Chapter 4: Ganal

"Misha, can I ask you something a bit complicated?"

With the town of Ganal right in front of us, I asked Misha, who had been talking to Clarice non-stop like a broken radio.

"What is it?"

Misha turned to me without losing her smile; there was no wariness in her eyes.

"You said you were in a Dungeon City, but why did you go there with your mother?"

"Hmm? My mom is an adventurer too, so I think she came to take a quest."

I thought she was unusually knowledgeable about adventurers, but her parent really is one. Misha's talent must be hereditary.

"Do you remember the person who kidnapped you?"

"I don't know... I was blindfolded right away."

She hugged her own body and began to tremble. It seemed Misha had become completely frightened. Even if it was necessary, asking a child who was kidnapped and separated from her parent any more questions might be cruel.

Clarice, sitting next to her, gently embraced the trembling Misha and calmed her down with a voice like an angel.

"Sorry. We're almost there. This is the north side of town, so it's unlikely monsters will attack from the Forest of Magic, but stay alert."

We went all the way around from the south to the north because I thought if monsters attacked from the Forest of Magic, being on the farthest northern side would give us the highest chance of escape. The reason I'm not entering the town with Clarice and Misha is that this is the town Count Beetle routed us to avoid.

Usually, in the evening, housewives would be sucked into stalls seeking ingredients, and children would be heading home while play-fighting with sticks. The main street would be filled with voices taking orders from young women and the sound of workers and adventurers clinking glasses heartily after finishing their jobs.

Migratory fish—drunks who didn't know when they started drinking—would be searching for the next bar, while women in full combat-ready outfits with embarrassingly exposed chests would drag them into their shops... That was the kind of town we had stayed in until now, but Ganal was different.

It was wrapped in a silence so deep it felt like every sound except my footsteps had been stolen.

There were no stalls and few people, but I felt a sticky, clinging gaze from almost all of them.

"Hey, Brother! An adventurer... no, an apprentice knight? You've got a pretty nice sword hanging there, but I've got a masterpiece here too! I can let it go for ten gold coins right now, how about it?"

As I headed toward the Adventurer's Guild, a villainous-looking man who had been eyeing me from a back alley called out.

In his hand was a single sword, gaudily decorated with glittering fake gems.

"No, I don't have any money on me."

I politely refused, but the merchant, thinking I was an easy mark, pressed on.

"Don't say that. You shouldn't let a chance to get good equipment slip away. Alright! Five gold coins then! Yeah?"

I insisted I really had no money and managed to get away. I don't have a spending habit bad enough to drop five gold coins on a blunt namakura sword.

When I opened the door to the Adventurer's Guild, there were five adventurers and one female receptionist inside.

The adventurers seemed to have been whispering over drinks despite being inside the guild, but when they saw me, they looked at me with appraising eyes. It was that same sticky gaze I'd felt constantly since entering Ganal.

"Um, is there an inn around here? I'd prefer one with high security... Also, I'd like to take a delivery quest. Do you have any simple ones?"

I didn't ask "Are there any lost child quests?" because the merchant who kidnapped Misha might have posted a quest here to recapture her.

Still, I asked about delivery quests thinking Misha's mother might be searching for Misha through the Adventurer's Guild.

"The inn is diagonally across from here. Delivery quest? We don't have anything like that here."

The receptionist, a woman in her forties with downturned lips, answered while frowning and making a shooing gesture with her hand.

"Thank you very much."

Trying not to make waves here either, I bowed and left the guild, then ran toward the south side of town—the opposite direction of both the carriage and the inn—as if escaping.

The man who tried to sell me the blunt sword earlier had been watching me from the alley with a group of rough-looking guys. Sure enough, when I ran south, they chased after me.

Turning into an alley on the way to the south side, I used 《Sylphid》 to shake off the guys tailing me.

"Did he notice!?"

"Maybe. But no need to panic. He should still be in this town."

