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When I heard the scream and rushed into the carriage, what I saw was a pretty unbelievable sight.
Specifically, Kuzuha-chan was using her doppelganger, Cloneha-chan, to pin Zeno-kun down.
No matter how you look at it, the fox is clearly the villain here, but Kuzuha-chan’s eyes were filled with obvious anger, and the atmosphere felt very tense.

“What’s wrong, Kuzuha-chan? Did Zeno-kun do something to you?”
“Zeno, she’s a child… What did you do?”
“I didn’t! I didn’t do anything! Why do you sound like you’re suspecting me too, Felnoute-san?!”
“Yes, nothing has been done to me. The problem is over there!”

With that, Kuzuha-chan pointed. There was a figure sitting on a wooden crate.
That person was wearing pale-colored clothes, and their entire body was meticulously wrapped in something like a belt.
Everything—from their hair and eyes to their ears, hands, and feet—was sealed off by leather belts along with their clothes. On top of that, chains were wrapped around their wrists and ankles, complete with iron balls attached.
Although she was bound quite tightly, the fact that she was wrapped so tightly actually emphasized the curve of her chest, revealing that the person sitting there was a woman.

“Fwahawh”

The restrained woman let out that sound.
It wasn’t that my language translation skill wasn’t working properly. An implement had been attached to her mouth, forcing it to remain half-open. I think it’s called a mouth gag. She was probably being kept that way so she could be fed the bare minimum.
Her straight, white teeth, and her bright red lips and tongue. She was wrapped up so tightly that those were the only parts of her natural color I could see.

“……Um, is this one of your kinks, Zeno-kun?”
“Of course not?!”

Since it didn’t seem like Kuzuha-chan would accept an excuse, I just asked Zeno-kun just in case—and he denied it immediately.
I know full well this isn’t Zeno-kun’s personal preference, but it’s a bit too over-the-top for how a customer is treated.
Far from being treated like cargo, I’d say even a wild beast would be treated better than this.

“Felnoute-san, who is this person?”
“…We picked her up just before we arrived at Sakuranomiya. She was about to be sold into slavery, so, you know.”

She hedged her words with “you know,” but it’s obvious Felnoute-san got herself involved. She’s not the type to turn a blind eye to something like that.
Rather than Zeno-kun keeping her bound, I bet it’s Felnoute-san who took the lead in saving her.

…No wonder Kuzuha-chan got so angry.

Kuzuha-chan, whose fox ears are still perked up as if searching for the source of her anger, was being treated like a slave around the time I first met her.
Whether as a reaction to that or simply because of her nature, Kuzuha-chan really hates people who selfishly take away others’ freedom. She even directed clear hostility toward Elsie.

It’s only natural that Kuzuha-chan would get angry seeing a scene like this.
Especially since this carriage belongs to Zeno-kun, and the two of them have only just met. It’s no wonder she’d suspect him of something.

“Kuzuha-chan. I think that has nothing to do with Zeno-kun’s preferences or work.”
“…Is that so?”
“I’ve been saying that this whole time, you know…”

Only after I said that did Kuzuha-chan finally withdraw her clone, Cloneha-chan.
She may look like a child, but she possesses the power of a beastman. Zeno-kun, who had been held down, coughed painfully, “cough, cough,” to catch his breath, and then introduced the person who was being restrained.

“As Felnoute-san said, she is someone we rescued a little while ago… but the restraints are under a powerful curse, and no matter what we try, we can’t remove them.”
“…So, is the favor you’re asking about this person?”
“Yes. Since we ended up saving her, I was wondering if you could help remove the restraints and escort her home, Arje-san”
“…Does that count as repaying my debt to you, Zeno-kun?”
“The fact that she’s bound so tightly means she’s either a rare species or possesses powerful abilities. If she’s a rare species, even a single claw tip has monetary value, and if she has powerful abilities, she might be able to lend a hand when we go on dangerous procurement missions.”
“…Well, that’s true.”

