(A/N: Sorry guys, the chapter's a bit longer.)
Sylvester felt conflicted thoughts run through his mind. On the one hand, he was completely against slavery and had already decided to outlaw slavery of all kinds in Sol, but how was he going to do the same in Beastaria? Why would the species of Beastaria stop when it's so easy to just take humans?
Especially in the case of the elves, slaves were a part of their culture. The proud elves considered so many jobs too lowly for themselves, such as cleaning the streets, prostitution, cleaning the sewers, or anything that involved something unsightly.
The goblins needed human females to increase their population, though he was already planning to banish them from the face of the planet. But he couldn't do the same to all the other species.
Yet, he had to make a decision at that moment, and he chose to go with what was right.
"Let's go and save them." He declared to Cardinal Bison, shocking the old spy.
"So you can find an opportunity and take me as well?" Bison showed his angry fangs and unsheathed his sword. "I either leave this god-forsaken continent alive or become one with the soil."
Sylvester bobbed his head as he'd have come to the same conclusion if he were in Bison's position. But the difference would've been that he'd try to be sure first. "When Avanss and I were returning to Beastaria, we took a pirate ship hostage. The pirate ship was full of Beastkins, ready to be sold. We saved them, but do you know what broke my heart the most? There were other Beastkins in the pirate's crew."
"What of it? Human pirates raid and sell humans to Beastaria as well." Cardinal Bison said, unwavering from his suspicion.
Sylvester sighed and got on his horse. "Slavery is not a disease of a particular race or religion, Cardinal. We either stand against it together or see it flourish forever."
Without saying anything more, Sylvester left for the slave convoy. With so many years of experience manipulating people into doing exactly what he desired, he knew targets were the most vulnerable when facing an emotional dilemma.
'Is conquering Beastaria the only way to bring some sense into this world? How many more must die in this violence?' Sylvester couldn't help but wonder. Because as far as he understood the elves and dragons, their pride would never allow them to accept a human's suggestions.
…
A good husband with a paying job and his own home, a pair of good kids with talent in their studies, and a cheerful family living in a charming little town by the stunning coast of the Highland Kingdom.
It was everything a woman could dream of, something she'd happily strive for—rising early in the morning to prepare food for her dear children and husband before they went out to work or study, or taking care of the household chores, fixing the roof, tending to the sheep and cows. The labor didn't feel burdensome with everything so ideal.
But for Lyanna Baker, it seemed like a distant dream now. The entire town was raided by the pirates, houses destroyed, and people massacred—her children burned inside the monastery, her husband pierced with a spear in the chest, and she—taken as a slave.
Respect, modesty, and kindness was a concept of a different realm in the new world she found herself in. Clothes torn apart, made to stand naked before the crowd of buyers. No longer seen as a human being but as merchandise to be inspected—her black hair, her arms, and much more.
Thrown into a metal box with a dozen other women and girls, the journey quickly began. Was the sky blue outside? Was it dark outside? Was it a forest? Was it a dessert?—the box became her entire world, and her future appeared to be imprisoned within it as well.
But she found herself unable to blame fate because, just like her, a dozen more were huddling beside her. Some were as young as ten, and some had just gotten married.
Thump!
"What was that? I don't wanna go with them…" The youngest girl clung onto Lyanna for mental support when the sudden sound came from the carriage's roof.
Sadly, Lyanna found herself unable to offer comforting words to the girl. No matter what she said, their futures were already decided—made into prostitutes, entertainers, cleaners, caretakers, or just playthings for others. Wasn't that why most of the women selected had flawless skin and good faces?
Clank!
"...Traitor!"
From the outside, a multitude of voices erupted, and the convoy stopped. After that, a few more similar sounds reverberated until, eventually, silence prevailed. Scared and confused, the women kept themselves as quiet as possible, but still, a few sniffles escaped a few lips. It was beyond their control.
Clack!
The creaking sound of the carriage door's hinges came, and the women hastily huddled at one end of the box, even stepping on one another.
