Coincidence

Since Sian was stunned by the sudden surprise, the little girl who called him, thinking he was paying attention, asked, "Do you want to have sex with me?"

Not paying attention to her absurd question, Sian remained perplexed by the face in front of him. It looked just like someone he knew many years ago when he was living in the orphanage. But then he shook his head in denial. It couldn't be her; she had passed away. Besides, even if she hadn't died, there's no way she could still be a child.

Maybe because Sian didn't react, the girl nervously said, "I don't need money, if you give me food, it's enough."

Encountering Ophilia, who resembled Melinda, and then this little girl, who looked like Fran, all in just two days. It felt strangely coincidental.

"I-It doesn't have to be a lot of food, I'll take it if you give me a loaf of bread," she said nervously, while clutching the sides of her dress.

Finally coming to his senses, Sian paid attention to her. "Oh, you wanted some bread, right?"

He took out a loaf of wheat bread from his bag and handed it to her. "Here it is, but I need you to answer some questions. If you do, I can give you even more food, okay?"

"Yes!" Excitedly, the girl stored the bread in a shabby straw basket with some wild berries. "Where do you want to go to have sex?"

Doubting what he heard, Sian asked, "I think I heard you wrong, what did you say?"

"A place to have sex," she repeated.

Shaking his head vehemently, Sian responded, "I don't have that kind of interest in children who still smell like breast milk."

Examining the girl, he noticed she didn't seem to be starving, though she didn't seem to have a life of plenty either. Despite looking upset by Sian's comment, she didn't say anything.

"My name is Sian, what's yours?" He pulled out a cookie and handed it to the girl, making her upset face disappear.

She put the cookie in the old basket and replied, "Christina."

"Oh, it's a beautiful name." Sian crouched down, keeping eye contact with her. "So, Christina, why are you prostituting yourself for food?"

"Pros...tuting?" she tilted her head with a doubtful look.

"Prostitut- Never mind, since you don't know, it's not important," Sian said, adding a bag of cookies to her basket. "Why did you want to have sex in exchange for food?"

"To help my mom, she always does this to get food for me," she said with a dejected expression. "She gives me all the food and eats very little, so she's very thin."

"I see," he said, stroking her head. "Since you're being a good daughter, I'll help you."

Sian put some vegetables, fruits, and bread into her basket. "This is for you. If you need more, just go to the inn and look for me. It's the one with a sign showing a bed and a plate. But before that, I have a condition, okay?"

"Okay!" Cristina nodded excitedly.

"Don't go around calling anyone to have sex in exchange for food anymore, understand?" he said.

With a wide smile, she said, "Telling me to go to the inn... So you wanted to do- eek."

He interrupted her by hitting her head with his fist and said, "I'm only helping because I'm in a good mood, I'm not interested in brats. Although it might be different if you were 5 or 6 years older, but that's not the case, you understand?"

She nodded happily, showing a 'got it' expression as she rubbed her head.

"That's better," Sian said. "Now I have to go, see you later."

***

"Melinda and Fran... My biggest regret was not having the power to protect them when they needed it... And now Ophilia and Christina appear... Maybe it was fate that brought us together here..." Sian mumbled. "Well, Christina is just a kid, I guess I can try a little harder to take care of her."

On the way back, passing the fair, Sian checked the tents of the slave merchants he met yesterday. Though he couldn't recall their names, their faces were still faintly remembered.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find anyone who understood construction or knew how to run an inn. He couldn't even find someone who could read. Finding the right people seemed harder than Sian had imagined, and now there was only one more tent to look at.

Putting his hands together in prayer, Sian murmured, "Come on, Goddess Zenobia, help me find the people I need, and one day I will build a temple for you."

Finishing his prayer, he arrived at the last tent and was warmly received by a bearded old man with a protruding belly.

"Aren't you the young man from yesterday? Come in," the old man said, leading him to the back of the tent.

Saying he was going to get the goods, he left and a few minutes later he came back accompanied by five completely naked women. Each of them was a handpicked beauty, with distinctive and attractive characteristics.

After giving Sian some time to evaluate them, the old man asked, "What do you think? Did any of them catch your interest?"

"They all caught my interest, but unfortunately, I'm not here to look for sex slaves. I need a different kind of slave," Sian replied.

The old man looked confused. "You came to a sex slave merchant to buy another type of slave?"

"You were the only merchant I hadn't visited yet, and since you were close, I decided to come and take a look."

"I don't think I can fulfill your demand, but feel free to tell me what kind you are looking for."

"I need people who understand construction and know how to manage an inn. If it's both in one, even better," Sian explained.

After a moment of hesitation, the old man said, "If you disregard construction skills, I think I have someone who might be helpful. She used to be a noble, but she's been a quite troublesome slave."

"No worries, let's see her," Sian said eagerly. "After all the searching, as long as she fits what I need, I'll take her."

"Alright, I'll go fetch her," the old man left with the women, and soon returned with a stunning young woman. She looked to be around 17 or 18 years old, with a captivating beauty that left Sian in awe.

Her slender legs and delicate figure made her stand out, and her long blond hair flowed gracefully down to her waist.

Her beauty even rivaled that of the elves, known for their enchanting looks.

As she followed the old man, her presence exuded a certain elegance, making it hard to believe they were of the same race.

"Hmm..." Sian gazed at her intently. "I'm not great with names, but I remember your face. You shouldn't be in a place like this, right?"

"Do you know her?" The old man asked in surprise.

"Not really, but I've seen her before. Though it was just once. Well, I think we might even be considered enemies, since I killed her father." Sian's tone turned serious, and he stared at the old man, exerting a palpable pressure with his magic power. "But to try and sell someone from my duchy to me... you must be quite daring."

"You-You-Your duchy?" The old man's legs trembled uncontrollably. Without the support of the tent's stake, he might have collapsed to the floor.

As this unfolded, the young woman's beautiful deep blue eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement, seemingly enjoying the tense atmosphere.