Tale Of Unknown: Hero From Zero

26. Around the Journey

The dawn has gone, the cock crowed hard, the darkness is gone. From the eastern horizon, through the gaps between the lush forest trees next to the road, sunlight trying to break through attacked the eyelids of some people who were asleep on the green grass.

In the middle of the meadow, drenched in the warmth of the morning sun, a distinctive aroma that uploads appetite scattered in the fresh air. A woman dressed in a robe covering her entire dark green body was stirring the cauldron using a large wooden spoon.

With the wooden spoon, he dipped a spoonful of soup and tasted it, making sure that the food he cooked wholeheartedly was delicious. A moment later, his expression changed from a worried look, to a smile of happiness.

'I think this is enough.'

Finished cooking, Siel placed a wooden spoon over the cauldron in a horizontal state, then crouched down to kill the red fire he used. He took out a small glass tube the size of a matchstick from his pocket, then opened the lid and brought it closer to the fire. At that time, the fire that had been burning freely like birds flying in the air, vanished sucked by the glass tube until the remaining red embers lit.

"Hoo... it turns out that there are such magic tools as well, huh? I just found out."

"Yeah!!"

Hearing a voice from behind him all of a sudden, Siel spontaneously let out a scream in surprise. Not only did a loud shout come out from his lips, his body also reflexively moved forward towards the cauldron and the embers were still extremely hot. But, just before his body hit the cauldron, his movements came to a halt.

"Hey, don't move all of a sudden."

Unable to reply, Siel turned his neck to confirm who the owner of the voice behind him was. When he turned his head, his eyes met the dark black bead of a young man named Riyan Klaint. Riyan who was holding the tip of the hood of Siel's witch-style robe immediately pulled her away from the face of the hot cauldron.

"Te\-thank you."

"Not to think about it."

Replying to Siel's thank you in a cold tone and looking unconcerned, Riyan walked over to the cauldron of Siel's soup. He picked up the wooden spoon that was there and tasted the gravy that became their breakfast this morning. Flashing a few times, Riyan showed his flat face as usual without making a single comment.

After tasting what he was about to eat this morning, Riyan walked away from Siel who was currently still sitting on the ground due to the pull of Riyan. He was confused by the black-haired and white-haired youth called Riyan Klaint whom he could not detect at all. Although he was just an ordinary human without any special abilities other than the [Slave Seal] and [Chain], he should still be able to sense someone's presence, but he did not feel the air of Riyan's existence at all.

Ignoring the bewildered Siel, Riyan stopped right in front of the iron bars that locked up Siel's trading slaves. There were some slaves who had woken up, but there were some who were still asleep in their own dreams. No need to bother paying attention to all of them, Riyan just focused his gaze towards the white-haired wolf-type beastkind girl, Noel, his new slave.

'Isn't he a very good boy? His master was already awake, but he himself was still a slur!?'

Mumbling the sentence in his heart along with a sense of annoyance, without him noticing at his temple appeared swollen blue veins. In his entire life, only this time did Riyan immediately let out his emotions without a second thought. But, as soon as he saw Noel swimming in the dreamland, his feelings gradually decreased and finally disappeared.

His wry smile formed so as to remember Noel one of the few slaves who stood guard at night. If he woke up much later than the other slaves, it was a natural thing. Perhaps due to not getting used to sleeping late, Noel was still asleep in his dreams. In contrast to Riyan who used to have to keep watch on the deepest floor of the Hexaphilia labyrinth to get him used to being awake at night.

'All right, for today let him sleep longer.'

While saying that inwardly, Riyan turned his back and walked towards Siel who had now risen from her seat. The slave merchant woman was again bewildered by Riyan who returned to her. Arriving in front of Siel, Riyan stopped and pointed to a glass tube containing a small fire that Siel was holding.

"What magic tool is that in your hand?"

Although Riyan asked with his flat face, he was actually very curious about the magic tool. He had never read or seen a magic tool that resembled a practical match. Sucking and storing fire, this tool is better than disposable matches. If this tool can take it out again, then its usefulness is amazing.

"I\-it's a match, a magic tool that can store and emit fire."

Since Riyan suddenly asked that, Siel answered him a little nervously, I don't know what got into him. Knowing this, Riyan was a little surprised. Not only keep the fire, but also take it back to the designated place. Even so, Riyan's expression did not change at all.

Without taking out a word, Riyan took a glass tube containing a fire called a match from Siel's hand, and looked at it carefully. Just below the small blaze, there is a picture of several flat buildings such as circles, triangles, and squares that are united and blood red.

