There Is No World For ■■

After finishing their “conversation” with Dagal, Yeomyeong and Seti began breaking the prison bars without a word.

But the slaves inside—or rather, the centipede feed—couldn’t accept their sudden freedom.

Those with enough strength backed away into the cells, while those too weak to move simply trembled.

They must have been terrified after witnessing Seti’s “conversation.”

Yeomyeong forced a bitter smile as he began dragging the slaves out of their cells. His intention was to get them to walk out of the dungeon on their own, but...

“P-please spare me...”

“Mom... Mom...”

“No! I don’t want to die!”

Almost none of the centipede feed could walk properly.

In the end, Yeomyeong and Seti had no choice but to carry them one by one out of the cells and toward the dungeon entrance.

Since most of them were in such fragile condition, carrying multiple at once or using martial arts techniques to speed up the process wasn’t an option.

It took a long time, but eventually, they moved the dozens of centipede feed to the entrance—or more precisely, beneath the large hole created by the giant centipede.

By then, the moon had already risen in the sky.

“Stay here and don’t move.”

Yeomyeong left the slaves with that brief instruction, then leaped up.

Lightly stepping along the wall of the hole, he landed on the desert surface.

The first thing he looked for was the orc clans. Fortunately, finding them wasn’t hard.

Contrary to Yeomyeong’s worries that they might have already fled, the orcs had set up tents and made camp.

As Yeomyeong approached the campsite, Balagu, who was sitting on a supply cart, noticed him and waved with his cuffed hands.

“You took your time. What happened to the necromancer bastard?”

“...Sent him to join his bugs.”

“Hah! I knew you’d pull it off!”

Yeomyeong didn’t bother asking why they hadn’t fled or how they’d managed to pitch tents while still in cuffs.

Instead, he pulled a key from his pouch and said,

“Unlock the cuffs, gather ropes, leather straps, and feeding troughs—everything you’ve got.”

Balagu took the key, unlocking his cuffs, and asked,

“Is this going to take a lot of manpower?”

“...Probably.”

“Then I’ll bring the rest of the clan.”

Shortly after Balagu left, the orcs gathered around Yeomyeong.

Most of them looked at him with wary eyes, but those who realized he’d killed the necromancer also showed a flicker of expectation—though only in their eyes.

No one spoke as Yeomyeong led the orcs back to the hole.

On the way, he tied ropes to the feeding troughs, making makeshift rescue baskets.

When they reached the hole, Yeomyeong immediately tossed one down.

Whirrr—Thud!

Listening to the sound echoing from below, he confirmed the rope was long enough.

Turning to the orcs, who were staring at him in confusion, Yeomyeong said,

“There are slaves down there, captured by the necromancer. When I give the signal, pull them up.”

“Slaves?”

The word seemed to catch Balagu off guard.

“Is there a problem?” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“No, no problem... I just thought you’d be taking the necromancer’s treasure first.”

“We’ll get to that later. People come first.”

Handing the rope to Balagu, Yeomyeong jumped back down into the hole.

Seti was already down there, lining up the slaves. She’d prepared the weakest ones—especially the children—to be loaded first.

A wink that said, I did well, didn’t I?

A smile in response, Yeah, good job.

No further words were needed.

Yeomyeong and Seti loaded the slaves into the baskets, and the orcs hauled them up.

Thanks to the orcs’ strength, the rescue went faster than expected.

By the time the last slave was lifted, Balagu and several orcs, including the chief, climbed down the rope into the dungeon.

“What are you doing down here?”

Yeomyeong asked, puzzled.

Balagu responded with equal confusion.

“Aren’t we collecting the treasure now? It’ll take forever if it’s just the two of you.”

Seti commented that they were “diligent slaves” in a half-joking tone, but neither she nor Yeomyeong refused the help.

After all, moving Dagal’s hoard wouldn’t be easy with just the two of them.

And so, they started hauling the treasure out of the dungeon.

Crates filled with gold bars, leather sacks stuffed with coins, and unrefined lumps of gold.

Unlike the rescue operation, they didn’t hold back on martial arts techniques this time, so the work didn’t take as long as expected.

Still, gold was heavy, and by the end, everyone was drenched in sweat.

“This guy was completely obsessed with gold.”

Balagu grimaced at the massive pile of treasure.

He probably understood just how dirty the money was, considering it came from selling slaves.

While Yeomyeong stared silently at the treasure, Balagu added,

“So, what now? With this much gold, our clan, and the slaves we just rescued, you could make a fortune selling them all.”

“...”

The orcs fell silent as they finally realized their situation.

Yeomyeong watched their reactions before brushing his hair back and replying,

“Don’t push your luck. I’m not selling the slaves or your clan.”

“...What?”

Not selling them?

The large scar across Balagu’s face twitched, and Seti smirked as if she’d figured out what it meant.

Yeomyeong glanced briefly at her before continuing.

“...You said your clan didn’t become slavers by choice, right?”

Before Balagu could respond, the elderly orc beside him cut in.

“Of course not. If it weren’t for the necromancer... we would’ve survived through trade, like our ancestors did.”

