The Story of Hanna/Slave Market

Since you entered through the backdoor, you're in the faculty section of the slave market. On the surface, it looks like any other interior of an office, and there's absolutely nothing remarkable about what you see here. You're brought all the way to the third floor, where you walk to the door at the end of a long corridor. There's a sign that reads "boss", which suggests that you're about to be presented to the person who runs this place. The guard knocks on the wood three times and awaits patiently for a reply. Once given a verbal permission to enter, he walks you inside.

It's surprisingly modest as an office, certainly not something you would expect of the "boss". Inside this cramped space there are few seats, a large table, a bookshelf, some décor and a couple of green plants. Walls are dark red, and so are the wooden furniture. The small window is fully behind a pair of hideous, white curtains, that don't fit the rest of the space at all. The man sitting behind the table is a tall, slender man with board shoulders, but very little muscle. He's middle-aged local with sunburnt skin, black glossy hair stylized with perm, and a nasty scar running across his left eye. On the first glance he looks rather smug and self-serving. His jewelry - which is plentiful - and his formal business attire suggests that he's a wealthy man. Considering his occupation, it's not surprising at all.

"Good job once again, Herbert", he says, referring to the guardsman. His eyes, though, are locked to your face. "May I ask you, where is this little lady from?"

"She's with Chad Mason", Herbert says, "or should I say, she used to be."

"Yes, indeed", the boss says, nodding in approval. "It is only a matter of time until we can offer a restraining order for the rest of his girls. If he can't provide for them lawfully, we have the duty to take them into custody."

You finally feel like you need to say something. "T-that's not the reason Hanna was given…"

He turns fully towards you. "Oh, do you have something to say?"

"This man arrested Leon unlawfully", you say, voicing your suspicions. "He had a permit for Hanna… And a right to serve as Hanna's caretaker…"

"Care to explain?" he asks, turning his attention towards Herbert with a sour look on his face.

"She is indeed correct. There were no problems with the document."

"Well, there you have it", the boss says.

"W-wait, this is not fair! That's your reply!?"

"I was the one who issued the order", he says, with a strict tone. "Don't you get it? You got screwed over."

"Why…!? How could you…!?"

He walks up to you and takes you by your hair, pulling on your scalp. "Blame your pretty face", he says, with a lustful smile on his lips. "In any case, I have to pay off a lot of people to get my hands on girls like yourself. I fully expect you to pay off the debt through work. We can't have you turn out to be a waste of money."

This level of corruption is unimaginable to you. How many people would he truly have to pay off to have an unlawful heist like this to go unnoticed? This guard, the magistrate, and who else? How much money would that even take? Leon is probably held up in a prison somewhere as well, waiting a trial, so there has to be dirty money involved there too. Is nobody truly batting an eye? Would they all just take dirty money to keep their mouth shuts and let injustice happen to two innocent people?

"I thank you for your service", the boss says, turning back towards Herbert. "I will handle things from here. You're dismissed."

"How about my compensation?" Herbert asks, impatiently.

"Let's discuss that tomorrow", the boss suggests. "It is already late, and I have to take care of this girl."

Herbert sighs, but prepares to leave anyway. He leaves you alone with the man in charge.

You look at the tall man, and watch him return back behind the desk. He's pulling open the drawers, looking for something. "My name is Gilles, but I'm expecting you to refer to me as master both in private and in person. Do I make myself clear?" You reply with nothing but a defiant stare. There is no way you would ever call him your master. "I'll let your attitude slide this time, but you better start behaving, okay?"

That's a threat, and you know it. You don't really have a clue about how he would punish you, but you're already accepted that you're not going to be having it easy in this place. You can't really imagine him doing anything too terrible to you anyway, since he can't damage his precious merchandise.

He closes rest of the drawers, and he seems to have two items present with him. No, actually three. There's a piece of paper, a collar and a small pill. "First, I will have you swallow this", Gilles says, presenting the little white piece of something to you. "It's a special contraceptive." As he says that, he can see light appear in your eyes. It makes him smile as well. "This one also works as an aphrodisiac. It's not a strong one, but it has a long, lingering effect."

"H-Hanna doesn't care… Please, let Hanna have it…"

"Could you be worried about getting pregnant?" he asks, in a mocking manner, also laughing. Despite his conduct, he extends his hand towards your face, with the pill tucked between two of his fingers. "Open up your mouth and extend your tongue for me." This order is something you gladly follow. Mouth wide open, you stick out your tongue, for him to land the medicine. As soon as you get it in your mouth, you close your mouth, rolling it around with your tongue. It's easy enough to down with only saliva in your mouth, and there's absolutely no need for water. "Good girl. Continue to behave like that and you'll have it easy here."

