Was it because of the announcement about fireworks?

The entire capital was bustling with people. The square, in particular, was already packed. Ilarid and Lynette were barely making their way through the crowd, relying on each other.

“Where did you say has a good view?”

“Somewhere with slightly higher ground!”

“Should we just climb up on a roof somewhere? I’ll give you a boost.”

Is this friend really thinking of venturing onto someone else’s roof? If rumors spread about the future crown princess climbing on rooftops… Lynette’s face turned pale as she gripped Ilarid’s arm tightly.

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m joking, just joking. If we go that way, there should be a hill.”

They had previously heard from some employees that if you go up the stairs leading upwards from the alleyway, there’s a hill with a view of the capital.

Remembering this, the two headed towards a less crowded alley. A completely different atmosphere unfolded from the noisy, laughter-filled, bustling square.

As they went deeper, they heard sounds of breaking glass, shouts, and screams. Occasionally, they saw men staggering, perhaps drunk.

“Which way should we go?”

“I think we’ve been wandering around in circles.”

Lynette, tired of the dark and stuffy atmosphere, clung tightly to Ilarid. At times like this, Ilarid’s fearless demeanor felt reassuring.

Ilarid was on high alert. She had heard from Limless before. In the dark places of the imperial capital, things you can’t imagine happen, so never go near them.

‘We’ve really gotten ourselves into a mess.’

Her brows furrowed deeply. They couldn’t stop passersby to ask, “How do we get out of here?” That would likely lead to trouble or even worse situations.

“Let’s follow the direction people are heading.”

Some people were moving towards what seemed to be the outside of the alley. If it’s outwards, not inwards, surely they’d reach the square again? Who would have thought they’d miss the chaotic crowd. Ilarid held Lynette’s hand tightly as they followed the people.

“This is…”

The place where people gathered was another square within the alley.

A damp darkness and a uniquely musty atmosphere that couldn’t be dispelled enveloped the surroundings.

To think such a different atmosphere could unfold just beyond a few walls and alleys. Ilarid deliberately pressed Lynette’s hat down firmly. If their identities were discovered, it seemed like even more troublesome things might happen.

“Come on over! It’s the auction time you’ve been waiting for!”

A large man called out loudly, gathering people. Men who had been wandering nearby started to gather one by one. They weren’t of noble status. Perhaps they were running errands for someone?

Ilarid immediately realized. This was a place where illegal transactions took place.

“The item coming up this time, you can look forward to it!”

Soon, a heavy metallic sound was heard. Looking towards the source of the sound, a small boy with long, disheveled hair was walking out, wearing shackles.

The ankle chains seemed too heavy for his thin ankles, and the boy soon staggered after taking just a few steps.

“Can’t even walk straight!”

A whip flew along with the threat. The sound cutting through the air was terribly strong, even if one covered their ears. Ilarid and Lynette simultaneously squeezed their eyes shut.

“Ilarid, what kind of place is this?”

“It’s a slave market.”

Ilarid tried to hide her trembling, but couldn’t conceal her shaky voice. Since slavery had been abolished, they must be trading secretly in such illegal places.

“Pay attention, everyone. This product that has just come out is skilled and strong enough to face dozens of adult men on the battlefield.”

“Hey, what are you talking about? He looks so weak.”

“What’s wrong with this? Does he need to be beaten to come to his senses?”

As the whip was raised again, Ilarid couldn’t stand it anymore and jumped out in front of the slave trader. Lynette, who couldn’t stop her in time, swallowed a scream in shock.

‘What if we’re discovered!’

She couldn’t leave Ilarid alone like that. She quickly ran to Ilarid’s side.

The slave trader looked puzzled at the small girls who had suddenly appeared.

“What are these little ones doing here?”

“Slavery has long been abolished in the Astrid Empire. Are you aware that what you’re doing now is disrupting the empire’s public order and disobeying Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s decree?”

As soon as Ilarid finished speaking, mocking laughter was heard from around them. The slave trader, pretending not to hear, picked his ear and openly showed his annoyance.

“Look, you seem to have been raised well, but if you don’t want to see anything unpleasant, just leave now. Don’t interfere with other people’s business.”

“Business? Do you think buying and selling people is business?”

“Miss. You seem to be misunderstanding something, but this is not a person, it’s an object.”

The slave trader kicked the boy, who fell with a thud. He seemed unable to even resist properly, being bound all over with chains.

“It’s a ‘product’ that you can just throw away if it breaks while using it. Those high and mighty nobles want slaves, so what can we do? There’s demand, so suppliers like us exist.”

“…You beast, worse than an animal, with nothing but a loose tongue. No wonder you can’t distinguish between people and objects, beating them like this.”

“This little girl is getting on my nerves!”

Just as the slave trader was about to raise his arm, the fallen slave boy stirred. He immediately lunged at the trader.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, he couldn’t keep his balance and fell to the ground.

“Eek, you damned thing!”

His boot headed towards the boy’s head. With a dull sound, the kicked boy fell helplessly. The slave trader, seeming quite agitated, didn’t stop kicking the boy.

“How dare a slave strike me? I’ll finish you off today.”

“Stop right now! I’ll buy this child.”

An incredible statement came out of Ilarid’s mouth, who had just witnessed this horrific scene.

Everyone near the square, including Lynette, looked at Ilarid. Ignoring the dozens of round, wide-open eyes, Ilarid confronted the slave trader with a dignified attitude.

