Volume 3 Chapter 8 Bonds and Retribution
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The bodies incinerated by the blue flames of ‘Holy Fire’s Breath’¹ crumbled to ash without leaving even a trace of bone behind.
Some of the ashes scattered into the wind, though a pale layer still settled across the bottom of the pit.
Back in Japan, cremation usually took close to an hour. Here, the entire process ended in moments.
After speaking with Nier, we decided to bury the ashes directly in the earth² instead of bringing them back with us.
This world didn’t seem to have any concept of preserving cremated remains or bones.
Most people were simply buried. Those with money could afford a plot in a church cemetery, while the poor were laid to rest out in the open somewhere.
Since I had already sent Mia’s soul to heaven through what looked like a divine miracle, Nier said there was no reason to seek prayers from the church anymore.
Once everything was settled, I used ‘Earth’ to raise a massive amount of soil and fill the pit.
Nier and I stood quietly before the freshly packed ground.
”Thanks to your power, Goshujin-sama, Mia was able to go to heaven… Thank you so much.”
”Yeah. I’m glad I could save her soul. She’ll be watching over you from heaven now.”
”Yes… I’m sure she will. …Goshujin-sama, you didn’t just save Mia. You saved me too.”
Nier smiled faintly.
Her grief hadn’t disappeared, but she truly believed her daughter was somewhere peaceful now.
The whole thing sounded like the slogan of some suspicious cult, but if it eased her pain, I could live with that.
I glanced toward her.
”Nier. I know I asked you yesterday, but I want to hear your honest answer one more time.”
She turned to me.
”Will you stay by my side from now on?”
Her eyes lowered toward the mound of earth.
Silence hung between us before she finally spoke.
”Goshujin-sama is… my everything. I want to stay with you forever. I don’t want to leave your side. Until my final breath… I want to remain beside you and serve you.”
The day she became my slave, she had offered me her loyalty in exchange for a reason to keep living.
Even after losing Mia, she still wanted to stay with me.
That made me happy.
Legally, she couldn’t disobey her master anyway. Still, what existed between us no longer felt like something defined by status alone.
”…I understand. Then let’s stay together from now on too.”
”Yes!”
A shy smile spread across her face.
”And no more trying to throw your life away on impulse. Your life belongs to me now, remember?”
”Auuu… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again… Even though I belong to Goshujin-sama, I still…”
”Right. Reflect on it properly.”
This time she lowered her head obediently.
At least she had found a reason to keep moving forward.
That was one less thing to worry about.
Which left only Torben’s group.
”About Torben and the others. If you want revenge, I’ll help you do it. What do you want?”
”Revenge is… beyond me. I just don’t want any more children to suffer like Mia did.”
”You don’t need to worry about that. Since they let Mia die, I’m already planning to wipe them out.”
”…Will it really be alright if you kill them?”
”It shouldn’t matter. I’m an official citizen, but Torben’s just a Free Citizen. Niver doesn’t care what happens to Free Citizens outside the city walls. And now I have a noble backing me too. Even if the law ignores them, I’ll make sure they pay.”
”…I see.”
”Death would be too merciful. I’m going to make them regret ever being born.”
Nier immediately grabbed my hand with both of hers.
”Goshujin-sama… please, don’t become cruel for their sake.”
”What? Don’t tell me you don’t hate the people who killed Mia?”
”I do. I hate them. But they’ll suffer in the purifying flames once they die anyway. I don’t want your heart to turn dark because of people like them.”
”……”
”More importantly, I’m worried about the children imprisoned there. If nothing changes… Goshujin-sama, can’t you save them too…?”
I stared into her pleading eyes.
Instead of seeking revenge for her daughter, she worried about my soul and children she didn’t even know.
That was exactly the kind of person she was.
The anger drained out of me.
”…Fine. If you insist that much, I’ll show some restraint. I’ll figure something out for the slave children too.”
”Ah… thank goodness…”
The strength left her body all at once.
I quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she collapsed.
After everything that had happened today, she had to be exhausted.
