TLN: I’ll be changing a few things from the previous translator. Zeke/Zieghardt → Sieg/Sieghart. Lala → Lara. Apologies to those who are used to what these were before. Apart from these, I have tried to stay true to the other names and terminology as used in the previous chapters of Jobless Oblige.
Dead of night.
Leaping from roof to roof, I was heading for my destination.
Decked completely in black, silver mask on my head, the tune I hummed was the Song of Justice.
A dark curtain of night, a shining moon in the sky.
A moonlit shadow. A silver-masked shadow.
An ally of justice, they say. A man who defeats evil, they say.
I am a knight of the moon of justice. I am called the Moon Knight.
Justice, Love and Courage, surges from my heart,
Just, Love and Courage, defeats all evil.
A silver, shining moon in the night sky, it's the Ally of Justice, Moon Knight~.
Cheddarman's song that my father sang for me a long time ago…a parody of it, that is.
As I sing this, my mood lifts a bit.
Determination rising!
At the same time, I also feel like I forget all the unpleasant things.
"Over there, huh."
The destination I finally arrived at is a place where public safety is particularly poor, despite being in the heart of the town.
There's nothing like a slum in this town.
Even so, there's still many impoverished folk, and bad lots.
Such people have a tendency to gather in one place.
And in most cases, the public order of that place diminishes.
And, in the middle of that kind of neighborhood, is that slave market.
In Magic City Sharia, it's regarded as the slave market with the poorest of conditions.
The slaves sold here are gravely ill or close to death.
Where other slave markets would hesitate to sell such slaves, here they are sold without batting an eye.
Therefore, they have an awful reputation.
However, the prices are extraordinarily cheap and occasionally you'll unearth a lucky find.
They also sell slaves that aren't able to be sold in the usual slave markets, like ones from high social standing, or slaves from rare tribes who were left behind.
This gathered a crowd of those who desire a slave but don't possess the funds, slave traders looking to resell, those who want a dispensable laborer, or inexperienced merchants or young aristocrats who were duped into being brought along.
"……"
As I drew nearer while concealed, the pungent smell characteristic to this sort of area drifted in.
It's the smell of when people have become soiled.
This is the smell that's more or less present at slave markets.
However, markets that deal in particularly high class slaves are also careful about this smell.
There are a couple slave markets in Magic City Sharia as well, but none of them smell as bad as this.
The merchandise, the dealers and the patrons; I wonder if all of them are becoming soiled.
"……eugh."
When I tried to take a step further, I suddenly stepped in something mushy.
A glance revealed brown and black lumps piling up at the edge of the market.
It emitted a putrid stench and a swarm of flies buzzed around it.
It would appear that the waste expelled by the slaves seems to have amassed here.
While cursing that I couldn't cover my nose while wearing the mask, I tried to wipe off the excrement clinging to my shoe.
Determination fizzling.
"No, no, I just stepped in some shit, that's all."
Pulling myself together, I continued moving through the shadows, searching for the previously mentioned person.
Sanitation was a catastrophe here.
You're likely to contract a disease just by being here for a period of time.
Let's just locate the target as soon as possible.
I was looking for a man wearing a red bandana.
There weren't many lights around even though it was the middle of the night, making it easy to remain hidden at this outdoor slave market.
Maybe it's to hide the condition of the slaves, but it also made it difficult to make out who the dealers are.
Though upon closer examination, there are also a lot of people covering their faces just like I am.
I kind of can't decide if that's a good or bad thing…..
In any case, since I can't really see the dealers like this, I decided to leave my hiding spot and get closer.
"Hey, bro, we got a super rare deal, yo!"
Abruptly, a slaver came up to me.
There really isn't anything to make a good sales pitch about when compared to a normal slave market, but it seems they're strongly determined to make a sale anyway.
Of course, I ignored such aー
"It's the second youngest daughter of that Magic King, y'know."
"Wh!?"
I look at the stage in astonishment.
Standing there was a scrawny and emaciated young lady with her blue hair braided in three.
The second youngest daughter would be……Lily.
"….."
It's not her.
I almost believed it for a moment there, but it obviously wasn't my little sister.
The three braids are kind of like her at first glance, but looking more closely, the blue of this girl's hair was just dyed.
Moreover, the age difference is too wide.
First of all, my little sister inherited the appearance characteristics of the Magic Race and looks like a child.
But I can clearly tell this girl is already an adult. She looks about the same age as me.
And the face is just too different.
Maybe someone who's only glimpsed her once or twice can be fooled, but there's no way I'd mistake someone else for the little sister who I see every day.
My little sister is cuter, and soft.
"Don't worry. She isn't being tracked, so of course the Magic King also won't be coming to take her back."
Well, maybe because on top of it being a fake…
Forget being tracked, she doesn't even have feet to leave tracks with.
"……Wow, amazing, how'd you obtain something so rare?"
"Hehe, well, y'see… One of the Magic King's sons is a prodigal, and unemployed, and has been on a buying spree for magic items and magic tools, and so, struggling for funds, the parent sees the daughter, and….yeeaahhh."
