Chapter 27

Ferdinand and Walker personally escorted a long line of people on the road back to Visas and Komoy Fort.

The procession consisted entirely of people from the Trak Kingdom sent over by the Nagabi Merchant Guild.

There were men and women, the elderly and children alike.

Their hands and feet were shackled in heavy restraints, and they staggered forward. Near their shoulders, close to their necks, every one of them bore a conspicuous ring-shaped brand burned into their skin with iron.

The marks were deep, twisted, and ugly, making it clear just how careless the person carrying out the branding had been.

The lingering chill of the early morning had not yet fully faded.

Fortunately, as noon approached, the sun emerged and drove away some of the "cool" wind.

The people of the Trak Kingdom remained silent the entire way.

They wore thin clothing, torn and filthy in many places. The elderly and children were protected in the middle of the group, the women walked beside them, and the men occupied the outermost edge.

The soldiers led by Ferdinand and Walker guarded both sides of the procession.

Renogue Masi was the illegitimate son of the old king of the Trak Kingdom.

He had no right of inheritance and had never coveted the throne. He had only wished to live a peaceful life.

But who could have expected the Trak Kingdom to fall overnight?

The old king, along with his two sons who possessed inheritance rights, had all been killed. Renogue and Sara Masi, the least favored youngest daughter of the crown prince, had fortunately survived.

Renogue Masi walked along the outer edge of the procession, occasionally glancing inconspicuously at the two youths walking side by side in the middle.

One of them had black hair and was taller. He was Renogue's friend, Yadai Ben.

The other "youth" had brown hair, golden-brown eyes, and a comparatively short, slender frame. Shackles dragged from her ankles as she swayed with every step.

Though her face was covered in grime, the furrow between her brows and her pained expression could still be seen clearly.

It should have been she.

This "youth" was Renogue Masi's little niece, the crown prince's youngest daughter—Sara Masi.

When the Trak Kingdom's royal palace had been mercilessly massacred, Renogue had escaped with his niece Sara.

Sara cut off her long hair, smeared dirt all over her face, changed into men's clothes, and disguised herself as a young boy.

Afterward, they encountered Yadai in the city.

But by then, the city of the Trak Kingdom was already filled with invading knights from the Anas Empire, who were searching everywhere and capturing people.

Renogue and the other two had failed to escape and were still captured.

When nobles became slaves—especially female nobles—they were usually extremely "popular" in the slave market.

They would most likely be auctioned off separately, and the outcome would be nothing more than... becoming someone's amusement.

Even noblewomen faced such a fate, let alone Sara, a princess.

Thus, under Renogue and Yadai's careful concealment, Sara continued to disguise herself as a young boy. Her face could not be seen clearly, and her identity had not yet been discovered.

Yadai whispered, "Sara, hold on a little longer. When we stop to rest, I'll take a look at your wound..."

Sara pressed her dry, peeling lips together and said hoarsely, "I'm fine... Don't worry. I can still hold on."

Not long afterward.

Ferdinand gave the order to rest in a forest they were passing through.

Yadai hurriedly helped Sara over to a tree and gently lowered her down beside it.

Renogue also found an opportunity to come over and quietly ask how they were doing.

Yadai slowly pulled open Sara's collar and examined the wound from her branding, which had still not healed.

The skin around the slave brand was bright red. Some areas had even begun to ulcerate, streaked with dark blood and giving off a foul smell...

One glance was enough to make Renogue and Yadai's expressions turn grim.

Yadai said, "The wound has worsened."

"I don't know if there are any useful herbs in this forest... If we could find some and apply them to Sara's wound, she might get much better, but..."

But they had no way to move around freely now. How could they possibly search the surrounding forest for herbs?

Besides, there was no guarantee that this place had any Littleleaf Herb Yadai recognized that could treat external wounds.

"If my teacher were still alive... he would definitely have a way to ease Sara's pain..."

Yadai could not help clenching his fists, grief on his face.

His teacher had been an alchemist of the Trak Kingdom and had already been killed by knights of the Anas Empire.

Renogue and Yadai could only stare helplessly at Sara's wound.

Ferdinand and Walker were also discussing whether they should first remove the shackles from the hands and feet of the elderly and children from the Trak Kingdom.

That would make the group move faster.

The shackles truly made it difficult for the people of the Trak Kingdom to walk.

Especially the youngest children in the group, who were only around five years old. They could not drag the heavy chains at all and could only be carried in the adults' arms.

But that was also a burden for the adults.

According to the count's instructions.

Ferdinand and Walker were to bring the people of the Trak Kingdom safely back to Visas or Komoy Fort for settlement. Considering the shackles on them, the two had deliberately slowed their pace.

But along the way, Ferdinand noticed that some of them were not in good mental condition.

After observing more closely, he understood why.

After becoming slaves, the people of the Trak Kingdom had been forced to undergo branding.

But how could the wounds of branded slaves possibly be bandaged or treated?

As a result, some people's wounds had still not fully healed. Then they had immediately boarded a ship for Gadayat, enduring the bumpy journey all the way...

The people of the Trak Kingdom could still persist in walking, which showed that their physiques were indeed much stronger than ordinary people's.

Walker said, "Children under ten can have their shackles removed."

"But forget about everyone else."

