The Protagonist was Sold as a Slave chapter 16

Herace found himself almost impressed.

“Getting along well, I see?”

Luke scowled instantly.

“Where have you been, leaving me alone like this?”

He flung his bowl to the ground and stormed toward Herace, footsteps brimming with hostility.

It was ironic—the slave acting like a master coming to retrieve an errant servant.

Clearly, being abandoned hadn’t sat well with him.

“Most slaves are glad to be left alone. No orders, no work.”

“No work? You dumped me in the Subjugation Squad! That’s your idea of leaving me alone?”

“You should be grateful I’m not giving you more tasks. There’s not much I need from you.”

Luke stomped on the fallen bowl, smashing it to pieces.

“So you’re saying I’m useless to you?”

The irony of hating slavery but craving acknowledgment wasn’t lost on Herace.

“Not yet. You’re too weak. If you want to be useful to me, work harder.”

Luke bristled but couldn’t retort meaningfully—he had lost to Herace in their last fight, and even he knew his victory had been a fluke.

“Just wait. One day, I’ll crush you!”

Herace raised an eyebrow.

‘That’s a villain’s line, not a protagonist.’

Even as Luke shouted rebelliously, the camp avoided him, soldiers slipping away to steer clear.

Clearly, no one wanted to deal with him.

Herace tilted his head.

“What have you been doing here, exactly?”

The northern snowy plains, with snow falling all day long.

Luke shook his head irritably, brushing off the snow piling on him.

“I sold you.”

“What?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re ridiculously noble-looking. Especially with your face covered—it screams high-ranking nobility.”

“Hmm, being called human scum is quite insulting,” Herace replied nonchalantly, nodding.

Back in his dimension, he’d held the title of Duke.

“Calling you noble is a compliment, you know? Coming from a barbaric beast with nothing but instincts…”

“Barbaric? Should we seriously think about who’s more barbaric here? You, screeching with words like ‘damn’ and ‘f*ck’? Or me, who doesn’t?”

“F*ck.”

Luke spat out the crude curse and gave up on arguing further.

“Go on.”

“…The captain of this subjugation unit is just a loser barely trying to protect himself. He’s been demoted for so long that he’s given up hope of ever returning. All he cares about is not making things worse for himself.”

“Hoho.”

That was a sharper assessment than expected.

Was this the talent of a rogue?

Knowing where to lay down and stretch out comfortably?

“You just have to act strong with guys like that. They’re so afraid of trouble that they’ll let things slide rather than risk bigger issues. Sure, the underlings might get pissed off, but who cares?”

Luke smirked.

The pissed-off soldiers, bruised and battered, walked past Luke, avoiding him.

When Luke said he “sold” Herace, it meant he pretended Herace was a slave of an incredibly influential noble.

He’d bluffed that messing with him would mean losing their heads.

Herace, who hadn’t even introduced his family or background, was stunned.

Still, he grasped the situation quickly.

“A few of them were annoying, but they quieted down after getting smacked around again, right?”

Luke drew his sword theatrically, the weapon at his hip.

It was adorned with ornate gold patterns and gemstones—a showy piece that served as proof.

No master would give such a weapon to a slave they didn’t cherish.

And then there was Luke’s behavior, which didn’t match a slave’s deference at all.

No one would tolerate such insolence unless they were truly fond of him.

Though unexpected, the outcome wasn’t bad enough to call it a mistake.

Herace shrugged.

If Luke had been a subordinate, he might’ve praised him, but their current dynamic didn’t quite suit that.

“Typical rogue behavior. Your only talent is bluffing and intimidation?”

“Was that praise?”

“Don’t just look at parts—consider the whole context.”

“Well, I’m good at this kind of thing.”

Luke puffed up with pride.

It was amusing, but also a little pitiful, so Herace decided to let it slide.

It was time for the uninvited guest, who didn’t belong here, to step back.

He couldn’t leave entirely—he had to keep watch.

