Shu woke up in the middle of the night.
At some point, the slave trader had entered the room.
Slave trader: "You're awake? Did you take a bath? Have you eaten?"
As he spoke, he handed Shu a paper bag. Inside were clean undergarments.
Slave trader: "There's no point in taking a bath if you're just going to put that blood-stained shirt back on. Go take another bath and change into these."
Doing as he was told, Shu went back to the bath. From outside the door, he heard the man's voice again.
Slave trader: "I'm heading out again, but you stay in this room. Food will be brought later. Eat and then go to sleep."
He must be going out to find someone who will take me in, Shu thought. What a kind person.
When he came out of the bath, a meal was already laid out on the table. He finished it quickly and, just as he had done during the day, placed the empty dishes outside the door. Then he slipped back into bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, the slave trader woke him up and told him they would be boarding a ship soon. He was not told their destination.
Slave trader: "You were easy to handle. That helped a lot. Well then, take care!"
Those were the slave trader's last words to him.
This ship was a slave ship. It was carrying slaves gathered from various places, heading toward a certain destination. Shu had been sold as a slave, but he had no idea.
He was locked alone in a room that could hardly be called spacious. He was only allowed to leave during meal times.
During meals, he was taken to a much larger room — easily ten times the size of his own — where he ate together with other children in similar situations.
A boy who looked about thirteen was arguing loudly with one of the sailors.
Boy: "You bastards! Stop this filthy business right now!"
The sailor punched the boy and dragged him off to another room. Some of the other children had already broken down in tears.
Once the meal was over, they were not allowed to linger and were quickly returned to their rooms. Keeping them locked up was a precaution to prevent them from throwing themselves into the sea. After all, these were valuable goods purchased for a considerable sum. It would be a huge loss if they sank to the bottom of the ocean on their own.
Similarly, the crew avoided rough treatment because it would lower the slaves' market value.
About two weeks later, the ship arrived at a small island.
This was Bangan Island — an island where slaves provided entertainment.
On Bangan Island, numerous slaves who had been sold or kidnapped from all over the world were forced to work, providing entertainment for the wealthy. Here, "entertainment" referred to things that could not be offered in normal society.
Men were used as combat slaves and made to fight each other to the death in shows. Admission fees were charged, and gambling was also involved.
Five-year-old children wouldn't draw much excitement in deathmatches, so they were usually assigned to tasks like disposing of corpses.
Women — especially young girls — were made to offer their bodies to perverts. While prostitution was legal in many countries and brothels existed in most decent-sized towns, there were age restrictions. Minors were not allowed to work in them.
Wealthy perverts who could not be satisfied by adult women came to this black market to satisfy their twisted desires.
Such facilities were not extremely numerous, but they were scattered across the world. Although clearly unhealthy, they somehow evaded crackdowns. Even when authorities knew of their existence, state intervention was extremely rare. This was because the operations were run by powerful gangs, and among their customers were nobles, wealthy merchants, and renowned warriors — people with significant influence.
Shu and the other seven boys and girls from the ship were brought before an elderly man.
The man was called Lester, and he was the boss of this island. The boy who had argued with the sailor on the ship was also there. Shu had seen him being beaten several times and thought he had died after that day, so it was surprising to see him still alive. His face was still swollen from the recent beating, and he was the only one wearing handcuffs.
Lester: "From today onward, you are all slaves. We will provide you with meals, a place to sleep, clothes, and work. Work diligently."
He then turned to the handcuffed boy.
Lester: "You'll be put to use right away."
A large, muscular man's fist slammed into the boy's face. Before he could even defend himself, the boy collapsed to the floor. The man mounted him and rained punches down on his face repeatedly. Dull, heavy sounds echoed throughout the room. The man's fists became stained with fresh blood. All the boy's teeth were shattered, and one of his eyeballs had popped out.
The image of his grandmother's final moments flashed through Shu's mind. Did Grandmother suffer this kind of violence too?
When the beating finally stopped, Lester spoke again.
Lester: "This boy took actions that harmed us and showed no sign of remorse. Remember his fate well. And be careful how you behave."
The scene left a powerful impression: If you don't obey, this is what will happen.
Shu was assigned to corpse disposal duty. Bodies were produced for various reasons, but Shu's job was to handle the corpses of those who had lost in battle.
Daily Life on Bangan Island
Once a week, a show was held where slaves fought each other. The fight continued until one could no longer move — in other words, until one became a corpse or was beaten so badly they couldn't stand.
The shows were held about four times a day, sometimes as many as eight. Not all the slave fighters belonged to Lester. Other owners sometimes brought their prized slaves. There were also "problem" slaves who were brought here as a final disposal site — slaves who had become useless or refused to obey.
