"Look! I can see Shella just over the next bridge!" Lucy shouted, hanging out the window.
"Finally..." Kalia sighed, rubbing her back.
The carriage was better than their old cart, but it still bounced enough to leave her with a sore back and aching joints.
I'll never get used to traveling this way.
A chill shot down Milena's spine as the town came into view.
"...Shella..."
"Don't worry, Milena. We're never going back there again. It's not like they could do anything to us now. We aren't the same as we were back then."
Eron soothed her, grabbing Milena's hand.
"I know... It's just... you remember what they did to us."
"I do..."
"I can't understand why a demi village would let a place like that even exist..." Kalia wondered aloud.
"I doubt the villagers know about it. We were taken through a tunnel under an inn on the edge of town."
"Ah, then we should start our investigation there."
"Do we really need to go there...?" Milena tensed. "Can't we just charge in and attack them?"
"We'll be fine, Milena. Fio has a summon that can infiltrate their hideout. It keeps the element of surprise on our side. They won't know we're here for them until it's too late!"
"Good..."
"See, Milena! Master Lia has a plan for everything," Lucy announced. "We're gonna be just fine!"
Please... don't jinx it, Lucy...
As the carriage approached the village, the group saw a line of carts waiting to enter the main gate.
"Hold it right there!" a stern-faced guard shouted.
Astra reined in the horses, bringing them to a halt.
"What seems to be the problem, sir?"
"All travelers are subject to inspection!" he answered abruptly. "Please exit your carriage. We will be checking any and all baggage you have!"
The raids must have the city guard on high alert.
"Absolutely."
Kalia hopped down from the carriage and knocked on the door.
"Girls, come on out."
"Okay, Master Lia!"
"Names?"
"I'm Kalia Waywrenn."
Kalia pointed to each of the others and gave their names.
"What is your purpose in Shella?"
Best not to give them the real reason.
"We're adventurers. Just stopping to rest for a few days."
"Do you have any trade goods?"
"No, just our camping gear, clothes, and weapons."
Kalia's breath caught the instant she mentioned weapons.
The Armory items...
She instinctively cut the mana to them.
"All right."
The man scribbled in his book, then turned to another guard.
"Norrin, search the carriage while I check their names against the bounty sheet."
"Yes, sir!"
He saluted.
Norrin spared no effort as he opened every pack, pulled up seat cushions, and tapped the floorboards. Every inch of the carriage was thoroughly searched.
The stern-faced guard returned.
"Everything in order, Norrin?"
"All good, sir! Nothing out of the ordinary found."
"Your names are clear. You're free to enter."
The guard's face softened.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, ladies. Can't be too careful these days, not with all the bandit raids."
"It's no trouble. Thank you."
Kalia bowed politely.
"Oh, if it isn't too much trouble, could I ask for directions?"
"Sure."
"Can you point us toward The Horned Battu? I heard it was the best inn in town."
"Certainly. Just head straight down this road here, and when you reach the fountain in the center of town, take a left. Can't miss it."
"Thanks again!"
Kalia waved warmly as the carriage lurched forward.
"Be safe!"
The guard waved back.
A burgundy-colored building came into view, with a large horned Battu statue above the entryway.
"This must be the place."
"Ooh, looks nice."
Astra pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the inn.
An elderly Assam woman greeted them warmly.
"Hello there! I'm Elma, the caretaker of this inn. Checking in?"
"Yup! I believe there's a reservation under Kalia Waywrenn."
Elma thumbed through her guest book.
"Oh! Lady Kalia and Lady Astra! Welcome!"
"Corah!" Elma called over her shoulder. "Take these ladies to their rooms, please."
A young girl poked her head out from behind the door.
"Yes, Miss Elma."
"What about our—"
"Oh, deary, don't you worry about your luggage. I'll have it sent up right away. You must be tired from traveling. Just go make yourselves comfortable."
Astra leaned toward Kalia and whispered.
"I didn't realize we'd be getting the royal treatment."
"Modo did say he made arrangements for us..."
Finally... a real bed.
"If everyone's settled in, I'm going to head out for a bit. You girls can just relax here."
"Sure thing, Master Lia! Are you sure you want to go alone, though?"
"Yeah. I want to get an idea of the town's layout. If we all go out, it could attract too much attention. I won't be gone long."
Kalia manifested a small round device.
"What's that, Master Lia?"
