Chapter 5: The Price of Freedom

The first thing I did upon returning to my room was open the storage box by my bed.

Inside, I found a rusty key. Then, I bent down to the floor beneath the bed, fumbling until I laboriously pried up a loose floor tile.

Beneath the tile lay a metal box, my most secret possession in this house.

Carefully, I retrieved the box, found the keyhole, and unlocked it with the key I had just found.

“Click—”

What greeted my eyes was a pile of glittering, heavy objects.

Gold coins, or “Gold Dragons” as they were known in this world. These were circular metal currencies, each side embossed with the lifelike body of a dragon.

Weighing approximately eight grams, their purity was around ninety percent.

In this world, where metallurgy was not yet advanced, such coins typically appeared only in large-scale commodity trades, land purchases, or the payment of heavy taxes.

Having once studied the commercial knowledge of this world, I recalled that one Gold Dragon could be exchanged for twenty Silver Wolves, and one Silver Wolf for twelve Copper Hawks.

Copper Hawks were the most common currency for transactions; a single loaf of black bread cost one Copper Hawk. While prices might fluctuate during famine, a simple conversion based on current conditions revealed that Lulona had been sold here for twenty Copper Hawks.

I meticulously counted the currency within the metal box.

“Twenty Gold Dragons.”

This was my entire life’s savings, painstakingly accumulated over the years through frugality in the Lord’s manor. A small castle, for instance, might only cost five hundred Gold Dragons.

For a farmer, however, who had to pay land taxes and cover living expenses with most of their output, the annual accumulated income was merely five to ten Silver Wolves. Thus, this sum represented almost half a lifetime’s savings for an ordinary farmer.

Originally, I had planned to use this money to purchase land and livestock, living out the rest of our lives free from worry once Lulona and I had obtained our free citizen status.

But now, it seemed impossible. After today, Lulona might be forced onto a sailboat bound for Moon Isle.

I had to propose something I had contemplated for a long time to the Lord tonight—

To redeem Lulona and myself!

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered simply taking the money and fleeing with Lulona, as that would save a significant number of Gold Dragons.

However, Coldwind Territory was, after all, the domain of the Viper family, riddled with the Lord’s informants. With just the two of us, we would likely be captured within a single night.

It was better to directly use some Gold Dragons to secure our legal status as free citizens.

‘I hope the Lord will not refuse my offer.’

As I tucked the Gold Dragons into my pocket, my previously anxious heart settled, and I couldn’t help but fantasize about the days after we gained our freedom.

‘Then, I will definitely buy Lulona a large house with a courtyard.’

“I refuse.”

My mind went blank when I heard Lord Axas’s reply.

Looking up at the Lord, who sat high upon his throne, I momentarily forgot my manners and blurted out, “Why? These Gold Dragons are far more than the price we were originally sold for!”

From the black iron throne, Lord Axas’s gaze was like the cold, authoritative, and sinister eyes of a snake.

“My steward, these Gold Dragons may be wealth you painstakingly accumulated, but to me, they are merely the tax from a few more merchants. Of course, that is not the primary reason for my refusal. The real reason I am unwilling to trade with you is…”

His hoarse voice suddenly deepened.

“You have betrayed my trust!”

“What?” I was utterly bewildered.

“Do you truly believe I am unaware of your relationship with Lulona?”

Lord Axas stared intently at me, his deadly gaze seemingly able to penetrate all secrets. “‘I will treat her as my daughter,’ ha ha… what touching words. I never imagined that an eunuch like you would harbor such delusions of family.”

In that instant, I felt as though I was being watched by a venomous snake, every hair on my body standing on end.

‘How could he know about this, too?!’

‘Just how many informants does this man have?!’

Lord Axas spoke coldly, “Everyone has selfish desires, and I can understand that. However, loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty. As the chief steward of Coldwind Manor, you should know how many people covet your position. Did you not climb to this rank precisely through your absolute loyalty?”

“When you first suggested replacing Lulona with someone else, it was a display of selfishness triumphing over loyalty. Given that it was your first offense, I could tolerate it. But I never expected you to fail to learn your lesson, allowing selfishness to once again usurp loyalty, daring to disrupt my plans…”

“Betrayal and failure are two things I cannot tolerate. Do you think I would make a deal with someone who has betrayed me?”

At this moment, I felt as if a viper had constricted my throat, leaving my body cold and rigid. I had not realized Lord Axas knew everything, nor had I comprehended the terrifying extent of his possessiveness.

He was as terrifying as a venomous snake!

“Since you desire freedom, I shall grant you freedom then… Take your Gold Dragons and leave.”

I suspected I had misheard, but before I could rejoice, a cruel smile suddenly appeared on Lord Axas’s lips. “As for the cost of your redemption, let that daughter you care so much about pay for it.”

“What?” A terrible premonition surged within me. “My Lord, you jest. Where would that child ever get so much money?”

Lord Axas said nothing, merely offering me a deeply meaningful smile.

I understood instantly, almost scrambling to his feet. “No, no, no, no, no—don’t! Give me a chance! Give me a chance! I will prove my loyalty again!”

“Just trust me one more time, trust me once more, I can do anything for you! Anything!”

“Please don’t send her there, absolutely not, absolutely not—”

I knew I must look hideous at this moment, but I couldn’t help it, truly I couldn’t. If that child, Lulona, were truly sent to such a place, her life would be utterly ruined.

I could not let her suffer such a fate, absolutely not!

“How interesting. I never imagined a broken man like you would possess such feelings.”

Lord Axas observed me with playful amusement, as if looking down at a dog. “When you first proposed castrating yourself to prove your loyalty, you certainly surprised me once. Now, you surprise me a second time. Very well, I can offer you a chance. As long as you are willing to do it, I can ensure that ‘daughter’ you cherish so much does not go to Moon Isle, nor to my wife’s ‘Red Brothel’.”

Upon hearing this news, my entire body went weak with excitement. However, I quickly noticed Lord Axas’s sinister smile.

He grabbed me, lifting me up, and whispered something into my ear.

My expression shifted from initial shock to terror, and finally, to pure dread. I feared Lord Axas’s madness, my own fate, and even more so…

This terrifying world!

I was released, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness from the entire world left me collapsing onto the ground. My body was powerless, and my heart followed suit.

Despairing powerlessness.

I could only tilt my head slightly, gazing up at that person, high and mighty, watching power and authority reign supreme.

“So, are you truly willing to abandon your status, wealth, future, and even your last shred of dignity as a man, to become that person’s lover?”

Lord Axas’s mocking and insane gaze nearly suffocated me. “Forget it. It’s not too late to regret now.”

‘I give up…’

A voice within me seemed to whisper these words. Yet, those three words remained unspoken, stuck at the tip of my tongue.

My mind was a chaotic mess; the past, the present, and the future of this world churned my thoughts into a muddled paste. What should I do? What should I accomplish? Why should I do it?

Was a little girl with no blood relation worth so much sacrifice? With these twenty Gold Dragons, I could support countless such little girls! ‘Every man for himself,’ they say, so what if I’m selfish? Who could blame me?

Why must I be the one to sacrifice?

“Why…”

“Why must it be her…”

“Hmm?”

Lord Axas seemed not to have heard clearly, his voice tinged with disappointment. “Are you truly planning to refuse?”

“No, please, My Lord…”

I bowed my head deeply to the ground, kneeling, utterly deferential. “For my daughter, I will do anything.”

In my heart, a thousand voices echoed these words.