The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 68: The City of Desire and Despair (7)

Martin left Sien behind in the room and followed the butler.

Their destination was the fourth floor of the mansion.

Unlike the other floors, this one had only a single room at the end of the corridor.

Knock, knock.

The butler knocked carefully.

“Come in.”

A voice from inside responded as if it had been waiting for them.

Without anyone touching it, the door opened.

The butler, seemingly used to this, stepped aside.

“Please, enter.”

Martin silently walked into the room.

Standing in front of the window was the man known as the Lord of Beasts.

His physique had grown larger than when they had last met, but Martin wasn’t surprised.

After all, he and Sien had also altered their appearances using polymorph artifacts, changing their size and looks.

There was no reason to believe the Lord of Beasts hadn’t done something similar.

Click.

Once the door closed, the Lord of Beasts slowly turned around.

Like the Lord of Shadows, he wore a golden mask that covered half of his face.

“I am the Lord of Beasts,” he introduced himself.

Although his tone was different from when his mask was off, Martin responded without hesitation.

“To meet one of the most influential figures in the underworld is an honor. As much as I’d like to share my name, I must abide by the rules, so I ask for your understanding.”

“No need to worry. Since I made the rules, it’s only natural that I follow them,” the Lord of Beasts replied.

“Thank you for your consideration. But I must say, I’m curious—why did you summon me?”

“I simply wanted to speak with you. After all, I was intrigued by the man whom the Lord of Shadows himself acknowledged.”

“And now that you’ve met me, what do you think?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ve met countless people, yet none of them match you.”

Though the Lord of Beasts’ voice was calm, Martin sensed a hidden hostility.

He wasn’t trying to kill him, but it was clear he didn’t like him.

‘It’s not because he knows who I really am.’

Martin had long been notorious for hunting down criminals.

There were even rumors that the Lord of Shadows had fled after confronting him.

No rational person would believe that the Lord of Shadows would endorse him.

On top of that, Martin had completely altered his appearance with polymorph magic, changed his voice, and even adjusted his speech patterns.

Even the Lord of Beasts couldn’t possibly identify him under these circumstances.

So, the reason for his hostility had to be something else.

‘It’s because of him.’

Martin thought back to the man in the lion mask, certain now of his identity.

That was the only explanation for the Lord of Beasts’ sensitivity toward him.

“The continent is vast, and there are many people. It’s only natural that you don’t know everyone,” Martin remarked.

“You’re right. However, not many people cause a disturbance in my territory.”

“I apologize for the commotion. But I must emphasize that it was in self-defense. He provoked me, and I couldn’t just stand there and take it. Even so, I refrained from killing him out of respect for this place.”

“That was a wise choice. Had you taken it further, you wouldn’t have seen tomorrow’s sunrise.”

“Hmm. I’m genuinely curious now. Who exactly is that man? He didn’t seem like anyone important, yet he’s caught the attention of the Lord of Beasts.”

Rumble!

Before Martin could finish his sentence, an overwhelming pressure bore down on him.

However, he didn’t resist.

There would come a time when they would clash, but this wasn’t the right moment.

After all, even a dog gains the upper hand in its own territory, and this mansion was the Lord of Beasts’ domain.

Not to mention, he was currently stronger than Martin.

This wasn’t the right place for a confrontation.

Drip.

Blood trickled from Martin’s mouth as internal injuries began to take their toll.

Despite this, the Lord of Beasts didn’t ease up.

In fact, he increased the pressure.

“I won’t kill you out of respect for the Lord of Shadows. But I suggest you watch your tongue. This is the first and last time I will show you mercy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Martin replied calmly.

“Good. Now for my final point—sell me the dwarf and the elf. I’ll give you 100 more high-grade magic stones than what you paid for them.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. I bought them for my own purposes.”

“You realize you’re risking my wrath? Can you handle the consequences?”

“Not entirely. But I won’t go down without a fight.”

Martin slowly raised his right hand.

The Lord of Beasts remained silent, watching him.

‘Under normal circumstances, I would’ve killed him right here.’

He had issued an order, and yet Martin had openly defied him.

For the sake of maintaining his authority, he should have killed Martin on the spot.

But the situation was complicated.

He needed to be in peak condition to face Martin Adalbert.

“Let’s end this here.”

The Lord of Beasts finally withdrew his pressure.

Martin lowered his right hand as well.

“It seems I have no choice but to give up on the elf and dwarf,” the Lord of Beasts said.

“Thank you for understanding,” Martin replied politely.

He had already guessed that the Lord of Beasts didn’t truly want the elf and dwarf.

Or rather, he desired them but wasn’t desperate enough to fight for them.

If he had truly wanted them, he wouldn’t have put them up for auction in the first place.

The real reason for this confrontation was that the Lord of Beasts had some level of attachment to the man in the lion mask.

‘He knows he’ll have to deal with me eventually, so he can’t risk a fight here.’

Knowing that, Martin had been able to respond confidently.

“Thank you. Then we’ll be taking our leave now. I need to report that I’ve purchased the goods.”

“Understood. The items will be sent immediately, so make sure to receive them,” the Lord of Beasts replied.

