MBHE | Chapter 2.3

The owner, sweating in the rising smoke, was a bearded man. Of course, there was no mask.

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

“Got money?”

The owner looked Iellon up and down and asked bluntly. At the same time, he thought he heard the faint sound of a sword being drawn in the distance.

Ignoring the rude tone, Iellon pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. It was his first monetary transaction in this world. A strange tension rose, like a child running an errand for the first time.

“Give me everything you’ve got.”

“All of it?”

The owner, now crouched, looked between the pile of skewers and Iellon. Iellon smiled benevolently.

“Got change?”

Unable to stand being taken advantage of, Iellon hugged the bag full of skewers. As he pulled one out, steam rose, and it smelled quite appetizing.

It had been a long time since he ate something without using a fork. Feeling the sticky sauce on his fingers, Iellon bit into the end.

To a palate accustomed to expertly prepared dishes from the Imperial Palace, it was quite intense.

Though it lacked the freshness of good meat, the strong sauce made it enjoyable enough. Iellon cursed himself inwardly for feeling like he was making a big rebellion just by buying street food.

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.

No one in this alley would accept something given without a price. They knew too well that everything had a cost. He thought about just giving them to the knights as he continued to search for Lucas.

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

More of such people appeared as he went further. Noble figures, unfitting for this dirty place, were heading somewhere with excited steps.

Then a phrase flashed in his mind. Jeron had a lot of human trafficking. There were more organized criminals than individuals.

‘What happens to the kidnapped people?’

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.

As he approached the entrance, a staff member in neat clothes smiled excessively. His thin eyes quickly scanned Iellon.

A plain robe, a plain face, a child rubbing sauce-stained fingers smelling of skewers.

The calculation was quick. The staff, still smiling, gestured to a worn entrance next to the door the nobles used.

“This way, please.”

The decision was quick. Refusing here would surely get him kicked out. As he walked down the dark hallway, he heard faint laughter through the walls. An auction seemed to be underway.

Grinding his teeth inwardly while acting like an ignorant child, Iellon watched as the staff knocked on an iron door. Soon, it creaked open.

“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.”

The staff winked, clearly intending to sell damaged goods at high prices to those who looked like they had no money.

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

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.

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…

He wanted to kill the man who treated people like objects, locking them up and calling them products.

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.

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

With that, he hummed as he browsed the cages, and the staff told him to take his time before leaving the room. Another staff member, who had been waiting inside, approached, keeping a slight distance.

Inside the cages were various people, from back alley residents to travelers. The commonality was that they were all broken in some way.

Those who were relatively intact had been auctioned off for the nobles, so those here were not good enough to sell but too valuable to discard for the traffickers.

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

Iellon stopped in front of the only child there.

The boy was crouched, his face buried between his knees. His head was wrapped in dirty bandages, suggesting he was badly injured.

He was too young to be in a cage. Not that there was a right age for being caged, but still.

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

“Shut up.”

Iellon crouched down. Kneeling in front of the low cage, he stared at the motionless child.

Carpe came to mind. The boy in front of him was much older than Carpe, but he still reminded him of the child.

In the original story, Carpe once had to nurse his wounds alone, evading enemies after being separated from his companions.

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.

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.

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.

A thin arm shot out through the cage bars. It happened so suddenly that there was no time to react.

“…Nina.”

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

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

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

Iellon realized that the scrawny, shabby boy was Lucas. Not because of his purple eyes, but because of the name Nina that came from his mouth.

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

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

“Stop it.”

“But…”

“Is my order so trivial?”

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

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.

Smiling slightly, Iellon carefully held the dirty hand and spoke to the staff, who was frozen stiff.

“I’ll buy everything in this room.”

The bag full of skewers from the stall rustled, and Pablo let out a small sigh.

Standing up slowly, Iellon, with plain brown hair, a plain face, and plain clothes, shouted.

“Special products suit a special person like me.”

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.

Staring intently at Iellon with eyes as red as freshly spilled blood, Lucas blinked slowly.

♣ ♣ ♣

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.

Iellon, watching the busy knights, turned his head slightly to look at the boy sitting next to him.

The original reason for entering the auction was to see if he could find a familiar face. While nobles doing bad things was common, seeing it firsthand would provide a solid leash.

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.

However, later, when Iellon became emperor and held undeniable power, such trivial information would be of great help.

Despite the original plan, being led to that room due to his effective disguise turned out to be a stroke of luck.

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.

There was a huge gap between the sharp, strong Lucas from the original story, who reassured readers with his presence, and the dazed face before him.

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.

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.

“I’m Iellon.”

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

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

“I, I…”

“Can’t remember your name?”

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

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

“Should I give you a temporary name?”

Lucas, who had been staring blankly at Iellon, nodded. The bandage dangling from the side of his head swayed.

“How about Noah?”