An old man with a monocle then got up to the podium and called the attention of everyone to start the proceedings. "Greeting everyone, please call me Jack. I am your auctioneer this evening. Being able to attend this event means you are all individuals of impressive power and influence.
"It is this auction's hope that by this event's end, our items land into the care of those most worthy of them. Let us begin, our first item is…" Jack began the auction by describing the first item to be sold.
The auction items ranged from weapons and armor, magic devices, illegal materials and substances, and slaves. Disgraced nobles, dangerous criminals, and displaced refugees were auctioned off with impunity.
Monsters, both young and old were also sold. The popularity of the many items showed the depravity of some people.
"Sold! To the young miss at tent 29!"
Geo then commented. "Ugh, I could never get used to this, notice how the bids for that animal tripled when they shot it with a drug to make its dick erect?"
"Well, furries have always been a thing, I was told beastkin existed even in the past, maybe the nobility's interest in mating with animals came from that? I on the other hand find selling off noble women to pay back debts is most depressing." Aurum mused.
Larua then commented in a downhearted manner. "It is always a cruel fate to be lost in slavery. Whether to be used for labor, war, or sex. Only a fraction of slaves' lives turns for the better. Luckily we are part of the minority, Alan could have sold us here if that was not the case."
"Why don't you just buy them then? I already had Alan turn your magic stones into cash, aren't you three millionaires at this point?" asked Hiro.
Aurum shook his hands as he answered. "How could we use that money, Master? You sharing your skills is the only reason we could even get them in the first place."
Geo then scoffed as he added. "Aurum is a stick in the mud, in this regard Master, Lars is even worse. I manage our finances, but even if we did free some of the slaves, without a means to earn, they would most likely sell themselves again. Besides none of this matters..."
Before Hiro could reply Larua interjected. "Master, I have confirmed they have retrieved the Little Lady from the vault. Her turn would be coming soon."
As Hiro ignored everything else and invoked [Reverie Beyond Hope], Geo finished his statement even without an audience just for finality's sake. "Because by the end of the night, they would either be free or dead."
Now that the reason for coming here approached. The butcher again reviewed his plan, like a ghost his consciousness begged him to reconsider.
'What about the innocent people in the employ of the [hand of shadows]? Some of the products are criminals with heinous crimes! Killing or sparing them based on labels is wrong!'
Hiro reminisced about his life back on earth. Due to working so many jobs, the man met saints who looked like demons, and devils hiding behind angelic faces. Acting based on labels carried the danger of killing an innocent or sparing a criminal.
There were criminals who reformed themselves, and those who had psychotic lifestyles sometimes came from the innocent. In death all things are final, so how can one act as if they stood on the moral high road?
'What insufferable bullshit. I am not here to punish the evil. They took something of mine, so I will take it back. There is nothing to misunderstand. Everything else is just a consequence.'
With his mind set, Hiro planned to continue with his plan until he heard voices in his mind.
(We wished for a savior, Hiro-sama.)
(Husband. Sorry. Don't hate you. Don't throw me away. I'll be good. I'll be useful.)
(You are my savior, Hiro-sama. Like the shining white knight in fairy tales, you gave me salvation.)
(What are you saying? As If I would show such behavior to anyone else. This side of me is known solely by you… baka. The one who granted me happiness greater than that of kings. The man that made me feel cherished and loved despite what I am.)
As the voices of his most cherished wives resounded his will began to shake. Of the two thousand people he intended to kill, how many children, lovers, spouses, and parents were connected to them?
How many of them were here waiting for someone to save them? Desperation came in many forms, isn't Hiro someone who could burn the entire world for his women? A thug here might be an asshole; But how is one to know if as a father the thug cherished his children?
Being someone who grew up without parents, did Hiro wish to inflict the same pain on others? These people may have been just following orders, but does that absolve them of the evil they took part in?
Why does Hiro even get to judge? What moral high ground did he stand on to be able to decide who lives and who dies? How many of the people here were similar to Rilu?
(Rhyne-sama is my goddess, I am her scythe. I will reap her enemies to the last. Everything I am, mind, heart, and soul belong to her, remember this. I could not even go against her if I wanted to.)
(It was hell Hiro-sama to serve the one who destroyed your life and love her as you did so. Yet meeting you made it all worth it.)
'Right, this is what it means to be strong, you get more responsibility for your actions. I will not change my decision, but I will manage the affairs of those that passed.'
Hiro never was a saint nor did he try to be, the people here will die for their mistakes. And the butcher will need to receive the Karma for everything he did, good and bad.
Some day, someone will come for his head in retribution. The cycle of hatred never stops till one side is annihilated. The reincarnator made a silent prayer in acceptance. This is what it meant to be strong.
When future enemies come for him, he has no one else to blame but himself. If he wanted to protect his family, then becoming stronger naturally became his only option.
"[Reverie Beyond Hope] - Full Inspect- Regalia Only"
Hiro invoked one of the modes of his Limit skill and used what he learned about Shani's Ledger. If this regalia served as an account of the evil one did. At the minimum, it can be used to differentiate the bad eggs from the good ones.
While it is not perfect as it removed the chance of forgiveness and redemption, Hiro is no saint. "[Integrity of the Faithful] - Mark of Protection Ledger Karma at +50% above, Mark of Annihilation at 30% below."
The San-Baka noticed the large number of marks Hiro assigned to everyone in the building. Geo naturally figured out what his master intended to do just from his words. He spoke for the three of them as he said. "We obey."
Aurum on the other hand kneeled and declared in a solemn voice. "Thank you for your kindness, Master." Even Larua had a smile on his face. While the three intended to follow Hiro, they also had their own inclinations as former humans.
This was not some game where you kill people on a whim, the ones around them all have lives of their own. And while murdering the morally bankrupt couldn't be easier, terminating the innocent is heavy on one's heart.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m