A/N: There will be no update next week. Chapter four will instead he released January 10th, 2023. Have a Happy New Year.

A Wannabe Hero In Another World!

Chapter 3: Sold Off in Another World…

"You can read? I guess King Elric is making good on his word to improve the literacy rate." Says the pale haired man behind the counter, three roughly shaped copper coins looking smaller than they really are in his large palm.

Izuku says nothing and nods at the statement, unsure who King Elric is and too curious over this development for a history and geography lesson. His hands take the wrapped fish and he returns to Sayuri as she finishes picking out the best pieces of jerky for their trip. She turns, bundle of dried meat in hand and ready to examine the purchase the Maggot made when he comes to stand before her, inquisitive eyes of a child gleaming with hunger for knowledge.

"Sayuri—"

"The name bestowed upon me by Master Mabufa spoken from your forked tongue repulses me, say it no more," she turns to ignore him, no longer wishing to inspect the captured sea life he'd purchased, the stray thought of whether the Maggot might feel a disjointed sense of kinship with a fellow captured creature crosses her mind and leaves her distraught as the urge to chuckle meets the desire to cringe.

"What language are we speaking?"

"Eh? Are you truly so daft?"

"Okay. Are you speaking Japanese right now?"

"Do you think your jesters act so clever and enthralling that I would disregard the insult of not speaking a country's native tongue while walking upon their soil!?"

Izuku shakes his hands, doing his utmost not to drop the fiver fish he'd been told to buy for today's lunch, "N-no! I-I just wasn't sure since the characters on the signs don't look like my homelands writing! I swear!"

"Silence Maggot! Your foolish behavior is disturbing the other market visitors. Show some tact and behave yourself like an upstanding citizen."

Izuku could only sigh, nod, and follow along as it seemed his fellow servant had no interest in helping him puzzle out this development. They had already acquired everything Sayuri believed to be essential for the trip they were going to make. As the pair of them were walking however the rising sun shone its light on a pair of polished needles. A long violet thread wrapped around the two sewing needles, Sayuri had always been enamored when Mabufa and herself had walked the streets and she would catch sight of someone sitting about with a long trailing thread that led to a balled up bundle. The intricate work fascinated her and the idea of making a new cloak for her master gave her great comfort. Her feet seemed to move on their own as she came to stand before them. An older woman sat across from her, a gentle and welcoming smile on her face.

"Som'tin 'ere caught yer eye 'as it?"

"These twin needles, they look splendid…may I hold one?"

The old woman nods her head and Sayuri takes a needle in her hand, she feels no deformation in the metal and the taper looks perfect, the weight is also just right and it all culminates together to a selfish wish brewing in her mind to buy the pair so she may learn this skill. With all the necessities purchased and more than a few coppers still lining the purse she could realistically buy them, only as she prepares to ask the price of them her mind returns to earlier this morning, nearly losing the coin purse, having to chase after the Maggot, she can't comprehend the idea of her Lady Mabufa still wishing to reward her after that.

"My apologies madam, but I think I've thought better of my frivolous ideas."

Before the old woman has a chance to try and reel Sayuri back in, the girl's red robe is already fluttering in the wind. Mabufa's servant doesn't even throw her head back as she calls for Izuku to come along. The green haired boy however had always been too observant, and despite his current situation and the question he had regarding it, he felt an idea begin to form. A devious one perhaps that would take advantage of the girl but his beliefs were quickly reaffirming themselves.

"How much for the knitting needles?"

The old woman smiles at Izuku, a knowing smirk takes over her countenance as she leans forward, "Smart of ya' ta' buy ya' girlie som'tin," she says and winks at Izuku

"Eh…?" The confused sound slowly escapes him then his brow twitches as realization sets in, "Eh! N-no! I swear it's not like that!"

"Mm, well den, seven pennies and de'll be all yers."

Just as the coins traded hands Sayuri seemingly appears at his side and clutches at his wrist, her face twitching from the effort to keep from scowling, "On what authority do you spend our merciful Lady's coin?"

"Y-you looked interested in purchasing these…" he says handing over the needles, a bit of yarn wrapped around them.

The red robed servant pulls Izuku away from the kind of lady who stows away the coins. The two of them walk in silence, the grip on his wrist unceasing as she pulls him along.

"You should thank Tyr that our wonderful master had so kindly offered me a gift or else you'd be due a lashing for your crime."

"I-I just wanted to do something nice…"

"Niceties are reserved for those able to do so through their own means, not the coattails of others. Think your actions through more carefully from today forward to spare yourself these pains Maggot."

