Chapter 37 - Maya Rosenwald P10

Chapter 37 - Maya Rosenwald P10

~37.10~

*****

"What did you just say?" I asked.

"Eli?" Maya said.

"Our employer will be here in a little while, just hold on."

"You said 'slave'."

"What? Yeah. That child is a slave. She belongs to-"

"Nobody," I finished. "No person belongs to another person."

There's slavery in this world? How have I not heard about this?

Mana started leaking from my body. The mere idea of slavery was unacceptable.

Not in my world. I won't allow it.

"Maya, Lena, is there slavery in this world?" I looked back at them. Maya was too shocked to answer the question, presumably due to the anger in my eyes.

"Y-yes," Lena barely managed to say.

"Serah."

The moment I spoke her name, she appeared next to me, causing most of the present company to gasp. "Yes, Princess."

"Go find Lanti. Bring her here if possible. Respect her station."

"Yes, Princess." Serah vanished, earning another gasp.

"Stella."

The younger twin appeared just as suddenly as the older twin. "Yes, Princess."

"Bring my aunt here."

"Yes, Princess." She vanished.

The two remaining thugs were confused, not sure what to make of two girls my age appearing and disappearing at a moment's notice. Cel, Chris, and even Lena were surprised. Maya less so, since she'd already met them.

I will not abide this. I absolutely will not tolerate slavery.

"Eli, breath," Lena said. She had took hold of my hand at some point. "Your pulse is very fast. Please, calm down, even a little. I understand your anger, but your emotions are running wild. Your mana is leaking. It's even causing sparks. Breathe slowly and deeply."

She's right. My mana is too powerful to lose control like this. I could hurt the others that can't withstand it if too much leaks.

I held on to her hand and tried to breathe slowly, but it wasn't working. I was too angry. Just the thought of slavery was too much.

In the Transcendent world, I was kidnapped as a child and sold off to the royal family of a neighboring country. Just like in this life, I have a mother, aunt, and uncle there. Each one specialized in one of the three major disciplines. Mana, magic, and arms, but all three excelled in everything. My mother was a master of mana manipulation, my uncle was an archmage, and my aunt was the greatest weapons master the Transcendent World had ever seen.

Once they found out where I was, they tore that country apart. Even to the day I was exiled, nothing remains. Nobody lives there, and the landscape was reduced to a barren wasteland.

The mere idea of slavery triggered memories of my time being abused and tortured as a child by that destroyed royal family. It's part of what motivated me to not only become the Monarch of Alexandria, but King of the World.

I wanted to get rid of slavery, and I did. I never wanted to see another child go through what I went through. Yet here in this mortal world that I created… a child was deathly afraid of these men, and they called her a slave.

I saw myself in her.

And then I felt warmth in my other hand. Perhaps it was because I could feel the pulse of another in both of my hands, or because both of my hands were being held by girls I had fallen in love with. My heart rate slowed. I was able to take a deep breath, and then another. I pulled in the mana that was leaking just as the third thug arrived with their employer and his knights.

"Is this the count's daughter that is daring to-"

"Marquess Balfour, be careful how you speak to my friend," came Lanti's voice.

He didn't recognize Lanti by her voice alone and almost opened his mouth again as he turned to see who it was. "Who dares interrupt my-" He stopped the moment he laid eyes on her. "Crown Princess Eglantine."

She showed up with no less than twenty royal knights. "We have a problem, Marquess. Slavery is outlawed in Gallia. You dare bring it to this country?"

"Your Highness, I see no issue with having a slave or two. That law is less than two decades old and the western nobility is already working to upend it."

"It won't happen," she said.

Wait, I haven't said anything to her and she's already fighting this guy.

"No, it absolutely will not," came another familiar voice with a huge spike of mana. Unlike my mana just moments ago, this huge spike of mana was very calm, but it was enough to put the thugs, the Marquess, and his knights on their knees.

"Lady Alice."

"Hello, Eglantine."

"I take it she sent one of them to get you as well?"

"Yes. Elise has a great deal of self-control, but there are some topics that should be avoided around her. Slavery is one of them. She has taught herself to send for me anytime her emotions become difficult to reign in."

"Not many have the restraint to do even that. Most would lose themselves in the heat of the moment."

"Indeed." Alice grabbed the Marquess by his collar and held him up. "Marquess Balfour, I am Alice Aindrea, also known as the Grim Reaper."

I heard a gasp from all four of my friends, and even the young girl standing behind Maya.

"Given that you have no idea what you just stepped into, I'll give you a chance to fix this. Turn over all of your slaves to the royal family as well as a list of every slaver and slave owner you are privy to. Do that, and you walk out of this situation with your crime pardoned and a medal. Refuse and you rot in prison. Choose now."

"W-wait, I need-"

"Anything other than 'I accept' will be treated as 'I refuse'. Make your choice."

"Your Highness, are you going to just stand there and allow this former count's daughter do-"

"Yes. I am going to just stand here and watch as she throws your sorry excuse of a noble in prison. You dared bring slavery into Gallia and you looked at me thinking I would help you out of this? You should count your stars, Marquess. A way out is on the table. Now choose. As she said, anything other than 'I accept' is 'I refuse'."

"I… I accept."

"Guards, take the Marquess and his companions to the palace for questioning. Should any of them refuse to cooperate, throw them in the dungeon."

"Right away, Your Highness."

After several of her knights escorted the Marquess, the thugs, and his guards away, Lanti approached me. "Eli, are you okay? You're sweating."

*****

Revision: 2025-2-12