“I should buy a bunch of teleportation scrolls and send them to the Rose Palace. So, you two don’t have to stick together.”

Cain, who had been observing the two of us, said with a wry smile. With Raven’s help, I dismounted the horse and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Teleportation scrolls, which contained magic to move to desired coordinates, were luxury items that covered one mansion. If I were to buy so many expensive ones, even the Fernan family would quickly go bankrupt.

“Cain, stop complaining. You were the one who first mentioned that we should ride horses.”

“Well… that’s true. Since I’m still inexperienced, I feel a bit cramped inside.”

“Enough of useless talk; let’s get going. By the way, where is the Dark District exactly? It looks like any peaceful neighborhood; maybe the time isn’t right, or is it due to the outer appearance?”

I shrugged as I looked at the small village beyond the hill. Even though it was morning, the village was far from the terrifying image of the Dark District that I had imagined.

“The Dark District is separated by a barrier starting at the entrance of that village. It was installed by the lords to prevent any potential harm to civilians. Inside, there are too many heinous criminals.”

“I heard it’s a dangerous place. But is it so terrible that they have to enclose an entire village with a barrier?”

“This place is outside the usual bounds of morality. It’s where expelled magicians conduct illegal research, and gambling involving lives takes place every day. Fires and explosions are incessant, so they chose to isolate it completely.”

Hmm.

It seems being a demon has some differences when it comes to ruling over humans.

Thinking that it would be quite challenging, unlike what it seemed from the outside, I followed Cain into the village.

Passing what seemed deliberately placed boundary stones, the surroundings turned pitch-black as if it were a lie.

“…Now I understand why this place is called the Dark District. Why is it so dark here even though it’s broad daylight outside?”

“The Dark District doesn’t distinguish between day and night. It’s just night here. The days with sunlight here are probably the days when this place disappears.”

Cain cautioned both of us to pull our hoods deep and then led us cautiously into the bustling main street, where people were moving around.

Before entering the Dark District, Cain had only two warnings: never take off the hood and try to avoid unnecessary conversations until reaching the destination.

At first, I found it a bit odd, but after walking for a while, I could understand Cain’s words. There were too many children with appearances identical to ours.

“I understand why Cain chose the main street instead of back alleys. This way, we won’t attract anyone’s attention.”
Unfortunately, most of them seemed to make a living through begging or pickpocketing. However, thanks to that, no one paid attention to us.

“I should rescue all these children from here later.”

I couldn’t tolerate the fact that they were exposed to such a harsh environment, despite still being young children. Though I might not understand the situation of the demons, it was unbearable.

Thinking that it was actually a good thing to have come out to the Dark District in person, I followed Cain into the secret place.

“It’s safe from here, so you can take off your hoods. Be careful on the stairs below your feet.”

“Yeah, got it. Is the person named Tien located underground?”

“Yes. As a precaution, I confined him to the deepest part of the building. He used to work for a noble family, and his behavior is quite rough, so don’t get too close.”

Nodding my head, I cautiously descended the stairs. Finally reaching in front of the prison, I saw a man anxiously biting his nails beyond the iron bars.

“Hey, kid. Are you the highest-ranking person here? It’s about time to move your hideout. If you stay in one place for too long, you’ll be traced.”

“We said we would handle that ourselves.”

“Darn, trivial words like that aren’t important. Move right now; it’s not enough even if you do!”

“Be careful with your voice; it’s in front of a high-ranking person.”

“Huh, did a little noble follow the small fry? I can’t figure out what this is about, it’s so confusing!”

Ugh, my ears itch.

How can someone who runs around have such a good voice?

Pretending to scratch my itching ears, I exhaled into the air and said, “Yeah, that’s correct. A noble.”

“What…?”

“A noble. More precisely, I’m Bella Akkad Chepe, the princess you hired to kill.”

Seeming to be aware of the subject, the man scrutinizing our appearance hastily bowed down in the direction we were in.

“Oh, Princess! I just did what I was told. I only passed the money to the assassin guild!”

“But the fact that you conspired in my assassination remains unchanged. Trying to assassinate a princess is a crime that warrants immediate execution; you know that, right?”

“Please spare my life. I’ve already told him everything if it’s the information you want. I really don’t know anything!”
“Okay. First, tell me who sent the assassin after me.”