1508 looked at Jero, who was carrying him and walking fast. He didn't care about the pain from his body friction and the shock of the man's steps. He wanted to know, was there really anyone who wanted to buy him? But he dared not speak.
"This is your last chance, so whatever you do, it's for your future," Jero said.
1508 looked down. He was skeptical. He was sure that whoever it was, would only leave after seeing him.
He looked around him. It was crowded. The slaves came out of the barracks and even trainers were clustered in some corners. What was going on? When they saw him coming, everyone looked at him seriously. Some of them gave him puzzled and questioning looks.
When Jero brought him to the center of the field, which slaves used for physical training, two men stood. They seemed to be the center of attention.
The closer it got, the more 1508 widened his eyes. Two men brought him back this morning from the forest.
There was no way they would buy him, right?
Jero placed the slave's body in his hands slowly on the grass. 1508 tried hard to kneel down, a mandatory position for slaves when on the slave market. But in his condition, he had difficulty getting up. Instead, his body trembled violently.
But he didn't want to fail again. He took a deep breath, and kneel down despite the pain throughout his body.
'Don't fail again, please...' he pleaded silently. His body was stiff with dried blood. He bowed his head. His chest beat very hard.
"Isn't he your slave? You sold him. Why don't you treat him well?" Sylas' voice rang out. His soft and firm voice assured the slave that he did not dream of seeing that man again.
Jero smiled, but his body's reaction could not lie. He was nervous. 1508 had never seen his trainer bewildered before.
"Well, he's one of the most obedient slaves we have. You pay him now, and you can take him after his wounds heal. How's that?" Jero made a deal.
1508 was silent. He was used to being treated like property, as he was a commodity in Omino. He just looked down in silence, unable to think for fear of disappointment.
He saw Sylas' shadows on the ground, and the man raised his hand. Then he saw the black-robed knight Alvaro looking down on him. Before he could raise his head, he felt the man's two hands move quickly, slipping under his feet and lifting his body into the air.
1508 Startled, he widened his eyes. But his stomach had already landed on Alvaro's shoulders. This position was extremely painful for him, but he was more afraid of what the man would do.
"I don't want to come here again!" Alvaro snapped, throwing a bag of coins at Jero. It seemed very heavy.
Jero caught it quickly. He counted the coins. Slaves were valued differently according to their skills and abilities. The more skills and the more in demand, the more expensive they were.
The most expensive slave was valued at 2,500 gold coins. One of the slaves with the most excellent service is in bed. A sultan of a kingdom took her as a concubine.
Slaves were valued at 500-1500 gold coins. But there were some cases of slaves being sold for 100 gold coins because they were worthless, rather than taken down.
Similarly to 1508, the trainer marketed him for 200 gold coins. However, no one wanted to buy him until the end, even though the trainer agreed to lower the price to 100 coins.
1508 was surprised when Jero mentioned the number of coins in the bag. "500 coins."
Jero's face lit up, because he got a commission for every slave sale under his charge. He did not expect to make money from a weak and useless slave who was almost taken down.
Jero looked at Sylas, bowing respectfully. He was sure the man wasn't an ordinary person. But why did he want 1508, and specifically mention the slave's characteristics, as if he already knew him?
"We have a lot of slaves. If you are willing to give me a contact to reach you, I will let you know when the slave market opens," Jero said.
Sylas was about to reply, but Alvaro interrupted. "Train your men properly! They almost killed us. Is that how people treat customers?!"
"Well, we really guard this area. Outsiders are not permitted to enter the slave training camp. But if you come to the slave market, we have a special place and we will be happy to serve," Jero replied. Tried to make Sylas a regular customer.
"You don't need to know who we are. We won't come back!" Sylas said, and walked away.
Alvaro looked away, impatient. He walked quickly, not caring that the slave's body on his shoulders trembled with pain.
Sylas stared at the slave, sure that his wound worsen. He regretted not taking the slave away this morning.
He did not intend to buy a slave at all. He did not want a slave. This morning, after arriving at their inn, Sylas could not sit quietly. He did not understand why that slave filled his head.
Finally, tonight, he forced Alvaro to accompany him to Omino to ensure the slave was safe. The slave's words of being taken down made him even more uneasy. Although, he didn't really believe humans could be taken down like that, without breaking the law.
Arriving at Omino, they were forced to leave. Some of the men had already drawn arrows at them. It was only then that a man called the chief, came, calming them down.
The man asked Sylas to leave, but Sylas insisted on seeing the slave's condition. He mentioned the slave's features and the number on his wrist. 1508.
The chief told him he couldn't see the slave unless he bought him.
After a long conversation, Sylas believed that everything could be solved with words, but that was not the case in Omino.
Sylas had to leave or buy a slave. And he knew he had no other choice.
Alvaro was very upset when the man decided to buy the slave. Because slaves would only make their lives harder. But, as always, he couldn't stop Sylas.
In the end, they left Omino with the slave.
They left their horses quite far outside the village. Since Alvaro was sure their horses would be robbed if they entered Omino, he had to be careful.
Alvaro got off 1508 roughly, making the slave groan in pain. He immediately untied Sylas' horse and brought it to the man, along with his own horse.
"Are you satisfied now? What are you going to do with that slave?" said Alvaro, staring at 1508 coldly.
The slave looked at Sylas and Alvaro in turn. He still couldn't believe it, surviving Room Zero and now having a master. He felt an overwhelming sense of joy, as if a miracle had just come his way.
Without caring about Alvaro's annoyed gaze, about the pain in his body, he crawled to grab Sylas' hand.
Sylas, who was still busy with his horse, was surprised, and reflexively pulled his hand away. Alvaro quickly grabbed the slave's hand, pulling him away.
1508 groaned in pain, collapsing in the grass. Alvaro pulled out his sword, placing it against the slave's neck. "Don't dare touch him!"
1508 was frightened, and he shook his head quickly. He didn't mean to hurt his master. He immediately prostrated in difficulty. "P-please forgive me, Master. Don't kill me please!"
Sylas stared at the terrified slave. He had never seen a human so fragile and easily scared. Especially when he saw the slave crying under Alvaro's sword.
Sylas asked Alvaro to remove his sword. "He won't be able to touch you even without a sword," he said.
Alvaro only scared him, but unexpectedly the slave cried in fear. "I'm warning you again, don't touch him! Do you understand?"
The slave nodded quickly. He wiped his tears and kneeled down again. "Please forgive me, I will not do it again. I will do better!"
Sylas moved closer, grabbed the slave's hand and forced him to stand up.
The slave groaned in pain, but forced himself to stand. His head was bowed.
"What's your name?" asked Sylas.
The slave was silent for a moment, before answering. "1508, Master."
Sylas shook his head, not expecting them to name each slave by number.
"From now on, your name will be Kai. Not 1508. Remember that?" Sylas said.
The slave was transfixed. He had a name? Kai?
He looked up at Sylas with his eyes still glazed over. "Yes, Master."
"I don't need a slave. You can go wherever you want."
Kai was silent. He suddenly felt scared. "No, please... Master, don't leave me!"