Chapter 37

Enoch quickly regained his composure, tidied up the stage, and grabbed the emcee who was about to leave.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“What do you mean, what? My daughter is gone.”

“Huh?”

The emcee glanced at the stage and shrugged.

“Gone? Wasn’t she there?”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been watching her the whole time.”

“Really? I don’t know what your daughter looks like.”

Enoch was speechless at the emcee’s nonchalant response.

“Can you let me go?”

“……”

Enoch turned the emcee around as he tried to leave, grabbing him by the collar.

“Stop joking and bring my daughter back.”

“Wow, are you crazy? You lost your daughter somewhere else and are taking it out on me here.”

“What?”

“Hey, guards! Guards!”

The emcee signaled with his hands, and two burly men rushed to subdue Enoch.

What’s going on here?

As Enoch, bewildered, slowly looked around, a conversation with Axion came to mind.

“It’s more like a kidnapping than a disappearance. The methods are bold. After all, commoners can’t get legal protection even if they report crimes a hundred times.”

“You mean they kidnap children without worrying about the law?”

“The law has been ineffective for a long time. In the seven years you were away, things here have gotten worse.”

Under the same system, nobles and commoners live completely different lives.

The commoners’ area is a lawless zone.

Enoch laughed bitterly and slowly looked around.

A few participants who hadn’t left were trembling in fear.

They must have seen the entire bizarre situation.

Yet, knowing they couldn’t get legal protection, they were just relieved that their own children were safe.

‘Ha.’

If he were a commoner and a non-user, …

he wouldn’t be able to do anything in this situation.

He could only watch his daughter disappear, and he wouldn’t be able to question the obvious criminals.

‘Nothing has changed. This damn country.’

Enoch let out a hollow laugh and approached the emcee, who was walking away.

The guards tried to stop him, but

“Ouch!”

With a crack, the guard’s arm twisted.

Enoch, with a blank expression, quickly overpowered the two guards. The emcee took a step back.

“Hey, what are you doing? Hey? Call the law? What are you doing…!”

The emcee, grabbed by the collar again, flinched and pulled his neck back.

Enoch asked again in a sharp voice.

“Where is my daughter?”

“I don’t…!”

At that moment.

Enoch, gritting his teeth, ran his hand through his disheveled hair.

Swoosh,

His hair turned silver from the ends.

At the same time, his blue eyes flashed.

“Where is she?”

“……”

The emcee’s mouth slowly opened.

‘He’s a user…’

He instinctively realized.

If he asked three times, he might die.

“I’m sorry, I’ll tell you.”

* * *

Question! Can the daughter of a self-proclaimed world’s strongest, munchkin protagonist be kidnapped?

Answer: Yes!

‘This is possible.’

A dark and narrow room.

I was trapped in a cage like a small animal.

I had been moved in a sack while preparing for the final game behind the stage.

Who would have thought?

To openly kidnap a child in the middle of a public event with dozens of witnesses.

‘Cesia must be fine. She’s with Dad.’

Then,

“Look at this girl. She’s not even crying.”

A man, who was watching me with interest as I sat hugging my knees, said.

The man had a long scar running vertically across his left eye.

“Hey, aren’t you scared?”

The man stuck out his tongue and licked the dagger he was holding from bottom to top.

Oh, creepy. He probably hopes I’m scared.

“I’m scared… Please send me home.”

“Hahaha! No, no.”

The man tapped the iron bars of my cage with his knife.

“You can never go home.”

“Why, why?”

“You’ll live somewhere else. But don’t blame me too much. You’ll thank me one day.”

As he spoke, he put a cigarette in his mouth and took out a wad of bills from his pocket, counting them.

“I’ll send you to a much bigger and better place. The nobles will give you good food and treat you well, so don’t be sad.”

…So, he’s a human trafficker. He kidnaps cute commoner children and sells them to nobles for a high price.

‘Is this man the one Uncle Axion was investigating for the missing children cases?’

The probability is high.

Even so, how can such blatant kidnapping and imprisonment be possible?

‘Yes, it’s possible here…’

In a normal situation, parents would report to the police if their child suddenly disappeared.

The police would then arrest and investigate those who might be involved.

But,

the commoners in this crazy country can’t expect such normal measures.

‘In this insane world, the position of non-users, that is, commoners, is exactly that.’

Two stray cats fighting, one attacking the other and stealing its kittens.

In such a situation, the police wouldn’t mediate between the two cats, and the two cats wouldn’t go to court for a trial.

It’s the same principle.

‘Sigh. If I were really the daughter of a commoner, I wouldn’t have a way to get out of here safely, would I?’

The realization sent shivers down my spine.

“Hey, Crek!”

At that moment, someone kicked the door open.

A man with a double chin and a pot belly, so fat he looked like he could barely stand.

“No time! We need to get out of here quickly!”

“Why, what’s up?”

“The Holy Knight Commander is on the move. He’s thinking of arresting us directly because the commoner areas are too noisy lately.”

“What? Duke Libre?”

Crek frowned.

“Yeah. Why would a duke care about this? Doesn’t he have better things to do?”

“Exactly. Ah, this is troublesome. I need to hand this girl over to Baron Blymen. I can get another million ter.”

Crek looked at me and bit his lip.

“No. No time. When will we get to the baron’s place? Your face is exposed, so let’s leave here until things calm down. We’re full, so let’s go to the port right away.”

What? Smuggling?

I thought the best course of action was to wait quietly and safely until Dad came to rescue me.

But if these desperate men try to smuggle me out before Dad arrives, it would be a disaster.

“Um, um… Uncle!”

I grabbed the iron bars, panicking.

“What do we do with her, then?”

Crek asked, and the fat man, who was hurriedly packing, looked at me.

“Wow, she’s really pretty. It’s a waste to kill or abandon her. Let’s take her on the ship. We can sell her when we get out.”

No!

What can a 7-year-old, helpless Lili do to buy time here?

…What can she do? Beg.

“Can you just let me go?”

“What? Why should I?”

“You should. Because my dad…!”

I hesitated, thinking of using Dad’s name.

Wait.

If I reveal that I’m Enoch Rubinstein’s daughter here?

It’s uncertain whether they would believe me, but even if they did, it would be a problem.

With my face already exposed, these people who dared to touch a noble would have no way to survive.

Even if they begged for mercy and released me unharmed, they would still be killed!

And they know this very well….

‘To save their lives, they might try to kill me quietly or hide and smuggle me out without anyone knowing.’

“What? What about your dad?”

Crek chuckled at my silence.

“Well, my dad is….”

“What?”

“…a very, very scary person.”

“Hahaha!”

I felt like crying.

‘Dad, when will you come…’

A 7-year-old, powerless child could only wait for her dad.

I watched the two men frantically pack for the smuggling trip, trembling.

‘What if they really run away before Dad comes?’

At first, when I was kidnapped, I was a bit scared, but that was all.

After all, my dad, the world’s strongest and the protagonist, would surely rescue me.

But seeing the urgent situation without time for Dad to come and rescue me….

‘I’m so scared. What do I do?’

My heart was pounding, and I felt like crying.

I tightly closed my mouth and wiped my watering eyes.

“Hey! If you’re done, let’s go! Out the back door quietly!”

The fat man shouted, and Crek picked up the iron cage I was in like a suitcase.

“Wait, wait! Uncle….”

At that moment.

“Surprise, fuck.”

The fat man, who had been packing, stopped and swore.

Someone blocked his path.

“What, this guy?”

It was Dad.

The moment our eyes met from a distance.

I burst into tears.

“Dad… Ahhhh!”