Chapter 7: Liquor and Slaves (3)

Of course, she still remained silent at my words.

It felt like I was talking to a wall.

It wasn't just a metaphor; she was actually putting up something like a wall, so it wasn't that far from the truth.

Even though my voice was reaching her, trying to use [Persuasion] on her now was useless.

No matter how high my charisma was, I couldn't have a conversation with someone who had no will to talk.

“──Everyone.”

So, for now, it was time to [Persuade] the others first.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

I said, looking back at the others who were watching me blankly.

“But to do that, I need your help.”

At these words, everyone showed a cautious reaction.

It seemed they still couldn't properly grasp the situation.

And among them, some seemed to suspect that this might be a ploy to test them.

“…….”

I couldn't feel an ounce of fighting spirit from them.

That's how despairing their life as prisoners here must have been.

“……Um.”

Just then, one of the suspicious ones hesitated and raised his hand.

It was the man who had shaken his head on behalf of the others in response to my earlier question.

“Why… are you helping us?”

“Because I don't want to see people treated like slaves right in front of me. …Though if I say that, it'll only sound more suspicious to you.”

Such unconditional kindness was probably something they couldn't even imagine in their current state.

“So I'll be honest. ──I intend to use you.”

For a moment, there was a stir.

“I have a plan to get out of here, and if I have your cooperation, that plan will go much more smoothly.”

It was a welcome development.

That’s why I didn’t miss the opening and continued speaking.

“This isn’t some selfless good deed. If you think of it that way, it actually makes things difficult for me.”

That small stir was proof that they were reacting to my words.

In other words, it meant that a conversation was, at the very least, taking place.

“Because in my plan, I absolutely cannot guarantee your safety. To be blunt, if things go south, I plan on using you as shields.”

“…!”

--

[Persuasion]

Difficulty 10

--

That meant I had a chance to exert my ‘Charisma’.

--

CHA Modifier +25

--

“But.”

It meant the dice were rolling.

“I can guarantee this one thing for certain.”

Rattle, rattle.

“That I am the only way for you to find your freedom.”

If this is a situation where they can’t even see a thread of hope, “So, just as I intend to use you, you should all use me as well.”

Then I just have to force a hole open and thread that hope through myself.

“Because this is your only chance.”

--

Success

--

The slaves, who had been listening to me in silence until now, looked at each other and then nodded as if they had made up their minds.

Then, “…You are right.”

Soon, they began to rise from their spots one by one.

“Rather than quietly waiting for a life worse than death here, I would rather die fighting.”

“That's the spirit. Well, if the plan goes well, there won't be any need to fight at all.”

--

The ‘Slave Group’ has temporarily joined the party.

--

With this, I gained six additional allies, excluding the ‘Companion’.

However, I couldn’t expect them to be of much use in a fight.

From what I remembered, the only ones among them who knew how to fight were the man who had raised his hand to ask me a question just now, and that muscular woman over there.

Even then, weakened by their long imprisonment, both were in a so-called half-HP state, and the rest were all treated as non-combat NPCs.

Still, it was better than not having them.

It was much better than turning a blind eye and running away, leaving them here.

“Then what should we do?”

Unfortunately, our greatest asset, the ‘Companion’, had been in this state the whole time.

And right now, there was no way to change her condition.

For now, I had to get her out of here somehow before I could do anything.

“Bear with me.”

When I suddenly grabbed her arm, she showed no reaction, let alone resistance, making it feel like I was touching a doll, not a person.

“I’m going to hold you for a moment.”

Although I was just a weakling with 2 Strength, she was small in stature and would be light, so even I should be able to hold her for a moment…

“…!”

“Sir?”

“…First, could someone please carry this friend?”

***

(You weak XX bastard who can’t even do your own job.)

“Cough!”

My (Vicious Mockery) broke the guard’s mind, and he collapsed onto the floor.

I looked around once more, and after confirming that no one was there, I turned back and gestured.

At this signal, the slaves who were waiting on the stairs came up.

When the last person, the man carrying the ‘Companion’ on his back, came up, the muscular woman who had come up first began to change into the clothes she had taken from the fallen guard as planned.

“That thing you do, sir… is it some kind of magic?”

“Something like that.”

Just like the man carrying the ‘Companion’.

“It's a magic powerful enough to take out most of the guards here in one hit, but I can only use it on one person at a time.”

This was so that the two who knew how to fight could disguise themselves as guards working here (to increase their defense by wearing armor), while the rest pretended to be slaves led by them to avoid suspicion.

“And it takes some time to use it again, so if a fight happens to break out, I need you to buy me that time.”

“Understood. Leave it to us.”

“Ah, and if I happen to take this off, please try not to look at my face.”

“Pardon?”

