Episode 623
Philia ground her lips together as she looked up at the people hanging like chunks of meat. Limbs dangling through the iron bars decorated the ceiling like a massive chandelier.
It was pointless to distinguish where the path ended and the floor began. People lay sprawled helplessly everywhere, scattered like broken machinery.
Without realizing it, Philia clenched the iron bars tightly and darted her eyes around.
“This is a slave market.”
It was her first time seeing one in person.
Bariel had slaves too, but they were confined to designated areas under the country’s supervision. She had heard rumors of a central slave market, but never thought to visit. She had been too busy trying to survive after losing her way and settling near the red-light district.
“Hey, look over there. A blonde woman.”
“Is she new stock?”
“Hey! Is that a cropped ear? Where’d you get her?”
“Don’t come closer. She’s not up for sale yet.”
“Grumpy, huh? No reservations either?”
Philia glared warily at the approaching merchants. They were greedy and dangerous, so much so that being trapped behind the sturdy iron bars felt like a small blessing.
She strained to catch any familiar language amid the babble, hoping to hear Bariel’s tongue.
“This market is huge. For it to be this active, it must be near the capital or at a border where two or more countries meet. We’ve been traveling for days… It must be the capital of Toorun.”
She had thought it lucky to have run into bandits while being kidnapped by the puppeteer, but now she realized it had been up to her to seize the chance. First, she needed to find someone who spoke Bariel to act as an interpreter.
“Long time no see. How have you been?”
Then, a familiar greeting reached her ears. Barielian! Philia jumped up and turned her head sharply to the left, shouting quickly:
“Are you from Bariel? Please help me!”
“Why’s she acting like that all of a sudden? Hey, quiet down! Or we’ll tie you up.”
“I’m the mother of the Minister of Magic! Please, just listen for a moment! I’ll reward you!”
“No can do. Tie her up. She’s got a loud mouth.”
“Please save me! I’ll pay you whatever you want in gold coins!”
Philia, who had been quiet until then, shook the bars and caused a commotion. The cropped-ear bandits stopped their donkey and reached for their restraints—
“Wait, wait. Looks like this is because of me.”
Cutting through the crowd, a young woman appeared with a hearty laugh. She seemed to have worked long in the Toorun slave market; a thick, worn notebook hung at her side.
“You’re from Bariel?”
“Yes! I’m the mother of Ian Hielo, the Minister of Magic. Something happened, and I ended up here. If you send me back to Bariel, I’ll reward you. I swear. I left Bariel for other reasons, so I won’t blame you.”
“Proof?”
“Pr-proof?”
Philia hesitated. If this woman knew Ian’s face, no proof would be necessary. What could be more certain than the uncanny resemblance between their faces? But Philia had nothing else to prove it.
“You can send a letter to the palace. If that’s too much, just one letter to Romandro, the Minister’s aide, at his home.”
“Listen, sister, this place is full of people claiming to be secret children of kings or nobles, spouting nonsense.”
“Nothing to lose, right? If it’s true, I’ll get a big reward.”
The woman crossed her arms and looked down at Philia. She was definitely valuable just to keep around.
The cropped-ear men frowned and interrupted.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Oh, nothing really—”
The woman paused, then smiled slyly and fell silent. She had no intention of revealing that this was the mother of the Minister of Magic. No need to raise the price with unnecessary talk.
“She wants to go back to Bariel.”
“Back to Bariel? So that’s what all that Bariel talk was about?”
“How much will you sell her for? There’s a customer here looking for someone fluent in Bariel. I’ll pay well.”
“Not for sale yet. Try the auction later.”
She was a highly valuable item. They could make more profit through auction than a direct sale. Still, parading Philia through the market was meant to spread the word.
“My schedule’s tight. How about fifteen gold coins?”
“No way. At that price, I’d rather keep her. I’m out.”
“Thirty.”
Snap.
The woman grabbed the bandit’s arm and added:
“See? Philia’s beautiful, but would anyone call out thirty gold coins on the spot? The bandits exchanged glances, unsure what to do.
“Wait here.”
“As long as you want.”
The bandits lit cheap cigarettes and whispered, glancing between Philia and the woman.
“Thirty gold coins is a good deal. Even at auction, without a big buyer, it’s hard to get that much.”
“Have you ever seen a merchant take a loss? Me neither. Thirty gold is worth it, so I’m pushing for it. Don’t sell her.”
“Should we talk again later?”
Their conversation was drowned out by the market’s noise.
Philia watched the woman scribbling notes, trying to gauge what was going on. One thing was clear: the woman hadn’t told the bandits about Philia’s identity.
“Probably trying to buy her cheap. If she lets me go back to Bariel, fine. If not, it’ll get complicated. I won’t be able to predict where I’m headed next.”
