Chapter 32

"Here... is..."

Looking around, it was a place like a dungeon. Only the teleportation magic circle at my feet was shining brightly. The light quickly faded, and the room suddenly became dark.

The sound of a child sobbing echoed, and I realized there were many children in the cells. They must have been kidnapped just like us.

Thinking about the fear and anxiety of being separated from their parents and locked in such a place made my heart feel like it was being torn apart. At the same time, I felt an overwhelming anger rising within me.

"What have you done...!"

"That's my line. Because of you, we had to abandon them, damn it."

I was roughly let go by the man who had been holding me and fell onto the floor. I quickly got up and stood protectively in front of the children who had been brought with me.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I'm going to sell these kids. And you too."

The man grabbed my chin and said, "You know, you're a real beauty when you look closely," and raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

"Those guys earlier, they were knights, right? With so many of them serving you, you must be a noble. Even in commoner's clothes, you're too different from trash like us."

"......"

"Just be quiet."

With that, the man pushed us into the cell.

It was cold, hard, and cramped, and even as an adult, I felt overwhelmed by the anxiety. Thinking about how the children must feel made me want to cry.

Still, if we wait, Evan and the others will definitely come to rescue us. The only thing I can do now is to try to reassure these children.

There were many children in the large cell, and it was clear that this was a large-scale crime. From then on, I went around to each of the anxious and crying children, telling them it would be okay.

"Daddy... Mommy..."

The girl who had wrapped her arms around my waist was trembling, and I hugged her tightly.

"Help will come soon, so it's okay."

"Really...?"

"Yes. A very strong knight will come. Then you'll definitely be able to see your daddy and mommy again."

To try to distract them, I made a little clay figure from the earthen wall, and the children were delighted. It seemed that they were being given three proper meals a day, which made me feel a little relieved.

When a man who seemed to be checking on us called out, he came up to me and squatted down.

"You're quite brave, taking care of all these kids."

"Where are we?"

"Near the port of Rife. In two days, you'll all be put on a ship and sold to a foreign country."

"Such... a thing..."

"The kids will be slaves, but you might become a noble's concubine."

Rife is a small port town not far from the capital. I remembered it because it was one of the potential locations for a restaurant.

It would be very difficult to pinpoint this location within the vast country. The urgency increased as I realized we would be taken out of the country in two days.

"Don't expect any help. I've put a restriction spell on the others to keep them from talking. Even if this place is discovered, you'll be at sea by then."

The man laughed and left. I gripped the rusty iron bars tightly and lowered my eyes.

"...What should I do?"

I was confident that they would come to rescue us, but the thought of only two days left made me anxious.

After the children had fallen asleep, I quietly moved to the edge of the cell and placed my hand on the earthen wall. As I gradually channeled my magic, I could feel the connection to the ground above.

Thanks to my natural talent and practice with Evan, I had become somewhat adept at using magic.

"A mage can create a familiar. In your case, Grace, it's... um, that long, thin... sausage, right?"

"It's Haniwa. It does look similar."

"Oh, right. Familiars have their own will, so you can give them commands and they can act on them."

Thinking of Evan's words, I created another Haniwa from the earthen wall. Feeling guilty for making it look like a sausage, I touched my forehead to its small forehead.

With the feeling of entrusting my consciousness, I channeled my magic, and Haniwa's body glowed for a moment.

I gently placed it on the ground, and Haniwa tilted its head. Seeing it move without my command, it seemed to have worked.

"I want you to go get help. I want someone to know that we're being held here. Can you do that?"

Given my level, Haniwa probably couldn't understand complex commands or speak or write. I didn't really believe that a Haniwa that couldn't speak or write would be able to bring help, but I wanted to do whatever I could.

Haniwa nodded and dove back into the earthen wall, disappearing from sight.

I leaned against the wall, praying for its safety, and let out a small sigh.

"...It's cold, isn't it?"

My body shivered from the cold, and I curled up into a ball.

I suddenly missed Zain's warm embrace and quickly shook my head to dispel the thought.

– I can never touch him again.

Hugging my knees tightly, I quietly fell asleep.

◇◇◇

It had been about a day and a half since we were captured. The meals were delivered on time, so it was easy to keep track of the time.

"......"

"Are you okay, big sister? Do you feel unwell?"

"I'm sorry, I'm fine. I'm just sleepy."

During this time, I was overwhelmed by an abnormal feeling of my magic draining and fatigue, making it difficult for me to move.

It must be because Haniwa is moving far away. Since I can't trace my magic, I don't know where Haniwa is.

I've heard that my magic power is considerable, and the fact that it's being consumed so much made me worry about what Haniwa was doing.

I smiled at the children's worried expressions and, at the same time, heard a child's scream from a short distance away, and I quickly looked up.

One of the men, who seemed to be a subordinate, was lifting a child by the neck.

A nearby child told me that it was because the child had clung to the man's feet, saying they wanted to go home. I immediately rushed over, pushed the man's arm away, and shielded the child by hugging them.

"Stop it!"

"Shut up, it's your fault my brother couldn't come back! Get out of the way!"

I was slapped hard across the face and my hair was grabbed. The taste of blood spread in my mouth, and tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

Still, I didn't let go of the child and glared at the man, which seemed to make him even more angry. He pulled my hair harder, causing intense pain.

Just as I thought I would be hit again,

"Hey, it's not good! This place has been discovered--"

A voice rang out, and the dungeon door was blown away. Dust and sand flew, and I could hear footsteps.

My heart beat faster with anticipation.

The children and the men in front of us seemed to be frozen, not knowing what was happening.

"–What are you doing?"

Lord Zain's voice echoed in the silent room.