"Words are not enough. I need to check what's in your carriage first."

"No problem."

Ella and Lotte jumped out of the carriage, and then asked Camisia, Iris, and others in the carriage to get out as well. The carriage was indeed piled with silk and dried meat wrapped in paper.

The exaggerated speech was just for show. The soldier lifted the curtain, took a quick look, and then closed it again.

"Alright, go in. Come back here tomorrow morning and I'll issue you a certificate for the capture of the rebels. Forty-five rebels are worth at least five gold coins."

Perhaps wanting to get some more money from Ella, the soldier deliberately emphasized the three words "five gold coins" and raised his eyebrows at Ella in a subtle manner. Not wanting to attract attention, Ella stuffed another silver coin into the soldier's hand.

Nodding with satisfaction, the soldier with a mustache used his gun to drive away the people crowded in front.

"Hurry up, hurry up! This is a man who wiped out the rebels. You guys can't compare to him."

However, even though the soldiers said so, many people in the crowd still focused their eyes on Camisia, Iris and Angeline. Although the three of them were wearing hoods, the part of their chests that symbolized their female identity was not covered, causing a sound of swallowing saliva. Many people even turned slightly to cover their lower bodies, which was an indecent reaction.

"Hmm."

Noticing that her companion was being targeted by these impolite gazes, Ella frowned and snorted in dissatisfaction.

The soldier who received the money immediately started shouting loudly.

"What are you looking at? Get out of here. Okay, you can go now. For seven people and the goods, I'll charge you two silver coins. I'll deduct this from the five gold coins. Also, this is your entry permit, which allows you to stay in the city for fifteen days. If you lose it, you must come here immediately to apply for a replacement. If you're found without your permit during inspection, you'll be reduced to a slave. Remember this."

After saying this, the soldier handed over seven wooden plaques with simple patterns carved on them. Judging from the black sweat stains left in the grooves, they must have been handled by many people.

"Okay, I see. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Ignoring the gazes focused on her, Ella asked as she controlled her horse and followed the soldiers into the city gate.

"Anything else? I think you understand, but since you asked, I still want to remind you not to displease the nobles in the city. If you anger them, the best outcome is immediate enslavement. Worst case scenario, you'll be killed in the street and no one will speak up for you. Especially since Lord Wood is currently touring the territory. According to reports from nearby towns, he might come to the city in the next few days. The Lord Wood has a bad temper, so it's best not to go out during that time."

"Got it. Thank you."

After thanking the soldiers, the carriage arrived at the city gate. Then, under the loud shouts of the soldiers, the city gate slowly closed, and countless civilians were locked outside the gate. However, perhaps because they were used to it, the villagers did not express their dissatisfaction, but just leaned quietly against the city wall, waiting for the city gate to open tomorrow morning.

Chapter 9 Bahanla Town

"I always feel sorry for those people. Spending a night defenseless under the city wall, won't they be eaten by monsters?"

Angelica in the carriage showed a sympathetic look, and Mitis answered in a low voice.

"The soldiers on the wall will attack if the monster approaches..."

Perhaps because she herself did not believe that the soldiers would help the villagers, Mitis's voice sounded a little unsure.

Elise waved her hand as if shooing away a fly.

"Speaking of which, this country is truly barbaric. While nobles everywhere have their privileges, at least they haven't reached the point of killing people in the streets. It's unbelievable."

"This is even with our support. If it were in a country located in the center of the kingdoms, even ordinary people would probably fight in the streets."

"Aren't you going to do something about it, Camisia?"

"We don't intend to get too involved in the affairs of the Kingdom of Untermil."

Although it is not impossible to participate, excessive involvement in internal affairs will not bring more benefits to the demons, so they naturally choose options that do not consume energy.

"yes."

Iris, who asked the question, shrugged, while Shen Gan, who was sitting in the corner, curled his lips.

"The sight is annoying."

"Yeah, that kind of lewd look makes even me angry."

Angelique echoed in an annoyed tone, and then spoke tentatively to Ella outside the carriage.

