AEPOB 03

Chapter 03

“Huff…”

I stood still, catching my breath and looking around.

I was trying to figure out my current location.

The bright sunlight was blocked by tents set up everywhere, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

A musty, foul stench of rot stung my nose, and the various unnamed meats hanging in front of each shop were strangely eerie.

Moreover, rough-looking men were stabbing large chunks of meat with sharpened knives in buildings without doors.

Their demeanor was so fierce that I even had the terrifying thought that I might become that chunk of meat, and I just swallowed my saliva.

‘No matter how much of an adult is inside, this scenery is bound to be scary!’

But I couldn’t just stay still because I was scared.

I had to get out of here quickly.

But my resolve was short-lived, as a loaded cart passed by the alley where I was standing, obscuring my vision with a cloud of sandy dust.

Because of that, I didn’t see the men carrying large boxes and ended up being knocked over by them.

“Ouch!”

“Get out of the way, you’re in the way!”

I frowned and brushed the sand off my hands and skirt.

Checking the painful spots, I saw small scrapes on my hands and knees.

‘Father will worry…’

It was the moment my plan to successfully complete the errand and make future outings easier went up in smoke.

“Little one, are you lost?”

Had someone finally come to help me?

I quickly lifted my head.

The man’s eyes were appraising me like merchandise.

Soon, my hope turned to disappointment.

‘Surely not a slave trader?’

He scanned me from head to toe with lifeless eyes, sending a chill down my spine.

He was short and small, so if I had my original body, I could have just kicked him in the groin and run away.

But now, even that was impossible.

Still, since the slave trader was alone, I might be able to shake him off if I played my cards right.

I spoke slyly.

“No, I’m not lost. I’m waiting because I have an appointment to meet someone here.”

“Here?”

The slave trader snorted and looked around. After confirming there was no one there, he hummed a tune.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone here. What time were you supposed to meet~?”

“In a little while…”

As I hesitated, the slave trader brought his face close to mine and whispered.

“Little one, lying is bad.”

My heart sank.

I tried to calmly refute him to hide my panic, but he didn’t even pretend to listen, so I ended up shouting.

“It’s true! I’m telling the truth!”

“Liar.”

He smirked, twitching one cheek, and yanked my arm.

Then, with his large hand, he pressed down on the back of my neck and gagged my mouth.

“Mmph…!”

My mouth was blocked, so I couldn’t even call for help; only small muffled sounds escaped.

I tried to break free by pounding on the slave trader, but it was like hitting him with a feather duster.

The situation was absolutely terrible.

Desperately trying not to be dragged away, I put strength in my legs and sat down on the spot.

But it was no use.

A belated thought struck me—something I had forgotten.

‘Dialogue window, dialogue window!’

But no matter how frantically I called for it, the dialogue window remained quiet, as if it didn’t care.

‘Hey, you’re supposed to increase the difficulty gradually! A slave trader from the beginning is unbalanced!’

My complaints, which started as resentment, turned into anger.

Damn dialogue window.

If you brought me here, shouldn’t you be responsible for my safety!

I looked around, but everyone was just going about their own business; no one stopped the child from being dragged away by the slave trader.

Help seemed like a luxury here.

“Ugh, stay still!”

I needed to think, but the slave trader kept yanking my arm haphazardly, making it hard to keep my composure.

It felt like all my pain receptors were concentrated on my wrist.

“Ugh!”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

As the parallel lines of my shoe marks were drawn straight across the sandy ground, the man, seemingly deciding it was hopeless, tried to hoist me up and carry me away.

I kicked and squirmed with my relatively free legs, shaking off his grasp.

But that was only a temporary measure, and it wouldn’t last long.

Could I really not escape on my own anymore?

‘Anyone, please help me…!’

Was it then that my desperate wish reached someone?

At that moment.

I heard a voice calling for Abeli from behind. His breathing was ragged, making the pronunciation a bit slurred, but it was clear enough to understand.

“Abeli!”

*Thwack!*

And then, a plump, ripe red apple flew straight into the slave trader’s face.

Turning my head, I saw the source of the apple was a boy around Abeli’s age.

The apple traced a parabolic arc and struck the slave trader’s face with perfect accuracy.

“Argh! Who is it!”

Just as the apple’s fresh, sweet juice splattered on my face, the strength finally left the hand that had been firmly gripping me.

I didn’t miss that moment and quickly broke free from the slave trader, heading towards where the boy was.

Even though my vision was blurred with tears and I couldn’t see ahead, I ran and ran.

But my feet didn’t follow my will. Every step felt as heavy as if lead weights were attached to my ankles.

*Thud.*

“……!”

Eventually, I stumbled, failing to see a jutting rock, and was about to fall—

*Catch.*

“Haa, haa…! Abe…li!”

My body, which had been nearing the ground, stopped as it was caught in someone’s arms.

I looked up to see his chest, covered by black hair, heaving like a pump.

‘How did he get here so fast? He was quite far away just a moment ago.’

No.

What does it matter? Thanks to him, I’m alive.

It felt like I had finally encountered a lifeline, something I’d never had in my life.

The boy, who appeared at a perfect moment like a scene from a movie, was nothing like the male leads who usually appear with flashy special effects—his face was hidden by his shaggy black hair.

“Are you okay? Was I too late?”

The boy helped me up and spoke in a worried tone.

It was a stark contrast to the rough handling of the slave trader.

“Uh… yeah.”

It was only after he pulled his sleeve, the same color as his hair, to wipe the tears pooling at the corners of my eyes that he added.

“The owner is waiting up ahead. Let’s hurry.”

“Where do you think you’re going after hitting me!”

It would have been nice if he’d let us go at this point, but the slave trader was persistent.

Holding the red, apple-shaped bruise on his forehead, he approached us.

Now that I was free, the best course of action was to run rather than face him head-on. Two small children couldn’t possibly take on an adult.

So I tried to grab the boy’s hand to pull him along, but instead, he pushed me behind him.

It was brief, but he was surprisingly strong. I was pushed back without any resistance.

He whipped his head around, scanning the surroundings, then picked up a baguette lying on the ground.

The paper bag from the grocery store that the boy had brought to save me was torn to shreds, and most of its contents were crushed.

But the baguette was still intact.

It was the only weapon we had left.

“Come any closer. Do you want to lose your function as a man?”

His words sounded full of bravado, but the way he raised the baguette as if throwing a spear was quite impressive.

It looked like he would hit his target again this time, and the slave trader flinched, stopping in his tracks and spitting on the ground.

“Ugh! Bad luck!”

He treated other people’s bodies like worn-out shoes, but apparently cherished his own.

Watching the slave trader disappear into the alley, the boy said quietly.

“There are still eyes watching. Even if you don’t like it, follow me for now. I’ll take you back to the market.”

I felt warmth from the boy’s touch as he unhesitatingly took my hand.

The boy knew the area like the back of his hand and quickly found his way back to the market.

As the tents that had completely blocked the sky disappeared, bright and warm sunlight poured down strongly.

Come to think of it, the unpleasant stench and sticky humidity that had been bothering me had already vanished.

At that moment, the boy let go of my hand.

Then, as if telling me to follow him, he walked about three steps ahead, then suddenly whipped his head around and stopped.

“What were you thinking?”

I was speechless.

It was such an abrupt change in attitude.

He had been so kind in front of the slave trader, but now he was as cold as a winter storm.