We’ll save them. I promise.”

Ten hours.

This is the total time it took us to reach the capital. A record time, indeed.

Going on a journey on a horse has always been on my bucket list, and now that I've done it, I can confidently say that I'm not looking forward to doing it again.

The first three hours were somewhat bearable. The unicorn kept a steady speed, seemingly unbothered by the occasional changes of terrain. Whether it was steep, flat, rocky or muddy, it seemed to keep a firm footing while I seized the moment, enjoying the ever-changing scenery. However, after a couple of hours, the magic faded. I quickly learned to relax my tense body and counterbalance myself with air magic instead of just clenching and gripping the unicorn, but the ride still became uncomfortable. My butt was sore, my arms were stiff, and I could feel the cramps coming. Nobody told me that riding a horse could cause body aches. Isn't the horse supposed to do all the work? Why is it so physical? However, the unpleasant experience was finally reaching its end.

I woke up Axis who fell asleep during the journey. Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, I allowed him to lean on me to rest as the unicorn continued on its course. I am still amazed by how he managed to sleep in those conditions.

"We're here," I gently taped the boy's shoulder.

Axis opened his eyes, slowly regaining his senses as he stretched his back. Without waiting another second, I got down from the unicorn with Cotton on my shoulder.

Finally!

The unicorn hadn't stopped directly at the gate of the capital, but the city was in sight. By foot, it would take us less than a quarter hour to reach it.

"Where are we?" Axis asked a little confused as he couldn't immediately recognize his surroundings.

"The enchanted forest," I replied, helping him down. We were in the forest where I first met Yoko. "The one beside Eskor."

"Already?" Axis exclaimed, finally spotting the city from afar.

I nodded.

Leaving the magical beast behind, we finished the rest of the journey on foot. It didn't take us long to reach the main road. It was evening already, yet, the main road was still busy with people trying to get in and out of the capital. Most of them were merchants, but a few seemed to be travelers, like us. We easily blended into the crowd whereas a couple of eyebrows were raised at the sight of Cotton. While her presence attracted curious gazes, it wasn't surprising enough to disturb the peace. I'm starting to think that people have no idea what a fox spirit is.

Finally reaching the gates, we joined the end of the queue and waited for our turn to come.

"It's alright," I told the boy at my side, who was growing visibly nervous.

For now, we need to locate Axis' parents. As I was thinking this, I noticed the golden plate on the carriage in front of us. On it, the name of a famous merchant guild was inscribed, and with a few mercenaries obviously hired to guard it, the carriage clearly belonged to a wealthy trader, used to do business in the area. Seemingly representing no threat, the mercenaries deemed it unnecessary to stop me as I approached the front of the carriage. There, a middle aged man was seated, hunched over a box, whip and reins in his hands.

"Hello?" I tried to get his attention.

The grumpy merchant sighed when he saw me.

"What do you want, kid?" he complained. "If you want to cut the queue, forget it. Get in line, like everyone else."

His expression was of frustration and fatigue. Like most people here, waiting had made him irritable. However, the second I took out a golden coin from the pouch I didn't forget to bring, his worn-down face illuminated with interest.

"I would like to buy something," I said.

"But of course, of course!" the merchant quickly got down from his seat.

Realizing that I was a client, he immediately recovered his professionalism. There was no longer any trace of fatigue on his face as he promptly guided me to the back of his carriage to show off his goods.

"I have the best merchandise in the city," he asserted with a confident smile, "fabrics, materials, weapons, food, you name it! I have everything in there. Do you have something on your mind, young lady?"

His carriage was indeed full of bric-a-brac. However, there was nothing in there I needed. I only wanted his knowledge of the current market.

"How much for this?" I pointed at a random garment.

"You have a sharp eye, young lady," the merchant complimented. "This is one of the finest cloaks you'll find in the whole kingdom! The wool is from mountain sheeps, it has been spinned and weaved with the greatest care. But it isn't too warm, either, being just perfect for everyday use. It will fit you perfectly!"

"How much?" I repeated, not very interested in his speech.

A bright smile spread across the merchant's lips.

"Two gold coins," he responded.

That's quite expensive for a cloak, but if it can make him more open to discussion…

"I'll take it," I declared, "I'll also take the one beside it."

"This one is made of cotton yarn. How about four silver coins?"

"Sold."

"Wonderful! You won't regret your purchases, young lady."

The merchant unloaded his carriage of the two goods as I handed him the money due. I put on my newly bought cloak, allowing Cotton to hide in it, and gave the second one to Axis.

"Here, take it," I said, "this one's for you."

"F-For me?" the boy repeated, taken aback by my sudden gift.

"Yes, take it before I change my mind."

Without being asked twice, Axis grabbed the cloak. He let his finger run along the textile, enjoying the softness of the cloak, as his eyes sparkled. It wasn't even of such a high quality, yet, he seemed delighted about it. I guess I did well buying that for him. As the boy happily put on his cloak, I returned my attention to the merchant. A satisfied smile on his face, he was counting the coins I just gave him.

