“It should be fine now. Find his skill certificate. Bring the backpack over here.”

I heard the slave merchant giving orders to his guards.

They rifled through my body, pulling the skill certificate from my pants pocket.

My body was gently laid down on the ground, and the backpack I had been using as a pillow was taken away.

“Hurry up, you slowpoke!”

I heard the sound of someone getting hit. Probably the slave merchant striking someone.

“So he has Appraisal. Then there’s Eavesdrop and Calculation. Also Stamina. He’s like a man born to be a peddler. Nothing but boring skills.”

Normally, a person’s skill certificate can’t be viewed without their permission, but they must’ve used some kind of illegal method.

There are illegal magical tools in the underworld that can read others’ certificates without permission—and they’re apparently selling well. It’s no surprise this man owns one.

“Inside the pack is one of the magical tools and outdoor essentials. Hey! Where’s the other tube-shaped magical tool?! You, search the area nearby! And you—kill him, cut him up, and feed him to monsters. Treasures like these are meant for someone like me!”

What a conveniently cartoonish villain. Makes things easier.

They must have put sleeping drugs in that alcohol. They probably assumed I would be sound asleep and wouldn’t wake up. As if that would work when I have “Abnormal Status Resistance.”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and kill him!”

“B-But, if we kill an innocent merchant, there could be consequences—”

“What’s the meaning of a slave talking back to his master!? Do it now! There won’t be a next time!”

So he’s yelling at the guard who’s hesitating to kill me.

Honestly, I’m relieved he’s such a blatant scumbag. Now I don’t have to hold back either.

“Good morning.”

When I greeted the guard, who had a grim face and was raising his sword, he let out a startled, “Wha—”

Still, perhaps thinking his life would be at risk if he didn’t follow orders, he clenched his resolve, muttered, “Sorry!” and swung the sword down.

I caught the blade between my index and middle fingers, gave it a light twist, and took it from him.

“Isn’t that a rather extreme way to wake someone up?”

Smiling gently, I glanced at the guard and the slave trader and activated “Intimidation.”

The guard stepped back with his sword at the ready, while the slave trader scrambled back near the cage, landing on his butt.

“Y-You weren’t asleep!?”

“Correct. I have a bit of a strong constitution against alcohol and sleeping agents. That much isn’t enough to knock me out.”

I stretched out deeply and began doing some light exercises on the spot.

After waking up, the body tends to be stiff, so it’s important to loosen up properly like this.

“So you heard everything. Then there’s no need to let you live!”

“No, no, you were clearly planning to kill me from the start, weren’t you?”

“Shut up! Kill him!”

Due to the “Slave Contract,” any slave who defies their master feels intense pain. Grimacing in agony, all the guards raised their weapons.

“I’m grateful for the food. I won’t ask for forgiveness for returning kindness with violence. Hate me all you want.”

The oldest among the guards—probably the captain—stepped forward toward me.

I confirmed with “Appraisal” that this guy is quite skilled. If he had just become an adventurer normally, he wouldn’t have ended up a slave.

“Don’t say unnecessary things! Do it already! Have you forgotten I saved your village!? If you delay any longer, who knows what’ll happen to your wife and child!”

The slave trader thrust his hand into the cage and grabbed a child by the collar, pulling them close.

The child looked like they were about to cry but held it in bravely, while a woman tried desperately to pull the slave trader away, enduring the pain.

So that’s his family, huh?

“Forgive me. At least, let this one strike end it painlessly!”

A slash so fast it was almost invisible to the eye.

Even seasoned adventurers would struggle to dodge it—but…

I lightly leapt to the side, dodging the desperate blow, then turned toward the slave trader and dashed at full speed.

“Wha—! If you come any closer, this brat—!”

“Come on now, what good does it do to take a complete stranger hostage?”

Without breaking stride, I delivered a flying kick, slamming the sole of my foot into the trader’s face.

His body bounced like a rubber ball and vanished into the rain. I doubt I need to check if he’s alive.

“That settles that. I’ve recorded all of their wrongdoings up to this point, so I won’t be charged for anything. I also have some pull with the local lord.”

I pretended to retrieve something from my travel bag and instead removed the magic tool I’d hidden in the gap between the rest station’s pillar and roof.

Seeing that, the guards dropped their swords to the ground and knelt where they stood.

“You may do whatever you want with me. But please, I beg you, save the people of my village. I know I’m asking for a favor beyond reason. But at least, please spare them…”

The man who looked like the oldest among them pressed his forehead to the ground and pleaded earnestly.

From how he speaks, he might actually be the village chief.

“Father!”

“Dear!”

At this rate, I look like the villain here.

Sorry to interrupt your heartfelt family moment, but I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty.

“If I remember correctly, when the master of a slave contract dies, the slaves die within a few hours as well. In such cases, forming a new contract with another person extends their lives.”

In other words, if left as is, they’ll be dead in two or three hours.

Slaves can’t form contracts with each other. That means I’m the only one here who can do it.

“I can easily form new contracts if I wish. However, I’m a merchant. I have no interest in charitable work that brings no profit.”

“Then sell us after you form the contract! As long as they weren’t taken by force, it’s permissible to transfer slaves. Our status as slaves won’t change—but we’ll still be alive!”

The man who seemed to be the village chief looked me straight in the eye with unwavering determination. His gaze was filled with strong will. Definitely not an ordinary slave. Even his bearing exudes authority.

There’s only one thing to negotiate with them.

“I don’t have the know-how to sell slaves. So, I’ll do a different kind of business—one only I can do. Everyone—would you be willing to sell me your ‘Slave Contracts’?”

After all, I am The Skill Collector.