“This face is also a kind of magic. So if we do end up fighting, it would be best for you to fight while looking away from me as much as possible.”

“Ah, so that’s why at first… Yes. I will tell everyone.”

“I’m counting on you.”

While she was changing, I decided to open my status window and quickly do the distribution I had postponed.

I had already made a plan when I first put the build together, so there was nothing to think about.

The most important stat, Charisma, was already at its maximum, at the God of Beauty level, so I couldn't raise it even if I wanted to.

So I had to pick one of the remaining four, and my choice was, of course, Mentality.

As for Strength and Dexterity, raising them by 1 or 2 at this point would barely make a difference.

I wouldn’t see any immediate noticeable effect.

I would still be a weakling even after raising them.

But Mentality was different.

In this world, even if your body was broken, you could somehow manage; to be blunt, a healing skill that even a level 1 could learn could somehow fix it… but what if your mind was broken?

Unless you were an exceptionally skilled healer, it wasn't easy.

Therefore, every single point of the Mentality stat was precious.

To be honest, Intelligence, the stat most frequently used after Charisma in non-combat situations, was a tempting option, but right now, survival was the priority.

--

MEN 06 → 07 ↑

--

Next were skills.

This, too, required no time to consider.

One of the key skills of this build was unlocked at the next level, level 3.

So honestly, I could learn anything right now.

Of course, it felt a bit wrong to learn just anything, so,

--

You have learned (Bard's Song: Healing)!

--

The one I chose was this (Song of Healing).

It was one of the variations of the class skill (Bard's Song) I had already acquired.

While the existing five songs were skills that buffed one of the five corresponding stats, this one, as the name suggested, was a healing skill.

However, it was a skill with a very small healing amount that naturally couldn't compare to those of professional healers like ‘Clerics’, so using it for healing was practically impossible.

In the first place, the main use of this skill was for first aid.

Still, it could at least pull someone back from the brink of death once, so it wasn't a bad skill to learn.

“I’ve changed.”

Just as I finished learning the skill, it seemed their preparations were also complete.

The muscular woman threw the guard's corpse, which was left in nothing but underwear, down the basement stairs, and I immediately closed the door.

“Follow me.”

It was time to move on to the next part of the plan.

First, I had to find their slave contracts.

The contracts here weren't mere scraps of paper.

They were items connected through magic to the slave brands imprinted on them as soon as they were brought here.

When one signed the contract with their blood, that blood and the brand would connect, creating a ‘master-servant relationship’.

They would be forced to obey the master of the blood.

So, unless those contracts were completely destroyed from this world, they could never attain true freedom, even if they escaped from this place.

The contracts were stored in a safe in the office.

Since the auction was still in full swing, there were no people near the office located in the corner.

Perhaps because it was not far from the basement, I didn't encounter a single person on the way, and even when I arrived at the office, there was only one guard standing watch in front of the door.

“What? Why are those things already──”

(Why are you dying already, you piece of trash?)

“?!”

He didn’t even seem particularly wary upon seeing the two people dressed as guards, so I was able to easily take care of him with (Vicious Mockery).

The key ring I had taken from the merchant had the key to this place, as well as the key to the safe.

However, I didn't know which of these many keys was which, so I had to try them one by one to find the right one.

Finally, on the third try, I heard a click! as the lock came undone, and I immediately flung the door open.

The office was, as expected, empty.

That’s why the object sitting conspicuously on the desk stood out even more.

A small, box-shaped safe that looked expensive at a glance.

The key to the safe was easy to identify.

Among the keys, it was the shiniest one, with a different material from the rest.

It was the perfect key for the safe engraved with those fancy patterns.

Naturally, it fit into the keyhole perfectly.

Inside the safe were a pouch containing a few gold coins and the contracts.

“Everyone, find the contract with your name on it here.”

I took them out of the safe and placed them on the desk, and the slaves immediately found and took their respective contracts.

“Don’t touch it now. You know that, right?”

“Yes. We know.”

Of course, I took the contract of the ‘Companion’, who was being carried motionlessly.

‘Eastwood’.

This name written on the contract was not her real name.

It was just a disrespectful product name given to her for the sole reason that she was found in the eastern forest, as they couldn't understand her language to hear her name.

Nevertheless, the brand on the back of her neck would all too easily strip her of her dignity as a human being whose name they didn't even know properly.

“…Damn it.”

So, even if it was to prepare for the worst-case scenario, the very fact that I was writing my name here with my own blood was extremely… shitty.

There were two ways to ‘awaken’ her from her current state as a literal empty shell, like a doll.

One of them couldn't be done here.

Whatever it was, I had to get out of this place to even attempt it.

“Sir, that is…”

And the other was… to form a contract.