CHAPTER 57

A street in the back alley dyed with the color of the night.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of bones being cut and tendons being severed was waking up the quiet alley.

The sound, along with the unidentified bones hanging around the store, made the atmosphere here gloomy.

"Is the owner here?"

"...What do you want?"

Two men entered the butcher shop, clearing away the meat hanging around.

The butcher, who had been cutting meat for a while, frowned at the two men filling up the front of the store.

"Where does a brat like you, with wet behind your ears, get off using informal speech with an adult?"

Now feeling irritated by the boy who seemed to have just shed his childishness and spoke informally to him, the owner growled, spitting out the tendon he had been chewing.

"Is that how your parents taught you?"

"It's been a while since I have seen anyone looking for my parents here."

Shrugging his shoulders, Vlad took off his hood and handed a small note to the owner.

The owner's face seemed to harden a little when he saw the boy's blonde hair that did not match the atmosphere of the place and the note with small letters.

"What, who are these people?"

"Well, I thought you recognized them."

"Why come to a butcher shop looking for someone? We don't sell people here."

"Is that so?"

Vlad smiled knowingly as he watched the owner, who was sweating while chopping meat.

Here we go.

"I used to be a local here, but I recently returned. Was this place always a butcher shop?"

"You should ask the Black Bear about that. I got permission."

Swine Slaughterer, the Black Bear.

Another boss's name, encompassing the back alley, emerged, but Vlad just smiled as if it were pathetic.

Now, just that level of reputation couldn't shake the boy.

"Well, let's leave that for later."

Vlad leaned over the counter and brought his face close to the butcher.

Although the act of confronting the person wielding a knife with his face was clearly risky, each action the boy took seemed to carry an unknown weight.

"...But it's really fascinating."

"What is?"

The owner, looking straight into the boy's blue eyes, found himself swallowing involuntarily.

When he first saw him, he thought he was just a tender lad, but now with just a few words, he seemed to dominate the atmosphere of this place.

"If you're going to buy something, buy it. Otherwise, get out right now..."

"How did you know that the name written on the note was a person's name?"

The knife stopped in its motion as the boy asked his question.

The only sound echoing quietly was the sound of the iron chain that Vlad had just playfully pushed.

A strange silence enveloped the butcher shop.

"Learning to read here isn't exactly easy."

"..."

Clang-

The owner, still holding the meat cleaver, rolled his eyes, looking at the boy standing in front of him.

More precisely, at the black-skinned man standing behind the boy.

That man had just closed the shop's door.

"I came all the way here to ask questions; how about giving us some answers?"

Seeing the owner, who was staring at him with tense eyes, Vlad's lips curled up slightly.

"Do you sell people here, besides human meat?"

"You little..."

The owner swiftly swung the knife he was holding, but Vlad just tilted his head as if he had already anticipated it.

It was a sharp blow that was unexpected for a regular butcher, but the boy now stood as if he were a knight in full armor.

"Today's business ends here. Otar."

"Hmm."

Otar, the black-skinned man, officially the deputy in charge of the guard, pulled out the axe he was carrying.

"What the hell are you guys! Where did you come from!"

"...Where did we come from?"

As the door closed and the lights from outside were concealed, the only flickering lights inside the butcher shop were the candles lit by the owner.

Faint lights flickering in the darkness.

It was the color of the back alley.

"That's actually the question I want to ask."

Those lights cast deep shadows on the boy's face.

Thud! Thud!

From within the tightly closed butcher shop, the sound of cutting meat and bones still echoed.

The only difference now was that someone's sobbing could be heard mixed in with the sound.

※※※※

Just before dawn in the back alley.

Vlad, now sitting in front of a street vendor who was about to close shop, picked up a skewer.

"You should have one too."

"Hmm."

The two men sitting down began to clean their weapons as they each took a bite of the skewer.

Otar's axe, stained with blood.

And now, only Vlad could wield Jorge's dagger.

Things appropriate for the back alley were now being cleaned of blood by the hands of their owners after today's work was done.

"When did that guy show up?"

"One-armed Jack hasn't been managing well lately."

"Did he really mess things up that badly?"

"...Things changed after that day."

