Ayo Main ke Kota: Pertemuan yang Tak Terduga - 05

Ayo Main ke Kota: Pertemuan yang Tak Terduga

Kereta bergoyang pelan sambil bergemuruh ringan. Ini kereta yang kokoh dan solid, bisa muat enam orang dengan nyaman. Interiornya didominasi warna cokelat dan putih, dengan kain merah sebagai aksen. Mewah tapi tetap hangat.

Dari jendela, kota yang ramai terlihat jelas. Gedung-gedung kayu berdempetan dengan bangunan mirip gereja dari batu. Kereta lalu lalang di jalan. Sejauh ini gue cuma lihat manusia biasa—belum ada elf atau beastmen. Tapi banyak orang berbaju zirah lewat, juga pedagang, bikin pemandangan jadi warna-warni dan seru dilihat. Ada satu orang jalan sambil narik tali yang diikat ke orang lain berpakaian compang-camping. Mungkin mereka punya selera seksual aneh. Ngapain cengar-cengir di jalan, dasar mesum.

Till yang juga lihat dari jendela buka suara.

"Van-sama mau pergi ke mana?"

"Gue mau lihat toko gede."

Till mendengus dengar jawaban langsung itu, tapi kemudian miringin kepala.

"Toko gede……..kalau begitu ke Kamar Dagang Mary aja. Asosiasi pedagang besar yang punya cabang di seluruh kerajaan, bukan cuma di kota ini. Hampir semua barang ada di sana."

"Wah, Till pinter banget!"

"Hehehe."

Gue balas senyum sayang ke Till yang malu-malu, sambil iseng julurin lidah. Lalu gue lihat ke luar lagi. Pedagang saling teriak menawarkan barang, orang-orang ketawa bareng. Dunia luar penuh energi.

Saat gue asyik ngeliatin orang dari dalam kereta, kereta berhenti dan seorang pelayan memanggil.

"Tuan. Kita udah sampai."

Pelayannya agak blak-blakan. Tapi cara dia ngomong sambil terus menunduk hormat, kayaknya dia emang kurang terlatih dalam bahasa sopan.

"Makasih."

Waktu gue senyum ke dia, pria itu balas senyum dan angguk-angguk berkali-kali.

"Ayo, ayo. Turun."

Pas pelayan buka pintu kereta, Till duluan turun. Lalu dia tarik tangan gue. Dari luar mungkin keliatan kayak kakak lagi bantu adik, padahal kebalikannya.

Begitu gue turun dari kereta, dua prajurit yang ngikut dari belakang langsung berjajar di samping kiri-kanan gue.

"Makasih, prajurit."

Lalu gue mendongak. Di depan gue ada gedung batu besar. Besar banget. Kira-kira seukuran supermarket di Jepang. Dua lantai, bentuknya mirip gimnasium. Pintu dobel besar, bingkai jendela dengan ukiran detail—cukup stylish dan sesuai selera gue.

Sekarang, ayo masuk.

Pas gue mau melangkah, teriakan keras kedengeran dari jalan utama.

"Awas lo!"

Denger suara penuh amarah itu, gue noleh. Seorang pria lagi jalan nyebrang jalan, narik tali. Dilihat lebih dekat, ada kain kotor bergerak di belakangnya. Begitu gue perhatiin, ternyata itu anak kecil manusia. Hah, anak kecil? Umurnya kayaknya lebih tua dari gue.

Waktu pria itu sadar kita lagi ngeliatin, dia sempat kaget, tapi langsung melotot marah.

"Heh, ngapain lo. Gue bukan pertunjukan."

Begitu pria itu ngomong, pengawal gue langsung pegang gagang pedang. Pria itu meski takut, nggak menunjukkan tanda-tanda mundur. Suasana jadi berat dan tegang. Gue angkat bicara.

"Hei. Siapa anak itu? Kenapa kalian diikat?"

Waktu gue tanya, pria itu keliatan agak gelisah, tapi jawab juga.

"Gue mau jual dia sebagai budak."

Denger kata-kata itu, gue liat ke Till. Lalu Till noleh ke pria itu dengan wajah susah.

"Ya, benar. Maaf, saya akan jelasin. Anak ini jaminan utang bapaknya."

Pria itu ngomong kayak itu hal biasa, sambil nunjuk anak di belakangnya.

"….jaminan utang bapaknya?"

Waktu gue tanya, Till buka mulut dengan sedih.

