Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 30

30.

The rain falls steadily, and the area is deserted.

A heavy atmosphere hangs in the air, the dense fog further reducing visibility, likely a consequence of the rain.

It’s no surprise the discomfort index is high with this humidity.

Above all, the mercenaries, marching without adequate rest, were succumbing to accumulated fatigue.

They glared at their employer, Azar, but knew they had no choice but to obey.

“Alright! Get the slaves into the castle.”

“…Should we unlock the cages?”

“Are you insane? What if the slaves escape!”

At Azar’s command, the mercenaries led the donkeys toward the castle.

They struggled to pull the carts through the narrow gate and into the courtyard.

The mercenaries searched every corner of the castle, but found only rats instead of people.

“This… it seems there’s no one here?”

“What do we do?”

Azar pondered the mercenary’s question.

“Ugh, why is nobody here? I ordered slave merchandise; they couldn’t have just vanished… Did I take a wrong turn?!”

Azar frowned as he consulted the map.

He was genuinely perplexed. The map clearly indicated this was the correct location. But it was as if the territory had been abandoned, completely devoid of inhabitants.

Azar pointed at the mercenaries and barked.

“Ugh, if we travel to another territory in this downpour, the merchandise will die along the way. We’ll stay here for today.”

“…Here?”

The mercenaries eyed the gloomy fortress with apprehension.

“There’s no one here anyway… what does it matter! Everyone, set up camp here!”

The mercenaries began to unload their luggage.

The carts loaded with slaves were parked in a corner inside the fortress.

Azar scanned the interior of the castle, a gleam of avarice in his eyes, and quickened his pace.

Valuable items were scattered throughout the castle.

“Oh! I can’t believe it?! They just abandoned these things!”

Well-executed paintings adorned the walls, silver bowls and candlesticks sat on tables, and various crafts were displayed in cases.

These were items nobles would handle casually, but commoners would never even dream of touching in their lifetime.

Azar cautiously pocketed the items, and the mercenaries also began to pilfer things discreetly.

Rocky walked through the hallway, observing the interior of the castle.

The inside of the castle was surprisingly well-maintained.

“…It’s clean.”

At Paul’s remark as they walked side-by-side, Rocky glanced at the flowerpots decorating the hallway. The plants within were a vibrant green.

“…They haven’t dried out, even inside the castle?”

It was a sign that people had been here until very recently.

“Pardon?”

“No. Just thinking out loud.”

Azar addressed the mercenaries in front of the most opulent room, presumably the lord’s chambers.

“This is my room! Don’t let anyone in!”

He disappeared inside.

Watching him, the mercenaries licked their lips in envy.

“Tch, he’s taking the room where the nobles used to live for himself.”

“Would that stingy merchant ever give us anything? You saw it earlier. He’s worried about the slaves dying from the rain. If we touch anything worth money, he’ll freak out and complain to the mercenary guild.”

As the mercenaries grumbled, the mercenary captain emerged and announced.

“We’ll select the guards.”

The mercenaries decided to sleep on the floor inside the castle.

However, they agreed to take turns standing guard to protect the castle.

It would be one thing in an ordinary village, but this was an abandoned place with an unsettling atmosphere.

Being abandoned suggested potential dangers lurking nearby.

“The positions will be two on the castle walls and two at the gate. And about two near the inner walls and one inside the castle. Also, someone in the village mentioned seeing people earlier, so I’m thinking of sending about three people as investigators. If there are hardly any people in the village, there must be a reason.”

The mercenary captain, seemingly the leader, issued commands and glanced in Rocky’s direction.

Rocky and Laputa were not hired mercenaries but individuals who had paid Azar for assistance.

He hesitated about whether to include them in the guard duty.

Noticing this, Albert stepped forward and said.

“We’ll stand guard too. This guy will do it.”

He patted Laputa’s shoulder.

“…Elder Albert? I stood guard yesterday, though?”

“Young people should suffer. Besides, who said you have to stand guard all day? Didn’t they say it’s a shift?”

“……”

Laputa looked at Paul.

Paul shook his head.

“I’ve never stood guard before, so I’ll pass….”

“Are you using that as an excuse?!”

“What do you expect from a wizard?”

Laputa clicked his tongue.

