Chapter 198: Chapter 167:

“Beauty… are you referring to that? The one we used when seducing the witch back then?”

“Half right, half wrong.”

“What?”

“At the time, I was just a sickly little lad. Now I’m a wealthy nobleman.”

“…….”

“Why? What?”

Otto rolled his eyes.

“…Noo.”

Camille averted his gaze as if to say he was getting exhausted.

Trying to argue with Otto would only lead to getting scolded in the end, so I knew it was pointless to argue with him…

“Anyway. Get me a maid who’s good at makeup. I want to look presentable.”

“I understand.”

At Otto’s command, Camille arranged for the best beauticians in the Caliphate.

“Don’t go overboard. Just enough to make it look like it’s not there at all.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

About an hour and a half later.

“Voila.”

After finishing his makeover, Otto stood in front of his subordinates.

“…..!”

“…..!”

“…..!”

Everyone was stunned.

There stood the most handsome man in the world.

He wore very light makeup and just had his hair trimmed….

“Well. You’ve been known for your handsomeness since you were a kid.”

“What an asshole. You sure do look like a Gisaeng¹, Pansy.”

Even Kairos, who often grumbled, and Camille couldn’t help but admire his beauty.

“My God.”

“As expected, Your Highness is the most handsome man on the continent.”

Even the magic swordsmen gazed at Otto in awe.

Otto’s complexion had faded a bit from the harsh sea breezes, sandy weather, and scorching sun.

Otto himself had never particularly cared for his appearance.

Of course, he was handsome even amidst those conditions, but now, with proper grooming, he was undoubtedly the most handsome man on the continent.

“Oh my, Oh my.”

“I’ve never seen anyone so handsome.”

Even the maids who had groomed Otto were staring in awe….

“Yes, yes. Thank you. Everyone. I guess I was somewhat handsome, hehehe.”

… Although he chuckled, even Otto himself was surprised.

He wasn’t usually conscious of it, but every once in a while he’d notice his appearance and it would make him blink in amazement.

‘If I think about it, my face is a holy relic, so that must be why I don’t have a holy relic.’

He even thought that maybe his handsome face was the reason why he was a rare trash character who didn’t have a holy relic that others possessed.

‘Ugh, what’s the use of being handsome? It only comes in handy at times like this. It’s not worth a dime when it comes to survival.’

Otto grumbled to himself and looked back at Camille.

“Are they there?”

“What?”

“Those Oberhauser bastards who were planning that illicit trade, remember? We brought them in to be sold as slaves?”

“Yes, they are. We have them locked up in prison, with the cooperation of the Caliphate’s military.”

“I’m taking them away, so get them ready.”

“Where are we going?”

“The Kingdom of Sahara.”

Otto’s eyes lit up.

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The Sahara Kingdom was a small country to the east of the Caliphate, but it was economically and militarily powerful.

The Kingdom was built on a blessed land with so many mineral reserves that it was said that the entire country was built on a giant magic stone.

It was even jokingly said that if you dug up the ground out of boredom, you would find vines of high-purity magic stones.

Moreover, the entire country was surrounded by rugged mountains and endless deserts, making it a natural fortress.

As a result, despite its small size, the Sahara Kingdom was never threatened by the Caliphate and had been a stable dynasty for hundreds of years.

It wasn’t a tribal state made up of many tribes like the Caliphate.

However, with 99.9 percent of the country’s economy dependent on the magic stones, the Sahara was also an importing nation.

The Sahara Kingdom imported almost everything that humans needed, from resources to food.

The only things the Sahara Kingdom didn’t import were water and people.

Actually, they also relied on people.

The most important import for the Sahara Kingdom was neither food nor iron ore.

It was human resources.

More precisely, slaves.

As a country that relied on the export of the magic stones, the Sahara Kingdom relied on slaves to provide most of the labor needed to mine the precious stones.

The work was not only arduous, but also dangerous, as the miners were practically forced to put their lives on the line.

A single accident could kill dozens or even hundreds of people.

This made the Kingdom of Sahara the perfect place to sell slaves.

“Cheap! Cheap! I have slaves on sale!”

“Take a look! I have a healthy and strong slave for sale!”

“I’m selling well-behaved slaves!”

As befits one of the world’s largest slave markets, the capital of the Sahara Kingdom was bustling with activity.

“Ugh. No matter what, it’s still the same. People selling people. These trashy bastards.”

Otto had come to sell slaves, too, but at least he had a good motive.

The slaves he was selling belonged to the Oberhauser Merchant Company and had done all sorts of evil things.

They were absolute scumbags of the earth, to whom no one would object if they were killed off.

It’s just that he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty, and he wanted to sell them into slavery for a decent amount of money.

But more than half of the slaves traded here were innocent people who had simply been sold for money.

“Aren’t they all criminals?”

“Not in this place.”

“What?”

“The slave trade in the Caliphate is at least well controlled. Only criminals with clear identities are allowed to trade. But not here. It’s just buying and selling.”

“Is that true?”

Camille’s eyes narrowed.

“It used to be well controlled in the past, but not anymore.”

“What’s the reason? They aren’t even heinous criminals deserving death. Why would they sell innocent people?”

“There could be several reasons, but if we had to point out why the slave market here went rampant… it’s probably because of the Sultan. The Sultan lifted all regulations on slave trading. They’re known as one of the greatest tyrants.”

“Is the Sultan worse than His Highness?”

“HEY!.”

Otto glared at Camille.

“I’m just a baby compared to the Sultan here, okay?”

“How severe is it?”

“Well, for starters, they’re an evil necromancer. A complete lunatic, a murderer.”

