I Reincarnated as a Noble Bastard, So I'm Seducing All the Villainess
Chapter 32: I Hate Slave Traders

Chapter 32: I Hate Slave Traders

Sebastian, that gallant dark elf, was responsible for guiding us out of the Lord’s office towards the slave wing. However, one thing bothers me more than it should: since when did that demon know Ravenna’s name if she never told him and we don’t even take off our masks all the time?

Even worse, why is Ravenna swaying from side to side? There’s something wrong with this situation, I’m absolutely sure of it.

Before she could fall, I grabbed her waist. She braced a hand against the rotten wooden walls and took a deep breath.

"Thanks..."

Karthak didn’t just take a "piece" of Ravenna’s contract, I think more was ripped away in the process.

Recalling it now, spirits, when they connect with witches, usually there’s an intimate bond with their souls, or at least that’s what’s implied in all Leonhardt’s battles against the villainous witches that appear throughout the story.

If that’s the case, and if Ravenna here is feeling unwell because of the piece taken from the pact, it means it’s not much different from tearing off a part of one’s own soul.

Of course, most of these are my assumptions, I’ve never made a contract with a creature from another plane, nor do I intend to, but it’s the only reasonable explanation right now considering her state.

"Lean on my shoulder, I’ll help you."

"No need, I can walk..."

"Shut up, anyone can see you’re not well. Just hold onto me, and we’ll be out of here soon. If I’d known you’d be like this afterward, I’d have rather sold my soul."

Ravenna finally stopped complaining and let out a sigh. She leaned on my arm as we followed the dark elf, entering the first door. He took a key from his neck and unlocked the passage.

Ugh, I feel like I’m entering some kind of dog kennel. There are barks, screams, and noise everywhere, with animals and people scratching at the bars, yearning for freedom.

It’s pitiful, so, so pitiful, but today I’m not a hero to save everyone. Maybe later, preferably near Leonhardt to help me get them out of here.

The sour smell of old sweat and feces filled my nostrils as soon as we stepped past the threshold. The cells lined up like open graves, each one darker, tighter, and more crowded than the last.

Men, women, children, of the most diverse species. You could find elves, dwarves, draconians, and various other types staring with murderous hostility. Some wore muzzles, others were naked, others covered in cloaks so dirty they might once have been noble attire.

The dark elf walked ahead with the same elegant stride of someone who grown too accustomed to this kind of scenery. I suppose after receiving so many death threats and witnessing daily dismemberments, an inevitable insensitivity to such situations develops.

He stopped at one of the cells almost at the end of the corridor and turned the key with a dry click. The iron door creaked open, and I confess holding my breath for a moment when I saw that, even malnourished, Leonhardt’s future rival still had the presence of a giant ready for war.

"Victorian", Sebastian said with a contained smile. "Your new owner has come to claim you."

Owner. Ugh. I almost spit on the floor in disgust. I never imagined hearing that word linked to my name, much less in such a wretched context.

I’m a son of a bitch, but a son of a bitch with a minimum of integrity.

From inside the cell, the silhouette moved. First, his feet appeared in the light of the magic lanterns, calloused and scarred. Then, his body, tall, muscular like a cracked marble statue, with arms marked by crooked scars that looked artificially made by a razor.

His face came last. Damn it, buddy, you’ve had better days...

His eyes are described as clear in the novel, but this guy... he gives me the impression he wants to die, with an anguished expression.

I’ve never seen someone so beaten down by life that they don’t even react properly when a "new owner" arrives. Like it or not, this is still Victorian, a general ready to fight for the independence of his lands, Leonhardt’s supposed rival, who chose to live outside all laws after being treated like an animal by the world.

He didn’t say anything, just walked out of the cell as if he already knew this day would come.

"So..." I cleared my throat, trying to sound calmer, "you’re Victorian, right? The infamous one."

No response.

I... I’m not one to have empathy for others, yet I find myself struggling to accept this. Imagine living to protect others, to protect your family from an asshole who wants to steal the fruits of your hard work, only to end up here, sold like shit in a well.

This pisses me off.

Control yourself, Darius. You don’t own fate, these people here have their own reasons for being sold as slaves. You don’t have the power to change anything.

On your right side, there’s a woman weakened after offering something she shouldn’t have, and now, before your eyes, there’s a guy who’s lost his will to live.

Why would you feel bad for others too? Why would you care about a random elf being sold as a sex slave to some disgusting noble? It’s better to just go along with it.

But... but...

I clench my fists. Blood rushes through my veins with such force that my nails feel like they’re tearing my skin, about to spill onto the floor from the sensation I’m feeling now.

Am I going to... let this shit slide just because it’s convenient? Compared to them, in this life and the last, I haven’t suffered a damn thing.

My father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, all of them got screwed because of this, this thing of others looking down on people and wanting to treat them as inferiors.

Just because I came back as a guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth, am I going to let them off easy?

"Sir, you may now take him and leave."

The elf’s voice called my attention. For some reason, looking at that bastard’s face just made my teeth grind against each other.

"Do you want me to guide you to the exit? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there’s a problem. Can you come closer?"

Sebastian, the gallant dark elf assistant, took a few steps to check on Victorian, quickly making sure nothing was amiss, only to turn back to me.

"What exactly is the problem, sir?"

"Look closely. The merchandise is more damaged than usual. Re-evaluate it."

The elf turned his face to the side, but that was enough for me.

Without warning, I lifted my leg and kicked the bastard square in the groin. He tried to scream in pain, but I reacted faster, clapping my hand over Sebastian’s mouth and shoving his face to the floor before punching him so hard my fists burned with pain.

In the end, he fell unconcious. Yeah, I fucked up again.

Ravenna stared at me with wide, fearful eyes. I’d made a lot of messes from yesterday to today, and this was just one more of many, but I could only pull off my materialized shadow mask and show a pained smile. Come on, darling, cut me some slack.

"My bad, I couldn’t help it..."

I snatched the keys from Sebastian’s neck and threw my head back, breathing as deeply as possible to process what I’d just done. I’m not much different from Ravenna in this aspect.

Acting without logic, my actions run on emotion, similar to this very moment. Her shock was so immense that I was met with complete silence. Serves me right.

I twirled the keys between my fingers as I walked to a cell full of bestial demi-humans, unlocking the padlock and the bolts.

"You can’t... be serious..." Ravenna’s words seemed to fade as she watched me walk from cell to cell, opening them one by one. "Darius, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Helping these people, are you blind?"

"I...! I know, but what the hell do you plan to do with all these people inside this auction, you lunatic?!"

"No idea. That’s why I’m going to trust you. We agreed to set this whole place on fire and escape while pretending to be dead... but honestly, if we can get out of here through one of those hidden tunnels with all these people, I’m good."

"You... you idiot, pathetic!"

I immediately received a slap to the face. Yes, I’m sacrificing our lives for people I don’t know, in Ravenna’s eyes, this is absolutely retarded. If she wanted to fry me with lightning right now, I’d have no reason to complain...

Huh? Wait, I was kidding, you don’t actually have to conjure a spell and kill me!

Ravenna extended her hand towards me with a ball of black fire. This is where I die, then.

The magic went right past me, hitting a wooden wall on the other side. The flames danced and consumed the surroundings.

"Now it’s done. Let’s find that passage quickly. If we get out of this alive, I’m personally going to kill you, Darius!"