After listening to Leticia's story, I observed the city again and noticed the darker parts of the city.

　If you go to an alleyway off to the side from the busy main street, there are starving people, children who look like orphans, and even corpses lying around.

''Oh the back side is horrible........''

　I mutter to myself and look around. In the dimly lit alleyway, there is a man and woman with a suspicious atmosphere at times, and they stare at me unceremoniously.

　Clearly, they are not normal. The eyes are wild, and sometimes they even let out an uncanny laugh. And, by the way, it smells awful.

It's probably some kind of vagrant, thief or murderer that can be found anywhere. It's no big deal.

Not so bad, Mr. Aifa.

　Aifa's outrageous statements naturally go into it. What would happen to make a murderer have a higher encounter rate than a wild dog?

''........Hmm? Come to think of it, I haven't seen any dogs or cats or anything like that.

　When I suddenly muttered something like that, Yuri replied with his usual laid-back expression.

''Perhaps they were turned into food? And the poor people have no other means of obtaining meat but to hunt.

Hunting ... a dog? It's funny. Isn't hunting a deer or a boar...?

　I muttered and shuddered. It's a horrible story. Is the gap between the rich and the poor a boundary line that separates heaven and hell?

　Should I go back to the bright world of the main street after all?

　When I looked up, I saw the back alleyway.

　An even darker dead end in a dimly lit alleyway. Two men were standing in front of a simple, closed door.

　No, two men were kicking something beneath their feet.

I was wrong...

　The stern-faced men kick the apologetic first man in the head and stomach. They wear light leather armor, but to the casual observer, they do not look like knights or guards.

　It doesn't look like they are punishing an old man for stealing.

''Hey, hey...!

　I called out to them. Then, the men turned around with a horrible look on their faces.

''........Ah? What are you?

You're gonna die for the old man.

　The two men speak threatening words with vicious faces that show large scars on their faces and arms. He's not that tall, but the combination of his thick, muscular body and his terrifyingly strong face makes him incredibly scary.

　But the trouble is, as a grandmother's child, I can't stand the sight of the old man in a terrible way.

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.

"...that old man, does he have something bad to do?

　When I asked them that, the men looked dumbfounded and narrowed their eyes.

''........What the hell is this guy?''

Hey, he could be a nobleman's son.

　They exchanged a few words while stealing glances at us in a rude manner, and then looked back again.

I'm sure you're aware of the fact that this guy has raided my food. That's why I'm punishing him so that he can't do the same thing again.

No, no I didn't throw away the bread that you threw away.

Shut up, I'm sick!

　The man kicked the old man as hard as he could as he tried to explain himself. He received a blow to his face that made his nose cave in, and blood drenched the ground. The blood got on his clothes and the man swung his legs up again with a look of rage.

''Eh, A1!''

　He screamed in panic, and with a gurgling sound, A1 walked past him.

　Immediately afterwards, a man who was about to kick the old man was hit by A1 and blown up, slamming him into the wall and causing him to crumple to the ground.

　In a split second, the other man blinked his eyes and froze. He takes stock of the situation a little later and backs away, cold sweat running down his face.

'Wait a minute! Oh, we're Count Desperado's right hand man, Viscount Elmer Rich's men! If you want to live safely in this royal city, you'd better not mess with us!

No, I've already gotten my hands on it and...

　The man nodded broadly in agreement as he said this in annoyance.

'Oh, yeah, I know! It's just a little misunderstanding, you know? You didn't know who we were. It's no use! It was an unfortunate accident! But not now, right? I know it already!

In that case, I'd better get rid of you lot right here.

"Don't be afraid of me, elf brother!

　I call out to Yuri while looking at the man frightened by Aifa's words.

'I'm sorry, but can't you fix that old man's injuries?

I'll take care of it.

　Yuri replied in a light tone and walked furtively down to the old man.

　Seeing Yuri treating the old man's injuries, the man who was aiming for the plane turns on his heel to escape alone.

　Immediately afterwards, Aifa launches an earthen spell at the back of the man's head as his back is shown. A fist-sized rock hit him and the man was easily knocked into a coma.

　With the man passed out after rolling on the ground with a flourish due to his running, I get down on one knee by the side of the old man who had Yuri fix his injuries.

'Are you okay?'

　When I asked him that, the old man crawled to the ground and thanked me with a half-frightened expression.

''Oh, thank you ... thank you ...''

No, no, don't worry about it I'm sure it's all right.

　Then he laughed and stood up. The old man looked like he wanted to say something, but the men that A1 and Aifa defeated have fainted, and I don't think it's a problem.

　Leaving the old man in the front street, the cloudy sky suddenly becomes brighter as if it had cleared up.

　The scenery and events in the alleyway seemed so joyful that I felt my shoulders suddenly relax, as if the atmosphere was a lie.

''If it comes to this, I'd like to see the nobleman's district, too.

　Eira made a subtle face as she said that.

''You don't like the nobleman's town?''

　When I ask him, he shakes his head from side to side and says differently.

'No, well, I found a store that sells slaves...'

Slave shop?

　Looking out of the corner of Eira's eye, there was indeed a unique store at the end of the street, near the city walls. The walls and shutters were decorated with dark, primary-colored cloth, and something that looked like a curtain hung at the entrance, so it must be a store.

　But there was nothing on the outside of the store but a sign with a collar and chain motif right next to the entrance.

'So that's it. It doesn't look like it's very popular.

　As I recall, weren't slaves a mainstay commodity in this country? That's what I mentioned, but Eira shook her head in disappointment.

''Since a while ago, carriages carrying many slaves have been coming and going. Perhaps there are slave shops lined up from here to the back.''

''I see. The further back you go from the main entrance of the royal capital, the more slave shops there are. By the way, I've seen carriages many times before, but you don't think that's all you've ever seen?

Not all of them, but more than half of them.

　More than half of them, not to say twenty anymore, I passed a carriage.

　Unable to hide my surprise, I looked into the slave shop as if stealing a glance from the main street.

　It was a little dim inside, and the large cages seemed to be lined up and lined up in a row.

''Well they're all old and obviously sick people. They must be selling only cheap slaves because of their location.''

　Aifa's words naturally wrinkled my brow.

　Not bothering to go all the way inside, we headed straight to the back of the street.

　As Eira had expected, the deeper we went, the more slave shops increased, with shops filled with strong-looking men and women, as well as shops lined up with young, good-looking men and women.

　Some of the shops were full of humans with beast ears and tails, while others were full of beautiful elves.

　Looking at the numerous slave shops, the wide variety of goods and the people who flocked to those goods, not only Eira but also Yuri and Aifa's expressions became distorted.

　I'm getting fed up with the quicksand.

　As I walked down the street with that in mind, a large building appeared at the end of the street. I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to do with it.

It's time to go.

Last time we were beaten by the Regime Chamber of Commerce. This time we have to win it.

Yes, of course. After all, the centerpiece of the show is the rumor that she is a princess from another country. If you bid on her, the name of my firm will spread.

　With enthusiasm, I overheard such an exchange.

.........the slave auction house, right?

　I muttered in my mouth and looked up at the magnificent building that looked like a lord's mansion.