Is this Hero for Real?

[Act 12] Remodeling(?)

“Young and #$% slaves for sale! Try $ #%$ ^$ it out!”

“Look at this brawny #$. It will be your #% @%$!”

“For only one day, in anniversary of my #@%! Can’t $# six…!”

The slave market bustled with noise.

But it wasn’t the unethical scenery I was expecting.

“…”

“…”

The displayed slaves were as still as mannequins, and the merchants didn’t harass their valuable items.

After all, they’d put quite the efforts into the slaves’ health, attire, etc to sell them at a higher price.

I went in expecting a grim black market, but it felt like a department store.

“Well, that wakes me up.”

“What are you saying?”

“I was imagining an alien with a strong sense of justice buying a slave if a merchant harshly mistreated a beautiful slave.”

“Sure. Are you done with your bullshit?”

“That’s harsh!”

The plot where a young man from Earth who had never spoken to a woman, let alone held a woman’s hand, bought a slave and lived happily ever after.

Isn’t it a common prompt?

The demon was looking at me pathetically.

“A merchant who lessens the worth of their products on purpose? I don’t expect much from someone who almost murdered the prince, but can’t you think of anything normal?’

“Hm… what about that?”

I saw a scene very similar to what I had imagined.

A mean-looking old man was holding a pretty girl by her hair and throwing a fit.

“#$ follow me!”

“Ow! $%,%$&!”

“#! Did you just $# %& # to me, your master? #$ %#$ again?”

“Eek?! I’m $% sorry! Just please don’t @ %$!”

While the people around them had frowns on their faces, one boy bravely got in front of the old man.

“Wait! Even if it’s a slave, she’s a #$% girl, don’t you think #% too much?”

“This === == again? I do what I #&$ ^$ with my things, *$ in my business.”

“#$ her to me.”

“%$ level may be low, but #%$ expensive. Not #%$ like you…”

“I #%$ price.”

“Ha! Fine. I’ll sell it to you #%# if you have %# money.”

And so…

The poor slave girl was rescued by the righteous boy.

‘Good! That’s good!’

The demon scoffed next to me.

“He fell for it.”

“For what?”

“It's a classic trick that elicits shallow sympathy. That man just sold a level 2 slave to that young one at a very high price. He could have bought a level 8 slave with that money.”

“What the…?”

“Think of their conversation they just had if you can’t believe me. Don’t you think her skin was too fair to be a slave that’s constantly abused by her owner?”

“You’re right.”

Although he had grabbed the slave by her hair, he hadn’t hurt her to the point she was injured.

“And there’s no reason to abuse a slave in front of people who came to buy them.”

“You’re right about that, too!”

“Consider yourself lucky. You won’t ever be done up like a kipper because I’m with you.”

“Woo!”

That demon crybaby actually looked cool for once!

There were four main categories of slaves sold in the market.

—Humans, fairies, dwarves, and mermaids.

I knew the pointy-ear fairies from seeing plenty of them in the forest, and the dwarves were just as I’d imagined them.

—Short, stump limbs, relatively big heads, and bushy beards…

“There’s only dudes.”

“You really are a hillbilly. There are only male dwarves. Those guys reproduce by winning the love of human women by using their natural dexterity to create things.”

“Oh…”

“It’s the opposite for the mermaids who live in the oceans and lakes—there’s only females.”

The mermaids weren’t much different from what I’d seen in picture books or movies.

Smooth skin, slim waists, enticing features…

They were beauties who would look great in bikinis. Apparently their legs turned to tails as soon as they entered the water.

“Wow! It must be a lot easier for mermaids to get married!”

They were pretty, after all. The fact that their ears were fins was a small problem.

I could tell just from the onlookers(male) crowding the mermaids.

The demon scoffed.

“Mermaids don’t marry—they kidnap a human male they like.”

“I-I see!”

What a dangerous species!

I could hear my childhood dying in the distance.

“I’m really tired right now. So do the sightseeing later when you’re alone.”

“Huh? We had somewhere in mind?”

