Prologue

In a forgotten alley, overlooked by decent folks, an auction was about to begin shamelessly offering goods. The highest-ranking individuals awaited impatiently for the den to open. An overweight bourgeois commented to another that this was his third visit of the month; the other replied, hoping to avoid returning to this cesspool but always ending up there. One aristocrat remained silent and annoyed by the others' voices.

The man wore a hood to conceal his identity as much as possible, but the other shameless beings remained uncovered, as if they didn't care if others saw what they were about to buy; in fact, they seemed proud of it. That complicity only turned his stomach, but he couldn't say anything; after all, he too had attended the auction to purchase a slave.

The other aristocrats looked him up and down, loudly remarking things like, "It must be his first time," "It brings back memories of my first auction," "Does he think he's better than us by going with his head covered?" "Could he be an undercover cop?" among other murmurs.

A gentleman, more gray-haired than sane, accosted him angrily.

"Hey, no one has seen you here before, who are you?" the hooded man was asked.

He didn't reply but gave a disdainful look with eyes redder than a chimney fire.

"Do you think you're better than us?" he raised his voice for others to hear. "Are you a damn cop?"

The alley erupted in loud voices of confusion from the other aristocrats. However, no one seemed eager to support the unjustified aggression of the shouting man, yet they remained attentive to the situation.

"I don't have to answer," the hooded man finally said.

"Ah!?"

The man didn't expect that non-response; in fact, he expected his behavior to scare him enough to run away, scoring a point with the others. However, he wasn't the only one suspicious of the mystique of the hooded man, but not enough to make such a fuss.

As things seemed about to escalate to physical violence, a woman with green hair interrupted the graying man. She was the bodyguard of the hooded man.

Having bodyguards wasn't uncommon; in fact, everyone present had at least one. However, there was an unspoken agreement for all of them to wait outside the alley entrance. So, everyone thought she was another aristocrat like them, but now that they saw her intervene, their suspicions only grew.

Finally, a voice silenced the tumult. It belonged to another aristocrat, a younger one than the violent man.

"Shut up already! It's always the same with you, do you want to be banned from the auction?" the young man spoke mockingly.

The violent aristocrat closed his mouth, freed himself from the woman's grip, then moved away and leaned against a dirty wall, uncaring about staining his fine clothes. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and started smoking.

"Apologies for him, new faces repel him," he approached the hooded man and said. "If it's not too much trouble, could you ask your subordinate to wait outside? We don't want any more disturbances. I just want to take a few pretty girls and go home."

With a gesture, the hooded man indicated she should wait outside. The green-haired woman nodded and moved away from the place.

"Thank you. As it's your first time here, I'd like to let you go first to choose the slave you wish to buy."

However, since he was the only one going in, this didn't really count as an auction. Still, he wasn't going to refuse the proposal since it allowed him to leave quickly and save on bidding money, although he was prepared to spend whatever was needed on the woman he planned to acquire.

However, not everyone was as pleased as he was, but no one seemed willing to contradict him. After all, who could oppose the prince, someone who could become king in the future?

The presence of royalty in such an indecorous and immoral place didn't speak well of the kingdom. However, the hooded man couldn't change the kingdom's political situation, but he was grateful to be allowed to go first to leave that place as soon as possible.

Suddenly, a heavy wooden door opened, and lights filtered in, illuminating the dark alley that until then had only counted on the faint moonlight and a few lit cigarettes that glowed like fireflies.

The prince strode firmly through the doors that slammed shut behind him. A few minutes later, he emerged and, with a gesture, indicated to the hooded man that it was his turn to enter.

The presence of aristocrats in such a dark and dimly lit corner suggested that this might be the only place for slave acquisition. This last thought of a possible immoral monopoly fleetingly crossed the hooded man's mind as he finally entered the establishment.

A woman marked by scars on her face welcomed him. Looking over the mercenary's shoulders, the man glimpsed several people of different races, naked and displaying themselves as merchandise.

"The prince has informed me of everything; you don't need to say anything. However, don't expect a discount for it being your first time," she said, stepping away from the door and allowing him to enter, continuing, "As you've seen, here's our merchandise, all bathed and anointed in oil for our clients' delight."

The way she referred to other human beings nauseated him. He wished to leave there as soon as possible, but he couldn't abandon the task he had come to perform: buying a person.

The woman allowed him to roam the immoral premises without an escort and gave him all the time in the world to choose his slave, on the condition that he revealed his face. The man had no choice but to lower his hood.

"If you weren't an aristocrat, we'd surely sell you for a good price, handsome man," she winked, put the pipe in her mouth, and took a puff. "It's a shame you have those horns on your head."

The man wasn't human. By uncovering himself, he revealed two black horns curving backward, contrasting with his light gray hair and yellow eyes. However, it seemed to matter little to the others present; as long as he had money to pay, everyone was welcome.

Finally, he could move forward and search for the woman he had come for among the unfortunate present. It didn't take him long to find her; she was the only one with reddish skin, small horns on her head, and pointed ears.

"I'll take her. I choose her," said the man with yellow eyes.

The demon-like woman he chose seemed uncomfortable being the center of attention, but she stood tall among the other slaves.

"Good choice. If you can pay what the prince was going to pay for her, you can take her."

"How much do I owe for her?" asked the horned man.

"Fifty thousand australs," she replied, with the pipe still in her mouth.

