第１１５４堀：世界の醜い所 (Part1)
Chapter 1154: The Ugly Side of the World
*Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions.*
The Ugly Side of the World
Side: Yuki
A slave.
A slave is a person who, while human, is treated as an object of ownership—in other words, property.
They are individuals denied their honor, rights, and freedom as human beings, handled instead as the possessions of others.
This is a passage found in a certain famous online encyclopedia.
The social system that permits this is known as slavery.
Well, such a system was officially condemned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948 on Earth.
Was it Article 4?
To put it another way, that very fact proves that even on Earth, slaves were considered necessary and slavery was a reality.
Yes, it was a structural necessity of society, a class that was taken for granted.
The existence of these slaves—while I wouldn’t go so far as to say the miserable plight depicted in common stories is rare—often functioned as a safety net, a form of trade that allowed villages and families to survive.
In other words, since they were purchased for a fair price, they were generally treated according to that value.
However, there are many exceptions. The most prominent among them are illegal slaves.
Because they are illegal, they receive no legitimate treatment.
This is likely what is generally recognized as a "slave" in modern society.
The "slave" trade that took place in the old Weed—or rather, the one that still exists now—is more akin to a job placement center in Japan.
That is precisely why I had visited my acquaintance Asu’s shop with peace of mind, but...
"Hurry to the hospital and call a doctor! And send a request to the Adventurer’s Guild for healers! I’ve already cleared it with them, so they should send someone over!"
The one shouting at his clerk in front of the shop was Asu, the slave merchant.
He seemed to be in a state of extreme agitation.
If he was calling for doctors and healers, it meant there were significant casualties, yet I saw no such people in his immediate vicinity.
For now, I decided to ask what was going on.
"You seem busy, Asu."
"My apologies. Customer, I’m in a hurry right now—wait, Yuki-sama!?"
"Never mind that. Where are the injured? We can provide some level of stabilization. In the worst case, I can call Rurua."
It depends on the severity, of course, but generally, if I call our household’s saint, we can at least prevent them from dying.
"Regardless, take me to the injured."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Asu was surprised, but he didn’t waste time with useless greetings or bowing; he knew me well enough by now.
He immediately began leading us.
Of course, he had already finished giving instructions to his subordinates.
"So, what happened? Did you get attacked by bandits on your trade route?"
I asked for the details while we walked.
Although Asu deals in slaves, he is originally a merchant who trades in general goods.
More accurately, as a Weed-authorized merchant, I have tasked him with selling such daily necessities to villages that don't generate much profit.
With the spread of Weed’s gate technology, traveling merchants have actually stopped visiting these villages as often.
Well, it hasn't dropped to zero, but the numbers have decreased significantly.
After all, it’s more profitable to trade with merchants from other continents who come to Weed than to go out of one’s way to some remote village.
However, this leaves the villages without access to outside goods, making it difficult for them to function.
In some places, they rely entirely on traveling merchants for absolute essentials like salt, so there is a real possibility that such villages might vanish.
One could argue that this is simply natural selection, but it’s problematic if people start saying it’s Weed’s fault, so I’ve reminded the major powers of each continent not to forget to support these villages.
There is a possibility that new tourist spots or local specialties might emerge, and beyond that, these areas might be linked to the mana depletion phenomenon; letting them wither away could lead to a worsening of the situation.
That is why I have Asu putting in the effort to continue those trade routes.
For that purpose, I provide him with conveniences as a Weed-authorized merchant, but this continent is a world where monsters and bandits run rampant.
While the stabilization of various nations has increased the number of patrolling soldiers and improved safety on major roads, the narrow paths leading to individual villages are, as expected, still lacking.
That is why I assumed the reason for the severe injuries was a trip to one of these villages.
And if I was the one who requested it, it wouldn't be right for me to do nothing.
As for Asu’s answer to that...
"Yes. No. It is true that we were attacked by bandits, but that wasn't a problem because we had adventurers dispatched from Weed acting as guards. However, we rescued some illegal slaves that those bandits were holding."
"So that’s it..."
"Yes. They are in a truly horrific state. Under normal circumstances, they would have already died, but fortunately, there was a healer among the adventurers, so they are barely clinging to life."
"Which bandit group was it?"
"I don't know. We prioritized the lives of the slaves above all else. Even so, we transported the bandits' remains and their cargo here for inspection, and they are currently waiting in front of the gate."
"Understood. Let’s hurry. Everyone, you’re with me?"
"Yes!"
Labyris and the others seemed to understand the emergency, and they immediately began to run.
There are emergency healers and doctors at the gate, but Asu had clearly judged that they wouldn't be enough.
Wondering just how bad the injuries were, we arrived at the gate, where a massive crowd had gathered outside the entrance to Weed.
"What’s the status of the request!"
"We’re contacting the hospital now. Asu-sama, the head of the merchant guild, is also requesting help directly, so they should be here soon!"
"Send a signal to the military headquarters as well; their response time should be better!"
"Understood!"
Even the goblin military personnel guarding the gate were gathered and dealing with the situation in full force.
If even the military is panicking, the injuries must be truly dire.
We headed straight into the center of the crowd.
"I’ve brought a healer!"
Hearing Asu’s voice, gazes naturally converged, and the crowd parted.
There were certainly some who looked at us with suspicion, but more than that, I saw people here and there crouching down and vomiting.
Hey, hey. Just how grotesque is this?
"Over here... Yuki-sama!?"
"Yeah. I happened to run into Asu. While I examine them, call Rurua and Elju. Judging by the carnage around here, it sounds like it’s quite severe."
"Understood. I’ll make the call!"
"Wait. I will handle that. A direct line is better, isn't it?"
"That’s true. Labyris, I’m counting on you. You lot, gather the people who are vomiting and move them elsewhere. Also, set up tents to secure a place for treatment."
"Yes, sir!"
I walked straight into the center of the commotion and...
"Tch."
"This is horrible."
"Hmph."
"..."
I couldn't help but click my tongue. Shera covered her mouth, Dressa looked absolutely furious, and Aslin and the others stood frozen, unable to say a word.
For there, a woman—I assume she was a woman—lay with more than half of her hair forcibly torn from her scalp. Her right arm was gone, her left arm was bent at impossible angles, and her fingertips were in the same state.
Her right leg was missing from the thigh down, and her left leg was cleanly severed at the base.
Both of her breasts had not been sliced by a sharp blade, but rather hacked away with something incredibly dull; though some attempt at cauterization had been made, the wounds were a mangled, horrific mess.