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"Welcome, Lady Bryan! I sincerely welcome you to Noctar!"
In the reception room of the Lord's castle.
Baron Bardelli, the Lord of Noctar, welcomed Narsha with open arms. Narsha responded with an elegant, not-too-excessive smile.
"What brings such a delicate young lady all alone to this distant Noctar?"
Though Baron Bardelli feigned ignorance, he had already seen through Narsha's intentions for visiting.
The story went back to a month ago, when the Desert Rose Merchant Group was completely annihilated by a meteor.
Roperman, the group's leader, turned to dust along with his cherished collection, and someone had made off with all the high-grade goods hidden deep underground.
Baron Bardelli had been taking bribes from Roperman in exchange for turning a blind eye to his crimes and providing conveniences.
With the merchant group responsible for Noctar's market disappearing overnight, the city had fallen into unprecedented chaos.
Merchant groups seeking to fill the power vacuum arrived daily, causing constant disputes. The already poor public safety worsened, and prices skyrocketed.
It was in this situation that Narsha arrived.
The Count Bryan House.
Based in the capital Calia, they were the owners of Dawn Travel, considered one of the kingdom's top merchant groups.
Narsha Bryan, standing before him, was the only daughter of the Count's family and the rumored successor to the company.
For such a Narsha to visit this city with such particular timing, her reasons were obvious without even asking. She must be planning to exert influence over Noctar.
Controlling a Count's family is nearly impossible. I probably won't be able to take bribes like before…
But it wasn't all disadvantageous.
If he helped Dawn Travel expand their influence, he would naturally form connections with the Count Bryan family.
Not just with the Count's family, but he could forge ties with various nobles in the capital. It was an opportunity to build a pillar from which he could extend his reach.
But I can't let myself be pushed around too much…
He couldn't let his guard down just because she was young. The first move was the most crucial. As Baron Bardelli was pondering, Narsha asked an unexpected question.
"My Lord, is there perhaps a man known as the Slave Reaper in this city?"
Is she trying to lighten the mood before getting to the main point? Well, not a bad approach.
"The Slave Reaper… I believe I've heard of him. Yes, there was a man with such a name who kept an elf as a slave."
"An elf?"
For a moment, a cold look flashed across Narsha's face. However, having been trained in the manners of a merchant company leader, she maintained her poker face outwardly.
It was a basic skill for any merchant.
"Why are you looking for him? Ah…!"
The baron recalled an article he had once read in the newspaper.
A young noblewoman who was said to have been enslaved after an attack by bandits. Pitifully sold to the Slave Reaper and nearly killed, a ransom was paid and she returned to her family after much hardship.
The heroine of that story was the Narsha standing before him.
"But I heard the Slave Reaper stole her away not long after?"
"If only that were true…"
"Hm? What did you just say…?"
"You misunderstand. If that were the case, I wouldn't be able to appear before you, Baron."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, that's true. Then, are you chasing after that Reaper?"
"Yes."
So she hadn't come for merchant business, but for personal revenge. The baron clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Is there a chance that gentleman might be here?"
Gentleman…?
Something seemed off about her way of addressing him.
Baron Bardelli didn't bother to correct her. It must be a habit she picked up while being roughly treated under the Slave Reaper.
Poor little lady. The baron inwardly clicked his tongue.
"On the day the meteor fell on Noctar, that man also disappeared. At first, I thought he had died, but seeing as the elf who was with him is still alive, he must have secretly fled."
"So, in any case, he's not here."
"That seems to be the case, for now."
"…I see."
Narsha bit her lower lip.
After seeming to think for a moment, she stood up.
"Are you leaving already?"
"I plan to wander the city for a bit."
"It might be strange for me as the lord to say this, but the city's public safety is not very good. I'll assign you an escort."
Narsha shook her head and briefly showed the rapier at her waist.
"I appreciate the thought, but I can take care of myself."
"If that's the case, I have nothing more to say, but do be careful of a tavern called the Peacock's Night Gathering."
"Why is that?"
"Elves frequent the place. Including the elf that the Reaper kept with him. They're a race that views humans like insects, so getting involved with them could lead to trouble."
"I will bear that in mind."
***
After leaving the Lord's castle, Narsha walked aimlessly. Her steps lacked energy.
Again…
She was too late again.
Though she was chasing Karami's grand journey, she was always one step behind. Even when she thought she had found him, she only encountered trash who called themselves Slave Reapers.
Not those with the noble intention of liberation, but trash who killed slaves for their own depraved pleasure. Narsha had put holes in all their necks.