”You need rest. ‘Sleep’.”³
”Go…”
Her eyes closed immediately under the spell, and I lifted her into my arms.
After carrying her deeper into the woods, I found a small clearing and laid her down gently.
I pulled a portable shelter from my Interdimensional Space⁴, placed her inside, and sealed the entrance.
That should keep her safe.
As I headed back toward where Ben was unconscious, I sorted through my thoughts.
(Now then, what am I supposed to do with those slave children?)
If I killed Torben’s entire family, the children locked in those cells would eventually starve.
Leaving kids dead because I got involved would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
But simply freeing them wasn’t realistic either.
Children that young wouldn’t survive alone out here.
And if they started telling people who rescued them, it would become easy to connect me to Torben’s deaths.
Legal trouble wasn’t the issue. I just didn’t want unnecessary attention.
Which meant this needed to look like an accident.
I could claim I happened to stop by and found the place already burning.
If everything turned to ash, my testimony would be the only evidence left behind.
No one would seriously investigate the death of a Free Citizen outside the city walls.
Afterward, I just needed someone willing to take in the children.
Another slave merchant. An orphanage.
Concart might know someone… no, Roman would probably be safer.
By the time the outline of a plan came together, I had reached the spot where Ben lay sleeping.
”‘Stone Ball’.”⁵
I created a solid sphere of rock roughly thirty centimeters in diameter directly above Ben’s right hand.
Another formed above his left.
Then I levitated both boulders about three meters into the air.
Ben dangled helplessly from the floating stones, his arms stretched above him.
I removed his belt, took the pouch holding the keys to the children’s quarters, then confiscated his wallet and sword.
Once everything was secured, I woke him.
”‘Cure All’.”⁶
”…Ah… d-damn it… it hurts…”
”Finally awake, Ben? I have some questions for you,” I said.
”W-What… what the hell is this?! Ryuichi-san, what’s going on?!” Ben shouted.
”Shut up and answer me. I want the names of every relative and associate connected to Torben. If anyone’s away from the property, tell me that too.”
”Like hell I will! What the fuck are you doing to me?!”
”Still resisting? Fine. ‘Waterball’,”⁷ I muttered.
A sphere of water enveloped Ben’s head.
His legs kicked wildly as bubbles burst from his mouth and nose.
The sudden suffocation threw him into blind panic.
I kept the spell active for thirty seconds before releasing it.
Water splashed down his trembling body.
”Gah! Cough, wheeze… hack…!“
I waited for his coughing to settle.
”Ready to talk now?” I asked.
”Please stop… Why are you doing this to me?!” Ben cried.
”You people murdered Mia. The Jipanese girl,” I growled.
”The Jipanese girl…? Gasp! That wasn’t me! Jessica did it!” Ben shouted.
”Jessica?” I pressed.
”Uncle Torben’s daughter! I swear! I never touched her!”
After a few more rounds of drowning, Ben’s resistance disappeared completely.
According to him, Jessica had whipped Mia repeatedly under the excuse of discipline. Mia died a few days later.
I couldn’t verify the exact cause of death, but Jessica had definitely abused her.
Ben also explained the family’s structure.
Torben.
His wife, Honor.
His son, Toby.
His daughter, Jessica.
His younger brother, Struan.
And finally Ben himself, Struan’s son.
Those six handled the entire operation.
No partners. And no other relatives.
All of them lived together in the red-roofed single-story house, and everyone was home today.
None of them held citizenship either. They were all Free Citizens.
”Alright. I understand the situation now. You’re no longer useful.”
”W-Wait! I told you everyth—Gurgle, blub!“
The water sphere swallowed his head again.
His legs jerked desperately before the movements gradually weakened.
After two minutes, his body convulsed once, then went limp.
A dark stain spread beneath him.
I stored Ben’s corpse inside my Interdimensional Space and headed for the red-roofed house.
The guard dogs erupted into barking as I approached.
A moment later, the front door opened and a middle-aged woman stepped outside.
Honor.