"If they dare to do anything, I will never let them go, okay?"

"Yes, yes, if they behave rudely, Angelina will teach them a lesson without mercy, even if they are nobles."

"I feel relieved if you say that, Ella-chan."

"Ms. Ella, where are we going next?"

"Hmm... Let's find a hotel first, and then explore other parts of the city. Although it doesn't look like there's anything interesting right now."

In response to Ruthie's question, Ella sighed helplessly. The streets of this stone town were not only covered with crushed vegetable leaves and dead rats, but even things like bones could be seen in the garbage piled up on the roadside. The streets were filled with the stench of decay after being exposed to the sun, and the residents passing by all looked nervous.

Although I didn't see any starving people, judging from the patches on their clothes, the living standards here must not be very good.

The streets were narrow overall, with the narrowest part only wide enough for carriages to pass in one direction. The ground was not paved with stone bricks, and dust was floating in the dry air. Ella had a premonition that if it rained, there would be mud and puddles everywhere.

To put it in a nutshell, this place could be called a lifeless city. Compared to the night market that takes place every day in the Branch of Disaster, Bahanla Town is really too bleak.

“People here hold their hands over their pockets when they walk.”

Lotte sighed as she sat outside the carriage with Ella.

"It's probably to prevent thieves. There are so few carriages on the street. Is it because merchants don't want to pass through here?"

"I think it's the rebellion."

"Hmm... That's right. After all, the rebels are out to incite hatred, so indiscriminate attacks are normal."

If his group did not have the strength, they might be targeted by the rebels shortly after encountering Mars and others.

"Slaves are everywhere..."

"Can Lotte feel it?"

Although Ella knew that the slaves were close enough to sense each other, she still couldn't help but ask.

"Well, there are several in the nearby alleys alone. The number of slaves here is greater than that of the Kingdom of Barris."

Following Lotte's gaze, Ella looked at the people hiding in the dark alleys on the side of the road - most of them looked listless, leaning against the wall. Judging from their status bars, they were like this because they were very hungry.

"Hmm, there aren't many people wearing clothes."

Although she wanted to imitate Iris and cover Lotte's eyes with her hands, she couldn't do it.

[After all, Lotte should be more adaptable than me...]

"Sir! Please buy me! I'll work harder than her!"

While Ella was still lamenting the bleak appearance of the city, a thin, dirt-covered man suddenly rushed out from the roadside. The man had the tact to not put his hands on the carriage, but knelt in front of it to stop it from moving forward.

"Um?"

Blinking at the man's sudden behavior, Ella tilted her head slightly.

Even though Ella's face was covered with a scarf, the man still noticed Ella's confusion and shouted while pointing at Lotte.

"Men should be more capable of hard labor than women, right? As long as I can eat, I wouldn't complain even if I had to work like a beast of burden!"

"Ms. Ella, he's also a slave."

Lotte leaned close to Ella's ear and whispered something, and seeing Lotte getting close to Ella, the slave's eyes became more eager.

"Hey, it's forbidden to get too close to your master without his permission! My lord, I'm definitely more suitable for a man of your stature than this ignorant slave. Just give me some time and I'll definitely learn how to drive a carriage. Then you won't have to drive the carriage yourself and leave your slaves idle."

The dirty man's words made Ella frown. Although she felt some sympathy when Ruthie reminded her that men were slaves, her sympathy immediately disappeared when the man said words that belittled Ruthie. Now she just wanted to drive the man away.

Ella said in a low voice.

"No need, let's go."

"Sir, are you sure you won't consider this? Don't look at me like this now. I can actually pull a carriage."

The man's dark face, covered with mud, was filled with anxiety. He twisted his knees and moved closer to the carriage. Perhaps because he was too excited, he even wanted to put his hand on Ella's hand holding the reins.

Ella immediately turned slightly to the side, with a look of obvious disgust on her face. Seeing this, Lotte on the side finally stopped remaining silent, slapped the slave's hand away, and gathered a fireball in her hand.

"Ms. Ella doesn't need a slave like you. Get out of here."

“Eh…Eh! Y-It’s magic!”

