Chapter 5: The Master-Servant Engraving

Chapter 5

That wretched s*ave trader hadn’t even given Renki food, claiming he was going to die anyway. On that cold day, he’d displayed the child, barely clothed, at the very front to draw people’s attention. Even now, the thought made Hay’s teeth grind.

He had bought Renki for two gold coins, a sum equivalent to two million won. He still found it absurd to recall how the deranged s*ave trader, clearly seeing him as an easy mark, had demanded five gold. While five gold was cheap for a s*ave, considering Renki’s condition at the time, it was undoubtedly an outrageous price.

‘Back then, I even regretted spending that much, wondering why I’d brought him along.’

It was fortunate that he had . At that time, Renki could barely use one of his arms and was in such severe pain that he struggled to walk on both legs. His recovery to the point of being able to embark on this journey within three months was entirely due to Hay’s dedicated care.

Hay had gone to the s*ave market that day because he needed a s*ave to handle menial tasks, finding himself too bothered by such trivial chores. From making his bed when camping to laundry, cooking, carrying luggage, and all sorts of miscellaneous duties, everything felt tiresome. Moving alone also contributed to his loneliness.

For similar reasons, quite a few mercenaries traveled with slaves. Some even taught their slaves combat skills, utilizing them in battle. After all, a well-trained s*ave could become an excellent hunting dog.

One might wonder if a s*ave, gaining power, could turn on their master, but such a thing was impossible. This was due to the master-servant engraving. Slaves were controlled by their masters through a ‘Servant Engraving’ etched onto their neck or heart.

Masters could compel a s*ave’s actions using a ‘Master Engraving,’ inflict pain, or even cause their death. Furthermore, the engravings were designed so that if the master died, the s*ave would perish as well.

And that wasn’t all. The Servant Engraving was based on the rune character for ‘beast.’ This rune possessed a magical effect that made people perceive slaves not as ‘humans,’ but as property owned by someone—as ‘livestock.’

This meant that without even asking ‘Are you a s*ave?’ or checking for a Servant Engraving, anyone could immediately recognize a s*ave for what they were.

Nor was that all. There was also a reason why the engravings were placed on the neck or heart. In the past, slaves frequently severed their limbs to escape after the engravings were placed on their arms or legs.

If one dared to damage or attempt to erase the engraving, they would experience excruciating pain, as if their entire body were ablaze. Should they persist, the engraved area was designed to explode.

While there wasn’t *no* way to remove an engraving, it came at the cost of one’s life.

Renki bore his engraving on the back of his neck, while Hay’s was on his wrist. However, unlike Renki’s, Hay’s engraving was a rune character meaning ‘master,’ etched like a tattoo.

This rune, unlike the s*ave’s, imposed no hindrance upon the master. It merely served to bind and compel the s*ave they owned.

With Han Tae-hyun’s memories and way of thinking carrying over intact into his current life, this entire system was utterly repulsive.

Moreover, because of the engraving, if the master died, so did the s*ave. It reminded him of the gruesome ancient Chinese history where families and retainers were buried alongside a deceased king.

The only saving grace was that his current self had never treated Renki poorly enough to feel guilty. If anything, he had treated him well.

“Master?”

Renki, with wide, round green eyes, peered into Hay’s face. Lost in thought, Hay had unconsciously been stroking his head. Their eyes met, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

“How’s your hand? Is it healed?”

“Pardon?”

“Take off your glove.”

He was concerned about the hand that might have been injured during the earlier digging. Peeling off the glove on Renki’s right hand, he inspected it, finding no fresh wounds. However, the sticky residue of dried blood and fluid from an earlier burst injury still clung to it.

Hay channeled his spirit energy. Borrowing Kelpie’s power, he cast the spell.

A gentle surge of watery energy swept over Renki, from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes, cleansing every part of his soiled body. While his skill was too poor for a complete purification, considering the impracticality of proper washing on this journey, it was certainly better than nothing.

“Here, have some of this too. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

Hay took out some jerky and pressed it into Renki’s hand.

“Oh, I’m fine, really…”

“Fine, my foot. At your age, you’re always hungry, no matter how much you eat. Stop talking and finish it all.”

“What about you, Master?”

“I don’t need any.”

After seeing the corpses, he had no appetite. Renki probably felt the same.

Renki glanced between the jerky in his hand and Hay, then began to chew on a piece. Fearing it might be too salty, Hay also offered him a waterskin.

Renki didn’t eat all the jerky. After eating just two pieces, he pulled a scrap of cloth from his trouser pocket, wrapped the remaining jerky, and carefully tucked it away.

“I’m tired. Shall we sleep now?”

Just then, with the regrouping complete, people were starting to lay out their sleeping spots one by one. Though not everything was fully organized, it seemed they had decided to finish the rest tomorrow.

Renki meekly replied, ‘Yes,’ then turned his back and lay down on the bare ground.

Camping outdoors was common on long journeys to other cities. Moreover, the road from Mejitun to Nudan passed through no villages, making this their eleventh day of sleeping under the open sky. He longed to arrive quickly and sleep in a comfortable bed.