Sarah eyed the golden disk in Kalia's hand.
"I wanna see too!" Astra chimed, poking her head over Kalia's shoulder.
She wasn't about to let an opportunity to study a new item pass by.
"This? It's called a Cartographer's Disc. It makes a map of anywhere I carry it, so I don't have to memorize locations. See?"
A large three-dimensional image of the inn and surrounding buildings hovered above the disk.
"That's amazing! I can see the whole plaza!"
"Not just that."
Kalia pinched the image with her fingers.
"It can map the insides of buildings, scan for hidden passages, and even point me toward an exit."
"Do you have any idea..."
Astra frowned.
"All those times I got lost in some forgotten ruins... all that time wasted fighting monsters..."
"Well, it can't show you people or creatures, and it only works in places I've physically been inside."
Kalia laughed.
"I'll be back before dark. See you guys later."
Kalia abruptly took off at a brisk pace.
Something had caught her eye at the end of the street, and she needed to investigate before he disappeared.
"Uh, o-okay. See you later, then..."
Astra waved, confused by the sudden departure.
"I knew I saw that bastard..."
Kalia slipped into an alley behind the inn to trail the man.
"Harl..."
Kalia nearly spat out his name.
She kept to the shadows as Harl made his way toward a small shop on the other side of the village.
"He can't see me. Not yet..."
She silently cursed her rotten luck.
Of all people to be in town right now...
She knelt behind a tall stack of boxes beside the shop, hoping to overhear their conversation.
"I'm glad you're enjoying the new stock, Tokul! We have new ones in if you want to take a look later!"
"I'll do that, Harl. The last one is spent already. Hopefully this next one will be a bit more durable!"
The shopkeeper laughed.
"Ha, that makes, what, three this month?"
"I can't help it if I'm rough with them! If anything, it's their fault for being so fragile."
"Well, you're in luck. We have a big auction tomorrow. Tons of new merchandise!"
"Excellent! I'll be there!"
"I look forward to it, Tokul."
"Calm down, Kalia... You can't do anything right now... They'll get theirs in time."
Kalia seethed, slamming her fist against the wall.
Tokul... I'll remember that.
"I'm back."
Kalia stormed through the doorway.
"Hi, Master Lia..."
Astra trailed off, catching the anger in Kalia's voice.
"Are you... okay?"
"I'm fine, just..."
Kalia exhaled deeply.
"...give me a minute."
"Did something happen?"
"I overheard a shopkeeper talking with one of the higher-ups in the gang. It would seem that he's involved."
"You mean there are people here...?"
Fio gasped in horror.
"How has the city guard not noticed this happening?"
"Yeah. It looks like there's an auction tomorrow, and with that being the case, we're going to be making our move sooner than I'd hoped."
"I can't believe it..."
Fio shook her head.
"These are people from their own village..."
"I can..."
Milena and Eron shared the same thought.
The other girls hadn't been with them at the auction house. They had seen both demis and humans there buying slaves.
Evil wasn't limited to just humans.
"So, what are we going to do, Master Lia? We can't let that auction happen."
Astra rose from her seat.
"We should take that place down now."
"We can't just barge in there."
Kalia shook her head.
"First, Fio, I need you to summon Uuro and send it over to that shop. Keep tabs on the shopkeeper."
"I can do that. What should I tell Uuro to do?"
"Just have it follow the shopkeeper around. I want to know every movement he makes, every word he speaks. Report everything."
"Understood."
Fio knelt down and drew a rune on the floor.
"Through the darkened halls of Ellou, I call upon the one who sees all. Uuro Magiid."
Fio finished her incantation.
The rune glowed with a pale light as dozens of small winged creatures appeared before her.
"Greetings, Fioria. How may this one assist you?"
The creatures spoke as one, their voices buzzing like the beating of a fly's wings.
"Hello, Uuro."
She greeted the beings and described what needed to be done.
"Can you do that for me?"
"Of course, Fioria. This one shall return with the information you desire."
The creatures responded before zipping out the window.
"Ahh, Harl, back again so soon? Anything you needed?"
"No, no. Just coming by to give you the new password for the auction tomorrow."
"A new one? Why, though?"
"Boss got a weird feeling and is having me run around all over the place to let the other patrons know. He caught wind that the king in Tuugo is sending out a party to squash our little business."
Harl sighed.
