We began our investigation immediately. The sun now had sunk completely, allowing shadows to appear all over the encampment. Naturally, it gave Felicia a lot more freedom with her Shadow Melt spell. She should be able to sneak into the ogre's cell with no problem whatsoever.

I, on the other hand, socialized around with the mercenaries on camp, asking about the ogre and their boss. There were also the other slaves, who were a lot more obedient to their master compared to the ogre.

The result of my investigation was thus:

1. Fatso's name was Eliot Crandis. He was a wealthy merchant who operated mainly on the Demon Continent, trading between the seven human city states as well as Ixon. He dealt in all sorts of merchandise, from mundane stuff like carpets made out of the fur of red panthers (a monster native to the Demon Continent), to magic tools like a self-writing feather pen, and of course, slaves as well. Even now, two of the wagons were carrying slaves. Their accomodation was less than humane in modern Earth standard, being held in cages, made out of mithril nonetheless. Though I imagine that in this world, having your slaves being carried around in cages are the standard.
2. Other than that unpleasant fact,  he's generally an amicable guy. The only problem was that he was an awful cheapskate. He would throw a fit whenever any of his merchandise went missing, ranting and even beating up the slaves in charge of it.
3. The ogre's name was Orluk, and his crime today was stealing some medicine from one of his master's many carriages. And apparently, he did it to heal one of the other slaves, who had been sick for days. He's currently being held in a cage at the far end of the camp. I couldn't get close since there are like ten guards standing guard around it.
4. The mercenaries had barely any sympathy for either the ogre or the sick slave, citing their inhuman endurance. Some even said that the sick slave was just faking their illness, so they would be exempt from their duty of pulling the heavy carts.
5. The other slaves were more sympathetic to Orluk and the sick slave, but none of them thought it was a good idea to steal from their master. In fact, they felt Orluk should start learning his place as a slave and stop angering their master with his attitude.

In short, even though merchant guy was no saint, no one here really liked the ogre either.

Damn, I feel bad for him. It's one thing to be mistreated by your superior, but to be disliked by your other, fellow slaves as well…

Now, to wait for Felicia's report. In the meantime, I'll play the cordial guest.

--------

Felicia

Hmph, if my Lord wishes it, then it shall be done. Even if he only wishes it to satiate that buffoon of an elf’s imbecilic sense of justice.

...No, he does want to know more about the slave as well. I can see it in his eyes. He’s not doing this just because of her.

I’m glad you agree, Milord. I too don’t like what’s being done to him. If I was my old self, I would’ve turned all these cruel people into zombies.

But now, we shall do it your way, Milord — the sneaky, bothersome way.

As I saw Milord walk around the camp, chatting up conversations with the residents of the camp, and with the big master himself, I was free to observe around unobstructed. The imbecile elf on the other hand was content on standing on her own corner like a lost puppy. Good. If she’s too dumb to even accept the fact that Milord and I are far more capable than she could ever be, then she should just go take a hike and get eaten by the first monster that saw her.

Now, to wait until the sun completely vanishes from the horizon, which should just be in a few minutes.

…

And there we go. It’s gone.

And with it, the shadows can come out to play at last.

My eyes wandered to the wagons. Then, to the hired goons. They were now starting a bonfire, and hanging on top of it, was a dead monster boar. They were readying themselves for dinner. Even so, the cage where the ogre was remained as guarded as ever.

Tch, should I just ambush them with my sleeping gas?

No, let's not get violent yet. Or else I'm no better than that idiot elf.

I'll just speak to him from the shadows.

Using my Shadow Merge spell, I melted myself into the shadows, traveling as far away as I could from the bonfire. The cage had its own source of light, being the one lantern one of the guards had. It was no problem however as the light was too dim to be any threat against my spell.

There. I made it. Now, to speak to him.

I resurfaced inside his cage, but not entirely. Only my left hand and head. None of the guards were looking at the cage. They were too busy chatting with each other, the fools.

His eyes shifted towards me, but he wasn't making any sudden movement. Now that's a good boy. What wasn’t good, however, was the smell entering my nostrils. It was the smell of someone who hadn’t taken a bath in weeks.

The smell of a slave.

"Tell me, ogre. For what crime did your master scold you back then?"

"'Tis not a crime," he answered, without turning his head. "Is it a crime to soothe the pain of a sick child?"

"Is that why you stole the medicine?"