”Oh, Ryuichi-san. My husband told me about you. …Where’s Ben?” Honor asked.
”He’ll be here soon. I wanted to discuss a few things first. Mind if I come in?” I asked.
”Of course. Please, come inside.”
I followed her into the house.
The room beyond the entrance served as the living room.
Torben sat at a low table alongside two men.
His younger brother and eldest son, most likely.
They motioned for me to sit opposite them.
”So? Did you find any slaves you liked? Feel free to take as many as you want, heh-heh,” Torben said.
”So you’re the Silver-rank adventurer, Ryuichi-san? Amazing!” the son exclaimed.
”Please enjoy some wine while you talk,” Honor said.
”‘Comatose Magic’,”⁸
I cast the spell repeatedly without hesitation.
Torben.
His brother.
His son.
Honor.
All four collapsed unconscious before they could react.
I immediately searched the back rooms.
One person remained unaccounted for.
Jessica.
I found a young woman asleep on a bed and knocked her out with ‘Comatose Magic’ before she could wake.
Just as Ben said, no one else was present.
These five were the entire household.
I returned to the entrance and froze the door shut from the inside with ‘Ice Shield’⁹ to prevent interruptions.
Back in the living room, I moved the furniture aside and used ‘Stone Ball’ to pin the unconscious bodies to the floor.
Their arms and legs spread wide beneath the crushing weight of the stone spheres.
Once everything was ready, I woke only Torben and Honor.
”‘Cure All’.”
”W-What is this?! Ryuichi-san, what the hell are you doing?!” Torben demanded.
”Mmm… what’s happening…?” Honor murmured.
The boulders locked down their wrists and ankles so tightly they couldn’t move at all.
I dragged over a chair, sat down, and looked at them.
”You murdered my woman’s daughter. You’re going to pay for it with your lives,” I said.
”K-Killed your daughter?! That’s absurd! There’s been some misunderstanding!” Torben protested.
”A daughter…?” Honor whispered.
”The Japanese girl named Mia who died last winter,” I answered.
”Mia…? The Japanese slave…? …Ah, the one we bought from Concart. Don’t tell me you’re angry over that?” Torben scoffed.
”You killed her.”
”Sure, the brat died. But blaming me makes no sense. Once someone becomes a slave, they stop being people¹⁰. They’re property. What a master does with his property is his own business. Even children understand that.”
Torben spoke with complete confidence, convinced his logic would justify everything.
”Save the excuses. I don’t care whether she was your slave or your property. ‘Fireball’,”¹¹ Ryuichi said.
A blazing sphere of fire appeared above his face.
”Hieee! Stop! Get that away from me!” Torben screamed.
”Y-You monster! Ryuichi-san, stop this! You’re insane!” Honor shrieked.
”Old hag. Bring me every coin in this house, all the property documents, and the Slave Ledger if you want to live,” I ordered.
”You can’t be serious! That’s robbery! If you take everything, we won’t survive!” Torben shouted.
”Shut up.”
I dropped the fireball onto Torben’s right leg.
Flames swallowed everything below the knee.
”GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!”
”Decide quickly. Keep wasting time and your husband’s leg is done for,” I warned.
”Stop! I’ll get it! Please put out the fire!” Honor pleaded.
Once she agreed, I dispelled the spell.
Even then, his pants and flesh still smoldered, so I splashed water over the wound with ‘Water’.¹²
A complimentary service.
”It hurts… it hurts… Honor… j-just bring him what he wants…” Torben wheezed.
”Dear… your leg…” Honor cried.
Torben had finally broken.
His lower leg was charred black all the way through.
It looked cooked to the bone.
”I’m releasing you now. Go get everything. Try anything stupid and everyone in this house dies,” I said.
”Y-Yes…”
I shattered the stones restraining Honor.
She hurried into the back rooms and returned moments later carrying a small locked wooden stool.
”Everything… is inside…”
”Open it.”
Inside were stacks of documents and a large amount of Gold and Silver Coins.
I couldn’t read the local language, but the contents looked important enough.
