Chapter 206: Slave Mark

"Of course! But raising a skill level without using the magic..."

Viktor stopped mid-sentence, apparently realizing something.

"That’s right. Xiao Tao’s Dark Magic skill level was already high from the beginning. He hasn’t used enough magic to have his mind consumed by darkness, yet his skill level is already that high because he’s a person from another world, just like me. And the fact that the magic surrounding him has an affinity toward darkness is something he has no control over. It isn’t Xiao Tao’s fault."

Viktor was left speechless.

Of course he was. This was a phenomenon that fell outside the natural laws of this world, and Qiu Nuoya had only been able to arrive at this conclusion because he was also from another world.

"...Even if that really is the truth, anyone who possesses Dark Magic will eventually be consumed by it..."

"Does that mean I can assume you thinks I’ll eventually be consumed by darkness too?"

"That..."

Viktor hesitated, and Qiu Nuoya pressed him further.

"You said it would be better not to use Dark Magic. If someone doesn’t use it, they won’t be consumed by darkness, right? Then if Xiao Tao simply never uses Dark Magic from now on, there should be no reason for the dark magic surrounding him to grow stronger."

"That may be true, but just now, he used Dark Magic against you..."

"I didn’t use it! I don’t even know how to use magic!" Xiao Tao suddenly spoke up, while looking as though he were about to cry. Qiu Nuoya thought Xiao Tao’s explanation was perfectly reasonable. After all, Qiu Nuoya himself had had no idea how to control his own magical power until Viktor taught him magic.

Although Qiu Nuoya had taught Xiao Tao some basic knowledge of magic the previous day, he could hardly imagine Xiao Tao being able to use magic that he had never actually practiced even once.

"More importantly, there’s something I want to ask you, Viktor."

"What is it?"

"The protective mark you placed on me. Wouldn’t that also count as magical interference with my body?"

"That..."

Apparently thinking Qiu Nuoya was blaming him, Viktor’s expression immediately became stern.

"Don’t misunderstand. I knew what I was agreeing to when I asked you to place the protective mark on me, and I understand that. What I’m talking about is something completely different. There was a mark similar to mine engraved on Xiao Tao’s back. Is it possible that the person who placed that mark on Xiao Tao is somehow interfering with me?"

"Eh...?"

Viktor looked at Xiao Tao in surprise. Xiao Tao flinched and instinctively curled in on himself again.

"Was that a protective mark?"

"Do you really think I could tell just by looking at it? I’m asking because I don’t know. The mark engraved on Xiao Tao’s back is different from mine in both color and shape, so perhaps it isn’t a protective mark at all."

"Would you let me take a look?"

Viktor finally seemed to have regained his composure. When he asked, Qiu Nuoya turned to Xiao Tao and asked if he could show them the mark.

Xiao Tao nodded hesitantly, then loosened the sheet wrapped around his body and showed them the mark on his back.

But at that moment, Qiu Nuoya noticed something strange.

Considering what had happened earlier, the mark on Xiao Tao’s back seemed to have become noticeably fainter.

"Hey, this might be completely wrong, but isn’t this what they call an ’indecent mark’?"

Igor scratched his head awkwardly as he looked at the mark on Xiao Tao’s back and mentioned the term "indecent mark." Qiu Nuoya, however, had no idea what the word meant.

Viktor was also staring intently at the mark, tilting his head as he said, "The way the color comes through does resemble one, I suppose..."

"Um, what exactly is an ’indecent mark’?"

"Ah... It’s not really something you should be telling a kid about, but it’s a type of slave mark that is often placed on women who have debts. Slave marks are usually placed on criminal slaves, and the mark itself records things like the person’s criminal history. That way, no matter where a slave runs, anyone who sees the mark can immediately tell where they came from. ’Indecent mark’ is just a colloquial term for a certain type of slave mark... Basically, it’s called an ’indecent mark’ because it’s often placed on prostitutes."

A slave mark placed on prostitutes was called an "indecent mark."

As Qiu Nuoya finally understood the meaning, his face turned bright red.

"S-So... that means..."

"The name may be different, but it is still just a slave mark. However, it is true that marks referred to as indecent marks often have a color similar to the one engraved on him. Slave traders deliberately use that particular color when marking prostitutes because the mark becomes beautifully visible when the skin flushes. They consider that appearance beautiful and sexy, which is why such marks came to be called indecent marks."

I see!

That explained why the mark on Xiao Tao’s skin had been so clearly visible when he had just gotten out of the bath, yet had become so faint now.

Apparently, when marking criminal slaves, it was customary to place clearly visible marks in obvious locations such as the arms or neck, using a distinct color so that their criminal history could easily be seen.

Women who were forced into prostitution, on the other hand, were usually enslaved because of their own debts or those of their families. Since they were generally not considered likely to have committed serious crimes, slave traders often placed their marks somewhere less conspicuous instead.

Qiu Nuoya somehow felt as though he had climbed another step toward adulthood.

After all, ever since coming to this world, he had never met anyone who could be called a prostitute, nor had he ever visited an establishment like that. Naturally, this was information he had no way of knowing.