By Zephyria 
There was no time to delay. Everyone in the party quickly surveyed their surroundings. Familiar sword marks and unfamiliar ones were chaotically mixed. Were the bloodstains scattered like dots on the carpet from the children or the enemy? My insides churned, making it difficult to even catch my breath.
While I examined the sword marks, Hugh Benson rummaged through the carpet and looked out the window. Elvin and Tedros rechecked the door’s lock. Marianne’s voice, murmuring a Magic Formula while touching the wall with the tip of her staff, rustled in my ears.
As always, Hugh Benson spoke first.
“Four. No, five?”
“They really managed to get into this small room. There was a pursuit-prevention magic cast, so they must have used an Artifact. There didn’t seem to be any Wizards.”
“…Three Sword Masters. The other two, who only left footprints but no sword marks… seem to be high-level Sword Experts.”
As Marianne and I responded, Tedros also spoke with a sigh.
“The door… They opened it from the inside. It doesn’t look like it was forced open.”
“That’s impossible. They aren’t the kind of people to be that thoughtless… Did they know them?”
“In Owen’s land, Benjamin and Rubel Seonbae would know someone… who…”
“…Ah.”
Everyone had the same thought.
“…Raul?”
“That damn bastard!”
Hugh Benson exploded with rage and kicked the overturned low table. The wooden table easily shattered under the kick of a Sword Master. I stared blankly at the splintered table. Not even a faint sigh escaped my parted lips.
For a moment, a crushing sense of self-reproach washed over me.
Hugh Benson and Elvin had warned him multiple times. I had pushed him away and cautioned him repeatedly about the untrustworthy man. It was I who, despite thinking it might be a trap and considering his words, had taken the lead in seeking out the Diamant mansion.
Even the thoughtless one who left the child in the room…
It was me.
It was me who put Rubel in danger.
I couldn’t believe it, and I didn’t want to. Once I accepted it, my breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t quell the burning rage that boiled like molten steel in a furnace. I ground my teeth until my jaw ached, and anger seeped into my clenched fists, layer by layer. Uncontainable murderous intent surged.
Then, a strong hand gripped my shoulder tightly.
I tried to shake it off instinctively, but I came to my senses in time and stopped immediately. Elvin was looking directly at me with innocent eyes, as if he knew nothing of my anger. It was as if he believed my fist would not reach him.
Instead of scolding me, Hugh Benson murmured as if to comfort me. His gesture of rubbing his face with both hands revealed deep contemplation.
“I know you’re angry, but calm down. If you get any more agitated, a commoner might faint.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did I see the pale-faced Tedros.
I offered a short bow of apology and dispersed my murderous intent. Tedros smiled awkwardly and excused himself, saying he would ask the innkeeper about things first. Though I should have felt embarrassed and apologetic, my worry for Rubel made me oblivious to it.
Elvin patted my back gently as I stood there in a daze.
“Let’s track them first.”
“…Yes.”
I had returned from the brink of Cultivation Deviation.
As I realized this, a surge of sorrow followed the anger. Various emotions, like grains of sand swept by the tide, rushed in and piled up in my chest. None of them were light feelings. Every breath I took felt like swallowing a blade, burning deep within my throat.
When asked to examine the room again, I did.
The bloodstains on the carpet had not yet dried. This meant they had left the room less than an hour ago. The luggage we brought into the room had not been disturbed. This was not an act motivated by theft.
Did they recognize Rubel as the Prince beforehand?
Duke Widrow had appointed Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks as his escorts. This was partly due to their exceptional skills, but more so because they were knights from commoner backgrounds. Their faces and whereabouts were not widely known, making it difficult to guess they were individuals who would accompany someone of his status.
Then, is this also my fault?
When anything happened in the Central Plains, I usually sought out figures from the Kaibang or Haomun to pressure them. My enemies generally feared the names of the Orthodox sects, and I could always easily borrow the names of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Namgung Family.
But what about now? We were in a position of having secretly hidden in Owen. Our titles in this land had lost their luster. Rubel’s face, as he shyly pulled my wrist with a smile, filled my mind.
Hugh Benson briefed us quickly, as always.
“First, let’s catch Raul. Teddy will gather informants and thoroughly check for any suspicious activity. The four of us will split into pairs and search from Street 1 to Street 8. Mikael and I will start with Street 1.”
“You and Elwin Seonbae will search from Street 8?”
“Yes.”
“You said you escorted Raul to Street 1 last time. Then, there…”
“That area has many dog-like alleys, requiring a lot of stealth. It’s better for the two of us to go. You two will patrol the southern outskirts and prevent any suspicious individuals from escaping. The capital’s streets are shaped like a fan centered on the Royal Castle, so if you miss them, they’re hard to catch.”
“Understood. We’ll depart immediately.”
“Good.”
Time was of the essence, so we didn’t linger. Everyone hurried their steps.