Soon enough, the twin doors swung open, and the glaring daylight flooded the box, blinding them all for a few seconds. As their eyes adjusted, they noticed the blonde-haired elven man. They felt no fear or comfort, as this situation was nothing new.
"You need clothes. Stay here."
That was all that the elven man said and left the door open. Soon after, the man returned and threw inside a number of garments, some of which were simple sheets of fabric.
"Wear them quickly. I'll wait outside. Be quick or more elves might come to take you."
Confused but too scared to speak a word in fear of the whip, they followed the order and wore the clothes within a few minutes. They weren't much, but covering the parts of their bodies they considered private brought them some comfort.
Afterward, the doors opened again, and the elven man spoke to them.
"Come out now. We must hurry to the west coast to get you all on a ship."
This time, Lyanna mustered some courage to ask what was on everyone's mind. "W-What will… h-happen to us… my Lord?"
"You're going home. What else? Be quick now. I'm Zohron of Alfia, by the way. I work with Prince Avanss, the brother of the elf King, Rathagun. Our King is against slavery, but some sects of elves endorse it and continue doing it."
Lyanna couldn't believe what the elf was saying. It almost felt too good to be true. Such miracles never happen in real life, only in fairy tales.
However, right then, another man appeared, and this one seemed human, and the miter on his head was very recognizable.
"May the Holy Light enlighten us, my ladies."
Once those words reached Lyanna's ears, tears came out in response.
…
Sylvester found no issue killing the elves responsible for transporting the slaves. Since it was one of the acceptable but still lowly tasks, it didn't attract high-ranking or powerful elves, leaving the transporters relatively weak.
He already smelled the fear and hopelessness of the women inside the box carriages and the men chained outside. So he gave them a small lie, which he hoped would turn into reality someday. Turing the elven King against slavery was possible with a little bit of familial persuasion.
"So you decided to help." Sylvester noticed Cardinal Bison appear when he gave the women clothes.
"You killed your own kind." Bison was shocked.
Sylvester scoffed, "As I said, it's a disease not bonded by one's race or religion. A good slaver is a dead slaver—just like goblins."
"But… they weren't slavers. They were mere transporters of Alfia." Bison pointed out, demonstrating his keen observation, an occupational habit.
Sylvester shrugged. "They may have been forced to do it, but nobody forced them to stab the slaves or whip them. They enjoyed their work, and I have a problem with that. Anyhow, If you wish to bring these humans back home, we need to move right now."
They had entered the goblin territory, and the nearest official dock was Hydra Bay. However, since it was brimming with activity, they were very likely to be caught. So they wisely choose an alternate course—to head toward the shoreline of the Goblin region.
The slaves were still in disbelief but followed the commands without asking any questions. They quickly changed their direction and moved the carriages.
They were hasty and, within a single day, were able to reach the shores. The beaches of the region, just like the forest, bore a dark hue. The sand had an unnatural dark green texture, and the waters nearby were very shallow.
"How many of you know how to steer a ship? From hoisting sails to steering the wheel?" Sylvester questioned the men among the slaves.
Every single one of them raised their hands. It was understandable since they were captured from coastal regions, where most people worked in the fishing industry.
"Good." Sylvester looked at Cardinal Bison, "Change of plans. You shall depart right away. I'll bring a ship here, and you will be their captain."
"Why are you doing this?" Cardinal Bison questioned since Sylvester's actions made no sense from an elf's perspective.
Sylvester chose not to answer and walked back into the forest. However, wasting no time, he launched himself into the sky with Light Steps and, from a reasonable viewpoint, looked for any pirate ships nearby.
'Too big, too small… ah! Perfect!'
Locating a suitable ship wasn't too difficult, given the highly profitable nature of piracy. So he aimed for a medium-sized ship and quickly approached it.
Boom!
He landed on the ship and greeted the dead men walking, "Hello there. From now on, this ship is under new management. Any questions asked will be your last words."
