The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 181: Fishing for a Flatfish

The final item in the auction: Eliza.

Her sorrowful expression evokes sympathy, and the mournful contortions of her body, bound with ropes, ignite male desire.

Eliza is dressed in a torn nun's habit.

Her striking beauty and the unique allure of her role as a nun enhance her value.

Some might look at her and think she is a pitiful nun, but the truth is, all of this is just part of Eliza's performance. The slave auction and the prize—Eliza herself—are her design.

Sister Eliza.

At first glance, she is a nun from the Order of Order and Balance, but in reality, she is a vampire hunted with fervor by the clergy.

She manipulates people to organize slave auctions and offers herself as the prize.

Fools, mesmerized by Eliza’s beauty, pay vast sums to buy her. All the proceeds go to Eliza.

There’s no point in signing a slave contract. Once ownership is transferred, she nullifies the transaction as if it never happened.

If the buyer, unaware of this, eagerly purchases Eliza, they waste their money and gain nothing in return.

This is her seventh successful scam.

Eliza has now arrived in Haarlem, her next place of operation.

Even in a poor city, catching the eye of a noble could bring at least dozens, if not hundreds, of gold coins.

The truth Eliza has realized through this work is that nothing is sweeter than draining other people’s money. Even Ordo, the God of Order, would surely agree.

"Who will make a donation today~?"

Eliza scanned the auction house, her eyes fixed on her prey.

Many men sent her lustful, base looks, but their fantasies would never come true.

Then, a priest in pristine white robes appeared in Eliza's line of sight.

"Why would a priest come to a slave auction?"

These dark alleyways are places that priests utterly detest.

And this wasn’t an ordinary priest.

He was endowed with immense divine power.

Judging by the sympathy in his gaze toward Eliza, he hadn’t uncovered her identity. She was half-vampire, but undeniably also half-priest.

Of course, no good could come of this.

Next to the priest sat a man with black hair and dark eyes, his legs crossed and his chin tilted in a slanted posture. While his face was rather handsome, it was his eyes that left a deeper impression on Eliza than his features.

It wasn’t the look of someone pitying a nun, nor one filled with lust.

It felt as though someone were looking at her and laughing.

Instead of pitying me, you’re laughing at me?

Do you not feel sorry for nuns taken into slavery?

Eliza cast a sorrowful glance directly at him, but his expression didn’t change. He must be a cold-blooded man, one who feels no compassion even for the pitiful.

If someone wasn’t giving her money, Eliza wasn’t interested. She turned her attention away.

"I'll bid fifty gold coins!"

The price had already risen to fifty gold.

Hidden speculators weren’t just among the auction house staff but also among the bidders. They raised the stakes to stir up competition. The fools didn’t even realize this and jumped into the bidding, thinking it was a good thing.

"One hundred!"

Another increase in the stakes.

This was enough.

With a hundred gold coins, one could live well and eat plentifully for quite a while.

It seemed no one else was willing to raise the price further.

The moment the auction was about to end—

"One thousand."

"...What?"

"I’ll bid one thousand."

It was the man with the peculiar gaze.

Without any warning, he threw out an amount ten times the previous bid.

The room fell silent.

At Eliza’s direction, the auctioneer asked on her behalf:

"Excuse me, are you joking...?"

"This is no joke."

Indeed.

It wasn’t a joke.

Even after proposing such an astronomical bid, he remained composed, his expression unperturbed.

I can’t read him.

Her intuition whispered that something was wrong.

Then, a murmur rose among the crowd.

"Is that man a Slave Reaper?"

"The Slave Reaper came all the way to Haarlem?"

"Looking at him, it seems like he is."

The Slave Reaper.

Even Eliza had heard of his notorious reputation.

A slaver who tormented his captives, stole their lives, and even destroyed their souls.

How could such a Slave Reaper desire me?

"Not that it works on me anyway."

Famous or not, to Eliza, he was just another fool.

It seemed he had plenty of money—should she squeeze a bit more out of him?

Eliza manipulated one of her hidden shills.

"One thousand one hundred."

"Two thousand."

"Two... two thousand one hundred?"

"Three thousand."

"?"

A giant question mark seemed to float above Eliza's head.

What?

What kind of dreadful thing do you plan to do that’s worth spending three thousand gold coins?

The Slave Reaper met Eliza's eyes and smiled widely.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

*****

The winning bid: a staggering three thousand gold coins.

A sum so vast it could purchase a noble's mansion, yet it was spent on a single nun.

Despite her pursuit of luxury, even Elise found the amount overwhelming. The thought running through her mind was simple: I need to escape fast.

The involved parties gathered together.

“Thank you. Thank you so much, Karami.”

“Don’t mention it. I simply spent it where it was needed; it’s as good as not spending a coin at all.”

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

“Karami...! Hngh.”

Lukas regarded Karami, who had invested three thousand gold coins in a nun, as nothing short of a savior of the century.

The whispers about the Slave Reaper didn’t even reach his ears. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he kept bowing ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ deeply, offering heartfelt thanks.

“Lukas, if you don’t mind, may I have a word with this lady alone?”

“Oh, yes, of course. Please, go ahead.”

Still emotional, Lukas left without suspicion.

Now, only Karami, Elise, the auctioneer, and the slave trader under Elise’s control remained.

