As the carriage passed him by, Arthur's eyes met the eyes of a young man with chains around his hands. His skin crawled as he felt the unique existence the man had. It was similar to his creation man
'Seika La Vega.' Arthur remembered the name Larza called him. Loved by stars, by creation, and a vessel for life. The young man had sharp eyes that darted everywhere with a frown. 'These are not the eyes of a slave.'
The convey kept going toward the slaves' market as his hand tightened around the reins of the reptiles. Arthur glanced at Fen's back as he talked to a merchant and looked toward the market.
'How bad can it get?' Arthur tied the reins around a shop's fence and slipped into the crowd. He went toward the market as the gem in his hand throbbed. 'Does it know?' Worry bloomed in his heart.
However, the throbbing ceased once he calmed down. He guessed the master of the gem, Larza, was the only one who could find or harm him.
Everyone in the crowd shoved him away as soon as they saw that he was human. Some of them even spat at him, but Arthur knew how to choose his battles more wisely.
He endured before he reached the marketplace. Two spearmen guards flanked each side of the entrance. Arthur frowned and looked around, spotting a small alleyway a couple of building down the road. It was a fair distance from the marketplace, but he had no other choice.
He slipped into the alley hoping that no one saw him and grew suspicious. The alley was filled with trash and abandoned vendor booths. Some rats wiggled their way toward whatever leftover food.
He found another alley that intersected with this one. Arthur went toward the marketplace, hoping there was a backdoor. However, it was a dead-end by leading to the sidewall of a different building.
After looking around, Arthur climbed the wall of a building on the opposite side of the dead-end. He climbed through a window and went into the building that seemed to be a winery. The room Arthur climbed into was empty but the others had giant tanks that reeked of wine.
'I guess there's not much work for the people here.' Arthur looked through the hallway and sneaked toward the stairs. As he kept climbing floor after floor, heading to the roof, his luck ran out.
"What are you doing here?" A gruff voice came from behind him while he was on the stairs. Arthur stiffened and turned around, trying to hide his gem as much as possible.
"I was sent here by marchioness Larza." Arthur replied without hesitation. "I'm here to offer you a new herb that we've acquired. It works to enhance the taste of the wine, giving it a strong bittersweetness."
"I've heard nothing about that." The man with giant front teeth and a tail frowned. "Why would she trust a human?"
"Because I'm her gardener," Arthur said. "You must have heard that the old gardener has died." Giving him such details, the man seemed to be convinced a bit.
"Why are you heading upstairs?" The man then asked with newfound doubt. "The boss isn't here today."
"I'm here to inspect the building. I was asked for this by my master." Arthur smiled, as conceitedly as she can. "She wants me to know if you are worthy of our partnership. This is going to be the biggest winery of the city if we make a deal." The man's eyes turned dreamy and zealous at Arthur's words.
"Can I help you with something?" He asked after a cough. Arthur crossed his arms.
"I want to taste your finest wine. I've already been to three others, make it quick. I'll be waiting."
The man quickly nodded and hurried away to do as asked. Arthur sighed when the man was away, wondering how anyone can be so gullible. He thought it must be Larza's status in the city as the only supplier of herbs.
He went straight toward the roof before jumping toward the opposite building. With his stats, it was nothing that he would face difficulty in. Arthur landed on the building next to the marketplace before jumping again.
As he landed on the roof of the slaves' market, his eyes scanned the roof for any entrances. The only door was locked away from the inside.
'I really miss my skills and abilities.' Arthur sighed. He looked through the roof until he saw a cell with iron bars on the side of the building.
Using torque, Arthur grabbed into the building's edge and kicked the rusty bars until they fell. He found himself in a cell with someone lying inside. He thought the person would be wakened by the noise, but there was no response.
'Are they dead?' Arthur had an ominous thought. 'It's none of my business. But...' He walked up to them and looked at the person lying on the ground.
They were shabby clothes that were worn out by time. As Arthur got close to them, he noticed they had white hair that reached to their shoulders.
Arthur frowned. His heart beating wildly, he turned them over and found an unconscious Rae. His eyes turned wide as he tried to shake her awake.
"Rae! Rae! Are you okay?" However, she didn't wake up. Her face was so thin that even her cheekbones were protruding out. With cracked lips and a pale face, she was only a husk of her former self.
Arthur used one of his Legacy Points and bought a high-grade elixir calling Restorative Healing. He made Rae drink it as her body started glowing. She started to gain weight rapidly as her eyes opened slightly.
"Who..." Her voice was hoarse, having none of her former arrogance or cheekiness. She looked at him with blurry eyes that held confusion.
"Alexie Linan. Arthur Silvera." Arthur tried to reassure her. "What happened to you?" He asked with worry.
"I don't know you." Rae backed away from her as she regained her strength, slapping his hands away. Arthur was confused.
"What are you talking about? You..." Arthur was confused until realization dawned on him. "What's your name?" He asked with shock.
"I..." Rae grabbed her head. "I don't know..." She seemed to be torn apart by something as she groaned in pain.
"It's okay, never mind." Arthur realized he was speaking Yalveran and she was answering him just fine. Does that mean she only lost her memories? "What do you remember before coming here?"
"I... woke up here." Rae furrowed her brows. "I was getting weaker, how?" She was clenching her hand in front of her before noticing the vial in Arthur's hand. "Did you help me?"
"I did, and I'm going to get you out of here." Arthur nodded as he stood up. "Do you remember how long you've been here?"
"I think... a month."
This was more than Arthur has. She was sent further into the past than him. The weird part about her story is that no one bought her even though she has been here for a month?
Arthur looked around the cell and realized it hasn't been cleaned in years. She had to live in such a place for a month. Was she discarded? He didn't want to admit it, but she might have faced even more discrimination for her white hair and red eyes.
Arthur noticed that she was handcuffed and that there was a purple line on her belly. As he reached out to see what it was, Rae backed away in fear.
"I just want to help you. Can you lift your shirt for me to see what that is?" Arthur asked gently. Rae seemed doubtful but she did what he asked anyway. She was nothing like she had been before.
Arthur saw a circle on her abdomen, a runic circle. As he tried to know what it was for, he had a splitting headache just from looking at it.
'I still can't use my ability.' Arthur grabbed his head. 'But I managed to know what this circle is for. It's a curse. A high-tiered one. Who would do this to Rae?'
"Can you scream in help?" Arthur asked of her and she nodded after a slight hesitation. Even though she had lost her memories, she wasn't clueless.
"Help! Anyone! It hurt!" She screamed as loudly as she can while Arthur hid behind the door. There were some footsteps as the door was unlocked.
"What is it, cursed filth?!" A short man came in with a whip. His eyes widened when he saw the broken window. Before he could use his whistle, Arthur kicked him in the head with all of his strength.
His joints ached at the sudden movements but the short man with a head full of fur was knocked unconscious. Arthur grabbed his leg in agony as he looked through the corridor.
'Now, I need to find a way to get Rae out of here and meet that young man before Larza comes and gets me.'