Leader of Goblin Debauchery: I Can Infinitely Evolve my Artifacts

"It won't be easy, especially since this is a predominantly human settlement," Thalrexia admitted, detailing the town's structure. She explained that even within the Shardholm Dominion, numerous small towns catered specifically to slave trading, each portion of the town designated for a particular race.

Dwarves, elves, and others had their own places to buy and sell, often treating members of different races as inferior, unless they possessed a VIP badge that offered them some semblance of equality.

To put it simply, each town was dominated by a specific race, while the others were treated as slaves and auctioned off in that very place. However, there existed a possibility for them to obtain a VIP badge, allowing them to purchase the slaves as they wished.

"VIP badge, you say?" Keith narrowed his eyes as he listened to Thalrexia's explanation. He then turned his gaze back toward the man lying on the floor. Keith had already noticed that the man did not belong to the human race; with his pointed ears and disfigured face, he seemed to belong to a different lineage altogether.

Curiously, Keith began to check the man's pockets, tapping around until he finally pulled out a badge from the pants' pocket. He held it up, securing it proudly against his chest.

"Um, I can't find one..." Thalrexia followed suit, rifling through her maid outfit in search of the VIP card. Yet, she found no emblem.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she tilted her head in confusion, looking towards Keith with a mixture of hope and anxiety, as if pleading with him not to abandon her here.

".....Do you want to leave?" Keith inquired, attentively observing her body language, and as he suspected, she nodded blankly, much like a puppy eager to escape this grim place. He glanced outside and saw a few humans strolling through the market, holding goblins and other races with ropes tied around their wrists.

Turning back to the room, he noticed the chilling sight of chains lying on the floor. A teasing smile crept across his face as he spoke to Thalrexia, "Then let's get out of here together, my slave."

"Eh?"

---

"EHHHHH!?"

Thalrexia gasped in disbelief as she discovered her hand was chained while she stumbled through the alley, having just emerged from a cramped space in her maid outfit. The shock was evident on her face as she glanced at the goblin who had shackled her, tugging at her like a slave. Memories flooded back to her of the criminals she had seen tied in such a manner back in her homeland.

"W-who do you think you are, treating me like this?!" Thalrexia's voice trembled with shock. The reality that she, a member of a noble race, had been reduced to a state of enslavement was almost too much to bear. She halted momentarily, attempting to wrench her hand free from the chains.

"They'll kill us if we don't keep moving," Keith shrugged, stepping out of the alley. As he did, his eyes glinted gold, taking in the disapproving stares of passersby. Their feet seemed to freeze in place as he yanked Thalrexia forward, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. All eyes turned to her, captivated by the chain in Keith's hand and the badge emblazoned on his chest. The curious crowd quickly averted their gazes, clearly intimidated, and began to walk away.

'It works,' Keith mused as he noticed the shocked expressions on some goblins being led by humans. He felt no sympathy for them; sharing the same race didn't obligate him to care. His gaze shifted back to Thalrexia, who was seething with confusion and disbelief. She struggled to comprehend why he was handling her this way, but a flicker of understanding dawned on her. If he hadn't intervened, her reckless words might have incited the wrath of the crowd against them.

Realizing her predicament, she spoke softly, attempting to express her gratitude, "Th-thank y—"

"GET MOVING!" Keith barked, swiftly pulling her by the collar, yanking her upright.

Thalrexia was momentarily stunned, her eyes widening in surprise as she found herself just inches away from him. Their gazes locked, his wandering downward, where he inadvertently noticed the soft curve of her cleavage peeking through the fabric of her maid outfit, which caused a blush to creep onto his cheeks.

"Ahem—thud," he cleared his throat awkwardly before releasing her, allowing her to stumble back to the ground. He yanked the chain harshly, commanding, "Stand up before I make this worse for you!"

Thalrexia was taken aback by his forceful tone, but the reality of their situation weighed heavily on her. Feeling the pressure of the crowd around them and the necessity of maintaining their charade, she placed her hands on the ground and lifted herself, lowering her head in submission. Despite the circumstances, a pang of sadness washed over her due to his harsh words.

"Good, let's move," Keith noted her disappointed expression and the clear fear etched on her face, paired with her visibly anxious demeanor. However, he needed to act this way so they could at least escape the marketplace, giving him enough time to understand the geography of the area and how the systems operated here.

"What beautiful eyes; I want them," a voice called out, making Keith halt.

He turned to find a man who appeared human, flanked by two bulky individuals with green skin and enormous muscular builds, each wearing chains around their necks. The man was grinning with narrowed eyes, leaned while staring directly at Thalrexia.

"I like your neck. Can I have it?" Keith took a step forward, leaning his head slightly between man and Thalrexia, mirroring the man's posture as he had leaned in to examine Thalrexia's eyes, even though she had lowered her gaze. With malicious intent, Keith looked at the man and replied in the same tone.

"Huh? A goblin? Come on—you're a VIP, I see." The man's irritation was clear as he observed the sudden interruption by a goblin, but his attention shifted upon noticing the badge on Keith's chest.

After glancing at Thalrexia's eyes for a moment, the man smiled and announced, "I challenge you to a duel, with those eyes at stake."

"What?" Keith initially registered the man's words as an objectification of Thalrexia, stripping her of agency and treating her as a mere possession—a replaceable part. This revelation gave him a glimpse into the man's personality. However, the idea of a duel for Thalrexia's eyes gave him pause.

"I don't—this?" Keith hesitated, about to refuse, when suddenly a blue light flared near his chest, causing the emblem to glow.

A light string unfurled from it, forming a contract that hovered in the air, eliciting a visible smirk from the man.

"Hahaha! Other races doesn't get to have choices in the human territories; accept the challenge or leave," the man taunted, his laughter punctuating the atmosphere as onlookers in the marketplace halted to witness the spectacle.

They gathered to watch how a traditional challenge, typical of the human town, was unfolding—a display of privilege where humans could challenge other races holding VIP emblems for their slaves.

'.....' Keith stood still as he observed how the crowd gathered around them, eager for a fight. The appearance of the contract, summoned by his emblem, revealed the stark reality of their situation to him.

It was clear that, given the human's position and the specific privileges allotted to those with VIP badges, the system was rigged to benefit humans while undermining other races.

The man, full of ignorance and rife with racism, was unaware of how narrow-minded he was. It appeared that it could be used against him in the duel, which prompted Keith, in a taunting air, to declare, "Fine, but I want those two slaves of yours if you lose."