NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 53
I had been trapped in this iron cell for nearly three days, pondering my situation.
After gnawing on this hard bread day and night, I finally accepted the reality.
As Korea’s top-ranked hunter, I was renowned, but now I was just Ray, waiting to be sold off as a male knight.
“Seriously, even the gods are too much!”
All the hard-earned wealth and fame from Earth felt so wasted.
If I had known this would happen, I would have splurged my money instead.
I was just foolishly grinding in dungeons without ever getting to enjoy myself.
It’s infuriating, truly infuriating.
But at least there’s one silver lining.
‘Thank goodness I won’t end up being treated as a slave for labor.’
My fate as a slave has already been decided.
A male knight.
The elusive creature that the depraved women of this reversed world desire the most.
At least my face is decent.
Even as a man without the blessing of mana, I awakened my mana and trained to mimic a male knight.
As a result, I’ve learned how to pull a bowstring and wield a weapon with a semblance of skill, and I also learned horseback riding. Now, I’m set to be sold off to the nobility under the pretense of a male knight.
‘If I get sold, I’ll probably end up as a trophy or a sex slave.’
Well, that doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
I’m not bound by the foolish ideals of the men raised in this place who hold virginity in high regard.
And those noble ladies who care about appearances and superficial etiquette—
There’s no way they’d want to lock me in their rooms all day and suffocate me.
Overall,
A life as a toy for a noblewoman sounds much better than being a labor slave forced to work until I die.
I’ve long since come to terms with my fate.
But the problem is:
‘Ultimately, it’s merely a temporary reprieve in a world destined to collapse.’
This world will eventually fall to the demons and monsters.
Having experienced death once, I dread the thought of facing such a horrific death again.
But it seems I will have to endure it once more someday.
The status window blabs on about my new destiny in this wretched world.
But what will it change to add just one male knight with tiny mana to a world that’s already doomed?
I felt my mood plummet.
Just then.
“Someone important is coming! Stop lounging around and move!”
One of the staff members rushed in and shouted.
At her yell, a staff member who had been dazed in a chair gradually stood up.
“What the heck are you making such a fuss over? I’m going deaf.”
“They say someone from Shianella is here!”
“Whether it’s from Shianella or not. It’s not like a direct blood relative has come or anything, so why—”
“The lord has come personally!”
“Say what?!”
The lord? The lord has come all the way here?
The usual bored women began to move in a hurry.
I watched them as I sat on the cold floor, sighed, and closed my eyes.
There’s no way someone of such high stature would come to buy a male knight.
I shouldn’t worry about it.
Thus, I closed my eyes and waited for time to pass as usual…
“Honored lord. Could you tell us the purpose of the slave you’re looking for…”
“Wait.”
I heard the voice of a woman I had never heard before right in front of me.
With her words, the noisy voices and bustling movements of people came to an abrupt halt.
I sensed a lingering presence and felt eyes turning toward me.
Curious about what was happening, I opened my eyes to look up at a woman.
She had silvery-white hair cascading down to her chest.
With her extraordinary beauty, she looked down at me with her emerald eyes.
As I met her gaze, I noticed the staff behind her looking flustered and helpless.
‘Ah. This must be the lord of this place.’
The staff’s reaction said it all.
Clearly, her attire was of a different quality, and the caution and dignity in her every movement proclaimed she was no ordinary person.
‘But why is a lord like her looking at me?’
Could it be that the lord has a fetish for male knights?
I don’t understand why she is staring at me so intently.
Wondering about her intentions, I returned her gaze, and she finally opened her mouth while continuing to gaze intently at me.
“This slave. What’s his name?”
“Do you find this slave appealing?”
“Cut the unnecessary fluff and just provide a brief explanation.”
The lord’s calm and definitive words shifted the demeanor of the staff member who had been eager to introduce me.
No matter how sweetly one tries to elaborate, it’s clear she wouldn’t be bothered to learn more.
“This is our most treasured slave, Ray. He is currently being trained to become a male knight in this seventh iron cell.”
“A male knight?”
The moment the words “male knight” escaped the lord’s lips, she finally pulled her gaze away from me and looked at the staff member beside her.
The staff, not wanting to lose this opportunity, explained breathlessly.
“Our Ray is a man who has awakened his mana. As a male slave with awakened mana, we’ve trained him with great care.”
“Oh? He has awakened mana?”
The lord stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“If he has awakened mana, he shouldn’t struggle much with any arduous tasks.”