Slaves were not cheap. In fact, they were quite expensive. And slaves did not simply appear out of nowhere. The supply of this "resource" was limited. Even black-market traders couldn't kidnap people endlessly. If they did, they themselves would eventually be caught and turned into merchandise.
For that reason, owners usually hated losing slaves. However, there were always some slaves who were difficult to handle. Those were brought to the arena, forced to fight one last time to entertain the slave owners and other powerful figures, and then disposed of.
Shu watched the brutal deathmatches from right beside the arena while learning. What kind of approach would give him an advantage? Which spots would cause fatal injuries? How should weapons be used?
He expected that he would eventually have to fight here himself, so whenever he had free time, he trained relentlessly.
The Female Slaves
The female slaves worked in the brothel. While the arena shows were held only once a week, the brothel operated every day. Today, too, wealthy men were arriving by ship to the island. Occasionally, women came as well.
After checking in at the reception, guests were led to a large room.
Guest: "Is it a normal room today?"
(The meaning of a "normal room" will be explained another time.)
The girls were sitting on sofas lined up against the wall. Some were standing. There were over a hundred in total. Each sofa had a different color. From the back of the room toward the entrance: black, red, blue, green, white, and finally wooden benches. Near the entrance, there were no chairs or sofas — only standing girls.
The color of the sofa had meaning. Girls sitting on the black sofas at the very back were the most expensive. The closer to the entrance, the cheaper they became. In other words, the girls on the wooden benches or standing were the least popular.
Behind a glass partition was a simple white sofa. Several girls were sitting there. These were the so-called "newcomers." Guests could not call out to them, nor could the girls seduce them. However, they could be nominated.
Normally, for about a month, these girls were ordered to sit in this area — called the "display platform" — and simply observe the customers.
Customers were allowed to speak to the girls, but touching was forbidden. The girls were allowed to speak to appeal to customers, but they were prohibited from pulling them, touching them, or deliberately pressing their bodies against them.
A short, slightly plump customer was appraising the girls. The manager approached him.
Manager: "Thank you for visiting us again today. Last time you chose a tall girl. What kind of girl would you like this time?"
Guest: "I'm short, right? So I really like girls who are big or tall."
The manager beckoned to a dark elf girl sitting on the black sofa.
Manager: "How about this one? She's tall and has well-developed breasts."
Dark Elf Girl: "I'm very good at massages using my breasts. If you choose me, I'm sure you'll be satisfied!"
Guest: "Hehehehe, nice, nice. I like soft ones. How do they feel to squeeze?"
Dark Elf Girl: "Of course, they feel like this."
The girl lightly pressed her own breast with her finger. Even with little force, her fingertip sank deep into the soft flesh. When she removed her finger, the breast bounced back with a boyoyoon motion. (Note: touching her own body was not prohibited.)
Guest: "Ahaha, you're charming too. I've decided! It's you today!"
Manager: "Thank you very much. We'll prepare her, so please wait in the private room first."
The guest received a card with the room number from the counter and headed up the stairs to the private rooms.
The Slave System
In most countries, slavery is legal. The difference between legal and illegal depends on whether the country or lord officially recognizes the person as a slave.
Legal Slaves
Especially in the case of children, if they lose their parents due to war, accidents, or illness and have no one left to raise them, relatives are sought. However, many refuse due to financial or emotional reasons. Orphanages cannot accept everyone. In rare cases, they may be adopted by wealthy families without children, but this is uncommon. Children whom no one wants are turned into slaves by the decision of the state or local lord.
For adults, the main reason is financial debt. Others become slaves due to crime.
Once someone becomes a slave, they are registered in the slave ledger. If they work diligently for a certain period, they may be granted or restored to ordinary citizen status. However, because they usually work in harsh conditions, less than 30% manage to return to normal life.
In the case of child slaves, depending on age and physique, the labor is not as severe, so over 80% are freed upon reaching adulthood. Besides, children rarely become slaves because of their own actions or decisions.
In reality, illegal slaves are far more common than legal ones. Children like Shu — survivors of villages or towns plundered during war — are kidnapped and sold to figures in the underworld like Lester. Kidnapping noble daughters and selling them on the black market is generally not done.
Both nations and lords — and even ordinary citizens — are aware that illegal slaves exist. Those who deal in them are mainly gangs who operate out of sight. Even if a brave person were to free illegal slaves, there would be no jobs or environment prepared to support them afterward. If they fell into poverty, they would turn to crime and eventually become slaves again. In the end, they would not truly be saved.