Bright morning sunlight spread across the room, bringing warmth along its path. The shadow disappeared, revealing the room's interior design.
It's just an ordinary bedroom with one cozy cotton bed and a sheep wool blanket. It also had a wooden table and a wardrobe near the window. The bottom of the room is based on red terracotta tiles with a unique pattern on each piece.
Kagayama remained asleep until the sunlight illuminated his face. He moved his hands to cover the sunlight, but it was not enough. Frustrated, he moved his body in another direction while burying himself under the blanket.
He shifted positions several times in search of comfort, only to realize that he could no longer fall asleep.
With a sleepy face, Kagayama hardly tried to get up. As his body became ninety degrees, he slowly moved his legs over the edge of the bed and lowered them to the floor.
The cold, moist surface sent shivers through Kagayama's body, making him jerk back slightly. His eyebrows furrowed as he kept his eyes closed.
Then, he reached for his slippers, put them on, and walked out of the bedroom. The wooden door screaming as he opened it annoyed his ears and made his feelings uncomfortable.
But this unpleasant feeling is just the beginning, as he remembers what he promised last night before falling asleep. The air felt heavy as he walked towards the corridor, planning this day's journey to the slave market.
He knows what he chose last night is risky and becomes even worse as he is still under Henry's sight. Kagayama must have a good reason for leaving the mansion, or his fate would bring him to the court or whatever led to his death.
He walked slowly in the corridor while putting his hand on his chin like a philosopher. Thinking harder, moving slower is the motto these days but Kagayama realized he also needed to be fast enough in the journey he belongs to.
Finally, after crossing the corridor that seemed to never end, Kagayama arrived at the kitchen, seeing if the food was ready. He sees some servants carrying empty plates and prepare to clean it.
He widened his eyes, stopped his steps, and murmured slowly.
"Is it too late for breakfast?"
"Hey, you!"
An unfamiliar sound heard from another direction shocked Kagayama and made him take a step back. His heartbeat stopped for a second and broke the rhythm. He pointed his gaze in the direction the sounds came.
A young female servant moved towards Kagayama with an unpredictable face with some dirty clothes in her hand.
As the gap between them closed, the servant watching Kagayama carefully before said.
"I have not seen you in the eating room this morning…"
Kagayama scratched his hair with a bitter smile on his face.
"I am late for waking up this morning."
"If you want some food, you can get it at the storage near the stove right there."
She pointed her finger at a wooden box beside the stove.
Kagayama nodded slowly, his face seeming relieved after knowing he could eat this morning, even if his lazy morning habit remains inside his soul.
The servant moved closer, turning her head left and right several times before whispering at Kagayama.
"Merianth is flirting with you, right?"
"What…Of course not, why did you ask?"
Kagayama shakes his head with a confused face.
The servant moved even closer again, her eyes shifted to another direction as she watched something, and said.
"I'm new here, but some of my seniors talk about her. They say Merianth is nothing more than a gold-digging woman who seduces wealthy men."
"That's just baseless gossip. She's not like that."
Kagayama defended her.
"I see, if that's so. Maybe I should talk to Merianth sometimes."
Now Kagayama moved closer until their bodies were about to touch each other before he whispered.
"Did you see Henry this morning?"
"You mean Mr. Henry?"
Kagayama nodded and the servant raised her face while putting her finger on her lips.
"Last time I saw him in the living room"
"Okay…Thanks for it."
"Y-you're welcome"
After the conversation, Kagayama rushed to the living room to meet Henry. He wanted to ask if he could go outside for a little walk in the city, but his main objective was to get into the slave market and check the elf girl he met yesterday.
He gets to the living room just before Henry is about to walk outside. His breath was taken back, panted heavily after a long run.
Kagayama took a step closer, his voice echoed through the entire place as he called Henry.
"Mr. Henry….Wait a second."
"Hmm…What happens?"
His face showed a hint of curiosity as he saw Kagayama.
"Is it okay if I go for a walk in the city today?" He said in confidence.
Henry closed his eyes, his leg trembling slowly as he thought about it. His curiosity grew even stronger after Kagayama said it, and he tried to search for Kagayama's real objective before saying.
"Alright…You can go for a walk, but remember to come back before afternoon."
Kagayama was surprised because it was easier than he thought before.
"It seems too easy, but this is a great opportunity for me."
"Thank you for allowing me, Mr. Henry."
"You're welcome."
Takes a few steps forward, and finally Kagayama manages to get out of the mansion. Henry watches him from behind with a cold yet questioning face.
Now, the garden was behind him, and Kagayama moved to the direction the elves went yesterday. Even though he doesn't know the slave market coordinates, he walks with confidence while at some point asks the local person for directions.
The distance between him and the mansion increases as Kagayama nears the slave market. And sometimes, he sees the sun to know how much time is left for him.
His heart pumps faster as he recalls yesterday's memories. Deep in his mind wanted to refuse, but he had already gone too far away and almost reached his destination.
One turn to the left and he arrived at the slave market, but Kagayama was still unready. He calmed himself and lay back to the nearby building beside the crossroad, watching the cloudy sky above him.
