ISMFB 27

CHAPTER 27

Upon hearing the report that Linaria had disappeared, the Empress paused.

“She’s an imperial knight—there’s no way she lost a mere noblewoman for some absurd reason. What happened?”

“The young lady broke through even her own escort to escape our surveillance. I have no excuse.”

The Empress leisurely looked outside. Unlike the chilly atmosphere inside, it looked quite peaceful out there.

“If she has nothing to hide, there’s no reason to run. She’s clearly up to something.”

“……”

“The problem is: how did Lady Obel learn about that, and why is she helping it…?”

There had been no apparent connection, which was suspicious.

But—

“Finding that is more important than Lady Obel. Focus on tracking its whereabouts.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

⋯⋯

“Mmph, mmph.”

Linaria struggled as a large palm covered her mouth.

“Shh.”

The voice whispering in her ear was someone she recognized. Once she stopped struggling, the grip around her relaxed.

However, the hand over her mouth still didn’t move away.

Just as she was about to remove it—

“Damn it, it’s a dead end. There’s no one here.”

“I’m sure I saw her come this way…”

“You want to disappoint them? Stop making excuses and keep looking!”

The voices of her pursuers gradually faded.

Once she was sure no one was around, Linaria pushed the man away.

Then she turned and looked at the man who had saved her.

“Is it really okay to use a divine beast’s power like this?”

Behind Linaria stood a false wall.

Thanks to it, the knights hadn’t noticed them.

“Prince Brimstone.”

Standing there was a man with the same silver hair as Linaria—Auguste.

“Helping a lady in distress is a knight’s duty. The divine beast Brimstone would approve.”

His courteous tone made Linaria assess the situation calmly.

‘The knights were in plain clothes. That means he doesn’t know the Empress is after me.’

Brimstone wasn’t aligned with the Empress.

Although he was hostile toward the Obels, if they had truly sided with the imperial family, they wouldn’t have fallen from power so easily.

He didn’t seem like an enemy—so she softened slightly.

“Forgive my delayed thanks. I was in a difficult situation. If you want a reward, come visit Obel.”

“No need for rewards between family.”

“No, debts should be repaid properly. Anyway, I must be going.”

With a businesslike tone, Linaria bowed and left quickly.

For some reason, Auguste seemed fond of her, which she didn’t particularly appreciate.

By the time she exited the alley, the sun had set.

‘The black market will open soon.’

She had to act before the Empress did.

She went into a nearby shop and bought a cloak and mask to disguise herself.

Because the black market only operated at night, she needed to hurry.

Which meant—

Tap, tap.

Step, step.

There was no time to lose dodging Auguste, who was clearly following her.

“I’m thinking of giving a gift to a friend who never leaves the house. What do you think of this?”

Unaware of her urgency, Auguste asked casually.

“How’s Ricardo doing these days?”

He kept asking cryptic questions.

“I don’t know. Ask him yourself.”

“I haven’t seen him in years. Last time we met, we were kids—and he ignored me back then too. Probably still would.”

“Then don’t ask others what he wouldn’t say himself.”

“Funny, Ricardo said the same thing back then. You’re very similar to him, Linaria.”

Her expression hardened.

“Have you been following me just to make pointless small talk?”

It was clear Auguste was hiding something.

‘But I have so little information…’

If it weren’t for her, he would have already returned as a corpse by now.

“Linaria, do you know what’s been happening in the capital lately?”

“No.”

“People of all ages and genders are disappearing without a trace. You were almost in danger just now too.”

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll be meeting up with my escort soon.”

“Then I’ll accompany you until then.”

This was becoming a problem.

“You’re heading to the black market, right? If you get hurt, your uncle will be devastated.”

Because she had lingered near the market with him tagging along, he had apparently figured out her destination. She was cornered.

“Why are you helping me? We’re cousins, but we’ve only met once before this.”

“Even if I were a stranger, I’d do the same. Helping the weak is what knights do.”