"...What do you want with me, witch of the shadows?"

"My Lord has taken an interest in you. He is considering freeing you."

"Free her instead. Her name is Fia. She's a dark elf. She would be six or seven in your human age."

"Oh?" A smirk appeared on my face. "How noble of you. Do you not wish for your own freedom?"

"I can bear the cruelty of humans. She cannot. The medicine I gave couldn't cure her. In just a few more days, she would perish. I do not wish for her to die inside a human cage."

"...Very well. I shall tell my Lord of your request."

I sunk myself into the shadows once more, silently creeping away from the cage before manifesting myself back on the surface.

That ogre… he's telling the truth, isn't he? I sense no falsehood within him.

Such a noble soul. Then again, I heard ogres are big on honor and all that.

However, before I tell Milord about him, I should confirm his story on the dark elf. She should be inside one of the slave caravans. They should be easy to sneak into, since there are barely any guards standing near them.

I merged into the shadows once more, this time moving myself towards the two largest wagons in the entire encampment. Slipping inside, I was greeted by quite the unpleasant sight. Cages upon cages were stuck on top of each other, each having a person sitting inside. The stench was unbearable as well. It was clear as day that their master never bothered to bathe them. Maybe once when they were about to be sold. Had to clean the merchandise first before displaying them to the “esteemed” customers after all. They were all sitting in pitch-black darkness. If not for my ability to manipulate the dark, I wouldn’t be able to see them at all. Of course, it also made them not notice my presence in the slightest, which was convenient.

Not here. Then I should try the other one.

Slipping outside, and then entering the other wagon beside it, I received the same sight and smell. This time, however, I could hear a small, almost imperceptible panting coming from the far end of the vehicle.

That’s the sound of—

I slipped further inside. And sure enough, the panting came from a girl. A dark elf girl.

I left the shadows, manifesting myself as silently as I could. Fortunately, the other slaves didn't seem to notice my sudden appearance, thanks to the darkness.

"U-uuhhh… uhhhhmmm…"

The girl was laying on her back, tossing and turning as if she was having a nightmare. Her skin was flushed and she was sweating all over. She was having a fever. I could tell that much just by looking at her. But, to be sure, I reached into her cage and placed a hand on her head.

She yelped, no doubt alarmed by the sudden skin contact.

"Shh, it's alright," I whispered as gently as I could. "My Lord and I will get you out of this place. Just wait a little bit more, alright?" I didn't know if she could see me, but she seemed to be calming down.

"W-who are you?" She whispered back. Oh, that's right. Dark elves can see in the dark.

"Just a humble wandering adventurer." I smiled. "Now, be a good girl and wait here, alright?” She nodded. After patting her on the head, I took my leave, melting back into my shadows once more.

That pig! He deserves this cage far more than her! Treating a child like this—death is too sweet for him!

And yet, it’s no longer my right to judge others. Not after what my foolishness did to Leila.

It’s all up to you, Milord. I will defer to your judgment.

-------

Hugo

"And that's how I barely managed to escape that dragon!"

Applause and cheers filled the air as I bowed. Heh, never thought I would have this much talent as a storyteller.

I had been spending my last half hour regaling the tales of my adventures to the fat merchant and his guards, to act as a distraction for Felicia. Of course, I didn't actually tell them the truth. I simply made up a story on the fly. Or rather, I stole a story I read from one of the books I'd read, changing the details as I saw fit.

The slaves weren’t really part of it, however, as they had been instructed not to join on the circle around the bonfire. They instead sat outside of it, quite a distance away from the warmth the burning fire provided.

"Ah, what a wonderful story, Master Hugo!" The fatso smiled. "It wasn't a mistake to invite you and your friends after all! Oh, how I wish I was born with the talent for the sword! Instead, I'm stuck here with a belly bigger than a drum, hearing others have a much more exciting life than mine! To think that someone as young as you are already an expert adventurer, this is truly a fortunate encounter!"

I smiled back, out of politeness. All the while I looked around with the corner of my eyes for Felicia.

Come on. Where are you? I don't want to start a second story if I can help it.

"Master Hugo." A grin now appeared at his puffy face. "I have an offer to make. Escort me and my merchandise to Korlopur and I shall pay you and your companions one gold coin each.”

One gold coin? Seriously? That’s a lot. But then again, the Demon Continent is pretty dangerous and adventurers tend to be paid more here than the other continents.