"Since when has that man been the superstitious type? Besides, who would be stupid enough to take a group like yours on?"
"I know, right? Anyway, it's 'Call the hounds, we have work to do.'"
"Got it. Thanks for coming by to let me know."
Tokul swatted at several flies that had been buzzing around his shop.
"Damn things just won't leave me alone today..."
"No trouble, Tokul. I hope you bring a full coin purse. This new stock is the finest we've ever had!"
"I look forward to it. See you."
Tokul waved as Harl disappeared into the alleyway.
"It's getting late... I really hope Uuro returns soon. You don't think it got caught, do you?"
Kalia glanced nervously out the window.
The sun was already beginning to set.
"We may have to just go and hope for the best..."
"Not to worry. If Uuro had been found out, it would simply return to the Spirit Realm on its own. I would know if that happened."
"This one returns," Uuro buzzed.
"Just in time! Did you find anything out, Uuro?"
"Indeed. This one has the information you requested. The auction will take place tomorrow night. There is a password to get in the door. The words are, 'Call the hounds, we have work to do.'"
"Thank you, Uuro!" Fio smiled.
"This one does not need thanks. This one does as it is commanded," Uuro buzzed matter-of-factly.
"I'll be calling on you again soon."
"And this one shall come. Until next time, Fioria."
Uuro vanished with a thin wisp of smoke.
"Good thinking, Master Lia! Without that password, we'd have been in serious trouble," Astra said.
"Seriously. This mission could've been over before we even started."
Kalia nodded.
"All right, now to the hard part. How do we get into that auction without getting noticed?"
"I have an idea."
Eron raised her hand.
"What if you pose as a slave trader? We already know the password, so getting in should be easy."
"That's an excellent idea. Someone else is going to have to play the role of the slave trader, though. One of those men knows my face and will definitely alert the others if he sees me."
Kalia shot a glance at Astra.
"Why are you looking at me, Master Lia...?"
Astra's brow furrowed.
"You're the only one here they didn't see that night we rescued the girls, and the girls are too young to be believable."
"I-I can't be a slave trader..."
Astra shook her head vigorously.
"Absolutely not!"
"I'm sorry, Astra. There isn't any other choice."
"But..."
Astra bit her lip, trying to think of another solution.
"Okay. I'll do it..."
Astra knew it was the only option.
"Thank you, Astra."
Kalia wrapped her arms around the girl.
"You'll be fine."
"But... I don't know how to act like a slave trader."
"Don't worry. I'll give you a crash course on acting like a villainess. And with the pin, I can just feed you lines directly."
"O-okay. Sounds easy enough."
"I think it would be best to have two of the girls go with Astra and pose as her servants. Just as extra support in case something happens."
"So... which of us is going to play the slaves?"
Milena nervously rubbed her hands together.
"I'll go," Eron answered immediately. "My healing magic may be useful if any of the slaves are injured."
"Me too."
Fio raised her hand.
"I'm gonna need to be there to summon Uuro to follow Harl back to his hideout."
"That sounds good. Fio and Eron are with Astra. Lucy, Sarah, Milena, and I will wait outside with the carriage."
"How are we going to get them out, though? There's only one way in and out of that place. We won't be able to just walk out of there," Eron questioned.
"Easy. Astra is going to buy the entire lot!"
"Buy them?! But how? We can't afford that!"
"You're right, but I think I can fool them. This should do the trick."
Kalia manifested a nondescript metal cube.
"Umm, how exactly is this going to help?" Eron snorted. "This is just a chunk of metal."
"Watch."
Kalia focused on the cube.
It began changing shape into a massive chest overflowing with gold coins.
"What the..."
Eron's eyes glowed.
"I've never seen this much money before! You could buy an entire castle!"
Astra gasped.
More Armory items!
"This is just an illusion. It's called False Wish, and it's exactly for situations like this. It'll hold this form as long as I channel mana into it, and once we get everyone out, it'll return to being a useless brick of metal."
Kalia broke into a wide grin.
"Right before disappearing altogether. Too bad I won't be able to see their faces when it does."
"Hehe, I'd like to see that too."
Eron chuckled.
"That would be priceless!"
"An illusion... but won't they get suspicious when..."
Astra reached into the chest and picked up a handful of coins, letting them fall through her fingers.
"I can even manipulate the coins like they're real!"