Martin bowed politely before leaving the room with Sien.

‘Now, the real game begins.’

He had secured what he wanted. All that was left was to carry out the plan he had crafted before arriving here.

Since timing was crucial, Martin kept contemplating the best way to proceed from here.

* * *

After the meeting with the Lord of Beasts, Martin returned to his room.

By then, the guards had already arrived, holding the leashes of the dwarf Andrea and the high elf Solenne.

One of the guards spoke as soon as he saw Martin.

“We’re delivering the items to guest number 12. Here’s the artifact—pressing the button will activate the magic circle.”

“Got it. I’ve received them, so you can leave now.”

“Thank you for using our market. We look forward to your continued patronage.”

The guards maintained an extremely polite attitude, knowing that Martin had spent far more than the average VIP customer.

Once they left, only Martin, Sien, and the two newly enslaved beings, Solenne and Andrea, remained in the room.

“You’d be better off killing me, human. I’ll never make weapons for you.”

“I won’t grovel to entertain a human. If you have any honor, kill me now,” Andrea and Solenne glared at Martin and Sien with open hostility.

Had it not been for the magic circles and chains binding them, they might have attacked immediately.

Shff.

Martin removed his mask, revealing his true face.

At the same time, he used Omni Distortion to manipulate the air, ensuring that no sound from the room could escape.

Solenne and Andrea were momentarily surprised by his elven-like appearance, but it didn’t last long.

Their shock, however, deepened with Martin’s next words.

“My name is Martin Adalbert. Even as a dwarf and elf, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Adalbert family.”

“The Adalbert family… the rulers of the northern empire. To think that one of the three great noble families would stoop to buying slaves… you truly have fallen,” Andrea spat.

“Even in your disgrace, I assume you still have some honor left. Stop this humiliation and just kill us.”

“I understand why you resent humans. I don’t claim to represent all of humanity, but as the heir of the Adalbert family, I offer my apology for the atrocities committed by humans,” Martin said, approaching Andrea.

He reached out his hand, and Andrea closed his eyes.

‘At least this one has some sense of honor.’

As the heir to one of the three great noble families, Martin was equivalent to a prince. Surely, he would respect their dignity and grant a swift death.

Tap.

Martin’s palm landed directly on Andrea’s right shoulder, where the magic circle had been engraved.

He then activated Omni Distortion once more.

Vrrrmmm!

A large amount of mana surged into Andrea’s body, surrounding the magic circle.

If tampered with incorrectly, the circle would trigger an explosion. But Martin moved his mana with precision, completely undeterred.

Crack!

In an instant, the core of the magic circle was shattered by the power of Omni Distortion.

The glowing lines etched into Andrea’s collarbone disintegrated into dust and disappeared completely.

“W-what is this…?”

Andrea trembled in disbelief at the unexpected turn of events.

Martin turned and looked at Solenne.

“…No matter what you do, I will never follow a human.”

“I don’t care. I never intended to make you my slaves in the first place.”

Martin placed his hand on Solenne’s left collarbone and used Omni Distortion again, neatly removing the magic circle from her body as well.

Although they were still physically restrained by their chains, with their skills, both Andrea and Solenne could easily break free.

In essence, they had regained their freedom.

Of course, even if they worked together, they still wouldn’t stand a chance against Martin or even Sien, but they were no longer bound by the market’s control.

“Before I came here, I sent people to Altair Forest and Ranens Mountain. My goal is to rescue all elves and dwarves captured and sold in the slave markets, regardless of their origins.”

Among elves and dwarves, there was a system of teleportation devices that allowed them to communicate with their distant kin in other regions.

Given the small size of their populations, their sense of unity was much stronger than that of humans.

“I’ll send you home. When you return, tell the others from Altair Forest and Ranens Mountain that Martin Adalbert is not like the humans they know.”

“What’s your goal, human?” Solenne asked with a cold gaze.

“What do you want from us?” Andrea added, his face stern.

They couldn’t understand why someone would go to such great lengths, even spending a fortune to buy them, just to set them free.

“It’s simple. I want to build a good relationship with the elves of Altair Forest and the dwarves of Ranens Mountain. After all, we come from the same northern region, don’t we?”

Martin’s ultimate goal was the unification of the North.

To achieve that ambitious goal, he needed to secure alliances with both the elves and dwarves.

Andrea scoffed at his words.

“Humans have committed countless atrocities against our people. If you think saving us will earn our trust, you’re gravely mistaken.”

“I’m aware of that. Which is why I’ll show my sincerity in other ways.”

Martin grinned as he responded to Solenne’s challenge.

His next declaration left both Solenne and Andrea utterly stunned.

“I’m going to destroy the slave market here in Akela City. Specifically, the black market that deals in slaves. I’ll be using not only the full forces of my family but also the help of the elves from Altair Forest and the dwarves from Ranens Mountain. In other words, we’ll be comrades-in-arms. Don’t you think that after fighting together, they might start to see that not all humans are the same? At least, some of us are worth trusting.”

As Martin spoke with confidence, Solenne and Andrea could only stare at him in disbelief.

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