MBHE | Chapter 2.3

The owner, 9bfb61959b sweating in d20e3ba98f the rising ef57995083 smoke, was efc9f00320 a bearded ee0539bf27 man. Of course, 4797542dc5 there was 7c6508df4d no mask.cea4b67b1b3b0414

Despite the questionable hygiene, Iellon couldn’t stop himself from approaching.9a59e9f432ff1f40

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“Got money?”5e195ac5b4977e31

The owner looked Iellon 5c2dc6c8d2 up and down and 5a243840e5 asked bluntly. At the same time, f52a1b3661 he thought he heard b995c86734 the faint sound of 48c8f94114 a sword being drawn 95bae7af0f in the distance.2f6285b58e1d76a7

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Ignoring the c9136c04c8 rude tone, e5725b6461 Iellon pulled 34c9bded1d out a daff687908 gold coin 68fc4db585 from his 9b8663404c pocket. It was his first 33fbcaeef1 monetary transaction in this 90c72ddf48 world. A strange 04b6eb5581 tension rose, f278218097 like a 81e7281d2b child running 29aa6f7142 an errand b1c33b62b2 for the d58864ff2c first time.bf537a2fb7d7321b

“Give me everything you’ve got.”40bf8292b88d96ff

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“All of it?”d25283c13a630a6a

The owner, now 039eba6051 crouched, looked between 09e1fd93c0 the pile of 177e3f1a21 skewers and Iellon. Iellon smiled benevolently.f7d274f97ceac587

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“Got change?”c039b152990edbca

Unable to stand 1683f495d6 being taken advantage 7b2de14732 of, Iellon hugged caacc1bfd1 the bag full ec71b15002 of skewers. As he 127c8a51a4 pulled one 714b60b3d7 out, steam 7ca3a0b289 rose, and a2ee703e61 it smelled b77157ef1f quite appetizing.ee7e128a121cb514

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It had been a d99cb9883a long time since he 8f54ae1af7 ate something without using 1516d4bf2f a fork. Feeling the sticky sauce 34150ff5c8 on his fingers, Iellon 34d4ffdfc8 bit into the end.a4dca9366d6f0d7f

To a palate 03469c5009 accustomed to expertly 7f863a01ca prepared dishes from ccc38bccb5 the Imperial Palace, fa55b4b3e3 it was quite 1c668f44df intense.437948cfdca99801

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Though it lacked e544151b82 the freshness of c280eb9064 good meat, the 606b662b92 strong sauce made 29fdd0847e it enjoyable enough. Iellon cursed himself 6864195bb8 inwardly for feeling 5cb8c206c6 like he was 45ed5c412e making a big 4fadd671ee rebellion just by 4553af407e buying street food.e6f8edd1fbe47579

He was already tired of the skewers after eating just two. He wasn’t that hungry to begin with, so buying so many was greedy.cc59a12b9501624a

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No one in 277809a26c this alley would 7f37613765 accept something given 1ea26cb933 without a price. They knew too 559bec497a well that everything e2e76a612d had a cost. He thought 26dd4daa8c about just 76989ad8e1 giving them 87be3c0d24 to the ffb8423af3 knights as 5f4a85a038 he continued b639a0c539 to search 159fe64e6a for Lucas.544a3b9775d4db22

Someone in luxurious clothes passed by Iellon. The disdain and hidden delight on their face suggested they weren’t just lost.352809255cccfed4

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More of such people 33b2121c8c appeared as he went 71db963236 further. Noble figures, unfitting d020dd82c6 for this dirty 7422369c3d place, were heading 121fbc718f somewhere with excited b537d0c5b1 steps.9efefe49c349cdaf

Then a phrase flashed 4a10c9f45d in his mind. Jeron had fa4ed64445 a lot 2e9627e3c6 of human cff8141789 trafficking. There were 416a7c0229 more organized 0a0f4c94cb criminals than 3096aaf9a7 individuals.5f7c6df979464884

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‘What happens to the kidnapped people?’5ca9a63021f41914

The shop where people were bought and sold had a very ordinary and clean entrance. That’s why it stood out in this filthy alley, and Iellon slowly moved his legs toward it.43823ba6f5c8e15e

