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The force of the blow sent Renki sprawling, and another kick was about to follow.
“Has he lost his mind?”
Hay waved a dismissive hand in the air.
The porter’s foot, poised to strike Renki’s back, was abruptly halted by a surge of
“W-what is that?!”
The elderly porter shrieked in astonishment.
As Hay approached them, the porter spun around, instantly breaking into a cold sweat and bowing subserviently.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Ah, my apologies, Spirit User Sir. My deepest apologies. This boy was simply being lazy, so I…”
“And does being lazy justify beating another man’s child like a dog?”
“No, I never beat him like a dog, I just…”
“What was that?”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant, Sir—”
“Silence.”
Hay’s voice emerged, chilling and low.
The porter, utterly at a loss, dropped his gaze to the ground.
For someone who was not the owner to lay hands on another’s s*ave without permission was an act of extreme disrespect.
Even beyond that, abusing a weak child was something Han Tae-hyun found utterly intolerable, given his inherent nature.
“Should the child sustain even the slightest injury from this assault, I will personally bill the merchant guild for the medical expenses. I’m certain the Guild Master would be absolutely delighted by that, wouldn’t he?”
“Ah, my apologies, Spirit User Sir! It won’t happen again! I’ll be more careful, I promise!”
The elderly porter broke into a profuse cold sweat at Hay’s words.
Part of him longed to kick the porter’s backside in return and repay every single head-knock.
However, as the porter was an employee of the merchant guild—their clients—Hay knew he had to content himself with merely intimidating him. Everyone was already on edge, and there was no benefit in needlessly instigating further conflict.
“Renki, once the adults place the bodies in the pit, you simply cover them with earth.”
After all, this was a pit meant to bury seventy bodies. For only a few individuals to dig it would prove insufficient, even if they toiled through the night.
While he felt a distinct reluctance to assist, purely out of spite for the obnoxious porter, he realized it would be better if he personally intervened to allow the infirm Renki to rest.
Fortunately, he still possessed a considerable amount of spirit energy.
“Thea.”
Infusing his mana, Hay summoned Thea, the spirit of earth.
The ground gently swelled, and the mound of earth coalesced into the form of a tiny puppy.
A puppy.
“……”
A puppy?
Why had Thea transformed into a puppy?
“Master, Thea… has become a…”
“I know.”
Hay cut Renki off before he could finish.
Despite his bewilderment, he promptly issued instructions to Thea.
She was to assist in digging the ground, conserving seventy percent of her spirit energy.
Thea barked excitedly, darting about nimbly like a dog thrilled to be on a walk. Though her pace was somewhat slow, the earth began to excavate itself.
“Renki, return immediately once you’ve finished.”
“Yes, Master.”
Renki bowed respectfully at the waist as he replied.
Turning away from his young s*ave, Hay found himself face to face with Commander Cambern.
“Thanks to your efforts, the task of burying the bodies will conclude swiftly. How did the injured appear to you?”
Commander Cambern asked.
“Those critically wounded will likely require at least three days of consuming healing water to make a full recovery. The others, however, need not necessarily partake; only those who deem it essential should drink it.”
“Ensure everyone is fully healed. The treatment costs will be settled appropriately.”
“Yes, I shall.”
“Follow me. It appears all the items have been recovered. We shall distribute them now. Take anything you find necessary.”
Following Commander Cambern, Hay observed a collection of items, recovered from the bodies by the porters, piled in a single location. Other mercenaries and merchants had also converged there.
They meticulously scrutinized the belongings and possessions of the fallen, their eyes darting, calculating what and how much they might claim.
The effects of the deceased now rightfully belonged to the survivors.
Occasionally, those with personal ties would deliver the effects to the bereaved families, but more often, it was the established practice in this industry for the living to divide the possessions of the dead amongst themselves.
Items deemed too troublesome to manage were sometimes simply abandoned.
One by one, people began to claim items of monetary value.
All coinage, however, was claimed by the merchant guild. This was not a monopoly; rather, a portion would be settled alongside their employment fees upon the safe conclusion of this journey.
Hay’s gaze swept over the accumulated items before he settled on and picked up a single dagger.
Outwardly, it appeared to be nothing more than a perfectly ordinary dagger, its blade measuring approximately thirty centimeters.
This was the very dagger a scruffy, blond-haired mercenary had found by the roadside on the fourth day of their journey—the same man who had feigned familiarity and struck up conversation from their very first encounter.
Hay recalled the mercenary boasting about having found something quite useful.
‘That blond man was the first to die today.’
He had died, his head completely torn away by a wolf.
Hay remembered the blood gushing like a fountain from the horribly severed neck, forming a crimson mist.
That blond man had declared, ‘I’m going to retire after this job!’—a pronouncement that had, tragically, led to his permanent retirement from life itself.
“Do you intend to take that? There are likely more valuable items available. If you’re perhaps unfamiliar with assessing blades, I can offer my assistance.”
Commander Cambern, observing from nearby, remarked.
“This will suffice.”
Hay politely declined, securing the dagger for himself.
He had no particular desire to select anything overly expensive or fine. It would be more advantageous to receive the remainder as monetary compensation later.
After all, he was no swordsman, and the dagger was merely for self-defense. He did possess a previous one, but its edge had chipped and dulled, rendering it in need of repair.
“Please provide the remainder in coin.”
“Very well, then.”
“I shall take my leave and rest now.”
“You’ve endured much. Ah, now that I recall, I was so preoccupied that I neglected to properly express my gratitude. Had it not been for you, we would have faced utter annihilation. The survival of even half our number is solely due to your intervention. My sincerest thanks.”