"……"
That prodigal son is most likely referring to me.
But I'm not that extravagant, hey.
The one buying up all the magic items and magic tools is Lily herself.
I usually don't have any money, not that I really do much spending in the first place.
I am Nobly Unemployed.
"So how 'bout it? I'll give you a special bargain for her.”
"Ha, if you're going to sell a dupe, you should come up with a more believable reason."
I said it with a shrug, and promptly skedaddled.
If I'd found my actual sister abducted I'd save her immediately, but I'm not going to go along with this kind of sham.
But he didn't pick the wrong person.
My little sister is absent-minded and it feels like she really will get kidnapped.
Walking through this place full of fraud and deception, I search for my target.
Still, the slaves are in quite poor condition.
Because I scrutinized slaves together with Pax in our student days, I get how bad it is here.
No one seems to be whole.
They look healthy at a glance but it's just cheating using makeup and oils.
That they can still be disguised to look healthy is already pretty good, with things like broken arms or being full of fresh wounds;
Even the slave market in Asura Kingdom's slums wasn't as bad as this.
"Slavery can't exactly be called a good institution, but even banned, it's the way things are. Having said that, you also can't just leave it as is. If you don't properly regulate it, tragedies will just continue to increase."
I recall the words Pax had once said to me.
Slavery itself is not evil.
But I can't see the present situation as anything but evil.
Including Ranoa Kingdom, most countries have been turning a blind eye to the slave trade.
There are countries that outlaw it but there aren't any countries that properly regulate it. It's not banned in Ranoa Kingdom, but it also looks like there aren't any intentions to regulate it.
You'd think that a person like me, who deals with things quickly and careless, would be good for shutting down business……
……but whether it's at the place where a market was originally brought down, or some other place, at any rate another market would just pop up.
"Oh."
In the middle of my thoughts, I found the man wearing a red bandana.
The man has the bandana coiled around the lower half of his face, concealing his face.
His hair is cropped short and close to his head, and there's a scar on his forehead.
It's him, there's no doubt about it.
I don't know if slavery is evil or not, but kidnappers are definitely evil.
"Okay,"
I hid myself in the shadows.
I checked my disguise with the mirror I'd prepared beforehand, washed off my shoes that were still stained with poop and then shined them with a cloth.
If an ally of justice stank, the name would be ruined.
"Let's go."
I once again confirmed that I looked flawless, and straightened up.
□
"That's as far as you go!"
A voice reverberated throughout the slave market.
While everyone was astir trying to figure out whose voice that was, I scanned them from my elevated location and shouted once more.
"That red bandana over there! You kidnapping villain! Your evil deeds may not be able to be exposed during the day and maybe cannot be seen under the light of the sun, but you can't escape from the eyes of the moon!"
Red bandana, kidnapper.
With those words, everyone's gazes landed on that man.
And also discovered me at the same time.
The looked up at me,
"Who the hell are you, ya bastard!"
I heard someone ask that.
There's only one way that can answer that question.
"Fufu, me? I am the knight of the silver moon which shines in the darkness….”
I pose and declare,
"The Ally of Justice, Moon Knight, has arrived!"
Red Bandana and his cronies muddledly exchanged glances with each other.
And so, once more, I said the same thing, in the same way for them to hear.
"Who are you?"
Why do these guys always keep needing me to repeat myself.
I really don't get it, but it's uncool to keep having to give me name out, so I promptly transition to the next part of my speech.
"Villains! People like you kidnappers aren't allowed in my beloved town! Here I come!"
I leap off my high place.
Simultaneously, Red Bandana and his cronies unsheathed their swords.
I've gotten pretty used to this kind of reaction.
Five people in total.
However, Justice cannot lose.
I've learned how to fight multiple opponents from my shishou.
「Haaaa ! Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ・P u n c h !」
I first drove my fist at the first guy who drew his sword.
Aiming for the jaw, this technique that knocks an opponent out in one blow was learned from Red-haired Mama.
The first person tried to defend himself, but was too slow.
I felt my fist make a good landing.
「Ta ! Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ・Ｋｎｕｃｋｌｅ！」
The next person tried to slash at me from behind.
While avoiding his attack and also throwing a backhand chop at him, the move name came out wrong. Knuckle is a body blow.
「Tou! Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ・S a u l t！」1
Because two people have come forth with their swords, I avoid with a backward somersault.
A backward somersault isn't necessary, but it looks cool.
Perhaps trembling because of my backflip, one of the two who came at me from behind flinched.
Yes, that was also what I was going for!
「Hoa ! Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ・Ｓｔｒｉｋｅ！」
I drove my fist in a counter at the one who attacked without flinching.
With that, that's three people.
Two people left, Red Bandana and the young guy who flinched from my backflip.
"Boss, this guy, he's kinda….!"
"Calm down. I'll distract him while you secure the merchandise."
Red Bandana came out to meet me.
His stance is tight and there aren't any gaps.
Even though three of his men got taken out, he's still calm. I can't see any sign of tension.
