Chapter 625
“Welcome.”
At the upscale hotel
The manager personally opened the door and quickly scanned the guests. The collar of the shirt exuded a dignified charm. It looked old-fashioned and quite worn, suggesting the wearer was no longer active in any official capacity.
With a polite smile, the manager continued to observe the people following behind. Hmm, not many attendants with them.
“Do you have rooms available?”
“Of course. What kind of rooms would you prefer?”
“Three rooms, neat and clean. Preferably on the first floor. My daughter isn’t feeling well.”
“I see. May I have your identification, please?”
The woman, her face veiled, must be the daughter. Despite her condition, her posture was remarkably upright. The manager thought so as he reached to check the ID, but a child beside her took the woman’s hand and gently guided her aside.
“Sis, there’s a decoration nearby. Be careful.”
Ah, she’s blind. Tsk tsk. She looks young—how did this happen to her?
The manager examined the border guard seal stamped on the ID. Classification number 009-11… indicating a fallen noble from Bariel. The manager shrugged and handed the key to the man.
“I’ll show you to your rooms. Do you have any luggage to be moved?”
“No. We left everything with the carriage.”
“Very well, please follow me. Is this your first time in Toorun?”
The red-haired swordsman accompanying the three families frowned, eyes narrowing as if displeased by something. The manager turned the corner and pointed down the hallway.
“You may use these three rooms freely. If you need cleaning, bathing, meals, or anything else, just let us know.”
“Ah, um…”
“Yes, sir?”
The man pulled a gold coin from his pocket and handed it as a tip. Even a fallen noble is still a noble, after all. The manager bowed respectfully and accepted the coin with both hands.
“Because of my daughter’s condition, is it possible to have a lady attendant stay by her side?”
“Do you mean all day? I’m sorry, but we don’t have anyone available at the moment. I will inquire, though.”
“Please. If possible, someone fluent in Bariel. My daughter isn’t familiar with Gaia’s common tongue.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best. Please rest comfortably. The rooms on the opposite side are all vacant.”
“Thank you.”
After the manager bowed and left, Barsabe staggered over and perched on the bed, quickly kicking off her high-heeled shoes.
“Wow, these are murder weapons.”
“Right? The smell is awful.”
“Shut up before I order you to wash your feet.”
Hayle lightly loosened his outer coat and looked around. The weather was more humid and hot than expected.
Meanwhile, Ian didn’t loosen a single button. He ran his hand along the wall, casting a spell to prevent their conversation from leaking out.
“Since it’s late, let’s start moving tomorrow. Captain Hayle will approach the palace’s intelligence network, while Beric, Barsabe, and I will investigate the slave market.”
“Understood.”
Accessing palace intelligence wasn’t difficult. Money—just spending a lot of it—was the key. Dine at ultra-luxury restaurants, sip coffee, play a few light card games, and naturally, someone nearby would be talking.
Given the spending level, the person would likely be a palace official, a merchant using Toorun as a route, or a foreign noble. Whoever it was, gathering information wouldn’t be a problem.
“Must be nice, Captain. Can I come along? It feels weird going alone. I’m a noble, after all.”
“We’ll hire a servant for you. Beric, you, Barsabe, and I shouldn’t attract palace officials’ attention. The Toorun king already saw a lot through Barsabe’s eyes that day.”
Especially the two palace guards—they had distinctive appearances—and Ian himself was hard to miss.
Barsabe twisted her sore foot and added,
“Besides, honestly, you don’t really fit in there. The slave market suits you better.”
“Can’t argue with that, but it’s a bit harsh.”
“Barsabe, what if the manager brings a servant who speaks Bariel?”
Ian finally took off his coat. Testing the waters, he asked, and Barsabe straightened up and answered. They already had a plan for every scenario.
“We’ll find a reason to send them back. We’ll steer things toward the slave market.”
If they gave the impression that a free servant couldn’t handle Barsabe, they’d naturally be introduced to a slave trader.
Knock knock.
The sudden sound made the four freeze for a moment. But it was brief. Barsabe hurriedly stuffed her shoes back on and moved to the sofa, while Hayle sat opposite, pulling out a cigarette.
Beric stood awkwardly, and Ian gave him a look—what are you waiting for, open the door.
“Oh, right. I’m the lackey here. Who is it?”
“Excuse me, the manager.”
“Come in.”
The manager entered with an awkward smile, nodding his head.
“Ah, I just inquired, but it seems it will take some time to find a servant who speaks Bariel. As you know, Toorun has very little contact with Bariel.”
“Will it take long?”
That was actually good. Hayle rubbed his beard and asked, and the manager bowed apologetically.
“Yes. Actually, if you have the budget, I was thinking of introducing a slave trader instead—”
‘Was thinking?’ The four instinctively sensed something was wrong.