Izuku didn't know what to say at this, it was true that it wasn't his money to spend, but seeing how devoted Sayuri was to Mabufa it made sense that the older woman wouldn't mind spending a few coins to bring joy to her servant. Izuku would have continued to ponder this thought and follow the trail of it until it branches into some anxiety producing a mess of ideas but his left ear twitched at the sound of a smack.

"You fucking whore! I'll have you hung!" A man in a red stained white shirt and tattered brown pants snarled at a dirt caked woman on the ground, bleeding hand clutched close to his chest.

Izuku's knees locked up and his sudden pause caused Sayuri to halt who then turns and prepares to bark a threat at this only to also pause at the sight before them.

The girl on the ground got on her hands and knees and used the back of one palm to wipe a red stain from the corner of her mouth, her own frown almost as fierce as the man's as she spat back, "Genfu take you to the Abyss you bastard!"

a crowd started to form and despite the many eyes on them the man still reared a leg back and delivered a kick to her unguarded stomach.

Izuku pulled as hard as he could to escape Sayuris grasp, failing as the woman refused to relent. He opened his mouth wide to yell at the man unwilling to let him beat on the woman, only for Sayuri to cover his mouth with her hand and pull him until his back pressed against her front.

"Make no trouble and draw no attention Maggot, else it might fall to our Lady."

His eyes wide and muscles twitching as he struggled against the hold, honestly surprised and partly impressed by her strength. Thankfully for him the beating didn't last long as two men in simple garb with leather boots and coverings with faded yellow sashes pushed through the crowd and restrained the man, words flew from him. Mostly cuss words at the fact that he was being hauled off again and some prostitute was being left to her own devices.

Izuku would have wanted to take solace in the fact that the man was being brought in by the guards, but almost no one was moving to help the beaten woman, save for one younger girl who wore a matching collar on her neck to the one she did. The rest of the day passed in a blur for him.

oOo

"Read this," Mabufa says to Izuku, an old worn out notecard in her hand, his fingers slowly reaching out to take the card. His eyes go over each sweeping letter and the strange symbols and he's left perplexed as he understands each one.

"It's a recipe for fish soup."

"Ooh, correct again. Either you're a polyglot or you weren't spitting smoke when you told tale of this unknown ability of yours. Hmm, okay, one more test!"

This time she hands over a glistening violet card catching the campfire's radiant light perfectly. The word written on it is short but it stirs within him, differently from the rest of the words he's read today, "Agi."

The fire beside him bursts and rises several feet into the air as the air leaves his lungs and a weight appears on his shoulders. It takes all he has not to collapse over and spill half digest fried fish he ate for dinner in the forest clearing.

"Magically inclined and able to read multiple languages, limits unknown. Almost a shame, you'd have made a marvelous scribe and apprentice to a wizard. The winds of fate sure are fickle." Mabufa says whilst noting down some notes before laughing off the rest.

The night is long and Izuku laments the fact he now has to sport a collar with a warm buckle that makes his core feel cold and keeps him from using the magic of this world.

oOo

The days had begun to blend together almost seamlessly for Izuku, he wouldn't go so far as to say that he was accepting of his situation, but after crying for most of a night after waking up in a cage and the failed escape attempt the following morning followed by a weeks travel, he figured he needed to get his thoughts in order like Mafuba suggested, and for for the time being that meant following orders and doing his part while traveling with Mabufa. In his downtime he'd taken to planning escape routes and what grand adventures he could undergo, when he was being more realistic he just considered finding a small town and working as a scribe. It had been quite the surprise to find out he could read, speak, and understand the many languages that existed in this new world. Mabufa speculated that whatever researchers experimented on Izuku were quite clever and she was more than pleased to add this to his short list of pros when it would come to finally selling the kid. His mornings and afternoons were occupied with chores, whether that be cleaning around the tent, scrubbing plates, fetching firewood, or skinning whatever game Sayuri caught in the woods. In the evenings, after Mabufa loosened the enchanted choker, or slave collar as the many traveling merchants he'd overheard while walking the forest roads called it, he would tell her of his homeland, the empowered people there, the culture, and in return (as Sayuri would say) in her infinite charitable ways she would teach him of this world. Some of these lessons even included magic.

Which is what brought Izuku to stand above a pile of dry twigs and tinder as the sun dipped further and further below the horizon and the evening chill set into his bones, the thin clothes he'd been given upon arrival didn't little to keep the cold at bay on these particular nights.

"If you could light the fire before the morning sun rises I'd be most pleased Maggot." Sayuri said as she massaged their master's feet.

"Go ahead Midoriya, even the most neophyte of novices can get Agi right~" his elder instructor cooed as her sore feet were worked to release the tightening muscles.