Next, he puts the collar on your neck, which you accept silently, standing still. It's a small one, a perfect fit for your neck. He also locks it with a cute and tiny, pink heart-shaped padlock to ensure it's not going to be coming off. You can't help but to notice that this collar also comes with a little ring meant for a leash to be attached to. You remember hearing about girls being dragged around by their collars, so you now know exactly what they must've meant with that. Lastly, your attention is drawn towards the small paper in his hand, about the size of a small postcard. It's a square with even sides, and it has outlines of a strange figure drawn on it. You can't make much of it, because it's a white picture on white paper.

"Let's have you hold your hands up a little bit", he says, getting on his knees. With his other hand, he pulls on the chain on your hands, forcing them up, but for what purpose? His other hand seems to be prying on your clothes, pulling your skirt down. Even though you're not really doing anything to help him do what he's doing, you're not resisting either. Instead, you're just trying to divert your gaze. He's also raising your shirt a little bit, but only enough for him to land his hand under your clothes. "This will hurt a little bit", he says, offering you a little warning.

It's not really use, because the last thing you expected was pain. It feels almost as if burning iron was pressed against your skin, or at least something close to that. It doesn't actually hurt enough to make you even squeal, but your body recoils in surprise. It's over as soon as it started and he let's you go, also dressing your skirt up. He takes a feel of your butt, and you realize it was deliberate. Yet, you continue to not reply or complain.

"That's a little brand I just put on you, a spell circle that sustains itself using your own mana."

So, that's what it was? There are many ways to utilize different kinds of spell circles, and this is just one of them. They can be drawn on items, which can be then used freely using the specific item as a magical conduits. These circles can be either temporary, or permanent. Actually, that's not quite accurate, as even permanent circles can be broken by overloading, releasing or breaking them. As long as the item and the circle are intact, it can be used times and times again though, so it's permanent in practice. You haven't heard of many spell circles that can be tattooed like that to human beings, but you've also heard of them. You're somewhat of an expert when it comes to this subject, so you immediately start to think about how to break this spell circle.

"It has many uses, but it is primarily used as a silencer and as a tracking device."

You hate to admit, but that sounds very convenient. But it also sounds a little bit impossible to you. "What is it converting Hanna's mana into…?"

"Oh, you're a bright little girl", he says, genuinely complimenting you. "How did you know that it converts your mana into something? Did you try casting something?"

"N-no, that's not it…" you reply, almost whispering. "It's just that the idea of a branded silencer is impossible in theory… You said it yourself… It sustains itself using Hanna's mana… In order for a brand to work as a silencer, it would require an outside source…"

Again, he seems genuinely surprised. He actually gets on his feet and claps for you. "Color me surprised, little girl. A slave like yourself has studied magical theory comprehensively?" You can't help but to smile a little bit, but of course you would never reveal the truth to him. Not that he seems that interested anyway. "Well, it's not actually all that surprising considering who your previous owner was. All you angels have some skills and tricks up your sleeves." Then, he takes a little key out of his pockets, presenting it to the cuffs on your hands. "If you want to know what the spell is about, you just have to try it out yourself." Next, he unlocks the cuffs, letting you free. "Oh, but I don't recommend that. And just know that it can be fed with foreign mana as well. Don't try any tricks, or else I'll have you find out what it does in the worst way."

You just simply nod at his threat. It must be something unpleasant, so you don't even dare to try, not even a little bit.

"Now, why don't you surrender your clothes?"

"W-why…?"

"Isn't it obvious? You don't need clothes here."

Again, this is in line with what you've heard. The slaves in this department are really treated like animals to some extent. You're not even allowed to wear any clothes. You know that once you take everything off, you won't be seeing any of them ever again. There lies one huge problem: the ring. It's still in your pocket. There's no way you would want him to find it. With his eyes on you, you're not even sure if you can pull it out without him noticing. You want to protect it, for it's the only thing left with you. The diary is still with Leon, and who knows what's going to happen to it going forward. You obediently start to undress to at very least show complacency. You can't have him undress you, because that way you lose your ring for sure. You start from bottom up, with your shoes and your nylon socks. You open up your skirt and undress it along with your panties. As you step back to undress your shirt, you notice him coming to pick up your clothes. He especially seems interested in taking your panties and storing them inside his drawers. That's his kink? Smelling used panties? Anyway, it presents you with an opportunity to slide your hand inside the pocket, and immediately wear the ring. You continue to undress, starting with your blouse. You take off your camisole, the last piece of clothing you have, and Gilles returns to you. This time around, he has a leash with him, and he's trying to put it on your neck. You stand still, letting him do his work, while hands behind your back, you fiddle your fingers to take the ring off and press it inside your fist. It looks like he hasn't noticed you taking anything from the pocket, or noticed you moving around at all. He's done his job now, and he looks down at you, nodding to himself.

