Lucian
The ride on Narro was a lot smoother than I had expected. I had the cool wind flowing through my hair, the breeze rolling down my face just right, and that view—Ligera was mostly forest area and big bodies of water, giving it that earthly vibe. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ligera hadn’t just survived a war, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Rasani and my hometown. Except for that small section of land right at the border, which looked like the slums, or the Bronx.
I had to wonder what kind of technological advancements they had in Ligera. From what I’ve seen thus far, they didn’t have any cell phones, or television, or PCs… Not that I’d need something to distract myself—I had a full-time job of not only saving the world but getting every woman in these baron homes knocked up. Dragonlord Placidusax was just gonna have to wait.
As I rode behind Cai, we saw our target, Narro starting to descend a bit. The high altitude was something I had to get used to sooner rather than later, the oxygen in Ligera already a bit thicker than that of earth. My grip around Cai’s waist as she lead Narro down tightened, where I felt comfortable enough to lean my head over her shoulder. I wasn’t afraid of heights, just didn’t want my face stamped on Rasani dirt while we dropped. I could tell I was making Cai sweat, and it smelt like sweet vanilla off her smooth skin. Her body vibrated the more I breathed over her neck, and that grip she had on the reins locked in her rocking fists. I moved my cheek against hers, my fingers moving over to her belly.
“Sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable,” I confessed with a greedy grin Cai couldn’t see on me.
“N-no… it’s, um, fine,” she said, her voice higher than usual.
“That’s good to hear, because I didn’t want to slip off our ride.”
“You can continue holding onto me, Lucian…” her gentle voice said, or begged—eh, couldn’t tell which.
Ah, she was starting to heat up. I had to admit, I was rather tempted myself, but I promised I wouldn’t put the both of us in that awkward situation. I could tell she liked me. And I had a thing for my guardian angel as well. But with this stupid rule set by the sun spirit, I couldn’t have her as my girlfriend, just my sex partner—and that wasn’t good enough for me.
Once we reached the ground, Narro slammed his tails on the dirt, letting us know that we could dismount. I made my way down the rope, helping Cai down after. And after Cai unlatched Narro, she gave him a sweet kiss on the side of his pointed snout and sent that bubbly fella on his way.
We were at the border, where I quickly noticed the leveled view wasn’t as great as the aerial one. It made Rasani look like a third world country, from the dry underdeveloped terrain to the overcrowded space in shaggy looking houses. I took Cai’s lead, making it down the street, where merchants were selling all types of rotten looking food. This didn’t make any sense—why would the district heads allow a section of their land to run so poorly?
“The towns which are the furthest away from the baron’s manor are our poorest,” she started, “making it more vulnerable to criminal activities. The barons focus their manpower more on the rich. Unfortunately, that is what we’ve resorted to after the war two years ago.”
Did she have a superpower of reading my mind or something?
“We don’t take the risk in trying to save these untouchable towns, because the likelihood of shadow elps hiding here are high.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound very far for the innocent, does it?”
“We rebuild from the center and disperse from there. Those are the rules. The sun spirit established these rules so we can strive, Lucian. We will tend to all of our people when that time comes, but for now, we must tread very carefully. On foot, we should be at the manor in a little over an hour.”
“That’s great! Plenty of time for us to get to know each other!” I suggested, walking by her side with my hands in my pockets. “What better way to pass the time, right?”
“Um, right.”
Well, she didn’t seem as thrilled as I was about it. I remember Mira telling me that Cai was all business no play, but she could let loose with me, and I wanted her to know that.
We had a hard time blending in with the crowd with our gear on though, compared to the handouts everyone else was wearing. I took a good look around, absorbing the burning rubber smell, the hobos lining the street, and the black market we were about to approach on our right. It felt like everyone was staring at us as we passed, sizing us up and down like we didn’t belong here. I was the alien on this planet, but this was the first time I had actually felt like an outsider.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t,” Cai finally confirmed. “I don’t want to draw more attention to us.”
“Heh, I think these threads have beaten you to the punch. And like you said, those monsters naturally gravitate to me.”
“Regardless, don’t say things like that out in public. I don’t want anything happening to you, Lucian.”
“Please, stop! You’re hurting me!” A random call for help gravitated from my right, down at the black market we were steps away from entering. This territory had bad vibes all around, but when I heard that pitched voice call out, I just had to rush over to see what the hell was going on.
I weaved through the crowd in a hurry, Cai following me, where I noticed her hand stretched out trying to stop me from addressing the issue. And the issue was that this lanky tart-faced prick was beating up on this girl!
“Take off that stupid hat, you fucking whore!” the greasy looking middle-aged man cawed at her, grappling her down on the dirt ground with one hand, while the other held a whip against her. “I’ve had enough of your lip! You do as I say, now!” He growled. “No one’s going to want to buy a hard-headed bitch! If I need to beat some discipline into you, best believe I will!” His tone was harsh, but the vibe he was putting off was harsher. There was bitter blood between what looked like slave and slave owner, my eyes catching about three other girls sitting in the bench behind them.
