Raiana was the first to come out and check the area before Eliz emerged from an underground hiding place.
Eliz let out a long sigh. Things hadn't been going as well as she had wanted. She thought that beating Tyler would be enough to make him submit. Wasn't that how it was supposed to work?
Kidnapping children hadn't been her intention, but she couldn't think of anything else at the moment without appearing insecure. Now the question was, what the hell was she going to do with them?
She turned and watched as, one by one, they climbed out, along with their nanny, all of them looking startled. Eliz frowned. She would have to find a way to make it up to them so they wouldn't be traumatized by this.
Once they were all out, they made their way out of the Slums. Alarr walked in front, then Eliz, the children, Holm behind them, and Raiana. Along the way, everyone remained silent, and the Boulder team kept an eye on their surroundings. Eliz heard the occasional quiet whimper behind her but chose to ignore it. After all, she couldn't change anything now.
They had managed to escape the Slums without any trouble, but now that Eliz wasn't focused on finding her way, she sometimes felt like she was being watched. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Raiana, go get two carriages," Eliz said, turning to the children and the old nanny.
"All right. What's your name? Introduce yourself," she told them. There was silence before the old woman cleared her throat and began.
"Everyone calls me Mother Green. I'm the children's nanny," she announced slowly, watching Eliz intently.
Eliz looked her over. She estimated that she was in her sixties. Mother Green had sandy blonde hair tied in a bob, large pointed ears, dark blue eyes, and tanned skin. Eliz could only guess that she was half Light Elf, but she had no idea what the other half might be. Mother Green was relatively small and thin for a half-elf.
Eliz had examined their Potential before, but she did it again because one thing kept bugging her.
Galarie Green
Trail: Nanny, Sovereign of the Cuisine
Potential: Lich
The Trail Nanny wore purple as a unique color, and Eliz was really interested in what made it unique. Like Holm, who had the potential to be a Teacher, Eliz found the choice of a unique color weird. She was also amused by the other Trail, namely the Sovereign of the Cuisine, which was colored green, which was uncommon.
Eliz speculated that Mother Green must have been a devil in the kitchen. However, what interested her the most was the Potential option: Lich. Furthermore, it was her only potential. Eliz wondered what exactly that meant. Was this her only option? How could a nanny and a cook transform into a terrifying Lich? Eliz found herself reconsidering the meaning of the color gray. Could it possibly be related to Black Magic, after all? Or even Dark Magic?
Mother Green gently patted the head of the youngest child, a seven-year-old girl with untamed dark brown hair, chocolate-colored skin, dark orange eyes, and little spotted lion ears protruding from her hair. "This is Halina, the youngest," Mother Green introduced. The little girl clung tightly to Mother Green's skirt, attempting to hide behind it.
Eliz looked at her and rechecked her Potential. Here was the very thing that had struck her as odd before.
Halina
Trail: Thief, Pickpocket
Potential: Misfortune, Undead
Halina's Thief and Pickpocket trail was commonly light blue, but Potential was peculiar. Misfortune appeared in grey, and the Undead in grey. Why Misfortune again? And why the undead?
For a moment, Eliz glanced at Mother Green, who possessed Lich Potential. Was there some connection? Could it be possible that this elderly woman had intentions toward the children? However, if she were a Necromancer, shouldn't Eliz have detected it in her Trail?
Eliz couldn't decide but knew she had to watch Mother Green closely.
Mother Green touched the head of an older child, perhaps around nine or ten. The boy had brown hair and fox ears, with big brown-orange eyes that appeared somewhat distant.
"That's Destin. He's nine," Mother Green informed Eliz.
Eliz glanced at him, and he met her gaze with disinterest.
Destin
Trail: Thief, Pickpocket, Herbalist
Potential: Undead, Illusions
Fortunately, Destin didn't possess any Potential associated with Misfortune, but he did have the Undead option. Both Thief and Pickpocket shared a common light blue potential with Halina. Additionally, he possessed the Trail as Herbalist, indicating his knowledge of plants. Impressive for a young boy. Lastly, he exhibited a dark blue potential, signifying Rare Illusions. This revelation didn't come as much of a surprise to Eliz, considering his Fox heritage renowned for its mastery of illusions.
"This is Lila. She's ten," Mother Green introduced another child. Eliz directed her gaze toward the familiar girl. Lila had burgundy-colored hair, bear ears, purple eyes reminiscent of amethysts, a slight overbite, and was giving Eliz a defiant look. It seemed that little Lila was going to be a troublemaker. It's part bear. Shouldn't she have a more gentle temperament?
Eliz frowned as she checked her Potential—another one of those.