Letting their guard down, the guys chasing me were talking loudly. Then, the five adventurers who were drinking in the guild joined them. Were they all in on it!?

"They say he's an E-Rank adventurer at eight years old."

"Eight!? I thought he was ten or fifteen, but this is great. The younger, the higher they sell! And E-Rank!? An E-Rank at eight is impossible! Did some noble force it through with influence? His equipment was certainly luxurious. Probably the result of massive power-leveling. He's got good looks too, so we can expect a considerable price! Let's catch him and sell him off quickly!"

"Yeah. The auction starts at night. We have to catch him by then."

Auction? Selling me off? That means this town is...

It was the right choice not to bring Clarice and Misha. I have to get back and consult with them quickly.

I tried to head back to the north side, but every street was blocked. It had been so deserted before, but now the sound of people moving about filled the entire town.

Still, while holding my breath and moving toward the North Gate to avoid detection—

"Alright! All city gates are sealed! Now we just catch the brat!"

A voice echoed through the town announcing the blockade.

—Damn it!? Completely surrounded... Then I have no choice.

Making up my mind, I strode down the main street. Immediately, voices shouted "There he is!" and men gathered around.

"Boy? Where are you going? It's dangerous outside, you know? Even if you are an E-Rank adventurer."

Standing in front of me were six rough-looking men. In the lead was the man who tried to sell me the blunt sword. He called me "Brother" before, but now it's "Boy."

"Thank you. But I came from outside, so I'll be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Naturally, the men blocked my path.

"Hey now, you should listen to adults. Right? We'll protect you. We just happened to find some girls about your age outside. How about enjoying yourself for a while with the three of you?"

—What!? Clarice was captured!? Their strength is about E-Rank adventurer level. They shouldn't be opponents Clarice would lose to... No, protecting Misha at the same time might make it difficult.

"Understood. I will obey peacefully, so please let me see the girls."

Perhaps surprised that I agreed so easily, they looked taken aback, but the man quickly smirked and answered.

"Uncle doesn't dislike obedient kids. But don't touch the girls. They're valuable merchandise. First, put your sword there."

Merchandise!?

Desperately suppressing my surging rage, I placed the Mithril Silver Sword on the ground and followed the men.

When the men stopped, we were at a large mansion, and our carriage was parked there too.

The man gave instructions to the thugs guarding the front of the mansion.

"Oi, take this brat to where the little girls we brought in earlier are. We're moving this one today too, so don't harm him! Absolutely no harm!"

"Yes! Understood! Hido-san!"

Straightening their backs and replying, the thugs watched Hido leave in satisfaction. Left behind, I followed the thugs and was led to the room furthest back on the second floor.

The room was about ten tatami mats in size, with one small window barely large enough to stick an arm out. There was a king-sized bed and two chairs.

On the bed lay Misha, and sitting on a chair watching the door carefully was Clarice.

"Oi, don't try anything funny! Things are dicey enough today as it is! If you do anything, we won't hold back!"

The thug spat out a threat, pushed me inside, and locked the door from the outside.

"Are you okay!? What happened!?"

I brought a chair next to Clarice and sat down. Whether because the thug left or because I arrived, the tension left Clarice's face, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mars..."

"...Clarice? Did they do something to you?"

A touch of anxiety crossed my mind at her expression, and my heart beat faster.

"No. I... We haven't had anything done to us. Apparently, damaging the merchandise is a heavier crime to these people than murder."

Seeming to understand how worried I was, Clarice said, "Thank you. Sorry for worrying you," apologetically through her tears.

"It's fine. I got caught too, after all..."

Before I could ask how, Clarice answered.

"Those guys came out of the town. I tried to run away with Misha immediately. But the moment we got out of the carriage, Misha suddenly lost consciousness... She's breathing, but..."

Clarice's voice trailed off, and eventually, unable to hold back the tears, she covered her face.

"It's okay. Misha is just sleeping."

