There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 138: City Of The Wretched (2)

* * *

After finishing their ‘conversation’ with Dagal, without needing any additional signal, Yeomyeong and Seti began breaking down the prison’s iron bars.

But the slaves inside the cells, or rather, those who would become food for the centipedes, were unable to grasp the sudden freedom that had appeared before them.

Those who still had a bit of strength backed away to avoid the two of them, while those who couldn’t even move just trembled in fear.

They were probably terrified after witnessing the ‘conversation’ they just had.

With a bitter smile, Yeomyeong began leading the slaves out of the prison, one by one, hoping to encourage them to walk out on their own. However…

- P-please… spare us…

- Mom, mom…

- Aaah! I don’t want to die!!

Almost none of the people who were supposed to become centipede food could walk properly.

Left with no other choice, Yeomyeong and Seti ended up carrying them on their backs or in their arms from the prison to the dungeon’s entrance.

Since most of them were weakened beyond imagination, moving several at once or using the Flying Kick techniques to speed things up wasn’t an option.

Eventually, after a long time of carrying each one individually…

By the time they’d brought the dozens of slaves to the dungeon’s entrance—more precisely, to the large hole made by the giant centipede —the moon was already high in the sky.

“Everyone, please wait here quietly.”

Leaving the slaves with this short instruction, Yeomyeong then leaped up, lightly stepping on the wall of the hole to reach the surface of the desert above.

His first objective was to find the orc clans, which wasn’t all that challenging.

As if ridiculing his worry that they might have already fled, the orcs had set up a campsite with tents and were staying put.

As he approached the campsite, Balagu, who was watching from a cart, saw Yeomyeong and waved his cuffed hands.

“You sure took your time. The Wraith… what happened to that bastard?”

“…I sent him to the same place as his pet insects.”

“Ha! I knew you’d be able to defeat him!”

Yeomyeong simply stared at the smiling Balagu and didn’t ask why they hadn’t run away or how they had managed to set up the tents while still in handcuffs.

Instead, he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and spoke.

“Unlock all the clan members, and also gather as many leather straps, ropes, and feeding troughs as you can.”

Balagu took the key Yeomyeong handed him and asked as he freed himself.

“Do you need a lot of manpower?”

“…Most likely.”

“Then I’ll call the rest of the clan over.”

Shortly after Balagu said that and left, the orcs from the camp had all gathered in front of Yeomyeong.

Most of them looked at Yeomyeong with fear in their eyes, though realizing he’d killed the Wraith, some looked at him with a glimmer of hope.

Only in their eyes, though.

With everyone silent, Yeomyeong led the orcs back to the hole.

On the way there, he tied a rope to a feeding trough, creating a makeshift rescue basket and lowered it as soon as they reached the hole.

Whirr, thunk!

Judging by the sounds coming from below, it seemed that the rope was fortunately long enough.

After confirming the length, Yeomyeong turned to the orcs, who were looking puzzled as they watched him and spoke.

“The slaves that the Wraith had captured are down there. Once I go down and send you a signal, pull them up.”

“Slaves… you say?”

Hearing the word ‘slaves’, Balagu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not a problem. I just assumed you’d gather the Wraith’s treasure first…”

“That can wait. Let’s get the people out first.”

With that, Yeomyeong handed the rope to Balagu and then jumped down into the hole.

Below, Seti had already lined up the slaves, having arranged the most severely affected ones—especially the children—to be loaded onto the feeding trough first.

She gave him a wink as if to ask, I did well, right? Yeomyeong responded with a smile that said, Yes, you did.

No more words were needed. Yeomyeong and Seti loaded the slaves into the trough, and the orcs hauled them up.

Thanks to the orcs’ unreserved efforts, the rescue was completed rather quickly.

And once the last slave was pulled to the top, Balagu, along with the chieftain and a few other orcs, descended into the dungeon using the rope.

“What? Why are you coming down?”

Yeomyeong asked, puzzled, and Balagu responded, looking equally confused.

“Aren’t you going to collect the treasure now? Moving the Wraith’s treasure by yourselves would take forever, wouldn’t it?”

While Seti gave them a backhanded compliment, saying, what diligent slaves, neither she nor Yeomyeong refused the orcs’ help.

After all, moving all the treasure Dagal had amassed wouldn’t be easy with just the two of them.

Regardless, Yeomyeong led the orcs back to the prison to start moving the treasure.

There were chests full of gold bars, two leather sacks packed with gold coins, and even unrefined chunks of gold.

However, unlike when they were moving the slaves, they could use the Flying Kick techniques actively, so it didn’t take too long.

However, with gold being inherently heavy, everyone was drenched in sweat by the time they’d finished moving it all.

“…This guy was completely obsessed with gold.”

Balagu grimaced as he stared at the pile of gold, probably because he knew well how dirty the money earned through the slave trade was.

Yeomyeong said nothing and simply gazed at the treasure in silence, while Balagu added a comment.

“So, what do you plan to do now? If you sell all this gold, our clan, and the slaves we just acquired, you’ll definitely make an enormous fortune.”

“…”

Only then did the orcs seem to remember their own situation as they fell silent. After observing their reactions for a moment, Yeomyeong brushed his hair back and responded.

“Stop trying to pry. I have no intention of selling the slaves we went through all that trouble to rescue—or you orcs, from the very beginning.”

“…”

No intention of selling?

As the large scar on Balagu’s face twitched, Seti, realizing what Yeomyeong meant, chuckled.

Yeomyeong gave Seti a quick glance and continued speaking.

“You said it before, right? That your clan didn’t choose to become slave traders of your own volition?”

Before Balagu could answer, an old orc standing beside him spoke up first.

“Of course. If not for that Wraith… we would have continued living by trading, just as our ancestors did.”