“I know a few places that only specialize in selling high-end slaves who are too good to go to waste as regular slaves.”

“Oh…”

“I can see how you’re looking at me. Listen to me. Save for my power, I am number one husband material.”

“I see!”

“…I get a bad feeling when you agree so wholeheartedly like that.”

“That’s just you!”

The shop that demon Kogmos told me about looked fancy just from the outside.

We went past the security guards standing outside the shop gates like the four Devas.

“Welcome! Have you come $#% slaves as guards? Or %# slaves #%$?”

The salesperson, seeing new customers, welcomed us with a business-only smile.

She was a fairy woman dressed in luxurious clothes and accessories with a completely different aura than the violent savages I’d run into in the forest.

“The slave I’m looking for is… um.”

Tap tap.

Still going through language barrier issues, I made the demon step in front.

“#$ Blessing. Do you have any #$ %#$ or the slaves’ levels?”

“Yes. The rest doesn’t matter as long as there is the Blessing.”

‘You demon! Why doesn’t that matter!‘

It would be troublesome if I ended up with an old scholar with their head in the skies.

I probed the demon’s sides and butted in.

“Kogmos. It has to be a slave that can come with me in my travels.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Yes?”

“They have to bear with your insane schedule? What a ludicrous demand.”

“I don’t care how much money it takes.”

“You talk like an arrogant noble. I don’t even know if the slave you’re looking for even exists, but I’ll ask.”

“Okay!:

I waited for the answer as I looked around the shop.

* * *

* * *

Despite the limited hunting grounds, the Heroes’ growth was awe-inspiring.

By just how much?

Those who devoted their entire lives until retirement as a mercenary as soon as they became an adult(age 15) were level 15 on average.

But at the moment, Hero Yoo Bora was level 7, despite not even a month having passed.

It was truly an insane ‘Blessing’.

“I’m very happy to see your fast progress. But I cannot invest in each and every one of you equally. There is only one holy sword.”

“Holy sword?”

“Is it finally the time?!”

“Ooh! Holy sword!”

The heroes reacted in various ways at the Saintess’s explanation.

Even Yoo Bora wasn’t an exception—to be exact, her companion was being restless.

“Hero! It’s the holy sword! The holy sword! The legendary holy sword! The holy sword that makes demons tremble from a glance!”

“Okay, Aria. I got i—”

“You have to get it! I know you’re outstanding, but you need the holy sword to be even more outstanding! That is, if the legend is true!”

“Hm…”

Was it really that great?

It wasn’t sinking in for Yoo Bora, who was uninterested in the field before getting summoned to this fantasy world.

Float~

The holy sword was hovering midair without falling—it defied gravity.

Was it because of the material? Or was it magic? It surely wasn’t magic…

While Yoo Bora was firing up her askew academic zeal, the Saintess revealed the reason why she’d shown the ‘one and only holy sword’.

“…and so we will be hosting the tournament. The winner will become the owner of this holy sword.”

“Ooh!”

“Oooooh!”

A fanatical atmosphere swept over as the Saintess had intended, but some one the Heroes(male) who chose the magic path were displeased.

“It’s stupid.”

“It’s not even all that.”

“What about mages?”

A holy sword was just a sword, after all.

It was unnecessary for mages who attacked from afar when swords required direct combat.

But the Saintess’ next words sprouted interest in them.

“And those who do well in the tournament are eligible to study abroad at the prestigious Academy.”

“Academy…!”

“A fantasy academy?!”

“I gotta go!”

It was the moment when the first-class information that only Jang Miyeon knew was released to all of the Heroes(female).

There were quite a few male heroes who were looking forward to the Academy as well.

“The Academy…?”

“Hehehe…”

The Saintess then broke the bad news to the Heroes as they were engulfed in various joyful imaginations.

“Only four Heroes, not including the winner, are eligible to study abroad. It will be passed onto the next Hero if they give up.

“Only four?!”

“No way!”

There were a series of protests from the Heroes at the capacity limit, but the Saintess did not bat an eye.

