NOVEL NEXT 59 – Market Incident (Part 1)
Chapter 59 - Market Incident (Part 1)
Nathan Evenhart:
Walking through Evenhart City, Chloe, Kinue, and I made our way to the bustling market.
"Look at this!" Chloe pointed excitedly at a stall selling various accessories.
She was pointing at an earring.
"That's really pretty, but I don't like wearing earrings. I prefer other things," Kinue replied.
"Is there anything here that you like?" I asked.
Chloe and I noticed Kinue glance at a necklace before quickly looking down.
"No…"
The street was crowded, and many shops and stalls lined the busy marketplace. We were dressed as commoners to blend in and enjoy the city without attracting attention. Chloe and I were used to going into town alone, and Kinue had wanted to join us. Our teacher stayed behind since her elegant appearance would have drawn too much attention and wouldn’t have allowed us to explore the places we liked to visit.
"Do you want the necklace, Kinue? I noticed you don’t wear any accessories, and it would look really nice on you," Chloe asked.
I looked at the fox girl, whose tail was wagging excitedly.
She might attract a little attention…
Some people were giving Kinue curious looks, understandably so. Our territory was far from other kingdoms, and seeing a demi-human here was certainly a rarity.
"It's too expensive…" Kinue murmured.
My role was to accompany the two of them around the city, and I also wanted to take Kinue to some different places, especially since she’d be leaving soon.
"Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll pay for it. Besides, you received an allowance from the teacher," my cousin said.
Even though she’d received money from both my teacher and my aunt, Kinue seemed reluctant to spend it… I understood how she felt.
I approached the fox girl.
"Don’t worry, Kinue. Treating yourself to something nice every now and then isn’t a bad thing. You deserve it," I reassured her.
"I guess so…"
She didn’t sound very confident.
The stall owner approached us.
"That necklace costs 10 bronzes. Are you sure you have the money?" he asked.
I pulled a silver coin from my pocket and handed it to the stall owner.
It made sense for him to ask, considering we were dressed like ordinary villagers.
"I’ll take the necklace," I said.
"Wow… a silver coin," the stall owner accepted the coin and handed me nine bronze coins in change.
"Anything else you’d like?" he asked.
"Do you want anything?" I asked Chloe.
My cousin pointed to a pair of earrings.
"I’ll take these," she said.
The stall owner handed them to her.
"That’ll be 30 bronzes," he told me, and I handed him three coins.
We left the stall and continued down the street.
"Here, this is for you," I said, handing the necklace to the fox girl.
"For me?" she asked, surprised.
"Of course, why else would I buy the necklace you were interested in? I got it for you."
She really does have low self-esteem.
I helped Kinue put on the necklace, and I could see how happy she was.
“Th-thank you,” she said.
“No problem, you’ve taught me so much over these past few months. This doesn’t even come close to repaying what I’ve learned from you.”
Kinue had been an excellent teacher. Even though I already knew how to use my element, she helped me refine my control over pure mana, which allowed me to develop my flawed Wind element.
“Nate, can you help me put on these earrings?” my cousin asked.
I’m pretty sure you can do that on your own…
But I had to agree to Chloe’s request.
Tough girls need to be pampered sometimes, too.
“Where are we going next?” Kinue asked.
Chloe and I paused to think. We’d already walked around the city, visiting a few tourist spots, and I wanted to take a break.
“Let’s grab something to eat at a food stall,” I suggested.
The two girls agreed.
“Let’s stop by a clothing store first,” my cousin said excitedly, and they both ran off.
I watched the two energetic girls running ahead and sighed.
In the end, Kinue is just a normal girl.
I didn’t rush to catch up with them, knowing I’d have to stand around for a long time while they picked out clothes. I’ve learned that no matter the world, women always take their time shopping for clothes.
As I walked, I noticed a man selling some unique weapons. Typically, every place sold the same types of weapons, but occasionally, shipments of swords from other kingdoms would arrive, and I found those interesting.
I’ll have to give up my fun for these girls; I’ll come back later and buy something… if there’s anything left.
I hurried to catch up with them but was surprised by what I saw as I got closer.
“Answer me!” a man yelled.
I rushed over when I realized what was happening.
Kinue was on the ground, and a soldier was yelling at her.
“What happened?” I asked as I approached.
My cousin looked furious.
“Do your eyes work, or are they just for decoration?” the soldier snapped at the two of them.
“What’s going on here?” I asked as I got closer.
The soldier looked at me.
“These two idiots bumped into me and made me drop the bag of fruit meant for my master. Who’s going to pay for the damages?” the soldier complained.
I noticed a few other soldiers with him, escorting someone.
I knelt down next to Kinue.
“Are you okay?”
The fox girl looked upset.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” she said.
I had to control my anger.
“Who did this to her?” I asked, seething.
Chloe stepped closer to us.
“We can’t reveal who we are…” my cousin whispered.
She’s right…
The soldier walked toward us.
“You stupid peasants. You’re going to pay for this, even if it means working on the farm,” he sneered.
