Chapter 116
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 116
"First, I need to escape this place."
I couldn't simply wait for Claude. If I were sold off before he arrived, it would all be over.
"How do we escape? Our hands and feet are bound, and we don't even know where we are."
I glanced around the space. A thin shaft of light filtered through a small window set into one wall.
The window was barely large enough for a single small child to squeeze through.
'Could I escape through that window?'
My eyes darted between the window and Lucian. Given his larger frame compared to children his age, it seemed unlikely he could manage it.
Moreover, iron bars had been installed across the window. With such dense bars in place, escape through it was impossible.
"Aunt, my wrists hurt."
Lucian's wrists were red from his futile attempts to wriggle free of the rope.
"Don't move—you might injure yourself further. Let me see if I can find something to cut the rope with."
I relied on the thin beam of light seeping through the window to survey my surroundings.
Wooden crates were scattered throughout what appeared to be a storage area. In the corners lay discarded food wrappers and broken bottles, remnants of the workers' meals.
"That will do."
I wriggled my bound body toward the broken bottles, intending to use the glass shards to cut through the rope.
But severing the rope proved far more difficult than I'd anticipated.
"Ugh!"
"Aunt, are you alright?"
The sharp edge of the glass bit into my tender skin. With my hands bound behind my back, I couldn't maneuver properly.
"Aunt, are you okay? You're bleeding."
"I'm fine. Don't come closer—it's dangerous."
In truth, I wasn't fine. Each time I switched to a different glass fragment, the jagged edges sliced into my flesh. My hands felt as though they were being shredded.
But I didn't want to frighten Lucian further, already distressed as he was.
I could tend to my wounds after we escaped this place.
I bore the pain in silence, focusing entirely on cutting through the rope.
"Done."
After several minutes of struggle, drenched in cold sweat from my efforts, I finally severed the rope binding me.
"Lucian, turn around. Let me cut your bonds."
I immediately freed the ropes around Lucian's hands and feet. I saved the rope binding my own feet for last.
"All done."
Lucian rose to his feet, finally free.
"Lucian, are you hurt anywhere?"
My first action after cutting us loose was to examine him carefully.
"No, I'm okay. My bottom's a bit sore from lying on the floor, but I can bear it."
"Thank goodness."
"What's there to be thankful for?"
Lucian's gaze lowered, his eyes fixed on my blood-stained hands.
"You're bleeding so much."
"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt much."
"I should have this treated...."
I hid my injured hand behind my back where Lucian couldn't see it. Then I gently stroked the upset child's head with my uninjured hand.
"Aunt is really fine, so don't worry. Let's focus on getting out of here first. We can treat the wound once we escape this place."
"Okay!"
"Keep your voice down. We can't let them discover that we've freed ourselves from the ropes."
"Got it."
Lucian whispered softly as I brought my index finger to my lips. I was relieved that he didn't seem too shocked by everything.
"Our brave Lucian. You must have been so frightened, yet you didn't cry."
"Because I'm with Aunt. When Aunt is beside me, I'm not afraid of anything."
Lucian grasped my hand as he spoke.
The warmth transmitted through our skin, those yellow eyes so identical to my Sister's, were incredibly comforting.
"Aunt isn't scared at all because Lucian is here."
I gently caressed the child's cheek, then stepped onto the boxes stacked at the edge of the warehouse. The high window suddenly drew much closer.
"Aunt, what do you see outside?"
"Just a moment."
I rose onto my tiptoes and peered beyond the window.
The outside view held nothing remarkable—just a few trees and some buildings visible in the distance.
'I need to figure out where this place is.'
Yet I couldn't spot any clues that would help me identify the location.
I was descending from the wooden box when it happened.
"Aunt, I can see a flag over there."
"What? Where?"
"Come here and crouch down to look."
As Lucian tugged at my skirt, I bent my knees and looked up at the window.
Then I saw something that hadn't been visible when I stood on the box.
A flag, just as Lucian had mentioned.
"You're right?"
A flag with a purple background fluttered at the top of that distant fortress wall, exactly as Lucian had said.
What my elevated vantage point couldn't reveal, Lucian's lower perspective could.
"Well done, Lucian."
I patted Lucian's bottom affectionately, then narrowed my eyes to examine the flag more closely.
A pale purple background with an eagle emblem, and beneath it two windows as decoration. If my memory served correctly, that emblem was surely....
"The crest of Count Tevian's house."
Which meant this place was Count Tevian's Territory.
'Could it be that Count Tevian has joined hands with my Uncle?'
Given that they'd provided access to this warehouse, it seemed highly probable.
But the pressing issue now wasn't who had conspired in the kidnapping.
'Tevian Territory is located directly south, just below the Capital.'
And this place had a major road connecting to the Port.
'My Uncle truly intends to sell Lucian and me into slavery.'
Otherwise, there would be no reason to confine us to a city connected to the Port.
'I need to escape from here before they put us on a ship.'
The one saving grace was that Tevian Territory wasn't far from the Capital. If I could just slip away from this place, I should be able to return to the Capital safely.
"How can I escape... Ah!"
A good idea suddenly occurred to me, and I rummaged through my pocket.
"Aunt, what are you looking for?"
"Something that will help us."
I pulled out a small box from my inner pocket. Inside the box was a vial containing the magical essence that Ahin had given me. I had transferred it to a safe box just in case it might break.
"Isn't that magical essence?"
"That's right."
I had brought the vial of magical essence purely because of Ahin's request. I thought that if I pondered it together with Claude, we might find some clue.
But I never imagined it would be used like this.
"When that door opens and someone comes in, you're going to break this vial."
"What?"
Lucian's eyes widened at what was essentially a statement about detonating a bomb.
"That's dangerous. From what I can see, it's an incredibly potent magical essence. If you don't purify it, everyone will lose consciousness."
"Right. That's exactly what I'm counting on."
I nodded and pulled the vial from the box.
"An ordinary person would become intoxicated by this magical essence before long. But you're not an ordinary person, are you, Lucian?"
With Lucian's level of power, he could purify even this potent magical essence completely.
"Don't purify all of the magical essence—just purify enough so that only you can endure it. Then escape while everyone is incapacitated by the magical essence."
Once the magical essence spread, no one else would be able to move, leaving Lucian free to act.
"Don't go toward the city gates under any circumstances. The lord of this Territory might be part of their scheme. Keep running toward the Downtown District, and when you catch an empty carriage, tell them to take you directly to the House of Agris."
I removed the ring I was wearing and placed it in Lucian's hand. It was the ring I had received from the Duke of Bellomen a few months ago.
"With this ring, no one will dare treat you poorly."
Only those recognized by the Duke of Bellomen could receive such a ring. There wouldn't exist a commoner bold enough to mistreat someone close to the Duke of Bellomen.
"When I break this vial, don't look back—just run. Do you understand?"
"Aren't you coming?"
"..."
"Why are you talking like you're sending me alone?"
"That's because..."
I couldn't finish my words. A sudden dizziness washed over me.
Was it from losing too much blood, or from the shock of facing such a harsh situation for the first time? My head had been spinning continuously for a while now. Cold sweat dripped down, and my legs felt weak.
Escaping in this condition seemed impossible.
If I collapsed during the escape, it would be a disaster.
"If you go with me, we won't be able to escape properly and we'll be caught. So you go alone, Lucian."
If I couldn't get out of here, then I had to send Lucian back safely at least.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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