All his lessons so far had been purely theoretical, sensing the spiritual energy within you, the stamina of the soul one might say, understanding the spells that existed and their levels of progressions and the different branches that there were. To suddenly have to take all that and put it into practice was more than a little disconcerting.

"Agi!"

The spark and flash lit the tinder bundle sure, but it was more smoke and noise than anything else. His frown was more and more visible as the fire grew, he hated to think about it, to return to that first day. But he couldn't help but compare what he had just done to what he'd seen…someone else do.

"Ooh~" Mabufa clapped as the light grew and warmth began to flood their campsite, "I thought for sure I'd have to send you for the flint and steel for a second there. Well done."

"Master your praise goes to waste on the Maggot!" Sayuri whined seeing Izuku get attention for his accomplishment, the old trader laughed it off and pet her dear underlings head, only to cease suddenly as both her and Sayuri turned to look at the dark edge of their camp, the forest surrounded them effortlessly and while Izuku could see nothing he knew for certain that his begrudging traveling companion had other means to detect whatever was en route to them.

Izuku didn't have to wonder long as from the darkness came a dark skinned man with a pointy goatee and a fine white robe with a red sash, though what really caught his eye were the long pointy ears the man sported. The stray thought of whether or not his own would grow to such lengths crossed his mind.

"Hail travelers!" The man spoke merrily, with a wide smile and gentle look to his soft brown eyes. Izuku noticed a lack of weapons…which either meant this man knew magic, was very naive and foolish to wander the woods at night, or he had friends…although the chance he was lost also existed.

"Cease your mumbling Maggot." Sayuri said through clenched teeth beside his ear which nearly made him step away and into the fire.

"Sorry to disturb you this fine evening, but I saw the glow of your fire and hoped I might trouble you for some company. You see I travel with a group back home and my scouts have set ahead to confirm our route remains free of blockades."

Sayuri eyes the man making no effort to hide her suspicions. Izuku simply did his utmost to not be rude by staring.

The man scratched at his chin and hummed a soft tune that managed to reach them all in the silent clearing alongside the crackling fire, "An Imp? Pray tell fellow traveler, where did you acquire such an odd servant?"

Izuku tensed, if only barely, at the question even if he didn't dare look at Mabufa lest she see his pleading eyes, and twisting disgust with himself that swirled deep in their emerald sheen. He busied himself instead by poking the fire with a stray stick and fidgeting with the loop of his collar.

"Hmm, interested in my servant? He's for sale I'll have you know…" Thin fingers tightened around the stick that jabbed at fresh embers and ash.

"Truly. Might I inquire as to the price for them?"

It was Sayuri's turn to tense, but only for a fraction of a second as she banished the treasonous thought that her master would discard her, for what better servant existed than her, who better to accompany her brilliant Lady.

"Them? I thought it was clear that only the boy was for sale. I suppose elves have always been known for their collector souls haven't they…"

The elf laughed the comment off, as Mabufa had spoken it without any malice to be heard, "Quite true. Hmm, yes, how much for the boy? He seems sufficiently trained."

"Sixteen gold drakes." Mabufa didn't hesitate and felt no concern over the silence that followed, but no one missed the lack of guffaw from the elf that usually accompanied someone asking for so many golden drakes.

"Oh ho! That's no poor man's ransom!" The elf laughed, "might I inquire as to his skill set to be worthy of such a sum?"

Mabufa however did hesitate now, she wouldn't admit it to anyone save Sayuri if the servant girl ever inquired, but she had grown accustomed to her new servant's presence. She had found hearing the story of the boy from another world quite interesting, even if she held her doubts and knew whatever sent him here outranked any of the Seven Stars. She had also developed a fondness for teaching. But she was a businesswoman first and foremost, so she quickly ran down the list, his mannerism, his ability to comprehend language-arguably his biggest selling point-his meager skill with magic that one could note if they pleased.

Meanwhile the elf listened and nodded along, "I see…" he turned his head and cupped one ear, the length of it twitching slightly in a way reminiscent of a rabbit, "seems my scouts are ready, very well. I shall be more than happy to purchase this one."

Izuku disguised his choking sob with a cough or three. His own pointed ears twitched at the sound of a gold filled pouch jingling and landing in the palm of his instructor. Goosebumps filled his back and arms as thoughts of things he'd seen returned to him, he didn't like being enslaved, obviously, but seeing how some people treated their…property made him realize there were worse people to "work" for out there.

"Midoriya Izuku…quite the odd name to go with your looks it seems. All right then, come along now!" The elf clapped his hands and Izuku felt his collar tighten. Seemed the transaction was complete.