But he planned to stay hidden using an invisibility spell.

Just as he was about to cast it, a question struck him.

“Why didn’t you mention being the eldest son of a Count’s family? Even if you’ve been disowned, if you had the guts to claim you’re a cherished slave, you could’ve used that too.”

“I could’ve done that?”

Herace asked, only for Luke to look more confused and retort, “You stopped me when I mentioned the ten-million-gold thing. I figured you didn’t want your noble status revealed. Was I wrong?”

“…No, you’re right.”

Herace was mildly impressed by the rogue’s cunning.

Even if his head seemed all muscle, he had just enough wit to follow through on the minimum required.

“Alright, I think you’re ready for the real test now.”

Luke’s bright blue eyes gleamed.

“What’s the test? Do I have to take down some monsters?”

“It’s not going to be as easy as you think.”

No matter how eager Luke was, the outcome was already clear: he’d be driven into retreat by the stronger monsters.

“Was there any warning when you first threw me at that wolf monster?”

Exactly.

Protagonist aren’t supposed to be given a detailed manual for the trials ahead.

Herace simply smiled.

“I’ll be watching. Prove yourself if you’re so confident.”

“You don’t even have to say it. I will.”

As Luke declared confidently, Herace vanished with his invisibility spell.

Luke’s eyes went wide.

“Hey! Where’d you go this time?”

Not wanting to draw attention, Herace smacked the back of Luke’s head.

“Ow!”

“Shh. Invisibility spell. If I stay visible, someone might figure out I’m a monster, not a noble. So, I’ll stay hidden.”

“Don’t whisper in my ear like that—it’s creepy! And I wasn’t even hurt, just startled…”

Luke rubbed the back of his head.

His skull was hard as a rock, and Herace was slightly insulted that his strike hadn’t left any impression.

He restrained himself from hitting him again.

“So, you’ll stay nearby?”

“Yes. But don’t talk to thin air like a lunatic.”

“Then how do I talk to you?”

“You don’t. I’ll talk to you once it’s over. It’s part of the test.”

Luke scowled, his already menacing expression darkening further.

“Everything’s a damn test.”

“It’s always easier to fall than to climb back up.”

With that, Herace fell silent.

Luke tried talking a few more times, but Herace ignored him.

The rogue had an infuriating way of riling people up, and engaging in conversation would only be endless.

Herace quietly watched Luke until “that day” came.

Luke adapted quickly to the monster subjugation unit.

Though the freezing conditions were miserable and food was scarce, it suited the protagonist.

In this harsh environment where even personal survival was uncertain, individual strength was the only thing that mattered.

And Luke, except for the captain, was the strongest among the soldiers.

As a result, he gradually gained recognition and respect, even as a slave.

Some soldiers even sought to befriend him.

They wanted to learn swordsmanship to survive, or to curry favor with Herace through Luke.

“What are you talking about? Scram!”

But Luke dismissed them all as riffraff, refusing to engage.

“You think I’m stuck in this backwater hellhole to make friends with losers like you?”

Contrary to what one might expect, Luke had high standards for himself.

Rather than enjoying their admiration, he spent his days relentlessly honing his skills, treating those who approached him as nothing more than pests.

“When you can’t even use Aura, what’s the point of learning from me? Go beg the captain instead. Half-assed training will just get you killed…”

Panting, Luke collapsed onto a boulder.

“Idiots with no talent or judgment. That’s why you’ve been dumped in this place.”

Was he aware Herace was watching?

Luke muttered to himself in a rare display of talking aloud.

Herace checked his invisibility spell, wondering if it had weakened, but it was fine.

Luke was just venting, oblivious to Herace’s presence.

“When does this damn test start? I wasn’t sent here to waste my days in boredom.”

‘Soon.’

Herace thought but didn’t answer.

And soon enough, that day came.

A disaster, anything but boring.

Happiness is only realized in its absence.