Novel Full Chapter 303: Combat Slaves
Chapter 303: Combat Slaves
Chapter 303: Combat Slaves
“Combat slaves? Why would we need them?” Leo asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“I say combat slaves because, apart from handling the usual chores of the territory, they are capable of fighting as well. They will contribute to our fighting force,” Leon explained calmly.
“And specifically, slaves—because there is no risk of betrayal. Once their master, which I assume will be you, issues a command, fulfilling it becomes their sole purpose. Even if they are told to jump into a pit of fire and die, they must obey.”
Leo fell silent for a moment, thinking.
“But a slave is not loyal. They follow because… wait, why would they even follow orders that lead to their death? Are there some sort of punishments?”
Leon looked at Leo oddly, then shifted his gaze to Lily, who wore the same questioning expression.
What the hell? Are they really from the outskirts?
Only people from the outskirts were unaware of how slaves functioned. Slave traders rarely bothered going there, knowing most people were barely surviving day to day—they could not afford expensive slaves. As for the nobles of the outskirts, they would travel to bordering cities to make such purchases.
Leon had no choice but to explain.
The first was, obviously, the slave collar around a slave’s neck. It was a magically constructed device that could not be removed by the wearer or by anyone other than the master himself. A ’diligent’ soul expert had researched a way to link the collar directly to the wearer’s soul.
The research was incomplete, but even so, forcibly removing the collar resulted in instant death and death when the master thought so. That alone was enough. It meant the slave was entirely at the master’s mercy—absolute control over life and death.
But this was only the elementary form. Later, it was discovered that slaves could launch a surprise attack and kill their master in a single strike, freeing themselves since no one remained to command them.
To counter that, another diligent researcher modified the system. A tiny fragment of the master’s soul would be used to bind the slave. If the slave attempted any action that could harm the master, it would trigger a violent shock to the slave’s soul—potentially fatal. The master could also initiate this shock at will—low or high intensity, depending on the severity of disobedience.
Another problem arose. When slaves were forced to fight their own kind, they would sometimes fight poorly on purpose, allowing enemies to kill the master and free them.
To prevent this, yet another researcher added a new layer. If the master died, the slave would freeze in place as intense, violent soul shocks ravaged their body.
Any thought or intent detected by the collar that the slave had deliberately performed poorly, leading to the master’s death, would result in immediate death.
The final refinement came from the Emperor himself. He introduced a system that was researched by his personal researchers, where only recognised slave traders of the Empire could assign or change a slave’s master. This ensured that slaves could never be freed by other races.
In the end, a near-perfect collar was created—one that guaranteed absolute obedience.
A person wearing a slave collar was like a lamb in a wolf’s grasp. Being a slave was a miserable existence, devoid of rights.
After hearing the explanation, both Leo and Lily seemed satisfied, though Miho looked visibly shaken or terrified even.
“T-that’s such a scary life…” she muttered, her voice low, her fingers tightening slightly.
As a servant herself, she had endured many hardships. She could not even begin to imagine the lives of slaves, who could be considered far beneath servants.
“Don’t worry. Nothing like that will ever happen to you. I will make sure of it,” Leon said, his tone steady.
Miho felt a small warmth bloom in her chest as her worries melted away.
“Kuhm,” Leo interrupted lightly.
“So, how do we acquire combat slaves? Didn’t you say they were expensive? I think 10 million AC should be enough to build a considerable force.”
Leon glanced at Leo with a faint sneer before shifting his focus back to the topic.
“Why waste credits on something you can easily acquire with your strength?”
Leo blinked, taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. With our strength, we can simply search for a secret realm belonging to another race that has yet to be conquered—and then subdue every being within it.”
He continued,
“By the Emperor’s decree, no other races are allowed to roam freely in human territory. That applies to this academy as well. Once we bring back the subdued individuals, the academy will convert them into slaves and hand them over. And if they are not needed, you can sell them for a considerable price…” Leon trailed off, his expression turning contemplative.
“I suppose… a normal being can fetch between 1000 and 3000 AC, depending on the… gender,” he added quietly, the implication clear that the females were sought after.
He expected a reaction from Lily, but she remained expressionless. Only Miho shifted uncomfortably, though she seemed to steady herself. Lily, after all, had read about such things in the library—and had even faced a similar situation back in Kendru City, where pubs would approach her for such work when she was searching for a job.
“As for higher-star beings… I am not entirely sure, but expect much higher returns,” Leon concluded.
Leo brought the discussion back to its core.
“So, what races should we look for?”
Leon answered immediately, as if he had already considered it.
“Dwarves and Elves—more specifically, wood-elves. They should be our priority. And if those prove difficult, I have heard of a newly emerging race from a world that has recently begun to fuse with Skadrial. They have natural animal-like features… I believe people call them beastkins.”
“What do you say, Lily? Should we bring slaves into our territory?” Leo asked for confirmation.
“I don’t see a problem… but I won’t tolerate the other territory members tormenting them. At the end, they are also living beings that can think wisely. Especially the elves, they are attractive and have nearly perfect human like apprearances, I can already see their situation if we give free rein to the territory members. They can’t even fight back due to the collar.” She said, putting her snack plate down.
This time it was Leon’s turn to be taken aback.
She has no stereotype?
But Leo’s next words were another shock.
“What are you even talking about? We will create a paradise over Howl’s back, where I plan to recruit other races specialising in various working areas. We are in dire need of builders. Though to keep things in check, they will always be under us. As for other territory members, I highly doubt the current ones are bad, but in case future trouble arises…” Leo cracked his knuckles.
“I guess then they will be presenting their asses to be beat and getting thrown off the territory.”
What the hell? Leon only looked at Leo, dumbfounded.