“First, show me the money. If this was a joke, you won’t get away with it.”

“Don’t worry.”

Karami handed over heavy pouches of gold coins, exchanged beforehand into points. The amount couldn’t fit in a single pouch and was divided into several.

Elise manipulated the slave trader to verify the contents. When the pouches were opened, the gleaming gold coins were real, not counterfeit.

“You’ve proven it’s no joke. Shall we proceed with the transfer of ownership?”

“Fine... agreed.”

The slave trader handed over the magical contract detailing Elise’s subjugation. Karami briefly skimmed the contract and then smirked.

“I’ve confirmed everything. Then, I’ll take full ownership of Sister Elise. Ah, and one more thing.”

Snap!

Karami snapped his fingers.

In an instant, a shackle bound Elise’s soul.

“Ah?!”

Elise was visibly shaken.

“I dabble in contract magic myself. Just as a precaution. I hope you don’t mind?”

The auctioneer shouted in protest.

“What do you mean there’s no problem?! Proceeding with a contract without consent—this is outrageous!”

“Consent? Whose consent are we talking about?”

“Well, of course—”

“Sister Elise is now my slave. I paid the rightful amount. Whatever I choose to do with her is my business.”

While his reasoning was sound, to Elise, this was an entirely unexpected and unwelcome turn of events.

I knew something felt off.

To think he could use magic like this...

So, this is why he’s infamous as the Slave Reaper.

It wasn’t just empty talk—he had truly earned his notoriety.

She had underestimated him.

This called for a strategic retreat.

With the priest absent, she would nullify the contract and escape with the money.

That slave trader’s magic is nothing.

Elise skillfully attempted to void the contract.

But...

It’s not working?

Her fake contract dissolved in an instant, but the shackle Karami had placed on her soul didn’t budge no matter what she tried.

“Don’t resist. If you use magic, the priest will find it suspicious, won’t he?”

At his words, Elise’s body reacted involuntarily.

Her magic ceased abruptly. At the same time, the auctioneer and the slave trader collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.

“Oh? They suddenly fell. Were they overcome with drowsiness?”

Karami spoke nonchalantly, looking at the collapsed figures and nudging their heads with his foot. They didn’t stir.

Elise was startled by the unexpected situation but concealed her emotions. She spoke softly.

“Slave Reaper, was it? Weren’t you trying to save me?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why did you bind me with a contract?”

“I’ll save you. But the slave contract will remain.”

To save her while keeping her as a slave—it was a contradictory statement.

“Do you really think you can enslave a nun and get away with it? The priest won’t sit idly if he finds out.”

“True. That’s why this will be our little secret.”

“And why would I agree to that?”

Karami stepped closer to Elise and sniffed the air, his nose twitching as though catching a scent. Elise frowned and instinctively stepped back.

“What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“Oh, I thought I smelled blood. Am I the only one who notices it?”

Elise’s crimson eyes widened.

The power she used to manipulate others came from her vampire blood.

It wasn’t magic but a unique vampire trait that even priests couldn’t detect.

It was impossible for a mere human to sense it, yet Elise, feeling a pang of guilt, couldn’t respond confidently.

“T-That’s...”

“That’s what?”

If her identity as a vampire were exposed, the contract would prevent her from resisting, and the priest outside would eliminate her.

She had to bluff her way through this.

But no plausible excuse came to mind.

...

Only one thought emerged.

Even though she found it mortifying, humiliation was better than death.

With trembling fists, Elise stammered.

“T-That’s because... I’m on my... cycle.”

“Pardon? I didn’t catch that.”

“I-I’m on my period!”

“Oh... I see. My apologies.”

Karami offered an apology for his insensitivity. It was a lie, of course, but Elise’s pride had already crumbled.

“Either way, be careful. If someone discovers you’re a vampire, you’ll be in just as much trouble.”

At that, Elise, who had tightly shut her eyes, snapped them open and raised her head sharply.

“H-How do you know?”

“We’re bound by a contract. My magic is a bit special—it allows me to see the true nature of my slaves. Your soul takes the shape of a bat.”

To think even that was possible. Elise bit her lower lip hard.

Then, a realization struck her.

“Wait. If you knew I was a vampire, wouldn’t you already know why there was a scent of blood?”

“Oh, come now. How could I distinguish it by scent alone? I just said it to provoke you.”

“...What?”

“I was surprised too. I didn’t expect you to react so strongly. It was quite amusing, actually. I couldn’t just let it slide.”

Karami’s words were meant as consolation.

But they didn’t soothe Elise. Her body trembled with suppressed fury, her eyes gleaming with tears of sheer indignation.

“What do you plan to do with me?”

“Hmm, first, let’s get out of here. If we keep the priest waiting too long, he’ll grow suspicious.”

Karami opened the pouch to collect the gold coins but only grabbed the ones at the top.

“Why are you only taking those?”

“Because the rest are fake.”

“What?”

“I just scattered a layer of gold coins on top to make it look real.”

Elise, who had broken her bonds by sheer force, frantically rummaged through the pouch.

Indeed, the rest were not gold coins. The inside was filled with yellow-painted stones.

None of the other pouches contained gold coins either.

Three thousand gold coins? He had bought Elise for nothing.

Despair washed over Elise.

Pretending to be a slave, she had ended up as one for real.