Chapter 29 : I’m an Arrogant Noble Heir — Whatever I Do Is Justified, Right?

Ron thought that if he turned to leave, the stall owner would come chasing after him to bargain.

But what he didn’t expect was—

The stall owner sneered, shedding his earlier respectful and humble demeanor.

“A magical beast of this grade? That’s the price.”

“I was planning to bring it to an auction in the big city.”

“But the auction fees are too high. Plus, with a major trade caravan docking here and a high footfall, I thought I’d take my chances selling it at a stall.”

“That’s the price. Whether you buy or not is up to you.”

“Let me just give you a heads-up.”

“This thing’s very popular.”

“Don’t come crying when someone else buys it and you regret it!”

The stall owner spoke with total arrogance.

Clearly, he wasn’t worried about selling the beast, nor was he fooled by Ron’s tactic of pretending to walk away.

Faced with such an arrogant merchant—

Ron let out a soft chuckle.

“Let’s go. We’ll check out the other stalls.”

Seeing Ron truly turn to leave without pressing the deal, Perica was a little dumbfounded.

“Young Master, are—are you really not going to negotiate further?”

“This grade of magical beast is quite rare…”

“I even think it’s worth contacting the main household and having someone come buy it directly!”

Even with Perica’s current strength, she could tell this magical beast was indeed rare, and once matured, would possess considerable combat ability.

But Ron remained calm and replied:

“No rush.”

“The beast isn’t going anywhere.”

“If even I—heir to a duke—can’t afford it, then others won’t be able to take it so easily either.”

“Let’s look around first, leave him hanging a bit, and then decide whether to buy it.”

With that, Ron and Perica truly left the stall.

Seeing Ron really walk off, the stall owner began to panic a little.

But in order to avoid being bargained down, he forced himself to hold back and didn’t call out to Ron.

“Hmph, playing hard to get now, huh?”

“Let’s see if you’re really not interested!”

He slumped back into his chair and fanned himself with irritation.

…

On the other side—

Ron and Perica browsed through the rest of the stalls.

Originally, they thought they might find higher-quality magical beasts elsewhere.

But after walking around, it became clear that all the magical beasts on sale were more or less the same in quality.

Ron had been puzzled at first—why did it seem like everyone coordinated in advance, offering the same few beast types?

After thinking it through, it made sense.

Most of these stall owners caught magical beasts from the same region, and their hunting teams had similar capabilities.

If they were truly strong, they wouldn’t need to set up a street stall in the first place.

Just like the earlier stall owner said:

The really high-quality beasts would be sent to auctions in the big cities first.

Those places have more wealthy buyers, better chances of selling at a high price.

The only downside is the steep auction commission fees.

But considering the chance for big profits, most people would rather hand rare goods over to professional auctioneers.

After browsing a full round with no luck—

Ron fanned himself with his hat, wondering if it was time to go back and renegotiate.

“Where to next?”

“Straight ahead is the humanoid slave section,” Perica reminded him softly.

After thinking it over—

Ron decided to let the stall owner stew a little longer.

“Let’s check out the slave market first.”

The two lifted a heavy curtain.

After passing through a corridor, they arrived at the slave section.

Unlike the pungent stench of the magical beast area—

The air here was noticeably fresher.

Not only was it not unpleasant—

There was even a faint, ambiguous scent of rose incense lingering in the air.

“Come have a look~”

“Freshly arrived Feline Catgirls!”

“Big-chested, flat-chested—everything you could want!”

“Captured and certified by the Wayne Slave-Hunting Team—guaranteed fresh and unopened stock!”

Purple candlelight flickered in the air.

Girls of all kinds were locked inside iron cages, dressed only in thin, sheer nightgowns!

Though the cages were decorated with bows and lined with soft plush mats—

A cage, no matter how dressed up, was still a cage that stripped away freedom.

Amid the merchants’ enthusiastic shouting—

Some vendors occasionally burst into perverted laughter, teasing the girls inside through the bars.

These girls were all humanoid, primate-like beings.

Watching so many girls who looked no different from humans being openly sold as merchandise—

Ron’s soul, still carrying the moral compass of a modern person, was deeply shaken, unable to say a word.

Just as Ron’s worldview was being violently challenged—

A terrified female voice suddenly cried out:

“No—please don’t!!”

A fat man had opened one of the cages, stretching out a perverse hand toward the catgirl inside.

The girl, dressed in a thin pink negligee, shrieked in panic and swiped at the man with her claws!

“Aaargh!!”

“You damn b*tch!”

His hand scratched and bleeding, the man cursed through gritted teeth.

The vendor—who had been tending to other customers—rushed over, panicked by the commotion.

“Oh dear, sir!”

“Didn’t you see the sign?”

“No handling the merchandise without staff supervision!”

“Come, come, someone tend to this gentleman’s wound!”

Under the vendor’s appeasement—

The man left angrily, supported by the staff, still shouting about how he’d file a complaint.

The vendor’s face darkened with malice as he watched the man go.

“Damn thing, you dare scratch a customer?”

He picked up a wooden rod embedded with a purple gemstone.

In the next second—crackling arcs of electricity sparked from the tip!

He shoved the rod through the bars and jabbed violently at the catgirl who had scratched the man.

“Filthy thing! If your face and body weren’t worth something, I’d have had you skinned and cooked already!”

“How dare you scratch someone?!”

The girl’s screams and wails rang through the air.

Faced with this dark episode in the slave market—

Not a single person around showed any sympathy.

They all just watched with mocking smiles, treating it as entertainment.

“Th-this…”

Ron clenched his teeth.

His emotions screamed at him to rush in and stop the cruelty.

But reason kept whispering to him:

In this world—filled with diverse sentient races and wildly unequal power—

This kind of thing wasn’t considered abnormal at all.

Sensing Ron’s emotional shift—

Perica quietly stepped in front of him, shielding his view from the cruel scene.

“Young Master…”

“You’re perfect in every way—except this one.”

“You’re too kind.”

“For beings without strength or status, this world is a brutal place.”

She gently held Ron’s face in her hands, trying to get him to accept reality.

Looking into Perica’s tender eyes—

The emptiness in Ron’s gaze slowly began to fade, returning with a flicker of clarity.

“Hey, Perica.”

“I’m a noble-born, one of those spoiled heirs the commoners love to hate… right?”

Perica blinked in confusion at the sudden question.

“Huh?”

“Well, yes… but why are you asking that?”

To her puzzled response—

Color began to return to Ron’s pale face.

“Which means—”

“As a spoiled noble heir…”

“Anything I do that defies your ‘normal rules’ is perfectly justified, right?!”