“Ah, you believe I’m paying too much?” His grin remained. “Rest assured, I am not. Recently, we have somewhat of a bandit problem in this region. They’re targeting big cats like myself, and they would always be gone before any of the city states’ army could get them. That’s why I hired so many mercenaries to escort me like this. A lot of them used to be adventurers in their own right, before they decided to become a more permanent member of my company. So if you think they’re just a bunch of stiff boards like those city guards, think again. They will make excellent company for you and your companions, I am sure of that.”

This guy… he might be an overweight ugly bastard but he has quite the serpent tongue.

How funny. My old self is also an overweight ugly bastard but I certainly didn’t have the finesse this guy has.

“I am honored for the offer, Master Crandis.” I put my left hand on my right chest and bowed. “However, I would have to discuss it first with my friends.”

“Of course! Discuss away! You have the whole night to do so!” He clapped his hands. “You two! Bring his friends here at once! I can’t believe none of you had the initiative to invite them to our little party as well!” He laughed.

Welp, there it is. Time’s up.

“Oh, please, do not trouble your guards in calling them. I shall fetch them myself. Now, if you would excuse me.”

I gave another quick bow before leaving their little gathering. Thankfully, the big boss didn’t suspect my hurried leave in the slightest.  He probably thinks I need to take a leak or something.

Just a few steps away from them, however, I found her.

Felicia!

She noticed me as well and we both rushed to meet each other in the middle.

“Did you do it?” I asked.

She nodded. “Let’s take our conversation elsewhere.” She glanced back towards the bonfire with a frown on her face.

“Alright. We’ll go to where Victoria is then. She needs to hear this as well.” Though Judging by that expression, I think I already know the result.

The place Victoria was waiting wasn’t that far from the encampment. It was just a few steps outside, near one of those pitch-black trees. When we arrived, we found her laying down on her back with her eyes closed.

She was asleep.

“Hey, wake up.” Felicia nudged her head with her right foot. “How can you sleep so casually in a place like this?”

“U-urghhh…” Groggily, she sat up, before stretching her arms with a yawn. “You two took too long.” She pouted. “What else is a girl supposed to do while waiting?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Anything else other than sleeping? You’re lucky there isn’t a monster nearby, or it would’ve eaten you while you sleep.”

“You’re the one who said I shouldn’t do a thing!” The elf fired back.

“I didn’t mean that literally, you idiot!”

“Alright, you two, that’s enough.” I interrupted. “We have an important thing to discuss. Felicia, you first. Tell me what you find.”

“Very well.” She sighed. “ Let me begin from the start.”

...

When she finished her story, I was speechless.

So that's how it is.

I was right. He might be a smooth talker to his guests, but he's a horrible person deep down. Even though she's a dark elf, a sick child is a sick child. Anyone who has no sympathy for a sickly child, even threatening to hurt one… Can you even call yourself a human? Aren't you just as bad as the "evil" demons?

It's the same with his goons. They're just following their master's orders without a thought. Or a heart for that matter. They didn’t even mention that she was just a little girl, as if it didn’t matter in the slightest.

Human prejudice against demonkind… it goes far more than the bullying Sherry received all those years in her orphanage.

"How about your investigation, Milord?" Felicia asked with a concerned look. "Did you hear anything that contradicts what I just said?"

I shook my head. "No. It only reaffirms your tale."

"I was right!" Victoria chirped. "They are the bad guys after all!"

I smiled at her. She might be an idiot, but she's a good-natured idiot. She doesn't even care whether she's saving a human or a demon. That's how pure she is.

She has the heart of a hero of justice. She just needs the brains and brawns to back it up.

"What shall we do, Milord? I can go back in there and free those two without them knowing," Felicia suggested.

"Would you be satisfied with that though?" I smiled grimly. “I wouldn’t. You said it yourself, didn’t you? How much the little girl suffered. For me, I have enough of letting little girls suffer or die in my presence.”

Erika, Leila, and now, this dark elf.

Her eyes widened. "You mean, you want to—"

"I'm sick of running away myself. He'll come for us if we did it your way. But, with my way, I can make him realize we're not someone to be trifled with."

She paused, seemingly in shock.

And then, a smile formed on her lips. The same, confident smile her old self used to have.

"You're right. I am sick of running as well. And I certainly don't want to run from someone who would mistreat a child like that."

"How about you, Ela? You're up for some punishing evildoer action?"