Where might he have gone this time?
Even if she obtained information, she always arrived too late. It was good that he was saving the pitiful, but if only he would wait a little…
Narsha sighed.
I should at least check out this Peacock's Night Gathering place.
Baron Bardelli had warned her to be careful, but Narsha had to go there. The elf slave that Karami had taken in was said to frequent the place.
She wanted to check what kind of person they were, and as a senior, establish some discipline.
Narsha looked around the city, searching for the Peacock's Night Gathering.
"Agh!"
Suddenly, a pained groan rang out. The sound came from a dark alley in the slums where light did not reach. The sound of a scuffle continued.
It was a lawless neighborhood with poor security, dangerous for a woman to wander alone. Especially for a beautiful noble daughter like Narsha, who could be in danger even in broad daylight.
The wise choice would be to turn back, but.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Narsha turned on her heel and slowly walked towards the alley.
***
In a dark corner of the slums, in a place reminiscent of an ant colony, long shadows intertwined like nightmares blooming in the darkness.
There were echoes of harsh breathing and the sound of beatings. A boy struggled beneath a man's foot, while slum dwellers laughed, baring their rotten teeth.
"I fucking told you not to act up, didn't I?!"
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
The boy, kicked in the stomach, was sent up into the air before crashing face-first onto the ground.
"Matthew!"
Lala, held back by a slum dweller, cried out the boy's name, but he couldn't get up. Curled up like a shrimp, he trembled, clutching his stomach.
His face was already bruised and bleeding. His clothes were dirty and torn. There wasn't a single part of him that wasn't injured.
"Kid, didn't I warn you? Don't come here trying to take the children away. You little shit with no business ethics."
Even in his dazed state, Matthew managed to squeeze out words.
"Y-You're the bad guys… There are kids who could eat well and live well if they became slaves, but you're stopping them because of your own greed…"
"How many times do I have to tell you? Slaves all die miserably, you idiot. Think with that head of yours. Is someone who only takes girls to make them slaves normal?"
"Big brother… isn't like that…!"
The man shook his head and sighed. It was as if the boy had been brainwashed; there was no getting through to him.
"We ain't dealing with some fanatic here. Enough's enough. Looks like I'll have to show an example of what happens when you become a slave."
Just as the man was about to approach Matthew to kick him again.
"Hm?"
Narsha appeared from around the corner and stood in front of Matthew.
In the gloomy slums, her red eyes emitted a calm yet somehow alluring light.
Her fair skin didn't belong in the darkness of the slums.
A noble?
The slum dwellers were taken aback for a moment, but realizing she was alone, they broke into lewd sneers.
"Judging by your appearance, you look like some rich man's daughter. Didn't mommy and daddy teach you not to wander into dark places?"
To think such a woman would walk right into their hands. They never expected such a juicy target to drop into their laps in broad daylight. Was it even daytime? Hard to tell with no light coming in.
"…"
Narsha looked back and forth between the children and the slum dwellers.
A child writhing in pain and fear. That was all she looked at, making no observations beyond the given situation.
It was an inefficient waste of emotion, and helping others required time and money. Letting emotions get involved led to losses.
Which choice would yield the highest profit? Whose life held how much value?
What mattered to her wasn't the value of a single tear, but the value of the gold coins she could get by selling that tear.
But…
He was different.
He turned his back on no one.
His eyes sought out the forsaken and forgotten.
He stayed by the side of the broken.
His hands embraced souls drowning in despair.
With a one-dimensional yet grand goal—not for his own glory, but solely to lead the suffering towards salvation.
And…
This is the sacred duty of one blessed by His grace, walking in His footsteps.
Shing—
Narsha drew her rapier and drew a line between herself and the residents.
"The moment this line is crossed, you die."
"Kuhehe. Die? Who? You? Can those delicate arms even lift that sword? I don't know who taught you, but what a woman should be holding isn't a sword, it's a…"
The man's words died in his throat.
Because Narsha had stepped forward, crossing her own line.
"What──"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Narsha moved.
At a speed that far surpassed human perception, she disappeared and reappeared.
Stab.
In a flash, the rapier carved a streak of light through the darkness, piercing the man's throat in an instant.
"Guk."
The man let out a single groan.
As Narsha pulled out her rapier, the man collapsed to the ground, a fountain of blood spraying from his neck.
"I explicitly stated. When the line is crossed, you die."
The one second of mercy Narsha had bestowed upon them.
They should have seized that moment to flee immediately.
"All of you."