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired.

"Of course, anything!" the merchant turned to me with a friendly expression, putting away the money.

"My little brother and I are traveling to the south," I randomly made up a story, "but I'm worried the roads aren't safe."

"Only the two of you?" the merchant widened his eyes. "Of course it's not safe! Such young children shouldn't be traveling alone! Forget about the wild beasts, you could come across bandits! Those lawless scum are merciless even with children!"

I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes to appear as worried as possible.

"Do you know where we can find someone to protect us? We had a bad previous experience with mercenaries and adventurers. They ran away with some of our money so we don't really trust them anymore."

The merchant brought his hand to his chin.

"I see," he muttered, "it's true that they could easily take advantage of children like you. They are not always very trustworthy…"

The merchant definitely noticed the sullen glares of the mercenaries at his side, whom he just indirectly insulted, but he didn't pay them any attention.

"How about joining someone else for the journey?" he proposed. "It's always safer than traveling alone."

I shook my head.

"We're going to a very secluded village, no one else is going there."

"Is that so…"

The merchant fell silent. His gaze lost somewhere on the ground, he stayed still for a few moments, pondering, before an idea finally crossed his mind.

"Then how about slaves?"

There it is.

"Slaves would never betray you," he continued, "they'll protect you with their lives, and if needed, you can always abandon them and run away."

It felt almost unreal how easily he talked about human lives being disposable. But in a country where slavery has been implemented for millennium it was inevitable that he had different values.

"Young lady, you seem wealthy enough to afford a couple of slaves. If you're lucky, you might even be able to buy a beastman. With that, your security is assured!"

"That sounds like a good idea," I acknowledged, "where can I buy some slaves?"

"You'll have to wait for a few days," the merchant explained, scratching his head, "our slave traders are currently out of town."

At that moment, Axis' face collapsed. His eyes left the precious cloak on his shoulders to lay on the merchant.

"They left?!" he cried out in surprise, "but they were here just yesterday!"

"Yes, well they left this morning," the merchant casually explained.

"Where to?" I asked, as the boy directed his panicked eyes on me. It didn't seem logical for the only slave traders of the area to abandon the city.

"Where else? Their camp, obviously."

I frowned.

"Their camp?" I repeated.

The merchant nodded.

"Yes, they do that once in while, as the supply of slaves isn't continuous," he confirmed. "I heard their recent raid was successful, so once they return, there'll probably be a whole new stock of slaves for sale."

Shit.

"There should still be a few slaves left in the market though, if you're in a hurry," the merchant continued. "But at this point, it's probably only children and elderly, so if you want a strong slave to accompany you for your journey, I suggest that you wait for the restocking."

That's definitely not an option.

"And where is their camp?" I asked.

"A little further in the north, beyond the pine forest and just before the Gray Hills. Quite a secluded area to-" the merchant started before suddenly stopping, realizing something. He marked a pause and directed his squinted eyes on me. "You're not planning to go there, are you?"

I smiled.

"Of course not!" I denied. "Thank you for your help, mister."

I took Axis's hand, immediately pulling him out of his thoughts, and left the waiting line, heading to the forest. There was no need for us to enter the town anymore.

"Where are you going?" the confused merchant inquired. "If you leave, you'll have to queue up all over again."

"It's okay," I told him, "since we'll be staying here for a few days, my brother and I will collect a few mushrooms in the forest to sell. We'll return before nightfall."

Not entirely convinced by my explanation, the merchant raised an eyebrow. Collecting herbs was the task of young adventurers and considering the amount of money I had, there was no need for us to do that. Still, he didn't try to stop us. Unrelated to us, he had no reason to.

"Where are we going?" Axis finally asked as we left the main road, sinking into the pine forest. "You're not serious about collecting mushrooms, are you?"

"Of course not," I smirked, "we're going to the slavers' camp."

The boy widened his eyes.

"What?!"

"You said that those slavers were using your mom as a means to extort money from your dad, right? So I doubt they just sold her off," I explained. "And your dad was captured recently. Your parents are most likely both there."

"But, even if they are… it's probably well-guarded, isn't it?" he worried.

"Probably."

"You… still don't have a plan, do you?"

I gave the boy a meaningful smile. Axis blinked at me several times.

"M-Maybe it's better to wait for them to return to the city!" he suggested. "Then, we can sneak them out or something and-"

"Axis," I called out, "we don't have time, it's now or never. There is no telling if your parents will be among the next restocking of slaves, and even if they are, just because they are in the city, it doesn't mean that it's going to be easier to save them. On the contrary, we're taking the risk of having the authorities getting involved."

The boy ground his teeth, unable to find anything to retort.

"Don't worry," I continued, "we'll save them. I promise."