"Of course I am! I, the holy squire Ela, will aid you in your quest!" She patted her chest.

"Well, let's go then. I'll take the lead."

-------

Returning back to the encampment, we walked straight to the heart of the problem. The merchant was still seated on his  now merrily drinking

“Finally, you’ve returned! And with your friends nonetheless! Please, take a seat! The pork roast is just about to finish! I assure you, the taste is quite succulent, despite it being a monster!”

“Hey, can you bring out Lucilla?" I asked.

"Lucilla?" He raised his eyebrows. "Who is that?"

"One of your slaves," I answered.

"Oh, are you interested in my slaves, Master Hugo?" A smile formed on his toad-like face.

"I suppose you can say that. But I'm only interested in the one named Lucilla."

"If you're referring to my worker slaves, I'm afraid I don't have any recollection of such a name amongst them." He scratched his chin. "And if you're talking about my merchandise slaves instead, well—" He chuckled. "I'm not in the habit of remembering their names. They're only with me to be sold after all."

I see. Not a care in the world.

"A young dark elf, currently suffering a terrible illness that will claim her life." I continued. "Quite bold to let her be stuck in that filthy cage without any care. You even punish the only man that cared for her.”

A shadow fell onto his face.  "Excuse me?"

“I want you to release both of them this very second and grovel for forgiveness on their feet. And then, treat her with the best medicine you have before you send them away on their freedom. Oh, and of course, give them each ten gold coins. Money to start anew." I smiled.

He froze, his face scrunching up in a most disgusting manner as he tried to process my words.

And then, he bursted into a laugh, followed by the mercenaries that surrounded us. They laughed and laughed and laughed, with some even crying from it.

"You—you have lost your mind, have you, Master Hugo?" The merchant replied between his laughs. "Me? Bowing down to my slaves? So what if she's sick! She's just a merchandise! I bought her for cheap, just so I could get an extra cart puller! You know how dark elves are, don't you?"

"Of course." I still kept my smile. "Opposing their fair-skinned brethren, dark elves are adept in physical strength. Even a little girl possesses more strength than the average man."

"So you do know!" He laughed again, slapping his knee. "Then you know that as a merchant, I won't spend my expensive medicine on cheap merchandise. I'll take a loss. Sure, she might fetch a decent price once she's older, but I really can't be bothered to wait that long."

I glanced towards Felicia. She had the coldest stare I had ever seen and she was gripping her staff to the point that her knuckles turned white. Victoria, on the other hand, already had her hand on her rapier's handle, biting her lip in an attempt to keep herself from speaking back.

Me? I'm glad he's speaking candidly like this.

It makes it easier to do what I'm about to do next.

"No? Alright then."

In a flash, I drew my wand and fired an explosive flame spell at the wagon nearby, blasting it into smithereens.

The merchant's jaw dropped in horror and the mercenaries immediately drew their weapons.

"Y-y-y-y-You!” He yelled. “My most expensive merchandise! I paid a thousand gold coins for that!"

"Well…" I shrugged, giving him a smile. "You're just unlucky tonight, Master Crandis. You shouldn't have invited me here. After all, I have quite the distaste for people like you."

"A-ARREST HIM! ARREST HIM, MEN! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I’LL MAKE YOU WATCH AS MY MEN HAVE THEIR WAY WITH YOUR TWO WHORES BEFORE SELLING YOU ALL AS SLAVES!”

And so it begins.

No holding back. None of them deserves mercy.

“Boom Cannon: Homing Mode.”

Twirling my wand upwards, I conjured an invisible cannonball made out of air. It circled around for a few milliseconds, before flying through the mercenaries’ chests and stomachs at a speed none of them could even comprehend. All they could hear was the thundering sound it left behind at its trail as it broke the sound barrier.

This is an improvement to my ace spell. Now that I can feel the mana of the others better, I can make it so that my Boom Cannon will home to specific mana signatures. Not perfectly, as inertia is still a thing, but good enough that I can take out a bunch of weaklings like this without even letting out a sweat.

A cacophony of screams filled the night air. Not just from the mercenaries, but the slaves that watched in horror from further away. And the face our dear Master Crandis was making — I would be surprised if he hadn’t wet himself under those robes.

