Heavenly Castle - Chapter 17

Hey, don’t miss it, it’s a high quality product!」

The voices and laughter of the vulgar men resounded. While, the sound of the hoof beats gradually approached. Even the sound of the carriage’s wheels that were running as if jumping on the ground can be heard from a place a little further away.

There was a figure of a person who is fleeing hard as if being driven away by that sound.

It’s a girl with light blue hair and triangular ears, and the fur of her long tail that was sticking out at the hole of her skirt was standing on end.

Moving desperately with her slender limbs and small build, the girl welled up with tears and looked around.

She was a girl who can ran at an astonishing speed, but she was caught up by the horse in the end.

「Oraa!」

The man who’s riding on a horse raised a shout and threw a rope that was connected to a weight, which coiled around the girl’s foot.

「Gyan!」

The girl raised a scream and rolls over the ground. Her body was slammed on the ground with a terrible force because her speed was too fast and the girl totally collapsed with her face on the ground.

The man who stopped the horse came down while laughing. Seeing the two carriages that were catching up at the corner of his eyes, the man walked towards the girl who fell on her face.

Drawing out a dagger from his waist, he grabbed the shoulder of the girl with his left hand.

「Tsu!」

Right after he grabbed her, the girl swings a small knife while turning around.

The sound of a hard metal hitting each other echoes and the man’s dagger made a irregular cross with the blade of the knife which the girl held.

「You’re strong-willed for a beastman, ain’t you.」

When the man said that while laughing, he skillfully kicked the hand of the girl which was holding the knife with his foot and grabbed her head with his right hand.

「It’s my bad for being careless and falling in your trap, but I’m not that kind of idiot.」

「U, uu……」

Maybe because her head is being grabbed very tight, the girl leaked out a scream and can’t even thrash her limbs.

Eventually, the carriages have caught up and the coachman who was driving the carriages stopped it, and two people came down.

「Oi, that was a terrible roll.」

「She didn’t get any injuries that can’t be healed, right?」

Hearing the two who appeared while saying such things in unison, the man snorted as if they were annoying.

「Do you think I would make that kind of mistake? Hey, bring me the slave seal」

「You wanna do it now?」

「This fellow, it’s because she runs a lot. Let’s do it in advance in case she actually escapes.」

The moment when man said that, the girl raised a beast-like voice and began to act violently. The man holds her down with force and he looks back at the two.

「See?」

「O, ooh. She’s too lively, isn’t she? Here, it’s the slave seal.」

After saying that, the man took out a box. It is a box that looks sturdy with a big lock. When he open the box, an object similar to a white rectangular stamp can be seen from the inside.

The man who pressed down the girl nodded his head and looked at the girl.

「Look, We’re gonna seal you now!」

「N, NOO! NOOOOO!」

The man who held the seal came close with a vulgar smile to the screaming girl. When the man murmured something, the seal faintly started glowing green.

「Don’t move, okay? It won’t disappear when you have been sealed once so if there is a mark on your face, it will be hard to sell you…..」

The man who said that while laughing disappeared suddenly.

「Ahn?」

The men who can’t grasp the situation in an instant, froze up while looking at their companion who was blown backwards with the slave seal in hand.

And, the man who was pressing down the girl realized that there is a giant behind the dumbfounded man.

「Wha!?」

The moment when he raised his voice, his other companion who froze up with a stupid look on his face was blown away as well.

That giant shook its hand as if driving away a fly from the side. However, the force was so absurd that the defenseless man was blew away like a ball and rolled over the ground. Seeing his companion who was knocked out with his arm pointing in a strange direction, the man stands up hurriedly.

「Wh, wh, why is there a golem in this kind of place…..!?」

While saying that, the man grabbed and raised up the girl with one hand, and glares at the golem.

「Where’s the magician!? Where……」

The man who raised his voice didn’t have the time to talk until the end as he was knocked down after receiving a strong blow on the head and arm which were holding the girl. The girl fell on the ground and hit her head lightly on the road, she noticed the man who collapsed next to her and held her breath out of fear.

The broken bone of the man’s arm was breaking through his skin.

「Aa, uu……」

Looking up at the golem, the girl became frightened and she moved back little by little. Seeing the girl who’s drawing back while moving her limbs awkwardly as if she became paralyzed with terror, the golem started walking towards the carriages.

【Taiki POV】

「Uwaa, there are a lot who were also captured inside the carriages」

In the image shown on the screen, a mixed of several beastmen regardless of their age and sex were crowded. There is a roof, but an iron bar surrounded the four sides similar to a jail and there are no chairs inside.

Within the two carriages, the beastmen are cowering in fear. Seeing that, Ayla knitted her brows.

「…… This is too awful. It would be good if they didn’t have slave marks, but……」

「Slave mark? No way, a burnt-in mark?」

When I’m grimacing while saying ‘that’s too painful’, Ayla shakes his head from side to side.

「Long ago, it seems that they placed a mark on the back of the body using a hot iron, but over the past century, they developed a seal called a slave seal. It was developed by a big country in the desert, but it spreads all over the world in an instant because it is a seal that will not disappear for a lifetime. It could be cured by healing magic if the burn was just placed recently, but the slave seal which is tempered by magic is impossible to be cured because it is not technically a wound. 」

「That’s too harsh」

When I sigh after hearing her explanation, Ayla made a face of disgust and clenched her jaw.

「It seems that the slave seal that forces an order is also under development, but fortunately it has only the power to give a light punishment at the present stage. To the point that their body will become numb and can’t move. However, they will be struck by a whip if they stop moving…… 」

「Uwa, how frightening…… humanity keeps coming up with terrible things no matter which world it is.」

While murmuring that, I reached out my finger to the screen panel. Placing my finger on the entry of A1, I open my mouth.

「Can you bring them all? For now, let’s evacuate them.」

When I said that, A1 lifted the carriage with both hands.