Even Hero Yoo Bora was more interested in the ‘Academy’ than the ‘holy sword’.

Though she had a different reason for it.

“Aria. what do they teach at the Academy?”

“…”

“Aria?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I just thought of the past. There are a diverse range of subjects taught at the Academy, but the main ones are magic and swordsmanship. The rest are pretty minor.”

“What are the rest?”

“Politics, economics, history, art, music, social studies, horseback riding… there are as many professors as there are students, so it’s very diverse.”

“Is that so…”

Yoo Bora was a bit disappointed.

She had to become strong in order to survive in that world, but the Academy didn’t teach other methods besides swordsmanship and magic.

Was that really the case?

It wouldn’t be too late for her to decide after she gets into the Academy, she assured herself. It didn’t seem like compulsory education, so she’d just quit if she didn’t like it.

“I recommend you don’t go.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ll tell you later when we’re alone. It’s a subjective reason with a lot of my embarrassing moments…”

“I understand.”

Yoo bora didn’t rush.

After all, she wasn’t sure if she could attend the Academy before the tournament’s procedure was announced.

So far her ‘fantasy grades’ were good, but there would always be an unexpected shift.

Of course, unlike her humble attitude, she had never not been at the top.

“We are hosting the tournament.”

“Wooo!”

“Let’s gooooo!”

Yoo Bora didn’t worry too much about the excessively unfair team battle. She wasn’t alone.

[A certain martial god is certain of your victory.]

[A certain carefree god of heaven orders a bunch of popcorn.]

[A certain water god tells you not to worry too much.

[A certain god…]

“…of course.”

Yoo bora was the worst at one thing: betraying the expectations of others, including her parents.

—And nothing else.

***

Actively regarding my demands, demon Kogmos plowed up the ridiculous prerequisites.

I mean, isn’t it common sense that there can’t be a slave who can withstand half their body getting burnt?

Come to think of it, he was going on about himself.

“There isn’t a slave like that, right?”

“There is.”

“Of course, I knew there wouldn’t be… there is?!”

“There’s % #$.”

The demon looked perplexed at the fairy clerk’s certain answer.

“Why? Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yeah, but I’m already feeling pity for the slave who would get tortured following you.”

“A demon worrying for others, huh?”

“Just how are you thinking of demons? Demons are simply superior to humans in every aspect.”

“Sure. Except you.”

“…”

I went inside the store next to the trembling demon as the fairy clerk led the way.

Beautiful men and women, young boys and girls…

It felt like I was on the set of a massive hit fantasy movie with every famous actor.

They were all slaves, but they weren’t encaged in a small space.

“They won’t run away?”

“High-end slaves, without exception, have the slave curse. There’s a slave over there with their status window showing. Go take a look at it.”

“Let’s see…”

I quickly looked over the slave’s status window that Kogmos pointed out.

Roughly going past the level and Blessings, I only thoroughly read the ‘Slave’s Curse’.

[Slave]

>You have given up all your rights, making you a possession.

>Every time you disobey an owner's order, you suffer a corresponding amount of pain!

“Are you done?”

“Yeah.”

‘They won’t be able to run even if I don’t put a constraint on them.’

Let’s call it a slave report engraved to the bone.

Just then, the fairy pointed to a girl crouched in a dark corner.

“This is the slave. Very $%# %$ $? So it costs #$. %# blessing #@ %#$ too.”

“Demon?”

“Yes. it’s a demon. # #$%?”

“No. I was just caught off guard because it’s very rare to see a demon choose to be a human’s slave. Since demons… have a very strong sense of pride.”

Finding his species at the slave market, demon Kogmos had an unreadable expression on his face.

I barely held in my laugh as I scolded the guy.

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“You ordered someone just like you, didn’t you?”

“Tch.”

Of course we’d end up with a demon—he’d asked for a slave with the same abilities as him.

Ignoring my provocation, Kogmos randomly declared.

“I’m buying it.”

“Oh? Is it sympathy?”

“Shut up!”

To cut to the chase…

The broke demon got crushed and I bought the slave. Hehe!