'It turns out this is how magic tools work. By using a magic circle that is quite complicated, they can insert a magic into an object. Why should I wear blood?'

Because Riyan saw the magic circle was as deep red as dried blood, he concluded that it used blood as the magic container that was inserted. In addition, Riyan had also read the usefulness and how to make a magic tool from a book, but he did not really understand it if he did not see it directly.

According to the book he read, blood is a powerful medium to be used as a container for magic on magic tools. Actually, writing ink can also be used, but it seems less good when compared to blood, especially the blood of witches. In addition, in this world ink and other stationery is a fairly expensive item because the printing machine has not been invented. Most of the records and books in this world are relics from the past that were rewritten and reproduced.

"I understand. Thank you." Thank you."

Satisfied with observing the glass tube magic tool, he returned it to Siel, then left it without saying another word. On this cold morning, Siel could only be dumbstruck by the sudden confusion of Riyan coming, shocking, saving, questioning, then leaving him. His current expression looked like a cocoon that had been left behind by the owner.

***

"Hoaamm..."

Under the scorching rays of the sun, Daruth and Siel's five-horse chariot moved normally, neither fast nor slow. Since the adventurer in charge of guarding the horses in the retarded carriage was killed by [Bleidfyl] yesterday, Riyan was forced to take his place with Noel. Now the two of them were sitting at the end of the rear-most slave carriage side by side.

"Stop yawning. You've been up more days than me, there's no reason for you to get a longer sleep ration."

"B\-good."

Getting a loud reprimand from Riyan for yawning, Noel bowed feeling guilty. As a slave, he should not sleep longer and wake up later than his own master, and Noel did not apply the manners he learned from Siel. This made him feel guilty, even though Riyan did not reprimand him.

Indeed, Riyan and Noel have not done the ritual of establishing a contract between the slave and the owner, but Riyan has paid the price right in front of Siel's face. Noel could neither deny nor deny what had happened, so he accepted it only. Even so, he did not mind at all, even in his heart he was quite happy.

"Since you have become my slave, tell me how did you become a slave in Siel's hands?"

When Riyan took out the question from her lips, Noel was surprised. His face suddenly turned red because of it.

"E\-eh!? Ke\-why suddenly\-sudden!?"

"B\-good..."

Due to orders from Riyan who has not officially become his master, Noel also told his experience how until he became one of the slaves who are now in the hands of the slave trader, Siel.

It was originally one of the wolf-type beastkind of the Northern Taring tribe that lived near the Yoranidia mountains, a mountain range located north of Alivonia and Ilvania, but he was sold to a slave trader. Indeed, the beastkind is a race that has a strong physique and reliable in hunting, unfortunately at that time they could not fight at all.

The situation was caused by a demon coming to their territory. The devil came to them with the aim of taking all the treasures in the village. But, even though all the treasures in the village had been given to him, the demon was not satisfied, so he asked for more. As you know, the demon race is the strongest and most vicious race on the face of the earth, it is rare for a village with a population to dare to resist.

Not accepting this, the chieftain's son, the strongest in his tribe, defied and challenged the demon. Of course this action got protests from the villagers because he was the son and successor of the village head, many disagree. However, he ignored all their protests and intended to fight to defeat the devil.

Unfortunately, shortly after the fight began, the chieftain's son immediately collapsed on the ground the body organs were separated and scattered with red liquid adorning the scene. His entire limbs, his legs and hands were suddenly cut into three pieces horribly, as well as his head.

Seeing the terrible incident, they could not throw more victims by challenging the demon. Because he was so greedy, the demon ordered the residents of the North Taring tribe to sell their children and give the money to him. Of course, many resisted, but the action was in vain, causing even more casualties.

Impatiently, the demon took half the village children and sold them to a nearby slave trader, after taking out the residents who dared to fight him. Noel was one of the half children taken and sold as slaves by force.

It all took place about ten years ago, when Noel was about six years old and did not really understand how terrible the demon race was, which meant that Noel's age was now sixteen. Through a long and harrowing journey as a slave, Noel had many harrowing experiences. Starting from torture, punishment, abandonment, almost everything he had ever felt.

Although there is a legal slavery system in the world and there is a law, most slave owners never obey it. Of the five slave laws, they only kept the third law, the slave ownership letter. Miraculously, it was rare for the governments of the five great empires to find this case, so they thought slaves lived under the protection of the slave laws they created, knowing nothing.

Two years ago, Noel was thrown out of his owner's house and was not allowed to enter just for breaking a plate. Before that, the owner had ordered him not to be able to go far from the house, so Noel could only quietly lean against the wall.