They were just as fragile and meek looking.
I couldn’t process how someone could be so cold hearted, the girls clearly underdressed and undernourished. They were all covered in dirt and grime, blotches of fabric missing from their dingy oversized tunics. Around their wrists, cuffs, the chains all linked to each other, except for this one girl who was still on the other end of public abuse.
A blond haired, ruby-eyed petite looking thing, who looked like she was barely able to fend for herself.
The scene boiled my blood, but what was worse was that no one was bothered by it. The girl cringed and hung her head below her arms, coiling at the whip that threatened to graze her flesh. Another strike, this one pulling the chords in my chest in two. She whimpered, that bloody lash against her back pushing my heated steps forward. “Hey!” I shouted, ready to stand in between the two. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The man looked uglier up close, that crooked jaw of his grinding behind blackened lips. “And what the heck do you think you’re doing?” he snorted. “Mind yours, runt!” He shuffled to stand her on her feet, the girl practically shaking in his grip. Her face was beat red, with trails of fears hot on her cheeks. My chest sunk just looking at how terrified she appeared, my eyes jerking back to the middle-aged slave keeper.
“Only a coward would beat up a defenseless person. And only a monster would harm a defenseless woman.”
“What’s it to you? They are barely people at all, ha! Mere objects and tools sold in exchange for tokens and goods. And they are my property. I get to do whatever I want with my property!”
“If they have a soul, they also have value.”
He scoffed. “There’s no value in these girls!”
I froze. “No value? Aren’t you selling these girls for a profit?”
He narrowed his eyes on me, that dirty grin on him repulsive. “Why? Are you interested?”
I looked over to the girl, her eyes glued to me. I took a second to process that question over, while taking in her vulnerable state—her shattered breath was jagged, her toes frozen, and her posture weak. And still, she kept those hands of hers gripping the long bunny ears of her green beanie, the same hat her slave master was trying to get her to take off.
Those eyes… they were begging to me for help.
I looked over to the greasy bearded seller and asked him. “What’s the price?”
“Five thousand inlos.”
“Inlos?”
My head pivoted to Cai for answers, my traveling buddy taking two steps to me to reject my question. “Lucian, this isn’t a smart idea.”
“Just one sec!” I said to the merchant, taking Cai’s shoulder to the side. “Cai, that man is just going to continue beating her down. I didn’t see any marks of abuse on the other girls. But that one, I could tell, she’s been through some shit. We have to help her.”
“We are obligated to do no such thing,” Cai countered. “Lucian, those people are untouchables. The lowest of the low in class and rank. You should not associate yourself with their kind.”
“Cai, how can you turn a blind eye to violence?”
“I must consider priorities here, Lucian. While I don’t condone his actions, we cannot get involved.”
“Why don’t we just buy here so we can let her free?”
“Lucian—”
“Come on, Cai! I’d expect a warrior of the light, a right-hand knight to my father, to help this girl out! It’s what my dad would do.”
I left her speechless, because she knew I was right. And then after an unsettling stretch of silence, she finally admitted, “Five thousand inlos… that’s much too high for a peasant.”
You are reading story The Light Prince of Ligera: An Isekai Harem Series at novel35.com
“Well, how much do we got?”
“Barely enough for our trip already.”
“Don’t worry! Karma will find a way back into our pocket!”
“Karma?”
“You know, karma. In our case, if you do something good, positive energy will come back and reward us!”
She scrunched her face at me, like I was forcing her to do something she didn’t want to. Eventually, she broke, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips while she fished inside her pouch. She handed me over five coins—I assumed each coin was one thousand inlos. I gave her a beaming smile and thanked her, then walked back up to the merchant with his payment.
“Here, five thousand inlos,” I offered, the man looking over my shoulders to Cai behind me with a curious frown. He slacked his jaw and gave me a scrutinizing look before he accepted the cash, a low grunt from him emitting into my ears.
“All right,” he accepted, his dirty fingertips scraping the coins off my hand. “You get to pick one. It’s for yourself, right?”
I didn’t know why that mattered, but I nodded. “Yeah, she’s my purchase.”
“Good, cause I don’t want you puttin’ her up for an auction or anything like that. My girls are genuine,” he said, continuing to contradict himself while he made his way to the three girls on the bench. A red-head, and two brunettes. “Now which one do you want?”
I froze. While they were all in need of my help, I only had enough cash for the blond one. So I answered regretfully, “I was talking about this one right here, with the hat.”
She looked at me shocked.
“Arie?” he protested with a grin. “You can’t have Arie. She isn’t for sale.”
I furrowed my eyes on him. “Then why is she chained like the others?”
