The girl, who bore a resemblance to Cayena, looked emaciated as though she hadn’t eaten in a while, her face gaunt where baby fat should have been. Under her ragged clothes, glimpses of her skin revealed numerous bright red wounds.
She couldn’t be older than nine at most…
I guessed the girl’s age inwardly and bit my lower lip hard to prevent my face from distorting. A metallic taste touched the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t care.
It was all too obvious who had done this to the child. And that made my anger surge even more, frustrated by the reality that I had to remain silent despite knowing who abused the child.
Feeling a sense of ominousness as I stared intently at the girl, Cayena pulled the girl towards her and then knelt on the floor.
“My, my sister doesn’t know how to do anything. She can’t read or do math, she can’t clean, and she doesn’t even know how to do laundry. If you take her, she will surely be a nuisance to the noble lord. So please, I will do the work of two people, just… please let this child…”
“Do you have a place to send her?”
Ruth asked brusquely, pouring out her desperate story. The question was clear despite the lack of a subject.
But it seemed Cayena didn’t understand at all, blinking rapidly as if she hadn’t grasped the question at all.
“Huh?”
“If I agree to your request and release your sister, taking only you, she would be left alone. That’s why I’m asking if there is a place for her to go,”
Ruth explained, he’s expression unchanging as he signaled for Cayena to answer him.
Having observed her for a long time, I knew that this gesture carried no malice. It was simply Ruth being curious about Cayena’s choice.
However, Cayena, misunderstanding Ruth’s intentions once again, began to hiccup with a face as pale as death. Her trembling black eyes seemed to convey the immense fear she was experiencing.
“…My father is alive. If the noble lord would grant mercy… I would send my sister to the north, where my father lives.”
“Hmm.”
Despite trembling with fear, Cayena’s voice was clear. It was as if she was making a tremendous effort to articulate every word without slurring.
After looking at Cayena with a meaningful gaze for a few seconds, Ruth’s lips curled into a smile. It was the kind of smile one might have after finishing a prank.
“It’s good to hear there’s a home to return to. Now, you and your sister can go back up north, hand in hand, and live in peace.”
“Yes, thank… Eh?”
When Cayena received a positive response from Ruth, her eyes, initially bright with a smile, soon widened in disbelief, filled with distrust.
I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at Cayena, who was poor at hiding her true feelings.
“So, you mean to say that you, sir, will also set Cayena free?”
“No, why…?”
“Because…”
As I hesitated, unsure of what to say next, Ruth calmly continued the conversation.
“His Majesty has ordered it so.”
“…His Majesty?”
“Yes. We are but limbs that move according to His Majesty’s orders.”
“My goodness.”
Her reaction made it clear she hadn’t expected the Emperor to be involved in their affairs. Naturally. Most people believed that the Emperor would overlook such trivial matters.
Wait, “His Majesty has ordered it so”? Could it be he’s deliberately hiding that he is the Emperor? Why? Revealing himself as the Emperor now would be more beneficial in the future.
A sentence I initially thought to dismiss without much thought belatedly caused ripples. I hadn’t anticipated that Ruth would hide the fact that he was the Emperor, leaving me to swallow my surprise.
After hesitating for a moment, I glanced towards him out of the corner of my eye to see Ruth, his face adorned with a smile that hadn’t faded in the slightest.
His eyes were tightly packed with a sense of satisfaction, through which I realized that Ruth had hidden his status as a result of careful calculation.
Could it be that he was aiming for public opinion? It was when I was about to unravel the doubts that had piled up to my throat.
Among the slaves who had been quietly watching us talk with Cayena, one urgently raised a hand tied with rope.
“Then, what about us…!”
“Of course, I plan to restore the original status to everyone here, not just this woman, so don’t be too hasty. But before that, I need to untie the ropes that bind you all, so lower the hands you have raised for now.”
“…Ah.”
Before the slave could even ask, Ruth added on, and sounds of relief were heard here and there. At some point, the shadow of death had been lifted from the eyes of the slaves.
Noticing that the slaves had obediently lowered their hands as instructed, Ruth suddenly snapped his fingers. Then, a familiar flash burst forth, and the ropes binding the slaves were consumed by blue flames.
