第１４９０堀：奴隷さんたちの後ろはどうですか (Part2)
As I pondered this, Yayui raised her hand to ask a question.
"Um, putting aside inanimate objects, wouldn't a slave—being a person—be able to testify for themselves? If they claimed they were enslaved illegally, they could be rescued, right?"
"Unfortunately, there are countless slaves who use that very excuse. Especially those who have fallen into debt due to their own dissolute behavior..."
I closed my eyes as I stated this firmly.
Since these three were sold due to their own circumstances, they surely understood this all too well.
Hardly anyone becomes a slave by choice.
Naturally, they would try to escape their chains by any means necessary.
"...Indeed. I, too, was sold after being shunned by my brothers. While it was close to illegal, they fabricated all sorts of reasons... Are you saying that is why they attach such justifications?"
"That is exactly it. If I recall, Orelia, you were originally the daughter of a merchant house, were you not?"
"Yes. Due to the succession... they exploited my lack of experience."
It is a common tale.
However, in this case, it seems her brothers simply sold her off under the guise of repaying debts.
And such practices are recognized within the Alliance.
As I mentioned earlier, selling a family member to help a household recover from ruin is permitted.
It is the classic choice of selling one to prevent the entire family from starving.
That said, it is also frequently used to eliminate nuisances, much like in Orelia’s case...
I feel for her, but because such talent flows into Weed, one could argue it has been a boon for us.
Whether a day will ever come when the laws are reformed to prevent such things... that is a difficult question.
The notion that staying with one's family is always better is, perhaps, a sentiment held only by those who have known nothing but a happy world.
Some might even view being sold as a means of escape; it is a complex matter.
But, setting that aside.
"As you can see, even if one tries to investigate the origins of a slave, the traffickers interpose two or three middlemen to ensure the trail cannot be followed. Well, in truth, investigating how many slaves are actually illegal requires an immense amount of labor."
"That’s the crux of it. Nothing in this world is free. Even when human lives are at stake."
"As Master says, we who do the investigating have limited resources—time, and money. We have many other matters to attend to, which makes it difficult. The other side knows this, and they launder their goods accordingly."
"I see," the three of them murmured, nodding in realization.
"Even if we were to examine each person in detail..."
"We would have to purchase them first. Or, if we could gather information by speaking with them beforehand, that would be ideal, but how much weight can we place on a slave's testimony? They have likely been conditioned long before they reach us."
"..."
Orelia and the others remained silent at my words.
They seemed to grasp the reality of the coercion involved.
After all, if a slave were to say something untoward, it would not only diminish their market value but also damage the credibility of the merchant who brought them.
Simply meeting and talking to them would hardly yield the truth.
"Still, buying everyone is not an option..."
"It is not impossible, but buying them out would hinder our future relations with non-Alliance nations."
No, to be honest, given the Alliance's financial power, buying them all would be trivial.
But doing so would shatter the trust of non-Alliance nations.
They would feel that they were permitted to buy nothing, and that their interests were given no consideration.
"It’s a difficult spot. At the very least, it would be good if we could go and see what kind of slaves are being offered."
"That... is true. It would be somewhat better than seeing them for the first time at the auction... wait."
I had been responding to Master’s words, but when I felt something amiss and looked up, I saw Master already standing from his seat.
"Well then, let’s go take a look."
Ah, of course!
I must contact the site immediately!
Stolen goods are always scrubbed of their background—the "rear" is thoroughly cleaned.
The buyers are then none the wiser that the goods were stolen.
That is how a proper organization operates.