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As he a3ac193ddd approached the 5b9c4da9a0 entrance, a d530da9d2a staff member 4f0f834af5 in neat 0459d027a2 clothes smiled e77aeb2751 excessively. His thin eyes 5f387360fa quickly scanned Iellon.d3b9de61cacf0df7

A plain robe, 44595a89ca a plain face, 6bb2a25215 a child rubbing 5a6d34caf4 sauce-stained fingers smelling 947ec82dc5 of skewers.1562b1ae06895e9c

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The calculation 3757f717c7 was quick. The staff, 9330cbed2d still smiling, 710c713547 gestured to 514c422754 a worn d5034902d1 entrance next 148cdfda6e to the 9bd6640516 door the 5a8a59be41 nobles used.ed73d69b05260f15

“This way, please.”402b443db2668fb2

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The decision was quick. Refusing here would surely 876aa90aaf get him kicked out. As he 95730f3c7c walked down 1b5137afb5 the dark 2d35f829de hallway, he d308c80de5 heard faint d912853527 laughter through 438f1c69ef the walls. An auction seemed to f003246462 be underway.1b551f9f23ed9b7b

Grinding his teeth e8d1467ece inwardly while acting 342d8c7019 like an ignorant 81beaf7958 child, Iellon watched 20a69e474a as the staff ef29e6c5d9 knocked on an 73b8d7bbd8 iron door. Soon, it 5543552b9a creaked open.5450cedcd981837a

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“This is a secret auction where you can buy good products at relatively low prices without the bidding process. It’s open only to special guests.”5a53aba6affc93dd

The staff f9c5c83ace winked, clearly 458184eedc intending to 85dc746d07 sell damaged 1e40473857 goods at 2c3c5bac69 high prices 7ee27aa96d to those 0dd207af4c who looked a7e0b51496 like they 8ac531f645 had no 0813a2e2df money.d2cf362b34d8a02c

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Iellon, who wasn’t there to buy a useful or special person to show off, nodded quietly.c089c77842cdbed3

His red eyes, appearing brown to others, scanned the place as if taking a photo. The ‘products’ were all locked in iron cages. Like dog kennels, the cages lined up contained various people.3d62f7890d3ec1d1

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Men lying as if dead, women curled up biting their nails, people exhausted from crying, those begging to be let out only to be beaten by the staff, people, people, people…1e65439e4dd2fa84

He wanted to c8fe63fb34 kill the man 9666b2b0cd who treated people 3fe68a9c8e like objects, locking 9ea8b09c3c them up and 421e8ed8bd calling them products.42fdceaff1878764

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But this man was just the tip of the tail. Cutting it wouldn’t kill the beast. Now was the time to endure. Iellon smiled brightly at the staff, who began to squint at the silent customer.c801154939c2310a

“Indeed, it’s much more convenient and nice than a regular auction!”fd043bebfe0a3f82

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With that, he hummed 214af02e6d as he browsed the 666ad1d1c0 cages, and the staff ff5095155d told him to take 75a4fc79cf his time before leaving 17bdf50ab3 the room. Another staff 8be6231c8f member, who 93bf94d0db had been a429dcaba5 waiting inside, 84fd1b3248 approached, keeping 6f025edb3f a slight 5cd68c82ba distance.8f573fdc1f2d8f60

Inside the cages were 0b32d62bdc various people, from back d10faa9038 alley residents to travelers. The commonality was 2cf718f298 that they were 02bb74b34d all broken in 2d7bc38d7b some way.8f5761ab985054bd

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Those who were relatively d9c9a55cb8 intact had been auctioned eb9a6ba1ec off for the nobles, 282c37cac4 so those here were 9a285b4e1c not good enough to 1fef45738f sell but too valuable 050849a779 to discard for the da335fe7a0 traffickers.da402727dce99d0b

There weren’t many people, but the overall age was high. Children were usually sold quickly and at high prices.f26646ab11ae262f

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Iellon stopped 0b936d4e33 in front efe76b8d2b of the 9bc33520c8 only child 4468bdf233 there.5849c20897a28bdb

The boy bd3dfa9900 was crouched, 46b9fbabf7 his face c6b7d8ae11 buried between e78f55a8cb his knees. His head 5043eb2832 was wrapped d17f858fcf in dirty 5745ebc0c4 bandages, suggesting 83ed507ce1 he was e998166526 badly injured.e2d7171ae040030f