To my surprise, however, my spell didn’t manage to kill every single mercenary. There were ten left, as one of them had managed to block my spell before it could go through him and the other nine. My Boom Cannon lost its momentum every time it pierced through a body, so naturally, it was far weaker when it reached him. He was a tall minotaur, easily tripling my size, with ripped muscles on every single part of his body. He could easily snap me like a twig if he could get his hands on me.

And yet, he was looking at me as if I was the Demon God themself.

“W-wait! Please! I-I surrender!”

He threw his shield to the ground and prostrated to me. The other nine, who were just humans, followed suit as well.

I walked towards them, stopping just short of the range where they could perform a surprise attack.

“Surrender? That’s funny. Weren’t you amongst the one who laughed when I made my speech? Especially you, horsey. You were the one with the most annoying laugh.”

“I-I didn’t know any better! Please! I’m just a hired sword! If you’re going to be angry, you should be angry with the boss instead!” the horse neighed

“And you?” I looked at the human beside him. “You were the one who invited me to stay here tonight, weren’t you?”

“Y-yes! That was me!” He lifted his face, revealing the same one that stopped us in our tracks a few hours ago.

“You didn’t care about the dark elf or the ogre either. Tell me. Why should I care about you?”

"I-I have a family! A wife and two kids waiting for me back home!"

"Oh? A family?" I turned my attention back to the minotaur. "How about you? Do you have a family as well?"

"Y-yeah, I have a family as well! I got three kids and the missus!"

"M-me too! I have a pregnant wife back home!"

"A-and I was going to marry after this job!"

Like parrots, one by one all the other mercenaries told me about their families as well.

"Too bad. They deserved better."

Another Boom Cannon finished them off.

I looked back at Felicia and Victoria with a wry smile. The latter looked horrified, covering her mouth as she tried not to puke her guts out. Never killed a human before, have you? The former, on the other hand, gazed at me with a worried look. She probably didn't expect me to be able to do this. Massacring people like this.

I walked back to the merchant, who, by now, looked like he was having a stroke. He had fallen off his chair, and he had a line droll coming out from the corner of his mouth.

"You, Master Crandis. You have the honor to be my first test subject."

"W-wait! I'll give you anything! All my gold, no, all my wealth, even my daughters back home, I'll give it all to you!"

"Your daughters?"

"Y-yes! There are five of them! Really pretty, even the little one! I assure you, you won't be disappointed!"

Here lies a man who tries to sell his own daughters to save his own skin. How fitting that he now looks like a toad more than ever.

"I'm sorry." I smiled. "My heart is already taken. I don't need your daughters."

I pointed my wand at him, right to where his lungs were.

"Asphyxia.”

“A-aaurrghhh… I-I can’t… I can’t breathe.” He clutched his chest with his fat fingers. “W-what did you—what did you do?”

“It’s a curse—a curse of breathlessness.”

“Y-you—damn you! Damn you, uoorrghhhh…”

He didn’t last long. Only 30 seconds before he croaked.

The curse part was a lie. This spell was simply air manipulation. Only I was manipulating the air inside someone else’s chest.

Thanks to my training with Ilmyhrra’s Dispel Magic, I could now send my raw mana in a far greater range than normal. And so, I simply sent my mana through his chest, inside his lungs, and used it to manipulate the wind there.

No normal mage can do this. None of the many magic books I have read even considered the possibility of extending the range of one’s raw mana. They all only spoke about manifesting the phenomenon right in front of you. Even weather spells work the same (you don’t actually send your raw mana into the clouds to invoke rain, for example).

I probably have stolen the high elves’ super special hidden magic. And I’m perfectly fine with that.

With the job finished, I walked back to my companions, taking care not to dirty my boots from all the blood and gore surrounding the place.

“There you go.” I smiled. “Now, let’s get those two out of their cages, shall we?”

------------

A/N:

I know this is dark. But I think it’s time to really differentiate between Hugo and his inspiration (I don’t think Rudy ever kills people in cold blood like this). Not to mention that some of my readers think he should’ve become a darker character after all the shit that happened to him.

This is also throwing a bone to him. Seventy-ish people killed by Hugo alone without breaking a single sweat. I’ll give more of such bones to him, until the climax of this arc at the very least.

Also, here's a picture for the dark elf loli.

As for my Patreon update, I just gave Hugo's new sidekick a GF and Hugo gets called out for his decision regarding Victoria. Next chapter would be him going through the World Dungeon again.

Oh, and I also found this pic that might suit Erika. At least when she's happy.