“This is job discrimination.”

“I’ll help you.”

As Rocky volunteered, Laputa’s eyes brightened.

“Really?”

“Yes, I don’t sleep much anyway.”

At those words, the mercenary captain nodded.

“Then let’s draw lots for the positions.”

There were a total of 7 guards. Three people were selected for the patrol team.

Laputa was assigned to guard the gate, and Rocky was assigned to patrol the inside of the castle.

The mercenary captain departed for the village with two subordinates as part of the patrol team.

“Let’s gather as much information as possible. If there are no people in the castle, the villagers must know the reason.”

It was strange that there were people in the village but no one in the castle.

The mercenary captain went down to the village with his subordinates.

As night deepened, the mercenaries unpacked their luggage to sleep inside the castle.

They lay down in their travel sleeping bags, trying to alleviate their long-accumulated fatigue.

Albert and Paul were sound asleep, perhaps due to the exhaustion they had endured.

Rocky headed as far away from Azar’s room as possible, seeking a place where he could hear the sound of rain.

As he leaned against the wall where the rain was falling, he overheard a hushed conversation.

“What are you going to do? Are you really going to do it?”

“Yeah! The slave trader is taking care of himself like that, but are we just going to stand still? We’ll secretly take things and run away! A slave or two is okay, right?”

“Really…? If the mercenary guild finds out, we’ll have a bounty on our heads.”

These were mercenaries who hadn’t yet fallen asleep.

They spoke carefully in hushed tones and then stealthily headed somewhere.

That place was near the cart where the slaves were held.

“Haa… what should I do about this?”

Rocky was seriously contemplating his options.

It seemed that some of the mercenaries were planning to kidnap the slaves and run away.

Should he pretend not to see it? Or should he intervene?

Even if he ignored it, he might be held responsible later if it was discovered. That would be troublesome. But if he stopped them?

Even then, he might get into a fight with the mercenaries.

‘Either way is fine, but….’

Rocky simply disliked being bothered.

***

Even unwashed, her snow-white silver hair, buried in the darkness, possessed a beautiful, glossy sheen like spun silk.

An elf with tanned skin stared blankly at the shackles binding her limbs, hugging her legs.

‘If I just endure a little longer, it will be okay. It will be okay. For the sake of revenge, I can endure this slave labor as much as I need to.’

She was hungry. The skin all over her body was itchy and felt like it was being pricked with needles. Her eyelids were heavy with fatigue, and her mind was also hazy.

But the dark elf, Cerrot, was determined to endure this wretched slave life.

She gently stroked the wound on her right shoulder.

The slave seal branded with fire.

A mark that could not be erased once it was branded.

It was a symbol that defiled the sublimity and honor of an elf, and a symbol of obedience to humans.

It was disgusting and hateful. But for Cerrot now, that symbol was more necessary than anything else.

‘Yes… for the sake of revenge, I will embrace being a slave as much as I need to!’

-What a pathetic sight.

A small flame flickered into existence before her eyes, accompanied by a cracked, mocking voice.

The palm-sized flame swirled into a recognizable shape.

Its lower body and arms were those of a dragon, and it possessed a human face that appeared to be in its early 40s.

It had a red beard and hair, a long pair of horns, and a body that was humanoid but covered with dragon scales over red muscles.

The flame spirit, the size of a palm, with its arms crossed, regarded Cerrot with a bitter smile.

-The daughter of the Demon King Calib, who once plunged the middle realm into fear, has become a slave to insignificant humans! How utterly amusing.

“…Is that something a spirit who lost to those insignificant humans should say?”

-…….

The spirit of fire, the great spirit of fire who is the master and king of all fire, Ifrit, remained silent for a moment at Cerrot’s pointed words.

He was a spirit subjugated by a contract with the Demon King Calib, and a being who had been defeated in the war against humans 50 years ago.

-Hmph, that’s because your father was weak. Besides, I can’t properly utilize my power in the middle realm.

He said that, but Ifrit bit his lower lip.

In fact, the truth was the opposite.

The Demon King Calib, whom he had contracted with, was arguably the greatest spiritist in history.

Rather, Ifrit possessed skills that were surprisingly potent.

But he still lost. To humans.