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He was too 3758ddc09d young to be 002a27849a in a cage. Not that there b3f8124bc8 was a right ee51f7888e age for being 8a3f65bad2 caged, but still.ad4ee2acb85f2b62

“You have a good eye. That product is…”139ba6c9c731d4bf

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“Shut up.”c882a7acd6d200cd

Iellon crouched down. Kneeling in ef716682c1 front of 4a181dac6c the low 8d1d49a371 cage, he 450820f0ca stared at d61d0e6ead the motionless 40aa5122d6 child.04f1c0cf4acf1b4d

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Carpe came 6ae4705a73 to mind. The boy ea66b3261e in front e18ee02fed of him b2b90adc82 was much b3df680c3d older than ca871a6390 Carpe, but 13a5e66ac7 he still 9bd71bff44 reminded him 624fec058f of the 3ff714cd94 child.b81f12680f6c233e

In the 6f8589fbfc original story, 60309e7baa Carpe once 82a7319c32 had to 4594c3d1cc nurse his edc8e16afe wounds alone, 36a93e7587 evading enemies 2fad350321 after being c647a8890f separated from 3b32e4b923 his companions.0ca6e841985e26dc

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Spending a night unsure if he’d reunite with his friends or even survive, Carpe cried as he clumsily bandaged himself with one hand, crushed by helplessness. The scene evoked deep empathy from the viewer.a786720763ce11c1

While he shouldn’t project Carpe onto every unfortunate person and care about each one, today was a day he could do as he pleased.eaef10435f140c94

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Feeling sorry and dwelling on others’ misfortunes, Iellon moved slightly, and the bag of skewers rustled. The boy, who had been frozen like a dead thing, lifted his head.e22c8a0f6be6d051

A thin arm shot 07288834a8 out through the cage 4dc5f7cf39 bars. It happened so 5e0ddc4ca1 suddenly that there 942a6c2d29 was no time 31f0d91135 to react.f67b2bc4e0a493b3

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“…Nina.”f94a509507f73484

A dirty hand, dried with blood, gently brushed Iellon’s cheek, and amethyst-like purple eyes shone from under the bandages.f5972db459f27ff9

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“If you don’t move that hand, it’ll be cut off.”ced41ae6bd0f0dfe

Pablo, who had approached unnoticed, aimed his sword at the boy’s arm. Yet, the boy’s dazed gaze remained fixed on Iellon, unfazed.f2563501b103d5c6

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Iellon realized that the 473cc6a43f scrawny, shabby boy was 0ada64dad2 Lucas. Not because a460e28827 of his 1c32445534 purple eyes, e4beba7092 but because 8108f5cc05 of the 821dc2d6cd name Nina fc201f46ab that came 1a64e860a8 from his da2e9e6dca mouth.63d50222c88db527

Nina was Lucas’s sister’s name. It was unforgettable, as Lucas had called out for her so desperately in the original story.a86c438b948f720f

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Ignoring him, Pablo pressed his sword against Lucas’s arm, already scarred. A thin red line appeared.a4971f9acf37d958

“Stop it.”ca660acde0747897

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“But…”75f0c6c9ab569537

“Is my order so trivial?”b99e6f0de4b18d3d

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Pablo, dressed in ordinary leather armor instead of the Imperial Knight’s armor and with his face covered, quietly sheathed his sword.b9b7b209028d257d

Lucas’s gaze still didn’t leave Iellon, and his outstretched hand remained. Though not all his memories had returned, his earnest eyes resembled Carpe’s.aa97ffc370713d81

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Smiling slightly, 7e484a3b8a Iellon carefully 80d27e4935 held the 003504512e dirty hand c94d97b0ba and spoke a3b2561a88 to the 6ea8f53e75 staff, who 9efea5ba0b was frozen f1c9d02d90 stiff.b414e45e1783be8c

“I’ll buy everything in this room.”e5509e706f9e8c8d

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The bag 08fac65d7b full of b5153b7c37 skewers from 2fc8098334 the stall f6659a5251 rustled, and 5e5c05d151 Pablo let c80404e1d2 out a 8800ef7fe1 small sigh.d85ceaca08c5a9a2