I had her confirm the entries in the Slave Ledger.
Just as expected, the deceased slave was listed as Mia, with her mother recorded as the Jipanese woman Nier.
That settled it.
Mia’s death was undeniable.
I had never mentioned Nier to them, which made this confirmation certain.
I stored the stool and key inside my Interdimensional Space, then pinned Honor down again with ‘Stone Ball’.
”I’m done with all of you. Die. ‘Waterball’,” I said.
”Wait—Gubb!“
”Ple—Blurp, blub!“
Water spheres swallowed all four heads at once.
”‘Cure All’.”
I woke the younger brother and eldest son as well, making sure they experienced everything.
The room filled with muffled choking and violent struggling.
One after another, their bodies convulsed before finally going still.
Within minutes, silence settled across the room.
Surprisingly, the younger brother lasted the longest.
Being forced awake underwater hadn’t stopped him from fighting hard.
I dismissed the water spheres and checked each pulse carefully.
All four were dead.
That left only Jessica.
The girl who had whipped Mia.
I turned away from the corpses and walked down the hallway toward the bedroom where she still slept.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi consolidates his operational goals following Nier’s salvation, executing a ruthless cross-interrogation of Ben. He tactical maneuvers into Torben’s residence under false pretenses, utilizing paralyzing spatial and elemental spellcraft to render the traffickers fully immobile. The household members face precise systemic execution via macro-drowning mechanics as Ryuichi advances toward an unresolved targeted variable
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Trivia:
- The city of Niver explicitly enforces a complete lack of legal or administrative jurisdiction over the actions and fates of Free Citizens once they cross beyond the formal physical boundary of the municipal city walls.
- A complete biological or magical decomposition of humanoid bone matter requires high-potency blue thermal projections such as Holy Fire’s Breath to circumvent the standard time frames observed in traditional systemic cremations
—
Character Insight:
Ryuichi undergoes a tactical mitigation of visceral bloodlust due to Nier’s defensive moral intervention, shifting his structural objective from chaotic personal sadism to precise systemic extraction of documentation and assets followed by discrete execution.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Nier – A 27-year-old Japanese beauty with long black hair, refined features, and a motherly warmth, she is Ryuichi’s deeply devoted slave. Traumatized by the slave trade, she travels with him while managing domestic duties, reading local script, and assisting in magic experiments. Protective of other captive children, her profound affection shatters into intense grief upon discovering her daughter Mia’s tragic fate.
• Torben – A Free Citizen who operates a slave-trading business out of a red-roofed, single-story house outside the city walls of Niver. He justifies his actions through the social stratification of slavery before being bound and executed by Ryuichi.
• Ben – A young man who acts as a guide and subordinate at Torben’s base. He is Torben’s nephew and demonstrates a callous attitude toward the deceased children under their care. The son of Struan and nephew of Torben who assists with the family’s slave-trading enterprise. He is interrogated, bound via Stone Ball magic, and ultimately drowned by Ryuichi after confessing to the circumstances surrounding Mia’s death.
• Roman – A stout and dignified man around sixty years old who sports a Kaiser mustache that curls upward above his mouth. He is the head of the wealthy Brooke Taylor merchant guild and father to Mira.
• Concart – A prominent slave merchant based in Niver who operates an expansive trading establishment that deals closely with elite noble lineages. He maintains extensive local commercial records and serves as a key logistical contact for regional information networks.
• Ryuichi – Poison Snake is a 40-year-old, bearded Japanese silver-class adventurer who acts with calculated pragmatism to survive and return to his family. This corporate-minded sorcerer masters diverse magic, including earth, spatial, sleep, Cure All, an Item Box, and a unique blue fire. He uses noble connections to dismantle Torben’s trafficking ring. Fearing heights, he views his slaves, Nier and Helga, as tools for his satisfaction and estate, yet defends them with protective rage.
• Honor – The wife of Torben who manages the household affairs and coordinates the storage of the family’s assets, including gold, silver, and the official Slave Ledger. She is executed alongside her husband via localized drowning magic.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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