The most surprised was the slave trader himself. He blinked his eyes, then let out a dry laugh before bursting into laughter.

“Oh my, miss. Even for a young and unruly slave, there’s a basic price. The starting price for this product is…”

Thud.

A pouch fell in front of the slave trader. The trader, with an expression of unexpected fortune, hurriedly picked up the pouch and checked its contents.

Inside was a considerable amount of banknotes.

In fact, this amount was enough to sell that young boy and throw in an older slave as well. But he cleared his throat and grumbled unnecessarily.

“We need more than this…”

Without hesitation, Ilarid threw another pouch. Lynette, knowing what was inside, turned pale.

“Ilarid, that’s your birthday gift!”

“A person’s life is at stake. Right now, that child is more important than a necklace.”

What was contained in the purple silk pouch was an emerald necklace that Ilarid had received as a recent birthday gift.

It was especially precious as it was the first jewel given by her mother.

But since the young Ilarid thought the jeweled necklace looked too mature, she had been carrying it in the silk pouch, treating it like a lucky charm.

The trader, not caring about any sentimental value attached to the jewelry, examined the necklace this way and that before letting out a satisfied smile. He immediately received a piece of paper from someone nearby and handed it to Ilarid.

“You can sign here.”

Money seems to make backs bend automatically and speech become polite. Ilarid let out a short sigh and completed the signature. Just seeing the words “Slave Certificate” at the top was enough to make her teeth chatter.

The procedure ended quickly and briefly. Ilarid received the certificate and approached the boy.

“Are you alright?”

Ilarid bent her knees and examined the boy’s condition. The child slowly raised his head to look up at Ilarid.

“Thank you. For saving me.”

A gentle and soft voice. The boy seemed to hear such warm words for the first time in his life.

Between his long, disheveled bangs, gray-blue eyes sparkled.

As if looking at a sublime object, they shone endlessly and devoutly.

“I see wounds on your legs, can you stand up? If it’s too much, I’ll call someone right away.”

The boy shook his head. It’s dazzling. He had only known sunlight and the dying flame of a candle as light, but to think such a bright light existed in the world.

What should one say at times like this? No one had taught the boy. He just had to be good at killing people, just had to survive and return from war, that was all.

When the boy just moved his lips, Ilarid seemed to understand and patted his shoulder.

“You don’t have to say anything. It must have been hard, thank you for enduring well.”

It was a beautiful word. Thank you.

The boy quietly held that word in his mouth. The dark inside of his mouth opened slightly, letting in a faint light.

But the unspoken words just lingered inside. Ilarid, who didn’t hear, stood up and looked at Lynette beside her.

“Well, shall we go home now?”

The children were thinking of peacefully returning home, but the adults were beginning to hatch different plans.

“Hey, if she’s wearing that much wealth… she must be a young lady from quite a good noble family, right?”

“We could kidnap her and squeeze out a hefty ransom.”

“Or how about selling her as a slave outright? She’s pretty, should fetch a good price.”

As a group of men were huddling together and whispering, someone entered the square in the alley.

The moment he entered, the dark square fell silent in an instant. Everyone nervously glanced at the man while distancing themselves.

“Ilarid?”

Those who recognized the man turned pale, and some hurriedly left the scene.

“What are you doing there?”

Standing there was Limless Rowen Melpiram.

As soon as Limless appeared, the small square nestled in the alley was enveloped in silence and fear.

Those who managed to leave were the lucky ones.

Some were frozen in place, unable to move, while others trembled and collapsed where they stood.

The slave trader who had grasped the situation had already fled and was nowhere to be seen. Only the auction manager nearby was shivering, nervously gauging the atmosphere.

Regardless, Limless spoke nonchalantly, maintaining his slightly crooked stance.

“Oh, Lynette is here too. What are you two doing there?”

“There were some circumstances.”

Ilarid’s mind became complicated. If she suddenly said she bought this slave boy, what would her brother say? Would he get angry, asking why she did such a useless thing? Surely he wouldn’t tell her to get a refund or send this child back to the slave market?

“…By the way, I just heard some outrageous things from those bastards.”

Limless carefully cracked each of his finger joints as he walked towards the men who had been whispering about plans to kidnap Ilarid.

“Hey, you three over there. What were you muttering about? Say it again.”

“No, no… it’s nothing. We were just talking about how the weather is so beautiful today, just some useless chatter like that. Haha…”

They were well and truly caught. The trio of villains targeted by Limless broke out in cold sweat as they spouted nonsensical excuses.

Limless’s arm landed firmly on the shoulder of one of the three frozen men. And a voice that sounded like it could bite off an earlobe was heard heavily.

“Yeah… the weather is nice. The wind and sunlight are just right, and people are laughing and chattering, enjoying the beautiful festival outside. Isn’t that right?”

Although the words were kind, spoken in beautiful language, the voice was not at all. The men could only tremble in their stiff postures, unable to say anything.

Limless, with his arm still around the man, began to put on leather gloves that fit his hands perfectly. Knowing what this action meant, Ilarid put her hand to her forehead and sighed.

“Our brother, here he goes again.”

Among the trio of villains, the man closest to Limless became the first sacrifice.

He was grabbed by the nape of his neck and slammed to the ground. The man couldn’t even scream, just twitching his fingers while face down.

Soon, Limless’s shout echoed throughout the alley like a lion’s roar.

“It’s perfect weather for going to hell, you bastards!”