comply.

Freyja made a motion with her hand to one of her guards. He brought her a vial.

“Drink it” She said, only lowering the sword to give him the vial, and returning immediately.

He looked a little confused at this development. Maybe it never happened along this way before.

Well, I guess it would be safe for him to drink. If she wanted him dead… well… she already has a blade on his throat. It’s better to follow.

Leader-san came to the same conclusion as me, and with a sigh, he opened the vial and downed the liquid in a single gulp. The princess waited for some seconds.

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And then his aura changed.

No kidding. It was all flowing on the chaotic way all auras flow, when it suddenly got orderly. What she did to him?

“Are you Josep, the Neckhunter, unbeaten champion of the Royal Arena?” she asked while staring at him, sword in his neck.

He made a face like he didn’t like the name.

“Yes, Your Highness.” He simple answered.

She heated her sword.

“Are you a slave merchant of the Hagravia territory?”

“Yes, milady. And also from the Dragonspire, when I got an request.” He answered.

“And now… did you know about the sickened servants that Otis sold to me?”

There was a moment of silence, while everybody waited for his answer.

“No, milady. I would never let someone sell damaged goods.” He answered still in a monotonic voice.

Everyone seemed calmer after the answer. Even Freyr let the mana flow normally again.

Why did everyone level headed now? He had answered the same before?

Was it because of the potion? What was in there?

Kat looked my confusion and simply whispered to me.

“Truth serum”

…

That is dangerous.

But now they were kinda smiling so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Freyr finally came down from his horse, and came to talk with Leader-san.

“Sorry for my rudeness. I have to do all in my power to protect my domain” Freyja said in a apologetic tone, while helping Leader-san up. I ink she is truly sorry.

“No offense taken, milady. Just hope you hadn’t use the truth potion.” Leader-san answered, in that mechanical way.

Freyr was smiling. Maybe he thought it was fun this robotic voice?

“So, since we are already here, let’s see what you have for sale!” He said, in a happy tune. Is he that dense? Just a minute ago they were ready to kill everyone and now he want to buy? This is double personality dense level!

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I’m afraid he isn’t ready yet. You came a little early than expected” Said robot-san Leader-san.

“Details, details… let’s just see him and get over with it!” He said in a excited tune.

Freyja shook her head to her brother. But they got to see Reka anyway. I guess being the most powerful people at the moment gave them some leeway, and they were guided to the slave.

When they reached him, both got agape at the view. Even in the commotion from before, the slavers working on him didn’t stop. So now there was a giant before them, almost gleaming under the sunlight, sitting on that I-am-bored way. I must admit, it was awe-inspiring.

“Where you get him?” Asked an astonished princess.

“He was sold to me from a clan of the Beastman. They had some debts with my group, and that was the only way to pay.” Came the mechanical answer.

They went inside Leader-san’s tent to discuss the price. They really wanted to buy him.

While they were away I looked at their guards. All were using heavy armor. But it had a duller color compared to the twins armor. I guess only the twins had mithril armor. While the rest had the silver armor that this castle was rumored for.

Oh, by the way, this city wasn’t known for forging mithril. I guess they don’t have such advanced forges to do it. But they do forge with silver, which is also extracted with the mithril. And it’s quite good quality.

But they weapon seemed better. Even sheathed, the mana they emitted was different from the armor. I guess these had mithril weapon too. I think it won’t be a bad idea to antagonize with them.

And of course, I want to train my magic. Controlling mithril might be an awesome ability to get.

While I was drooling over the idea, the twins had finished their business with Leader-san.

His aura was almost getting back to normal. I guess the potion don’t have such long duration, after all.

The twins were almost going, when Freyja seemed to remember something. She came towards Leader-san again.

“I’m sorry Josep, but you still have to pay for the servants who died.” She said once again in an apologetic tone.

“Milady? Wasn’t Otis the one who should pay?” He asked, still on the monotone voice.

“We tried to contact him, and we discovered that they were killed some days ago, while travelling through a forest in Redoak.” She said in a sad way.

…

DAMMIT!

MY REVENGE WAS TAKEN FROM ME!

“You know the rules. You supported him, so now it’s your responsibility.” She said. Still, it seems she really didn’t want to do it, but was somewhat bound to do it. I guess she really is a good girl, deep down.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. But we don’t have much to pay right now.” He said.

“Come on, Old Man.” Said a dense prince. Like, come on, read the atmosphere! “You gonna say you don’t have any other slave with you?” He said jokingly.

