Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The shipwright Vito and five other crew members of the Western Exploration Team became prisoners of the "upper species."
The upper species, as they were referred to in the local language, were called the Serdan people. However, privately, they were often called "sheepmen" due to their physiological features.
Vito was currently in a large, empty room.
Each person was shackled with iron cuffs on their feet.
"Oh, my little darlings!"
A Serdan, dressed in fine clothes and holding a whip, walked into the room.
"How have your training exercises been going?"
He looked at Vito and the others with affection, but it was the kind of affection one might have for a small cat or dog.
"Crack!"
He cracked the whip.
"Lord Hubbard will soon come to inspect your training results. I hope you don't disappoint him."
"Yes, Lord Abut. We are ready," Vito and the others answered fluently in the local language, then formally bowed in the Serdan manner.
Though they felt deeply humiliated, they had no choice but to comply to avoid further mistreatment.
A saying had passed down from Earl Grayman: "As long as you remain at the base of the blue mountains, you need not worry about firewood."
The same applied to human fate: as long as one lives, there is always a chance for change.
"Very good, very good, you are truly my masterpieces."
Abut nodded in satisfaction before leaving the room.
Vito and the others continued to wait.
After a while, the Serdan ruler, Hubbard, the one who had ordered the attack on the exploration team's ship at the port, entered the room.
He inspected the results of Vito and the others' learning: language, etiquette, and so on.
"Surprising!"
He discussed with Abut in an unexpectedly amazed tone.
"In fact, I thought these hornless ones might have some intellectual flaws."
He circled his fingers around his temple.
"But their performance is better than I imagined."
Vito and the others burned with anger but did not dare to show it.
"Well, my little darlings!"
Hubbard clapped his hands. "Now we can finally present you to Her Majesty the Queen. I hope she will like this gift."
---
"It sounds like there's a banquet going on inside!"
Listening to the sounds of unfamiliar instruments coming from the palace, member Pepys of the exploration team guessed aloud.
"Well, soon we'll be paraded into the banquet like six monkeys."
Another member, Relf, self-mockingly said, "I hope Her Majesty likes monkeys."
Over the past days, they had been diligently learning everything about the Serdan people.
In the words of the "beast tamer" Abut, this was to make their behavior appear more "human."
Disobedience would lead to punishment.
Hunger, or even physical abuse.
But if they obeyed, they would be treated well, with good food and drink.
"Sigh, do you think we'll ever return to our homeland?"
Pepys said dejectedly, wondering if he would spend the rest of his life as some kind of pet.
No one answered him, and a heavy silence fell.
Finally, Vito said, "Don't think the worst. As long as we live, there will always be a chance for change."
Just as he finished speaking, a group of Serdan palace guards came over.
"Alright! Hornless creatures!"
The leader of the group called out loudly. "Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you strange beings. I hope you don't make any inappropriate movements."
Vito thought back to the gnomes kept by kings and lords in the Old Continent.
Every ruler's court had such physically deformed individuals.
When they held banquets, they would make the gnomes perform for their guests.
Acrobatics, magic tricks, comedic acts, all for entertainment.
What were the real feelings of the gnomes?
Were they already numb, or were they full of anger, like themselves?
Shackled, they were escorted to the banquet hall.
The hall was filled with Serdan nobles dressed in fine attire.
As soon as Vito and the others entered, they drew the attention of most of the people in the room.
"Wow, they really have no horns!"
"Did Lord Hubbard have their horns sawed off?"
"Oh, that's so cruel."
The discussions around them made the six men feel uncomfortable.
They lowered their heads, following the etiquette officer along the scarlet carpet towards the head of the hall, where the ruler of the land sat.
They could not raise their heads until granted permission.
The etiquette officer stopped, and Vito and the others immediately halted as well.
"Your Majesty!"
Hubbard's voice rang out as he spoke to the Queen.
"These are the hornless ones I captured from my domain's port. According to them, they come from another continent."
"I thought their appearance was unusual, so I sent them as a gift to Your Majesty. I hope you will like them."
Vito and the others stood quietly, waiting.
After a moment, a melodious female voice spoke.
"Lift your heads."
Vito felt nervous, slowly raising his head to look at the throne.
Then he was stunned.
The Serdan Queen was standing there.
Her tall, graceful figure and alluring beauty...
Especially those green eyes and green hair...
She looked exactly like someone Vito had seen before.
It was uncanny! He had seen her at a banquet before the exploration team left.
Except for a pair of horns.
"She looks like..."
Pepys murmured, and the others were equally astonished.
The "disrespect" shown by the hornless men embarrassed Hubbard.
Although the Queen, whom he deeply admired, was indeed very beautiful.
It was really frustrating; all that training seemed to have been in vain.
In front of the Queen and the guests, Hubbard dared not lose his temper.
He bowed to the Queen.
"Your Majesty, I apologize. My gift has offended you."
"Lord Hubbard, I truly like your... gift."
The Serdan Queen gazed at Vito and the others with great interest, her eyes fixed on them.
"That's wonderful."
Hubbard smiled, "I hope they bring you enjoyment."
The Queen commanded the attendants, "Remove their shackles."
This surprised Hubbard, but he did not stop them.
What happened next stunned him.
The Queen arranged a dining table for her "gifts," just like the other guests in the hall.
"Your Majesty, this..."
"What's wrong? Do you disagree with my actions?" The Queen's voice was filled with authority.
"Oh, no. They are now your property. How you treat them is your choice."
Was this... freedom? Vito and the others were surprised, feeling an unprecedented lightness in their bodies.
"Guests from across the ocean, I hope you drink freely here."
The Serdan Queen raised her glass to them, seemingly playfully winking.
Vito and the others felt waves of emotion surge within them.
The Queen displayed an indescribable charm.
Perhaps it could be called "enchantment."
(End of the Chapter)
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