V3.C2 Children in caravan, Myu?
Leo sensed weak presences inside some of the caravans. He had to focus on one caravan to sense the faint presence inside.
His face turned serious, thinking back to what masked-men said.
Yue pulled his shirt. "...What happened?"
"I'm sensing children from some of the caravans. I suspect... child trafficking."
With a serious expression, Yue asked, "...What do we do?"
Shea gazed at the caravan, her eyes filled with worry. "Leo-san...can we save them? I don't want to force you to do something."
"Hide your presence, we'll follow them."
"...Nn."
"Okay~"
Leo noticed the caravans were headed toward the northern gate of the city. A guard stopped the caravans from passing. A brawny man came out of the caravan and said something to guard.
Leo heard it clearly, he said the package delivery and payment will reach on time. The guard nodded his head with a greedy smile.
His expression turned gloomy. "Let's go, we'll intercept them in Gruen Desert."
The party sat inside the Drachen and rushed at the gate. The guard tried to stop them, but Yue pushed him aside with a wind magic spell.
Leo poured mana to the limits, Drachen trailed sand as it inched closer to the caravans.
"Yue! Cast a barrier when I say."
"Okay!"
'This route goes to Fuhren, so my guess was correct.'
He steered past the caravans and stopped nearly fifty meters in front.
"Now!"
Yue used a catalyst orb to instantly cast a spell. A shiny golden barrier appeared in front of caravans and forced them to stop.
One by one seven muscular men stepped out of the first caravan with large swords in their hands.
"Oi bastard! The fuck are you stopping us for?"
Leo narrow his glare and calmly asked, "Are there children in your caravan?"
The man's eyes flickered in panic for a moment before the fire of anger took over.
"Kill him! And Leave the beauties for me!"
Leo's sharp senses didn't miss the hint of panic in his eyes. His lips curled in a scornful smirk.
The men charged at him, he aimed his hand and used the most vicious skill in his arsenal.
A wave of white flames rushed forward at the man and melted his body within a few moments.
Others took a step back in fear, even their leader's eyes nearly popped out of the socket before he ran toward the caravan.
'How are these kids? They are simply monsters."
He stopped seeing a beautiful rabbitman girl standing in front of the caravan door. His mind filled with desire of survival ignored her beauty and tried to slash her with the sword.
Shea strengthened her body and swung Blue Waiss. The leader couldn't scream a single word before the hammer obliterated his upper body. His lower body lifelessly slumped on the ground. She waved her hammer to shake away the blood.
Leo also finished all of them with aurora breathe. He shook his head and burned the corpse, they weren't strong enough for him to use devour skill.
"Do you want those children inside to see this when they come out?"
Shea awkwardly turned her head. "Sowwy."
He shook his head and walked to the door of second caravan. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. Only some wooden crates were there, he clenched his fists and opened the first crate and saw a little boy laying inside. He picked up the beastman kid and leaned him against the caravan wall.
He opened the crate to find two more beastmen kids. He picked all of them and handed them to Shea with a vial of ambrosia.
"Dilute it in water and feed them."
"I'll do it immediately."
'What should I do about them? Hand them to Ankaji government?'
He thought and entered the third caravan to find five rabbitman girls. He repeated the process till the last caravan, he only sensed one presence inside which confused him a little.
He opened the door and saw a glass container quarter-filled with water. A green-haired girl of about 3 or 4 sat inside it with her face buried in her knees. Chains bound all four of her limbs, he noticed the girl had fan-like fins instead of normal ears.
'Analyze'
[Myu]
Level 2
Age: 4 Female
Race: Dagon
Strength: 4
Vitality: 6
Defense: 2
Agility: 4
Magic: 20
Magic Defense: 15
Skills: –
'Dagon? The sea race from Erisen? They even kidnapped a child from there.'
He knocked on the container and used the most gentle voice to not scare her, "Hey girl, can you hear me?"
She raised her head in confusion before showing a wary look.
"Just wait a minute, I'll free you."
He used a black dagger to cut a big hole in the container. The glass fell on the ground with a clank.
She came out of the container and stared at him intently. He took out an enchanted blanket and covered her naked body and ruffled her hair with a gentle smile.
"What's your name?"
She went silent for several moments, then whispered, "... Myu."
"I'm Leo, so can you walk?"
He asked, seeing the suspicion in her eyes. Also, her condition was way better than others.