The bandits weren’t exactly safe, but they hadn’t harmed her yet. Was it better to go along with this? Philia had to decide.
“Hey.”
Better to check with the woman. Philia leaned forward cautiously and spoke.
The woman didn’t even look at her, just raised an eyebrow.
“Will you let me send a letter to Bariel?”
“No proof, no deal. You say you’re the mother of the Minister of Magic? It’s a big risk to contact them directly.”
“Then what will you do with me?”
“I’ll send you to the palace. If they buy you.”
Philia was beautiful and fluent in Bariel. The claim that there was a customer looking for such a person was no lie. There was indeed a high-ranking palace official seeking those exact qualities.
The woman’s plan was to hand her over, reduce risk, make a decent profit, and wash her hands of the matter.
“Even if you’re not the Minister’s mother, you’re top-tier merchandise. That’s enough to save face. And if you really are? Then the palace gains a diplomatic advantage, and they’ll pay even more.”
No matter what the bandits paid, the official would pay at least twice as much.
The woman hummed a tune, and Philia’s heart sank. Send me to the palace? Kidnapping the Minister of Magic’s mother wasn’t just a bandit’s crime. They must be acting on the palace’s orders. And now they want me sent back? That would make my lucky escape meaningless.
“Ah.”
Better to stay with the bandits. They had killed the puppeteer and were probably being hunted by the palace. Like me running from the palace, they had no choice but to run too.
In other words, we’re in this together.
“That’s right! If the puppeteer is connected to the palace, they must have sent people to find me. If I can just buy some time, the bandits will figure it out too.”
Calmly, Philia steadied herself and looked around. There had to be something here to buy time—a small window to escape this hell where people hung like meat.
“Your Majesty, this is Ian.”
“Enter.”
The door slowly opened at Jin’s signal. Minister Tweller, already inside, nodded in greeting. Ian set down his report and sat opposite them naturally.
Before them lay the reply from Toorun.
“I’ve read the letter. I was just discussing it with Minister Tweller.”
“The Prime Minister of Toorun plans to reroute troops around the area but send mages straight in.”
“That means the area is under the king’s influence, so there’s likely a temple there as well.”
“But Minister Ian, given the tense situation with Hwan and Luswena, sending the entire Bariel army from Burgos to Toorun immediately might be too much. Of course, I sympathize with Lady Philia’s situation.”
Unlike mages, soldiers couldn’t even retaliate against the puppeteer’s attacks. It was better to proceed cautiously, observing the overall situation rather than rushing into meaningless death.
This was a reasonable approach, and Ian agreed.
“Of course. And whatever happens, any Bariel soldiers or mages entering Toorun must do so unofficially.”
If the palace learned of Bariel’s movements, the puppeteer’s influence could strike at any time. Even if they roamed the palace, as long as the puppeteers remained unaware, there would be no threat.
“Then, for now, we’ll reorganize the troops and watch. We’ve given the possessed family a one-month grace period, so things should settle within that time.”
“Yes, so I have a proposal to make.”
“A proposal?”
Jin, who had been quietly listening, asked with curiosity.
“Since Bariel has captured Burgos, and His Majesty the Emperor is here, the Magic Department must also be stationed nearby. They’ll be watching this place closely. In fact, they don’t plan to leave Kalamath for at least a month, and Bariel’s soldiers are holding firm. So, I was thinking it might be a good idea for the Magic Department to conduct a covert reconnaissance of Toorun.”
“Reconnaissance?”
“The area around the temple and the capital city.”
The temple vicinity is naturally under the mages’ jurisdiction. But why the capital?
“Distributing wanted posters in Burgos alone won’t yield enough information. It would be better to go directly to Toorun’s capital, get a comprehensive understanding of the situation, and subtly spread the word that the Magic Department’s minister is looking for his mother.”
“But isn’t that too dangerous?”
“We’ll move with a small, elite team. It won’t take a month—we aim to return well within that timeframe.”
There’s a portal, so traveling back and forth isn’t risky. The worst-case scenario would be being discovered near the royal palace, which is definitely the puppeteer’s territory.
“Sir Ian, will you be going yourself?”
“…Who else would I entrust my family’s affairs to?”
At Ian’s answer, Jin sighed inwardly. Burgos was already secured. There was no urgent matter demanding immediate attention. If everyone believed, as Ian said, that the troops would remain stationed in Kalamath, then this would be the perfect moment to infiltrate Toorun.
Jin rested his chin on his hand, frowning.
“Who will accompany you?”
“Captain Hale. And—”
“And?”
“If you permit, I’d also like to bring Beric.”
“He’s reckless and hardly suited for a covert mission.”
“But he has a knack for finding people, doesn’t he?”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
Jin had to admit Beric’s talent for tracking people was exceptional. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Operating in secret will limit the information you can gather. It might be better to disguise your identities. How about bringing Barsabe as well?”