Early October.
Newburg, the famous trading city on the border between the Sika Kingdom and the Soma Alliance, welcomed its annual fair.
The fair lasted five days, reaching its liveliest point on the third.
Not only merchants from Sika and Soma, but traders from other regions also caught the scent of money and flocked in, striving to peddle their sought-after goods in an attempt to reap huge profits.
Besides merchants selling goods, there were all sorts of speculators moving through the city's grand marketplace with shrewd glints in their eyes. They inspected the quality of merchandise, calculated the profits to be made after purchasing it, and hesitated over whether to make a move.
Amid the clamor, the very air of the city carried the scent of profit.
Miss Annie—Annie Pombo, with her ear-length short hair—was walking through the city streets with a frown.
She moved quickly, as though she were in a hurry, constantly squeezing through the crowd. After walking for a while, she would suddenly stop for several seconds, change direction, and hurry on again.
This was a method she used to prevent anyone from following her.
Annie Pombo knew perfectly well that she had made quite a few enemies along the way. In theory, none of them should have followed her all the way to Newburg, but caution was always best—throughout her past experiences, being cautious had helped her escape danger several times.
Thus, Annie walked through the city for nearly half an hour, repeatedly confirming that no enemies were tailing her before finally relaxing.
"Phew—"
Letting out a soft breath and arranging her slightly damp bangs, Annie looked up at a distinctive small market ahead, where numerous varieties of a single type of goods had gathered—part of Newburg's annual grand market.
Though it was called a small