19 – Potion #3
The execution of Commissioner Yuri takes place on the guillotine in the central square. The crowd stretches all the way to the square, one after another.
I tightly held Suu’s hand and followed behind the people.
“No, are there commissioners these days who attempt human trafficking?”
“They’ve lost their minds.”
“In the Labyrinth, no matter what happens, it’s not strange… But to openly engage in such acts.”
The adventurers cursed Glass for her crimes. There were even women who chewed her out, using foul language.
“They all have to die.”
“There’s a limit. Selling young boys as prostitutes? Once they become adults? Worthless b*tches.”
There was anger in their voices. They seemed genuinely disgusted.
The boys who came out with the women were intimidated by the hostile atmosphere. With fearful faces, they whined to their older guild sisters.
“It’s scary.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Sisters get mad when they see only bad people.”
In the Empire, human trafficking was almost taboo. It felt like something akin to child abuse in modern society.
It was not strange for the women adventurers to react strongly. It was rather a natural atmosphere.
“Quickly bring them here! Kill them!”
“Why are you hesitating like that?”
The central square was crowded with people. It was even more bustling than on the day the labyrinth opened.
I jumped up and down in frustration. I tried my best to see ahead.
But I couldn’t see anything.
I didn’t expect to feel so helpless due to my small stature. Suu, who noticed my struggle, lifted me onto a horse.
“…Do I have to see it?”
“If you can’t see, let me get off.”
“You don’t have to look. What’s important is Rei’s mental state.”
There’s no need to worry too much. I know my own mental strength the best.
As Suu rode the horse, I could see the square beyond the crowd. I saw a gallows that I didn’t know when it had been set up.
“Damn recruiters!”
I was witnessing a chilling sight.
The women next to me shouted in anger. Without realizing it, I felt my throat tighten.
“Selling off a boy because you have nothing else to do? Is that even reasonable?”
“And you call yourself a human!”
When we passed through the portal, we heard cheers of support. But now, everyone was screaming in madness.
If the glass didn’t arrive immediately, they would start a riot.
Fortunately, the glass appeared. It was dragged up to the gallows, covered in shards of cloth that resembled a spider’s web.
It looked like it had been severely damaged, far beyond what one could see from the outside.
“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”
“You son of a b*tch, hit him in the head!”
“Hit him! Hit him!”
There was no need for me to say anything. The people took care of the execution themselves.
The executioners placed the glass on the guillotine. The glass didn’t resist and offered its neck.
In a way, it was admitting its own crime. Or perhaps it knew that denying it would be pointless.
Thunk!
One of the executioners pulled the tight rope and cut it. As soon as the rope connecting the guillotine’s blade was severed, the heavy blade was pulled down by gravity and struck the glass’s neck.
In the blink of an eye, a person died. The glass’s head separated from its body and rolled on the ground.
“I’m glad I’m far away. It’s somewhat bearable when it’s small.”
Although I couldn’t see it, the people in the front row must have experienced the glass’s death in real-time.
“What a sight!”
“A person shouldn’t be like that!”
“Shut up!”
The citizens laughed heartily at the glass’s death. It was an implicit agreement that we should never sympathize.
Isn’t this a bit too much? I discreetly asked the woman next to me, but she looked at me as if I were a strange child.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“…Is it obvious?”
“Yeah, it’s obvious. It’s necessary to warn against even the slightest thought of being trash. It’s a warning even through humiliation until death. If you don’t want it to be like this, don’t even dream of doing anything bad.”
We can’t completely prevent accidents from happening. There will always be people who do crazy things, no matter where they are.
However, prevention can be achieved through execution.
If we can reduce the occurrence of an accident from 10 to 9, or from 100 to 99, even if it means reducing the number of incidents by just a little, we can save at least one more boy’s life.
“Be more cruel. Be more brutal. You can mock me as much as you want. Even if I appear to be a strange woman to a kind child.”
The citizens’ mockery of Glass’s death and their enthusiasm for the execution itself were efforts to save the boys who might one day fall victim to human trafficking.
It was not because they were mad humans who felt excitement or pleasure from people dying.
“…I understand.”
“I’m grateful if you understand.”
The woman who said that went against us and entered the crowd. It seemed like she wanted to enjoy the execution, soaked in madness.
“Shall we go back, Ray?”
“Let’s go check out the guild.”
Glass is dead. I didn’t feel particularly sorry for her.
