Phil’s story was familiar content to him.

The cruel human experiments of gathering children, feeding them potions, and only taking in the rare survivors.

‘Then they’re not just ordinary slave traders…’

They must be connected to Count Trow at least.

‘This is dangerous.’

Though he had been seeing Leah differently since the witch hunt incident, he was still Count Trow’s spy. Karai narrowed his eyes as he looked in the direction Leah had gone.

“…”

Soon he moved as if having made a decision.

***

“It’s over there.”

From atop a slightly elevated rock behind the shack, Leah and Phil looked down below.

Leah swallowed hard. Now that she was here, she felt a bit nervous.

‘What kind of building has no windows? We can’t even peek inside.’

It seemed she’d have to go in to check on the children’s condition. Leah carefully stood up.

“Are you really going in?”

Phil anxiously looked around.

“If we’re doing this, we need to hurry. Now’s our chance while there’s no guard in sight.”

“What if the men come back?”

“You stay here since you can’t get caught. If I don’t come back…”

She took off one of her earrings and pressed it into Phil’s hand as she instructed.

“Go back to the village and ask where the noble villa is these days.”

“Noble villa?”

“Yes. There’s only one around here so you can go there. Show this and say you’ve come on an errand from Lady Leah Piert – they’ll listen to you.”

“Lady Leah Piert…”

Phil repeated while holding the earring. The child stiffened with tension at being given such an important mission.

“First be careful not to get caught yourself. I’m a noble so I’ll be safer than you because of ransom.”

Phil nodded at Leah’s words. She patted his head and carefully made her way down from the rock toward the shack.

Flutter.

Lifting the straw mat covering the entrance, she was shocked.

The shack was a makeshift building about the size of a small storehouse with no light coming in, and around fifteen children were sprawled on the bare dirt floor.

Leah instinctively hurried inside.

“Children.”

She called out carefully.

“Children?”

The children didn’t move at all.

Nothing’s gone wrong already, has it? Should I have come sooner?

Leah pressed down on her heart that was pounding with anxiety. Her trembling hands checked the nearest child who was lying face down.

‘They’re burning up!’

The child was breathing weakly, unconscious and burning with fever.

She quickly checked the other children. The others were the same.

They looked to be between seven and ten years old. All of them had dirty sleeve cuffs and pitch black fingernail tips.

Leah felt a surge of emotion.

These must be children who weren’t cared for at home either.

What did they do wrong to be sold by their parents, locked up here, and treated like this? They’re still just children, why are they being fed strange medicine?

Her hands trembling, she turned over the last child to check their breathing. The young girl opened her eyes.

“Angel…”

The girl clung to Leah even in her half-conscious state.

“Angel… will you take me away? I’m a good child…”

“Yes, you’re a good child, so try to wake up, okay?”

But the child only whimpered, rubbing her burning cheek against Leah’s leg without regaining consciousness.

What should I do?

Panicking, Leah hugged the child clinging to her leg and tried to take a step. She was heavier than expected.

She bit her lip.

‘This won’t work. I need to put her down and go get people…’

Just then, a sharp whistle sounded from outside.

‘What’s that?’

Leah quickly put the child down and approached the entrance.

But it was too late.

Flutter!

Two men appeared at the entrance, panting. One was a stout middle-aged man and the other was a large man with his face almost hidden by a beard.

“You little rat!”

The large bearded man was gripping someone by the collar.

‘Phil!’

The man lifted Phil with his pot lid-sized hand.

“Running away without any fear? Huff, because of you, huff, we searched the whole mountain! You’re dead, you little rat!”

“Kek! Keek!”

Phil struggled but the more he did, the tighter Beard’s hand gripped his collar.

Leah understood the situation.

‘That sound just now must have been Phil!’

Though she told him to run away alone, he couldn’t bring himself to do it and tried to warn her of danger.

Leah’s face went pale as she quickly thought.

With Phil caught and two of them there, she couldn’t recklessly use Fireball.

‘This is why fire magic is a problem!’

Should she use another fire spell? No. Becoming a walking flamethrower now would only endanger herself and the children.

She needed a method other than magic.

She shouted at the men.

“Let that child go!”

Middle-aged and Beard’s attention turned to Leah. Beard was so surprised he almost dropped Phil.

“Wow, boss.”

Beard said in a stupid voice.

“I’ve never seen such a pretty woman. How much would one like that fetch?”

“Whatever price we name, I’d say?”

Leah’s expression cracked.

‘These guys?’

