'It's strange.'
If one or two people had similar accents, Perdes would have just assumed they were from the same hometown, but it was quite strange to see so many people speaking with the same accent.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
The upper class of slaves usually treated slaves like objects and treated them roughly, but here, they gave them good food and a place to sleep.
The upper management was also kind to the slaves.
“It seems that the treatment of slaves has improved considerably without my knowledge.”
Perdes, who had decided that there was something, spoke to one of the mercenaries hired by the upper class to get information, one who did not have the same accent as Flanky Lloyd.
Then the mercenary chuckled and put out the cigarette he was smoking with his foot.
“No way. This place is special. I’ve been in charge of escorting slave houses many times, but this is the first time I’ve been to a place like this.”
“I see, right?”
“Yes. Well, the people from the Kingdom of Artina are more tolerant of slaves than other kingdoms, but not to that extent.”
“Just now... the people above said that they were from the Kingdom of Artina?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
The mercenary shrugged as Perdes nodded.
“I see. Well, you’ve only been here for a day, and you wouldn’t know it at first glance, since you don’t seem to notice at all.”
“The slaves here also seem to have the same accent as the chieftain... Were they all brought from the Kingdom of Artina?”
“Well, I don’t know much about that.”
"Yes."
It was a shame that he couldn't find out more, but it was a great achievement just to find out this much.
By the way, their origin is the Kingdom of Artina.
It was the kingdom of Prophetes IV, whom Adele held in her hand.
That means there is a very high possibility that Prophetes IV was involved in this incident.
“...I’ll have to ask that kid.”
Leo. He was given direct instructions from Adele, so he might know something about this.
Of course, the surest and fastest way would have been to ask Adele directly, but there was no way she would tell him.
Perdes couldn't contact Adele, especially since he had to hide the fact that he had disobeyed her request not to return to the Empire for the time being.
After parting ways with the mercenary, Perdes went to find Leo.
However, Leo was not there, and when Perdes asked people around him, they said he had gone to the lake to get water.
Perdes had been wanting to have a quiet chat with Leo in a place without people around, so this was the perfect timing.
As Perdes was walking straight towards the lake where Leo was, he found a group of people standing under a large tree and talking.
“Haha, that’s really interesting.”
One of them was Frankie Lloyd.
Perdes, who discovered him, hid behind a tree without realizing it.
“Haha, really?”
“That’s why I said...”
They chatted happily, not knowing that Perdes had arrived.
'Wait a minute. Those people are slaves.'
Perdes rubbed his eyes and checked again, wondering if he had seen something wrong, but it was certain.
Perdes had seen those men chained and half-naked, locked in iron cages.
'What's going on?'
No matter how generous a person was to slaves, it was strange for him to talk to a slave so friendly.
It was also strange that the slaves who were supposed to be locked in iron cages were pretending to be upper-level employees and were in good health.
“Then what should I call you from now on?”
“What should I call you? Just call me like you usually do.”
“Hey. How is that?”
“That’s right. Then, the captain would lose face.”
Besides, it seemed like people weren't calling Flank Lloyd "Captain" simply because he was a top-tier player.
In reality, Flank Lloyd was not the top stock at the top of the Cosmos.
“I haven’t been able to train lately, so I feel a little tired.”
“Just hold on a little longer. Once Lennon passes, we won’t need the mercenaries anymore, so let them go and do whatever they want.”
“Um, now that you say that, I suddenly don’t want to do it.”
“You bastard. You’re going to have to run twenty laps around the training grounds.”
From training to the instructor to the practice range.
As Perdes listened to their conversation, swordsmanship naturally came to mind.
Besides, the current appearance of the slaves was quite similar to the appearance of the knights of Leopold who had been whining when Aldor had told them to train.
That means there's a very high chance that those slaves are actually knights.
'I had a feeling they weren't really a slave.'
Of course, there was no way that Adele would have disguised the Cosmos upper group as a slave group and bought a large number of slaves.
Even so, they brought the knights of the Kingdom of Artina into the empire disguised as slaves.
What on earth was Adele thinking when she did something like this...
"No way... is this war?"
Perdes' mouth dropped open at the conclusion his thoughts had reached.
War is not the name of anyone's dog, and it is not something you can do just because you want to.
But it was possible with Adele.
No, it was clear that what she was going to do was war.
Because there is no surer way to erase an empire's name from the map of the continent than war.
'I should have known from the moment you said you were joining hands with Prophetes IV.'
If only he had known in advance that Adele would carry out such a grand plan! He would not have let it go!
“I guess there’s a rat here.”
“!”
As Frank Lloyd approached him, Perdes took a step back in confusion.
“...!”
A hand reached out from inside the bushes and grabbed his arm.
Because it happened so suddenly, Perdes was dragged away without even being able to properly protest.
Immediately after that, Perdes disappeared into the bushes.
“...”
Standing where Perdes had been, Flanky Lloyd scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes.
The people who followed also looked around and tilted their heads.
“There’s no one there.”
“I didn’t see anyone running away.”
“But just in case, should we search the area?”
Frankie Lloyd said nothing in response to the barrage of questions and simply scanned the floor.