“Well, I do have some but…”

“See, there’s no problem them!”

“But sir, they weren’t properly analyzed yet and…”

“Oh come on, Old Man! I can do it for you! For free! Now, where are they?” He said already looking around.

“That way” Leader-san said, pointing at us. He lost against this hurricane in person form. Defeated, he turned to talk with Freyja.

He stormed his way toward us.

“What we have here? A catgirl?” He said, while kneeling in front of Kat. He quickly grabbed her hand, and began to read her Status. How do I know it? I discovered that using Mana

Eye while someone read the table made me able to notice the mana formation. Of course, I couldn’t read, but it was already something.

He went quiet quickly.

…

Did he found something strange?

He started to mumble something to himself. And then he nodded.

“That will do. Indeed it will do.” He said while nodding. Then he turned to me. “A demon? Hey, Josep! What race is him?” He shouted.

“We still didn’t analyzed him, your Highness. So, no idea.” He shouted back, and went back to talk with the princess.

“Interesting. It’s my first time seeing a demon, so pardon my intrusion!” He said happily, before taking my hand and reading my Status.

And again he went silent. He stared at my screen for quite some time. Is he the first to actually read it? Come on people, you need to do better job!

…

What am I saying? Don’t read it! I’m no slave!

Actually isn’t he silent for quite some time? Did something happen? Is he okay?

And then he started to tremble.

At first, I thought he got some random sickness. But then I got what was happening. He was getting excited at something.

He quickly got up and dragged his sister to a corner. It was quite comical the face everyone was making while both was having their discussion. Sometimes they would shout ‘You won’t believe it’ or ‘No way!’ but the rest we weren’t able to hear.

At the end, both came back, looking controlled.

“We accept both slaves as your way of repayment, Josep, the Neckhunter.” Said Freyr in a serious tone.

Okay, even without knowing him, I know he is planning something. He didn’t act that normal since he arrived!

“Are you sure, Your Highness?” Asked Leader-san. He seemed a little unsettled with the sudden change. “Maybe I can get something better for you when I come back?”

Hey! That hurt, you know?

“No need, old friend.” Said Freyja in a relaxing tone. “Since you wasn’t in the wrong, these two would suffice.”

Leader-san looked to both of them, confused.

But I saw what they did. They putted him between a rock and a hard place. He couldn’t deny the deal, since he would be stepping in a noble kind word and risking the payment of ten servants (which sounded expensive). He also didn’t know mine and Kat true value, and would look really indelicate to ask for our status.

“And, for your service during all these years, we wish to grant you this sword” said Freyr, while giving him a sword. A mithril sword.

They won. There was no way to deny such a thing.

While Freyja and Josep finished the transaction, Freyr made the guards help with our luggage (they were quite surprised at Kat spoils from her gambling). Some of the guards were to return later, while we were to quickly return to the castle.

Freyr asked the guards who would stay to help the slavers on their departure, promising to send someone to pick them up when he got to the castle. He was quite smart, making the guards unable to complain about the sudden decision, while also looking considerate about their condition.

He was so calculating that it was scary.

Anyway, with that, we were on our way to the castle.

What did he saw on Kat’s Status? What did he saw on mine?

…

Well, I guess I will discover it sooner or later. For now, I will only appreciate the view while we go to the castle.

----------------------------------------

Author's Note:

Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnndddddd New Chapter!

Ha! I bet i caught you off guard! You thought i would take forever to write one more, didn't you? (Relax,I thought it too)

So here it is, with a subtle push to the plot. Now we will see some od the customs of the Hagravia's nobility (I will try to make it fun).

I still didn't develop Kat and Reka a lot, but i intend to keep them around for a long time. Try to discover what was on Kat's Status. It was veeeerryyy subtle pointed last chapter, and I admit it will be hard to find without nothing what it is. But I'm mean, and I'll make everyone go crazy looking for it MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA (if you think you discovered, you have my permission to comment it)

Next, I think I will try to finish Luna's Side Story. It will have an interesting ending.

And now, thanks for all the people following this fiction (it's more than a hundred!) I will think of some nice thing to write for celebrate you. I was even thinking about writing a new fiction, but I think I will wait a little more (goal: 50 chapter) before really starting it (maybe only write a one-shot)

If you find some grammar mistake or story mistake (it happens) or sentences with hard meaning, please comment.

Thanks For Reading!