"Hanya dua jenis budak yang diizinkan UU Perbudakan: budak karena utang dan budak karena pernah melakukan kejahatan. Tapi sejak dulu, penduduk desa miskin jual anak yang nggak bisa dikasih makan sebagai budak buat biaya hidup… mereka pakai sistem transfer utang buat jadikan anak mereka budak utang."

Till menjelaskan, dan mata orang-orang di sekitar pedagang budak itu jadi agak dingin. Tapi kenapa nggak ada tatapan atau suara keras lagi? Mungkin karena perbudakan udah mendarah daging di masyarakat. Semua udah biasa lihat pemandangan kayak gini.

"Ah, ini……..apa ini putra Marquis?"

Tiba-tiba seorang wanita usia sekitar tiga puluhan menunduk dalam dan ngomong gitu. Kok dia tahu gue dari keluarga Marquis? Gue liat ke Till sambil miringin kepala, dan dia angguk puas.

"Betul! Ini putra Marquis terkenal, Tuan Van Ney Fertio! Lihat, ini lambangnya sebagai bukti!"

Till ngomong senang sambil nunjuk punggung gue. Gue cepet-cepat meriksa, dan di belakang jaket yang gue pake ada pola pedang di siluet sapi. Itu lambang keluarga marquis kami: binatang buas mitos dan pedang ajaib yang dipakai buat ngalahinnya. Eh, tunggu. Ada cerita kayak gitu, tapi bukan berarti kami beneran punya pedang ajaib legendaris itu di rumah.

Dan sekarang, gue nggak peduli sama lambang keluarga.

"Gue……..pake barang kayak gini?"

Kenapa gue nggak sadar waktu disuruh ganti baju? Malu banget.

Saat gue lagi sedih, wanita yang tiba-tiba nyapa itu mendongak sambil senyum.

"Udah duga keluarga Marquis……..! Selamat datang di Kamar Dagang Mary. Ada yang bisa dibantu, Tuan? Saya sediakan semua yang Tuan butuhkan! Oh, nama saya Rosalie."

Rosalie ngomong, lalu nunduk lagi dengan senang.

"Ini, Marquis…….."

Gue tiba-tiba dengar pedagang budak itu menggerutu, gue noleh dan lihat dia mundur pelan. Apa dia takut bakal ditangkap karena jual anak dengan cara abu-abu?

Dengan pikiran itu, gue buka mulut ke Rosalie.

"Gue mau tanya, boleh? Tadi dengar mau jual anak itu jadi budak, kira-kira berapa harga anak kayak gitu?"

Ditanya begitu, Rosalie noleh ke pedagang budak dengan wajah serius.

"……..Usia sekitar delapan tahun. Aptitude sihirnya apa?"

Rosalie tanya, dan pria itu jawab sambil cemberut.

"Yah, aptitude sihirnya mencuri."

"Nggak bisa lebih dari tiga koin perak besar untuk anak itu."

Rosalie jawab cepet. Pria itu tampak bingung.

"Tunggu! Budak yang pernah gue lihat setidaknya laku lima koin perak besar! Dia masih muda, bisa jadi budak lama, gue berhak dapat harga lebih!"

Rosalie mendengus dan nyilangin tangan dengar keluhan itu.

"Semua toko beli dengan harga kurang dari setengah harga jual. Anak itu cuma worth tiga koin perak besar. Kalau kami jual, harganya enam atau tujuh koin perak. Perempuan bisa dua kali lipat, tapi karena pelanggan nggak butuh anak kecil, biaya ngurus anak dipotong dari harga."

Rosalie jelasin, dan pria itu gigit gigi sambil liat anak yang dia bawa.

"Sialan, nggak berguna! Ya udah, gue jual tiga koin perak besar! Ini, kasih uangnya!"

Pria itu ngomong frustrasi sambil dorong anak ke depan. Dorongannya keras sampe anak itu jatuh ke depan dan mengaduh pelan.

Melihat itu, mata Rosalie tajam.

"Tunggu dulu. Jangan diperlakukan kayak gitu? Dia anakmu, kan? Nggak ada salahnya agak lembut…"

"Diem! Nggak usah ikut campur!"

Pria itu balas teriak, motong omongan Rosalie. Padahal Rosalie mau nutup transaksi, tapi dia buka mulut dengan bahu naik turun karena marah.

"Jangan konyol! Kami nggak harus beli. Kalau mau jual, setidaknya bohongin anak itu…"

"Tau nggak sih, kalian selalu nipu gue…! Gue nggak mau jual ke lo! Ayo! Kita ke toko lain!"

"Ah!"

Anak itu menjerit kesakitan waktu pria bermuka merah itu narik tali.

