To meet with those who hold the kingdom’s power, one must be properly prepared. 

“Master, where are you going?”

“I’m just stepping out for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

“…You’ll really be back soon, right...? You’re not going to disappear again, are you...?”

The elf’s voice trembled, filled with doubt.

Would Rivera wake up from her sleep? Elena spoke in a soft whisper, worried she’d be abandoned again, her voice shaking as she clutched her throat in fear.

“Don’t worry.”

Keyal took her trembling hand with his other, gently holding both her hands until her shaking subsided.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Elena’s warmth. 

It was warm. Like the sunlight enveloping his entire being.

Elena’s trembling stopped, and the turbulence in her heart gradually calmed. The elf, once anxious, now turned her gaze elsewhere.

“Ah, you’re really coming back, right...?”

It seemed that Elena’s unease wasn’t completely alleviated yet. It was still difficult to fully calm her fears.

Once spilled, water cannot be gathered again. Or was it something like that? Of course, I had my reasons for everything, but from the heroes' perspective, it might have seemed like a broken promise.

‘...’

In the end, Elena and Rivera’s unease was something I had caused. No matter how much I tried to deny it, the outcome was clear in front of me.

On one hand, I felt pity for the anxious Elena. On the other, I found it curious that I, as a mere game character, was having such thoughts.

No matter how affectionate I may feel, the reason I can feel such emotions is purely because I’m inhabiting the body of Keyal Klein. 

The memories Keyal shared with the heroes might seem like nothing more than a virtual world for me, but for them, this was their reality. Every moment we spent together became a solid, vivid memory for them.

‘Well, if you think about it, maybe Keyal and I are fundamentally the same at the core.’

---

### **The Underground Auction**

As expected, if we were talking about the underworld of medieval times, the first place we needed to head was the slave auction. 

We passed through a narrow corridor, opened a dilapidated door, and descended a set of stairs.

The familiar smell of underground sewage, reminiscent of the smell in a parking garage, mixed with a faint stench of blood. 

The darkest aspect of the medieval world, then as now, was undoubtedly the class system.

Especially in a world where slavery was legal, you could see all sorts of disgusting things without hesitation.

‘This disgusting pig stink is unbearable.’

Keyal, who normally stuck to a formal tone, only dropped his act when dealing with nobility. The reason was simple.

‘No matter the world, it's all the same. Those filthy bastards.’

As always, the real problem lay with the middle class. 

Those who were neither prominent nor irrelevant seemed to cause the most trouble.

Before long, Keyal’s eyes met the massive auction hall. The glossy chairs, designed to maintain an air of dignity, were clearly prepared by the auction house’s upper management for the nobility.

The underworld boss, who now only faintly remained in Keyal’s memory, was a shadowy figure from the game. He was involved in many illegal operations, including this slave auction.

Keyal sat down confidently, folding his arms and crossing his legs right in front of the noblemen.

“Who is that person?”

“By the looks of it, just some adventurer. It’s the same as always, the lowborn ones never understand manners.”

A skinny man with a grizzled beard shot Keyal a disdainful look. Beside him, a pig-like beastkin, though technically a wolfkin, had gained so much weight that calling him a pig seemed fitting.

The two seemed annoyed with Keyal, shivering from the cold, their legs trembling. Perhaps they hadn’t eaten today, as they both kept clenching their hands.

‘I don’t like you either, assholes.’

Keyal’s gaze turned icy as he glared back at the two. He couldn’t stand their rude attitude. A sly grin spread across his face.

His eyes narrowed like a fox’s, and his smile twisted in a way that was almost sinister.

“...Hey, look at that filthy person!”

“Ha... Maybe the whole family needs to become slaves to learn some manners?”

At that moment, the two began to mock him, using degrading language. But every time they did, Keyal’s smile only widened, his gaze staying fixed on them. 

It was the kind of confident look that said, "What can you do about it?"

The pigkin looked utterly baffled. A mere adventurer, a commoner, had the audacity to sit confidently in front of them, crossing his arms, now showing a twisted smile.

With a creak, the pigkin gritted his teeth. He was clearly irritated. If it weren’t for the auction, he would’ve grabbed Keyal and tried to throw him out.

As he imagined Keyal being sold off, the auction began.

A gentleman appeared in the center of the hall and bowed twice, offering a brief salute.

With his hands placed politely at chest height, he lowered them, then placed one hand over his heart and the other on his abdomen in greeting.

The crowd cheered loudly, and even the noblemen who had been competing with Keyal joined in applause. 

Thunderous applause filled the air, and it was clear that the influence and power of the black market were immense in this place.

Even a mere representative from the organization could command such respect.

‘When the boss of the organization shows up, they'll surely bow down.’

---

### **The Auction of Slaves**

The auction hall perfectly captured the essence of the underworld’s darkness.

Slaves were brought in, their screams echoing as they were branded and marked with a slave’s symbol.

The crowd laughed as they made their bids for the frail slaves. No one thought it was strange. 

No one saw those who were being sold as equals. They were just property.

Keyal clenched his teeth so hard that he could feel his jaws aching.

This kind of disgust, if taken too far, could make one sick. Just as they couldn’t understand Keyal, he too couldn’t understand their twisted values.

In a medieval world with an ingrained class system, it might be normal. But to Keyal, who came from a modern mindset, it was a grotesque sight.

The next item up for auction was an elf slave. At that moment, Elena’s image flashed through Keyal’s mind, and his expression hardened.

“100!”

“No, I’ll take her for 250 gold!”

A man in the front row raised a placard with the number 100, but a noblewoman behind him, unable to contain herself, raised her own placard.

A fierce bidding war ensued, with money symbolizing their power. 

“1000 gold!”

The man scowled as he eyed his opponent.

“Ugh...! 2000.”

The woman raised her placard with the number 2000, shaking with frustration. The man who had bid 1000 slumped back, defeated, soon leaving the auction hall.

The victorious noblewoman grinned in satisfaction, covering her mouth with her hand and letting out an annoying, aristocratic laugh.

Keyal’s entire body flushed red. A deep purple aura spread through him, making him feel like his blood was boiling.

Was this what it was like when people bought others for money? It filled him with disgust, to the point where he almost felt like he’d explode.

He had come here to find someone, not to witness such horrors. 

The royal kingdom’s teeth, white fur, pale blue eyes, brown-striped fur, long flowing hair...

A beastkin who had recently been closely associated with the sorcerer was rumored to have been enslaved.

Once a princess, now fallen to a slave because of the sorcerer. But no one pitied her, nor blamed the sorcerer.

The audience drooled, eagerly waiting for the next slave to be brought out.

Some noblewomen were preparing their leashes, while noblemen gripped their whips.

The so-called “ladies and gentlemen” disgusted Keyal.

“Alright, everyone, thank you for waiting!!”

The auctioneer raised his hand, and a beastkin emerged, slowly walking into the center of the stage.

“Behold, the royal kingdom’s teeth. White fur! The pride of Solum kingdom’s princess, now a mere slave! Our beloved subject, Layna Reford von Astraea, at the age of seven. Give her a round of applause!”

When the auctioneer gestured toward her, a tremendous cheer filled the air.

Everyone readied their bidding plates.

---

**“Heh, found you.”**

A faint trace of demonic magic leaked from Keyal’s body. No one noticed as he quietly, carefully executed his plan.