In the evening, Siel finds Noel and wonders to him about what happened to him. Since he considered himself only a slave, he told the reason why he was outside like a vagrant. Hearing the story, Siel felt sorry for him, then knocked on the door of the owner of the house intending to bring Noel.

After the night passed, Siel and Noel left the house to walk to the city where the slave merchant community that became the shelter of Siel. In this world there are several slave merchant communities to facilitate slave traders to find strategic places, avoid problems, and get guaranteed security.

Negotiation Siel and the owner of Noel was running smoothly because Siel wanted to buy Noel, while the owner was already intending to sell it to the nearest slave trader. In a short time, they reached a consensus and Noel became Siel's property for 15 gold coins.

At first Noel is scared and very secretive towards Siel, but as Siel treats her much better than her previous owner, Siel turns out to be more open and carefree. Although she was only a slave to trade, she felt comfortable under the management of Siel, a slave-trader who was very rarely found.

"B\-that's the story of how I got into the hands of master."

"It's not formal. You can call me mister or mister Riyan, but use your everyday language\, I don't really like formalities."

"Ba\-good..."

Noel just bowed down to get a reprimand from his new, unofficial master. He can dispute that right now, but he can't do that. Wh why? First, the strength and ability of Riyan that he had seen when fighting [Bleidfyl] yesterday made him a little afraid if only he denied. Secondly, respect and admiration towards Riyan due to the great combat ability he possessed.

For the wolf-type beastkind, especially the Northern Taring tribe, combat ability was highly held in high esteem there. Although the position of the village chief would be passed down through descendants, the inhabitants of North Taring could fight each other by dueling. 'The strong will stand above the weak', that's the motto of their ancestors.

'Um, the Yoranidia Mountains, huh? That's the opposite direction of the Tendo continent I'm heading in.'

While daydreaming, Riyan muttered that in his mind. He felt that there was not the slightest lie in every word that came out of Noel's lips when he told him about himself. He also felt a little sorry for Noel who was kidnapped and sold into slavery by a demon, so he thought about going to the Yoranidia mountains north of Alivonia.

In addition to the direction that is inversely proportional, the distance and time that must be traveled is also not a joke. It is not as far away as Alivonia and the Tendo continent, but the snow terrain around the Yoranidia mountains is quite heavy for a horse. If Riyan wanted to reverse the course right now, he would probably arrive at North Taring village in about three to four days.

'Hm, is the magic \[Transportal Gate\] that is in the Hexaphilia labyrinth also on the surface? Or has the magic been lost because of time?'

When thinking about how to go to the Yoranidia mountains that did not take too long, Riyan remembered the magic he had used during his last seconds in the labyrinth. [Transportal Gate], a magic that can move a person from one place to another in just the blink of an eye. The term is teleportation.

Although Riyan had read many books in the palace library, but he had never seen a single book that offended the magic. Actually he himself was confused when Luctas mentioned the name [Transportal Gate], but he knew instantly when described the function of magic.

His strong curiosity prompted him to ask Siel who was in the horse carriage in front of him quite loudly.

"Hey, Siel, is there any magic in this world called \[Transportal Gate\]?"

"\[Transportal Gate\]? Yes, but magic is a very rare magic. Usually only the higher-ups of the elf race could use it directly. If you want to use it, the nearest \[Transportal Gate\] magic tool might be in the port city, Tladga. You can use their services at the cost of six gold coins back and forth."

'Isn't that very expensive?'

A thin purple veil suddenly appeared on the part of Riyan's right temple upon hearing Siel's last sentence. Maybe for him six pieces of gold coins was a cheap fee, but not for Riyan who had just bought Noel who was worth 18 gold coins. He currently holds only 19 gold coins and 8 silver coins in his pocket.

If he decided to go to the Yoranidia mountain range using such magic, his money would definitely run out in an instant anyway. Riyan is the type of person who thinks first and simulates what events will come after he makes a decision, he is a very careful person.

After his curiosity was satisfied, Riyan turned his gaze back, looked at the dirt road flanked by a vast expanse of grassland, even though there was a large forest on the right, then closed his eyes. He thought about what the short-term and long-term consequences would be if only he decided to go to the village of the North Taring tribe, Noel's hometown.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes and his lips revealed a faint smile. Black eyes that looked straight ahead, black hair mixed with white that fluttered in the wind, a faint aura that was so strong, the figure of this young man somehow attracted the attention of Noel, the wolf beastkind.

'All right, let's just try.'