Surprisingly, obtaining information wasn’t very difficult. Rumors about the activities in the auction house were spreading from mouth to mouth.

‘It seems like things will be resolved more easily than I thought.’

Michael, who had arrived near the auction house, wore a confident smile on his face. When he first heard about Robert’s absurd plan, he couldn’t believe it. But now that the execution was just around the corner, he was exhilarated at the thought of overthrowing the slave traders quickly.

Of course, that was assuming Izeline was here.

“If Izel is inside, shout out. I’ll destwoy evewything.”

Thud!

Michael discarded his robe and walked confidently towards the headquarters of the slave traders located beside the auction house. As the afternoon sun set, his radiant blond hair shimmered. The surrounding gazes naturally gathered on him.

Looking at Michael, who pretended to be a lost and pitiful boy, Robert clicked his tongue in annoyance.

‘Is he enjoying himself?’

A man with sweat dripping from his face scanned the boy up and down, revealing his yellow, rotten teeth as he smirked.

“Are you lost? Come this way for now. Let’s find your mother.”

Whether he would meet a mother or a new owner was an uncertain matter. He had spent several years dabbling in this field. Even if he often fooled around, he was the cream of the crop.

The man’s nostrils quivered with excitement when he saw Michael, who was undoubtedly a top-notch product. While thinking about selling him at a high price to the nobles rumoured to be in town, the man led Michael inside, trying to appease him with a soothing tone.

‘At least I succeeded.’

Michael looked around vigilantly, pretending to be innocent. To the casual observer, it looked like an ordinary building with no problems. Several reception rooms looked like offices, and they were used for consultations and detailed negotiations regarding slave trades.

As the man with a bunch of keys in one hand led Michael down the dim corridor, Michael noticed something interesting further inside…

“Huh?”

The man, who was about to take him deeper into the corridor, was taken aback when he realized that the prized captive had mysteriously disappeared.

“D*mn it! Where did he go?!”

The man, who threw away his friendly facade and cursed angrily, looked around while Michael stole a glance. As the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, he cautiously stuck his head out of the door.

‘It must be over there.’

And then, he quickly walked down the corridor that the man had come from. At regular intervals, torches illuminated the dim corridor.

‘It’s strange that there are no guards.’

Passing through lax security, Michael arrived at a place filled with iron bars. He was taken aback by the sight of people being kept like livestock, and he silently relied on the faint light to find Izeline.

“….!”

And how long did it take?

Michael’s emerald eyes, which had discovered something, trembled slightly.

* * *

Robert, with his hood pulled down low, anxiously awaited Michael’s signal. He had honed his hearing with mana and was intensely focused on the inside of the building…

“Hey.”

“Ugh, you startled me!”

Robert discovered Michael, who had tapped his shoulder from behind and furrowed his brow. His face seemed to ask why he had come from that direction.

“I came out through the window.”

Michael pointed to a window in a secluded corner and bit his lip subtly. Robert, feeling a sense of unease, asked anxiously, “Why? Isn’t Izel inside?”

“I think we might be a step too late.”

While Robert’s anxiety soared, Michael swallowed heavily and spoke. His voice was heavy and somber.

“It seems like she’s already been sold to someone else. Only that kid, Camry, is inside.”

Recognizing Camry’s face from the picture painted by Heint, Michael’s hope soared as he noticed the person surrounded by strict security inside.

He believed Izelin was here.

However, no matter how hard he looked and searched, Izelin was nowhere to be seen beside Camry. He wondered if she had been locked up in a separate room, though he couldn’t find a single trace of Izeline.

Chills ran down his spine.

In an instant, as a gust of air tightened around him, Michael jerked his head up.

“What is this mana energy?”

Hiss…

Chilling shivers ran through him, almost as if to frighten off his doubts.

Unrefined crimson mana flowed around Robert like a venomous snake’s tongue. His eyes, filled with anger, seemed to flicker with a crimson hue. The hidden power of the boy, whom they had regarded as merely cute during their sword training, left Michael speechless.

“Robert…”

He called out his name, reaching out with his hand…

However, Robert continued walking, his robe still worn. A dark aura surrounded him as if ready to devour him.

He would seek revenge.

He would destroy everything.

It felt as if a small child’s back were speaking those words.

Crash!

With an immense noise, one side of the building collapsed. Robert couldn’t control his emotions, feeling his blood rush in reverse. The fate Izeline might have suffered, the fear she might have felt, her teary face before the wicked adults…

“Aaaah!”

“What the hell! It’s an explosion!”

“Run! Take cover!”

In the sudden chaos, the slaves fled helter-skelter without even knowing from where the attack was coming.

Thump! Thud! Thump!

Robert didn’t let a single person escape.

With an eerie power that sent men several times his size flying like insects, the faces of the fleeing people were filled with astonishment.

