QT: Against My Will

183 4.7 – Lost – Dangerous Angels

Currently, in the capital of Rania, a soft breeze passed through the ill-fitting windows and doors. The lantern hanged off a rusty hook, shedding just enough light on the wooden bed. Behind the curtain, a young girl was squirming below the sheets. Barely reaching fourteen, her river of aqua green curls spilled across her fragile shoulders. Her skin, the color of creamed tea, was as chill as a mermaid’s. Drugged and weakened, any attempts of escape were futile. Like any victims of the old freak, what awaited her was only a painful demise.

Hasan, a forty years old bald man of short stature had a face blotched like fatty salami. Staring lustfully at the fresh meat below him, his hands crept down the sheets. Before he could nip at the tender skin, he felt his neck being squeezed by a thick rope. Out of sudden, sharp snake fangs appeared before his eyes. Frightened, he let out a noise of panic, “Aaaaah!!!”

“Get off the bed,” The girl below him ordered with a feeble tone, “...Immediately...”

Under immense fear, Hasan listened to every order given to him. He staggered out of bed, “W-who are y-you?!”

“You can call me Tian Shi.” Wrapping herself in a bedsheet, Bing Shi’s smoky grey eyes roamed around the room, searching for any change of clothes, “Be careful. That snake can be deadly.” She quietly stopped the man from calling out for help, “If something ever happens to my body, you’ll end up in hell.”

(??-Tianshi-angel)

‘Tian Shi as in angel?’ Hasan’s hands shook so badly, gritting his teeth, he focused on not to provoke the snake around his neck, “W-what do you w-want?”

[Host, what if he thinks a demon has possessed you? If it comes out, you’ll be stoned and burned alive.]

[“We’ll have no choice but to get rid of him. Also, if I’m a demon, what is he?”]

.....

Bing Shi went straight to the point, “A clean room, a basin of water and a change of clothes. From today onwards, Kuro’ll be your new companion. It’ll judge your every action. And by any means, do not try to kill it off. It can understand human’s speech, right Kuro?”

Kuro nodded its small head and hid underneath Hasan’s clothes.

“...Y-Yes, right away...” Notorious for his cruel practices on young girls, sweat poured down the wrinkled face. As a human trafficker, selling Tian Shi to one of the brothels was his initial plan. Besides her hymen, there were still other holes where he could vent out his urges. Sometimes the girls would survive with severe injuries. Most of the time, they’d become lifeless dolls. Now, there was a stigma squeezing at his brain, repeatedly warning him that he’ll end up in hell for all the sins he has done so far-his retribution came in the form of a girl as quiet as a painting on the wall.

In this world, while slavery was a common thing, women were forced to marry for political gain rather than love and treated as a tool rather than their own person.

Thought Hasan wasn’t the most influential man; he would pay no heed to a girl of lowly origin. However, there were signs of Tian Shi being a higher being, which changed the whole situation. Overthinking, Bing Shi’s first target succumbed in a matter of minutes.

A few moments later...

“I want to open a brothel in the capital. The one where women sell their skills but not their bodies.” Explaining her plans, Bing Shi put a creamy cloak over her revealing black outfit. Underneath, she wore a sleeveless crop top, harem pants, and black curled shoes. Thinking that she liked snakes, Hasan gifted her several golden accessories, such as a snake armlet for her right arm, gold snake earrings, and a golden necklace with an emerald stone at the bottom. “Let’s look for a suitable building. But before that, I want to see all the girls at your disposition.”

‘To accomplish something, I need to gain power and connection, from scratch.’

Thinking about his disappearing wealth, Hasan was unwilling. Such brothels needed loads of resources, time, and mainly, proper management. As if reading his thoughts, Kuro twisted its thin body around his neck and started to choke him like a rat, “Y-Yes! I’ll do as you wish!”

“Thank you.” Bing Shi had four years to prevent Zhao Rong from marrying Mao An. The twenty years old Zhao Rong already killed his two wives. According to the story, Zhao Rong should be expanding his troops right now.

[Hidden quest: Ask Zhao Rong why he killed his wives. +250p.]

‘I see nothing ??’

‘I hear nothing ??’

· · — · ???· — · ·

Rania slave market...

Sand-colored mudbrick buildings stood tall at each side of the wide road. Carved animal totems and important religious symbols adorned the thick house walls. A dappled sun filtered through the small windows.

Men walking with sacks slung over their shoulders, being whipped by nearby wardens. A new batch of malnourished slaves being transported inside wooden wagons. Slaves being kept in pens with cattle and other livestock. As for women and children, in order to make some more desirable, slave traders dressed them in silk and flashy clothes... or better, nothing at all.

As their footsteps shuffled along the dusty ground, Bing Shi took a deep breath to prevent her tears from gushing out, taking in their emotions. She hated seeing people suffer and watching how mostly everyone went through a painful life was sad. She looked into things too deeply, and how she sometimes wished to be without empathy, so she didn’t have to put herself in their shoes, to feel their suffering when they go through hard times.

That’s why she preferred to be alone. Being near people was exhausting. Always making everyone around her happy was... exhausting.

‘My sleeping beauty, where are you?’

Hasan’s eyes periodically shifted towards Bing Shi’s pained expression. He hoped that this angel wouldn’t be stupid enough to order him to buy everything. He was not that rich, ah. It would change nothing. She would only fill all the slave trader’s pockets with money. He showed her the path towards an underground passage under his slave shop, “Is this miss’ first time visiting a slave market?”

Bing Shi nodded her head robotically, “Aren’t you afraid that they’d rebel for being maltreated?”

Hasan, who saw it as something normal, described the current situation in Rania. The majority of the slaves were debt slaves and war prisoners. Prince Zhao Rong possessed most slaves, making him the wealthiest person in Rania. His slaves worked in his tobacco, cotton, and sugarcane plantations. Thanks to the cheap labor, the economy of Rania skyrocketed. Slaves couldn’t fight against the growing number of Rania citizens and prince Zhao Rong’s army.

“Those working on the field aren’t treated that badly. As long as their stomach are filled, they won’t rebel. The poorest would even become slaves so they could work for prince Zhao Rong,” Hasan explained.

‘Do they have no other aspirations? Maybe if they weren’t focused purely on survival, they would have time to think about how to improve their lives.’

‘Zhao Rong is like a pillar of Rania; taking him down will be impossible.’

Bing Shi pointed at the next door, “I want to go there.”

Cold sweat poured down Hasan’s crooked nose, “Then, let me call somebody to wash them first.”

“No need,” Bing Shi urged him to open the door. Stepping inside, a gush of smell hit her nostrils-body odor, urine, and feces seeped out of the bodies behind the metal bars. Sleeping on the hard ground, there were young girls and boys in sweat-stained clothing that hasn’t been washed in a long time.

These bodies belonged to sons and daughters of bankrupted merchants and former officials from all countries.

Ignoring the smell, Bing Shi shut her eyes tight, sniffing in a tear, she didn’t know if what she was going to do was the right thing. Yes, she wouldn’t maltreat those children. But it didn’t change the fact that...

‘I am taking advantage of the slave system. Doesn’t it make me the same as everyone? I’m such a hypocrite...’