The fact that she handed me over to the “Vanguard of Miracles” is a fact. I wasn’t the kind of fool to be kind even to those who harmed me.
I walked the streets with Sua. It was exciting to explore the adventurer guilds.
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
We also had snacks. Thanks to selling Sua’s coffee and receiving 1 gold, we could enjoy ourselves leisurely.
“Do you want to eat this too?”
“Can I eat it?”
“Of course.”
I ate even Sua’s portion.
“Ahem, well… Is it delicious?”
“It’s delicious.”
To be honest, I didn’t really want to eat it. I just accepted it without refusing because I could tell Suu wanted me to have it.
With seasoning smeared all over my lips.
“Ray, you’ve got some on your mouth.”
Suu discreetly wiped my lips.
I didn’t lift a finger. I entrusted everything to Suu.
“Thank you.”
“…For something like this…”
Suu’s lips curled up. Their smile looked foolish.
“Let’s go inside.”
The guild located by the main road. The emblem of an adventurer was engraved on the doorplate.
Knock, knock.
I lightly knocked and pushed the door open. There was no choice but to be drawn in as a Korean.
A tall hall, a small bar in operation, stairs leading inside, and a communal room on the upper floor.
It was a guildhouse with a typical layout. Labyrinth’s adventurer guildhouses rarely deviated from this form.
“Uh? Who’s there?”
As soon as we entered the guildhouse, an adventurer with a bewildered face looked at us. They greeted us with a big smile, saying they visited because they recognized the guild.
“Our guild, ‘Harvesters of Darkness’… that’s us…”
They went on to explain about the guild. It was mostly boasting about the guild’s advantages and traditions.
“And the location of the house is great. It’s close to the central square and there’s a bathhouse nearby, so it’s really convenient. And also…”
“Are you also joining the expedition?”
The woman who had been chattering away suddenly turned her head. Behind her stood a middle-aged woman.
“Master?”
“Step aside.”
“Aww, I’ve been explaining so diligently until now…”
“But you haven’t mentioned the important part. You’re just blabbering about useless things, really.”
In most explorer guilds, the master was a middle-aged woman.
Whether it was the “Vanguard of Miracles” or the “Solemn Blade,” the only difference was the atmosphere surrounding the master. It was clear that a middle-aged woman held the position of master.
Why? The question was not long.
They wouldn’t just let anyone sit in the seat of a guild master. In the end, it had to be passed on to an explorer who had proven themselves.
Show and prove. There was only one way to prove oneself as an explorer: by surviving for a long time.
Considering that, it was natural for a middle-aged explorer who had survived to take on the position of master.
A middle-aged woman explorer who had barely survived in a perilous labyrinth.
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Having experienced countless battles, the woman alone exerted pressure on others just by her presence. There was something about her.
She was very intimidating. Even though she had a seemingly kind smile, there was an inexplicable sense of pressure weighing down on my shoulders.
“….”
Swoo frowned as if he was thoroughly displeased. It was a different kind of frown from when he faced Verena.
Right now, Swoo was being overwhelmed by the presence of the “Harvester of Darkness” guild master. There was an insurmountable difference in skill between the two.
The discomfort that arose from that was affecting Swoo’s impression.
“You have a fierce aura. The burden you place on a young man is too great.”
The Guild Master of “Harvesters of Darkness” looked at me and spoke.
“I heard from behind just now. You’re looking to join a guild with that Suyeon?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand what it means to want to join with that Suyeon?”
“What does it mean?”
Regardless of which guild I join, Suyeon plans to form a party with me. There are no other boys who can handle Suyeon besides me.
But is there some kind of problem?
“Most Suin can’t learn skills of the Rogue class. Skills like ‘Detection’ or ‘Search’. Not being able to learn related skills means they can’t perform the role of a guide.”
“……”
“You’ve been to the labyrinth too, so you should know that a guide is essential to come back alive. Since Suin can’t perform the role of a guide, we need to recruit other members into the party.”
I understood what he was saying.
“If you’re saying you want to join alone, apart from Suyeon, we can accept you. We welcome you. But if you want to join with Suyeon… we can’t accept you. We can’t put our guild members in a party where death is almost certain.”
“……”
Upon the declaration of the Guild Master of “Harvesters of Darkness,” Suyeon’s body flinched. When I glanced back, her complexion had turned pale.
“R-Rae….”
The voice calling me was trembling with distress.