“For some fallen fruit?” my cousin retorted.
“Here,” I said, handing over the change I’d received from the vendor. “Will this cover your damages?”
The soldier looked at the bronze coins in my hand. He snatched the money and handed it to someone who seemed to be a butler.
"There's more than enough here," I said, watching them count.
There goes my allowance...
The men stared at us.
"It'll do," said the butler.
I turned to help Kinue and noticed she had scraped her knee.
"Martha can help you when we get home, or the teacher," Chloe said to Kinue.
Crisis averted...
I scanned the surroundings, certain that someone from the castle was probably watching over us, hidden somewhere nearby.
If these guys had done anything, they have no idea how much danger they were in.
"Wait!" called a voice. "You there..."
A man emerged from the soldiers. From his clothes, I could tell he was a noble.
"You're a demi-human. What are you doing here?" he asked.
The butler approached us.
"Answer Baron Gideon!" the butler demanded.
"So what if she's a demi-human?" I exclaimed.
The baron took a step toward us, his soldiers following.
"A young demi-human is worth a fortune," he said.
"What?" I reacted in shock.
The baron moved closer to us.
"Take me to your parents, little girl, or whoever is responsible for you. I'll make an offer to buy you. Demi-human women develop quite a figure when they grow up."
"What did you say? Slavery is a crime in Evenhart territory!" my cousin Chloe shouted.
Kinue shrank, hiding behind Chloe.
I clenched my fists in anger, letting my mana flow into them.
"Leave the children alone!" a voice commanded.
The soldiers and the baron looked behind us.
"I'll be reporting this to the city administrator. Slavery is a crime punishable by death in these lands," said the voice.
We turned to see a red-haired woman. She was wearing armor and was very striking.
"We're not from this duchy, so your laws don't apply to me. If I buy someone and take them with me, there's no issue," the baron said.
The woman stepped in front of us, blocking the way.
"As long as you're on this land, you're committing a crime," the woman said firmly.
"How dare you challenge the baron!? A noble is untouchable, you mere soldier!" the butler protested.
The baron made a gesture with his hand, and the butler fell silent.
"We're leaving. We don't want any trouble," the baron said.
The group of soldiers moved to shield the baron as they turned and walked away. The female knight stayed with us until she was sure they were gone.
"Th-thank you," my cousin said, bowing in gratitude.
I hid my hands behind my back when I noticed the woman glancing at them.
"I only stepped in before things got complicated and your friend decided to do something foolish," she said, ruffling my hair.
Did she see the sparks coming from my hands?
"I'm really grateful, you saved us," Kinue said.
The red-haired woman smiled.
"I was just passing through. You were lucky I was nearby," the knight said.
"What's your name?" I asked as the red-haired woman started to walk away.
"If you tell me your full names, I'll tell you mine," she replied with a grin.
Chloe and I remained silent.
"Everyone has a secret," she said, laughing, before disappearing into the crowd.
My cousin and I exchanged glances.
"Do you think she knew who we were?" she asked me.
"I have no idea, but she gave me a strange feeling."
As we started walking again, another woman approached us. She was dressed in plain clothes and came up to us.
"Things escalated a bit quickly," she said.
"Were you following us, Martha?" Kinue asked.
Martha let out a small laugh as she crouched down to check Kinue's knee.
"My job is to protect you three, both inside and outside the castle," she said, creating a small ball of water and gently placing it on Kinue's knee.
Within seconds, the wound healed.
"So, where are you headed now?" she asked us.
Chloe's stomach growled, and we all laughed.
"Get something to eat…" my cousin murmured, embarrassed.
"All right, I'll keep my distance so I don't ruin your outing," Martha said.
Our guardian walked away, blending into the crowd until she disappeared.
"Is it just me, or are the maids at your castle not normal?" Kinue asked.
Chloe and I exchanged glances.
"It's just your imagination…" my cousin replied.
We continued on our way, looking for a street restaurant.
Baron Gideon:
After a while, we returned to where the children had been and saw them leaving in the distance.
"What do you think?" I asked the butler.
"They're commoners, sir. If they disappear, who will miss them? They’re worthless," he replied.
I nodded in agreement.
"My interest lies in the fox girl. She could fetch a good price when she's older... and I could have some fun with her too," I said.
Demi-humans are very rare in the kingdom of Teresia and hardly ever roam these lands.
"What should we do, sir?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Bring the children to me. The two girls will be useful when they grow up, and the boy can become a slave on one of my farms," I ordered.
I usually purchase slaves at auctions, but we all know that besides those who became slaves due to debt, there are those who were kidnapped from other places.
Who’s going to complain? They’re just foolish children.
My soldiers were used to this sort of work whenever we traveled to distant places. I enjoyed buying children from poor families because it was cheap and very profitable in the long run. However, sometimes we came across merchandise that couldn’t be bought, and in those cases… we handled it our own way.
Who would be foolish enough to let such a valuable commoner demi-human slip by unnoticed? I’m certain I’ll make a good profit from her.