"Yup. False Wish creates illusions indistinguishable from the real thing. They won't know they were fooled until it disappears!"
"Amazing as always, Master Lia!"
"Do you think they'll take the gold, though?" Milena interjected. "What if they don't let Astra purchase everyone without the auction?"
"There's enough 'gold' here that they should easily accept the offer, but if that doesn't work, Astra will just have to outbid everyone. I can always make the chest bigger."
"Now, once everyone is outside, Astra, I want you to send me a message through the pin so we can have the carriage waiting for you."
"Understood, Master Lia."
"Remember, we don't want to start a fight in there. No matter what you see or hear, you must ignore it."
Kalia shot a glance at Fio.
"No fighting. We want them to go back to their hideout."
"I understand, Master Lia..."
Fio nodded, clenching her fist.
"...no fighting."
"As for my group, we'll wait nearby for Astra's signal. With any luck, we can get in and out without anyone catching on."
"Gotcha, Master Lia," the three confirmed.
"As for you..."
Kalia flashed a sly grin at Astra.
"We can't have you dressed in your normal clothes. You've gotta look the part."
"W-what do you mean by that...?"
Astra shifted in her seat.
"I don't like it when you look at me like that."
"I-I can't wear this..." Astra shouted from behind a curtain. "...No way!"
"C'mon, Astra. Just get out here..."
Kalia knew Astra wasn't going to like the outfit.
"...we agreed a wealthy brothel owner would be the best cover."
"Fine... just... don't laugh."
Astra sighed, slowly stepping out into the room.
"..."
Kalia opened her mouth to speak...
...and nothing came out.
She'd expected Astra to look convincing.
She hadn't expected her to look so breathtaking.
Astra stepped into the room wearing a flowing crimson evening gown embroidered with delicate gold filigree that shimmered in the lamplight. The neckline plunged almost to her waist, while translucent layers of silk flowed gracefully around her legs. Her silver hair seemed almost luminous against the deep crimson fabric, the golden embroidery tracing the delicate lines of her figure.
"Wow..." Fio gasped. "You look great, Astra!"
"So pretty!" Sarah chimed. "Isn't she, Milena?"
"There's no way I could fight in that..."
"So bold..." Eron added.
"It's so tight and... you can see right through it... I-I can't!"
Astra jumped behind the curtain again, her face a deep scarlet.
"You'll have to, Astra. I know it's embarrassing..."
Kalia doubted she could even wear something like that comfortably.
"...but it's all part of the charade."
"Okay... I'm just not used to wearing things like this," Astra conceded.
"You'll only have to wear it for a few hours," Kalia assured her. "Besides, you look absolutely amazing in it."
"I do?"
Astra stammered, the scarlet glow returning to her face.
"Mm-hm. Stunning."
"M-Master Lia..."
Astra wrung the hem of her skirt.
"...d-don't say such strange things."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist..."
Kalia replied, casting her a sly grin.
"I'll go put the girls to bed while you get changed."
"I-I guess it isn't that bad..."
Astra smiled, admiring herself in the mirror.
I can handle this much, especially if Master Lia likes it.
"Are there any questions about the plan?"
Kalia turned toward the group.
"No, Master Lia."
They all nodded.
"Great. Now off to bed with you, girls. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
Kalia ushered the girls toward their rooms.
"Goodnight, girls!"
"Night, Master Lia!"
"You're still wearing that?" Kalia asked as she returned to their room.
"I can't get it off. I'm stuck... Help!"
Astra fumbled with the laces at the back of the dress.
"Ha, come over here. I'll help."
Kalia chuckled, gently holding Astra's hair back as she helped undo the knots.
"Do I really look that good in this?"
"I wasn't lying, Astra. It's almost a shame you'll only have to put it on once..."
"You mean it...?"
Astra turned abruptly.
The dress slipped to the floor.
Kalia's hands froze where they'd been untying the final lace.
"...Astra."
Eyes up, Kalia.
"Eep... Don't look at me!"
Astra dove behind the curtain, scrambling to get her nightgown on.
"I guess that makes you the tease this time."
"Huh...? What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Just come to bed. It's late."
"O-okay. Goodnight, Master Lia."
"Night, Astra."
Kalia tentatively wrapped an arm around Astra's waist, expecting her to flinch.
Instead, Astra nestled closer.
Kalia smiled to herself.
Maybe Astra had finally stopped seeing her as just "Master."