Otar, once Jack's lackey, seemed reluctant to criticize his final appearance.

Regardless of the outcome, Jack was the only one in the back alley who accepted someone with a different skin color.

"Well, we'll find out the details from higher up."

The man disguised as the butcher had said.

"I'm just a middleman, and the details should be known by the slave traders."

He hadn't heard about Anna, but ultimately, it meant that people had been sold off in the corners of the alley without anyone knowing.

"Still, now that we've confirmed the reality of it, will this be enough..."

It had started lightly, and he hadn't thought it would have such deep roots.

Perhaps if it weren't for the existence of Vlad, it would have been just another incident in the alley, buried and overlooked as always.

Light and darkness, the marginalized and the shining.

The boy still stood on the line that divided them.

"Vlad! Hyung!"

Amidst his contemplation, Vlad heard the familiar voice.

There was a dark-skinned boy running frantically from the end of the alley.

"Heh... heh. Ah."

"Don't run away."

Vlad handed the panting boy a skewer.

It was the fair reward the boy deserved.

"Did you find what I asked for?"

"Uh... Yeah. There are kids who saw it."

Indeed.

Vlad and Otar nodded at each other.

As if birds hear the day's secrets and mice the night's whispers, the rumors of the alley often reach the ears and minds of young vagabonds.

"What did you see?"

"Blondie is looking for a girl named Anna, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Ned answered, biting into the skewer Vlad had given him, his expression triumphant.

"Someone saw that girl getting on a carriage for the first time about a month ago. But it seemed a bit strange."

"What was strange about it?"

Instead of answering, Ned pushed his palm towards Vlad.

"...You've educated your younger brother well."

"Hmm."

Even the youngest ones had to be clever in order to survive in the muddy back alleys.

Knowing this well, they simply nodded instead of getting angry.

"Here, have another skewer."

"What was strange was..."

With Vlad's prompt, Ned began to speak.

The small mice that scurried around the alley had precisely delivered the information Vlad desired.

"They said all the women boarding the carriage were pregnant."

"What?"

To others, Ned's words might have sounded peculiar, but to Vlad, they triggered something, making him ponder.

"...All of them were pregnant?"

"They said all the women getting on the carriage had swollen bellies. Isn't that strange? Buying and selling pregnant women who can't even work."

"..."

In response to Ned's offer for more food, Vlad merely gestured with his thumb towards the back, wordlessly declining.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Otar asked as Vlad's expression grew increasingly serious, but Vlad couldn't easily shake himself from his thoughts.

'Selling pregnant women?'

The news of Anna's pregnancy was shocking enough, but the idea of people buying and selling pregnant women in the alley was incomprehensible.

It defied common sense and was morally reprehensible.

Yet, such people existed in this place.

'...Surely not.'

A fleeting, ominous premonition passed through his mind.

[Bad omens always seem to come true.]

As much as he wanted to dismiss it, the advice from that voice echoing in his mind reminded him of a past event on a winter day.

In the midst of a campsite spread out on a white snowfield, there was a woman crying.

She was searching for her child.

Her tiny, unborn child.

[One must heed the warnings they send themselves.]

Vlad could only nod in response to the voice's words.

There was always something Vlad observed in Josef's actions - his attitude of always preparing for the worst.

"...Being prepared shouldn't hurt."

The memory of that winter day was still vivid in Vlad's mind.

Though the morning sun was rising, it seemed like shadows were still cast deep in the alley.

※※※※

"Lord Vordan."

"Why? Do you have something to report?"

Vordan's office in the town hall.

There usually were snacks scattered on his desk, but today it was neatly organized.

"I've noticed some suspicious trends."

"Oh... really?"

While Vordan looked serious, he seemed more interested in organizing papers and delaying time rather than listening carefully to Vlad.

"I told you to rest... I guess you did not listen to me when I told you to rest."

"You said I should investigate One-Armed Jack."

"I didn't expect you to investigate so soon."

Vordan chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his chubby chin.

"Don't you think you should take a break if I'm taking one?"

"..."

Vlad now understood.

Why Josef always seemed to growl and grumble whenever he saw Vordan.

The chubby knight wouldn't move unless someone pushed him.

