Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord

The carriage clattered and rattled as it moved. It was a sturdy carriage designed to comfortably seat six people. The interior was decorated in brown and white, accented with red fabric.

The bustling cityscape was visible through the windows. Wooden buildings and a stone church-like structure. Other carriages were coming and going. So far, everyone outside seemed to be ordinary humans—there were no elves or beastmen in sight.

However, the sight of people dressed like merchants and others clad in armor was interesting enough to hold my attention. A man walking with a rope attached to a raggedly dressed person must have had some unusual sexual preferences. Smirking on the street like a pervert.

Just then, Til, who was looking outside like me, spoke up.

“Lord Van, where shall we go?”

“I want to see a large store.”

I answered immediately, and Til looked up and hummed thoughtfully.

“A large store... Then let's go to the Mary Trading Company. It’s a large trading company with branches not just in this city but throughout the entire kingdom. You can find almost everything there.”

“Oh, nice! Til, you sure know a lot.”

“Hehe~”

Til stuck out his tongue lazily, blushing, and I smiled back at him while continuing to look outside.

The voices of merchants calling out and the laughter of townsfolk filled the air. The streets were vibrant and lively.

As I watched the people outside, the carriage eventually came to a stop, and the driver spoke.

“Please, we have arrived at your destination.”

The driver's tone was somewhat brusque. But he repeatedly bowed his head, which made it seem like he was just uncomfortable with formal speech.

“Thank you.”

I said with a smile, and the driver nodded several times while lowering his chin.

“Y-yes. P-please.”

The driver opened the carriage door, and Til was the first to get out. Then he took my hand. It felt a bit reversed, but from the outside, it might look like an older sister helping her much younger brother.

As I stepped out of the carriage, two soldiers who had been following behind immediately flanked me on both sides.

“Thank you.”

I looked up and said.

In front of me stood a large stone building. It was enormous. Roughly the size of a supermarket back in Japan. And it was two stories tall—sort of like a gymnasium.

The large double doors stood wide open, and the window frames, designed with great attention to detail, were stylish and to my liking.

Alright, shall we go in?

Just as I was about to step forward, a shout echoed across the main street.

“Hey, come quickly!”

The voice was openly angry. I turned to see a man pulling a rope from across the street.

Looking closer, behind the man moved some filthy rags. Squinting more, I realized it was a human child.

Well, the child looked older than me, but still a kid.

When the man noticed we were watching, he hesitated briefly, then scowled with a flushed face.

“W-what? This isn’t a sideshow.”

The man said, and two soldiers immediately gripped their sword hilts. Despite this, the man showed no sign of backing down.

Feeling the tension mounting, I addressed the man.

“Hey. That child? Why is he tied with a rope?”

The man looked a bit uneasy but answered.

“I brought him to sell as a slave.”

Hearing that, I looked at Til. Til turned his face to the man with a serious expression.

“...Is that child yours?”

“Y-yeah. What’s the matter? I put my debt under his name. So I’m selling him.”

The man said matter-of-factly, pointing to the child behind him.

“...Debt under his name?”

I raised a question, and Til spoke with a sad expression.

“According to the Slave Law, only two types of slaves are recognized: those enslaved due to debts and those punished for crimes. However, poor villagers and townsfolk have historically sold children they cannot support as slaves for living expenses... So they use a debt transfer system to make the children debt slaves.”

Til’s explanation caused the atmosphere around us to grow slightly colder. However, no harsher looks or voices came our way, probably because the slave system was deeply ingrained in society.