PHIM 19

Chapter 19

Following the mercenaries’ hands, I was pushed inside the iron cage. There was no point resisting now, so I allowed myself to be locked up quietly.

Noah and I kept our eyes fixed on Ribael. Perhaps it was part of some ascetic training, but Ribael had his eyes closed and his lips pressed tightly together.

Maybe because of that, he wore a gentle smile, as though he didn’t even understand the situation he was in.

Then Ribael casually lifted one hand and waved in our direction, as if greeting us. It seemed he had recognized Noah and me from our familiar presence.

Right. This guy wasn’t normal either.

“What the hell? Why is Ribael here? Huh?”

Noah, who looked like he might collapse onto the ground at any moment, suddenly seemed to regain his strength the moment he saw Ribael.

He trotted over to him. I’d been ready to slap him to force his mouth open if he kept it shut, but thankfully, Ribael explained the situation without resistance.

“As part of my training? Haha.”

So he really intended to live as a slave for the sake of training?

I suddenly began to seriously doubt the god Ribael served. Well, considering it was those very beings who had possessed me into this godforsaken world, maybe it wasn’t surprising…

No matter how I thought about it, this world was rotten starting from the gods. To call something like this ‘learning’—just how much bizarre nonsense must they have been up to, for a priest who followed them to consider becoming a slave as training…?

“Lady Luisa. Please stop having impure thoughts.”

“…When did I? I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“The goddesses just spoke up. They said Lady Luisa’s thoughts are far too narrow-minded.”

…Seriously, they only ever respond to me at times like this. It made me even angrier because the way they acted was exactly like my former bosses.

As I glared, Ribael looked like he was about to say something more, so I immediately raised my hand to stop him.

I didn’t even need to hear it. He was probably going to tell me to stop cursing them. Honestly, I only ever thought of them as bosses, but somehow they always knew when I was badmouthing them.

I moved to an inner corner and leaned against the wall. Just in case, I scanned the inside of the cage again, but as expected, Adele wasn’t there.

Noah, who had been excited to see a familiar face, soon calmed himself down as well.

Watching the two of us, Ribael tilted his head in confusion.

“Come to think of it, Lady Luisa, Noah—why are you here?”

“You ask fast.”

“Haha, I suppose I am quick like that.”

Does that sound like a compliment to you?!

Shaking my head at Ribael’s shameless response, I casually threw out an answer.

“Adele disappeared.”

“Hm? Adele?”

“…The one you talked about… the one I…”

I trailed off awkwardly. After insisting I wouldn’t get attached, I’d gone and given him a name—it felt a bit embarrassing.

Ribael pondered the name for a while, then seemed to recall our earlier consultation. “Ah,” he exclaimed softly.

“So you gave the boy a name. But why here… don’t tell me—you’re planning to hand him over to an auction house?”

“What?”

The nerve of him. I’m not that much of trash!

I glared at Ribael in disbelief. Perhaps because of the restraining device, my killing intent didn’t transmit properly—Ribael simply smiled good-naturedly.

“I’m joking, joking. If that were the case, Lady Luisa and Noah wouldn’t be here.”

That really sounded like half a joke, half serious.

“Ribael, have you by any chance seen a brat with a nasty-looking face?”

Noah suddenly cut in, asking urgently. He hadn’t even described the kid properly—just went on about physiognomy.

Did he really think Ribael would understand that?

“…By any chance, do you mean a boy who looks about ten years old, with dull-colored hair and eyes?”

What the hell. How did he guess that? Is this guy some kind of fantasy shaman or what?

All the tension drained out of me at once. Was this really going to be resolved so easily?

Of course, Adele was probably closer to thirteen, but age could vary depending on the observer, so it wasn’t a big issue.

Noah emphasized it again.

“His face looks really bad. That part’s for sure.”

“Then it seems that’s him. So that child was Lady Luisa’s… boy.”

With a face devoid of humor, Ribael nodded at Noah’s words, then glanced at me.

“That child will most likely be sold as a slave to the Allied Nations.”

“How do you know that?”

“Lady Luisa. I do have abilities of my own. His coloring stood out, so I paid attention.”

Ribael added casually,

“Then we need to go right now.”

“You know where he is?”

“Still better than staying stuck here.”

Even now, Adele might be trembling alone inside some bleak iron cage.

I grabbed the bars again, about to pry them apart like before, when Ribael suddenly seized my arm.

“If you make a wrong move here, the startled merchant leader might abandon the current stock and escape through another portal with the slaves he already has.”

“Then what? You want us to stay here?”

“Of course not. Actually, earlier I borrowed a mercenary outfit for a bit.”

Yeah. He stole it. Definitely stole it.

