Chapter 283: Seeing Injustice.

Sometimes, the harder you tried to avoid trouble, the more determined trouble seemed to find you.

After entering the Pros Empire from the Central Court, the Light Squad's carriage traveled north without incident for five days before reaching Stoke Territory.

"Puwa Town is just ahead. We can stop there for lunch and take a break."

Hector pulled his head back through the carriage window and addressed his companions.

"Phew! Finally, a chance to have a proper feast." Budno rubbed his empty stomach.

Although the Pros Empire was one of the four great powers of the Austin Continent, its border regions were desolate, with few towns. Most settlements were impoverished rural villages where living conditions were poor and food was scarce. Because the region bordered the Magical Beast Forest and frequently suffered attacks from magical beasts, military outposts had been established at regular intervals.

There were fewer bandits on the roads, but plenty of soldiers who behaved like bandits.

If not for Hector, their journey would never have gone so smoothly.

Although Hector had lost his position as an heir, he was still a young lord of the Snowo family. With the Snow Wolf family crest in his possession, he had encountered no obstacles along the way.

As their carriage entered Puwa Town, the roads gradually became wider and smoother. Shops, restaurants, and taverns grew more numerous. The people no longer wore perpetually worried expressions, and they occasionally spotted wealthy residents dressed in bright, expensive clothing.

"This place is pretty nice!" Shu Li exclaimed in admiration.

It was rare to find such a well-developed town in a remote border region.

Hector gazed out at the somewhat familiar streets and said quietly, "This area used to be under my father's administration."

"Huh?"

The others looked at him in surprise.

"Your father must have been a conscientious administrator," Ace remarked.

Shu Li nodded in agreement.

They had passed through several towns on their journey, but not one had been as orderly and well-maintained as Puwa Town.

You could tell whether ordinary people lived in peace and contentment simply by looking at the smiles on their faces.

The residents here were noticeably better dressed and seemed far more cheerful and energetic than those elsewhere.

"Thank you." Hector was happier than anyone to hear his companions praise his father. "My father was a workaholic. Every year, he spent an entire month touring the towns under his jurisdiction. He kept it up for more than twenty years, rain or shine. When I was little, I often traveled with him. I've been to Puwa Town four times, so I know the area fairly well. There's a restaurant about a hundred meters farther down the road. The chef is excellent. You should try his whole roasted lamb."

"Yes, please!" Amanda's eyes lit up at the mention of meat.

"Ooh! I want some too!"

Falm emerged from the Fire God's Mark, leaped onto Shu Li's shoulder, and practically drooled at the thought.

Shu Li rolled his eyes and tossed him onto the table in the middle of the carriage.

What a glutton. He never failed to appear when it was time to eat.

Falm rolled across the tabletop and stuck his forked tongue out at Shu Li.

Sandy immediately scooped him into her arms and began fondly squeezing and kneading him.

"Uh... L-let... let go!"

Falm struggled helplessly.

"Hee-hee!"

Angel poked his round little bottom and laughed at his misfortune.

After struggling a few more times, Falm surrendered to Sandy's merciless affection with an expression of utter despair.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the restaurant Hector had mentioned. Everyone climbed out, and Hector led them inside.

The moment a waiter spotted Hector, he froze for several seconds before his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Y-Young Master Hector! It's been so long! Please, come in!"

"Hama, do you have a private dining room?" Hector asked with a smile.

"Of course! Of course! Right this way!"

The waiter, whom Hector had called Hama, welcomed them enthusiastically.

"Young Master Hector, it's been five years! You've grown into such a handsome young gentleman. I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Thank you for the compliment," Hector replied.

"Oh, I'm only telling the truth! I'm not exaggerating in the slightest."

The waiter was as sweet-tongued as they came. After showering Hector with praise, he moved on to complimenting his companions, leaving Shu Li and the others thoroughly pleased.

No wonder the restaurant was packed with customers. That waiter's silver tongue probably deserved half the credit.

An hour later, Shu Li and his companions sat back with blissfully satisfied expressions, licking their lips and wishing they could eat more.

The chef truly was a master of roasting whole lamb. The meat was tender and succulent, rich without being greasy, while the skin was wonderfully crisp. Combined with a distinctive blend of spices, the result was exquisite.

Shu Li was especially delighted when he recognized the taste of cumin.

The chef clearly understood how to bring out the best in his spices. No wonder the whole roasted lamb was the restaurant's signature dish.