"Gue beli. Lima koin perak besar. Gimana?"

Gue nggak tahan buat ngomong gitu. Kalau pria itu bawa dia pergi kayak gini, anak itu mungkin bakal dibunuh. Kekhawatiran itu penuh di kepala gue.

Pria dan Rosalie noleh ke gue, dan gue balik noleh ke Till.

"Till, punya uang?"

Denger itu, Till buru-buru ngeluarin tas kulit.

"Ha, iya……..! Saya siapin satu koin emas buat jaga-jaga!"

Sambil ngomong, Till ngeluarin koin dengan ukiran kuda berlapis emas.

"Till, gue minta koin perak besar, kan? Lima buah."

Waktu gue ngomong gitu, Till mulai periksa isi tas kulit lagi dengan buru-buru. Dia cekikikan gugup karena nggak nemu. Melihat kesulitannya, Rosalie ulurkan tangan ke Till.

"Tukar aja koin itu dengan perak besar. Serahin ke saya."

Rosalie ngomong gitu, cepet ngeluarin sepuluh koin perak besar dan kasih lima ke Till.

"Kamu harus berterima kasih ke Tuan Van."

Lalu dia lempar lima koin perak besar ke pria itu.

Pria itu masih keliatan kesel, tapi pas liat koin perak besar di tanah, dia buru-buru ngumpulin dan pergi.

Anak yang ditinggal nggak tahu harus ngapain, dia jongkok di tempat.

"……..Nama lo siapa?"

Waktu gue tanya, anak itu mendongak ke gue lewat celah rambut kusutnya dan bisik pelan.

"….Kamsin."

Catatan penulis asli: Kalau agak penasaran atau tertarik sama kelanjutannya, tekan bintang di bawah buat kasih rating!

Let's Go Out: An Unexpected Encounter

The carriage rumbled along gently. It's a solid, well-built one that can comfortably fit six people. Inside's decked out in brown and white with red cloth accents—fancy but cozy.

Through the window, I could see the bustling city. Wooden buildings next to stone church-looking structures. Carriages coming and going. So far I've only seen regular humans—no elves or beastmen yet. Lots of armored passersby though, and merchants everywhere. Makes the whole scene colorful and interesting to watch. There's this one guy walking around with a rope tied to someone in rags. Weird sexual preference, I guess. Why're you grinning in public like that, you perv.

Till was looking out the window too, then spoke up.

"Where do you want to go, Master Van?"

"I wanna see a big store."

Till snorted at my quick answer, but then tilted her head.

"Big store……..then let's go to Mary's Chamber of Commerce. It's a huge merchant association with branches all over the kingdom, not just in this city. You can find almost anything there."

"Wow, Till's so smart!"

"Hehehe."

I smiled back at embarrassed Till, then stuck out my tongue playfully. Looked outside again. Merchants were yelling out to each other, people laughing together. The outside world's so lively.

While I was people-watching, the carriage stopped and a servant called out.

"Sir. We've arrived."

The servant was kinda blunt. But the way he kept bowing while talking, guess he's just not good with formal speech.

"Thanks."

When I smiled at him, the guy smiled back and nodded repeatedly.

"Come on, let's go."

When the servant opened the carriage door, Till got out first. Then she pulled my hand. From outside, it probably looked like an older sister helping her little brother—which is totally the opposite.

As soon as I stepped out, the two soldiers following behind lined up on either side of me.

"Thanks, soldiers."

Then I looked up. There was this huge stone building in front of me. Massive. About the size of a supermarket back in Japan. Two stories, kinda looks like a gymnasium. Big double doors, window frames with lots of detailed carvings—pretty stylish, my kind of thing.

Alright, let's go in.

Just as I was about to step forward, shouting came from the main street.

"Watch it!"

Hearing that voice full of anger, I turned around. Saw a guy crossing the street, pulling a rope. Looked closer—there was a dirty rag moving behind him. When I focused, I realized it was a kid. Huh, a child? Looks older than me though.

When the guy noticed us staring, he flinched for a second, then glared back angrily.

"Hey, what's your problem? I'm not a show."

The moment he said that, my guards put their hands on their sword hilts. The guy looked scared but didn't back down. The air got heavy and tense. I spoke up.

"Hey. Who's that kid? Why're you tied together?"

When I asked, the guy looked uneasy but answered anyway.

"I'm here to sell 'em as a slave."

Hearing that, I looked at Till. She turned to the guy with a troubled face.

"Yeah, that's right. Sorry, I'll explain. This kid's collateral for their father's debt."

The guy said it like it was totally normal, pointing at the kid behind him.