“I merely performed my duty.”
Hay shrugged his shoulders.
“On the contrary, I regret that I collapsed midway and was unable to save more lives. Most of them were, after all, your subordinates, Commander. My apologies.”
Though a touch clichéd, Hay adopted an expression of profound regret and bowed his head respectfully.
Commander Cambern appeared deeply moved by Hay’s thoughtful demeanor. He sniffled, then waved a dismissive hand.
“Your words make me even more indebted to you. Go and rest now.”
“Very well, then.”
Hay turned, returning to his former spot, where he sank down with a sigh, catching his breath. He placed the dagger and staff he had acquired beside him, then shifted his gaze, searching for Renki.
Renki was rolling bodies into the pit precisely as instructed. He appeared utterly unfazed.
Had he encountered corpses previously?
Renki, appearing entirely unperturbed, continued his task with a detached composure.
In stark contrast, several of the full-grown porters, unable to stomach the ghastly sight of the ravaged corpses, repeatedly retched onto the ground.
Amidst them, Thea bounded about excitedly, like a fish returned to water.
Originally, Hay’s spirits had manifested not as animals, but as members of non-human races.
Kelpie, the water spirit, had taken the form of a blue-skinned mermaid, while Thea manifested as a black panther-human, complete with ears and a tail. Yet now, Thea was unmistakably a puppy to anyone who saw her.
‘Is that a Shiba Inu? No, perhaps a Jindo dog…’
Regardless, she resembled a puppy with yellowish fur, much like a sweet injeolmi rice cake.
Hay furrowed his brow, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin upon them.
His master had once explained that spirits, with the sole exception of Spirit Kings and Supreme Spirits, were ‘incorporeal’ entities, lacking any true physical form.
He further elaborated that when answering a summoner’s call, they would manifest a physical form, but this appearance would differ with each spirit user.
‘The appearance of spirits reflects the summoner’s inner self. It could resemble something of the summoner’s personality, or it might reveal the summoner’s greatest desire. It can also mirror the deepest, most inherent nature within one’s heart. But how is it that both Kelpie and Thea are feminine forms for you?’
His damned old master had scoffed, saying, ‘You’ve just been born, and you’re already so infatuated with women?’
‘But for the spirits’ forms to suddenly change… could it be because I’ve remembered my past life?’
Having no other plausible explanation, he was certain it must be so.
If Thea was now a puppy, what form had Kelpie, the water spirit, taken?
Though there was no real need to expend mana, he decided it would be wise to confirm.
Hay raised his palm.
“Kelpie.”
As he softly called the spirit’s name, a droplet of water formed on his palm. The water elongated, coiling around Hay’s left arm and taking shape.
The summoned Kelpie was no longer a small, adorable mermaid, but a translucent, shimmering blue-scaled baby snake, so clear one could see through it.
“As I thought…”
Both of them had changed.
As Hay stared intently at Kelpie, she flicked her slender tongue, hissing softly, and tilted her head. She then slithered up his arm to his shoulder and playfully nudged his cheek with her tiny snout. It seemed she wanted to play, but Hay had no such intention.
“Sorry, go back.”
At Hay’s stern words, Kelpie seemed to pout, turning her head sharply before dissolving into a droplet of water and vanishing.
Meanwhile, Thea, having finished digging, scampered over and rubbed her face against his leg.
She should have returned once her task was done.
“What? You go too.”
Perhaps disappointed, Thea’s ears drooped, and she whined softly. She tried scratching Hay’s leg with her front paws, but when that failed, she sank back into the earth.
Perhaps because they now took the form of young animals, Hay felt a strange pang of guilt.
moments later, the porters, having finished burying the bodies, dispersed to their respective places. Renki also returned, looking utterly exhausted. His limping leg trembled uncontrollably.
“Renki, come here.”
Hay patted the spot beside him. Renki, his face pale, sank down next to Hay.
Not only his legs but his arms were trembling, and he was drenched in sweat.
“Drink this.”
Before him, Hay conjured
“How do you feel? Are you alright?”
“I feel like I can live again.”
The trembling in his body ceased. He definitely seemed to be feeling better.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, as always.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Hay had been providing Renki with healing water daily.
It was one of their established routines since he had brought Renki along, specifically for the purpose of treating his full-body burns.
Renki’s appearance, trapped within a cage in the s*ave market, had been truly horrific, unbearable to witness. Half his face and his entire body were scarred and festering from burns, his skin torn and bloody.
Though his previous owner had provided some treatment, keeping him alive, they had ceased treatment and handed him over to the s*ave trader, leaving him to slowly succumb to his worsening wounds.
He had been so weak he could barely even groan in pain, unable to voice his suffering, a sight so pitiful it was beyond words.
Others would not have taken this child, even if the s*ave trader offered him for free.
To make any use of him, he would first need treatment, and at the time, Renki’s injuries were severe enough to require two bottles of the highest-grade healing potion.
One bottle of highest-grade healing potion was traded for 20 gold.
Converting this to Korean currency, with 1 copper coin (1 kuper) valued at 100 won, 1 silver at 10,000 won, and 1 gold at 1,000,000 won, 20 gold would amount to a staggering 20 million won.
Considering that the market value of a healthy young s*ave ranged from 15 to 20 gold, and a beautiful child could fetch up to 30 gold at a brothel, buying a s*ave with so many defects and on the verge of death was utter folly.
Unless some deranged mage acquired him for cheap for biological experiments, Renki would have undoubtedly met a painful end in that cage.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, I Became a Vampire Girl is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : I Became a Vampire Girl