Hay lay down beside Renki. Renki was trembling slightly, whether from the cold or from the lingering pain in his not-yet-fully-recovered body, Hay couldn’t tell.

Hay let out a soft sigh and pulled Renki closer, embracing him. His body did feel quite cold.

The nights in the Kingdom of Cheapel were quite cold, and to avoid suffering from hypothermia, one had to share body heat with companions.

Around them, mercenaries designated for watch duty were being chosen, while others huddled together in small groups, lying close to share warmth.

“The ground’s cold, isn’t it?”

“I’m fine.”

‘Is he a parrot? Always saying he’s fine.’

Hay wrapped Renki’s body in his own cloak, using it as a blanket.

“Just bear with it a little longer. Once we reach Nudan, we’ll rest properly and eat something delicious.”

“I really am fine.”

His words about being fine went in one ear and out the other. ‘What kind of hardship is this for a child? He should be eating all the delicious food he wants and playing to his heart’s content at this age.’

“No, I want to eat it. When we get there, let’s have meat, lots of meat.”

Renki let out a soft chuckle, though Hay couldn’t tell what was so amusing. The crackling of the nearby bonfire was also audible.

The groans of injured mercenaries, soft whispers, and the footsteps of the watchmen patrolling the perimeter blended into a calming white noise.

Perhaps due to his exhaustion, sleep quickly claimed him.

“Good night, Renki.”

Just before drifting off, he recalled the last words spoken by the blond mercenary who had died first today. ‘I’m thinking of retiring after this journey.’ ‘Should I retire too? Perhaps I should buy some farmland and cultivate fields with him.’

“Good night, Master.”

Hay, however, did not hear Renki’s farewell, having already fallen into a deep sleep.

****

“Master, Master?”

It felt as if he had only just fallen asleep, yet a hand was shaking his shoulder, causing Hay to curl up and bury his face in his arm.

“Master, please wake up.”

Renki whispered urgently. Hay reluctantly opened his eyes.

“Why? I want to sleep more.”

Hay grumbled sleepily. In response, Renki pointed a finger towards a certain spot and spoke.

“Look over there. Someone’s coming.”

At his words, Hay forced his sleepy eyes open and sat up. It was just dawn, and in the distance, a group was approaching. Squinting, he saw it was another merchant caravan and mercenary company.

Rubbing his eyes and looking again, he confirmed it.

“Captain!”

The watchmen, too, seemed to have spotted them, as they dashed towards where Captain Cambern was sleeping. The commotion woke everyone, and they stirred, disheveled.

Hay ran a hand over his still-drowsy face and patted Renki’s shoulder.

“You go back to sleep.”

The people, having spotted the approaching group, began to murmur. Hay smoothed his messy hair, grabbed his staff, and shuffled towards the captain.

The captain, too, confirmed the group and quickly issued orders to his companions. As a precaution, the mercenaries grabbed their weapons and took up defensive positions.

The group approaching from afar also spotted their encampment and halted a short distance away. They seemed to confer for a moment, then one of them galloped towards them on horseback.

The man, with a sword at his hip, was clearly a mercenary. He scanned Hay’s group and spoke in a knowing tone.

“It seems you had a rough night?”

“Indeed, a very rough one,” Captain Cambern replied with a wry smile.

They exchanged a few words, then showed each other their identification tags, embossed with the mercenary guild’s emblem, to ascertain each other’s situation. Fortunately, they were also headed to Nudan, their common destination.

Ultimately, they decided to merge with their group. Of course, since Hay’s group was essentially tagging along, they agreed to pay a sufficient reward to the other caravan and mercenary company.

After the negotiations concluded, they shared breakfast.

“But why were you moving so early in the morning?” one of Captain Cambern’s mercenaries asked them.

“We scouted the area during our night camp and spotted a group of monsters, so we moved early to avoid trouble.”

“You too? That’s strange. The road to Nudan is known for infrequent monster appearances.”

That was one of the things Hay also found peculiar. The areas they had traversed certainly had monster habitats, but the creatures rarely descended to the paths people used. Apart from nearby habitats, it was known as a relatively safe route, so what could have gone wrong?

“Are we going with these people?” Renki whispered, tearing off a piece of hard bread and dipping it into the thin soup.

“Yes, they saved us.”

After finishing their meal, they quickly dismantled their camp and prepared for departure. Hay climbed onto the horse assigned to him, with Renki joining him.

With the two caravans and mercenary companies combined, they now formed a group of nearly 150 people. The remaining journey would take about nine days. Hoping to reach the city without incident, Hay hummed a tune.

“Hey, Spirit Master, you sing terribly!” an older mercenary from the newly joined company jeered with a boisterous laugh. Hay ignored him.

Renki, sitting in front, seemed to wince slightly. ‘Must be my imagination.’

Today, Hay felt a little better. The thought he’d had just before falling asleep last night—’Should I retire?’—resurfaced. It was worth serious consideration, though not immediately possible.

****

It took eleven days to reach Nudan, two days longer than expected. This was due to fighting monsters twice more along the way. Fortunately, this time they were prepared for the monster attacks, and the creatures were weaker than the wolves of Asteria, so the number of casualties was significantly lower. Eleven more people died, and twenty-one were injured.