Someone's footprints were clearly imprinted on the slightly filthy dirt floor.
Flank Lloyd, No, Logos clearly engraved the shape of the footprints in his eyes and told the others as well.
“Let’s go back to camp right now and find the owner of these footprints.”
After Logos and his party left.
The bushes just behind them swayed, and Perdes and a boy emerged from them.
“You think you lived thanks to me.”
The boy's true identity was Byblos.
“If I hadn’t come to see you, you would have been caught by those guys without a fight.”
“Thank you for your help.”
"Huh."
Even though Perdes simply thanked him, Byblos snorted and turned his head away, as if he was not pleased with something.
“So, why were you eavesdropping on their conversation? Aren’t you on the same side?”
“I thought so... but I guess not.”
“Then are you the enemy?”
“That’s not it either.”
“What is that?”
Yeah. What is their relationship?
Aside from that, things seemed to be going strangely, so Perdes sighed deeply and closed his eyes tightly.
His mind was in a state of confusion like a hornet's nest had been stirred up, but he knew exactly what he had to do now.
Adele had to be stopped from starting a war.
'To do that, I have to meet Adele before that man.'
There was no way he could have met Adele before that man through normal routes.
So, Perdes had to take a shortcut or use a trick.
For example, magic.
Or else...
The golden eyes that had been gazing into the air were fixed on Byblos.
Byblos sensed an ominous glint in his eyes and stroked his arm, which was covered in goosebumps.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”
“...Great Sage. How long would it take to fly from here to the capital?”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Please answer.”
Byblos responded obediently, pouting as if displeased at the seemingly polite yet somewhat forceful words.
“Well, I’ve never done it before, but half a day should be enough.”
It would take three days by train, but you can get there in half a day.
As Perdes' eyes sparkled, Byblos shook his head in disgust.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’re going to ask me to fly to the capital and bring you there.”
That was the right answer. When Perdes confirmed his opinion with silence, Byblos frowned.
“I am not a means of transportation.”
“I know. If I had thought so, I would have used it right away instead of asking.”
“What this kid is saying...”
“I absolutely have to meet Adele before that man.”
Perdes bowed respectfully toward Byblos and asked,
“So please, Great Sage.”
Byblos frowned and looked at Perdes' head, then sighed in annoyance and ruffled his hair.
“Yes. I’ll grant your request.”
"Thanks..."
"But."
Byblos's pupils changed into diamond shapes like a lizard's.
He said with an eerie smile on his blue-scaled cheeks.
“You must do me a favor, too. Whatever it is, absolutely.”
If one or two people had similar accents, Perdes would have just assumed they were from the same hometown, but it was quite strange to see so many people speaking with the same accent.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
The upper class of slaves usually treated slaves like objects and treated them roughly, but here, they gave them good food and a place to sleep.
The upper management was also kind to the slaves.
“It seems that the treatment of slaves has improved considerably without my knowledge.”
Perdes, who had decided that there was something, spoke to one of the mercenaries hired by the upper class to get information, one who did not have the same accent as Flanky Lloyd.
Then the mercenary chuckled and put out the cigarette he was smoking with his foot.
“No way. This place is special. I’ve been in charge of escorting slave houses many times, but this is the first time I’ve been to a place like this.”
“I see, right?”
“Yes. Well, the people from the Kingdom of Artina are more tolerant of slaves than other kingdoms, but not to that extent.”
“Just now... the people above said that they were from the Kingdom of Artina?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
The mercenary shrugged as Perdes nodded.
“I see. Well, you’ve only been here for a day, and you wouldn’t know it at first glance, since you don’t seem to notice at all.”
“The slaves here also seem to have the same accent as the chieftain... Were they all brought from the Kingdom of Artina?”
“Well, I don’t know much about that.”
"Yes."
It was a shame that he couldn't find out more, but it was a great achievement just to find out this much.
By the way, their origin is the Kingdom of Artina.
It was the kingdom of Prophetes IV, whom Adele held in her hand.
That means there is a very high possibility that Prophetes IV was involved in this incident.
“...I’ll have to ask that kid.”
Leo. He was given direct instructions from Adele, so he might know something about this.
Of course, the surest and fastest way would have been to ask Adele directly, but there was no way she would tell him.
Perdes couldn't contact Adele, especially since he had to hide the fact that he had disobeyed her request not to return to the Empire for the time being.
After parting ways with the mercenary, Perdes went to find Leo.
However, Leo was not there, and when Perdes asked people around him, they said he had gone to the lake to get water.
Perdes had been wanting to have a quiet chat with Leo in a place without people around, so this was the perfect timing.
As Perdes was walking straight towards the lake where Leo was, he found a group of people standing under a large tree and talking.
“Haha, that’s really interesting.”
One of them was Frankie Lloyd.
Perdes, who discovered him, hid behind a tree without realizing it.
“Haha, really?”
“That’s why I said...”
They chatted happily, not knowing that Perdes had arrived.
'Wait a minute. Those people are slaves.'
Perdes rubbed his eyes and checked again, wondering if he had seen something wrong, but it was certain.
