Chapter 480 Shinobu’s Reflection
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Shinobu’s POV)
When I woke up… I was in my room’s bed at the Clan house.
(I was certainly… just watching Lady Sasha and Lady Romy being taken away by that strange Fighter…)
I placed my hand on my abdomen while still in bed.
There was no pain.
──It seems there are no injuries at all.
(I could do nothing but watch as Lady Sasha and Lady Romy were taken away──!?)
My head finally began to clear, and I grasped the situation.
”S-Sasha!”
I hurriedly got out of bed, trying to stand up, but… my legs wouldn’t support me.
I wobbled and felt like I would fall.
”Ms. Shinobu!?”
A soft body supported me.
Looking over, Lady Sasha was holding me tightly.
”Lady Sasha…”
I pulled away from Lady Sasha and knelt down, bowing my head.
”I-I’m so glad you’re safe… What should I say to apologize for my failure…?”
”…Ms. Shinobu… I’m so relieved that you’re safe…”
Lady Sasha, sitting in front of me, wrapped her arms gently around my lowered head.
* * *
Lady Sasha informed me about what happened afterwards.
After being kidnapped, it seems I was safely rescued by Lord Hiroya and the Lords.
I somehow made it back to the Clan house, where I received magic healing from one of the Lords’ friends.
(I… have no memory of it at all…)
And when Lady Sasha returned to the Clan house, she immediately came to see me.
”Everyone is okay. Ms. Romy and Ms. Della from ‘Chick Gathering Inn’ are safe. And… you too…”
Watching Lady Sasha cry as she said that, I recalled the dream I had just moments ago.
(A nostalgic memory… The moment I met my Lady Sasha.)
I saw that event once more, even if only through a dream.
(My life belongs to Lady Sasha…)
And so, I renewed my resolve and swore to protect Lady Sasha to the end.
”──Everyone’s to gather in the dining hall. Ms. Romy apparently has something to say to us.”
Lady Sasha held out her hand to me.
I took it, stood up, and left the room with her leading me.
* * *
Fortress city Mundo.
I was only six years old when I, a slave, was brought by an imperial slaver to this border town of the Romuna Kingdom.
(I managed to escape… but where do I go…?)
Hiding in a narrow back alley, I tried to figure out what to do next.
”That brat! Where’d they run off to!?”
”The kid’s not sold yet! If they get away like this…”
”Yeah… They’ve got the slave mark carved in, but no contract signed. Lose sight of ’em, and the brat escapes for good.”
I heard those voices coming from the main street.
They were the men chasing me.
”Split up and find ’em!”
One of the men, having spread out with the others, turned into the alley I was in.
(This is bad… I need to get out of here…)
Should I make a break for the opposite street, or dive deeper into the narrow alleys…?
Just as I hesitated, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into a cramped side alley.
”This way.”
I couldn’t tell who it was in the darkness, but the voice guiding me belonged to a young, sweet-sounding girl.
* * *
”You… are you being chased?”
Putting distance between us and the men, we walked side by side through a moderately crowded street.
I was now wearing the coat the girl had draped over me, covering my rags.
From her clothes and the quality of the coat, I could tell she was the daughter of a wealthy family.
”That mark on your neck… Are you a slave? Is that why you ran?”
”Yeah… but I don’t have a master yet. So… I escaped when the merchant wasn’t looking.”
”What’s your name?”
I shook my head at her question.
Ever since I could remember, I’d been nothing more than ‘merchandise’ owned by the merchants.
I had no name.
I was brought to this fortress city Mundo to be sold after receiving the slave mark, now that I’ve turned 6.
”But… isn’t slave trading banned in the kingdom? You were brought from the empire, right?”
I bought a meat-stuffed bun from a street stall as the girl offered it to me.
”You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
With the smiling girl, I moved to a dark alley and devoured the delicious meal I hadn’t tasted in a long time.
* * *
”I want to help somehow, but… I’m lost too, you know.”
She says she’s the daughter of a merchant from the Royal Capital.
Apparently, she got separated from her father while he was in a meeting here in fortress city Mundo and ended up getting lost.
”I’m sorry. It’s my first time in this town, so I don’t know anything…”
I stuffed the remaining bun into my mouth as I bowed my head at the apologizing girl.
”If we can join up with papa… I might be able to help you.”
She finished eating her bun and extended her hand to me again.
”I’m Sasha──Sasha Zett. Now, let’s find a way to meet up with papa.”
* * *
”I see… I’m actually a year older than you.”
Hand in hand with a girl named Sasha, I walked down the street.
I pulled the hood of the coat I had borrowed from her down deep, trying to hide my face as I followed her.
The town I walked through with Sasha was very fresh and new to me.
I had never been able to walk through a town freely like this before.
I knew I had to keep my face hidden, but I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by everything around me.
Sasha smiled gently as she saw me.
We shared the fruit water we bought at the stall and enjoyed the packed fried snacks together; it was a very pleasant moment.
That happy time… was shattered.
I was surrounded by men who were chasing me.
They seemed to have been following me for a while, and when I chose to walk down a back alley, they blocked my way in front and behind.
”Geez… what a hassle you’ve caused.”
”Well, at least we found you.”
”And on top of that, you brought another ‘slave candidate’ with you.”
One in front, two behind.
There was no escape.
At that moment, Sasha spread her arms wide, shielding me from the men.
”Your actions are illegal here in the Romuna Kingdom! This girl bears a slave mark that hasn’t been contracted yet. You brought her here as merchandise, didn’t you?”
”So what? We were planning to carve the same thing onto you, little lady.”
The man grinned, drawing closer.
”Marking slaves is forbidden here!”
Sasha shouted at the man, her voice ringing out.
Even she must have known that reasoning with these men was pointless.
But──
(She’s… protecting me…)
She had every reason to fear being kidnapped and enslaved herself.
Yet, despite having just met me moments ago, Sasha stood before me, facing down those men.
Seeing her like that… I…
* * *
On the morning of the Grand Market’s final day, I woke from that same dream again.
(After that… Lady Sasha and I… were saved somehow.)
And today, on the last day of the Grand Market, that person would visit Lady Sasha.
An imperial merchant, captivated by Lady Sasha’s business acumen, who had provided her with all manner of support.
(And the one who rescued me from *that* fate…)
Lady Sasha probably doesn’t remember.
But I owe him a debt I can never repay.
(The reason I can serve under Lady Sasha like this…)
Is thanks to him──Lord Mitsuyoshi.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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