Little Fairies generally weren't particularly fond of meat, yet even they had eaten quite a lot today. That alone was proof of the chef's exceptional skill, which earned unanimous praise from the group.

"Finally, I'm full."

Budno let out a burp, his eyes narrowing into happy little crescents.

For a glutton, few things in life were more satisfying than a delicious meal.

"If only they'd served a few more whole roasted lambs," Falm lamented.

His appetite was enormous. He could easily swallow ten whole roasted lambs in one sitting and still want more. Unfortunately, he had to avoid attracting attention, which meant he couldn't eat to his heart's content.

"You should be grateful you got anything at all."

Shu Li picked him up by the wings.

"Time for you to go back to sleep."

Falm stretched out his short, chubby paws.

"I want my after-meal fruit!"

Naturally, he wasn't asking for ordinary fruit.

Shu Li took out a Kuku fruit and stuffed it into Falm's arms.

"Make it last! Once we enter the Land of Snow, it'll be a month before we can go back."

Although the Mother Tree's roots extended as far as the Land of Snow, they couldn't break through the surface there.

The Land of Snow was situated high in the mountains, where ice and snow covered the landscape for thousands of miles. It was simply unsuitable for trees that preferred warm climates.

Even though the Mother Tree's offshoots had been contaminated, causing its roots to spread unchecked across the continent, they still had no desire to venture into bitterly cold regions and freeze.

Consequently, very few roots extended beneath the Land of Snow, and Shu Li wouldn't be able to use them to return to the Elven Kingdom.

"Tch! Stingy!"

Clutching his Kuku fruit, Falm transformed into a streak of red light and disappeared into the Fire God's Mark on the back of Shu Li's hand.

After paying for their meal, Shu Li and the others leisurely left the private dining room. The waiter saw them off with great enthusiasm, accompanying them to the restaurant entrance.

"Please, my lord! Kind sir, I beg you, spare my Azhen! She's only ten years old! She's still so young! Please! I'm begging you!"

On the road outside the restaurant, a middle-aged woman in shabby clothes was clutching a child desperately to her chest, sobbing as she pleaded.

Three men stood before her, looking at her with open disgust. One of them, dressed like a servant, was trying to drag the little girl out of her mother's arms.

The girl screamed in terror.

"Mommy! Mommy! I don't want to leave you! Mommy, save me!"

"Lord Barat! Please, give us a few more days! I... I promise I'll find enough money to pay you back!"

The woman continued pleading as she fought the man for her daughter.

"What's going on here?"

Hector frowned deeply and turned to the waiter beside him.

"What are those men doing? Why are they bullying that mother and daughter?"

Hama shook his head and explained in a sympathetic voice.

"Lord Barat is a newly appointed steward. He took a fancy to Mia's daughter, Azhen, so he deliberately sent someone to lure Mia's husband into gambling. Her husband lost money and used Azhen to settle his debt. Mia refused to let them take her daughter, so they've come to seize the girl by force."

"What? That's disgusting!"

Sandy stared in shock at the little girl being dragged away.

"She's... how old is she?"

"Ten," Hama answered.

"Ten?"

Nasha fixed an icy glare on Lord Barat, who looked to be at least forty or fifty years old.

"Is he some kind of pervert?"

He was even willing to prey on a ten-year-old child!

The others looked equally appalled.

Shu Li's expression grew grave.

"Azhen definitely isn't his first victim."

Hector frowned.

"When my father was alive... things like this never happened."

His father had despised bullies who abused their power more than anything. No one had dared cause trouble so brazenly in the territories under his administration.

But after his father's death, the areas he had governed were divided among other members of the family.

If Hector remembered correctly, Puwa Town now belonged to his third uncle.

His third uncle was a typical spoiled aristocrat who would rather spend his days drinking and indulging himself than do any actual work. He delegated all his responsibilities to the stewards beneath him.

And when stewards were given too much power, greed inevitably took root, followed by all manner of abuses.

This Barat must be one of his third uncle's stewards!

"Azhen! My Azhen! She's still so little! So little! Please, let her go!"

The woman was physically weaker than the man, and her grip on her daughter was beginning to fail.

"Let go, you troublesome woman!"

Growing impatient, the man trying to seize the girl raised his foot and kicked the mother.

He kicked her several times. She cried out in pain but refused to release her daughter, holding the child even tighter.