"The people of the Trak Kingdom are fierce and wild. If something happens... there are more than a thousand of them. Even without weapons, they would not be easy to deal with. We should remain cautious until we reach Visas and Komoy Fort."

Ferdinand nodded.

The key to the shackles provided by the Nagabi Merchant Guild was on him.

Ferdinand and Walker stood and slowly approached where the people of the Trak Kingdom were resting, heading toward a woman holding a child.

When the woman saw the two knight commanders who had led the group approaching, her expression grew tense and uneasy.

She held her child, who was only a little over four years old, tightly in her arms. The men sitting nearby could not help standing up, glaring fiercely at Ferdinand and Walker.

They wanted to gather around to protect the woman and child, but the soldiers guarding them nearby stopped them with their spears.

Walker waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to lower their weapons. He stood where he was and smiled. "No need to be so nervous. We mean no harm."

Ferdinand showed the woman the key in his hand. "If we remove your child's shackles, he'll feel much better."

The woman froze at his words.

Ferdinand had already walked to her side. In just a few motions, he unlocked the shackles on the child's hands and feet.

Then he stepped back a few paces.

The surrounding people of the Trak Kingdom could not help staring at the two of them, their expressions changing slightly.

Ferdinand said, "All children under ten may have their shackles removed."

The tense atmosphere around them gradually relaxed.

Yadai withdrew his gaze and whispered to Renogue, "Sara is already twelve, but she's thin and looks much smaller than others her age. Could we lie to that knight commander about Sara's age..."

If she had to keep walking with such heavy shackles on.

He feared Sara's body might not be able to endure it.

Renogue hesitated.

It was not that he did not want to, but Sara's identity was somewhat... If she attracted too much attention, it might bring unnecessary trouble.

The people of the Trak Kingdom were not completely united either.

If someone recognized her... some might very well expose Princess Sara's identity in exchange for benefits of their own.

They had been hiding carefully among the crowd.

On the Western Continent, being illegitimate was an extremely shameful status and would usually draw scorn and contempt.

Therefore, not many people in the Trak Kingdom knew that Renogue was also the old king's biological son. His usual identity was that of an ordinary viscount.

Yes, his status was that low.

And Yadai Ben and Sara Masi were Renogue's only friend and closest family.

Seeing Sara already leaning against the tree in a daze, eyes closed and looking terribly weak.

Renogue finally nodded. "All right, let's try..."

After Ferdinand came nearby.

Renogue spoke up. "My lord, my nephew is ten years old. Could you remove his shackles as well..."

Ferdinand turned to glance at him and walked over.

Walker raised an eyebrow and followed behind.

Renogue and Yadai grew tense and slowly shifted aside a little, though they still remained by Sara's side.

Ferdinand quietly watched Sara, his brown eyes unfathomably deep. "He's only ten?"

Yadai swallowed. "Y-Yes, my lord."

He could not shake the feeling that this knight commander had noticed something.

Ferdinand suddenly said, "He seems to have a fever."

The young boy leaning against the tree had his eyes closed as though asleep. Yet beneath the grime covering her face, her cheeks were flushed. Her breathing was slightly ragged, and her chest rose and fell more rapidly... She truly showed signs of fever.

Renogue's expression tightened at once, and he lowered his posture even further. "My nephew is only feeling a little unwell, my lord. He'll be fine in a moment."

Renogue could not help regretting it slightly.

He feared that if the two knight commanders really noticed something... they might consider her bad luck and leave Sara by the roadside to die.

He should not have called them over...

Ferdinand said nothing. Instead, he crouched down and removed Sara's shackles. When he stood up, however, he called out to Walker.

Walker clicked his tongue. "You're always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

He came over from behind and, under Renogue and Yadai's wary gazes, pulled a small stack of palm-sized parchment sheets from his clothes.

Walker took out two sheets of parchment stuck together and handed them to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand accepted them. "I'll pay you back later."

Walker snorted. "Of course you will. This was a gift from the count, and you don't even carry it with you. You really don't..."

Ferdinand paid no attention to Walker's nonsense.

He handed the item to Renogue and said directly, "There's ointment between the two parchment sheets. Apply it to his wound, and it'll heal faster."

After saying that, he turned and left with Walker.

Renogue stared blankly at the item that had been tossed into his arms.

Yadai hurriedly said, "Is it really medicine? Let me see, Renogue."

Renogue hummed in acknowledgment and handed it to him.

Yadai was the apprentice of a famous alchemist in the Trak Kingdom.

With careful movements, Yadai slowly peeled back one side of the parchment, revealing a black paste inside.

He brought it to his nose and sniffed it. A strong, distinct herbal scent rushed into his nostrils.

"Well?" Renogue asked.

Yadai said, "It should be medicine."

"After all, we're slaves now. As knight commanders, they have no reason to toy with us using this. Let's apply it to Sara."

"All right."

The ointment took effect quickly.

By the time they reached Komoy Fort.

Sara's complexion had visibly improved. With the shackles removed, walking had become much easier, and the wound on her shoulder was slowly healing as well...

Under Ferdinand and Walker's leadership, all the people from the Trak Kingdom were gathered in an open area.

Before long, a carriage bearing Desinia's crest stopped at the front of the clearing.

The people of the Trak Kingdom saw the carriage curtain lifted, and a little head suddenly poked out from the window.