"But to fall asleep suddenly while running..."

"It must be magic or something. Appraisal says she's just asleep, so don't worry."

I swallowed the words I don't know when she'll wake up. It would be cruel to burden Clarice's heart any further.

"...Thank goodness... Thank goodness."

Tears spilled from between her hands. I wanted to hug Clarice, but I didn't know if it was okay to do so at a time like this. I could only place my hands lightly on her trembling shoulders and tell her, "It's okay. You did well."

I don't know if that was the right move, but Clarice, still covering her face, leaned her head against my chest.

I waited like that for her to calm down. After crying for a while, Clarice said "Thank you" and pulled away from my chest.

"After Misha lost consciousness, I tried to resist a little. I managed to push a few of them back with 《Water》... but while I was fighting, they captured Misha..."

We were outnumbered. It couldn't be helped.

"There was nothing you could do in that situation. You fought hard."

"...Yeah. Also, while they were bringing us here, I eavesdropped on their conversation. When they took off Misha's hood—which she had pulled down low—and checked her face, they panicked. They were saying they might have brought in someone dangerous, asking 'What if she's the daughter of Sasha from Fuuga?'"

Sasha of Fuuga? Is that Misha's mother's name? Is Misha's mother someone terrifying enough to make these guys panic?

"And then? Did they say anything else?"

"Yeah. They said since she's so dangerous, they should sell her off as quickly as possible. Apparently, Elf children are rare and fetch an outrageous price."

Having explained everything, Clarice looked exhausted.

"Clarice, aren't you a bit tired? You should lie down next to Misha."

Clarice nodded at my words, then...

"...I have a little request... is that okay?"

She asked, looking up into my face. Her cheeks were dyed vermilion.

"Eh, uh, yeah."

Suddenly, my vision was hijacked by Clarice, and I felt my body temperature spike. I tried to look away out of embarrassment, but my eyes wouldn't listen to me, locked onto the beautiful girl in front of me.

"Can I borrow your shoulder?"

"S-Shoulder?"

"Yeah. Instead of sleeping in the bed... like when we took naps in the Granzam Dungeon... Is that no good?"

She looked a little anxious, blushing all the way to her ears. I was driven by the urge to hug her, but I calmed my heart so she wouldn't notice and answered.

"Ah, yeah. Of course."

Clarice's face lit up like a blooming flower. She moved the chair she was sitting on to the corner of the room, sat down, and leaned against the wall.

I moved my chair and sat next to her. With a floral scent, Clarice's head rested hesitantly on my right shoulder.

I hesitated, but summoned my courage to wrap my right arm around her back and hold her shoulder. Clarice said "Thank you" and closed her eyes.

With Clarice's eyes closed, I was finally able to look away and organize my thoughts.

Hido's conversation, and what Clarice told me. Inferring from this information, human trafficking will probably take place tonight. At worst, we might be sold as slaves.

Misha falling asleep suddenly is also concerning.

If that's the effect of their magic, there's a possibility we could be put to sleep too. We need countermeasures for that when we escape.

With too little information right now, moving carelessly could just get us caught again and end up in a worse situation.

If we're going to escape, it should be at night. Blending into the darkness is best.

To recover even a little stamina for the time to come, I closed my eyes too.

"...Huh? Where is this?"

I intended only to close my eyes, but I must have fallen asleep. I woke up to Misha's voice. It was faintly trembling, and she looked frightened.

"Misha, relax. Mars is here too."

It wasn't just me who woke up; Clarice did too. She immediately left my side and sat on the bed next to Misha, who was sitting up, and hugged her.

"Yeah. And? Where is this?"

Hugged by Clarice, Misha completely regained her composure and asked us again.

"This is... probably a slave trader's mansion."

"—Eh!?"

Misha's expression clouded for a moment at my answer, but Clarice hugged her tighter.

"Don't worry. Mars is with us. You saw him, right Misha? Mars is strong enough to defeat monsters from the Forest of Magic. He got caught just to save us."