Boldugu, the chieftain of the Kiran clan, wiped his face.

The orc’s face, soaked in sweat, bore unshakeable signs of fatigue and guilt.

“Well, no matter what excuses we make now… the fact that we once dealt in the slave trade isn’t going to just disappear. Isn’t that right?”

Looking at the orcs around him, the chieftain’s words silenced them all almost immediately.

“Still… now that the Wraith is gone, the children and wives of our clan, who were bound by him, will live honoring our traditions. For that, we have nothing but gratitude for you.”

“…”

As soon as the chieftain bowed his head, the atmosphere grew heavy.

While Yeomyeong pondered over what to say, Seti sat close beside him and spoke.

“We’ll give you a chance to atone for your sin.”

“…Atone?”

As the chieftain glanced back and forth between Yeomyeong and Seti, Seti smiled meaningfully.

“Please ensure the slaves we just rescued are able to return safely to their homes. Half of this gold should be enough to cover the expenses, don’t you think?”

“…”

“We’ll just take half the gold and two camels. It’s not like we can carry more than that anyway.”

Seti poked Yeomyeong’s side as if to ask, this is what you wanted to say, right? Yeomyeong pinched her cheek in response and nodded.

However, it seemed like the orcs were yet to fully understand her words, looking shocked—like they were seeing flowers blooming in the desert.

“…Why? Why give us such an opportunity? Why do you trust us?”

“It’s not that we trust you—we trust in our own skills. If we come back and find that you’ve gone against our orders… we can simply wipe you all out.”

Although Seti’s words were meant to be intimidating, the chieftain felt a hint of mercy in her tone, not the threat. A mercy he had never felt from any mana user he’d encountered before.

To hide his sudden emotional reaction, he quickly turned his head.

“…Thank you for your mercy.”

The old orc’s voice was somewhat damp with emotion, but no one present bothered to point it out.

* * *

Not having much belongings to pack and feeling no need for goodbyes, Yeomyeong and Seti finished their preparations quickly and got ready to depart.

As the two were loading food supplies and a chest of gold bars, along with pouches of coins, onto their camels, two orcs approached them while carrying something in their arms.

“Balagu? And… Gadudu, was it? What are you bringing?”

“We realized you haven’t packed any food.”

The orcs held out cans of spam and yogurt made from goat’s milk.

Yeomyeong and Seti didn’t refuse their kindness. While they already had provisions, it didn’t feel right to turn down a gift they’d prepared with effort.

After Seti loaded the food onto her camel, Gadudu—the orc who had been the first to try selling them as slaves—bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you for giving our clan this chance to atone.”

“Whether it will lead to atonement or another disaster depends on what you do. Do your best.”

With those words, Seti mounted her camel. Already seated on his, Yeomyeong turned his camel northward.

And as they were about to leave…

“It will probably take three days to reach Dreitherial if you keep heading north.”

Balagu rode his camel over to their side.

Seti gave him a look as if to say, what are you doing? and Balagu burst into a hearty laugh.

“Didn’t I mention before? I was once a slave in Dreitherial.”

Hearing this for the first time, Seti looked surprised, while Yeomyeong, who had endured his endless chatter over the past few days, sighed.

“…So?”

“Actually… I’m quite capable. After all, I escaped from that city on my own. I guarantee that I’ll be of great help to both of you if you let me tag along.”

“…”

“It’s your first time visiting that City of Scums, right? Dreitherial can be a brutal place for newcomers. It’s practically guaranteed you’ll get caught up in some kind of commotion at the entrance without a proper guide.”

“Hmm… caught up in a commotion? Why?”

Unlike the disinterested Yeomyeong, her curiosity clearly piqued, Seti rested her elbow on the camel’s hump, chin in hand, and asked.

“A good-looking couple carrying chests of gold, and both knights—or, as they call you back on Earth, Superhumans? And with your mana abilities, you’ll definitely draw attention immediately.”

“…”

“All sorts of organizations—Mages, criminals, entrepreneurs, and even the Count Palatine—anyone with sharp wits will target you two.”

Finally, Yeomyeong started paying more attention to his words.

After all, he intended to meet the Count Palatine, who had likely made contact with Korea’s shepherds.

“Please trust me. I’ll make sure the two of you get there safely.”

Seeing Balagu’s confident demeanor, Yeomyeong and Seti exchanged glances.

When Yeomyeong gave a slight nod, Seti smirked and tossed Balagu a gold coin.

“Alright, then—let’s see what you can do, Mr. Guide.”

* * *

Two days later.

After a relentless march that pushed the camels to their limits until they drooled and Balagu, who was no superhuman, was almost half dead, they began to see a massive fortress wall rising over the horizon.

A bizarre castle wall with modern barbed wire stretched over traditional stone fortifications, and rusty metal plates embedded here and there.

Yeomyeong frowned as he saw a sight that seemed straight out of an end-of-a-century drama, while Balagu began to speak with much difficulty.

“That over there is Dreitherial’s south gate… but I wouldn’t recommend entering through that gate.”

As he opened his canteen to wash his face and blinked to regain his composure, Yeomyeong questioned him.

“Why do you not recommend that gate?”

“The guards at the south gate are notorious for their bad behavior. Since they don’t make much money… they’ll draw their swords the moment they see your chest of gold.”

“What a mess. So, is there another way?”

“We can enter through the sewers if we take a detour west. It’s a bit dirty, but it’ll save us from the outrageous tolls and unnecessary fights. What do you say?”

A choice between a noisy entrance that would stir up trouble and a slightly dirty but quiet route through the sewers.

Yeomyeong’s choice was obvious.

Except…

“…The sewers again?”

With a sigh from the girl who hadn’t had a chance to change her clothes for days, the party turned their camels westward.