I called him softly, making eye contact. His eyes shone fiercely.
I could read his intention to kill me as soon as the shock wore off.
If this continued, there was no way I could take him to the duke's mansion.
I bit my lip in thought for a moment, then raised a hand to remove the mask I was wearing.
"Look at me properly, Eclis."
I couldn't think of any other way to calm down the rampaging Eclis. I could only hope he would come to his senses.
"The face of your owner who paid 100 million gold for you."
The face hidden under the mask was revealed. His ashen pupils widened instantly.
It was because of Penelope's face, which was so beautiful and alluring that it didn't fit the place at all, almost suffocating.
I stared at him intently and opened my mouth.
"I didn't pay such a high price for you just because I wanted to have some fun. No noble in this country would pour 100 million gold on a slave from a defeated nation, got it?"
I recalled that Eclis's final price before I bid was only 10 million gold, so my words were entirely true.
100 million gold was enough to buy a decent castle in the outskirts of the capital.
"What can you do even if you resist and cause a commotion here, and eventually escape? Your homeland is gone."
My words seemed to hit a nerve, and Eclis clenched his teeth.
To calm him down, I had to be harsh and make him face reality.
He was no longer a noble of his country but merely a slave up for sale.
Eclis's pupils wavered once.
He seemed to realize that I didn't buy him just for entertainment.
"If you understand, nod. We need to get home quickly."
After a long moment, he moved his head slightly. Fortunately, his affection level hadn't changed. That was enough.
"Sir, sir! Are you hurt anywhere!"
After putting the mask back on and standing up, the slave trader finally approached hesitantly.
He was so terrified that he clutched the whip like a lifeline.
"Hey."
"Y-Yes, sir! Is there anything you need...?"
I nodded toward Eclis, who was slowly getting up, and ordered.
"Remove the shackles."
"Y-Yes, sir?"
"Remove the shackles."
"B-But, sir! This slave is...!"
"Leave the handcuffs and the choker on, but remove the restraints and shackles. I'll take him with me."
Annoyed, I snapped, and the slave trader reluctantly signaled to the workers.
A moment later, Eclis was free to move except for his arms.
The workers and the slave trader quickly took a few steps back, but he didn't cause any more trouble and stood quietly.
"And you."
I pointed at one of the workers who had been the most aggressive with the whip.
"Y-Yes, me?"
"Take off your clothes."
"Y-Yes, sir?!"
"Take everything off except your underwear and give the clothes to this slave."
In front of the shocked slave trader and workers, I threw the bag of gold coins I had brought.
Thud.
"Hurry up."
Before long, the naked slave was dressed in a way that he could walk around outside.
* * *
By the time I left the auction house with Eclis trailing behind, dawn was breaking.
I was extremely tired from staying up all night in tension.
"Ah..."
Looking at the dawn spreading across the sky, I let out a deep sigh.
I had somehow made it here, but I didn't know how to get back to the duke's mansion.
"First, follow me."
I glanced at Eclis standing behind me and said.
He didn't respond at all. It was a bold move for a slave, but I was too exhausted to scold him, so I just let it go.
I led him into the nearest alley, which was closest to the auction house.
I planned to head to the main road. Only then could I ask people for directions to the duke's mansion.
Just as I was about to turn a corner in the winding alley,
"Over there, he's coming out!"
A group of people in the distance rushed over. The narrow alley was quickly blocked.
"Hello."
A man I had never seen before pushed through his subordinates. He was short and extremely fat.
"Who are you?"
I asked warily. The man laughed as if it was absurd.
"How could you not know me? Huh."
"How would I know who you are?"
"I am the promising Cluey...!"
"O-Owner!"
The man was about to boast about his identity when one of his subordinates hastily interrupted him.
The man then seemed to regain his composure and cleared his throat.
"Hmm. The reason I waited for you is... to take that slave from you."
His eyes glanced behind me.
Only then did I realize who he was.
