“Strangely, sometimes when the door opens, a fresh scent comes in.”

“A fresh scent?”

“Yes. Like lemon or orange…….”

Ah.

At Yuri’s last words, Lina recalled the familiar smell she had sensed when she first entered.

‘It was lemon indeed.’

Lina closed her eyes and retraced the path she had taken.

‘At first, I was standing about a block away from the square in an alley. From there, thirty steps to the lemon scent…….’

Instantly, a place flashed through her mind.

‘It’s the Dilif Dessert Shop.’

There were few places around this location where such a strong lemon scent would waft. Except for Dilif, which produces hundreds of lemon tarts every day.

There were no fruit stores near the square, and even if there were, it was unlikely that only the lemon scent would be so strong.

‘Could it be, the most famous dessert shop in the capital was the headquarters of the human trafficking group?’

A light under a bushel, perhaps. Probably no one had guessed it. She had to get this information out quickly.

‘But still, magic is…….’

Although she knew where people were trapped, she still couldn’t use magic. Just not being able to use one spell felt so helpless.

She sighed at how pitifully dependent she had become on magic all this time. Thus, meaningless time passed, and it soon became a dark night.

The silence in the room was broken by the door opening with a hairraising sound, and a man called Geeks’ voice was heard.

“Come on, move now.”

Lina, who had buried her head in her knees, raised it, clenching her fists.

‘May I return safely.’

(This is a time separator.)

“Your Grace, a carriage is coming.”

A soldier whispered to the Duke. Sure enough, about ten carriages were passing in a line.

“But, do you really think the missing people are in that carriage?”

The security force had been monitoring them ever since they found the location of the traffickers.

And tonight. After hearing news of a largescale move to the southern continent, they were lying in ambush in the Reinz Forest.

“To go to the southern continent, they have to pass through here, so surely the missing people must be in that carriage.”

Finding the traffickers’ whereabouts had been sheer luck.
[Recently, the number of carriages going to Kelliman Harbor has increased.] [Kelliman Harbor?] [Yes, upon investigation, it was the carriages of Zendens Trading Company.]

Kelliman Harbor was a place that served as a bridge connecting the Empire with the southern continent located to the south of the Empire.

And now, since it was a season when crops mainly imported from the southern continent were not being produced, it was like an offseason.

Therefore, suspecting that some new trade deal might have arisen, they investigated but found no report in the administrative department.

Yet the number of carriages going back and forth to the harbor increased at such a time? This meant that there was something unauthorized and illegal happening.

“Even if it’s not human trafficking, they are undoubtedly committing something illegal. There will surely be a harvest. Everyone, get ready.”

“Yes.”

Meanwhile, Lina was traveling in a carriage with her hands and feet tied, a blindfold over her eyes.

Since her eyes were covered, she couldn’t tell where she was, but from a little while ago, the rattling of the carriage had become more severe. She was certain that they were passing through the Reinz forest.

‘Since they said they’re going to the southern continent, they must be heading to Kelliman Harbor.’

Her magical power had not yet recovered.

Not only was teleportation too much of a strain, but the shortrange teleportation spell also made it impossible to rush to the city’s security force in time.

‘I must arrive at the mansion by dawn tomorrow at the latest.’

If she did not come out of her room by tomorrow morning, they would surely think something had happened and force their way in.

If that happened, there would be an uproar that Lina had disappeared.

Lina was recalling how her past territory had been turned upside down and was letting out a heavy sigh when the carriage suddenly came to a stop.

“What’s going on?”

Unable to see anything because of the blindfold, Lina pricked up her ears to understand what was happening.

The rough sound of hooves on the ground. And then.

‘The sound of swords?’

The sound of metallic rods sharply clashing came to her ears.

“It’s the security force[Dash]!!”

Soon, the urgent cry of a man echoed from outside.

Hearing that cry, people here and there sighed in relief.

‘Thank God.’

Lina, too, seemed to have relaxed, letting out a faint sigh and drooping her shoulders.

“There are women here!”

With the sound of the carriage tent being pulled open, a man’s voice rang out loudly.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now!”

At the man’s comforting words for the trapped women, tears flowed here and there.

Soon, people started coming into the carriage, untying ropes and removing blindfolds.

It wasn’t long before a man approached Lina. Then, a heavy body odor hit her nose.

Trying hard to ignore the familiar feeling, she surrendered to the hands that untied her.

Being careful not to scrape her with the rough rope, the man’s hands were gentle.

‘Something feels familiar somewhere…’

Just then, as she was tilting her head at the unknown feeling, Lina thanked the man who finally removed the last blindfold.

“Thank you, really, I……”

But the moment she saw the man’s face, her words were abruptly cut off.

‘Duke…?’

Since the one who rescued her was Valige.

Perhaps the Duke sensed her trembling eyes, or maybe he recognized Lina as well.

The golden eyes of Valige seemed to tremble slightly as they met her violetcolored ones.

And so, their gazes tangled in midair.

The noise around them seemed not to be heard at all.

Just like the day they first met.