It was a bit of an embellishment, but Misha seemed to accept Clarice's words.

"That's right. If Mars and Clarice are here, I'm safe."

I could tell she was trying to sound cheerful.

"Misha. Is your mother's party name Fuuga and her name Sasha?"

"Yeah! But why!? How do you know my mom's party name and her name!?"

I asked to distract her, and naturally, Misha's face brightened.

"Ah. The guys here panicked as soon as they saw your face. Your mother, Sasha-san, seems to be widely respected, but what kind of person is she?"

"My mom is a B-Rank adventurer! And she's really strong! No matter what town we go to, everyone looks at her with admiration. She's my pride!"

Despite the situation, Misha's happy face and voice brightened the atmosphere. This child's smile has something that can change the air around her.

"I see. I'm sure Sasha-san is looking for you, so let's do what we can too."

"Okay!"

Just as Misha replied, the outside of the window got a little noisy.

Clarice noticed and peeked out the small window.

"Hey! People are being brought out of the mansion!"

I swapped places with Clarice and checked outside. People with bound hands were being led out of the mansion one after another.

I thought it was a big mansion, but could it hold this many people? Maybe there was a basement?

As I watched for a while, footsteps approached our room, and I heard the sound of unlocking.

"Oi! Get out!"

Outside the door were over ten thugs. Even if I made a scene here, it would be pointless if they took Misha hostage. I obediently did as the thugs said and stepped out of the room.

"Kid! Hands behind your back!"

My hands were pulled behind my waist, and only I was tied up. The rope was hemp. It was good I didn't resist pointlessly when I got caught. If they knew I was a Wind Mage, I might have been bound more strictly, but with this, I can cut it with 《Wind Cutter》 anytime.

The auction venue seemed to be in the northwest of the town. Surrounded by over ten thugs guarding us, we walked while they stayed vigilant. From them, I gained unexpected information.

"Did you hear? Apparently, Sasha came to the neighboring town of Polo looking for her daughter."

The thug spoke without caring that we were there.

"Yeah. I just heard. Hido-san said she might be heading this way, so we should finish up early today. It would be bad to clash head-on with Fuuga, after all."

So these thugs knew too.

According to them, Misha's mother, Sasha, is quite the expert.

I was thinking of escaping, but if Sasha is heading this way, buying time might be safer.

I can't swallow their story whole, of course, but Misha vouched for her strength too. I'll keep it in mind.

Seeing an opening while the thugs were still talking about Sasha, I whispered a question to Clarice.

"What about the equipment?"

"The Defender and Magic Arrow were taken, but they didn't take anything we were wearing. They were told strictly not to touch us, so Misha hasn't been touched except when they took her hood off."

They won't do anything to lower the value. Their dedication to business saved us.

Arriving at what seemed to be the auction venue, we were taken to the stage right wing, hidden from the gathering crowd.

There were many others besides us who would likely be sold today, but strangely, I didn't sense despair from most of them.

Stealing a glance at the venue, I saw people dressed in glamorous outfits, holding glasses with flushed faces, eagerly waiting for the auction to start.

Some were dressed like merchants, but most wore Venetian masks or other face coverings to hide their identities.

As the heat in the venue rose and drunk guests shouted "Start already!", the auction finally began.

"Thank you very much for waiting! We will now begin the Hido Company Auction! For the finale, we have a rarity... nay, the highest quality goods since the founding of the Hido Company! Everyone, please participate with enthusiasm!"

With the formal opening greeting from the MC, the venue erupted in excitement.

"Now, introducing our glorious first item!"

As the MC spoke, a man walked onto the stage from the stage left wing, opposite us. Seeing his face, Clarice and I let out a surprised "Ah!"

"First up is a former Baron from Granzam, a town on the eastern edge of the Kingdom of Zarcam. Being a former noble, he possesses education in reading, writing, and calculation. The price starts at a shocking one gold coin! Let's get started—!!!!!!"

