I was escorted out of the Marquess Stronghold residence by two soldiers wearing full body armor with spears in their hands.
Every time they walked, their hands that weren't holding spears would inevitably push my body.
They both forced me to walk faster.
The way the two soldiers walked was very arrogant.
They were already acting like kings even though they were both useless soldiers.
Their attitude must be because they both were the soldiers of this territory lord.
Every time I received a push on my back from the two of them, I acted as if I was going to fall down from losing my balance.
I had to do that until we came outside the Marquess Stronghold residence.
After we passed through a gate that led out of the Marquess Stronghold residence, we literally left the magnificent Marquess Stronghold castle building behind our backs.
There was something that had been waiting for us outside the Marquess Stronghold residence.
There was a horse-drawn carriage. The horse-drawn carriage was waiting patiently in the middle of the road leading towards the city.
Although I had left the Marquess Stronghold's castle building, I wasn't directly in the center of the city. There was still a large park that I had to go through to reach the city later. And that's where the horse-drawn carriage was.
the horse-drawn carriage that was waiting for me was not like an ordinary horse-drawn carriage.
Apart from the fact that there was a horse ready to pull the carriage in front, what differentiated it from the usual horse-drawn carriage was the shape of the carriage.
Where the stately and ornate carriage should have been, there were big iron bars that had replaced the normal carriage.
Rust had clearly eaten away at the surface of the iron bars carriage. The big iron bars carriage was clearly visible to everyone's eyes as a place that was usually used to transport slaves.
"What are you waiting for, hurry up and get in!"
The soldiers behind me pushed me hard. They forced me to get into the iron bars carriage after they opened the door of the iron bars carriage.
With my hands still handcuffed, I struggled to get on top so that the two soldiers would get even more annoyed.
Eventually, they both threw me into the iron bars carriage by force.
My body rubbed against the surface of the carriage's iron bars, which were made of wood. Only the sides and top have iron bars.
When I got inside the iron bars carriage, the two soldiers immediately closed the door of the iron bars carriage and locked it. Then they covered the entire iron bars carriage with a black cloth.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe two of them could be heard immediately getting on the horses that had been provided at the side, they were escorting on the right and left of the horse-drawn carriage.
Inside the iron bars carriage, I sat alone. My face and body were covered in dust spots. I'm sure I was horrible looking. It was enough to make anyone believe that I was a slave, I think.
The light from the sun that should have cast a glow around me became lost when the thick and large cloth covered the carriage.
Only the sound of a horse's footsteps could be heard. Signaling that the horse-drawn carriage was starting to move. The urge on my butt was also getting tighter as the speed of the horse-drawn carriage accelerated.
When the horse-drawn carriage was still walking, the coachman who was moving the wheel suddenly said something to me.
"How did you feel now?"
He asked with a tone of mocking.
When I heard his voice, I knew who he was. It turned out to be Pavlova who was the coachman of the horse-drawn carriage.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. I just want to mock you for getting caught on purpose. I think you're too stupid. From now on, you will be a slave for the rest of your life."
"I don't care about your opinion."
"Tsk! Do you know where we're going? We're going to a place where slave races like you will be gathered. In that place, don't expect to feel comfortable."
"Are we going straight there?"
"Of course. Do you regret letting me go and getting caught on purpose?"
"No."
"I believe you have regre-"
He was silent after I answered strictly.
"Y-you-" He uncovered the black cloth covering the iron bars carriage and looked at me with an angry face. However, he could only be angry without being able to do anything to me.
the horse-drawn carriage continued walking for a while. Until finally around the horse-drawn carriage it suddenly became crowded. There was a crowd around. I heard the sound of people shouting loudly and very noisy.
I tried to peek out. Luckily there was a small tear in the cloth so I could peek out.
Looking at the buildings around, it seemed that this was a place in the city. In other words, the horse-drawn carriage carrying me had arrived in the center of the city.
It wasn't the sight of people walking or shopping that I saw as I peeked out, but rather a line of children and underprivileged people waiting in line. They were lined up like a snake on the side of the road.
From the small gap where I peeked, I couldn't see the top of their queue.
There were some adults who were securing a line of children and the underprivileged.
They were wearing normal clothes so as not to scare the children and the underprivileged.
However, some have spears on their backs, while others wear swords around their waists.
Some of them kept shouting.
"Please queue up to take your share."
"Hey, you guys over there! Don't push! If you keep doing that, you won't receive your share!"
"Those who engage in fighting will be blacklisted immediately and will not be able to participate in this charity event anymore."
The shouts of the adults who were securing the event continued to be heard.
If you took a quick glance, it was obvious that there was an event going on in this place.
I shouldn't have known the reason why those children and underprivileged people were lining up. However, I could guess the reason why they were lined up.
They must have come here and queued up to get a parcel of food, clothes, or whatever it was.
I suddenly remembered a request that I originally wanted to do from the Adventurers Association. A neglected quest that no one wanted to take. An event held by the Charity Hope Foundation.
And... A trap to capture children and underprivileged people so that they can be used as slaves.
I suddenly heard the muttering of Pavlova who was in the coachman's seat,
"You annoying pest. Laugh while you can. You may not realize it, but you are being screened for slavery."
He muttered condescendingly.
But, in fact, what he had said was true.
Some children would be caught immediately and quietly, and there were also children who would be allowed to live a little longer.
If I had a heroic spirit, I would definitely rush forward and eradicate the perpetrators, but I have no intention of doing that.
I remained inside the iron bars carriage.
The horse-drawn carriage continued to make its way to the front of the queue of children and the underprivileged. Not long after, we finally arrived.
An adult man was sitting at a desk. He was taking notes on each child who queued up.
"Next, please come forward!"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was someone who had some sort of authority to move the queue.
Every child he called came forward.
Surprisingly, the child did not immediately receive a parcel of food or clothing. Instead, the child was told to enter a building behind an adult man.
The building was a clock tower.
A clock tower towers high into the sky. The clock tower stands out from the other buildings around because of its height and architectural splendor.
At the top of the clock tower, there was clearly a giant clock installed. It was the only clock in Burgenfield city.
The place where the clock tower was built has six crossroads.
Perhaps it was done so that people could see the beauty of the only clock that shows the specific time in the city.
Underneath the clock tower building, there was a door. It was a door that could only be passed through when a charity event was being conducted. Ordinary citizens are forbidden to enter the clock tower building.
The law of the city reads thus.
It was done so that Marquess Stronghold's secret of slavery could remain in the shadows.
While my mind was occupied, Pavlova suddenly spoke,
"Pfft. Are you curious why we have to stop here?"
"No."
"I will tell you. Only inside this clock tower building can we reach the path to the place we're going to. So that-"
He stopped talking.
the horse-drawn carriage also suddenly stopped.
Then, the iron bars carriage, which I was on, shook violently.
"You bastard! Can you listen to my explanation until the end?"
He shouted loudly.
From the image of him, I knew the shake that happened was because he was kicking this iron bars carriage.
Because he was doing something so conspicuous, he automatically became the center of attention. The children and underprivileged people who were waiting in line must have been looking at him.
He must be embarrassed.
He sat back down and said, "Hyaaa!" while whipping the horse.
The horse-drawn carriage finally entered the clock tower through another door, different from the entrance of the children and underprivileged people who were waiting in line.
Inside the clock tower was a Teleport Gate that would take me to the place where slaves were gathered before being sold.
The place was called The Nest of Slavery.