"Is it really something that can't wait for a day or two? Is it that urgent?"

"It seems like it."

"Think about it. Is it really a crisis at our doorstep, or should you reconsider?"

Though Vordan spoke with a certain expression that suggested Vlad should understand by now, Vlad already got the message.

"Do I need to go to the mayor?"

Recognizing Vlad's firm attitude, Vordan eventually sighed, realizing that there was no one else but himself to handle the matter.

"That precious vacation I barely managed to arrange..."

After procrastinating for a while, Vordan, feeling frustrated, approached the window.

However, there could be no paradise in the place he escaped to.

"Both sides are pestering me... They said they'd come back in about two days."

Approaching Vordan, who was sighing deeply, Vlad looked out the window.

Carriages and knights entering the town hall.

Familiar words were written on the flags hanging in the middle of the procession.

It was the emblem of Bayezid.

※※※※

"Have you arrived?"

"Have you been well?"

Vordan and Vlad, after checking the procession, hurried out to meet Josef in front of the town hall.

His arrival was quicker than expected, causing a stir in the town hall.

"I hope nothing has happened in my absence?"

"No, nothing has happened, Lord Josef."

Vordan, trying to conceal his bulging belly, bowed respectfully to Josef.

However, Vlad, who met Josef's gaze, seemed to have something to say, expressing a subtle expression.

"There seems to be something happening."

Unnoticed, Vordan sighed and followed Josef with feeble steps.

People welcomed Josef.

And with the procession, new people enter Shoara.

As servants hurriedly unloaded Josef's luggage, the group followed the mayor's guidance and entered his office in the center of the town hall.

"Let me check first."

Zayar began searching the room, just in case there were any suspicious items in the room.

"There's nothing suspicious. There is no way I would leave something like that behind."

"..."

Despite the mayor's awkward laughter, Zayar remained silent, busying himself with searching the room. For Zayar, the most important thing was Josef's safety. The mayor's dignity was of no importance to him. With his composed reaction, the mayor of Shoara simply withdrew, licking his wounded pride.

While Zayar searched the room, Josef turned his head to look at Vlad.

"Good work."

"Thank you."

Both men knew what was being thanked for and appreciated, simply exchanging words inquiring about each other's well-being. From the perspective of those in the same boat, that would be enough.

"What do you want to say? Speak."

"I'm not sure if it's worth bothering you."

Vlad hesitated in response to Josef's words.

Vlad knew the importance of procedure from what he had seen and heard in the Bayezid family.

"Anyway, I hope to receive support. But maybe it's better to speak directly to the mayor..."

Josef was noble, but noble blood alone did not guarantee authority. 

He needed a position befitting his status to wield authority. And standing right next to Josef was someone with such authority, despite the discomfort Josef caused him.

"Alright, that's a good decision."

Smiling at the boy who didn't rush into anything without considering the timing and circumstances, Josef felt proud of the teachings he had given.

"There seems to be nothing suspicious, Lord Josef."

With a nod from Zayar, Josef naturally began to walk towards the center of the office.

"..."

Watching Josef stride towards the mayor's desk, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, Vlad recalled Josef's office in Sturma. It seemed as if Josef was sitting there, always looking at Vlad.

"The view here is quite nice."

Leaning back in the chair reserved only for the mayor, Josef smiled as he looked out the window.

Impressed by Josef's confident demeanor, the mayor of Shoara instinctively stepped back.

"I guess we'll need to get new chairs."

"...No, no. Lord Josef. Perhaps."

Former Mayor of Shoara, now realizing the situation, felt his lips turn pale, but no one paid him any attention.

The atmosphere in the office was changing.

It was the atmosphere created by Josef.

"Now, don't beat around the bush. Speak up."

Vlad gazed blankly ahead.

There sat the man who always looked at the boy sitting in front of him.

A man who, even when looking down on someone, didn't seem out of place.

"To the new mayor of Shoara."

The man who struggled to survive was now sitting in a position he had not inherited but earned through his own efforts.

The new mayor of the city of Shoara.

Josef Bayezid.

With the light from the window shining behind him, the man with dark shadows under his eyes smiled as he looked at Vlad.