Lila
Trail: Thief, Pickpocket, Driver
Potential: Misfortune, Undead
Thief and pickpocketing were common. However, a green driver was uncommon. What did that mean? Did it imply that she could operate a carriage? But again, in the grey of Misfortune and the Undead.
Eliz thought she was going nuts. She had a strong desire to know the true meaning behind the colors, and the fact that she had to guess frustrated her. The possibility of being wrong bothered her. She was merely relying on her knowledge from video games, which wasn't a reassuring source to rely on.
Mother Green finally touched the head of her eldest child, a rather tall boy with soft blue hair, cat ears, and yellow eyes. The boy's ears drooped, and he moved away from Mother Green's touch, giving Eliz a frown. Another rebellious child.
"And this is Blue. He's twelve," Mother Green introduced, but Blu hissed in response. "Don't call me Blue! That's not my name! My name is Blumind! How many times do I have to say it!" he angrily stomped his foot on the ground and turned to face Eliz.
"I'm Blumind! Blumind!" he repeated.
The corner of Eliz's lips twitched with amusement. It seemed the boy was already going through puberty. Mother Green looked at Eliz with worry. "Ah... I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with him. Blue... Blumind has only been with us briefly and can be quite temperamental." She apologized on behalf of the boy.
Eliz took a look at the boy.
Blumind Misty Hills clan
Trail: Thief, Acrobat, Mist
Potential: Sin Caller, Ninja
Eliz looked at Blumind with renewed interest. This boy appeared to have a unique background. Trail Thief and Acrobat were common abilities, while Mist was uncommon. However, it was his Potential that captured Eliz's attention. Sin Caller was golden, and Ninja was classified as Rare. Eliz pondered the existence of actual ninjas in this place. Could the Misty Hills clan be a clan of ninjas? And what exactly was Sin Caller? How did it function? Could Blumind trigger someone's sins?
Eliz approached Blumind, who noticed her presence and immediately ceased his rebellious behavior, flattening his ears against his head. Mother Green tensed but refrained from making any movement. Eliz ignored her concern and instead leaned towards the now timid boy.
"Well then, Blumind. Hm. You're doing the right thing, my boy, by speaking up about what you don't like. You must never allow others to take what rightfully belongs to you," she advised him with a smile. Blumind's ears perked up once again as he looked up at her. His chin dropped slightly, and his eyes widened in awe. He shifted his gaze sideways, his cheeks turning red, while Eliz straightened up.
"Hmm... You can... you can call me Blum," he mumbled, pursing his lips in embarrassment. Eliz chuckled briefly, patting him on the head before walking away from him once more.
Eliz heard a rumble and turned her attention toward the two carriages approaching them. "Now, listen carefully. You have nothing to worry about if you behave and listen to me. However, if you anger me, there will be consequences. Do you understand?" she sternly addressed them. When she received no response, she glanced back at them.
"I asked, is that clear?" she repeated, prompting the children to mumble their agreement and Mother Green to nod in understanding. Blumind, however, never diverted his dreamy gaze from Eliz.
*****
Eliz sighed as the carriage she had been sitting in started to move. She shared it with Holm and Alarr, while in the other carriage were Raiana with the children and Mother Green.
"What are you going to do with the children?" Holm immediately asked, and Alarr stared out the window into the darkness with a frown.
Eliz removed her hood and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'll take care of them; what else? Taking them wasn't exactly part of my original plan. But it has been done." She paused and thought about it. "I'm going to start getting them into shape. I'll have to hire a teacher for them. They probably couldn't read or do much arithmetic. So I'll start that as soon as possible."
Alarr turned his head to her in surprise. "You want to teach them to read and count?" he wondered.
Eliz raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course. Ignorance is the worst enemy. They need to have at least a basic education."
Holm let out a short chuckle. "No offense, my lady. You are rather strange," he said. Alarr looked at him in disbelief. Holm only spoke this casually to people he liked. So he couldn't believe he had liked this strange aristocrat so quickly.
"I wasn't offended. But why do you think I'm strange?" Eliz asked him curiously.
Holm smiled, and his small eyes almost disappeared from his face. "Not many nobles would be interested in the education of commoners," he explained cheerfully.
Elis snorted. "Don't compare me to those snobs. I don't share the same opinion as them to keep the commoners uneducated." Alarr looked at her with narrowed eyes, but she didn't flinch under his cold gaze. "What?" she asked.
"You would educate the common people?" he asked.
Eliz sighed and folded her arms. She hadn't interacted much with ordinary people so far, and everyone she had met could read and do arithmetic, or so she thought. But according to Alarr's and Holm's reactions, this topic was a big deal. In the story, the Author didn't deal with these issues, but when she thought about it, it was true that he sometimes described things like the picture on the signboard of a shop or inn. So did that mean that most ordinary people were illiterate? People used pictures to help those who couldn't read understand what the shop was selling.