Baldogu, the chieftain of the Kiran clan, wiped his face as he spoke.

His sweat-soaked expression carried a weight of exhaustion and guilt that could not be erased.

“But no matter what excuses we make now... it won’t change the fact that we became slavers. Am I wrong?”

The chieftain’s gaze swept over the orcs, and they all fell silent at once.

“Still... now that the necromancer is gone, our clan—along with the women and children he held captive—can return to our traditions. In that regard, we are deeply grateful to you.”

“....”

As the chieftain bowed his head, the atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.

Yeomyeong hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Seti leaned in close and spoke up.

“We’ll give you a chance to make amends.”

“...Make amends?”

The chieftain looked back and forth between Yeomyeong and Seti, and Seti smiled meaningfully.

“Take all the slaves we just rescued and safely return them to their homelands. Half of the gold here should be more than enough to cover the costs.”

“....”

“We’ll take half the gold and two camels. It’s not like we can carry more than that anyway.”

Seti jabbed Yeomyeong in the side as if asking, That’s good, right?

He pinched her cheek and nodded.

But the orcs still looked stunned, as if they’d seen flowers blooming in the desert.

“...Why? Why would you give us such an opportunity? What makes you trust us?”

“It’s not you we trust. It’s ourselves. If we come back and find out you’ve broken the deal... we’ll just kill you all.”

Though Seti’s words sounded like a threat, the chieftain heard mercy in her tone—a mercy he had never felt from other mana users.

He quickly turned his head to hide the emotion welling up on his face.

“...Thank you for your mercy.”

His voice was damp with something he didn’t want to reveal, but no one pointed it out.

*****

Preparing to leave didn’t take long for Yeomyeong and Seti.

They had few belongings to pack, and there was no need for lengthy goodbyes.

While loading their camels with supplies, a chest of gold bars, and pouches of coins, two orcs approached carrying armfuls of something.

“Balagu? And... Gadudu, right? What’s all this?”

“We realized you hadn’t packed any food.”

What they handed over were cans of spam and yogurt made from goat’s milk.

Yeomyeong and Seti didn’t turn down the gifts.

They’d already packed enough food, but refusing the orcs’ efforts felt wrong.

As Seti tied the food to her camel, Gadudu—the orc who had once been the first to try selling them as slaves—bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you... truly, for giving our clan a chance to atone.”

“Whether it’s atonement or just another disaster depends entirely on you. Do your best.”

With those words, Seti mounted her camel.

Yeomyeong, already seated on his, turned the reins north.

Just as the two were about to leave...

“It should take three days to reach Drayterial if you head north.”

Balagu, also on a camel, pulled up beside them.

Seti’s sharp glare practically screamed, What are you doing?

But Balagu only laughed.

“Didn’t I tell you before? I’m a former slave of Drayterial.”

Seti hadn’t heard that before, but Yeomyeong, who had endured Balagu’s chatter for days, sighed and answered.

“...So what?”

“Well... I’m also a very capable orc who escaped the city on my own. I can guarantee I’ll be a great help to you.”

“....”

“Neither of you has ever been to that garbage dump of a city, right? Drayterial is an absolute nightmare for newcomers. Without the right guide, you’ll end up in trouble the moment you step inside.”

“Trouble? Why?”

Unlike Yeomyeong, who seemed uninterested, Seti propped her elbow on the camel’s hump and rested her chin on her palm.

“A good-looking pair carrying chests of gold, and both of you are knights—or should I say, ‘superhumans,’ like they call you on Earth? Mana users, either way. You’ll stand out immediately.”

“....”

“Every gang, wizard, criminal, merchant, and even the duke will set their sights on you.”

At that, even Yeomyeong finally paid attention.

He needed to meet the duke eventually—especially given the rumors of connections to Earth’s shepherds.

“You can trust me. I’ll get you into the city safely.”

Balagu’s confidence left Yeomyeong and Seti exchanging glances.

When Yeomyeong gave a subtle nod, Seti smirked and tossed Balagu a gold coin.

“Let’s see if you’re as good as you claim, guide.”

*****

Two days later.

After pushing themselves and their camels through grueling marches, Balagu looked half-dead, and the camels were foaming at the mouth.

A massive wall finally appeared on the horizon.

It was a bizarre sight—an ancient stone wall reinforced with modern barbed wire and rusted steel plates.

Yeomyeong frowned at the dystopian scene, and Balagu, barely staying conscious, opened his mouth.

“That’s the south gate of Drayterial... but I wouldn’t recommend using it.”

Splashing water on his face from a flask, Balagu rubbed his eyes and looked more alert.

Yeomyeong asked,

“Why not?”

“The southern guards are notoriously nasty. With nothing profitable to do, they’ll draw their swords the moment they see your gold.”

“What a mess. Any other way in?”

“There’s a sewage tunnel to the west. It’s a bit filthy, but you won’t have to pay bribes or get into fights.”

A choice between a chaotic main gate or a dirty but quiet sewer entrance.

For Yeomyeong, the answer was obvious.

But still...

“...Another sewer?”

Seti sighed, mourning her already filthy clothes, as the group turned their camels west.