The loud noise would have been enough to wake the whole neighborhood, but no one was left in this section anymore except the three people in the room.

"Get up! Boys cuff the kids and Sally. I will take Sally while you get these kids to the auction hall. They will fetch a nice price for their beautiful young faces."

The bulky man spoke with a greedy voice.

He mainly looked at Layla when he said that, considering her unique hair and eye color.

Silver hair was in demand as slaves; a female child like her would go for a lot. On the other hand, Liam was not as profitable, but he would be a fun challenger for a master to break.

It was a business where anyone could sell if they tried enough.

"What are you doing? Why come after me? I helped you out. And where is the father? You promised you would tell me if I helped you enough."

Liam asked in a scared voice. He wanted to know, but he also wanted to survive.

Seeing such contradictions happening in front of him made the boss let out an amused laugh.

"What's this? Do you want to know where your father is? I thought you were a smart kid and would have caught on to the truth by now. But if you are pretending to be innocent and blind, I can spell it out for you.

Your father is dead. The remains of his body were found near the forest. You will never see him again."

Those words made Liam stagger and quickly looked up with a shocked expression.

Mary had already indirectly told him this, but it seems that being told this directly by someone this kid trusted was the last straw for him.

"When and how…why did no one tell me this until now? Then, what I did until now…was it useless? All those kids…"

As he looked down at his hands, Liam finally seemed to be growing conscious about his actions.

He was shaking where he stood and seemed to be struggling. It made Layla shake her head at the drama.

"Don't look so shocked and heartbroken, kid. We appreciate all your help. Those kids and parents did not even suspect another kid to help with the kidnapping. That was why things went so smoothly for us.

But now that your presence is troublesome for some of our investors, we need to knock you out-."

Layla had enough of it. She had kept to herself because she wanted to know the situation.

While the pair talked, she considered what else she was doing with this man and how many people she could remove.

But seeing how this bulky man had come alone, Layla knew she had a chance to knock this man out and gain a few seconds.

"Old man, you talk too much."

A flash of light made the man go blind and close his eyes.

Layla took this chance to run away, and the mother-son pair followed her.

'Inventory! I need a messenger parchment. Tell Mary that 'it's time to act.' She will know what to do.'

Layla had asked Mary to keep the temple and the Ducal household away. She had not wanted this competition to get messed up.

But there was no point in doing that any longer.

Not only was the competition unfair but Layla's life had been threatened as well.

And she did not work this hard to be killed off like this.

...

"How long are you both going to follow me around for? I must stay here and find my maid, but shouldn't you both run away?"

Layla looked behind at the mother-son pair who had attached themselves to her.

Liam looked reluctant to follow her, but his mother had a different opinion, and she looked at Layla with trusting eyes.

"I know it is wrong to follow a kid like this, but I have no choice. You are not an ordinary kid, right? Are you a hidden noble?

If so, then please help us! M-My husband did many bad things, and so did I. But please, save my son! He is innocent and only came here to find his father."

The female started crying as soon as she finished speaking. She was far too soft-hearted for her profession, making Layla pity her slightly.

But if her crimes could be forgiven by crying like this, there would be no criminal on this earth.

"Don't cry and don't speak. If you have resolved to follow me anyway, then at least act in a way that won't cause me trouble."

Layla spoke in a harsh voice.

Although she looked only six on the outside, she was fully grown on the inside. Seeing such a mature kid made Sally cry even harder.

The situation was getting from bad to worse. Sally was making enough noise to attract all kinds of problems toward her way.

Of course, that also included the slave traders trying to find them.

Layla was ready to abandon the pair right then and three to save herself, but that bulky man found her out before she could carry out her plan.

"You little bitch-! How dare you try and make a fool out of me. I will show you what happens when you try to make an enemy out of me."

The man yelled before he charged toward Layla and the other two. He had several magic tools on his person, so Layla was unsure if her magic would work properly.

"W-What should we do now?"

Sally asked, now frozen in place as she looked at the bulky man before her.

As much as Layla hated to admit it, she realized that there was no point in struggling. This time, she would have to be kidnapped and wait for Mary to rescue her.

But something inside her told her that it wouldn't take that long.

As carefree as Mary acted, she had a sense of duty. Once she heard the news of what was happening inside, she would come to find Layla soon.