It almost seems like a pretext, but I feel like it makes sense from a merchant’s perspective.
Zeno-kun is a traveling merchant, but he’s the kind of person who’ll hand me money even though he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get it back—he doesn’t seem to act based solely on simple gains and losses. I guess you could say he has a strong sense of responsibility, or that once he takes someone in, he’ll properly look after them.
In any case, if he tells me, “Repay me with that,” I have no right to refuse.

“Well then, first I’ll lift the curse.”

Because of the gag, the woman could only utter sounds that were neither words nor sighs; it wasn’t even clear if she was aware of my presence.
I couldn’t even talk to her unless I lifted the curse first. Having made that judgment, I focused my mind.
I gathered the mana within me into the palm of my hand and channeled it into a spell.

“Please be lifted.”

I spun a suitable incantation to activate the spell, and the power I desired spread out as intended.
The spell to lift the curse succeeded easily, and the numerous belts wrapped around the woman’s entire body slipped off smoothly, falling to the ground of their own accord.
Just as a butterfly’s chrysalis sheds its shell and spreads its wings, a white cloak fluttered open. It seemed she had been bound not just in her clothes, but with her cloak wrapped around her as well.
The white garment was adorned with black and gold embroidery in places and looked quite luxurious.
With a snap—lighter than it looked—the chains restraining her limbs snapped.

“Mm, ah.”

As she spoke, the gag fell to the floor.
Her long hair, which fell loosely, was a pale blonde. Through the strands, pointed ears peeked out.
Perhaps due to the sudden light, her violet eyes welled up with tears and she blinked.
Her face had slender, beautiful features. Her tanned body was slim overall, giving the impression of delicacy.

“A dark elf…!?”
“Quite a beauty… I mean, a rare species has shown up.”

Felnoute-san’s surprised voice and Zeno-kun’s strangely calm voice echoed through the carriage.
The dark-skinned woman, referred to as a dark elf, wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingertips and looked around intently.
Although she looked quite mature, the way she gazed at the scenery with such curiosity made her seem just like a young girl.

“……Where is this place?”

Her first coherent words were, naturally, a question.

“What did she say……?”
“……Zeno. Did you understand that?”
“No… Some elves and dark elves have used languages unique to their ancient races, so I think that’s what it is…”

Judging by the way the two humans and one fox were whispering to each other in confusion, she seemed to be using a rather rare language.
At times like this, the language translation skill comes in handy. It translates the meaning of any language and conveys the meaning of what we say as well.

“This is the Republic.”
“The Republic… the Yotsuba Republic, right?”
“That’s right. Also, we mean you no harm.”
“Yes. I understand that. The warm light that lifted the curse just now seems to have come from you.”
“Yes. My name is Argento Vampyr. It’s a long name, so just call me Arje.”
“Arje-sama, then. My name is Lischelior Arc Valeria. Please call me Lischer.¹”

Her bow was somehow both respectful and dignified, revealing her fine upbringing.
She finished her bow, letting her hair—as fine as golden threads—hang down for much longer than it took me to bow.
With her shapely lips and eyes curved like a bow, and her ears—even longer than mine—twitching slightly, she continued her introduction.

“As the 36th head of the Valeria family, I govern a small but independent fiefdom on the Demon Continent. In the name of the Valeria family, the debt of gratitude I owe you for your assistance on this occasion has bee—”

—Just as she was stringing her words together, a thunderous sound rang out.
What ruined the dignified atmosphere created by her clear, unhesitating, and commanding words was the sound of Lischer-san’s own stomach growling.

“Ah… uh…”
“…It looks like you haven’t had much to eat, so why don’t we have breakfast first? I’m hungry, too.”

It would take time to relay what she said to Zeno-kun and the others. With that in mind, I made the suggestion.

Lischer-san blushed so deeply her tanned skin turned crimson, but in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, she said,

“Forgive me for being so imposing… It would be helpful…”

She seemed incredibly embarrassed, but since she didn’t refuse, she must be pretty hungry.
Since Zeno-kun is a traveling merchant, he should have plenty of food—whether it’s for sale or for their own use.
Since unfamiliar terms like Demon Continent have come up, it’d be best to sort through the information while we eat.