Sylvia loved money.
As she sat on her chair, piles of Coins were arranged to form towers before her.
There were quite a few Bronze Coin Towers, a couple made up of Silver Coins, and finally…
… A Golden Coin Tower!
She was grinning like a baby as she played with the tower of coins before her.
Sylvia had a dark ebony skin, with black hair and pure black eyes.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but Sylvia's dark irises showed nothing, prompting many to call her soulless.
She didn't mind, though. Of what she was a Soul if one didn't have the money needed to enjoy it?
That was her philosophy.
"Looks like no one is invading today as well. What a bummer…" Sylvia sighed, placing a hand on her cheek as she poured a little.
Her office was within the Warehouse Building, and it was considerably large. Since she was the Manager, it was only a given.
Several panels, similar to System Panels, were floating in the air before her, thus occupying her line of sight.
"Nothing out of the ordinary…"
The only thing Sylvia could expect to happen today was the transportation of their merchandise to the Auction.
'I wish I could go. I bet it's far more eventful than this dreary place…'
Despite her office being much larger than most other managers in her position—and the fact that she literally did nothing but sit in her office—Sylvia couldn't help but complain.
As her ugly face, caked in makeup, formed a twisted smile, her tongue licked her especially large lips.
"Lord Evals Redart will also be there. It's a shame he hardly visits this place. I miss him…"
Sylvia was very fond of Evals—one could say to an obsessive level. She often had thoughts like a common whore, and dressed as one too.
Unfortunately, she wasn't blessed with the looks necessary to complete the equation.
Sylvia was very ugly, and her body lacked the right proportions that made a woman incredibly attractive to men.
That was why, despite slowly reaching her expiration date, she was yet to settle down.
No man—not in the underworld or the surface—even paid her any heed.
Those who did would eventually leave her after one or two months.
That was the reason why she loved money so much.
"You'll never leave me, will you?" She spoke to her adorable stack of coins.
"My lovely things. Huhuhu—!"
Before Sylvia could croak out another laugh, she suddenly felt something wrapping around her neck from behind.
'H-huh…?!'
It all happened instantly, and the tight grip took her by surprise, threatening to snap her neck if she took one careless move.
'W-what's happening…?'
"You will answer my questions and cooperate with me if you want to leave, I'll give you a few seconds to speak. If you take longer, or lie to me, I'll be killing you instantly."
The moment Sylvia heard this, a chill went down her spine.
The voice that echoed was so deep and threatening that it nearly gave her a heart attack. Her body froze, unable to move even the slightest inch.
Sylvia knew right there and then… she was on death's door.
"Y-yes, I understand."
Self-preservation was the natural instinct of any living being. No one wants to die.
"Good. You're the manager of this establishment, correct!"
Sylvia gulped and thought the question through.
'If I answer honestly, he might kill me because he is looking for the manager…'
On the other end, I'd she delayed in her response, he would also dispose of her.
Now stuck between a rock and a hard place, she felt the back of her neck being squeezed tighter.
Any more, and she would break.
"I-I am!" Sylvia finally spoke out, fearing what would happen if the guy found out she lied in the case that she did.
'There's no guarantee that he'll kill now because I'm the manager, right? Compared to staying silent and lying, I'm cooperating!'
In Sylvia's mind, she prayed she wouldn't get killed.
'I-I don't want to die…'
There were still tons of money to be made, and she still hadn't settled down yet.
She couldn't die now.
"I want you to take me to the slaves."
The moment Sylvia heard this, only a single croak came out of her lips.
"E-eh…?"
As the Manager of this Warehouse, she knew the underground passage that led to the real Slave Center.
But why would she reveal such details?
"D-doing that is… it's the same as sentencing me to death…" Sylvia whispered.
She didn't know who was asking the questions, and despite her incredible senses, she couldn't even detect anyone in the room.
It was almost as if she was talking to a ghost.
"I-If Lord Evals Redart finds out I led you there… then my life is over. I'll suffer and die in the worst way imaginable."
Sylvia didn't think her words would elicit some kind of empathy from the man behind her, and she wasn't honestly counting on that.
However, it was just a bad choice to reveal the passageway to someone when she would be killed brutally for it.
'At least, for this one… I'm not sure what he'll do to me…'
She was well aware of the power of her Boss, and he was just as brutal as he was intelligent.
There was no escaping him.
"I don't have time for this…" She heard the deep voice suddenly say.
A hand instantly sat atop her head, as if someone was grabbing tightly.
And then—
~FSHUUUUU!~
"ARGGHHHHHH!!!"
Heat seared through her head as the hand that held her burned through her hair and began to dig into her flesh.
Smoke rushed from her burning skin as simmering sounds echoed within the room.
"STOOOOPP! I'LL TAAALLLK! I'll… I'll talk…"
The heat ceased, though the remnant heat that was ingrained in her head and mind remained.
Smoke rose from the top of Sylvia's head as she felt strands of her hair falling down.
The man behind her had just shown her a taste of what he could do.
Sylvia already knew there was more in store for her if she refused him any longer.
"I'll… talk…"
There was no way to resist any longer.
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Thanks for reading!
We're finally getting to the slaves in the .