It had been a few days since we cleared the beast-folk camp, and I had returned to my usual routine—or so I tried to convince myself. My body had healed, and my strength was restored, but there was a nagging feeling constantly bothering me. And I couldn''t put it where it was coming from. It couldn''t be the battle as I slept well, with no nightmares or waking up feeling drenched in sweat. It was more of a strange feeling sensation, as if something was happening, something that wasn''t good for me, but I didn''t know what. Or when. Or why. Maybe it was nothing, and I was just being paranoid.


    So, over the days, I tried ignoring it and focusing on my life, which within the gang had resumed its normal flow, and I was back to being assigned to different tasks. My latest one was being tried out as an enforcer, just like Cravik. It didn''t mean I would become a ''talon'' for the group, but they wanted to see how I handled it and if that was my future with them.


    The job was simple: collect payment from a brothel that had fallen behind on its dues to the gang. Nothing that should be difficult. The establishment was tucked in a side street, a few streets down to the north, its location marked by the flickering lanterns from a glass case that was painted red. Somehow, it seems even here, the term of a red-light-district was present. I would have started musing about it, but that annoying, nagging feeling had returned once again. Now, with the extra caveat that I was being followed.


    "Could it be the Guild?" I asked myself, but I saw nobody... no matter how many times I looked.


    Shaking my head, I turned back to the brothel''s entrance, my attention refocused on the task at hand. The air outside was thick with the scent of rain that had only stopped an hour ago, which I was longing for only a second later. The reason was simple: it was replaced by a suffocating mix of perfume, alcohol, and... other fluids the moment I entered the building. It was... Not pleasant. Best if I spend as little time in here because, apparently, my senses are not really the fan of smelling others'' naughty odor permeating the air, masked by... whatever the whores were using here instead of a simple soap.


    The brothel''s owner was easy to identify after I walked past the reception, heading straight to the backrooms. He was a middle-aged man with greased-back, black hair and a slimy smile who stood behind a cluttered desk in an office, only hiding behind a flap of sheet hanging from the ceiling. His fingers twitched as he wrung his hands, and his eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape the moment I entered. I didn''t know my face was already known... At least I didn''t need to guess to see the man was already trying to worm his way out of paying before I even said anything.


    "You see, the business hasn''t been great," the sleazy pimp, for lack of better terms, stammered, his voice cracking the moment I arrived at his desk, crossing my arms and just looking at him with one raised eyebrow. "If you could just give me a few more days, I swear I''ll have the money."


    "I didn''t even say anything yet." I exhaled slowly, the sound sharp and deliberate. I was trying to imitate the voice and look I saw in old gangster movies, wondering if I was doing it well or not. Anyway, it was worth a try.


    "Oh, no need to!" He smiled, trying to look amicable in his pompous-looking, crimson-colored suit. "I perfectly know you are from the great and magnanimous––"


    "We aren''t. magnanimous." I cut in, feeling icky from his ass-kissing, and my patience is already frayed, thinned to a thread just by being in here. "And not paying your dues is unfortunate," I continued, the edge of my lousy mood showing on my face. "But you know how things work. We provide protection and a slight immunity against the city''s laws, and you pay on time. Or… things start getting messy. We both know your clientele are not the local nobles. This is not exactly a place they would visit, so if you don''t have someone up there to protect you after we withdraw..."


    Knowingly, I let the words linger, watching as the owner''s throat bobbed with a hard swallow. The man''s earlier smile faltered, and his hands trembled even more as he reached for a ledger on the desk. Oh? Something to hide? Why did this scenario feel like when I was trying my best to help out my team leader in the office, only for him to take all my work and present it as his? His body language and face reminded me of him already... No wonder my hands were faster. I snatched the book before he could do anything, flipping it open with a practiced ease that betrayed my familiarity with such records. I handled enough of the company''s business, working overtime every day to know what to look for.


    "H-Hey, you can''t just—!" the little snake protested, his voice rising in panic, but I just ignored him.


    My eyes were scanning the neatly written numbers, letting myself smile a little. The biggest mistake of his was the fact that he notoriously kept track of everything in this shithole. If you want to be sly and indeed slimy, keep two ledgers, one for the officials and one with the truth in it. Idiot... Reading, I could see everything: profits from drinks, services rendered, and bribes paid to others. He even had all the girls he had, their cost, meaning their food, clothes, and things he listed as maintenance, right up against the money they were bringing in. The bastard was lying—he had more than enough to cover what he owed. Twice over. But then, something caught my eye. Flipping to the ''ongoing'' label in his ledger, there was a draft of a deal with a fresh date, written up only yesterday. It was an entry waiting only for final confirmation after finalizing the price of the newest product... Reading it through, I barely noticed that my left hand slipped to the hilt of my shortsword.


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    What I noticed was that my blood had run cold. This was not a typical sale for something. It was a ''deed'' for a girl. A young girl. A human. An individual... A virgin. The price was still being negotiated... And the seller…


    My hands clenched the edges of the ledger so tightly that the paper crinkled under my fingers. I knew that fucker. The name written under the seller''s section made my stomach lurch... It was Lira''s father.


