64 Duplicity
With two Kingdoms and a Dukedom occupying a relatively small 680,000 square kilometers of land, common sense would dictate the road between Tria and Sharia to be reasonably safe. Unfortunately, despite their relative progressiveness, accepting all races without discrimination, the nations of the Magic Triumverate also had a very active Slave trade.
Since it wasn't exactly feasible to import Slaves from other countries, the Ranoa and Neris Magic Kingdoms had made a secret agreement with the various bandit troupes in the region. So long as they didn't plunder towns or assault convoys bearing the seal of the Royal Trade Commission, they were permitted to act with relative impunity. The Aristocracy would even pay a premium for young, beautiful, and exotic women, so while monster attacks were relatively rare, kidnapping and slave trafficking ran rampant throughout the North.
"Master..."(A/N: This is Ei.)
"Yeah, I know..."
Though he had sensed them beforehand, Paul activated his Demon Eyes of X-Ray Vision to find nearly twenty people waiting to ambush his party near a chokepoint in the forest path. Such numbers practically guaranteed the group was filled with weaklings, but the enchanted nets in their hands could prove troublesome if they knew how to use them.
The thing that aggravated Paul the most about the situation was that the group of bandits had employed a disheveled-looking girl with pale brown hair and long ears as bait. Paul didn't know if the girl was an Elf, a Hobbit, a Dwarf, or a hybrid of some sort, but seeing a young girl half-beaten and starved on the side of the road made his skin crawl.
"Spread out...the moment they attack, break away from each other and cut them down. You don't have to kill if you don't want, but know I won't be showing any mercy..."
With the final few words directed towards Xiangling, Paul was somewhat surprised to hear her firmly declare, "I won't forgive anyone who makes others into slaves."
What Paul didn't know was that Xiangling had befriended many of the people Ningguang had saved from slavery. She had been the leader of a therapy group that allowed the younger girls to unload their burdens in a safe environment. Some of the things Xiangling had heard were enough to make her want to hunt down and burn people alive. Thus, when it came to Slavers and Slave Traders, Xiangling had very little mercy to spare.
While thinking he should spend more time with Xiangling, Paul nodded his head in approval, saying, "Well said." before returning his attention to the path ahead and adding, "When the fighting begins, I'll entrust the scouts to you, Ghislaine...hunt them down like the animals they are..."
As someone that had been hunted by Slavers in the past, Ghislaine didn't hesitate to nod her head, growling, "No survivors..." in a murderous tone. Then, without waiting for a signal or the enemy to attack, she immediately charged into the underbrush to behead the masked Beast person that had been tailing them.
Slapping his forehead, Paul groaned, "This damned berserker..." before shaking his head, manifesting his Black Sword, and shouting, "Attack..!" in a commanding tone.
Surprising Paul even more than Ghislaine, Ei's figure vanished with a purple thunderclap, a zig-zagging trail of Electro energy darting through the trees as she cut down more than four people before his voice could echo through the area.
"Holy shi-"
"I will secure the girl."
Interrupting Paul's stunned utterance, Eula dashed low and swiftly to the ground, easily evading a series of nets before grabbing the malnourished girl seated on the side of the path. Her charge forward compelled Paul to do the same, the glowing edge of his blade cutting flesh, armor, and trees as if they were made of gelatin. There was some resistance, but it was so negligible that Paul only noticed the feedback when he happened to land a crit.
"P-Please! I have a-"
Before the man could finish his begging, Paul unhesitantly cut through his throat before swiftly raising his sword overhead and bifurcating the man from crown to stomach. It was an unbelievably ghastly sight, but Paul's expression and eyes remained firm as he leaped toward the next human-shaped monster.
In a surprisingly short period, Paul and his group had cut down a total of twenty-three people. Of these, Paul killed four, and Ghislaine killed three. The remaining fourteen were cut down mercilessly by Ei, her movements so swift and efficient that she would have been invisible to the naked eye if not for the vibrant purple trail of Electro Energy left in her wake. When she emerged from the forest, there was even a ring of it floating behind her back, an empowering phenomenon known as the Chakra Desiderata.
Though he had just murdered four people, Paul couldn't help muttering, "Beautiful..." when he saw Ei brandishing her Musou no Hitotachi in her left hand. When he did, her generally stoic expression developed a faint smile as she lowered her head and softly replied, "Master Paul is too kind with his words..."
Understanding that the aftermath of a slaughter probably wasn't the best time for flirting, Paul just returned a smile of his own before calling out to Eula, asking, "How's the girl...?"
Surprising Paul quite a bit, Eula, carrying the child-like Slave in her arms, corrected, "It's a boy. I believe he's an Elven child."
Since the only thing distinguishing male and female Elves in the world of Mushoku Tensei was their ears and privates, Paul couldn't be blamed for mistaking the Slave as a young girl. It also didn't really matter, so he just nodded his head before asking, "Is he injured anywhere...?"
Squinting her eyes in the closest thing to a scowl Paul had ever seen on her face, Eula answered, "Too numerous to count. Please apply Healing and Detoxification Magic at your earliest convenience."
"Got it. We'll move further up the path and create a small camp. Once I'm finish treating his injuries, I imagine he'll want to-"
Understanding Paul was about to mention food, Xiangling could no longer hold down the contents of her stomach. She hadn't killed anyone, but the smell of blood and slaughter was heavy on the air.
