Kidnapped at the Festival
The festival offered so many attractions that even the knights kept glancing away.
Since they also had to escort Bright and Zaimam, their eyes would occasionally drift from me.
That made escaping ridiculously easy.
All I had to do was slip into the overflowing crowd.
“This way.”
Iruse and I made full use of our small bodies to weave between the people.
Running through the forest of countless legs felt exactly like pushing through a dense thicket of reeds.
We gripped each other’s hands tightly so we wouldn’t lose one another. The moment we finally broke free of the main road and dashed into a quiet narrow alley, laughter burst out of us.
We knew we had shaken off the knights.
From then on, Iruse and I were buzzing with excitement.
“Hehe! Success!”
“But are we going the right way?”
“We are. There was a map on the poster, remember?”
“What? You memorized it after just a glance?”
“You can’t?”
“I can’t!”
I often forgot, but Mia, Bright, and Iruse all possessed formidable brains.
“I memorized the route! This way.”
It was late at night, but the moon was bright, so the darkness wasn’t oppressive.
How long had we run? We finally slowed to a walk.
The farther we moved from the city center, the faster the crowds thinned. Soon the alley contained only the two of us.
“See, Jeanie? Good thing we snuck out, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You looked so down earlier. I really wanted to bring you.”
She had been paying attention to me. The realization was strangely touching. I was about to thank Iruse.
“Wait, Iruse.”
“What is it, Jeanie?”
“Just now… I felt something strange. Like someone is watching me.”
“Huh? You can sense that?”
Apparently Iruse felt nothing.
Was I simply being oversensitive? An inexplicable sense of foreboding made me stop and look back.
I had definitely felt something, yet I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.
The sensation had been far too faint.
Maybe I was just worried about the people we had ditched?
I did feel a little guilty, but my plan was to look around for a short while and then return. Once we got back to the inn we could simply claim we had gotten lost along the way.
“Must have been my imagination.”
“I don’t feel anything?”
As I turned forward again with a nonchalant shrug, I saw a pitch-black shadow descending on Iruse. She stood there completely defenseless, head tilted in confusion.
What the hell is that!
“Iru—!”
But before the warning left my lips, something violently clamped over my mouth.
I immediately recognized the filthy, rough hand by its stench.
“Mmph!”
It happened almost simultaneously.
My eyes bulged as I watched Iruse point behind me before she was seized by the attacker.
Someone behind me yanked me upward.
The hand covering my mouth was so massive that it hid half my face and one eye completely.
I could barely see. Worse, I couldn’t breathe at all.
With my one uncovered eye I saw Iruse thrashing desperately.
“Mmmph!”
“Iruse!”
That guy wasn’t beside me because I had run off with Iruse!
He was useless when I actually needed him and annoyingly cheeky, yet in moments like this he was the only one who came to mind.
He had said that if I called strongly he would sense it from anywhere, so I had no choice but to believe him.
With my mouth sealed, that was all I could do.
“Mmmph! Mmmng!”
I faintly heard Iruse resisting. In desperation I tried to summon Adore.
At least he could be used for attack.
I couldn’t speak, but if I called with all my strength…
“This won’t do. Shut her up.”
Something hard immediately slammed into the back of my head.
Pain exploded from my skull and rapidly swallowed my vision.
I couldn’t think anymore. My consciousness blinked out.
…Honestly, this world is disgustingly dangerous.
A creeping chill that felt like it was crawling under my skin made me slowly open my eyes.
Everything around me was pitch black. Only a faint light leaked through a small window. Nothing else was visible.
Even that small window was fitted with dense iron bars.
I let out a long sigh.
It looked like I had been kidnapped by the slave traders I had only heard about in stories.
They had taken two children, so the situation was obvious.
How did things end up like this?
I had only wanted to see the monster market. I never intended to participate in the slave market—especially not as merchandise.
…What a crazy world!
It had gone completely insane! What were we supposed to do when it was this dangerous! Argh!
Sudden fury overtook me and I began rolling across the floor.
I couldn’t contain the rage boiling up inside.
This is how many times now! I nearly died to the Bee Swarm! I almost got eaten by a monster while trying to relieve myself in the mountains! Now I get kidnapped by slave traders just for trying to enjoy a festival! Does any of this make sense!
What kind of brutal world was this!
I had thought nothing worse could happen, but that belief had clearly been arrogance.
As I huffed and puffed, blood rushed to my head and the spot where I had been struck began to throb violently.
So this is what it feels like to get hit in the back of the head.
First things first—I needed to assess the situation.
I worked my tongue to push out the filthy scrap of cloth jammed into my mouth. My forcibly stretched jaw ached.
“Iruse?”
I was worried about whether Iruse, who had been captured with me, was safe.
I called softly, but there was no answer. My heart tightened.
“Iruse! Where are you?”
When I raised my voice a little, a rustling sound came from one corner of the darkness.
There was definitely someone else here besides me.
But it was too dark to tell whether it was Iruse.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out even a silhouette, but the darkness was absolute.
“She should be nearby.”
The sudden voice belonged to a young boy.
From the sound of it, he seemed around my age.
“The girl who was captured with you.”
“Really? You were taken too?”
I looked toward the voice, but no further answer came.
Well, after being kidnapped, he probably wasn’t in the mood to chat.
I felt around for Iruse first.
The floor was cold and rough. My hand came away coated in gritty, dirty dust.
This place was most likely underground. The way the voice echoed and the oppressive darkness suggested as much.
“Found her.”
Soon my fingers brushed fabric with a familiar texture.
Iruse’s clothes were definitely this fine silk. I felt further and touched hair braided into twin tails woven with flowers, though the braids had come slightly loose.
It was definitely Iruse.
“Mmm…”
She must have woken from my touch; I felt her body shift. I quickly shook her.
“Iruse? Wake up, Iruse!”
“Ugh…”
Even after shaking her roughly, Iruse only let out a small groan before going limp again.
I needed her awake if we were going to escape or make any plans… What should I do? I forced myself to think.
To survive, I needed to calm down and organize my thoughts.
Sigh, stay calm. There’s an old saying that even if you’re offered as a sacrifice in a dragon’s lair, you can survive if you keep your head… as if that would actually work!
Aaaaaagh!
Calm down my ass. This situation is complete garbage!
How can my personality not turn filthy after all this! I wanted to remain a pure soul who didn’t know about the dangers of the world, too!