Some pedestrians walk over him while holding their stuff tightly. Some of them pointed their gaze at Kagayama before walking away. Their eyes look like they found a dazed person and some of them feel sorry or maybe disturbed.
Kagayama lowered his head to the wide street in front of him and his eyes met a person who brought a chained elf roughly. His eyes widened while a picture of the little elf girl from yesterday appeared inside his head.
There's no time left, he might be losing her if Kagayama doesn't move faster. He takes a deep breath and releases it before walking to the last turn.
As the light shattered his eyes, Kagayama realized something important.
"How do I help her?"
His leg stopped for a second before walking again to enter the slave market.
"I will search for it later, but the most important thing right now is to find her."
A busy market with a tent lined up on the side of the road appeared in front of Kagayama. He walked slowly, seeing them carefully while searching for the elf he was looking for.
There are some slaves inside the tent. All of them were chained, tied, or even caged. And not just elven, but also human slaves.
The dealer seems to be watching their money carefully and seeking potential buyers.
Clinging sounds of coins were heard all over the market, and unpleasant smells from the dirty slave had conquered the entire place. But the people increase no matter the environment around them. Their eyes search for good products while carrying bags of money.
A pickpocket ran away with a guard in pursuit, while a thief brazenly stole a young female elf from the store, dragging her away roughly like a mere object.
Kagayama's eyes flickered with fear as he witnessed this misery, but the others remained indifferent, as if it were just an ordinary occurrence.
He continues walking and watches the slave closely until he comes to one of the tents that sells elven slaves. Kagayama moved closely, and finally, he found the elf he was searching for.
His eyes widened, and a relieved smile appeared on his face. He moved even closer while his hand parted the hanging cloth as he kept walking forward.
The elf bowed her head, with chains shackling her hands. Her appearance is also dirty, with dirt covering her white skin. She wore gray clothes that were slightly torn, revealing her naked body and forcing her to cover it with her own hands. The traces of yesterday's blood could still be seen on his forehead, signifying that she has yet to be treated.
Gloomy expression with empty eyes written on her face like something had happened to her before. Kagayama feels a pang of sadness when seeing her condition and is afraid that he is too late to save her.
Now Kagayama stands in front of the elf and his shadow is seen by her. Slow but surely, the elf raised her head and made eye contact with Kagayama.
As their gaze met one another, Kagayama said, "Are you okay?" with a heart-warming smile.
Unexpectedly, the elf gave Kagayama a wide-open smile while closing her eyes.
"I'm okay!"
The cuteness on her face spread quickly to Kagayama until the pink flower background appeared behind the elf.
"E-ehh!!!"
He blinks in surprise when the elf girl suddenly looks quite happy, even with her condition.
The elf stands up in her place, looking upward at Kagayama before saying.
"Are you an elf too?"
"Oh…Me?!.. I'm not an elf."
The elf tilted her head with curiosity written on her face.
"But you can speak our language, and your ear is…Gone?!"
Kagayama touches the bandages that cover his head carefully. It's been a few days since he got the bandage in the inn.
"Ahh…My ear is inside the bandage."
She fixed her gaze on Kagayama's ears, curiosity burning even more in her eyes.
"And why are you covering your ear with bandages?"
"My ear was injured because of something."
A helpless smile formed on his lips as he responded.
The elf leaned forward, wanting to ask Kagayama even more.
"How can you spe-"
"Hey, sir.."
The shop owner, who had been seeing them for a while, walked closer, waving his hand at Kagayama with a bright smile on his face.
"Do you want to buy her...If you want, we can make a deal on the price."
Kagayama nodded in realization because he knew how to release the elf with the smallest consequence, and the way was to buy her.
A sparkling light up beside the shop owner's eyes as he seeing Kagayama nodded slowly. This is where an opportunity for him, so he speaks again—not leave a single chance for Kagayama to runs away from the business.
"How about 10 gulden…I am sure this is the lowest standard price you'll get for the young female elf in this market."
Kagayama rested his hand on his chin, deep in thought, while watching the shop owner's expression.
"Are you sure?"
The shop owner pressed his palms together as he convinced Kagayama.
"I am sure..This is the best price you could get, sir."
His gaze lingered on the shop owner.
"Maybe we could lower the price."
The shop owner closed his eyes before saying.
"This is the cheapest price I could give to you, sir."
"Uhh..Maybe I can buy a cheaper elf at another shop."
"Wait, wait, wait…Alright, how about 9 vefein and 34 ven?"
"That seems not different at all."
Pretend to walk away.
The shop owner stopped Kagayama in panic.
"Wait…Alright, the cheapest price. How about 8 gulden and 5 vefein"
"Now it seems interesting."
"You will never regret this price, sir."
"I'm in."
"Good, now you can give me the money and I'll give you the elf."
The shop owner seemed happy as they were about to make the deal. On the other side, kagayama closed his eyes while thinking slowly before saying. "But I don't have any money right now," with flat tones like he doesn't care at all.
