"Why did you use something like this on me?" Leon asked, his sharp gaze fixed on Zirkar.

Zirkar hesitated before answering, "I received a report that only two apprentice magicians and one high-level sorcerer were with you... I thought it would be best to enslave you. I believed I would win easily since I can receive mana from others."

"And those five people you called in later, are they slaves you made with this?" Leon asked.

"Yes," Zirkar replied.

Leon tilted his head slightly in curiosity and asked another question, "With this sigil, you can issue any command. Why bother shackling them?"

"They were rival slave traders... I wanted to humiliate them after enslaving them."

Leon shook his head and sighed briefly.

"Are all of them slave traders?"

"They are."

"Can I control them?"

"No. Once the user of the scales changes, the markings also change. It won’t work."

"Does that mean they are now freed from slavery?"

Zirkar nodded.

"Alright. But why didn’t you use the thorn and have your companions attack me?"

"Because... while the duel between the scales is ongoing, any other attack is nullified. All attacks get absorbed by the thorn."

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Any attack?"

"As far as I know, yes. I’ve even seen it block the spells of a divine-class magician."

The more Leon learned about this artifact, the more it seemed extraordinary.

'The Mana Scales...'

Its abilities seemed more fitting for a dark magician.

'First I collect swords, now it’s magic artifacts,' Leon thought, having already obtained three artifact-like items: the magic sword, the Death Scythe, and now the Mana Scales.

Leon turned his attention back to Zirkar.

"Are these all your subordinates?"

"No... there are a few left on the second underground floor, guarding the slaves."

"How many?"

"Four guards, taking turns."

Leon recalled Erica and Ria, who had gone down to the second underground floor earlier, and asked another question, "What’s their rank?"

"They are all apprentices."

Erica had mentioned that only two slave traders were guarding the prison when she escaped, which explained why she had sent only those two ahead. It seemed the guards had been increased after her escape to strengthen security.

Leon wasn’t particularly worried about the situation.

He had entrusted a gargoyle golem to Ria in case of danger. If a fight had broken out, Leon would have known through the signal.

Leon unsheathed his magic sword and began to deal with the remaining slave traders who were still collapsed on the ground, struggling for breath. Soon, only Zirkar and Leon were left standing.

Zirkar, looking tense, swallowed nervously. Though he had surrendered and become Leon’s slave, his thoughts and emotions remained intact.

In some ways, that made it even more terrifying.

Leon cast an emotion-detection spell on the Mana Scales. Most of the information he gathered was consistent with what Zirkar had already explained.

'An A-rank artifact... as expected.'

This was the result Leon had anticipated.

One more thing he discovered was the cooldown period.

The Mana Scales could only be used once every year.

So Zirkar had taken five years to gather his five slaves.

'I wonder if the orb can bypass this cooldown as well,' Leon thought, shaking his head lightly to clear his thoughts.

There were still many things he wanted to ask Zirkar, but for now, the priority was clearing out the remaining enemies. He had already wasted too much time in the duel with the scales.

'It’s strange that no battle has broken out in the meantime.'

With that thought, Leon pushed Zirkar ahead and descended to the second underground floor.

Upon arriving, Leon immediately spotted a slave trader lying on the ground.

At first, he thought the man might be dead, but upon closer inspection, he noticed the faint rise and fall of his chest. He was merely unconscious, still breathing weakly.

'Did they put him to sleep...?'

Leon gestured to Zirkar, who nodded and quickly ended the man's life.

As they moved further in, Leon saw Erica and Ria standing by. Beside them was Ered, standing awkwardly with shackles around his wrists and ankles.

Erica and Ria were kneeling, rummaging through the belongings of two unconscious slave traders.

They both turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Leon?" Ria called out, starting to approach him but freezing when she saw Zirkar standing in front of him.

"It’s alright. He can’t do anything," Leon reassured her.

Ria asked, "Ah... did you finish everything over there?"

"Yeah. What happened here?"

Ria glanced at Erica before speaking.