Looking at the burning fireball in Luti's hand, the man's face instantly showed a look of fear, and then he quickly fled from the street, rolling and crawling.

"Ms. Ella..."

After doing all this, Lotte lowered her head nervously. Just as the man just said, she seemed to have forgotten her duties as a slave because of time constraints.

However, Ella's reaction was completely unexpected by Lotte.

"Eh? Why are you making that expression?"

"Eh?"

I originally thought that Ella would think about the slaves, but now it seems that she has not thought about it at all. Due to her inner uneasiness, Lotte reminded her.

"Forgetting that I'm a slave—uh."

Before Lotte could finish her words, Ella pressed her index finger against Lotte's lips. Of course, Ella was not bold enough to actually touch it, but just kept it at a distance that was almost touching but not quite.

"Lotte is Lotte. It has nothing to do with slavery. If you need to cancel it, you can always ask Mitis. First of all, didn't Lotte say that she would become my strongest offensive magic? So Lotte is not a slave."

"but……"

"Alright, alright, if you keep saying that I'll get mad."

While speaking, Ella blushed and turned her eyes away, pretending to refuse to talk to Lotte.

“…If that happens, I’ll really do something disrespectful…”

There was no answer, but Lotte felt that Ella had answered her, and the uneasiness in her heart quickly disappeared.

[Yes, the most powerful attack magic.]

Chapter 10 Daily Life at the Inn

After entering the town, Ella, who was driving the carriage, followed the terrain search instructions to the front of the hotel. Perhaps due to the lack of guests, there were few people entering and leaving the hotel, and the exterior layout was not very clean.

Noticing the carriage approaching, a man squatting at the door immediately stood up and approached Ella with a flattering smile.

"You must be a new guest in the Earldom of Wood. We can satisfy your needs, whether it's dinner or accommodation."

Although she was a little uncomfortable with the middle-aged man's flattering smile, Ella didn't want to take a longer detour since this was the only hotel in the city.

"Can I feed the horses some grass?"

"Of course, the stables are also furnished."

"Okay, I need seven rooms. How many copper coins would that cost, including the cost of looking after the horses?"

"Do you need dinner? If so, it's one silver coin and one copper coin. If not, it's just one silver coin."

Perhaps he felt that the price was ridiculously high, so the middle-aged man lowered his head in embarrassment.

"No problem, but dinner for seven only costs one copper coin?"

Ella tilted her head curiously. In her impression, one copper coin could only buy two or three skewers of meat, so it was hard for her to imagine how one copper coin could buy dinner for seven people.

The middle-aged man nodded affirmatively.

"Of course, one copper coin is enough to cover the side dish. The quiche is a complimentary main course for you since you've stayed at the hotel."

"A small dish..."

If I remember correctly, side dishes should refer to pickled vegetables and other meals that can be taken out at any time, whether in the Kingdom of Baris or the Demon Clan.

After thinking for a moment, Ella took out two silver coins from her pocket.

"Is this money enough to buy meat dishes?"

"No, no problem, sir. I'll go find the hunter now."

The shop owner who received the two silver coins looked quite excited, and even his hands holding the money were shaking.

Ella could only wave her hands helplessly.

"No, let's prepare the room first."

"Hmm—let me ask you something, sir. There are no slaves in your carriage, right? If other customers knew that slaves were staying in our shop, they would never come back... Of course, I also think that you wouldn't allow slaves into your shop..."

The man skipped over Ella and Luty who were sitting in the driver's seat, and kept looking at the carriage behind Ella. Ella had booked seven rooms, but there were only two people in front of her. You know, one room was enough to accommodate three people, and ordinary merchants would only book two rooms at most. Therefore, based on his own experience, the man judged that Ella should be a merchant engaged in the slave trade, and the carriage must be full of slaves from other places. Although it was incredible to let slaves live in the rooms, perhaps because the carriage carried slaves for combat or entertainment, the man had heard from others that such slaves were very expensive and required high costs to care for.

Before Ella could frown, Lotte leaned forward and spoke.

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