Perdes had seen those men chained and half-naked, locked in iron cages.
'What's going on?'
No matter how generous a person was to slaves, it was strange for him to talk to a slave so friendly.
It was also strange that the slaves who were supposed to be locked in iron cages were pretending to be upper-level employees and were in good health.
“Then what should I call you from now on?”
“What should I call you? Just call me like you usually do.”
“Hey. How is that?”
“That’s right. Then, the captain would lose face.”
Besides, it seemed like people weren't calling Flank Lloyd "Captain" simply because he was a top-tier player.
In reality, Flank Lloyd was not the top stock at the top of the Cosmos.
“I haven’t been able to train lately, so I feel a little tired.”
“Just hold on a little longer. Once Lennon passes, we won’t need the mercenaries anymore, so let them go and do whatever they want.”
“Um, now that you say that, I suddenly don’t want to do it.”
“You bastard. You’re going to have to run twenty laps around the training grounds.”
From training to the instructor to the practice range.
As Perdes listened to their conversation, swordsmanship naturally came to mind.
Besides, the current appearance of the slaves was quite similar to the appearance of the knights of Leopold who had been whining when Aldor had told them to train.
That means there's a very high chance that those slaves are actually knights.
'I had a feeling they weren't really a slave.'
Of course, there was no way that Adele would have disguised the Cosmos upper group as a slave group and bought a large number of slaves.
Even so, they brought the knights of the Kingdom of Artina into the empire disguised as slaves.
What on earth was Adele thinking when she did something like this...
"No way... is this war?"
Perdes' mouth dropped open at the conclusion his thoughts had reached.
War is not the name of anyone's dog, and it is not something you can do just because you want to.
But it was possible with Adele.
No, it was clear that what she was going to do was war.
Because there is no surer way to erase an empire's name from the map of the continent than war.
'I should have known from the moment you said you were joining hands with Prophetes IV.'
If only he had known in advance that Adele would carry out such a grand plan! He would not have let it go!
“I guess there’s a rat here.”
“!”
As Frank Lloyd approached him, Perdes took a step back in confusion.
“...!”
A hand reached out from inside the bushes and grabbed his arm.
Because it happened so suddenly, Perdes was dragged away without even being able to properly protest.
Immediately after that, Perdes disappeared into the bushes.
“...”
Standing where Perdes had been, Flanky Lloyd scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes.
The people who followed also looked around and tilted their heads.
“There’s no one there.”
“I didn’t see anyone running away.”
“But just in case, should we search the area?”
Frankie Lloyd said nothing in response to the barrage of questions and simply scanned the floor.
Someone's footprints were clearly imprinted on the slightly filthy dirt floor.
Flank Lloyd, No, Logos clearly engraved the shape of the footprints in his eyes and told the others as well.
“Let’s go back to camp right now and find the owner of these footprints.”
***
After Logos and his party left.
The bushes just behind them swayed, and Perdes and a boy emerged from them.
“You think you lived thanks to me.”
The boy's true identity was Byblos.
“If I hadn’t come to see you, you would have been caught by those guys without a fight.”
“Thank you for your help.”
"Huh."
Even though Perdes simply thanked him, Byblos snorted and turned his head away, as if he was not pleased with something.
“So, why were you eavesdropping on their conversation? Aren’t you on the same side?”
“I thought so... but I guess not.”
“Then are you the enemy?”
“That’s not it either.”
“What is that?”
Yeah. What is their relationship?
Aside from that, things seemed to be going strangely, so Perdes sighed deeply and closed his eyes tightly.
His mind was in a state of confusion like a hornet's nest had been stirred up, but he knew exactly what he had to do now.
Adele had to be stopped from starting a war.
'To do that, I have to meet Adele before that man.'
There was no way he could have met Adele before that man through normal routes.
So, Perdes had to take a shortcut or use a trick.
For example, magic.
Or else...
The golden eyes that had been gazing into the air were fixed on Byblos.
Byblos sensed an ominous glint in his eyes and stroked his arm, which was covered in goosebumps.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”
“...Great Sage. How long would it take to fly from here to the capital?”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Please answer.”
Byblos responded obediently, pouting as if displeased at the seemingly polite yet somewhat forceful words.
“Well, I’ve never done it before, but half a day should be enough.”
It would take three days by train, but you can get there in half a day.
As Perdes' eyes sparkled, Byblos shook his head in disgust.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’re going to ask me to fly to the capital and bring you there.”
That was the right answer. When Perdes confirmed his opinion with silence, Byblos frowned.
“I am not a means of transportation.”
“I know. If I had thought so, I would have used it right away instead of asking.”
“What this kid is saying...”
“I absolutely have to meet Adele before that man.”
Perdes bowed respectfully toward Byblos and asked,
“So please, Great Sage.”
Byblos frowned and looked at Perdes' head, then sighed in annoyance and ruffled his hair.
“Yes. I’ll grant your request.”
"Thanks..."
"But."
Byblos's pupils changed into diamond shapes like a lizard's.
He said with an eerie smile on his blue-scaled cheeks.
“You must do me a favor, too. Whatever it is, absolutely.”
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