He was the fat man who had competed with the old woman until the end.
"Eclis, step back."
I stood in front of him to protect him from the greedy eyes of the man.
'An owner must know how to protect their subordinate.'
I decided to handle the situation calmly since I was now his owner. In fact, I had another motive.
'While I'm at it, I might as well gain some affection.'
The subordinates behind the fat man were a bit intimidating, but what could really happen?
I am the only duchess of the Eckart family, known for making birds fall from the sky.
Having finished my self-hypnosis, I lifted my chin arrogantly and said,
"Have you already forgotten that I bid 100 million gold for him just now?"
"T-That...!"
The man's face turned red and then pale at my words.
"I didn't bring enough money today. I'll give you 10 million gold first, and pay the remaining balance by next week..."
"1 billion."
"Wh-What?"
"I was prepared to pay ten times the final auction price."
"T-That's...!"
"If you had bid 100 million, I would have bid 1 billion and won the auction. So, the final price of this slave is 1 billion gold."
The fat man screeched at my words.
"How can you be so unreasonable!"
"I don't think I'm the unreasonable one here?"
The fat man's face now resembled a bomb about to explode, turning bright red.
Thinking he could easily take Eclis from me, the man couldn't contain his anger.
"Why are you being so talkative! Do you know who I am?!"
"Do you know who I am?"
I was prepared to take off my mask if necessary. I had given the slave trader a gold button from Derrick, so I had no other way to verify my identity.
My bright pink hair and teal eyes.
Seeing them would be enough to recognize me.
Just as that thought crossed my mind,
"What a brazen woman...!"
The fat man was one step ahead.
Swish. His plump hand, raised high, was quickly approaching my cheek to strike.
Just as I realized this and tried to step back,
"Aaah-!"
The fat man's hand was broken right in front of me. By an arm that extended from behind me.
'He was definitely wearing handcuffs...'
Just as that thought surfaced in my dazed mind,
"Aaah! Jack, Jack! Kill them all-!"
The fat man, freed from Eclis, clutched his broken hand and screamed.
"Step back, please."
A gentle hand pushed me back.
What followed was an extension of the auction house.
Thud, crunch—Aaah! Gasp!
The number of enemies didn't matter to Eclis.
With each of his movements, his opponents fell with terrifying sounds.
"Hmm."
I took a few hesitant steps backward.
It was different from watching him fight beasts from a distance on the stage.
A real slaughter scene. His every gesture tore flesh and splattered blood.
As the vivid crimson blood gushed before my eyes, I suddenly felt my breath catch in my throat.
I was reminded of when the crown prince beheaded the assassin in the palace.
The shock I felt then, the pungent smell that filled my nose.
'So scary...'
I trembled, pressed against the wall, watching Eclis move like a killing machine.
The situation ended in an instant. The fat man, sitting among the men who had turned into bloody messes, was frozen with shock, his eyes wide open.
His crotch began to darken, and a yellow puddle formed below.
I didn't have time to feel disgusted.
Because Eclis, having finished everything, was shuffling toward me.
The handcuffs, completely broken, dangled from his wrists. Sticky blood droplets fell from the ends.
"Hmm."
I was terrified at the sight of the expressionless man with ash-brown hair approaching me.
How could I have even thought of threatening such a terrifying person earlier?
Fortunately, I hadn't taken off my mask. Otherwise, my terrified face would have been exposed to his gaze.
"...Owner."
Eclis, who had suddenly appeared in front of me, knelt down on the ground. Before I could react to his action,
"I've taken care of them all."
Eclis's ashen eyes, which were staring at me, were intense.
He placed his face on my hand, which was resting on the ground.
"Praise me, Owner."
He rubbed his cheek against my hand like a playful dog.
My cold palm gradually warmed up due to the friction.
I didn't even notice that the hand he was rubbing his cheek against was the one wearing the ring that controlled the choker.
I just stood there, frozen, staring at his head near my lower abdomen.