The sum was exorbitant in that place, where the kingdom's soldiers' salary, the most common job, was a thousand australs per month. The cost of that slave equaled more than four years' salary of a soldier. However, that didn't intimidate him, and he accepted the price.

"I don't have that amount with me right now. But you can accompany me to my mansion, and I'll hand it over to you in person."

That price was so high and far from what he had expected from the start, but he wasn't willing to step back.

"It has to be now."

Usually, auctions were always paid at the end, but as he was the only client now, he didn't have many options. His pocket only had thirty thousand australs; he hadn't expected such a turn of events since he had planned to fetch the money while the auction was underway. However, the randomness factor couldn't be denied; something like this wasn't in his plans, and he regretted not being more cautious in his plans.

"Can you wait for my subordinate to bring the money?"

"Of course, I have all the time in the world, but I'll have to charge you ten thousand for every hour that passes."

"Fine, I accept."

The woman knew the man was determined and would part with the money at any cost to acquire her. Years of experience had taught her that if there was no haggling, it meant money wasn't a problem, and besides, the lack of rejection of absurd demands like ten thousand per hour meant desperation and desire.

"However, you'll still have to compensate us for the inconvenience and the time you've wasted, so you'll have to take another slave for the price of five thousand australs," she finally said.

"No problem. I want you to give me five minutes to give the message to my subordinate."

"Alright, those five minutes won't be charged. However, if they pass, I'll charge you a hundred for every minute."

The woman was a skilled extorter, but the horned man seemed unyielding, accepting all conditions. This only encouraged the woman and her cronies to take further advantage of him.

After handing over the money, about nine thousand australs, the woman instructed the mercenaries grimly, who took the acquired woman to a room. There, they removed the oil and dressed her.

In one of the numerous cells adorning the sinister establishment, one of the men in the service of the woman approached, opened the cell door, and pulled out a girl. This little girl had scaly skin, radiant in a pitch-black tone, with flickers of dispersed yellow all over her body. Her slim and agile figure was enhanced by a long, undulating tail that unfolded behind her, dotted with yellow patches like the rest of her body.

The man took the girl to the same room where they had taken the woman, where she would surely be dressed and bathed. After several minutes, the aristocrat's new acquisitions appeared. The woman with reddish skin was dressed in a simple black gown, just like the girl, who, if it weren't for the patches covered by the fabric, would still look naked. However, that clothing wasn't even worth fifty australs, but the man didn't complain about the price and seemed content with the idea of finally leaving the place.

The girl's eyes were large and bright, with golden or amber irises reflecting genuine curiosity toward her new owner. Her hair emitted a fiery glow; each strand descended from her head like flames in shimmering yellow tones at the center and in reddish and orange hues towards the ends, giving her a wild but charming look. Meanwhile, the woman with a demon-like appearance seemed more indifferent, with eyes as black as the night fixed on nothing, keeping her dark lips closed, in contrast to the girl, whose lips remained slightly open in amazement.

Those clothes weren't enough for a night as cold as the one reigning outside. Therefore, the man removed his long cape and handed it to the demon-like woman. Seeing that she struggled to put it on, he helped her, wrapping it around her. The larger mantle began to shrink until it fit her size; it was a magical garment. However, for the girl, there was nothing, so he decided to carry her in his arms to share his own body heat; he held her close to his chest. Finally, he took both of them out of that terrible place; fortunately, both showed docility and cooperation.

Seeing those people in such dire conditions reminded him of his own past and how he had been locked in a cell a long time ago, another reason that drove him to leave that place as soon as possible.

"Thanks for the purchase! ... How foolish, this is worth more than a hundred thousand australs," he murmured behind him.

The mercenary woman bid him farewell from behind, but he left without turning around. However, this time he didn't wear the hooded cloak, exposing his appearance that he had tried so hard to hide. Although he felt disappointed, he accepted it; at least, he hadn't lost so much money since those jewels were ancient and hadn't cost him so much at the time. Now, however, their value had increased considerably, though he didn't feel a particular attachment to them.

All the aristocrats were more surprised by his appearance than by the way he carried one of the slaves. However, the prince didn't seem amazed, as if he had always known who he really was.

"You don't have to thank me for anything; it's a pleasure to help someone like you, Mr. Henry Frank."

Ignoring the stares and words of the others present, he walked away from the alley, wishing never to meet the aristocrats or that dreadful establishment again.

Once far enough from the alley, he used his magical communication collar to ask his subordinate to return with the vehicle. Previously, he hadn't used it to prevent others from hearing the sum of money he intended to use in the exchange, especially to prevent possible muggings on the way. You should never trust criminals, especially in matters of money.

"Once we get home, I'll feed you both and provide a bed for the night," he said with a cold voice as he looked at the road in the night.

Although he had come for a single slave, he now had two under his care, the second due to a trick from the slave trader. However, he wasn't upset by that since things had turned out infinitely better than he had planned. In case he didn't have enough money or the cooperation of the slave traders, physical violence was his last resort.

He sat on a staircase that led to a tailor's shop, which was closed because it was late, uncaring about dirtying his black dress pants. With the girl in his arms, looking at him with wide-open eyes, attentive to his next words.

"Don't worry about anything; you're under my care now," he said to the girl and then turned to the woman. "But with you, I have a few things to discuss. Demon king."