    Suddenly, the weight in my chest was unbearable, a crushing pressure that stole my breath and made my vision swim, seeing a tinge of red. Like hell, I will let this sale go through! I have no issues with girls choosing to be entertainers in their own right, but buying someone like this?! Are you insane?! A sharp, searing pain shot through my chest, not physical but a visceral reaction to a fact that I totally missed until now. I never knew if this was even legal in this world... wait. I was working for a gang... Even if it was legal or not, that could mean jack shit now. For a moment, I thought I was dying again, just like in my old life, my body seizing under the force of my sudden rage. I heard how my heart pounded in my ears, becoming a deafening drumbeat that drowned out everything else.


    "You okay—?"


    The piece of shit''s voice was distant, barely audible over the roar in my mind, but loud enough to bring me out of my stupor. With a flinch, I slowly lifted my gaze, probably looking awfully grim as the man snapped his mouth close, stiffening. I didn''t say anything; I just stared, and the silence became suffocating. I wanted to speak, but I was so angry; the words were fighting against each other in my throat, unable to decide what type of curse I should put on his head. At least, the bastard, despite his years of experience dealing with criminals, indeed paled, all of his supposed bravado crumbling under the weight of my boiling, visible fury.


    "I''ll pay! I''ll pay double!" he blurted out, his voice shaking, probably thinking I was angry because he had the money. He scrambled to gather it at once, shoving it into a pouch and pressing it into my hands without hesitation. "Here! Just take it and go. I even put in some extra... for being so late with it!"


    At first, I didn''t react. I simply hung it up on my belt and then walked out, ignoring his shouts, trying to say that I should tell the others it won''t happen again. By then, the rain had started to fall once again, but only as a light drizzle that still managed to soak into his clothes and cling to his skin. It felt nice. It calmed down the rage I was feeling. Still, my breath came in uneven gasps, my mind racing with a torrent of thoughts that I couldn''t control.


    "What now...?" I asked nobody but myself.


    Did the gang know this was happening? Did Risa know? If they did… would they even care? The questions burned strongly, coming up over and over in my mind, each time becoming more infuriating than the last. I had no answers, but one thing was clear—the deal didn''t go through yet. So it shouldn''t be in effect... I needed to get Lira away from her father before the man went through with his vile idea. Wait. Even if it is possible to hold it up in this world''s laws... Fuck that. Didn''t I say I won''t care about those anymore? My thoughts were a blur, but my body had already moved on its own, driven by a simple need to act. And act fast.


    So, I made my way to the bakery and their home without hesitation. When I arrived, the bakery was dark, and the scent of flour and baked goods still lingering in the air told me that they had only recently closed. For starters, I knocked on their door only once. But it was loud, sharp, and forceful. No answer. Okay, then I knocked again, even harder this time.


    "Y-y-yes?" After a pause, the door creaked open, and Lira stood there, blinking nervously, relief shining from her eyes when he realized it was me. "Auriel? What are you—?"


    "Come with me," I said, my voice lower than I intended and probably scarier than it should be if I wanted to make her trust me. No wonder that Lira hesitated, taking a step back, clearly startled by the intensity of my expression. But then, she saw something... I don''t know what it was. Maybe it was anger. Fear? Maybe. I also didn''t know what I was feeling... But it wasn''t good. I watched as she swallowed and then nodded, stepping out of the house without another word. She trusted me. I could tell.


    "I will explain it later––" I said as we turned to leave, but a voice rang out behind us.


    "Where do you think you''re taking my daughter?!" Lira''s mother appeared in the doorway, her presence filling the narrow entrance, her eyes blazing with fury. "Get back inside, Lira! Now!"


    I didn''t let Lira''s hand go, but I stopped when she flinched, torn between her mother''s demand and the apparent urgency in my grip.


    "Auriel—" She tried to ask, wholly confused, but then...


    Her mother lunged at me, trying to grab her back, but I moved before she could reach us. Without realizing it, my body reacted, shifting, countering, just as I did with the tiger I fought, finding her much slower. By reflex, I grabbed her wrist and twisted it, forcing her away with ease. The woman stumbled, gasping in shock at the sudden display of quickness, something that also surprised me, but I wasn''t going to question it now.


    Lira''s breath hitched when it happened, her fingers tightening around my arm, but she didn''t pull away. She still trusted me, it seemed.


    Without another word, I led Lira through the streets. The rain was falling harder now, soaking us both, but I barely noticed as my mind was filled with an unfocused rage and fear, fear from the idea that we were dealing with selling humans. With how my life was previously, I may have been paid, but it was only enough to keep living... In all but name, I was simply a slave with no outlook for any improvements. For Lira, this would be even worse... I won''t stand for that.


    Tonight, I will get answers. I am going to speak to Risa directly and ask it all with Lira next to me. If she can lie into our faces... Well, I don''t know what I will do, but I will think of something.