"Who the hell are yeh?"
Bam!
A tiny spark of fire left Sylvester's index finger and hit the long-bearded man in the head, exploding the skull like a watermelon.
"CAPTAIN!" The sailors cried.
Sylvester smiled. "I'm the captain now. Do your work and let me steer the ship wherever I wish to, or you will all die."
No words of revolt were uttered, and Sylvester took the wheel. He steered it toward the beach where the slaves and Bison waited. It only took him three hours to get the ship and bring it to them, but he couldn't take it too close to shore.
"All of you, take the boats and go to shore. The boat that reaches it first might live, and the rest will die." Sylvester ordered.
A simple trick and the men hurried in panic. They paddled the oars like mad men and raced toward the coast. They even used dirty tricks on their own friends to get ahead, throwing knives to injure each other.
However, the moment they all reached the shore, Sylvester mercilessly killed them with simple pallets made of metal. Pirates, in his eyes, deserved no mercy. After all, if a person in Sol could get executed for murder or rape, the pirates had done much worse.
Sylvester looked at the crowd of almost slaves, "Get on the boats and prepare the ship. You're all returning home."
The men and women didn't stop to thank him and frantically ran to climb the boats. Their minds could only think about escaping and returning to their homes.
At last, only one boat was left behind for Cardinal Bison. The man didn't rush to go and kept staring at Sylvester's face with a conflicted look.
"Hah, you may speak your mind." Sylvester laughingly said.
Thud!
Cardinal Bison knelt down on one knee and asked firmly. "My Lord, who are you? How did you get the ship so quickly? How did you move so swiftly? Why show such kindness to your enemies?"
Sylvester smiled and placed one hand on Bison's shoulder, and the other was raised to reveal his palm. With that, for the first time in Beastaria, officially, the rhymes of the hymns echoed. And with that, the halo shined, rejuvenating a few minds.
His voice was soothing to the soul, and the words he spoke made Bison feel whole.
When the time is right and victory's in sight,
We shall rise high, so will shine the brightest my light
Do not waver, do not sin, and never be cozy with night,
For the Lord sees all, you do not want to test his might.?
?Go, and search for the schemes that remain as hidden things,
Worry not of time, for it passes as a tune that the realm sings.
Create order and peace in a world so chaotically whirled,
Decide who we become—Creator of life or destroyer of world.?
Cardinal Bison smiled as if he had seen the greatest miracle in the universe. His cat-like eyes twinkled so vibrantly that one could mistake them for stars.
At last, he lowered his head to Sylvester's feet and uttered a few words. "I looked into the distance to find the Lord's light. How foolish of me not to realize he's already within sight."
Sylvester made the man stand up and handed him a big pouch of gold, which was his own. "Equally distribute it to them when you reach Sol. Now go, Bison, and take that woman too."
Bison looked behind and noticed a woman standing beside a tree with tears in her eyes. But her gaze had rage in them, and they shined crimson.
"Why didn't you come sooner?!" She screamed all of a sudden. "They took everything from me! My daughter, my son, my husband, my parents, my house… my life! Why must I suffer like this? WHY ME?"
"Silence, you foo—"
"No, Bison." Sylvester reprimanded the holy man. "Those tears are important, lest they lead one's mind discordant."
Sylvester walked closer to the woman, keeping the halo behind his head as he spoke in hymns. "Forgive this bard; he was too slow. What happened to you makes the realm's head hang low. Please, can you tell me your name, my sister? I will punish those who hurt you and acted so sinister."
The woman sniffled and wiped her eyes clean. "I-I'm Lyanna Baker of Oakley town… Your Holiness… I-I'm sorr—"
Before she could apologize, Sylvester softly embraced her in a light hug and caressed the back of her head with his warm hand to calm her down. That made her cry uncontrollably, wailing loudly, remembering the loss.
"The order has been given to kill all pirates, but I was too late. What's lost, I can not bring back, but I promise there won't be another Lyanna again."
'...Or Xavia.'
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