“Of course. Thanks to the mana, he is significantly healthier and has better stamina than other men. If you were to purchase Ray, at least you’d be satisfied with his stamina.”
“Hmm.”
Whether the staff was trying to flatter her with a sly grin or not, the lord tilted her head while brushing aside her long hair.
As she scrutinized my appearance from top to bottom, I couldn’t help but draw a conclusion.
From asking about my stamina to examining my looks, this lord definitely has a fetish for male knights.
At the very least, if I get sold to this noble lady, it’s highly likely I won’t be a mere trophy slave, but rather her plaything.
It seems to be just as I thought.
“You mentioned you could be a male knight. Can I see your swordsmanship?”
“Of course not.”
As expected of a noble with a fetish for male knights; she wanted to check my sword skills.
The staff rushed to unlock the padlock of my iron cage.
As I was led out, I was whispered to by the staff.
“This is Lady Ainel, the lord of the Count’s House in Shianella. If you’re going to be sold, it’s far better to be sold to her than to other nobles. So act as convincingly as possible, got it?”
“…Understood.”
As I stepped outside the iron bars with the aid of the staff, another woman handed me a training sword.
As the weighty sword settled into my grip, I felt vitality surging back into my stiff muscles.
“Now, show me what you’ve got.”
“Understood.”
Ignoring the staff’s urging, I recalled the basic moves I had learned from this place.
I showcased a few flashy upward cuts and slashes.
Despite seeming lackluster, the memories of rolling around in that dungeon for years imbued a certain smoothness and sharpness into my performance.
But that was the extent of my swordsmanship.
Yet, even with such lackluster performances, Ainel seemed to perceive something.
With a careful gaze, she nodded at me.
“Is that the extent of your swordsmanship? Unexpectedly, your flow between moves is quite skilled. You could certainly pose a threat to common ruffians.”
“Isn’t that fine? I’m also proficient in archery… Would you like to see me shoot a bow? I’ll show you a much better performance than my swordsmanship.”
“No, I don’t think we need to see your archery.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“How much is Ray’s price?”
At Ainel’s question, the staff’s mouth curled into a smirk.
Seeing her so thrilled at the prospect of finally making some money, I suppressed a sigh.
What kind of life awaits me under this Count lady?
Given the situation, it’s obvious I’ll end up as the plaything of Ainel, the knight enthusiast.
Numerous branches of speculation sprouted in my mind as I pondered the future.
Once again, Ainel returned to stand before me with the staff.
“Can I take him right away?”
“Of course! From now on, Ray will be a slave of the lady.”
Ainel nodded at the staff’s words.
“If you want to look at any other slaves—”
“No, I’m only interested in one. I was planning to only buy one from the start.”
“…Understood.”
The staff licked her lips, clearly disappointed at the lost potential of selling more slaves.
Behind her, Ainel commanded me in a stiff tone.
“Follow me.”
Prompted by her dignified words, I lowered my head and followed her.
As I moved away from the cage I was trapped in, I would finally escape this tiresome slave market.
Living in that cold cage while seeing the same scenery every day, all of a sudden, the outside world felt utterly strange and fascinating. As I took my time observing my surroundings, Ainel spoke to me.
“Ray. From now on, you will be a servant of the Count’s House in Shianella.”
“…Yes.”
Slowly, I nodded at her words.
It seems Ainel harbors quite a bit of fantasy, not just towards male knights, but towards governing male servants as well.
“Ray!”
While walking down the corridor, reminiscing about the past, I spotted Shione standing at my door, calling for me.
“Princess Shione? Why are you here instead of resting comfortably in your room?”
“Uh… I noticed you were taking longer than expected, so I thought I’d come check on you.”
“Ah… Thank you for your concern, Princess Shione.”
As I replied, Shione stared at my face for a moment before breaking into a bright smile and asking.
“You seem deep in thought. What were you pondering?”
“Oh, about that…”
I could see Shione’s earnest concern, which made me smile softly.
“I was just recalling a few memories from the past.”
“Memories of the past?”
“Are you interested in hearing about them?”
“…I would like to. Can you share them with me?”
Shione’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as her cheeks flushed lightly at my smile.
I led Shione into her room, continuing our conversation.
“I’ll share the conversation I had with the head of the family, so let’s discuss in your room.”
In Shione’s room, I deliberately left out the story of the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony and chatted about other things.
I noticed her reactions changing expressively, which amused me, and we lost track of time in our conversation.
After that, a normal day continued.
Today, two days later, Siabel Shianella awoke from a long slumber.