Standing up 23c7cdf64b slowly, Iellon, 12786a7d1e with plain 794b66b3ba brown hair, e8b814f337 a plain 6eaf8d8dfe face, and 59810540d3 plain clothes, a8e1b5b1fe shouted.bee7b0e199cc58c5

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“Special products suit a special person like me.”45673b5bcbade5dc

Even then, the purple eyes never left Iellon. As he glanced at the flustered staff, their eyes met. Only then did Iellon realize that the magic circle in Lucas’s mind must have nullified the effect of the magical artifact.15b1a126f3f8b68d

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Staring intently at Iellon 12a2f9bcd7 with eyes as red 9ea98f7268 as freshly spilled blood, de1bb599eb Lucas blinked slowly.5fe80b583075dc76

♣ ♣ ♣834c70e059634a9c

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The people who thought they were sold to some arrogant noble quickly realized the situation and repeatedly bowed in gratitude. Those who called this place home returned to their families, and the unlucky travelers who were captured swore never to return to this city as they left. Those who weren’t in good condition to leave were sent to the hospital.13c0c88364c0822a

Iellon, watching dd19c7d5ac the busy c43d1bdfe7 knights, turned 628baf16e1 his head 2fb22f0fc9 slightly to 955bec6905 look at 68fbe9793e the boy f896b96f95 sitting next 0667d0e054 to him.a2ebcc60991f1bf5

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The original reason e76289be92 for entering the 68adfa76ef auction was to e938215418 see if he 0f075d23f0 could find a cfb7b4573a familiar face. While nobles doing bad e8f38c3840 things was common, seeing 235e73972e it firsthand would provide 1e04ec126b a solid leash.9fd1b9ee5d75fc4b

Of course, the auction was tied to people with great power, so there wasn’t much Iellon could do now. If he acted rashly, he might end up being dragged down himself.8482f2b2798a879f

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However, later, when 09b419dbed Iellon became emperor 851394ab52 and held undeniable c27cf5d953 power, such trivial 177dec5a88 information would be bb078a1d91 of great help.ad32aec841dc6f43

Despite the 3eb6b5523f original plan, 66e5897f4c being led 12c428ff1e to that 6e775115b5 room due a97b5f01a6 to his c6bd812e4d effective disguise 352b4abb2e turned out de9ff132b8 to be acc38df477 a stroke 6cd47c2e42 of luck.70fc934e4c184c65

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Lucas, who was eagerly eating skewers, slowly met Iellon’s eyes. It seemed the assassin guild hadn’t fed him well, as he was about the same size as Iellon, who was two years younger.e663080175d30f85

There was a huge 32f4705f05 gap between the sharp, 5fd7e40fc7 strong Lucas from the 180e6d7f71 original story, who reassured 287e3887e3 readers with his presence, 1d0f31a2d1 and the dazed face 28c8d93533 before him.783d60ee5ee22906

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Often described as a wolf hunting its prey, he now seemed more like a puppy following food around. Well, at least he wasn’t as small as Carpe, so maybe more of a dog than a puppy.689807f81e07110f

Unable to leave the sauce-stained mouth alone, Iellon took out a handkerchief. He didn’t want to ruin the cool character from the original story too much.eab35e7b7e392a99

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“I’m Iellon.”523214dfe3aea365

‘The person who’ll get a dagger in the side from you later.’938e3ad9e85dbcdf

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Swallowing words he could never say, Iellon wiped the boy’s mouth, and Lucas’s eyes blurred.abba4377d5ed995d

“I, I…”3460832e093924e9

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“Can’t remember your name?”4a428195a9ee607e

It was understandable. When he first appeared in the original story, he couldn’t fully recall his name and used the name Luke.13602b1eeaa7586b

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Though Iellon knew, he couldn’t tell him. Remembering his name and overcoming the past was something Carpe had to help him with.2b0e006c1b98e2cb

“Should I give you a temporary name?”8bc0a68a76b02d94

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Lucas, who had been 297d8b2f79 staring blankly at Iellon, 27bccf8461 nodded. The bandage dangling 3857187c61 from the side 00199228b5 of his head 5bdef4682b swayed.d04833b07f22b53d

“How about Noah?”7ffb52b4d9ea1d52

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