“Can’t you tell? She is the most attractive! She will bring in customers to my booth when she’s on display.” He went over to her demonstrating those assets, flipping her around to show me her heart-shaped ass underneath that tunic barely long enough to cover her legs. “You see that? She’s got a lot of meat on her. And my customers love meat! The more, the better. It means she’s ripe and fertile, her womb ready to be seeded.”
While I shamefully enjoyed the showcase, the merchant swung her front back to me, her face hotter than before. She was embarrassed, those full pink lips of hers quaking over her trembling fists. “Don’t worry, my other girls are just as good! But my Arie is my prize! Glorabell over there in the red can show you a good time, though.”
“If I had enough money, I would buy all of them from you.”
“Haha! A real horn dog, arencha?”
“You have a funny way of showing Arie that she’s important to you. Whipping her to the point where she sheds flesh and blood. I want her, and her alone.”
His face went rigid on me quick. He seemed offended, but I wasn’t messing around anymore. He knew I was after Arie—I had never mentioned any other girl but her. He was just being selfish, wanting to abuse her some more. All because of her refusal to take off her hat. “Like I told you before, she is not for sale.”
“Everything has a price,” I started, giving him a more hostile tone. I got in his size, my frame towering over him. “Just name one, or I’ll pick.”
“You tryin’ to start something, shitface?” he growled. And soon, I felt Cai moving closer to me. The merchant dodged his eyes away from me for a second, his face gradually growing pale. His eyes were on Cai, and I had to suspect she reached over for her bow and arrow, ready to defend our position.
More like ready to defend me, honestly.
Cai was possessive, and serious about my protection since getting me to the mother spirit in one piece was vital for Liger’s survival.
The grimy man dropped his shoulders with a grunt, taking a step back before he demanded, “ten thousand inlos.”
“What?” I cried. “You just said five thousand!”
“That’s the price for the regulars. Arie is special, so she gets a special price,” he grunted. “Take it or leave it. I’m not backing down on that price. It’s final.”
I turned to Cai, who had her hand over her head, ready to unleash her bow on him. She awaited my instructions, that gaze I had on her telling her to cough up that extra change. I felt terrible for it, because she had already disagreed with saving this girl for five thousand. She bit her lips, trying to hold her tongue back before she fished for more cash.
“Here,” I said, taking the money from Cai and offering it to him, again! “Now make with the keys and uncuff her.”
The greasy bearded man snickered, taking Cai’s money again before stuffing it in his pocket. “You must be some type of rich girl from Raito. I’ve never seen you before,” he said, his words directed to Cai. “Hell, since you have so much money, how about we up the price to fifteen thousand? Seeing as you want her so badly.”
I glared at him, curling my hands into fists.
“Look, I’m not going to pry into whatever fantasies you two have planned for her, but I’d be stupid not to—” I snatched the next words right out of his mouth, grabbing him by the collar with my fist cocked back.
“Hustling us wasn’t part of the deal, shithead. We gave you your ten. Give us the girl. Now!”
He gave me a mean grill, his eyes starting to light up on me. Burning yellow, bright enough to blind me. I had almost forgotten that everyone here had the power of light. And here I was threatening a guy who could take me out with laser beams.
“I wouldn’t,” Cai threatened. “Disengage now, or I won’t hesitate to unleash an Armageddon on this entire illegal trade market.
Uhhh, did Cai just promise to blow up an entire town for me?
I was flattered, and the guy was rattled, that look in Cai’s eyes meaning business. I released him, the prick’s glower on me the entire time. He worked slowly as he unbound Arie. But once those chains were off, she quickly stumbled over my feet.
“Come on, girls,” he ordered, moving his booth elsewhere.
Shit, that fucker left me with a bad taste in my mouth, but at least we managed to save one, the one who appeared to be getting more of the abuse from his trade. I bent down, helping Arie up as she wept, my eyes looking down at her chafed wrists.
“Hey, sorry you had to see that. I wasn’t going to—”
“Thank you!” she cried; her voice cracked but high pitched. And just when she was about to hug me, Cai intercepted.
“You’re not allowed to touch him!” Cai commanded, standing in between us.
“I-I-I-j-just wanted to say thank y-you…” she stuttered.
“You are welcome. But our job is done here.” Cai turned to me. “Lucian, we need to go, now.”
“What? We can’t just leave her here! She probably has no place to go.”
“Lucian, she is an untouchable! And because she is in the exposed sections of the district, the possibility of her being a shadow elp is high.”
“She doesn’t look dangerous to me,” I said gullibly, knowing first-hand how crafty those shifting shadow elps can get.
Cai looked at me astonished, baffled by my ignorance. But this warrior of the light was serious, reaching in her pouch for the third time, eager to get rid of this slave girl. “Here,” Cai said, turning to the blond slave girl, dangling a coin over her open begging hands. “Take this and leave us alone.”
“P-please, can’t I c-c-come join you?” she begged desperately.
“No. You have some currency, now please go.” Cai was upset, the angriest I’ve seen her…