In the middle of a dense forest, usually filled with the sounds of animals, monsters, and perhaps of other creatures, there was a new, rarer sound being heard.

  Despite its density, a part of the forest was stripped of trees and other plants, creating a clean line in the middle. In other words, a road.

  The road was usually not being used, but this time, it seemed that the source of the sound was the road, and, more specifically, something that was making its way through it.

  That appeared to be right, since upon a closer look, several four-wheeled carriages made their way through the forest in a steady pace. In front of each one of them, there were creatures that seemed to resemble horses, but unlike horses, they were a bit larger, and their teeth seemed to be able to crush anything that dared to be in their way.

  That wasn't what caught the attention, though, since the carriages in the middle seemed to resemble cages, and each one of them was filled with people of different genders and ages. Despite the variety of the people in them, they were somehow organized based on several similarities between them.

  Making their way through the forest, the caged people looked outside their cages with longing and dreamful expressions, as if desperately wanting to get out.

  Despite that similar expression that all of them had, there were several of them that didn't have such an expression, with one of them being a girl who looked no older than 17 years old.

  She had long black hair and striking yellow eyes and unlike the others, she didn't seem that desperate to get out. She didn't have a dreamy expression on her face, but a houghful and troubled one.

  Still, that didn't mean that she didn't want to get out, since despite those aspects of her expression, her eyes were empty, and she seemed to be sad and depressed, probably due to the situation she was in.

  Still, despite her being mostly disinterested in looking outside like everyone else, she didn't help but glance a few times outside her cage. As if, just like the others, she longed for something herself.

  ***

  While doing some morning stretches, Thita couldn't help but think about his schedule. He didn't have any ideas on what to do, but that didn't stop him from trying to make a plan for the day.

  Leaving his room, after finishing his usual morning routine, he decided to head towards the center of the town, in hopes of gathering any important information. Any kind of information would make his adaptivity to this new world a bit more easier after all.

  Walking through the streets and getting closer and closer towards the center of the town, his gaze was suddenly drawn by a signboard at the side of the road. Walking towards it, Thita decided to take a look at it. After all, it might have important information about this world.

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  Glancing at all the notes that were pinned in it, he decided to start reading them, with the hope that some of them might provide him with useful knowledge.

  It didn't take long for him to read them and thanks to the blessing that Zero gave him, he could understand the unfamiliar words with ease. Thanks to that, he had completely understood their content.

  It appeared that this was some sort of event announcement board, which appeared to contain information about future and past events which will or have taken place in this town.

  Among the notes that were pinned, Thita's gaze was drawn to several of them, each one more useful than the previous one, since these ones helped him the most to understand this world's customs and what was considered normal.

  Despite all the others notes though, one of them stood out from the rest and caught most of his attention. With big words on top of it, the note said: "Amazing slave deals coming soon, don't miss out!".

  Being able to understand the meaning of he worlds, Thita couldn't help but be surprised by its content.

  'I see. I guess it is to be expected, considering the era of this world.'

  Reading the rest of the information that the note provided, Thita was suddenly brought back to reality by a nearby voice.

  "Excuse me young man, are you perhaps interested in this event?"

  Hearing the voice, Thita turned around to locate the source of it. Looking behind him, he spotted a man who looked no younger than 60 years old, staring directly at him with a gaze filled with interest.

  Not wanting to make him wait, Thita spoke to him.

  "Not exactly. I was just reading all of these events in case I find something interesting."

  As if Thita picked his interest, the old man spoke once again. "You shouldn't feel shame about wanting a slave to make your life easier young man. In fact, it is very common around here."

  "Is that so?"

  "Indeed. Ever since the crisis that our village had faced a couple centuries ago, it has become very common for people who struggle with the very day life to get a slave. In fact, I would recommend you to get one if you struggle too."

  After properly turning around, Thita spoke once again. "I see. Still, how can so many people afford to get one. Aren't slaves supposed to be a privilege only rich people can afford?"

  'I can't imagine owning the rights of a person to be cheap. Even if this is another world and it is legal to own one here, it can't be cheap to have a person who will do everything you want for you. Hopefully at least.'

  Hearing Thita's question, the old man chuckled. "You are right, but not completely. It is true that it is quite expensive to afford the good ones, but I am sure that even someone as young as you can easily afford the cheapest ones.

  You see, after the incidents that happened in our nation, the prices have dropped dramatically over the years. So if you ever plan to buy one, this is the best time."

  Hearing the old man's world's and hearing him speak about some kind of an incident again, he couldn't help but ask.

  "I am sorry for not understanding, but what kind of incident are you referring about?"

  Hearing Thita's question, the old man seemed surprised by Thita's lack of knowledge.

  "Oh, you haven't ever heard about it? It has been quite the tragedy and it is even written in history books. Even though, I have lived these events myself, thankfully, I was in no way near the center of the tragedy.

  Still, I can still remember the day that I heard the announcement. The announcement that a demon lord awakened, right in the middle of our capital. Oh, what a tragic time to live in."

  Hearing the term, Thita spoke once again. "Demon lord?"

  "That's right. The awaken of a demon lord is one of the worst thing that can happen. That's why we need to take measures to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring. It's no exaggeration, that we call demons the idea of evil after all."