The La Noscia slum is located in an alleyway next to the city wall. If you walk further, you will see a row of rectangular buildings, and you can vaguely see a few vendors standing in front of their stalls and calling out their wares.
Walking to the end of this alley, there are four forks in the road. It seems that working-class areas are all like this, with a complex structure of several alleys intersecting each other, the kind of place where you can easily get lost if you're not careful.
One of the exits leads to the so-called underground tavern.
The buildings here are relatively dilapidated, likely old-style structures left over from the early days of La Noscia's construction.
In short, after La Noscia was developed into the capital of Robebia, this area was probably deliberately preserved. The specific reasons for this are probably unknown to anyone except the royal family and nobility.
However, it's not only in La Noscia that you can see such old-fashioned buildings; I've also seen similar structures in Teruneia.
"Lilith, can you tell how many people are inside?"
Upon arriving at the entrance of the underground tavern, there was only a staircase leading down to the front, and in front of the staircase was a large double door, similar to those of a guild.
To be honest, judging from its structure, it does look like an old underground tavern that was abandoned before. However, it is obviously abandoned, with the door covered in rust, and it looks like no one has visited it for many years.
"Sniff... Nobody's here, but... lots of animals."
"Animals?"
Indeed, the unpleasant smell is very much like that emanating from some kind of animal. However, why would there be such a strong animal smell in such a place?
"Lilith, let's go inside. I'll protect you if there's any danger."
"I'm the one who will protect you..."
"Uh... same, same..."
This is a rare opportunity to show off, can't I just indulge in a bit of talking?
However, the reason I asked Lilith to come along is precisely for this reason: if I were to encounter Nighold again here, then there would truly be no one who could save me.
Upon arriving at the gate, I found it locked with an old-fashioned lock. This type of lock is difficult to open without a key, but for someone like me who knows magic, it was no big problem. I could easily open it using earth magic.
Woohoo~
After all, it's a door that's been in disrepair for years, and it makes a jarring sound when you push it open. So, I always check my surroundings first to make sure there's no danger before I step inside.
Although Lilith will be able to spot the attackers hiding in the shadows in time, I still need to be cautious. After all, anyone who can hide their presence from Lilith is actually easy to do with just a little attention, since Lilith doesn't rely on magic to sense things like Julius.
Just in case, I locked the door again from the inside. Lilith would stare at me with a strange look, since my practiced movements were just like those of a thief.
"Ahem... Let's go, Lilith."
The so-called underground tavern is not actually like that. After entering through the main door, there is a dark corridor. At the end of the corridor is a door, behind which is a small room.
There was a table and chairs in the room, and some wine bottles and lunch boxes in the corner, indicating that someone had had a small gathering here a long time ago, as they were covered with cobwebs.
In one corner of the room, another door appears—a particularly dilapidated wooden door. After passing through this door, the cacophony of animal cries assaults the ears.
The room was also small, but it was filled with cages containing all sorts of animals.
There are cats, dogs, and other animals I've never seen before, including quite a few that can be considered rare.
"That Nighold... he doesn't even spare these guys?"
However, such rare animals should fetch a good price on the market. In any case, I understand why those two men came in empty-handed and left empty-handed; they probably just came in to feed these creatures.
After all, living rare animals are much more valuable than dead ones.
"Wait... there's a noise!"
Just as I was lost in thought, Lilith suddenly uttered those words and her eyes darted around the room as if searching for something.
"Hmm? Lilith, have you discovered something?"
Although this room is not large, it does not have a door like the previous room, which means that this is the last room, the room where all kinds of animals are imprisoned.
"It smells like a human child... but it's mixed in with the scent of these animals, so I can't pinpoint the exact location..."
As Lilith said this, she even climbed onto the cage to look around the space behind it, but she found nothing, because there was another cage behind that cage, only the animals inside were different.
Since this is a place that the two men frequently visit, it is very likely that it is also the place where the kidnapped children are being held.
I know Lilith wouldn't speak without evidence. In other words, the reason there are so many cages here, holding so many animals, might be to hide the children's scent.
So, like Lilith, I started searching the room, and every now and then I would climb onto the cage and use my magic eye to observe the space behind it.
It was precisely because of this that I discovered another benefit of the Magic Eye: even in a dimly lit room, my vision seemed unaffected and exceptionally clear.
Even so, the source of the smell was still not found.
"Leon... someone's come in!"
Just as I climbed onto the cage, Lilith sensed someone approaching and gestured for me to hide.
Because of the noisy calls of the animals, I didn't notice it in time. Luckily, Lilith had not only a keen sense of smell but also a pair of sharp ears.
Otherwise, if someone were to come in at this moment, they would really be caught red-handed. Even though I was in the mood to rescue the kidnapped child, for some reason I felt a sense of unease as if I were an illegal intruder.
Although Lilith gestured for me to hide quickly, where could I hide in this empty room except for the cage? I couldn't exactly hide inside the cage, could I? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?
Left with no other option, I hid behind the door, intending to grab anyone who entered the room as soon as they opened the door.
Lilith seemed to understand as well, hiding on the other side of the wall. As soon as someone opened the door, Lilith and I would strike at the same time.
In short, if the other party is able to negotiate, things become very simple, but if the other party shouts and yells, then you can only ask them to taste a punch the size of a sandbag.
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