"A moment if you would permit me sir," Sayuri says standing before Izuku, "Seems this is farewell Maggot…do your best to serve your new lord well even if their shine is a dim flicker compared to our…my magnanimous master. Goodbye." She concludes by shoving a pale yellow scarf into Izuku's hands.

"Oh, I do love camaraderie amongst the help. Are you certain I can't convince you to part with her too? I'd hate to ruin the set."

"I'm…certain." Mabufa replies softly, eyes fixed on the fire that's finally reached its apex and now hungers for more twigs to consume.

The elf nods at this and claps twice, the collar does as it always does and Izuku moves to keep it from tightening further. His footfalls heavy as he leaves behind another home…even one he had plans of abandoning himself. His hands clenched as he fights to keep his tears at bay.

oOo

"M'lord!" An elf that's wide as he is tall makes his way over to Izuku and his new owner quicker than his bulk would have you believe.

"Ah, Stronoff, I've purchased a gift for my niece, see that he's put to good use until we arrive at my brother's estate."

"At once m'lord."

And so Izuku follows as he's introduced to the rest of the traveling servants accompanying his new master, Aurelius Vandergraff as he's told by the others. An older elf with lighter skin and blonde hair, Mariana as she prefers to be called, explains to him how they're assigned chores at day break, where to go for ration distribution, and to steer clear of the guardsmen if he can help it.

A human boy, younger than him by four years or more, sniffles as he looks out past the tent's opened flap, a bright red mark across his face indicates that this company shows much less restraint than his previous one, the cool night air comes in and Izuku realizes they'll all be sharing the floor with to rest for the night. Suddenly his collection of rugs while traveling with Mafuba doesn't seem so bad.

Sleep eludes him for most of the evening, the soft muttering and prayers from those around him, the younger servants crying as quietly as possible so as to not call in the guard or anger any of the people they'll have to work alongside. Thankfully he finds an hour's rest before the sun rises and follows along with the rest as the day gets underway. Being so new they assign him to multiple people, helping his fellow servant with their own task, whether that be mending baskets, chopping firewood, polishing armor, cutting vegetables, running missives across camp or up and down the line if they're moving. It follows this pattern for several days and he lets his mind melt into it. Sleep, work, eat, work more, sleep, repeat, the occasional bath if a stream happens to cross their path. Though he dislikes the fact that they all fill the stream at once instead of even just separation amongst the sexes.

After one evening's bath Mariana finds him and lays nearby in the tent, "you're wondering why we all bathe together when the opportunity arises right?"

Izuku can't help but fumble for an answer, he was irked by it, but he's actually put more thought into his future in these lands and what that could hold for him in the short term, after nearly half a minute of silently opening and closing his mouth he settles on the default reply, "Yes?"

Mariana covers her pink lips with the back of her palm and stares into Izuku's green eyes, he notes that her own eyes are a dimmer shade of green than his own.

"It's for safety, Midoriya. These guards haven't seen their wives in weeks, some in months. Being in a group won't always stop them…but it helps more than you'd think."

And it's at hearing this that Izuku must clench his jaw and school his features, his meager magical skill won't fend off the traveling force of Aurelius Vandergraff. But he still wants to step out and find all those who would consider such an act to show them the progress of his Agi. His tense muscles slacken as a calloused hand wraps around his own, it's bigger than his but slender, it's twin crawls up his back and slowly he's pulled into a hug. His cheek rests against her shoulder and he feels her chin rest atop his head.

"You have a hero's heart, Midoriya. You remind me so much of my dear Asterox."

The melancholy words weigh heavy on Izuku and further push the numbness of his mind, without the inhibition of thought he returns the hug. The creature comforts swell within him and he relishes the warm feeling. His anger not forgotten but mellowed as the kind woman who helped him settle in this new camp runs her fingers through his hair.

"I'll be asking you two not to make waves with so many of us crammed together."

Izuku tenses right along with Mariana as a fellow servant finds a spot toward the back of the tent, evening rations in hand. His face warms at the thought but the arms around him don't toss him aside.

"Please Vic, we have tact. Even if our captors believe otherwise." Mariana.

Izuku's mind goes over the last few days and tries to dig up how this connection occurred, he still had no set place and hops to and from jobs at the drop of a hat. He and Mariana had mended more than a few baskets certainly but he can't comprehend her developing feelings for him simply because of that and their brief conversations.

The clanking of metal plates causes the woman embracing him to stiffen and pull him closer as the flap is pulled wider. A tall dark elf with greasy white hair stares in, a pale scar that runs over one eye and a corner of his lips stands out as his most prominent feature, his frown the second most followed by the dim gray glazed over look in his remaining good eye.