With a grim expression, Erica finally responded, "They’re all asleep."

Erica pulled out a small vial containing a white powder and explained, "This is a sleeping powder. When spread into the air, it puts people to sleep without them realizing. I used it on this one," she said, pointing at Ered, who was staring blankly at Zirkar.

Erica put the vial back into her pocket and took out another item.

"And this… is the prison key I just found."

She handed the large set of keys to Leon.

'Erica has quite a few interesting artifacts. Must be a characteristic of the Sigrenel school,' Leon thought, accepting the keys and handing them to Zirkar.

"These are the keys to the prisoners you captured, right?"

"Yes," Zirkar replied, not even sparing a glance at Ered.

"Good. Lead the way."

Zirkar walked forward, and Ered stumbled back in confusion.

"Captain...?" Ered stammered, his voice filled with disbelief.

Leon’s tone was cold as he replied, "The captain you knew is gone."

"What do you—"

Before Ered could finish his sentence, Leon swiftly drove his magic sword into Ered’s chest.

Ered’s body crumpled to the floor.

Leon pulled the sword free and let out a deep breath. Ria watched the scene without saying a word.

Leon then followed Zirkar as he led them to the prison.

A heavy iron door stood before them, and without hesitation, Zirkar opened it.

As the door swung open, the dim interior of the prison was revealed.

The light from outside spilled in, illuminating the long rows of iron bars lining both sides of the hall.

A guard stationed at the prison entrance immediately stood up when he saw Zirkar.

"Captain, what brings you here?"

But Zirkar gave no response.

Instead, he quietly approached the man, placing his palm against his chest.

"Explode."

With a brief incantation, flames burst from Zirkar’s palm.

Boom—

The explosion flung the man backward, blood pouring from his chest as he collapsed, dead.

The sound of the explosion drew the attention of the prisoners inside the cells, and they approached the bars, peering out. They looked back and forth between Zirkar and the slain guard, their faces filled with confusion.

Leon glanced at the prisoners.

They had long, pointed ears and sharp, defined features—they were elves. Many of them appeared quite young, too young to be adults.

And it wasn’t just elves locked up in the cells.

'Beastfolk?'

Leon noticed prisoners with wolf-like ears and tails. Their bodies were mostly human, but the ears and tails clearly marked them as non-human.

Leon gave Zirkar a command.

"Release them."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zirkar retrieved the keys and began unlocking each of the cell doors.

The elves and beastfolk inside the prison looked on in confusion, unsure of what was happening.

Leon reassured them, "We’ve come to free you, so don’t worry."

"Erica!"

At the sight of Erica, the elves' eyes widened with recognition.

"You came to save us after all!"

The youngest-looking elven girl among them, despite her youth, seemed to react the most strongly. Though young, she appeared to be around the same age as Leon.

Though she looked frail from her time in the prison, her bright eyes remained clear, and there was a certain noble grace about her, despite her disheveled appearance.

'She must be the child of the high elder... that’s her.'

While Leon was lost in thought, the freed prisoners began to gather around Erica, embracing her in joy and relief. The beastfolk remained more cautious, still surveying their surroundings warily.

After observing them for a while, Leon turned to Zirkar and asked, "Do these prisoners bear the slave’s mark?"

"No, not yet. We planned to brand them with temporary marks the day before the auction. Once sold, they would be marked permanently."

"So if we release them now, there’s no issue?"

"That’s correct."

Leon nodded, satisfied, and asked another question, "What will happen if these slaves suddenly disappear?"

"...Nothing much will happen."

"Really?"

"Our guild will no longer be able to supply slaves for auctions, but…"

Given that the guild had already fallen apart, there wouldn’t be any further consequences.

Just as Leon breathed a sigh of relief, the elven prisoners approached him.

The one leading them was the young elven girl Leon had identified as the elder’s daughter. Her long, silver hair, tinged with green, swayed at her waist as she approached.

She opened her mouth cautiously, her clear voice echoing softly in the prison.

"I’ve heard about you. They say you saved us along with Erica."