I swallowed the words that rose to the tip of my tongue. Smiling with upturned eyes, Ribael continued,

“Since there was only one men’s outfit, I’ll wander around pretending to be a mercenary and retrieve Adele.”

It was a solid plan. My hair color alone made me stand out—if I escaped, I’d be caught immediately.

I nodded, agreeing, when a sudden question crossed my mind.

“By the way… you had an escape card all along. So why were you still stuck here?”

“Because I was undergoing ascetic training? Haha. Still, I was a little scared. In case I got sold to some lecher, I borrowed it as a precaution.”

Now that he said it, it made sense. There were all kinds of people in the world, and if he introduced himself as a priest, there were surely some who’d go mad and try to buy him.

His concern was instantly understandable.

“Alright then—please distract them so I can get out.”

A faint ripple formed around Ribael. It was the distortion created when a subspace opened.

“So suddenly?! H-how do we do that?!”

Noah jumped at the visibly changing mana waves and shouted.

“Well, I think that’s something you and Lady Luisa should figure out yourselves.”

Ribael merely smiled gently. Meanwhile, the subspace was already half-open.

“Aaagh! W-w-w-why are you talking so s-s-s-suddenly?!”

At the same time, Noah went berserk and dashed toward the opposite side of the cage.

“Wh-what is this brat doing?!”

“I-I-I don’t kn-know e-e-either! Huhahahaha!”

While putting on an award-worthy performance, Noah shot me intense, pleading looks.

Of course, I should help him.

But—

‘…I desperately want to pretend I don’t know this person.’

You just act. I’ll handle the embarrassment…

“Grrr! Raaaargh! Kwang! Snap! Meooow!”

“Is it rabies?! Why does it turn into a cat at the end?! Hey! Do something about this!”

While pretending to bite the mercenary in front of him, Noah kept his eyes locked on me. Thick killing intent burned in his gaze.

Still, I couldn’t help.

‘Sorry, Noah. That’s how it is…’

All I could offer him was moral support and shame.

Thankfully, before the mercenaries could drag Noah away, Ribael slipped out quietly and blended naturally into their ranks.

Everyone’s attention was on Noah, so no one noticed Ribael leaving.

I hurriedly grabbed Noah, who was gnawing weakly at a mercenary, and pulled him back.

“There, shhh. Good boy. Our Noah. Sleeps so well.”

“Grr… sniff… snore.”

The moment my hand touched him, Noah pretended to fall asleep. The intense snoring was a nice bonus.

The mercenary who’d nearly been bitten stared at me, his armor and hair disheveled.

“The kid is sick. Very sick…”

“What kind of illness is it…?”

“When he was little, he fell from a persimmon tree, and his head got a little…”

I made a circling motion near my temple with my finger. A flicker of pity crossed the mercenary’s face.

“Sometimes he thinks he’s a dog. Woof. Bark bark.”

“I-I see.”

“My touch usually puts him right to sleep.”

Forcing a benevolent smile like Merihen’s, I spoke gently. The mercenaries nodded in relief.

Idiots. They actually bought that.

“You—you two should probably be sold together!”

Oh. I’d only planned for Ribael to escape, but this turned out even better than expected.

If we’d been separated, it would’ve taken longer to rescue Noah anyway.

I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth and bowed. At this rate, my lips were going to cramp.

How does Merihen maintain this smile all the time? I felt newly impressed.

After watching Noah for a while, the mercenary hurried off, saying the auction was about to begin.

Once the presence around us faded, Noah snapped his eyes open.

“You betrayed me like that?”

“Let go of my collar first.”

“What? What did you just say?”

“I—I said I’m sorry…”

I averted my gaze and stared at the floor. A truly beast-like growl escaped through Noah’s clenched teeth.

Even if it only felt about as threatening as a chihuahua, I obediently let him shake me by the collar.

After a few minutes, Noah finally calmed down and released his grip.

“…Please don’t tell anyone about this. It’s embarrassing.”

“Who would I even tell?”

I was too embarrassed to say it myself, Noah.

I gently patted Noah, who was burying his face in his hands, muttering that his life was over.

“Hey, if I’d joined you, it would’ve been worse. Happiness shared is halved, but misfortune shared is doubled, you know?”

“Misfortune is halved and happiness doubled.”

“Stop trying stupid tricks and keep your mouth shut.”

“Okay.”

Honestly—he’s sharp when it counts.

As I deliberately ignored Noah’s renewed killing intent, a mercenary soon approached and opened the cage door.

“Alright. Time for you slaves to be sold.”

He pressed firmly on the round artifact in his hand. Immediately, the rings on our ring fingers began to emit a low hum.

“Ghk…!”

Intermittent screams rang out from all around.