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“I’m sorry…” apologizing, the man said.

His apology was delivered in a manner that made it impossible for anyone to overhear, almost as if he were speaking merely for his own benefit.

The man looked to be in his mid-thirties. But his worn-out, defeated visage gave him a far older appearance.

The man lit a cigarette while lightly scratching his stubble beard.

He then muttered again, “I’m sorry,”

The man’s eyes glanced at a group of children being confined in chains inside a jail cell. They all had clothes covering their eyes and mouths, a sign that they had been deprived of their freedom.

The area was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the smell of mold.
　
The children of the upper-class families, who ordinarily would have had nothing to do in such a stone jail, were all crying, terrified of what would come next.

“Ya sure got a big haul this time, Boss Gil.”

From behind the man, a voice resounded. The man, Gil, turned to face that voice. A miser-looking man, with protruding teeth, was rubbing his hands across from Gil.

“It sure does seem that way. But it is also a great sin. We’re definitely headed straight to hell.”

Gil said, puffing out a cloud of smoke.

“Yes, yes. But, it’s thanks to it that our bellies are full. We should be grateful. You know how the people of the east always give thanks before and after their meals, right?”

The miser-looking man spoke, appearing to be in an excessively positive mood.
　
Gil, though, scowled and expressed his displeasure.

“I do feel a little sorry for them when I think of what will happen to them when we sell them. But Boss Gil, we both realize that this is merely business.” The measly-looking man said.

“I know. In the end, we’re both doing the same thing. We’re birds of a feather you and I. I’m fully aware of that.”

Gil said and the measly-looking man nodded with a smile.

“Hehe. Boss, if we get upset over such things, we won’t be able to continue working in this field. Let’s do it like proper businessmen, what do ya say?”
“……”

Gil did not answer.

He just puffed a big cloud of cigarette smoke.

“Well, as long as the job gets done, everything is okay in my book. By the way, there’s a big job coming up, so I’ll be counting on ya again, Boss.”

The measly-looking man said, patting Gil on the shoulder. He then turned around and walked away.

Gil, for his part, didn’t follow him out.

“I never imagined that I, once revered as the Sword Saint, would stoop this low.”

Gil chuckled as he put out his cigarette in the sole of his leather shoe.

The Aldelight family’s domain extended across the southern part of the Kingdom of Elugor. The wheat that grew on this fertile land was painted a golden color to subtly signal harvest time.

A featureless covered wagon cleared the barrier and arrived at Buildua, a small town tucked away in the rolling mountains, after traversing the wheat fields.

Two tiny mice that had been hiding in the covered wagon’s cargo emerged from the wooden crate at this point.

They leapt from the cover, holding their breath so the coachman wouldn’t see them. After relocating to a tiny back alley to hide, they then emerged onto Buildua’s main street. To prevent anyone from recognizing them as the duke’s children, they both wore hoods over their faces.

Seletina’s eyes widened in shock as soon as she stepped onto the main street.

The town of Buildua was breathtaking.

Red-brick buildings with pointy roofs could be seen all around, seemingly vying with one another for height.

The ground was meticulously arranged and laid with cobblestones to match the bricks, creating a beautiful landscape.

Even though it was a tiny town, not many places could take pride in having cobblestone roads.

In spite of this, the town’s residents were not very orderly, and the main streets were lined with a variety of bustling stalls that appeared to be in competition with one another. The exhilaration was palpable even to onlookers as the merchants’ eyes burned with the fire of commerce and cheering and whistling came from various places, giving the whole area a festive air.

The town of Buildua was Seletina’s first experience with a town.

Because of her frail condition, she had never left the residence. Or, to be more precise, she had never been allowed to leave.

Seletina stretched out as far as she could.

It resembled a young bird stretching its wings after emerging from its cage for the first time.

Yennis and Seletina exchanged glances, after which they both laughed. Noble children were weighed down by a great deal of chains. This was also true even for Yennis.

The siblings still had a lot of time to go hunting. So, till then, they decided to enjoy the town for a little while. They moved casually and slowly disappeared into Buildua’s hustle and bustle.