"Another thing I hadn't thought of. I'll probably have to create some public school," Eliz sighed and looked at the two men before her. "Naturally, I want educated citizens. I don't even want to think about how many good ideas and thoughts will go to waste without it. A good education is the foundation of any society."
Alarr and Holm looked at each other before looking back at Eliz, who seemed serious about these things. "You know, that wouldn't be very good for the nobility, would it?" Holm inquired, and Eliz frowned at him. "Hah? Why so uncertain? You think I don't know?" She waved her hand.
Alarr leaned a little towards Eliz. "So you wouldn't mind if the nobility system fell?"
Eliz smiled at Alarr, seeing the glint of interest in his eye. "I couldn't care less. Of course. It's quite useful to me now, but that's about it. It would have come up one day, anyway. People don't stay foolish forever."
Holm laughed. "You are quite radical, my lady. Not let the Crown make you disappear."
Eliz shook her head. "Hm. I doubt they'll care what I do on my own turf. And then one day, it'll be too late if they find out."
Holm raised his eyebrows. "Too late?"
Eliz nodded and winked at Holm. "They'll have other things to worry about."
*****
They all returned to the hotel. The night receptionist was confused by the sudden request for a new room, but he complied, and Raiana escorted the astonished children and the old woman to their room, where she also kept an eye on them. Eliz observed the children as they stared wide-eyed at the luxurious hotel, and it seemed that apprehension was quickly replaced by fascination. Children are pretty adaptable.
She also noticed that Blum was staying with her for some reason, so she patted him on the head and hurried him along to join the others. He flew away from her like a startled bird. Eliz shook her head and finally went to rest. After taking a bath, she eventually went to sleep.
In the morning, everyone gathered for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. All the kids, including Mother Green, stared at Eliz with their jaws dropped. Finally, Eliz again had to assume her noble lady persona and put away her mysterious image.
Eliz smiled at them and ordered food for everyone. She quite enjoyed watching the children, who could not stop staring in amazement.
On the other hand, her old guard could only watch with a bland expression as their group suddenly grew. He looked from Eliz to the children and back again, pain in his eyes. Finally, he rubbed his eyes with two fingers, contemplating how to explain this to the Duke.
Eliz had planned to head back home after breakfast, but her plans were interrupted by the arrival of a hotel employee who brought her a message.
Eliz read it.
We'll need to meet. Come to the black market.
Fraril Wildborne
Eliz sighed. Apparently, Fraril had verified her information and wanted to talk to her now. And did he really invite her to the black market? Since he hadn't left an address, maybe he wanted to check on her again to see if she knew where it was. Well, luckily for Eliz, she did know.
She turned to her old guard. "I need to take care of something before I go back home. You're going back to the estate with the kids," she told him.
The guard straightened up and wiped the pain from his eyes. "My lady, I must protect you," he refused.
Eliz pointed to the Boulder team. "I have enough protection. Now I need you to protect the children. They are very important to me," Eliz insisted.
The guard frowned at the Boulder team and then looked at Eliz. "My lady, with all due respect, they are untrustworthy and do not fall under your family crest."
Eliz frowned and slammed her open palm on the table, causing everyone to stop eating and see what was happening. "They're trustworthy enough for me. Do as I say. You don't have to worry about my father. If he objects, I'll sort it out," Eliz frowned at him.
The guard pressed his lips into a thin line. "My lady will..."
"Enough! I've already said. Stop bothering me with this," Eliz cut him off. That's why she wanted her own guards. She had to make unnecessary scenes to get rid of her father's eyes.
The guard bowed. "As you command, my lady," he accepted her command, but Eliz could feel the reluctance in his entire body.
Eliz had sent Haidi along with the children because this teenage girl really didn't need to see the darkness of the Black Market. The reluctant guard spoke coldly to Alarr before he got in, Alarr gave him an angry look but nodded occasionally. Eliz assumed he was being lectured on how to care for her.
She rolled her eyes furtively and waited for the carriage to leave before summoning her own. The four of them settled inside, and Eliz gave the coachman an order. "The Capital Courthouse," she ordered, and Alarr, Holm, and Raiana looked at her in surprise.
"Why are we going there?" Raiana asked.
Eliz grinned. "We're going to the Black Market," she replied.
Holm blinked. "Black Market? But you said the Capital Courthouse, my lady."
Eliz laughed. "You heard right. It's rather a humorous irony, isn't it? Justice is indeed blind."