After Being Sold Out By The Empire, I Decide To Assist The Demon King
Chapter 189 - 57 Embrace and Redemption

Chapter 189: Chapter 57 Embrace and Redemption

"Sorry, I’m late."

Yila said this, gently embracing the Beastman in front of him who didn’t seem to be seriously injured. He looked at the empty, lifeless eyes of the person and said nothing, just continued to hold on.

He held on and on, as if trying to freeze time at that very moment... though in reality, it would only last for about ten minutes.

Or until...

"...Thank you."

The other party engaged in some form of conversation.

Upon hearing this, Yila gently released her, guiding her towards Hilena, then moved on to embrace the next person... embracing those desolate slaves.

He would hold them until they no longer saw themselves as slaves...

The slave trade among different races often involved a higher number of Beastmen, and the most coveted were, of course, the rare Elves, followed by uniquely charming monsters. But due to the Elves’ inherent strength and the way monsters lived in groups, they were hard to capture.

Thus, the number of Beastmen among slaves was the highest... However, apart from this batch, the most common slaves in the market were humans, possibly captured from battlefields, bankrupt debtors, or from extinct small nations.

But humans weren’t considered part of the "exotic trade," and most were sold into slavery due to various reasons. Yet their fate was equally tragic, needing the same gentle treatment.

But in this batch from the Black Chains Pirate Group, aside from a few monsters, the rest were all Beastmen... Human slaves were too cheap, not worth the extra effort for sea transport. Is this fortunate or sorrowful?

"Sorry, I’m late."

Yila said as he embraced another Beastman. Seeing her sobbing, he gently directed her towards the three Sea Demons... Her injuries were severe and should be treated by the Sea Demons.

*Crying is a good sign, but silence is worrisome.*

"Sorry, I’m late..."

"Sorry, I’m late."

"Sorry, I’m late..."

"..."

Yila repeated these words, yet no one found it dull, and he himself never felt tired. Each slave either cried, remained calm, or gratefully embraced Yila before being rescued after a few words.

Soon, only one remained in front of Yila... a Catman girl, her body covered with countless scars, with black hair, even her breathing was faint.

*The scars on her body had long healed, but the ones in her heart hadn’t.*

"Sorry, I’m late..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The act of hugging made them realize to the greatest extent... they were intelligent beings being treated equally, not slaves humiliated to the extreme, not commodities.

This simple act was far more powerful than many words... Usually, Yila would hug for ten minutes, one by one, and then have the silent ones bandaged first.

He would then find other ways to save them...

But at this moment, the only response to Yila was silence. Whether it was everyone in the Demon King Territory or the slaves, all silently watched the last slave... waiting for the moment she truly turned back into a person.

Ten minutes had long passed.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Mr. Yila, we’re taking them back to the ship now. Your friend sent us a lot of extra supplies this time, so there’s no need to buy more... but the route needs to change, we might have to go back to Beastman Country first to send them back."

Hilena said this, watching Yila nod, then leading the others back.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The crowd at the dock also dispersed. They didn’t think there was any fun in watching this anymore. Now the most important thing was... welcoming the impending big changes in Hezlosa.

Only Yila remained at the dock, along with a squad of guards and one person, quieting down...

*It was so silent that both parties could hear each other’s heartbeat, could even feel Yila’s overflowing gentleness and tenderness... but there was no pity.*

*Pity was for dogs and cats... at least that’s what slaves believed, so no "person" needed pity.*

"..."

"..."

Yila held the Catman slave, her petite body pressed against him, until she finally murmured in response to his "Sorry, I’m late":

"No... it’s not your fault."

In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, the Catman whispered in Yila’s ear, "It’s our own fault, it’s my fault for being playful and leaving the tribe... causing my parents to be killed when they came looking for me."

*It seemed her reason for avoiding reality was self-blame.*

"But it’s not your fault either."

Yila said, finally relieved to see some reaction from her. He supported her as they walked towards the Demon King Territory’s ship and said, "Victims... are never wrong."

"..."

Catman: "But it was me..."

Yila: "It wasn’t you."

"..."

The interrupted Catman girl remained silent, leaning on Yila, almost entirely relying on him to move forward... She spoke again, ready to confess her guilt: "It’s all because of me..."

"It wasn’t you!"

"..."

Yila listened to her silence, his voice softened, and he said, "I don’t want to say it’s ’the world’s fault,’ so if there’s any fault, it’s with the nobles wanting to buy slaves and the Slave Capture Team. If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else."

"So, you did nothing wrong, you were just unlucky. If I must say something... your biggest mistake is being so lifeless, not thinking about revenge on those real bastards."

Yila said this, noticing a subtle change in the Catgirl’s eyes; they seemed darker and more determined. By this time, they had arrived at the ship, where everyone was waiting.

"Yila..."

Yila: "Yes?"

"May I... have another hug?"

Yila smiled warmly at the Catman’s request, gently embracing the girl and said, "Whenever you need, you can have it... You’re trembling, I hope it’s not out of despair."

Saying this, Yila released the girl, gazing into her eyes, which seemed to burn with a mysterious dark flame. He felt relieved and whispered, "Regarding revenge, I’ll teach you, remember..."

"Only anger and good food should not be wasted in this world."

——————————

"..."

"You saved many slaves... How does it feel? Do you see yourself as a hero?"

The man surrounded by guards, drinking boldly, spoke to Yila, who was about to board the ship, teasingly saying, "You really made a scene~"

Yila had recognized the man’s identity, nodded apologetically, and was about to say something...

"Ah, no need to apologize. Though it broke the rules... But in the eyes of you legends, the rules I set probably look like nonsense, right? And you’ve still shown me some face."

This seemingly noble man tossed Yila a bottle of wine, made a toasting gesture, and said, "But breaking rules is still breaking rules... When you come to Hezlosa again, food and water will be twice the market price."

But the price in Hezlosa was three times the regular rate.

"Thank you, Lord Lusa."

Yila expressed his gratitude. The King of Lusa, slightly benefiting from the redistribution of benefits, smiled, raised his bottle, and blessed, "Safe travels to you!"

Responding to him was the sight of Yila’s back, waving.