The slaves, no, the people, were initially startled by the flames enveloping their wrists but soon embraced each other in joy. Many of them, overwhelmed with happiness, expressed their gratitude to Turos in various ways.
“Th-thank you. Thank you.”
“Please tell His Majesty that we will never forget this grace for as long as we live…”
“Thank you, mister! My hand hurt so much, but now it doesn’t hurt at all!”
I curled my lips into a smile as I watched a boy, the last to come out, grin brightly and thank me. Although I hadn’t done anything directly, a corner of my heart felt warmly touched.
“I think I understand why His Majesty spends so much money to save people.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried it might seem foolish.”
“How could such a wonderful act look foolish?”
“Instead of saving people, a huge sum was handed over to Duke Hazel. It’s obvious what Duke Hazel will use that money for.”
Ruth, who watched the crying people with puzzled eyes, approached and spoke, receiving a rather self-deprecating reply from him.
What I had just realized in Ruth’s purple irises was a rotten contempt towards himself, who regretted, even if slightly, a situation that shouldn’t be regretted.
“But this was the best we could do. So, it’s settled. Your Majesty has already done a great job.”
“Ha… ha.”
I lightly tapped his broad shoulders, hoping to cheer him up, and a calm laugh rang in my ears.
“Lately, I feel like you are more of an adult than I am. Somehow, it feels like I’ve returned to my very young days.”
“Do you dislike that?”
“No. I like it.”
“Excuse me, my lord.”
As we were whispering in each other’s ears and giggling, the hesitant red-haired man spoke up.
“Why do you call?”
“What should we do now?”
“Oh. I forgot to explain that. Almost none of the slaves being sold at this illegal slave auction are actually enslaved by status. Therefore, you must be the same.”
“Then…!”
“Yes. Even if His Majesty does not take action, you already possess your original status. However, we need to confirm it, so please tell me your names before you leave. And…”
Ruth, who paused while speaking to the man and momentarily faltered in his voice, promptly took out a spatial pocket from her robe pocket. Then, from the spatial pocket, he shook and showed fist-sized purses of money.
“To comfort you all for the terrible experience you’ve endured today, His Majesty has personally prepared a modest consolation payment. Take this and return to your hometowns to start anew. Naturally, as long as it’s not for illegal purposes, you may use it however you wish.”
“Thank you. Really, really thank you.”
“His Majesty says instead of thanking him, he would like you to safely return to your hometowns and diligently pay your taxes.”
Ruth joked to a woman who kept repeating the same word, and eventually, she lowered the corners of her lips and slowly bowed. Lower and lower.
“Lastly, on behalf of His Majesty, I sincerely apologize.”
“!”
“How could you bow to someone like us! Please, please get up!”
From a distance, Cayena, who was merely watching, seemed extremely flustered at Ruth’s sudden bowing, frantically waving her hands.
But I, too, was just as perplexed by Ruth’s actions, leaving her undisturbed instead of comforting her.
Why…?
I struggled not to let the question marks swirling in my mouth escape.
Frankly, Ruth was the highest-ranking individual in the Iker Empire. So, there was no reason for him to bow to anyone.
Yet, why is it that the person at the highest position is now humbling themselves before someone at the lowest?
It might have been because it was a sight I had never seen before, but my skepticism didn’t lessen, turning my mind into a blank slate.
As I was caught in internal conflict, Ruth continued to speak.
“His Majesty deeply regrets that you have had to go through such an ordeal, and he will make efforts to ensure that there are no more victims like you in the future.”
“…….”
“So, would you watch by his side? To see how His Majesty will change this empire.”
At his almost request, the surroundings fell silent momentarily. It wasn’t a chilly silence. And this meant, it was not a silence of negative connotation, but rather, a silence filled with positive meaning.
Ah…
I took a quick glance at the people with warm faces around me and folded my no-longer-growing skepticism into something small, unconsciously drawing a warm curve with my lips.
Everyone experiences failure. It’s just how we deal with it that differs. Some might collapse under the weight of a painful mistake, while others ignore their mistakes until their wounds turn into scars, and some embrace their errors and trudge through the mud in search of solid ground.
However, these three different paths have one thing in common: they all lead to growth in the end.
Therefore, I could be sure of it. That at this moment, Ruth has grown once again. That he has taken a step closer to becoming the ideal emperor he aspires to be.