❖ ❖ ❖
The streets of Bardiol are a light sandy color. In front of well-decorated shops, stone slabs or Mana Stones were used for embellishment, but when the wind blew across the empty street, sand dust would rise each time. All sorts of buildings had translucent awnings stretched above their entrances. The evening sun, filtered beautifully, settled on the heads of those passing by.
I chose to walk only in the darkest corners of the street, which shimmered with multicolored lights.
Cats with two tails and dogs with long fangs chased and tumbled with each other. Grimy children held out their tiny hands to passersby, only to retract them dejectedly.
Merchants selling various goods yawned lazily, moving items around as if rearranging perfectly good merchandise. Whenever Rubel’s face, smiling shyly, superimposed itself onto that peaceful scene, my breath would catch.
Following Hugh Benson’s lead, we walked towards Street 2 first.
In Owen, the lower numbers are for the bright and strong.
Conversely, Owen viewed 10 as a complete number and 1 as an incomplete one. The area with the Royal Castle was considered 10, and the noble residences were grouped from Street 7 to Street 9 according to their rank. Streets 4 through 6 were inhabited by commoners, mercenaries, and merchants.
Everything dirty in Owen was located between Streets 1 and 3. Bardiol’s Street 1 housed the auction house, Street 2 was a black market selling medicine and stolen goods, and Street 3 was for those selling alcohol and various beasts. The outer walls of the buildings were old, unrepaired, and the buildings were close together, allowing little light to penetrate.
Since there was no direct path into Street 1, we stopped in front of Street 2. At the entrance to Street 2, a merchant was selling black robes. Although the quality of the clothing was worse and the prices higher than elsewhere, it had the advantage of allowing one to wear the same attire as the people moving about within. Without haggling, I acquired a robe with a large hood.
The street we entered was littered with monster carcasses and suspicious powders. In a corner, where various Mana Stones were displayed with high price tags, a pile of various precious items, clearly stolen goods, was stacked.
I stopped there and examined it for a long time.
Ever since the day I found the blue button in Rubel’s sleeve, I had meticulously observed and memorized everything Rubel wore. If I had ever seen it, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize Rubel’s belongings.
It was a relief. The silver dagger that sent a chill down my spine had different patterns of jewels and carvings, and the handsome necklace and rings had differently cut gemstones than Rubel’s.
A few weak Ranunculuses, not having absorbed enough Mana, were curled up like snakes coiled around pillars, watching the passersby. Others circled above their owners’ heads like hawks searching for prey, surveying their surroundings majestically.
Despite meticulously searching from one end of the black market to the other, I could find no trace of Rubel.
Endless anxiety and optimism alternated, sweeping over me several times.
Hugh Benson watched the people coming and going while waiting for me to examine the items. I knew he was tracking them in his own way, so I didn’t question or rush him.
I noticed a place where several strong Martial Artists, stronger than those elsewhere, were gathered.
Hugh Benson whispered briefly in my ear.
“That’s the auction house. From here on, we go in stealthily. We’ll thoroughly search down to the seventh basement level and then come back up. The ventilation shafts start from the first-floor ceiling… How narrow a hole can you fit into?”
[Up to 50cm wide is possible.]
This was also thanks to the abbreviated Bone Contraction Art I learned from Professor Wilton Roberts. Of course, if I had to crawl and move within the hole, I would need a wider space, but was this the time to consider my difficulties? Hugh Benson thought for a moment and nodded.
“That should be enough. Follow me closely.”
[Yes.]
With nimble movements, Hugh Benson climbed onto the roof of the adjacent building. I took a breath and followed him.
Fortunately, the passage Hugh Benson led me through had enough space for me to crawl on my knees and hands, hunching my shoulders. I had become accustomed to crawling on all fours for three years now.
Occasionally, I would stop when I saw Martial Artists passing by, and when the sounds of footsteps faded, I would push off the ground and crawl again. Even when I pulled back the hood of my cumbersome robe, all I could see was the sole of Hugh Benson’s shoe.
The rough voices of people laughing and talking could be heard. Stories of winning money in gambling, tales of monsters they had hunted, accounts of mercenary scum they had fought and defeated, and stories of getting involved in wars between territories and coming back from gambling instead of working – these voices grew closer and farther away.
Then, with a thud, the view opened up.
Following the hole Hugh Benson had descended from, I too landed on the corridor. A thick carpet supported my feet. It felt as if I could step on it with steel-clad boots without making a sound.
There were dozens of doors lining the corridor, and dozens of presences could be felt. Occasionally, groans could be heard. Each door had a small hole at eye level. It was covered with convex glass, so those inside could not see out, but those outside could peer in.
So, there really were people who bought and sold humans.
Could there be children here?
Hugh Benson gestured to the left side of the corridor. Since there were many Sword Masters moving around inside the auction house, he did not speak. I nodded obediently. We walked along the corridor, peering into each room from the left and right. When a guard approached, we would leap up and hide our bodies in the ceiling corners.
My tongue, bitten tens of hundreds of times out of sheer impatience, was sore.