His hand rises and his finger points right at Izuku, "Stronoff calls for you at the camp center. Get moving."

Izuku feels the fingers digging into his back paradoxically loosen as the nails dig deeper, nearly threatening to cut holes in his thin shirt. The hand wrapped around his let's ago as both of Marianas warm palms cradle his face, his green orbs stare into her own and her forehead rests against his.

"Be cautious Midoriya," each word emphasized by the warmth pressed against his lips and the growing redness of his cheeks.

He swallows and nods before moving to the camp center with haste, upon his approach he takes note of a large pyre having been constructed. The bodies resting at its crown have no wrappings as he's learned is traditional and seeing how mangled they are only adds to the insult of the missing coverings. His frown refuses to leave his face as he comes to stand before Stronoff. The massive elf wears no metal armor and he looks no weaker for it as his scarred flesh and sculpted muscles are displayed clear as day as he wears loose belted pants with a red sash crossing over his broad chest, a golden medallion with Aurelius likeness imprinted upon it.

"Cease your staring." His words gruff and brow narrow, Izuku begins to expect the need to doge a swing to arise.

"You called for me?"

"I've summoned you, I call for guards fool. Keep your place in mind. His Lordship speaks of a magical talent within you and those around you attest as much when you spark the kitchen flames. Light this pyre."

Izuku stands there doing nothing for a moment as his eyes move from the wood to the guard captain and back again. When the seconds begin to grow long he motions to his collar. He found out it's more than training that keeps one of his ilk from removing the inhibitor, to pull at your own or another binding would only invite a suffocating pain.

Stronoff takes note of the gesture and waves for one of his men to remove it, everyone present in the camp center notices the guards becoming more weary of Izuku as their bands land upon blade and polearm, "Light the pyre," Stronoff repeats.

"Why aren't the bodies wrapped?"

Stronoff who had turned away from the green haired boy turned to look down upon him, his long ears twitch and with the speed unseen to any who blinked his large hand streaks across Izuku's face with enough force to send the boy to the dry dirt floor.

"Your place is lower than the worms beneath the ground you tread upon. Light the pyre."

The days trials and tribulations weigh on Izuku, they force him to swallow back the colorful insults the other servants whisper to one another in the river and his legs move to stand without his willing to. Collar or not his position can not be called into doubt, not with the meager power he could bring to bear, and he has to accept that. Izuku has to look at the guard captains, look at the pyre, and look at the brutalized bodies that he refuses to recall sharing a tent with because of his weakness.

"Agi!" He bellows and the already dry ground puffs up dust as the flames erupt upwards, white hot for a second before becoming a deep red and golden yellow. The hot air falls over him and everyone else, the heat of his spell banishing the cold that had claimed them and the camp air.

"That will be all. Collar him." Stronoff commands and turns away from him as Izuku feels the warm leather wrap around his throat once more and the cold fills his stomach. Unlike his journey to the pyre a young elf guardsmen accompanies him back to the servants tent and watching him enter, a handful of familiar faces are laid down on the hard ground resting whatever they can to continue tomorrow and few others turn to look at him as he enters gazes shifting between him and the guard. The tent flap flutters closed and he walks for a bit, eyes scanning for an empty spot to lay down. A hand reaches out and takes his, causing Izuku to jump slightly, until he turns his head and sees the revived look of Mariana staring up at him.

"I…wasn't sure you'd return."

The statement leaves him befuddled, he was still puzzling out what had endeared him to her in the first place. He notices the space beside her and his nerves refuse to let him take it forthright so he just stands there looking down. She doesn't pull her eyes away as her lips quiver a bit.

"Midoriya, may I be selfish with you...?" She asks and leaves him lost in confusion not for the first time this evening, "Would you allow me to hold you tonight?"

Izuku at one point would have gone beat red and began blathering about one thing or another in relation to such a request, but after the time spent here, after what he'd been commanded to do, his legs were tired, his mind was a buzz with exhausting thought far from his current predicament, and he just wanted to lay down. Before he knew it his side rested on the ground while his face was buried in the crook of her neck, an arm thrown over him, their legs bundled as more people arrived vying for space to sleep.

He no longer felt so drained after a single cast, but the faces he saw atop that wooden farewell structure, the way the guards looked at it resembled how one might look upon an effigy almost, all of that wore him down. All of it culminated in this moment of letting someone he barely knew hold him close in a crowded tent and share their warmth on another cold night.

His hand slipped underneath the one she had thrown over him and went up her back to rest on her shoulder, he pulled her close and buried his face deeper into the warmth she gave him, almost enough to distract from the chill in his gut.