"Mommy! Mommy! Waaaah! I'm scared!"

Despair spread across the little girl's face.

"How awful!" Dixio exclaimed angrily. "Isn't anyone going to help them?"

Pedestrians came and went along the street, yet everyone seemed blind to the mother and daughter's suffering.

Shu Li watched the numb expressions on their faces.

"They're afraid of getting dragged into trouble themselves."

In the face of the powerful and privileged, commoners could either swallow their grievances or submit to whatever was done to them.

Life in the Central Court had been so comfortable that Shu Li had almost forgotten how backward and feudal the societies of other countries still were.

Royal authority reigned supreme. Nobles held all the power. Commoners struggled to survive, while slaves occupied the very bottom of society.

Social standing determined everything.

When nobles oppressed ordinary people, no one dared stand up against them.

It was a tragedy born of the times and the society they lived in.

Seeing that the girl was about to be dragged away by the bullies, the two princesses, Sandy and Nasha, could no longer restrain themselves.

They rushed forward at the same time.

"Stop!"

Sandy shouted and kicked the man who was pulling Azhen away, forcing him to release his grip.

"Aaagh!"

The man crashed to the ground, his features contorted with pain.

"Who are you people?" the young man standing beside Barat demanded furiously.

"That's none of your business."

Sandy returned Azhen to her mother's arms and answered coldly.

"Snatching people off the street and bullying the helpless? You really think you're above the law?" Nasha said with open contempt.

"How dare you! Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

The young man spoke with outrageous arrogance.

"You dare interfere in our affairs? Keep this up, and we'll have every last one of you thrown into prison!"

"Prison? Oh, how terrifying!"

Sandy gave him a smile that held no warmth whatsoever.

"In all my life, no one has ever dared speak to me like that."

Her eyes narrowed, and her entire demeanor changed.

The innate dignity of a princess radiated from her.

Nasha was equally imposing. Their combined presence startled the young man so badly that he took a step backward, suddenly intimidated.

A flicker of surprise crossed Barat's narrow eyes.

He arranged his plump face into a thoroughly insincere smile.

"You two young ladies have misunderstood. We're not bullying this mother and daughter. It's just... well, you see... her husband owes us money, and he offered his daughter as repayment. So naturally... As it happens, my household is short of maids. Azhen may be a little young, but as long as she's willing to work, she can pay off the debt and even earn a salary."

"Huh? What an incredible opportunity!"

Sandy gave the fleshy-faced Barat a sidelong look.

"So you're telling us you're actually a good person?"

Barat chuckled.

"Why, thank you for the compliment, miss."

Sandy replied, "Well, if you're such a good person, why not forgive their debt?"

"Exactly," Nasha added. "If you're truly a good man, you shouldn't separate a mother from her daughter."

Barat sighed, looking troubled.

"Well... I'm afraid that wouldn't be appropriate. I'm merely a subordinate myself. I don't have the authority to make such decisions. How about this? Why don't you two young ladies accompany me to the estate and discuss the matter with my master?"

"Go with you?"

Sandy sneered inwardly.

"Yes, yes! Once we arrive, I'll make certain you're both treated as honored guests."

A strange gleam appeared in Barat's eyes.

These two girls were absolutely gorgeous!

Although they were dressed plainly, with drab gray cloaks over their clothes, their features were exquisite, their skin delicate, and even their bearing was a cut above the rest.

If he could get his hands on them and sell them to the wealthy and powerful nobles in the royal capital, he'd make a fortune!

As Barat calculated how many gold coins he could earn, his smile grew even brighter.

He had originally despised this place for being poor and backward. There was hardly any money to squeeze out of the locals, and the women were all ugly. The girl called Azhen was barely attractive enough to catch his eye, so he'd decided to get his hands on her for a little amusement.

Who would have thought his luck would turn around today and bring him two such beauties?

Once he tricked them into coming to the estate, he could drug them, and then...

The more he imagined it, the more excited he became. His eyes took on a thoroughly lecherous gleam.

Sandy and Nasha were so disgusted by the way he was staring at them that they felt like vomiting.

They were just about to lose their tempers when Hector stepped in front of them.

Without the slightest warning, he raised his foot and kicked Barat.

Barat was caught completely off guard.

His rotund body flew several meters through the air like a ball, bounced and rolled four or five times, and finally came to a stop.

Everyone was stunned.