The operation commenced early the next morning after two men, who were Nighold's associates, gave a signal.
The demi-human woman was the first to act; her task was to transport the child that "Kanak" had already prepared back to "La Noscia".
Of course, in the past, they had always done this task themselves: using sleeping potion to knock out lost children or those walking alone in alleys without adult supervision, and then packing them up in sacks...
After being thrown onto the dragon cart, they are put in shackles or similar items so that they won't move around. Because they are children, a simple scare will make them very quiet and they won't make a fuss.
The two human men's task was to take over the goods at the city gate and eventually transport them back to Nighold's mansion for inspection.
Even among children sold into slavery, there are good and bad ones. Those who are quick and efficient are naturally considered good, while those who are clumsy and careless are naturally considered bad.
High-quality children would fetch more than double the price, attracting predatory aristocrats or wealthy families with a penchant for such things. Inferior children, on the other hand, would be sold at extremely low prices, targeting families in working-class neighborhoods who had some income but lacked manual labor.
court.
The profession of slavery is quite common in this world. In order to survive in this world, some parents even sell their children to human traffickers for a pittance of food and clothing.
However, such cases are generally rare, which is why human traffickers target orphans or children who are alone.
After all, they are just children, and they can be easily tricked with a few words. However, the most common tactic used by human traffickers is to impersonate a healer or similar profession, actively seeking treatment and then demanding exorbitant fees.
Unable to pay the corresponding amount, they would offer to bring their children to work for free in order to repay the debt. Little did they know that by the time they realized what was happening, they would already be in the slave market.
Not wanting to alert the enemy, the squad led by the male captain had been lingering near the inn. If they were to lie in ambush near Nighold's mansion now, they would be easily discovered, since his villa was located in a relatively secluded place.
Several hours later, they finally received a message from the demi-human woman.
"Um... I've completed my mission, could you... let me leave?"
It was clear that the demi-human woman was still very afraid. The death she witnessed last time had left her with a deep psychological scar. Even when facing a child like me who was only ten years old, her voice trembled.
"terribly sorry……"
When I answered him, I looked at the male captain to indicate that I couldn't make a decision.
Of course, her actions of kidnapping and trafficking children will inevitably lead to imprisonment, even in the lawless La Noscia, this is a serious crime.
However, considering that her case was not particularly serious and that she was essentially making amends for her crimes, she should be able to have her sentence reduced if she reforms herself properly.
"I...I understand..."
Judging from her expression, she had probably prepared for the worst. She just followed the team silently, neither shouting nor running away. Perhaps she had a change of heart.
"Everyone, please spread out. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the hostages. Do not launch an attack unless absolutely necessary!"
"yes!"
After receiving the order, the squad members who had been loitering around the inn slowly made their way toward Nighold's villa.
Some people pretended to be passersby and walked into the alley.
Some people pretended to be customers and stood in front of the stall examining the goods.
Some people can easily leap onto the roof.
In short, although this team only has ten people, they are all highly skilled individuals.
This makes me admire Count Fred. After all, to be able to bring so many powerful people under his command, he is, in short, no pushover.
"You are... called Leon, right?"
"Yes, my name is Leon Cabreen!"
At this point, the lady at the guild reception desk would come over and strike up a conversation with me.
Well… to call it flirting is a bit of an exaggeration. She looked at me with a very unnatural expression, as if she didn't believe me. After all, I was the one who started this incident, and if Nighold, as an adventurer of the guild, were to actually be a bastard who kidnaps children, the reputation of the Adventurers' Guild would be greatly damaged.
"Hmm... It's quite remarkable to have Earl Fred's help... I hope you can keep this a secret."
"I will, please don't worry."
Just as I thought, if Nighold's affair becomes public knowledge, the Adventurers' Guild's reputation will indeed be damaged. Is that why you came here specifically to remind me?
"To be honest... Nighold was such a reliable person, yet he's the kind of person who would do something like this... sigh..."
The guild receptionist seemed a bit troubled, as she needed to find a comprehensive way to suppress Nighold's matter, but she couldn't prevent rumors from spreading about him.
In short, the reputation of the Adventurers' Guild has been irreparably damaged. Even if I am gone, the other adventurers will not shut their mouths, especially the female adventurers who have been harmed by Nighold.
To be honest, I didn't think things through before taking the following actions. If I had gone to the Adventurers' Guild to discuss it first, there might have been a better solution.
but.
At only ten years old, I was treated like a child, and no matter how hard I tried to explain, probably no one would believe me.
"Women... are such a hassle..."
With that mindset in mind, I followed the team toward Nighold's villa.
~~~
When they arrived at the intersection, the dragon carriage that the two human men had transported earlier was already parked in front of the villa. The two men were not there; it seemed they had gone inside the villa to meet up with Nighogd.
"Shouldn't someone be left to guard the dragon carriage?"
Anyone would leave someone to keep watch after kidnapping a child, right? If the child escapes at that moment, what's the point of the deal?
"What's going on?"
Because I was positioned at the road entrance, I couldn't see clearly what was happening in front of the villa. The team, led by the male captain, didn't dare to approach rashly. Even if they were very close to the villa, they couldn't act without the captain's orders.
Even Lilith and the female captain inside the dragon carriage couldn't help but feel puzzled. From the back of the dragon carriage, it seemed that they had indeed arrived at their destination as planned, but the surroundings were very quiet, and the so-called transaction had not proceeded as planned.
Several minutes later, not only me, but almost everyone noticed a wave of magical energy fluctuation.
Immediately afterwards, two shadows flew out from inside the villa and crashed heavily to the ground, motionless.
"These are! Those two accomplices!"
Although there was still some distance between them and Nighold's villa, I could roughly recognize the two figures through my magic eye; they were the two human men who had been transported a second time.
"Hahaha! Leon! What a clever scheme to trap someone like a turtle in a jar and frame someone else! Do you think you can convict me just by having some dragon carriage parked in front of my house?"
As two figures flew backward, Nighold finally came into view, followed closely by Yuna.
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