There stood Dameze Barker, hands tied and a gag in his mouth.

He seemed to be shouting something desperately, but with the gag, I couldn't understand what he was saying.

"............"

Despite the noise and heat just moments ago, silence fell over the venue as if it were a funeral. The only sound was Dameze's groaning.

The MC panicked.

"Come now, only one gold coin! He's a former Baron! It's a bargain! Please, step right up!"

But no one reacted. Growing impatient, the MC shouted:

"Then five silver coins! It's a steal!"

He desperately advertised Dameze, but the venue remained in a wake-like state.

Dameze, dumbfounded, stopped even groaning.

After stalling for several minutes with no buyers for Dameze, he was eventually returned to our side of the stage.

The nearby thugs added insult to injury.

"I told them they shouldn't put him in the auction. This is the first time the crowd has gone this cold since I joined the Hido Company."

"No doubt. Not selling even after dropping below the starting price? That's unprecedented, right?"

Even I felt a little sympathy for him.

After that, the slave auction proceeded smoothly. The market price seemed to be around twenty to thirty gold coins. Women were more expensive, and men fetched higher prices if they were good-looking or had high stats.

And here began Dameze's hell. Every time a sale concluded, Dameze was re-listed, and every time, silence visited the hall.

On his second listing: four silver coins. Third listing: three silver coins. The price kept dropping, but the result was always silence.

How many times had he appeared? Dameze's price had dropped to seven iron coins. Still, no one raised a voice or a hand.

And once again, he returned to us, shoulders slumped. He must be despairing as his value plummeted.

At that moment, our eyes met, and Dameze's dead eyes suddenly sprang to life.

"Yoooooouuuuuuuu!!!!"

He started trashing around with a strange cry, then let out a weird laugh and went quiet. Maybe he thought, Serves you right, you're going to face the same fate. Well, whatever, I'm just glad he got his energy back.

And finally, it was my turn.

I had been observing the surroundings, looking for an escape route for when the time came, but the number of thugs exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't find one.

However, watching carefully yielded some harvest. A thug had brought my confiscated Mithril Silver Sword, along with Clarice's Defender and Magic Arrow.

"Now, introducing one of today's main attractions! Look at this appearance—and only eight years old! He has been thoroughly disciplined! Blond hair, golden eyes, handsome features—a boy with absolutely no flaws! He might even make a good accessory! Bidding starts at fifty gold coins!!!!!"

Ooh! I start at fifty gold coins. I hate having a price put on me, but being the highest amount of the day raised my spirits just a little.

When my introduction finished, the venue showed excitement unlike anything before.

"A hundred coins!"

"Two hundred here!"

"How about five hundred!?"

The voices came from women in evening dresses and Venetian masks.

Just as the price surpassed five hundred gold coins in the blink of an eye, an objection was raised.

"A question for the organizers. When you introduced him, you said 'one of today's main attractions', didn't you? How many others are there?"

A man hiding his face with a black mask asked the MC.

"There are two more."

When the man said "Show them all together," the voices in the venue backed him up. The MC stepped down from the stage once, checked with Hido in the back, and returned.

"It is irregular, but we will introduce the remaining two! First, with translucent skin, glossy silver hair, and clear crystal-blue eyes—a beautiful girl whose appearance makes it impossible to look away, despite being only eight years old. If you adopt her, she could be used for an advantageous marriage to another noble, or you could keep her for yourself!"

Naturally, the one ascending the stage was Clarice. The venue went into a frenzy.

"And finally, a girl with emerald-green hair and reddish-brown eyes! Yes, this child is an Elf! A very rare Elf! Such merchandise will likely never appear on the market again!"

When Misha stood on the stage trembling, the voltage in the room hit its peak, the cheers almost shaking the stage.

In the uproar, no one noticed Dameze being quietly led to the corner of the stage.