~Chapter 41~
No matter how pretty Caspar’s face was, he was still taller and more muscular than anyone else here. The slave traders here would definitely notice that and wouldn’t let it slide.
But every time the cold metal of the shackles touched his wrists, a shiver ran through his body. This was proof of the harsh reality.
“Looks like we’ve infiltrated successfully.”
Beside her, Caspar’s deep voice whispered these words with no intention of hiding it.
At this point, Floria just decided her head must be messed up and let it go. After all, in a village of one-eyed people, anyone with two eyes would be persecuted, right?
Although she decided to let it go, Floria couldn’t quite bring herself to look directly at Caspar. She squinted, trying to look at him vaguely, and then whispered quietly.
“…But how is this any different from being kidnapped?”
Honestly, it was horrifying to think Caspar had cross-dressed, but looking at the situation around her, it didn’t seem right. They were being led somewhere, but she had no idea where. Both of their wrists were shackled. The only thing they could move were their feet. They weren’t locked in a cage, but it didn’t feel any different from being kidnapped.
“It’s not kidnapping,” Caspar said.
“Ugh, yeah, I know it’s not kidnapping, but we’re still wearing shackles on our wrists!” Floria responded, shaking the shackles in frustration. To her surprise, Caspar smiled with amusement.
Despite trying to keep her eyes half-closed, she couldn’t bear to look at his moist lips directly.
In the end, Floria couldn’t hold back and said exactly what was on her mind.
“Your Grace. Does it make sense that the slave traders are embarrassed by you? You’re obviously a man.”
“Why not? I’m the prettiest one here.”
While it wasn’t an incorrect statement, it still left Floria feeling strangely annoyed. Now, Floria was close to crying.
“Your build is obviously male…” she muttered.
“Oh,” Caspar stopped abruptly. His eyes widened.
It was as though he hadn’t considered his own broad male figure at all.
“Floria, close your eyes for a second.”
“Eh?”
His familiar voice, which she still hadn’t fully adjusted to, rang in her ears. Fortunately, the slave traders weren’t rushing them forward yet, as they had stopped at the front of the line for some reason.
Floria did as Caspar instructed and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, Floria felt a strange emptiness in her ring finger, like something had slipped away.
“…!”
She almost felt dizzy. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt so heavy, she couldn’t lift them.
“What’s going on…?”
“Open your eyes now.”
As soon as Caspar’s voice spoke, her eyes flew open as if it were a lie.
In that instant, everything seemed clear and focused, as if she had woken up from a long, deep sleep.
What was happening? Floria turned her head to see ahead of her and was about to ask, but then she froze.
Caspar’s face was no longer where it had been. Instead, his eyes were now at her eye level.
‘Huh?’
She realized his body had shrunk. The muscles that had been so bulky were gone, and in their place, a woman stood before her—a woman who looked like she could be Caspar’s sister or mother. The transformation had happened suddenly.
“What happened?”
“I took a potion that makes everyone perceive me as a woman.”
“You were all muscular just a moment ago…”
“Sometimes, when you’re tired, the potion’s effect isn’t immediate. But think about it. Your mind’s clear now, right?”
“Ah.”
Floria nodded, feeling grateful. She now understood how the potion worked. But the thing that still bothered her was his deep voice. It was still the same, despite everything else having changed.
Floria decided to stop thinking about it. Her mind was clear, and she was finally awake. It was hard to believe it had been so difficult to wake up after the late nights spent memorizing reports at the temple.
“What if other people get confused and think you’re strange because of this?” Floria asked.
“It won’t happen.”
“Right, okay.”
Floria stopped thinking about it further. Though her mind was clear, her face remained cold.
Normally, she’d have asked questions like, “What’s the plan? How do we deal with the shackles?” But today, she just decided to trust Caspar. Or rather, she had given up asking and had accepted it.
“Let’s move forward.”
The slave traders, now done with their business at the front of the line, shouted for everyone to move forward. Floria walked on, but after a short time, Caspar stopped them again.
“Wait.”
A little while later, they were stopped again.
Now that Caspar had completely transformed into a woman, Floria noticed the slave traders glancing at him, and it made her uncomfortable.
But instead of glaring at them like Caspar, Floria looked at the door in front of her.
It was a yellow door decorated with strange ornaments. She could hear a loud noise coming from the other side.
What was behind that door? It must be something large and imposing. The door itself was so big that it required a lot of effort to open.
As it opened slowly, Floria hesitated before stopping.
She thought it would be a dark, damp underground dungeon, but the scene that unfolded was nothing like she imagined.
Behind the door was a massive mansion that looked like it could belong to a noble family, and rows of iron bars stretched out across the yard.
Inside the bars were women, shackled and standing like lifeless shells, as if they had given up on life. It was like a prison, except it was above ground.
Floria swallowed nervously. She could feel the weight of the shackles on her wrists becoming even more burdensome as she looked at the women in the cages.
From her quick glance, it seemed that there were at least a dozen iron cages. It didn’t seem like they could be rescued anytime soon.
‘If we get locked in there, how are we going to get out?’ Floria thought. She wanted to give up and leave, but there was no turning back now.
Caspar must have sensed her thoughts as he whispered to her.
“We’re not going into the cages. The owner of this place is coming soon.”
Floria looked at him with suspicion. Why was the owner’s appearance so important?
But before she could question him further, the doors of the mansion swung open. Someone wearing a dazzling, colorful cloak appeared and walked toward them, followed by five knights in full armor.
Floria froze. She recognized that man.
‘…What?’
It was Count Ridante. What was he doing here?
The sight of him made Floria’s blood boil. The memory of his disgusting behavior in the confessional resurfaced, and she almost screamed.
The count walked proudly, chest out, his eyes glinting with a wicked light.