"That's perfect", he says, with his eyes on your bare body. Only thing left on is your collar. "Good heavens, you look even better like this. You're such a gem. I'm sure you'll fetch a generous price."

Being talked to like a piece of merchandise doesn't feel very good, but it's not like you aren't used to being treated like an object already, being a slave and all. It's a little dehumanizing, but you just can't bring yourself to be offended, especially not after years of this wretched life. In accordance to your good behavior, which you partially feign in order to please him, you tell him: "Please find Hanna a good buyer…"

"Oh, don't worry, little girl", he says, giving you a little tap on your head. "We don't just sell our best merchandise to anyone."

You feign a last smile at him before he starts leading you forward away from the office. Your smile is very quick to fall though, because you know that as long as the buyer doesn't have a literal criminal record, you're going to be sold to the highest bidder, whoever it may be. A buyer that has your needs and feelings in mind is not guaranteed. Hell, you could even be sold to a foreign country like Rome or Atlantis, which both have much laxer laws and regulations regarding slavery.

…

Now you enter your new home. This large indoor facility consist of multiple rooms, most of which are meant for customers and merchandise alike. There are also places where only customers are allowed, and some spaces where only slaves are allowed. Then, there are places where customers are allowed only when accompanied by a salesperson or a guard, like the one you're going towards. You're not told much about what kind of place it actually is, so you have to rely purely on what you see, and on what you're going to be taught tomorrow. You don't see anything too surprising or anything that catches your eye, which is both calming and unsettling at the same time.

So, where are you going? Put simply, to your bunk. It's not really a room, since with the bars there's barely any privacy, but it's not really a cell either, as there are no locks on the doors. It's designed like a jailcell, but that's not what it's used for. There's nothing but a bed inside. You lay down on your bed, sighing deeply. Your first night here is going to be an uncomfortable one, but also one where you're not really demanded to do anything. There are a plenty of similar bunks lined up in here, which suggests that there's going to be others sleeping here as well, but how many? Most of the bunks were empty; the girls are probably all working.

"You're on your own now, Hanna", Gilles says, standing behind the bars. "This is your cell. We'll get you a nameplate and an ID number later this night. You can walk and move freely in the places where there are red lights. If you need to go to the toilet, or want to have a drink, ask a guard for instructions."

You pretend to ignore him, but you take his instructions to heart.

"That's really all there is to say. Please continue to behave well, and do what you're told, alright?"

Then, Gilles leaves. You're now truly alone… Well, as alone as you can be. You can tell that there are some people checking on you. There's two women, both of them who are teens, who watch you with pity in their eyes, but neither of them are interested in actually coming to talk to you. You find this very much fine, as the thing you need the most at the moment is sleep. You haven't really done anything of note all day, but you're more exhausted than you've been for a long time. You worry if you actually can fall asleep.

So, this is a place where you can actually leave your cell, like Gilles said. It kind of weirds you out how that can be the case; you really need to learn a little bit about what kind of place this is. It also raises one last worry you have in your heart. If there are no locks, anyone can enter your room. If anyone can enter your room, anyone can find your ring and confiscate it. You can't really carry it around either. Where the hell will you even hide it? You look around the room, but there really aren't any places to hide anything. In the end, you decide to hide it under the mattresses, since the bed actually has to have two of them; there's the actual wooden frame, there's the thick spring mattress, and then there's the softer mattress pad on top. They have really gone all out on comfort, and this bed is as good as the one you had back in Peonia. That's good at very least. As soon as you're sure nobody is watching, you, laying on your side, try to slide your heirloom under the mattresses, where it presses against the wood. Now, all you have left is prayers for anyone to please not go sniffing around your room.

It takes you a long time to fall asleep because you're not used to sleeping around in this noisy environment. The lights are irritating as well. In the end, the sandman beats you though. You're just simply too tired. You fall asleep, and sleep comfortably until the next day.

• Next day...