Dark Fantasy Normalized

The northern back alleys of Bondales were essentially one massive slave market.
It was no exaggeration to say that every element making up the backstreets contributed to this singular, sprawling enterprise.

In such a place, identifying and rescuing a single slave without any complications was an almost impossible task.

To protect the rights of buyers, the market meticulously concealed the existence of the slaves. Meanwhile, the slaves themselves were swept into the murky tide of the market, tainted and degraded at every turn.

Katria was deeply worried about this as she desperately prayed.

Her brother, Drian, sold into slavery and pushed into the black market.
She could only hope that nothing happened to him before she could save him.

But, of course, simply hoping and praying wouldn’t make it so.
She needed to act swiftly and precisely, and above all, discreetly.

For a Dark Elf to secretly infiltrate and operate in a human city where her presence was unwelcome required nothing less.

Thus, Katria’s anxiety only grew heavier.

Even if she invoked her family’s influence and overturned the entire back alley, she couldn’t guarantee her brother’s safety.
And now, she found herself relying on slave traders while playing the part of a slave.

As expected, Katria’s fears became a reality.

Following the first clue they had uncovered, they arrived at a location—
But Drian was not there.@@novelbin@@

What the slave trader held wasn’t proof of ownership over Drian, but the payment from selling him instead.

***

“...”

A hard-fought and dramatic reunion.
Yet, there was not even a sliver of joy in it.

It was over a month after Katria had begun her stay in Bondales that she finally recovered her lost brother.

"Drian..."

His pupils had lost their light, and no matter how desperately she called his name, the only response was the groans of someone stripped of their sense of self.
Drian's Dark Elf body bore countless marks of abuse and mockery.

His once-pristine skin was grotesquely marred all over, to the point of being unrecognizable.
It was the side effect of a drug used to temporarily bleach Dark Elf skin, making them appear as ordinary Elves.

Once the humans deemed him incapable of “passing” as an Elf anymore, they discarded him without hesitation.
Like a disposable tool, they had no use for what was broken and used up.

Katria didn’t need to imagine what kind of treatment Drian must have endured at the hands of humans.
She already knew.

• : That’s Katria for you.
• : Nope, not necromancy—just pure insanity~
•  
• : She lost her mind after her brother became a wreck.
• : If you talk to her, it starts a fight.
• OP: What did I even do;;
• : Typical, lol.