Patting Xiangling's back, Paul suggested, "Move first. Talk later." in a curt tone. In response, everyone picked up the baggage they had discarded before the battle. Then, despite being a little more than an hour out from their destination, they set up camp to care for the little Elven boy...
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"What do you mean everyone was wiped out!? We had more than half our boys out today...!"
As the person assigned to view the group from a distance, just in case, the sole survivor of the group of Slavers that targetted Paul trembled like a newborn faun as he explained, "I-I-It all ha-ha-happened so fast! We s-s-saw a gr-group of beautiful girls traveling with some ba-ba-bastard and thought they would be easy prey! The-"
Without waiting for the fumbling scout to finish, the mountain of a man he was reporting to slapped him aside with enough force to make his head explode. Then, with a demonic expression on his face, he rose to his full height of 220cm and said, "We're going. No one antagonizes our Red Oni Hunting Party and gets away with it. We'll capture the women and force them to watch as I wear their man like a codpiece."
Though the remaining thirteen people in the group issued loud cheers in response to their leader's words, they couldn't help feel chills run along their spines and spread through their bodies. Their leader was a member of the Ogre Tribe, one of the most muscular and physically intimidating species in the entire world. Their shoulders were nearly as broad as they were tall, but their most prominent features, at least in the eyes of many, were their tusk-like teeth, their singular red horns, and their nearly 40cm long penises...
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After treating the young Elf's injuries and providing them some potato stew, provided courtesy of Xiangling, Paul asked, "Got a name, kid...?"
Demonstrating he was likely a fair bit older than he appeared, the youthful-looking Elf nodded his head and answered, "Though those bastards thought they could take it away from me, my name remains Revaan Oakwood. I traveled here with the hope of studying Magic at Ranoa Magic Academy, but these miscreants seized my belongings and attempted to sell me as a Slave. When they realized I wasn't a female, they turned me into a punching bag and elected to use me as bait..."
Realizing he was being a little rude, Revaan lowered his head toward Paul and the others, saying, "Forgive my carelessness. Here I am complaining about my situation when I've yet to thank you for your assistance. I have nothing else to offer, so I hope my gratitude will suffice as compensation."
Waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, Paul said, "Don't worry about it. My companions and I aren't particularly fond of Slavers. Now, before I ask anything else, there's something I need to know. Are you a slave, or were you just being held captive...?"
Slumping his head and shoulders, Revaan replied, "I managed to avoid a brand but was still bound by Slave Contract. My would-be Master is a member of the Ogre Tribe named Saikon. I imagine he and his Red Oni Hunting Party will be appearing shortly to try and capture you..."
Raising his brows, Paul noted, "You don't seem particularly concerned."
Shaking his head, Revaan adopted a rather fierce smile as he said, "That demon may be powerful, but I've never seen anyone as powerful as you and your companions. If you were Mages, you might have had trouble due to the inherent Magical Resistance of the Ogre Tribe, but you appear to be swordsmen and women. I believe you will make short work of Saikon and his goons."
"Mmm..."
Though he would only be able to ascertain Saikon's strength when he met the man, Paul had read extensively about the various races that inhabited the world of Mushoku Tensei. The Ogre Tribe was mentioned as being the third most physically powerful species in the world, right behind Dragons and Titans. Even their children were rumored to be able to break through trees, while Malta, the Ogre God, was known to have leveled a mountain during his ten-day 'spar' with Badigadi.
Shifting his gaze to Eula, Paul asked, "Want to see how your Water God Style fares against a physically superior opponent? I'm pretty sure even Xiangling could wipe the floor with him, but you know I've always enjoyed watching you dance."
Blushing slightly, Eula muttered a meek, "Unforgiveable..." intended only for her ears. Then, in response to Paul's words, she nodded her head and said, "If I must, I will give Master a performance deserving of his praise."
Adopting an amused smile, Paul was tempted to tease Eula a bit when Revaan asked, "Why do these women refer to you as Master? Don't tell me..."
Answering in Paul's stead, both Eula and Ei exclaimed, "Do not insult our Master...!" at the same time. Fortunately for Revaan, Paul waved the two inordinately dutiful girls down before explaining, "I was once a relatively high-ranking Noble of the Asura Kingdom. Though my standing and title have been stripped away, I am blessed to have steadfast allies who still regard me as their Master..."
"Ah...that's why you speak so eloquently. Most of the humans I've met are, for lack of a better descriptive, wantonly barbaric. It would appear Master Paul is a highly educated gentleman. Perhaps you also wished to study at the Ranoa Magic Academy...?"
Though Paul was about to answer Revaan's question, his senses alerted him to the presence of numerous people even before Ghislaine said, "We are being surrounded."
Nodding his head, Paul said, "We'll need to put this discussion on hold. Ei, Xiangling, protect the camp. Eula, Ghislaine, and I will handle this."
"Understood."
"Okay..."
With the two girls responding in the affirmative, Paul manifested his Black Blade while focusing his Demon Eyes of X-Ray Vision on the most potent and bloodthirsty intent. He was slightly surprised by how massive Saikon was, but he had long learned that size didn't matter. Well, it did, just not in such a 'small scale' battle...
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