“This kid is a monster!”

“D*mn, that’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Urgh!”

A man, struck in the nape by an unknown red energy, flew far away, blood spurting from him. As the surroundings rapidly turned into ruins…

“Robert…!”

From somewhere, a shout reached his ears, and his movements abruptly halted.

Swoosh…

Slowly turning around, a wave of air passed through his surroundings as the wind caused his hood, which had partially covered his face, to fall back.

Izeline, who had belatedly rushed over, looked at him with trembling eyes.

Amidst the rubble, Robert, stained with blood, stood ominously like a villain from a novel.

* * *

A few days ago.

Izeline woke up with a throbbing sensation at the back of her head.

“Ugh…”

Who did this…?

As soon as she regained consciousness, a surge of heat spread through her body. Turning her head to see Camry being attacked from behind, she herself received a blow to the back of her head. It seemed that the assailant was not alone.

Thump, thump.

Realizing that she was confined on a moving vehicle, Izeline looked around frantically.

The iron bars blocked all sides, preventing any escape, and wooden planks were placed on top to seal it off. Judging by the faint light seeping through the gaps in the wood, it seemed to be daytime.

“Izeline…”

She turned her head at the sound of a faint voice coming from a corner. Camry was huddled in the corner, clutching his knees with both arms, trembling and tear stains marking his face.

“Camry, do you know where we are?”

Izeline whispered as he crawled away; he shook his head and sobbed.

“Uh? Uh… I don’t know. We’re not going to be sold to some strange place, are we?”

Although it was a disorganized thought, he was accurately judging the situation. Where would they take the kidnapped children, and how would they use them?

The first thing that came to mind was selling them as slaves to earn money.

‘These scumbags got the wrong target.’

According to imperial law, slave auctions were legal, but only for war prisoners who were bought for a fair price.

Selling children abducted from the streets in this manner was strictly illegal. However, once a deal was made and the children were taken to a distant place, there was no way to intervene. Unless they were fortunate enough to receive external help, they would have no choice but to live as slaves, even if it was unjust.

At that moment, the cart stopped.

Izeline, who was peering outside through a crack in the wood, quickly lay down on the ground as a man who appeared to be a slave approached. She opened one eye slightly and waved her hand frantically.

“Camry, fwaint, fwaint.” (Kimi, faint, faint.)

“Huh? Yes, yes…”

As Camry turned his head and lay down next to Izeline, someone on either side of the cart entrance spread the wooden planks wide open. Soon, they unlocked the lock with a key and even opened the iron bars that covered the door.

Izeline swallowed her saliva.

She could feel Camry’s body trembling. When she reached out her hand to support him, the trembling subsided.

“I think I hit them pretty hard. They’re still unconscious.”

“Let’s carry them inside for now. We’ll probably get a decent price for the girl.”

“She’ll probably be sold far away.”

This was insane.

They wanted to sell her far away?

If that were the case, it would be a big problem. If she were to be sold to a distant place with no connection to the city as a small child, there would be no way for her to return as Izeline, let alone find a way back to Souvri.

Izeline turned her head, feeling herself being moved by the men. When she opened her eyes and looked around, she saw the unfamiliar scenery of the city for the first time.

How far had she come while unconscious?

Even in the midst of mounting anxiety, she tried not to lose her composure. They said that even if you enter a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits with you. There must be a way to escape from these bastards.

Clang.

However, when she was thrown into the iron bars inside the dilapidated building, she honestly couldn’t see a way out.

‘…This is messed up.’

After confirming the men had disappeared, Izeline sighed. Then, Camry trembled uncontrollably, unable to hide his fear.

“What do we do now, Izel? W-We’re not going to some strange place, right?”

Although he felt the responsibility to protect Izeline because she was younger, he was too frightened to speak.

It was to the extent that Izeline’s ability to maintain composure felt truly remarkable in such a situation. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her determination, though what could be done while they were trapped behind bars?

For several days, Izeline filled her stomach with meager pieces of bread that came through a small hole. As she did, darkness enveloped her vision. Izeline seemed pensive, as though she hadn’t given up hope.

“What will happen now…?”

Whispered quietly, Camry’s words were barely audible. Suddenly, Izeline stood up before she shouted loudly towards the dim corridor.

“Here!”

Camry, taken aback by the sudden outburst, froze in contemplation.

“What… what are you doing, Izeline?”

He exclaimed, trying to cover her mouth.

However, it was already too late. One of the men guarding the corridor heard the noise and approached.

“What’s going on? Stop making a fuss and behave!”

It was a stern warning that if she didn’t, he’d punish her.

Still, Izeline didn’t bat an eye and persistently asked with a firm tone.

“How much will you get if we sell out?”

“What?”

—