“And the country’s still functioning? Isn’t there already….”

“Hasn’t there been a rebellion?”

“Yes.”

“A few times. They were all crushed.”

“…….”

“She has done quite well in maintaining her throne, that woman.”

“The Sultan is a woman?”

“Yes.”

Otto nodded his head.

“One of the give-and-take is amazing, and they’re good with their entourage.”

“My God.”

“She actually treats the common people well too. With the country having a lot of money, she tends to distribute it generously.”

“And yet she’s a tyrant?”

“She values human life as much as she values the life of a fly. Well, specifically, the life of a man. Anyway, let’s quickly sell off those Oberhauser bastards.”

After saying that, Otto approached the nearest slave trader.

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*Clip-clop* *Clip-clop*

“Neeiiiiigh!”

“Purrrrr!”

Qasim immediately left Al-Salam with forty magic swordsmen.

The mission was not complicated.

Otto had instructed him in great detail where to go, how to get there, and what to do once they arrived.

All Qasim had to do was follow the instructions and execute the mission well.

‘Look at the map.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

‘About 100 kilometers northeast of Al-Salam, you’ll find a desert.’

‘Do you mean the Desert of Death?’

‘Yes.’

‘Desert of Death,’ as even the Caliphs themselves avoid it, was truly a land of death.

From the terrifying [Sandworm], a giant sand beast, to the [Scorpion Man], a creature with the body of a scorpion.

It was a place infested with all kinds of dreadful desert monsters, and even the Caliphate had abandoned it.

However, Qasim and the magic swordsmen didn’t seem to mind as they boldly traversed the Desert of Death.

‘If you use a vibration reduction spell and a noise reduction spell at the same time, you’ll be safe from the desert monsters. You see, desert creatures rely on vibrations and sound to detect prey, so as long as you’re cautious about that, you’ll be fine.’

True to Otto’s words, there wasn’t a sign of a monster in sight.

Magic isn’t just about flashy, powerful attack spells.

Even seemingly insignificant spells like this one could have enormous tactical benefits.

Originally, both spells are quite high-level magic, which neither a beginner nor an ordinary person can use.

Qasim was only able to do this because he was a magic swordsman of the Kuntachi family.

Arriving at their destination, Qasim and the forty magic swordsmen concealed their horses and climbed a small rocky mountain.

From there, they laid in ambush and waited for night to fall.

About four hours later.

“Neeiiiiigh!”

“Purrrrr!”

At night, a band of bandits on ghost horses appeared.

The band of thieves, known as the “Ghost Riders,” had been committing atrocities for over 200 years, passing their legacy from one generation to the next.

One of the reasons they had been able to remain elusive for 200 years was because their transportation was a Ghost Horse.

With the help of their ghost horses, they were able to easily slip in and out of the Death Desert and avoid being hunted down by the forces of the Kingdom of Caliphate.

Why?

In any case, they could just flee to the Desert of Death if things got rough.

“Wow. A ghost horse that humans can ride.”

Qasim was amazed as he looked at the marauders in the distance.

Naturally, the living could not ride a horse that was a ghost.

It was common knowledge that only undead monsters could ride ghost horses.

“When we reach our destination, there will be bandits on ghost horses.

Qasim recalled Otto’s instructions and sent a signal to the magic swordsmen.

*Swoosh!*

Qasim and the magic swordsmen, equipped with night vision goggles, approached the bandits without making any noise.

They had activated noise reduction and vibration reduction spells beforehand, so the bandits had no idea they were approaching.

‘Three, two, one. Attack.’

Qasim issued the signal.

*Thwack* *Thwack* *Thwack* *Thwack*

The magic swordsmen fired their crossbows, making a preemptive strike against the bandits.

“A-Ambush!”

“Enemies! Enemies have appeared!”

The bandits, who had been caught off guard by the natural defense of the Desert of Death, were unable to respond to the attacks of Qasim and the magic swordsmen.

They were completely helpless.

Except for their possession of ghost horses, the bandits were not very powerful in combat, so they were nothing more than a snack for Qasim and the magic swordsmen.

And so the 200-year history of the Ghost Horse Riders came to an end in the face of the overwhelming power of Qasim and the magic swordsmen.

But not all of the bandits were killed.

‘The leader must never be killed. The password to open the cave entrance changes every 12 hours, and only the leader knows it.’

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

Qasim and the magic swordsmen made sure to keep the leader alive at Otto’s direction.

“Who are you people!”

The lone leader shouted at Qasim and the magic swordsmen.

“We are knights sent by the Great King Otto de Scuderia.”

“Oh… Otto de Scuderia…?”

“How dare you.”

Qasim snarled, grabbing the leader by the scruff of his collar.

“Don’t you utter His Majesty’s name with your filthy mouth.”

“Argh!”

“Give me the password nicely, and you won’t be thrown to the monsters lurking in the desert.”

Qasim pointed to the tightly closed cave entrance and scowled at the leader.

“B-But if I tell you the password.”

“I’ll kill you soundly.”

“Are you saying you’re going to kill me?”

“If you’re going to resist, then resist. We are skilled in torture.”

Qasim said coldly.

“…Give me the password.”

The troubled boss nodded his head

It was a wise choice.

Even if he do this, he’ll die.

Even if he do that, he’ll die.

If he was going to die, he might as well do it painlessly and neatly.

“भगवतीप्रज्ञापार.”मिताहृदय

The boss recited a spell.

*Rumble*

*Rummbleeeees*

Then the cave entrance, which had been firmly closed, slowly began to open.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Difference Between Geisha and Gisaeng. The former were trained at private establishments, while the Koreans were trained at government institutes