Chapter 205 A World Without Sl*ves
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The day after Kilk was with Harmon and the others, instead of hunting, he was walking alone in the settlement. He didn’t hunt because of what happened last night. Harmon and the others went out, and Kilk left early. When no one came to the meeting place in the morning, he went to the inn where Harmon and the others were staying…
”I’m sorry, Kilk… It seems like I got a little too carried away yesterday. With the pain in my back and a hangover, I don’t think I can go hunting today. Maybe you could partner up with someone else just for today, or take a day off.”
Kilk, who usually didn’t like teaming up with others, didn’t know what to do.
(Until now, I’ve been hunting all the time, so I haven’t had the time to leisurely look around, but… how should I put it? It’s not as lively as I thought?)
He heard a lot of talk about a new settlement that everyone was excited about. He thought it would be very busy with lots of people. But when he arrived, he saw that although there were some people walking around, they didn’t seem interested in the shops. The shopkeepers just watched them pass by without doing anything. It turns out that the settlement is not as successful as it appeared to be.
Many people came here because they heard that it was a good place to make money. But it turns out that most of the people here are busy with their own work and not interested in buying things. There are only a few potential customers. The reality is that the shops here are not making much money, even though people had high expectations.
”I don’t know why, but it feels like Dimash…oh, that’s not nice of me to say. Anyway, this side seems more lively.”
As Kilk walked north, he came across a wooden wall.
”Why is there a wall here in the town?”
He thought he had reached the town’s edge, but then he saw another wall on the other side. He realized the town was surrounded by walls. As Kilk was about to approach the mysterious wall in the open space, a man with a worried look came up to him.
”Hey, what are you doing here?”
”Oh, I just walked straight from the commercial area without any purpose and ended up here. Sorry if I made you nervous.”
”I see, but you shouldn’t wander around the fields too much.”
”Fields? Is this a field? Even for pest control…this wall is…”
Normally, a field would be enclosed by a fence, but Kilk thought such a tall wall, taller than a person, was excessive. The man could tell what Kilk was thinking and explained the reason for the wall.
”Ah, many people recently tried to enter the fields, pretending to be elves or spirits. Master Neil built this wall to deal with them.”
”They built a wall to avoid people… They must have been a troublesome bunch.”
”Well, no matter how much we warned them, people like us were ignored or shouted at. We had to call security guards. Incidents decreased after the wall, but some still sneak in at night. Guards patrol at night. If you wander here carelessly, you’ll be suspected, even during the day. It’s best to stay away.”
”I see, thanks for the warning. But who are you? You don’t sound like a security guard.”
”Well, you see… I’m a sl*ve working here.”
Kilk looked at the man who hesitantly revealed his identity. He understood why the man was frightened. It wasn’t because he was wary of Kilk, but because of his status as a sl*ve. sl*ves, unable to survive on their own, are often looked down upon. People may display an oppressive attitude. The man feared harm or scorn due to his sl*ve status.
The wall, meant to keep intruders away from the field, could be replaced with a fence, Kilk thought. But the real reason for the tall wall was not just to stop people from entering the field. It was also to protect sl*ves from being looked down upon and mistreated.
”…Sorry for making you say a hard thing.”
”N-No need to apologize! I got into this situation because of my actions. Actually, when you apologize like that, it confuses me… Do you not feel anything when you see sl*ves?”
”I didn’t have sl*ves where I lived. I don’t judge sl*ves like that.”
”No sl*ves? It sounds like you lived in a paradise.”
(Heaven, huh?)
Upon hearing the man’s words, Kilk thinks about his hometown. Once you leave the town, it’s a snow world. While many see it as beautiful, for Kilk, who grew up there, it’s just the entrance to the afterlife. Even those born in Dimash, going outside the town means risking their lives. Even skilled hunters, with decades of experience, can be lost in Dimash’s harsh environment and never return.
”What’s wrong? You suddenly became quiet.”
”It’s nothing, I just remembered my hometown for a moment. It’s like a special place, in a way.”
”Wow, you have a unique way of expressing things with sarcasm.”
”Well, it’s sarcasm. For someone like you, who is a sl*ve, a place without sl*ves might seem like a special place. But in my hometown, if you can’t take care of yourself, you won’t survive. Nobody has the luxury of caring for those who can’t fend for themselves. That’s why there are no sl*ves.”
Everyone is struggling to survive, sometimes even having to leave their family behind to save themselves in Dimash. That’s how it is in his hometown. In such a difficult place, nobody has the resources to keep sl*ves. The weak are left to perish.
”You, you’re still young but you’ve experienced tough times, haven’t you? I’m sorry for saying something insensitive without knowing the whole story.”
”No need to apologize. But really, instead of being a sl*ve and being jealous of others, why don’t you… never mind, forget I said that. It was thoughtless of me.”
Until he left Dimash, Kilk didn’t know that sl*ves existed. When he found out about them, Kilk thought, “This is a kind world.” It’s a world where even the weak can survive if they understand their master’s feelings, a world where the weak have choices other than death. He believed that the outside world was very lucky.
So it was strange when those who were given choices and presumably chose to become sl*ves said they didn’t want to be sl*ves. Kilk knows that his values, shaped by living in the isolated world of Dimash, are different from others. But he can’t help thinking, “If you didn’t want to go through tough experiences to live, then why did you choose it in the first place?”
”…I’m leaving. Sorry for interrupting you while you were working.”
”Oh, okay.”
Feeling that staying here longer would only bring unnecessary thoughts, Kilk turns away from the man and starts walking. Since escaping from that terrible place, he has traveled to many different locations. Although everywhere seemed much better than Dimash, he never felt like he belonged anywhere, which made him feel strangely uneasy. Even if a place seemed good, he would always move on to the next without settling down. Before he knew it, he had gone from the northern edge of the Republic to the southern edge of the Empire.
(It seems like people born in Dimash don’t have anywhere else to go. Even though they knew it was a terrible place, no one else tried to leave except for me. Maybe it’s because they knew about it.)
Even though he managed to escape from Dimash, Kilk noticed that he always thought about it. But he doesn’t want to go back there, that’s why he ran south to get away from Dimash, even if it’s just a little bit.
(I can’t help it… bad memories always stay in my mind.)
”Oh! Master Neil.”
When Kilk heard the sudden voice from behind, he stopped and turned around. There, in the direction he was looking, was a person running towards the fields.
(If they’re using respectful words, does that mean he’s a noble who looks after this field and the sl*ves? I was wondering why the sl*ves were outside the fields instead of inside, but now I understand. They must have been clearing the area because the master was coming. However, he seemed so worried. I wonder if something happened? …It’s better not to pry too much.)
After all, no good will come from dealing with nobles. Kilk though, and quickly left and went to the training area.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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