When Linaria looked at him with clear suspicion, Auguste finally revealed his thoughts.

“Recently… I thought I’d like to get to know you better. To be honest…”

To be honest?

“I believe you were the one who ensured my victory. My father disagreed, but—”

“What? Why?”

“The Duke of Obel insisted it was you.”

“…For once, Duke Brimstone is right. I had absolutely nothing to do with your victory.”

“Really? But I don’t think the Duke of Obel would make such a claim lightly.”

She could’ve denied it outright.

But she didn’t want to speak ill of her father, so she stayed quiet.

“In any case, my conclusion remains the same. Whether you’re my cousin or not, whether you advised me or not—I would have still protected you.”

“Playing at being a knight?”

“Something like that.”

Though he was a real knight, he wasn’t offended by her jab. Instead, he burst into hearty laughter and nodded.

“Believe it or not, people call me a hero these days.”

“…Then just for today, I’ll accept your help.”

Linaria finally decided to let him tag along.

She had no means to shake him off immediately—and he wouldn’t side with the imperial family anyway.

“It’s a knight’s duty, my lady,” Auguste replied smoothly.

⋯⋯

“Genuine fairy wings for sale! But don’t touch them! You’ll ruin their value!”

“Cheap! Cheap! A unicorn horn for only 500 runes!”

“Freshly caught mermaid scales! Only a few left in stock!”

In the black market, everything was sold—except for what truly couldn’t be found.

Many vendors sold parts of non-human species.

“Interested in the mermaid scales?”

“No. Not at all.”

She’d bet her life savings they were all fakes.

It was rare for non-humans to appear in front of people.

So it was nearly impossible for real parts to make it to the black market.

“If you want something, just say it. The imperial family gave me a generous reward recently, so I’ve got money to spend.”

“Then use it to honor your parents.”

“Huh? Ha, haha!”

Startled, Auguste burst into loud, choking laughter.

Just then, she caught a snippet of conversation from passersby.

“There’s a crowd over there. Must be something good up for sale.”

“I saw a man with golden eyes waiting nearby. Handsome guy—lots of people seem interested.”

“What? Golden eyes?”

It had to be Kaas.

Linaria quickened her pace.

Vendors sold questionable books and mysterious art, but—

“5,487 runes! This item is sold for 5,487 runes!”

There was one vendor auctioning off slaves.

It drew crowds, since the auction was a spectacle.

As she scanned the yet-unsold slaves, Linaria’s eyes lit up.

She immediately grabbed an attendant.

“I want to change the auction order.”

“That’s against regulations.”

Linaria removed her bracelet.

“I want to buy that slave right now. Waiting is tiresome. Do I really need to stand around and get sore legs?”

She deliberately acted arrogant, like a noblewoman swimming in money.

That usually intimidated people into complying.

“Just for today, we’ll make an exception!”

The vendor snatched the bracelet and hurried onto the stage to whisper to the auctioneer.

The deal was made.

Linaria positioned herself for the bid.

“This is a top-quality item, the best of the best.”

And then—

“Now, look at this face!”

Kaas appeared.

“Even has golden hair and golden eyes!”

Golden eyes didn’t guarantee royalty, but the emperor had golden eyes—and gold was the color of the imperial family.

More precisely, it was the color associated with the divine beast of light, thus considered sacred.

Faced with such vivid golden hair and eyes, the onlookers were captivated.

Kaas’s hands and feet were shackled in chains.

He wore a slave’s collar.

Whether drugged or otherwise, he looked completely subdued.

Indistinguishable from any other slave.

What stood out was that, despite not being gagged, his lips remained tightly shut.

“One thousand runes. We start at one thousand.”

The bidding began.

Everyone scrambled to raise the price. Things escalated quickly.

“Ten thousand!”

From a thousand to ten thousand in a flash.

The lower the price, the easier to call out.

Soon, less serious buyers dropped out, and only true bidders remained.

That was when—

“One million runes.”

Linaria called out a massive number.