An angry Raphtalia rested her hand on the handle of her katana. We were searching for her friends and fellow villagers, so you couldn’t hold it against her for getting upset. Lash out, Raphtalia! It’ll confuse them.

“Ha ha ha! Just a joke!”

“You’re bad, uncle.”

“Ha ha ha! Not as bad as you are!”

The two were laughing together. I felt sick . . .

“Get back to the subject!”

“You want to talk business, already? I was hoping to develop a bit more camaraderie with the Shield Hero. Yes sir.”

“Whether that happens or not depends on how you behave, uncle. Yes sir.”

Yes sir! Yes sir! Yes sir! Was there no end to it? I’d seriously had enough. Could I leave yet? I didn’t get the slave trader one bit. I had no idea why, but he always agreed with me no matter what I said. It made me think he had a hidden agenda, so I was always on my guard.

“Heh heh heh . . . I fear his ominous aura may bewitch me. Yes sir.”

“What, am I supposed to be evil incarnate or something?”

“Oh, no. I’m simply referring to your special knack for using slaves. It’s something that we can sense.”

“The Shield Hero keeps his slaves squirming just the right amount and has a charisma that would make them happily leap into the jaws of death for his sake.”

“Bubba! I’m hungry!”

“Maaaster! I’m huuuungry!”

“Shield Hero! I’m hungry!”

Why did I hear their cries for food playing in the back in my head? Was that charisma? I couldn’t let it get to me . . .

“Enough about that, slave trader. Tell me about those slaves I want.”

“Understood. Yes sir. Uncle, what is the status of those slaves I asked you about? Yes sir.”

The slave trader asked the other slave trader. The other slave trader . . . Okay, this is getting ridiculous! The Zeltoble slave trader wiped the sweat from his brow.

“About that . . . The situation has become a bit complicated. Yes sir.”

“What does that mean?”

“After receiving the request for slaves from Melromarc, I did make an attempt to search, but you’re looking specifically for slaves from the village of Lurolona in the Seaetto territory, are you not?”

“That’s right.”

The territory that I’d been given had originally belonged to Eclair, and . . . Wait, so Raphtalia’s village was called Lurolona? I didn’t know that.

“Is that a problem?”

“Very much so. Yes sir.”

“Wh . . . why is that?”

The color drained from Raphtalia’s face as she asked. I had a bad feeling about this. Or rather, I had a feeling something had happened that was going to cause us a lot of trouble.

“The thing is . . . Slaves from the village of Lurolona in Melromarc’s Seaetto territory are currently being traded for exorbitant prices in Zeltoble.”

“Why?”