She nodded her head quietly, still staring at him out of curiosity.
"Don't take off that blanket. It will protect you from the heat."
She nodded silently and tightly clutched the blanket to feel the warmth. But suddenly she was picked up in the stranger's arms. She struggled to free herself but the stranger started stroking her hair. Her eyes teared up, she could go home now, to her loving mother. Staying here for days nearly broke her mind, she still hoped to be saved.
"Myu, do you have a family?"
Myu stopped crying and looked up at him. "...Myu... has a mother."
"We'll take you to your home, so please don't be sad, okay?"
"Mm."
"Leo-san~"
Shea called out to him with teary eyes. Five rabbitmen girls clung to her legs.
His lips curled in a smile at the scene, Yue stood there with her stoic expression, but he could see the panic in her eyes.
'She isn't good with children?'
"Yue, take Myu inside Drachen, she won't survive the heat inside a caravan and Shea, you lead all children inside two caravans and give them something to eat."
Myu jumped from his arms and trotted over to Yue. She stared into Yue's eyes curiously before Yue took Myu's hand and led her inside Drachen.
Shea guided all the noisy beastmen inside the caravans.
He attached two of the caravans to Drachen. After taking off the cracked glass panel, he replaced it with a metal panel and enchanted it with [Transparency].
'And the most sturdy glass is ready.'
Shea was sitting in the front seat while feeding Myu on her lap.
Myu noticed him and smiled. "Onii-chan!"
Her cheerful voice took him by surprise. "Just call me Leo."
"Onii-chan."
He felt weird to be called Onii-chan. "Don't call me that, just call me Leo."
She tilted her head innocently. "Onii-chan is Onii-chan."
He sighed and sat in the driver's seat. After Yue sat on his lap, he drove back to Dukedom of Ankaji.
On the way, Myu told them her story. She and her mother lived in Erisen. A group of humans kidnapped them when she got lost while swimming and she woke up in the water container, her arms, and legs bound by chains.
***
The guards tried to intercept them at the gate, but he sped past them without a thought. The guards could only stare at him.
He stopped in front of the royal palace. He left Myu inside and stepped out with Shea and Yue.
"Onii-chan!"
Myu cried out with teary-eyes, panicking at the thought of being left alone here.
He ruffled her hair with a smile. "Stay here for a bit."
Several men in armor surrounded them like they were some criminals.
"State your motive!"
A middle-aged man in white heavy armor shouted them.
"I want to meet the Lord."
He didn't want to hand the children to a fodder. Who knew this guy wasn't in cahoots with the shady organization.
The man shook his head. "The Lord isn't open for a meeting at this time."
He furrowed his burrows in irritation. "It's an urgent matter."
"Please go, or we'll resort to using force."
Leo pointed behind at the guards with a smile. "You say that and still block every way of retreat."
A condescending smile appeared on the face of man. "You can go but that strange vehicle will be confiscated for raising a commotion in front of the Royal Palace."
'Why don't these guys listen without force?'
He thought and applied intimidation with a little bit of mana. The arrogant guard before now kneeled on the ground.
"W-What? Stop it! Stop that!!!"
"Will you do what we say?"
"I-I'll do it! Please stop it!"
"Please wait!"
An old man appeared from the gate, he was dressed in a butler outfit. He swept a scrutinizing gaze over everyone in the vicinity before glaring at the man kneeling on the ground.
"You are fired, get out of here!"
"B-B-But!"
"Drag away this fool!"
The guards bowed and escorted the white armoured-guard.
The butler turned to Leo and bowed deeply. "I am deeply sorry for his attitude. I apologize in his stead."
His furious attitude before and now polite tone took Leo's party by surprise.
"No, you don't need to be. Can you call the Lord here?"
The butler shook his head. "Lord Lanzwi-sama is not here at the moment, but Bize-sama, the next Lord is available."
"Then, I'll trouble you to call him," he pointed at the caravans. "As you can see, I can't leave the caravans here."
The butler nodded his head in understanding. "Please wait here," and went inside the palace.
Leo sensed two guards observing him from the sides. He looked at their location and showed his old vicious smile. Both presences disappeared, most likely in fear. He released a chuckle in amusement.
Yue and Shea stared at him with a bewildered face.
He waved his hand. "It's nothing. Just two idiots trying to keep an eye on us."
