"So that's what I have to get!"
Lawrend suddenly understood why he had not made any progress in the past. Turns out you need to use spells to be able to use magic.
"Do you know where we could get spells?"
Lawrend asked her. He was really desperate for one right now. He was eager to have a try with casting a spell.
"I don-… I know a place."
Aleshia was about to say no, but she decided to change her words midway as she thought of something.
"Great! Is it along the way?"
Lawrend was full of excitement after knowing that he would get a spell soon. He would be able to cast the magic spells that he has always dreamed of.
"Yes. I'll drive the carriage there. Though, we will get delayed."
Aleshia answered him as a small smile formed on her lips. She was very knowledgeable on something like this as an assassin, she has some sources on where to get a magic spell.
"No problem!"
Lawrend agreed candidly. There's no problem with being late for the arrival of the shipment as they were one of the first to receive the news. Even if they were late by a few days, they would be able to still participate in it.
"Alright."
Aleshia drove the carriage and instead of going through their usual route, she drove to a different road in an intersection. Lawrend looked at the map in his hands and noted that they were going towards the very center of the Vanhan Plains. Instead of their original route going down south.
The night quickly approached and they arrived once more in another village. Instead of men waiting for travelers to come, there is an inn located inside this village. It makes one wonder why there is an inn inside a village in the center of the Vanhan Plains where traffic rarely comes.
Aleshia parked the carriage in a designated parking lot at the back of the inn before alighting the carriage. She then led Lawrend inside the inn.
A boss man greeted them when they entered the inn. He has a large belly and a sweaty body. He looked to have just done some heavy menial work.
"Ayo, Young Miss, what's going on?"
There was a pleasant surprise on the boss man's face when he saw her wearing a maid uniform and the luxurious clothes that Lawrend was wearing.
"My Young Master would like to have a stay tonight."
Aleshia responded with a smile.
"I see, I see."
The boss man touched his chin as he nodded in understanding. He was observing Lawrend very intently.
"Uh, is it just my imagination, but is your Young Master, uh… into slimes?"
There was a weird expression on the boss man's face as he whispered to Aleshia. He just saw a young man holding onto a slime. It was something that he has never seen before.
"...Unfortunately, yes… and also, Jade is not a king."
Aleshia nodded her head with a dreary sigh before she whispered a secret password to the boss man's ears.
"You-!"
The boss man was clearly surprised that she knew the secret password. Only people working in large organizations such as the Blood Flower Assassin Organization and others around this area know of it.
"Alright, I'll take you there."
The boss man nodded his head before leading the way inside. Aleshia looked at Lawrend and motioned for him to follow. He nodded his head and followed them inside.
They arrived in front of a small corner just under the stairs leading up the inn. It was cleverly hidden from the outside.
The boss man touched a small circular circle full of symbols on the side of the wall before chanting a series of words.
"The sun may be there, but the moon would not agree that jade is the king."
The small circle full of symbols lit up and the wall in front of them faded away into nothing. It was as if it was just an illusion.
"A-amazing…"
Lawrend whispered in amazement after seeing the wall suddenly disappear into thin air. It was so surreal and magical that he rubbed his eyes to see if he was dreaming.
Aleshia glanced at Lawrend and smirked slightly. It was fun seeing the amazement on Lawrend's face.
The boss man led them downwards and a hidden bazaar was revealed to them. It was bustling with people. They were all either buying or peddling goods. What could be noticed was the way they were all dressed.
Some are dressed in shabby clothes while others are dressed in dark cloaks. There were different varieties of people roaming in here.
The whole place was full of different-sized wooden stalls that lined up in neat rows and columns. They were all lit up by the glowing stones on top of the ceiling. It was not the perfect light, but it was enough to provide sufficient light for everyone to see.
The boss man glanced at them one last time before leaving.
"What's this place?"
Lawrend turned to Aleshia and asked her. As a merchant's son, he was having tingles on his spine seeing the crowd bustling to buy and sell their goods.
"A black market."
Aleshia replied with a cheeky smile on her face. Lawrend's eyes opened wide in disbelief after hearing her words.
"B-black market? Why?"
Lawrend asked Aleshia in panic. Black markets are considered illegal in the kingdom and any proof that you have been to one or related to one could lead to crippling of their bodies. In other words, you'd become a cripple once the kingdom finds out.
"To buy a magic spell."
Aleshia smiled at Lawrend. Lawrend felt his back shiver from fear when he saw her smile. He had been tricked by her!
"But why in a black market?"
Lawrend asked her worriedly. His life would end if it gets out that he visited a black market.
"You can't buy magic spells. Unless you take a magician as your master. Fufufu"
Aleshia explained. There was suppressed laughter in her voice. She has finally got back to this hateful man. She could now blackmail him after he took hold of her weaknesses.
"W-why didn't you tell me?"
Lawrend grew more panicked after seeing Aleshia suppressing her laughter. He screwed up. He shouldn't have gone in here with her. It felt fishy when he was walking down into here but he didn't realize it quickly enough.