Even though Calib, who was a dark elf, and Ifrit, the great spirit of fire, joined forces, they could not kill a single one of those weak 12 humans [referring to a specific group or event in their history].

No matter how many there were, no matter how strong they were… for a spirit, a part of the world itself, to be defeated by humans!

Ifrit shrugged his shoulders, recalling the old days.

-So, you’re volunteering to be a slave to get revenge on those insignificant humans?

“…Yes.”

Cerrot glared at Ifrit with hate-filled crimson eyes.

“I will seduce the one with the highest status among humans and make him a puppet. Then the humans will turn against each other.”

-Ha, foolish. Do you think that’s as easy as it sounds?

“It’s easy. Wanna bet?”

At that moment, someone’s voice was heard.

The prison covered with a tent was lifted, and several men were revealed.

“…It’s real. It’s an elf!”

“It’s a dark elf too.”

“Wow, really…. It’s my first time seeing one so close! That slave trader is amazing, isn’t he? For a slave trader of this small scale to possess an elf like this…!”

The mercenaries exchanged glances, then looked back at Cerrot.

“…Let’s take this one.”

“Really? Are you crazy!? It’s not just any slave, it’s an expensive dark elf! A precious item that even nobles couldn’t acquire…!”

“No! We’ll steal it and sell it right away. Dark elves are rarer than elves, so they sell for a high price. If we’re going to steal, let’s take something expensive!”

At their words, Cerrot frowned, and Ifrit in front of her chuckled.

-You are quite popular with humans.

“No, not at all.”

The mercenaries didn’t seem to see Ifrit, even though he was right in front of them.

As a spirit, his true form was not visible unless he was actively using his power, so Ifrit comfortably observed the mercenaries’ actions.

They seemed hurried, anxious, and excited as they quickly tried to break the lock on the prison.

Some of them kept looking around, feeling uneasy.

“Disgusting. They’re just humans. Ruled by their base desires!”

-Huh, aren’t you being ruled by the emotion of hatred? That’s a bit hypocritical, isn’t it?

Cerrot didn’t appreciate Ifrit’s sarcastic tone, but she had no choice but to agree. She was already corrupted by her desire for revenge.

Burning with vengeance, she wanted retribution so much that she had willingly become a slave herself.

“It’s all because of humans. Humans made me like this.”

At Cerrot’s words, the mercenaries looked puzzled.

“What is this elf saying to herself?”

“She seems to have something wrong with her head? Come to think of it, I’ve heard her muttering to herself while on guard duty.”

“Is that how that small-time slave trader managed to acquire this prize?”

But the mercenaries didn’t care about that. They only cared about someone who could fulfill their desires. The toy right in front of them!

“Open it quickly!”

“Wait a minute! It’s too tough. Should I just break it?”

“What if we get caught?!”

It was then.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

A voice laced with coldness rang out, strangely loud in the confined space.

The mercenaries flinched in surprise and glanced at the source of the voice.

A man with a large crow mask deeply covering his head was standing at the entrance.

“What! Weren’t you supposed to be on lookout duty?”

“Tch, what should we do? Knock him down?”

“…Hey, wait a minute! The opponent is a Nord [a race or ethnicity known for their strength]. Can we handle him with just us?”

The mercenaries exchanged nervous glances. And then, as if struck by a sudden idea, they glanced at Cerrot and grinned.

“Ah, I see why that Nord is here!”

“What?”

“That guy wants a slave like us too. Hey, Nord! If we steal this, let’s sell this slave together and split the profits in half. Then you won’t have any complaints, right?”

“……”

As Rocky remained silent, the mercenaries looked at each other and laughed. They interpreted Rocky’s silence as agreement.

“Okay, okay, just wait a little! I’ll show you my lockpicking skills!”

One of the mercenaries inserted a pin into the lock and began manipulating it to pick the mechanism.

Cerrot sighed softly and looked directly at the mercenary, saying.

“Stop it.”

Her crimson eyes were now dyed blood red. The eyes of the mercenary who met her gaze became dazed and unfocused.

The mercenary tilted his head, blinked, and smiled with a blank expression.

“…Okay.”

Her divine skill [Charm] was activated.

The power to influence and control others through supernatural means.