"You what?!"
His face becomes red, and the veins appear on his head. The shop owner clenched his fist as he prepared to blow all of the emotion in a great punch towards Kagayama's face.
The little elf was watching all of this in confusion because she could not understand what they said. But from all of that, she can feel an act of violence about to happen near her.
But before the shop owner could take him down, Kagayama acted calmly and opened his eyes, staring at the shop owner without any fear inside him, before saying.
"But don't worry, I will search for the money…Just keep this elf for me.. Could you do it??"
Hearing that, the shop owner loosened his grip and took a deep breath to calm himself. He saw an opportunity to increase the price of the elf.
"Yeah, but the price will increase to 11 gulden 99 vefein, and your time is one week to purchase her."
Kagayama nodded in relief as the problem was solved.
"It makes sense."
The shop owner gave his hand and both of them shook on the deal.
"Look around if you want more slaves."
The shop owner left him behind with the little elf while imagining the clinging sounds of money inside his pocket.
The little elf remains standing, watching Kagayama carefully before then saying.
"What did you talk to him about?"
Kagayama knelt, lowering his body, and patted the little elf's head gently with a smile.
"We talked about releasing you from this place."
A wide-open smile was written on her face once again. Her eyes were full of hope and joy, revealing the happiness inside her soul. The little elf moved closer again and said, "Really..you will release me?!" in enthusiastic tones.
"I will release you from this place."
"Thank you, thank you so much."
She hugged Kagayama tightly and burrying her face in his clothes. The dirt sticks on the white clothes, but he doesn't care about it and wraps his hand around the elf's body, strokes her head gently,---providing her sense of warmth in this cold weather.
After a few seconds, the little elf moved backwards and pointed her gaze at Kagayama's face before saying.
"Would you release the other elf, too?"
"The other elf?"
Kagayama moves his gaze to the surrounding area immediately, and sees the other elf inside the shop watching him with a different expression. An awkward feeling ran through his veins as his eyes met the elves.
He put a bitter smile on his face while saying.
"Umm..Hi"
"Would you release them too?"
With widened pupils, she said it with a bright face.
The other elves' gazes bore into him, their silent stares brimming with an unspoken intensity that felt almost like intimidation because he looked like a pedophile who tried to influence the elf girl.
"Is this the right thing for me..Saving all of these elves..But what happens if I get killed because of it?"
His gaze shook for a while with fear washed over his body, his hand also trembled harder, but the elf girl keep asking him again.
"You will release them too, right?"
"But they don't deserve this kind of life..I want to save them..Oh, right now I remember about Henry, he can become my enemy if he wants, and I don't know if he agrees or not….Ahkk, what should I do?"
Kagayama looked again at the little elf while hardly deciding his choice until his gaze met her hopeful eyes.
"Maybe..Just saving some elf not a big deal at all. I still can pretend to become their master while protecting them..But how about the money, ah, I can search for a job and buy them one by one."
Now Kagayama made up his mind and showed a relieved smile at the little elf while saying.
"Maybe..I would try to release them too."
"You promise?" she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation and her voice trembling slightly.
She raised her hand in joy and wanted to shake it with Kagayama.
Kagayama would hesitate for a second before taking her hand and shaking it.
"I'll promise."
Both of them smile happily at each other before continuing their conversation, and after 30 minutes, Kagayama waves goodbye at the little elf while leaving the shop. He takes a deep breath of fresh air while seeing the people in front of him, still in fear because of the slave transaction in that place.
Kagayama told the little elf he would take her in a few days and asked her to wait for him.
He takes a step to head back to Henry's mansion, but the condition around suddenly becomes busy with fierce conversation, while many people walk in the same direction in a hurry, as if something big has happened. Kagayama follows them as the sun is still far away from the center.
After a long journey, he arrived in front of a huge white building like an ancient shrine. A person seems to give a speech on the stage, and all of the people watch him carefully. Kagayama moved closer because his place was too crowded and noisy.
"This city was inside a democratic country with a democratic government..We cannot allow them to take control of us like a tyrannical kingdom 300 years ago…We must speak at the palace and force them to take down the new constitution and bring back freedom for us!!!"
"Yeahhhh!!!!"
The crowd shouted while raising their left hands with full confidence. Kagayama sees it carefully near the stage with all of the people around him cheering.
The man on the stage walked a few steps forward while looking at the sky. He looks magnificent in his clotes like a king. His firm and charismatic voice echoed inside the minds of people and motivated them.
He clenched his fist before pointing at the sky with his finger and said.
"We must take control of th-"
An arrow hit his head, making a blood current on his skin, before his body collapsed on the stage. The crowds panicked while running in all directions irregularly, and stepped on the few unlucky people. Their voice became louder as several guards came with swords in their hands before slaying them one by one. Their blood flows to the ground and makes a red puddle as the number of dead bodies increases.
Kagayama tried to run, but the crowds in front of him blocked the way and made him stuck. His breath was uncontrollable, and his eyes widened in panic before someone took his hand from behind, dragging his hopeless body.