“The palace has closed the slave market today.”
“Closed? The palace? Why on earth?”
“Don’t worry, it won’t last long. The overall atmosphere isn’t too serious. I don’t know the details, but I heard that a slave meant to be delivered to the palace was stolen by a band of thieves. Since that slave ended up on the market, they temporarily shut it down to retrieve her.”
Hayle’s gaze naturally shifted to Ian. Palace, bandits, slaves? The chances of this involving Philia were high. Hayle kept his expression casual and continued.
“A precious item, huh? Those thieves dared to covet palace property.”
“Yes. I heard she’s a very beautiful woman. The thieves wouldn’t have done this unknowingly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have openly put her up for sale.”
“So the palace is trying to wipe out the thieves?”
“I don’t know that far. They’re called the ‘Severed Ears,’ a notorious band in the area. If the palace tries to crush them outright, it could cause more harm than good.”
“From what you say, they sound pretty infamous.”
“Ha ha, yes, they are. A group of wandering mercenaries, all highly skilled, so everyone avoids them. They’re not unreasonable either. If paid properly, they handle business cleanly.”
“Really? Do they have a base?”
“No. If the palace knew, they wouldn’t have closed the market. It’ll take time to find them. The Severed Ears will be cautious and watch the situation. So it’ll take a while to find a servant.”
“…If that’s the situation, there’s no choice.”
Ting!
Hayle flicked another gold coin to the manager and added,
“I want to rest well until tomorrow. Tell the servants not to disturb us.”
“Yes, understood.”
“One more thing. Is the slave market far? As you can see, I only have one guard.”
“It’s a bit close, but no need to worry.
That was enough. Hayle gestured, and the manager bowed deeply before leaving. As soon as the door closed, Hayle, Beric, and Barsabe pulled daggers from their bags and strapped them to their waists.
“Ian, I don’t know if this is the right moment, but it’s definitely an opportunity. The Severed Ears have Philia. If we find them before the palace does, we can rescue her safely.”
“Yes, and I hate to say it, but if Philia was put up for sale, they must have taken good care of her. The chances she’s unharmed are high.”
“Damn, that’s good news. I wasn’t feeling great here because of the heat.”
With the slave market shut down, the Severed Ears had only two options: hand her over to the palace or sell her to another country.
Either way, they’d choose the more profitable option. If they knew Philia was Ian’s mother, naturally, the latter would be more valuable.
‘But if they antagonize the palace, considering the extra costs they’d have to bear, they might hand Philia over at a reasonable price. The key is to cut off the deal between the palace and the bandits. We have to secretly contact them to let them know we’re here in Toorun…’
It was complicated. Searching faster than the palace in a foreign land to find the bandits.
“Judging by the market closure, the negotiations must have been tough.”
“Yeah, I think so too. The palace wants to reclaim what was stolen, and the bandits want full payment. If they’re only after money, sending Philia to Bariel would be profitable, but the palace’s pressure must be intense.”
Ian paused, thinking about where and how to start. Sensing the silence, Barsabe spoke up.
“Ian, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“What is it?”
“All the Severed Ears are former mercenaries, and they cut off their victims’ ears. That’s a custom among underground fighters.”
Being a former mercenary, it was only natural that he ended up in the underground fighting rings to make a living. Since the matches involved bets placed by spectators, the fighters had no choice but to risk their lives in the ring.
Those who lost the fights were marked in a brutal way—a part of their body would be amputated as a kind of ‘brand.’
“I hear ears are a popular choice since they heal quickly and don’t interfere with fighting. Maybe you should start there? If you look carefully, you might find someone connected to those guys.”
That made sense. Ian nodded, and Hail and Barsabe blew out all the candles in the room.
“I’ll check the location. Just say the owners are all asleep and you want to take a look at the fighting ring, alright?”
“Let’s meet outside.”
“Okay. Grab my robe too.”
Clatter!
As Beric stepped out, the three of them watched from the window until complete darkness settled in.
When the streets grew quiet, Beric lightly tapped on the window as a signal. They slipped out through the window and disappeared into the alley.
Tap tap tap!
“Remember, no noise. And don’t let them figure out who you are.”
“Yes, Ian.”
“But are you sure Beric should lead?”
“I know the way! What, you got a problem?”
“Of course. You can’t even tell left from right.”
“That’s not true!”
“Shh. Beric, what did the manager tell you?”
“Go out, take the left alley, then when you see the general store, stick close and keep going straight.”
At his words, the three stopped at once. Without a word, they turned back the way they came.
“Idiot. We came down the right alley.”
“Huh?”
Beric wiggled his fingers, trying to figure out left and right, then froze. Without a word, Hail grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along.
There was no time to waste. The darkness was fleeting, and there was too much to uncover.