Chapter 4

After that, I kept running and managed to reach the Sealed City while the sun was still high.

No matter how many times I see it, I lose my voice at the strange sight of the Sealed City. The entire city is enclosed by a massive wall, which must be about 10 meters high and 3 meters thick.

This is not for defense against external enemies, but to prevent anything from getting out from inside.

"I'm pretty tired. The entrance fee should have been enough with 100,000 bal."

If you don't have citizenship or an entry permit, you have to pay 100,000 bal at the gate.

By paying that amount, you can get a temporary entry permit for one month.

When I looked toward the gate, there was a queue.

This is the most chaotic city in the world. It's dangerous, but it attracts more money and people than anywhere else. It's not an exaggeration to say that there's nothing that doesn't gather in this city.

For example, even slaves are treated as commodities.

The carriage that passed by me had a cage on its platform, and the slaves were sitting with their knees hugged, their eyes lifeless like dead fish.

I wanted to help them. But what would I do if I helped them? I can't take responsibility for their lives. Even if I helped them, I can't give them the means to live on their own.

"There's no choice. It's important to know when to let go."

They are just doing business. I shouldn't interfere with that.

So, I walked slowly and reached the gate, joining the queue for the entry check.

I glanced sideways at the line of carriages and saw the slave trader talking to a girl.

I was curious, so I activated a magic spell to pick up sound.

"Excuse me, how do I enter this city?"

She was an unusually beautiful girl.

She was about the same age as me, in her mid-teens. Her long blonde hair reflected the light, and her pale skin was charming. Her face gave a slightly gentle impression, but it was incredibly well-featured. And her figure was slender yet erotic.

The most distinctive feature was her fox ears and fox tail, which were the same color as her hair. They suited her well.

I gasped. She was a companion I had traveled with in the game era. The girl I had left to die... Kuna.

I came here because she was here. But I didn't expect to meet her so soon. In the Ilrande of the game era, I was supposed to meet her a few years from now.

"Ah, little girl, is this your first time in this city?"

"Yes, not only this city, but it's my first time leaving my village. I don't know how to enter a big city."

She answered with a friendly smile.

Is Kuna sane? Why would she talk to a slave trader, even if she had a question?

"Is there no one with you?"

The slave trader, with desire in his eyes, signaled to the carriage.

A man was sneaking up behind the girl, out of her sight.

"Yes, I'm alone. I ran away from my village! I heard that this city is short of people and has a lot of jobs, so I came to live on my own."

The slave trader's smile deepened.

Of course, it would. The only sub-human race with fox ears and a fox tail is the Fire Fox race.

The Fire Fox race is an extremely useful race. Their songs are imbued with magic, which can heal and charm the hearts of those who hear them. They have an innate ability to intuitively construct magic formulas for fire-based magic and control powerful flames quickly. They also age slowly.

Their lifespan is the same as humans, but Fire Foxes maintain a young and beautiful appearance until the end of their lives. They are the best as both combat slaves and sex slaves, and are very expensive to trade. Furthermore, there is one more thing that adds to their value.

"Then, I'll find you a job, little girl."

"Really!? Mmm..."

She seemed unaware of the other person sneaking up behind her while she was talking to the slave trader.

She lost consciousness when a cloth was pressed to her mouth. Then, the girl was tied up with ropes, and numerous magic interference talismans were attached to her before she was loaded onto the platform.

"I'll give you a proper job, little girl. From tomorrow, you'll have a respectable job as a slave."

The slave trader and the other man laughed. They were delighted to have acquired a top-quality slave here.

No one stopped them, even though everyone was watching.

In this world, there are no laws outside the city.

She was captured because she was foolish.

Under normal circumstances, I would have thought the same.

But I know Kuna. I have all her smiles and tears etched in my mind. I couldn't abandon her, even if she was a different person from the one I left to die in the game.

This time, I want to be happy with her.

I stood up and started walking.

I would have to rejoin the queue, but that didn't matter.

I reached the slave trader's carriage and opened my mouth.

"Trader, that girl is the daughter of an acquaintance. I came to this city because I was asked to find her. Can you release her?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Stop making false accusations. This girl is my merchandise. I brought her here to sell in this city."

"I saw the whole thing, from the moment she was kidnapped."

"So what? She's my merchandise that I acquired here."

"Are you admitting to kidnapping?"

"Hah, this is outside the city. There are no laws here."

"Is that so? Then, it's not a problem if I rob you here, is it? [Silver Magic Refinement: Form 1 - Spear • Pierce]"

I pointed a silver spear at his throat.

"Hey, what are you doing, call the guards, someone call the guards!!"

The slave trader shouted, but no one moved.

Everyone had seen him kidnap the girl. They would ignore his cries for help.

"That girl is my benefactor. I can kill you for her. And the man behind you, if you move a step, I'll kill him."

The tip of the spear pierced the slave trader's throat, and blue particles spilled out instead of blood.

It was proof that the divine blessing was working. However, this trader was a low-rank 1. If I pierced him with this spear, his blessing would be used up instantly, leading to his death.

The slave trader's companion, who had been sneaking up, stopped. He was a high-rank 1. I couldn't win in a fair fight, but I could escape after saving the girl.

Everyone stopped moving, and the air grew tense.

A painful silence.

"Really, what are you doing! You've ruined my plans!!"

An out-of-place voice echoed.

It was an angry voice, but it was oddly cute and ruined everything.

"Um, why are you awake?"

The slave trader muttered, stunned.

"Are you talking about the medicine on the cloth? I'm immune to poison. My father made me drink a lot of it when I was young, so I developed a resistance."

...I had heard such a story before.

Kuna's father was quite strict and thoroughly trained his children.

"Then, why were you captured!"

"I couldn't pay the entry fee, so I thought I could enter for free as merchandise. I could escape after entering the city. That's why I talked to the slave trader."

The slave trader and his assistant were stunned.

What a ridiculous plan.

"But, even so, with so many talismans, even a Fire Fox—"

"Are you talking about these toys?"

The girl's eyes glowed red.

At the same time, the talismans burned all at once.

"Rough work. These are noise-producing interference talismans, but the pattern is too simple to block. The output is weak, and the excessive number of talismans interferes with each other. It's easy to escape, but this sloppiness is annoying."

Red flames spurted from her body.

The flames burned the trader's skin, and blue particles spilled out. She could probably defeat the other high-rank 1.

"Ah, ah, stop, stop, get out, I'm sorry."

The trader screamed as the girl slowly got out of the carriage.

"Let's go then. You, over there. You'll be responsible for ruining my plans."

She said this teasingly.

Her gesture felt strangely familiar.

"Was it unnecessary?"

"It's the first time I've been saved by a boy, and I was happy. So, it wasn't unnecessary."

Kuna smiled, a smile she rarely showed in the game era.

To my knowledge, Kuna was more reserved and emotionless, showing no interest in herself or others.

Her smile made me incredibly happy.

"...I see, then it's good. Let's talk over there."

We left the queue and walked away together.