Chapter 54: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (5)

The Streets of Flomic

Flomic Street was a quiet place located on the outskirts of the capital.

The towering buildings surrounding it blocked out the light, leaving the street in perpetual shadow.

The Hero, who normally wouldn’t even know such a place existed, was walking with focused determination today.

Drunken figures sprawled on the ground, unable to hold themselves upright, while the overpowering stench of cheap perfume clung to the air.

There was nothing to gain from a place overflowing with fleeting pleasures.

Wearing a tattered hood, the Hero walked past the seductive gestures of prostitutes without sparing them a glance.

He didn’t need such empty pleasures—he was already a fortunate man.

The thought of facing Laura and Natalia filled him with dread, but Sera’s words had brought him immense joy.

“It’s your fault, so there’s nothing we can do about it… but I understand.”

How much had she agonized before finally saying that?

Even though Sera was human and had pouted and scolded him, even that expression of frustration had been unbearably endearing.

“Alright then… let’s go in.”

Determined to carry out Sera’s request perfectly, he had followed Ronin.

If Sera had shown interest in slaves, then something was happening beyond his understanding.

His research into Ronin had revealed that he was a broker, connecting illegal traders and corrupt nobles.

A massive, rust-covered iron gate loomed over an abandoned fortress.

The cold wind whistled through, and the creaking sound of the gate was eerily reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie.

Long ago, it had been built as a noble’s indulgence, but after the war, it had been left to decay in the chaos that followed.

Now, it served as the very place where slaves were traded beyond the kingdom’s scrutiny.

“Here we have the last remaining members of the beastkin—the Red Tail Tribe. These are the descendants of the mighty warriors who resisted the kingdom just six months ago. Would you not like to break their spirits?”

Since being summoned to this world, the Hero’s physical abilities had drastically improved.

For him, leaping over the iron gate was a simple task.

Silently subduing the guards, he moved unnoticed toward a door beyond which a commotion could be heard.

Unlike the dust-covered, mold-infested ruins of the fortress, this door was polished and ornate.

The sounds from beyond left no doubt—this was where the slaves were being traded.

A Market of Human Suffering

Stepping through the door, the Hero fell silent as he took in the scene.

The bidding war had already begun.

The captives wore nothing but small scraps of cloth barely covering their bodies.

Heavy shackles bound their hands and necks.

Malnourished and covered in wounds, their pitiful figures stood on display for eager buyers.

The Red Tail Tribe—the last of the beastkin in this world—had been reduced to mere spectacle.

Had Sera foreseen this?

The Hero’s gaze shifted to the well-dressed nobles, adorned in lavish jewelry, who gleefully observed the auction.

They marveled at the sight of beastkin, eyes twinkling with curiosity as they admired the stage.

The sheer depravity of it all made him want to draw his sword right then and there.

Even if they covered their faces, their gestures, their build, and even the subtle fragrances they used could not be hidden.

Having met many nobles as part of his Hero’s party, he easily recognized some of them.

“…Hero?”

Fate.

His eyes met those of a boy standing among the captives.

A boy who had once been with the Unyielding Boulder.

“Hero…! Help—!”

“You bastard…! Stay still!”

The boy’s cry for help was cut short by the sharp crack of a whip.

He collapsed with a pitiful scream.

The Hero clenched his fists.

Even if they were slaves, they were still merchandise.

It made no sense to damage them before they were sold.

Yet, the bidding hall grew even more frenzied.

To the spectators, this wasn’t just a trade—it was entertainment.

The Red Tail Tribe were strong warriors, feared by the kingdom.

Breaking them down and stripping them of their dignity was part of the show.

Disgusting.

The captives were nothing more than helpless women and children.

The Hero had intended to resolve this quietly, without causing too much of a disturbance.

But that plan was no longer an option.

An Unexpected Situation

“…So you freed all these slaves and brought them back to your mansion?”

“Yeah.”

I knew that we needed an elf s*ave to enter the White Haze Forest.

I had been waiting for the Hero to return with results, but instead, I heard that he had raided an illegal s*ave auction.

When I arrived at his mansion, I expected to find an elf.

Instead, I was met with the sight of Red Tail women dressed as house servants.

Kaelia, the elf, was nowhere to be seen.

Why?

At this point in the timeline, elves should have been on the auction block.

And why were there only female slaves?

I had encouraged the Hero to build a harem, but this wasn’t what I had in mind…

“Nuna!!”

“W-What the hell is this kid?!”

Was he even thinking about going to the White Haze Forest anymore?

Before I could voice my frustration, a small boy suddenly threw himself into my arms.

He looked about seven or eight years old, with small wolf-like ears and a tail.

I had seen this face before.

“You remember him, right? Black Tempest. The Unyielding Boulder’s younger brother.”

“Unyielding Boulder…? No way!”

I knew it.

I had suspected it, but this idiot.

Instead of taking the easier route, he had gone through all this trouble because he preferred beastkin?

So when he said he wanted to devote himself to just one person…

He meant the Unyielding Boulder?!

“Nuna… sniff… Nuna, Boulder Nuna…”

“W-Wait! Don’t cry! Stop crying! Do something about this kid!”

“Sera, I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now, but… the Unyielding Boulder has been kidnapped.”

“What?”

I barely managed to calm the sobbing Black Tempest as the Hero explained.

He had followed Ronin and investigated his dealings.

He had discovered the location of the s*ave auction and infiltrated it.

But instead of elves, he found the Red Tail Tribe being traded.

He had been unable to stand by and watch, so he had caused a scene and freed them.

According to Black Tempest, the ones responsible for the Red Tail Tribe’s plight were a black-haired man and a white-haired woman.

And the Unyielding Boulder had agreed to cooperate with them to protect their people.

It was too much information to process at once.

But the conclusion was clear.

“…So, you want to save the Unyielding Boulder?”

“Yeah. According to Black Tempest, the two mysterious figures mentioned the White Haze Forest. And this.”

“What’s this?”

The Hero held out a dreamcatcher made of black feathers.

It was small enough to fit around a wrist, and strangely, the feathers all pointed in a single direction.

“A magic tool imbued with the Guide’s Divine Protection. It allows two people to track each other over vast distances.”

I took a deep breath and looked at the Hero.

His face was completely serious.

If the Unyielding Boulder had been taken to the White Haze Forest, then this feather was tied to our destination.

But this wasn’t just a journey for the Hero’s party.

This was a personal mission—Kim Su-hyun’s pursuit of love.

So in the end, the Hero’s chosen heroine was the Unyielding Boulder.

Thinking back, I had been unconscious after the battle at the fortress.

Maybe, during that time, they had already deepened their bond.

For some reason, that thought irritated me.

While I was unconscious, they must have had plenty of time to talk…

“Yeah, thanks to your advice, I made it this far.”

“I see… well, I guess there’s no helping it now.”

During my encounters with the incubus and succubus, I had been bedridden for a month.

At the Kaputa Highlands, it was the same.

Half a year had passed, and most of that time, I had been unconscious.

There was so much of the Hero’s life that I had missed.

I sighed.

This was going to be a long journey.