The Death Mage that doesn't want a fourth time

83 The difference between making requests and making a selection

In the residential area for the slaves inside the walls of the slave-run mine... in the village of slaves, the most important, decision-making figures among the Titan slaves had gathered together.

Normally, there would be eyes observing the residential area and the Titans would never be allowed to gather together unless instructed, so that they couldn't plot rebellions. But all of the soldiers that were posted as guards right now were behaving like dolls.

"Levia-sama... isn't that Levia-sama?"

"Yes, she looks a little different from how I remember, but there is no mistake. How could I mistake Levia-sama for anyone else?"

"So, it was true that you would bring Levia-sama here..."

Seeing the Titans' eyes open wide in blank amazement with tears streaming from them, Levia's flames flickered in her happiness, but at the same time, her hand was placed over her chest in sadness.

"Everyone... Thank you for staying alive until this day. I failed to protect you and made you suffer," she said.

For Titans, who had lifespans of three hundred years, two hundred years was a long time. Those who had been elderly individuals during that time had perished long ago, and most of the adults of the time were also gone. Those who had been children back then were now adults.

Until the age of fifteen, Titans age at about the same rate as humans, and after that, they age slowly, their bodies reaching their peaks at around the age of two hundred. From the age of two hundred and fifty onwards, they start growing physically old. For this reason, few Titans actually have an aged appearance.

"It's fine; everything is Duke Hartner's fault, the one who betrayed us. Levia-sama, you kept us in your thoughts even after you died, didn't you? That is more than enough for us."

"And you're helping us like this now. That's more than enough. Nobody, not my mother, not my grandfather, not my younger brother, would blame you, Levia-sama."

The Titans were all extremely thin and had bad complexions. Many of them still had whip-marks and burns remaining on their arms, legs and faces.

Their treatment at the mine had been somewhat mild compared to how other criminal slaves were treated, but they were still treated cruelly; the soldiers had done whatever they wanted, thinking, "It's fine as long as they don't die," and, "It doesn't matter if one or two of them die."

In fact, all of the elderly had died early, and quite a few of the women and children had also died because they were unable to endure this treatment.

Their spirits hadn't been sealed away magically by anything like a champion's barrier; many of them had already vanished from the mine long ago.

"I don't know how you did it, but the soldiers watching over us are like dolls right now, and you've brought Levia-sama to us," said Gopher, Borkus's daughter. "Everything you said was true. I couldn't believe the words of a midget like you at first, but... then, does that mean that it's true that you're going to rescue us from this mine, Van...?"

"It's Vandalieu, Gopher-san," said Vandalieu. "I don't mind if you call me 'kid' like Borkus does, though."

He had blended in among the slaves and used the Mental Encroachment skill to reduce all of the soldiers into vegetative states, one by one.

"But please don't call me 'midget,'" he added. "I'm overly conscious about that."

Races like Titans and Beast-people had a sense of values where they believed that size was equivalent to strength and being small meant being weak. Even if this weren't the case, Vandalieu, who was small even compared to other children of the same age, probably looked unreliable to the Titans whose women could reach heights of 2.5m.