Living as Leah Piert, she’d heard enough people call her pretty and beautiful, but this was the first time she’d encountered such a disgusting reaction of immediately calculating her beauty in terms of money.

Leah forced her crumpling expression to smooth out.

“I am a noble. Getting ransom would be more profitable than selling me.”

“How funny!”

Beard rolled his eyes and sneered.

“Whatever price we name, he said. As pretty as you are, selling would be more profitable!”

Middle-aged stopped Beard who was approaching Leah with crazed eyes.

“No. She really looks like a noble.”

“Boss, what noble would be here? You said there’s no lord around here?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s nobility. That dress isn’t cheap.”

Middle-aged narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Leah like appraising goods.

“Look at her hair too. You think that platinum blonde comes from just a day or two of care? Who but a noble would put so much effort into their hair for so long?”

“You have a discerning eye.”

Leah swept back her platinum blonde hair as if showing it off while taking a fresh look at the men before her.

The middle-aged man called boss seemed to be the slave trader, while Beard appeared to be just muscle. She turned toward the slave trader.

“You seem more reasonable to talk to.”

Leah said haughtily.

“I am Lady Leah Piert of the Piert Ducal Family.”

“…Lady Piert?”

The slave trader stared at her in surprise at the unexpected appearance of such a big catch.

Now that he looked, she had beauty that could make even the blind see, as rumored. Pearly white skin, long platinum blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes.

“The real Peirlily?”

“…How far has that nickname spread?”

Leah frowned before putting on an arrogant expression again.

This is good. We might be able to talk.

She felt relieved inside. If he knew about Peirlily, he’d think the Piert Ducal Family would follow up.

However, the slave trader’s reaction was different than expected.

“Kill her quickly!”

He ordered Beard with a twisted face.

“What?”

Leah was surprised. Beard was surprised too.

“Boss, what are you saying? If we’re gonna kill her, we should sell her first!”

“You idiot, it’s the Piert Ducal Family, Piert! You think the Count would protect us if we harm their daughter?”

“That’s why we should send a messenger to their family and get ransom!”

“Ransom?”

The slave trader screamed hysterically.

“You take me for a fool? Everyone in Peiren knows how precious Peirlily is to the Piert family, you think they’d just quietly pay ransom?”

Leah was flustered.

This isn’t right? She thought money would work for negotiations?

“I’m telling you they’ll pay! Much more than selling these children!”

“They’ll pretend to pay ransom while tracking us down and killing us!”

She realized.

Like sees like, as they say…

‘I expected common sense from criminals!’

Leah desperately shouted.

“No! Our family wouldn’t play games with my life!”

“How laughable. You think this is our first time dealing with nobles’ two-faced nature? The moment your feet touch the ducal estate, there’ll be a bounty on my head with the Peiren underground guild!”

The slave trader’s eyes glinted with fear and malice.

“I don’t know why Lady Piert is lurking around here… but you’ll have to die here today. Hey, make that little rat drink the medicine! We’ll dispose of them together!”

“No!”

Leah reached out, her face ashen.

Crash!

At that moment, part of the shack wall collapsed as something tackled Beard.

“Urk…!”

Long silver hair fluttered, and in an instant Beard was brought to his knees.

Thud!

His massive body fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Meanwhile, Helix who had rescued the child approached Leah.

“He-Helix?”

“…Take the child first.”

After passing Phil to her, he turned his head and stretched out his arm.

“Argh!”

The slave trader who was running toward the entrance fell like he’d been shot by an arrow.

Helix had hit him with a mana shot. He walked to the fallen slave trader and stepped on his leg.

Crack.

He stepped on his arm too.

Crack. Crack.

Watching the slave trader who had already fainted from pain and couldn’t even make a sound, Leah felt dazed.

‘Was Helix always this strong?’

Didn’t he say his power was sealed when fighting monsters last time?

“Helix…”

Without responding, Helix strode over to Leah. His normally cold face was expressionless as if wearing a mask.

He grabbed her hand.

Pong.

As mana flowed into her trembling hand, the tension throughout her body released.

“…Are you alright?”

Helix’s hand holding Leah’s was trembling. His voice too.

Somehow feeling choked up herself, she gripped both his hands tightly and buried her forehead against them.

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

He lifted Leah’s face that was buried against his hands. Seeing her blue eyes clearly reflecting him, he finally felt blood flowing again.

When he saw Leah wasn’t in the clearing where they’d parted, his heart had dropped. Though he knew she was safe from the contractor’s ring on his hand glowing, he absolutely couldn’t stay still.

Helix held Leah’s cheeks with his trembling hands.