"….collateral for their father's debt?"

When I asked, Till spoke up sadly.

"Only two types of slaves are allowed under the Slavery Act: debt slaves and criminal slaves. But since ancient times, poor villagers and townspeople have sold kids they couldn't feed as slaves to survive… they use debt transfer to make their own children debt slaves."

Till explained, and the eyes of people around the slaver turned cold. But nobody said anything harsh or glared too hard—probably 'cause slavery's so ingrained in society. Everyone's used to scenes like this.

"Ah, this……..is this the Marquis's son?"

Suddenly a woman in her thirties bowed deeply and said that. How'd she know I'm from the Marquis family? I looked at Till, tilting my head, and she nodded proudly.

"That's right! This is the famous prodigy, Master Van Ney Fertio! Look, here's the emblem as proof!"

Till said happily, pointing at my back. I quickly checked—the back of my jacket had a sword pattern drawn on a cow silhouette. Our marquis family crest: a magical beast and the magic sword used to defeat it. Wait. Just 'cause there's a legend doesn't mean we actually have that legendary magic sword at home.

And right now, I don't care about our family crest.

"I……..was wearing this?"

How come I didn't notice when they made me change? So embarrassing.

While I was wallowing in embarrassment, the woman who'd greeted me looked up smiling.

"I knew it was the Marquis family……..! Welcome to Mary's Chamber of Commerce! What can I do for you, sir? I'll provide everything you need! Oh, my name's Rosalie."

Rosalie said, then bowed again cheerfully.

"This, a Marquis's…….."

I suddenly heard the slaver groan, turned and saw him slowly backing away. Was he worried about getting arrested for selling a kid using gray-area methods?

With that in mind, I spoke to Rosalie.

"Quick question, if that's okay? Heard you wanna sell that kid as a slave—how much would a kid like that go for?"

Asked that, Rosalie turned to the slaver with a serious face.

"……..About eight years old. What's their magical aptitude?"

Rosalie asked, and the guy frowned.

"Well, magical aptitude for stealing."

"Can't give you more than three large silver coins for that kid."

Rosalie answered immediately. The guy looked confused.

"Wait a minute! Every slave I've seen sells for at least five large silver! They're young, can be a slave for a long time, I deserve a higher price!"

Rosalie sniffed and crossed her arms at that complaint.

"All stores buy for less than half the selling price. That kid's only worth three large silver. When we sell, we mark it up to six or seven silver. A woman would go for twice that, but since customers don't need small children, the cost of raising them gets deducted from the price."

Rosalie explained, and the guy gritted his teeth looking at the kid he'd brought.

"Damn, useless! Fine, I'll sell for three large silver! Here, give me the money!"

The guy said frustrated, shoving the kid forward. He pushed so hard the kid rolled forward and groaned as they hit the ground.

Seeing that, Rosalie's eyes sharpened.

"Hold on. Don't treat them like that? They're your kid, right? Doesn't hurt to be a little gentle…"

"Shut up! Stay out of it!"

The guy yelled back, cutting Rosalie off. Even though she was trying to close the deal, Rosalie's shoulders shook with anger.

"Don't be ridiculous! We don't have to buy. If you wanna sell, at least lie to the kid…"

"You know what, you guys always rip me off…! I don't wanna sell to you! Come on! We're going somewhere else!"

"Ah!"

The kid squealed in pain as the red-faced guy yanked the rope.

"I'll buy. Five large silver. Deal?"

I couldn't help saying it. If that guy took them away like this, the kid might get killed. That worry filled my head.

The guy and Rosalie turned to me, and I turned to Till.

"Till, got money?"

Hearing that, Till quickly took out a leather bag.

"Ha, yes……..! I prepared one gold coin just in case!"

Saying this, Till took out a coin with a gilded horse engraved on it.

"Till, I asked for large silver, right? Five pieces."

When I said that, Till started checking inside the leather bag again frantically. She chuckled nervously not finding any. Seeing her trouble, Rosalie held out her hand to Till.

"Let me exchange that coin for large silvers. Leave it to me."

Rosalie said, quickly brought out ten large silver coins, and handed five to Till.

"You should thank Master Van for his kindness."

Then she tossed five large silver coins at the guy.

The guy still looked pissed, but when he noticed the large silvers on the ground, he hurriedly gathered them and left.

The abandoned kid didn't know what to do, just squatted there.

"……..What's your name?"

When I asked, the kid looked up at me through tangled hair and whispered softly.

"….Kamsin."

Original author's note: If you're even a little curious about what happens next, hit the stars below to rate it!

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