His sword is quite worn down.
Judging from these three points, he's pretty capable.
"Those moves are from the North God Style, aren't they."
"….Wrong! This is the fist of the knight from shadows formed from moonlight! It's name is Moonlight Fist!"
Fourth point.
He immediately recognized my moves as the North God Style after seeing it.
His observation skills are also sharp.
"Recently, I heart rumors of a dumb rascal fighting with combat techniques. It's you, isn't it."
"That's right! Evil must perish! Here I gooo!"
"Come atme!"
I yelled and take a step forward.
Then Red Bandana also took a step.
But the signals are different.
There's no indication of an attack.
While looking like he'll absolutely attack, he's taking a stance for countering.
This guy, he's from the Water God Style.
The school centered around counters.
Speaking of reversal techniques, it's said that of the three major styles, not one is superior to the others…..
"Hey, hey, what's wrong, Justice-man…..thought you said you were gonna attack now? If this is all you got, my bud's going to run off with the merchandise, ya' know?"
"…..You bastard! How cowardly!"
I really dislike the Water God Style.
They themselves always never make a move first.
While stopping their feet there and adjusting the remaining distance bit by bit, not giving the impression of attacking at all, they lead on their opponent into attack, or lure them through spouting provocations.
Because my opponent isn't going to make any strikes of his own, this really won't be a cool-looking fight.
"What's wrong? Come fight me with your cool fist. Can't attack me or somethin'?"
"Not at all! Here I come!"
If possible, I don't want to take the initiative against a Water God Style opponent.
But at this rate, his crony will make a getaway with those kidnapped victims.
……there's nothing else for it.
「Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ！」
Both hands ready at my waist, I take one step back.
At that moment, he also came at me.
"Are you stupid!"
「F e i n t！」
I clapped both my hands together with a slap.
Simultaneously, I generate mana and magnificent sparks scatter from my hands.
"Na!"
At nearly the same moment, Red Bandana swung his sword.
It's a counter slash aimed for my right hand.
But Nekodamashi2 isn't an attacking technique.
There was quite some distance between us, so his sword slashed at thin air and completely missed me.
Of course I'm not going to let that opening slip by.
「Take this! Ｍｏｏｎｌｉｇｈｔ・Ｓｅｒｅｎａａａａａａａｄｅ！」
I launched a fist with all my might behind it at Red Bandana's face.
Red Bandana is finished, with a tooth flying out.
Red Bandana spun while flying several meters and landed in the muck piled up at the edge of the slave market.
An acceptable outcome.
That certainly made the right kind of impression of a villain being brought down.
With this, it's done.
"Judgement!"
"Ee- eek! Help!"
It's not done, there was one more.
I caught up to the last guy and knocked him out with a body blow.
"Judgement!"
When I posed again, the people in the slave market, who'd just been watching until now, fled in all directions.
It probably goes to show that they all have some sort of guilt weighing on their hearts.
"Are you all right?"
However, I have no intention of pursuing anything but my target.
Because they haven't settled into the path of evil yet.
Rather, let's prioritize protecting the poor victims.
I took off the handcuffs and mouth gags of people it seemed were nearly sold as slaves.
"Ah, aah……you saved me. I was suddenly attacked on the highway, for such a thing to happen…"
"Thank you, thank you!"
"Thank you so much for saving me!"
The people who had been lined up as merchandise faced me and each thanked me.
To the gratitude offered to me, I only had one response.
"No need to be so formal! As an Ally of Justice, it was only a matter of course! Though you may have lost all your possessions, you are all now free! You should go home!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Look, you all, it's time to go home!"
They all quickly dispersed while wearing relieved expressions.
While watching them, I busied myself tying up that fainted Red Bandana with a rope.
I'll notify the guards on my way back.
Abduction is clearly a criminal act, but it's difficult to make an arrest without sufficient evidence.
But there were a lot of witnesses today. This guy is definitely getting tossed in jail.
Justice, complete.
Looks like I'll be returning home in a good mood.
"…..Ah."
Just as I was heading back while thinking such thoughts, I noticed a young girl watching me.
She was still all chained up and watching me with reproachful eyes from between her blue bangs.
Why does he help them, but he won't help me… was the kind of face she was making.
But she'd never requested help from me.
When our eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze and was pulled by a slave trader into the crowd.
"……"
I don't know the details of how she became a slave, even had her hair dyed and got sold.
Perhaps it's the result of being tricked by some scoundrel.
It's impossible for me to discern at this moment.
All I know is that probably…she's a really unfortunate person.
It's not good or evil, it's just sad.
"If Pax were in control, I wonder what he'd do…."
I left the slave market behind with the words of my prior best friend on my mind.
Footnotes:
1. Somersault, though a sault is also a throwing move in wrestling apparently… ↵
2. Nekodamashi – An unconventional sumo wrestling technique which involves a wrestler clapping his hands together in front of his opponent’s face.The aim of this technique is to cause the opponent to close his eyes briefly, allowing the instigator to gain the advantage. – taken from . ↵