Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 247: The Sources of Slavery

"Yes, capturing prisoners of war who are then turned into slaves is one of our primary sources of supply," the slave merchant explained.

"Some of them harbor resentment or attempt escape, but many of them accept their circumstances and work diligently, becoming excellent products. Since many of them come from foreign countries, they often have no alternative but to adapt, lest they find themselves abandoned and destitute. More importantly, this creates an opportunity to acquire highly capable people who otherwise would never have become slaves."

People like Ithnan or Zima immediately came to Damien’s mind.

All of them were incredibly talented—so much so that, had they not been enslaved, they would likely have lived distinguished lives in their homelands.

"So, when you say ’one of the primary sources,’ what are the others?" Damien asked.

The mention of people who "otherwise would never have become slaves" piqued his curiosity.

What constituted a "normal" reason?

"Our products originate from three main sources," the merchant began. "One, as mentioned earlier, is war slaves. However, this source is inherently unstable, as it depends entirely on the occurrence of warfare."

That made sense—war prisoners couldn’t be obtained without wars happening.

"Thus, during peacetime, we rely on the other two sources. The first of these is economic slaves," the merchant continued.

"Economic slaves?" Damien asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Indeed. These are people who sold to us by parents who can no longer provide for them or those whose families, such as failing merchant houses, have accumulated insurmountable debts. In such cases, we take over their obligations and purchase them as our products."

Ah, Damien thought.

Stories of children from impoverished families being sold were something he’d heard of in old tales.

Then there was the concept of being collateral for debt—a scenario he also recalled from historical accounts and dramas.

"Among economic slaves, some carry certain... complications. The product I intend to introduce to you today falls into this category."

C-complications? Damien thought nervously.

Things were starting to sound rather ominous.

"They are priced accordingly," the merchant added, as though reading Damien’s expression and attempting to reassure him.

Sure, the price might be lower, Damien thought, but wasn’t that because of the so-called "complications"?

What exactly are these complications?

Well, that was something he could clear up when the introductions were made.

However, the fact that the merchant was even bringing this up suggested he already had someone specific in mind for Damien.

So why the delay?

Was this just a way to buy time?

Perhaps it was taking longer than expected to prepare the person for presentation?

"And finally," the merchant continued, his tone shifting slightly, "we come to our most important yet troublesome source: criminal slaves."

The merchant’s demeanor changed noticeably.

Even Damien, usually a little bit oblivious to subtleties, could tell this wasn’t mere idle chatter.

This was the main topic the merchant had been working toward.

So, this wasn’t about stalling for time after all.

The merchant genuinely wanted to discuss this.

Damien wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it or not, but given the flow of the conversation, he didn’t feel like he had much choice.

At this point, his options boiled down to walking away without hearing the explanation—and forfeiting the chance to meet the potential slaves—or staying to listen and proceeding with the introduction.

In reality, he had no choice at all.

"...Criminal slaves, you say? What exactly does that mean?" Damien asked hesitantly.

Damien reassured himself that merely listening to the story wouldn’t result in some curse or ill fate.

...At least, he hoped not.

"They are people who committed crimes and were reduced to slavery as punishment," the merchant explained. "Compared to other products, they are inexpensive and bound by their punishments, making them, in some ways, quite advantageous. However, as one might expect, many of them have significant personality or behavioral issues due to their criminal backgrounds."

That made sense.

If Theo hadn’t helped him out before, Damien might have been forced into grueling labor for his own mistakes.

This seemed like an even harsher version of that kind of punishment.

Still, if this was the topic the merchant wanted to focus on, it likely meant that one of these "problematic" criminal slaves was directly tied to the matter at hand.

"In fact, it has come to our attention that one of the criminal slaves currently under our care poses certain issues," the merchant continued.

Ah, there it was.

This was the real heart of the conversation.

Damien immediately felt his reluctance spike.

"I’m not sure I want to..." Damien began.

Before he could finish suggesting they save this discussion for another time, the merchant clapped his hands twice.

Great.

No chance to escape.

As the merchant clapped, the doors to the small stage—where Damien had been introduced to Zima and the others during his last visit—opened.

The slaves Damien intended to hire as his servants hadn’t been presented yet, despite waiting all this time.

But now, the problematic criminal slave appeared instantly.

This was clearly a trap.

Just as before, a pair of burly male attendants escorted the slave into the room.

This time, it was a small boy with brown hair, shackled at both his wrists and ankles.

The boy was visibly frightened, shrinking into himself as he nervously scanned the room.

Long, brown rabbit ears atop his head drooped timidly, trembling as if in fear.

Tears welled in his wide, innocent eyes, and his cute, vulnerable appearance immediately triggered a protective instinct—Damien’s "big brother radar" was in full effect.

But...

"Mr. Merchant, isn’t this attire a little bit much for someone so small?" Damien asked, his brow furrowing.

The boy wore nothing but a single pair of undersized pants.

The fabric barely covered him, and a small, fluffy tail peeked out from the back.

From the front, the overly snug garment also revealed an ill-fitting and inappropriate sight for a child of his apparent age.

It was clearly not an outfit suitable for someone so young.