Volume 2, Chapter 25 – The Beginning of Conflict

By the time the two left the tavern, the operation to capture the Fallen had already ended. People who had been hiding in their homes now filled the streets, and even the usually quiet outer district was bustling with activity.

“The streets are so lively…”

“Is this your first time here, Mary?”

As if seeing such a crowd for the first time, Mary looked around curiously, her wide-eyed wonder reminding Yisi of a child searching for toys in a marketplace.

“I’ve passed through the outer district before while on guard duty, but it was never this lively. Ah, Master, look—there are so many chickens over there!”

“Oh? Do you like chicken, Mary?”

“N-No, it’s just… I’ve never been able to get this close before…”

“Even during free time, you couldn’t leave the mansion? I remember you mentioned during dinner that if there was ever no food, you’d go outside to forage for wild vegetables or hunt small animals.”

Yisi had been shocked when she first heard this and had kept refilling Mary’s plate afterward.

“Only during outdoor camps did we have the chance to find our own food. Normally, to prevent slaves from escaping, our master forbade us from leaving the mansion grounds. So I could only see the market from afar—I’ve never actually been inside.”

“Is that so? Then on our way back, let’s buy some chickens to keep at the tavern. You can take care of them.”

Marking the location on her omniscient map, Yisi patted Mary’s head and continued toward the home of their intended contact—the bald man, Darc.

As the outer district’s jack-of-all-trades, if Darc helped spread the word, their distilled liquor would quickly gain a market.

“Eh?” Mary let out a small sound of surprise, then frantically waved her hands. “M-Me? Take care of them? No, no, no! I’d definitely mess it up!”

“It’s not like they’d be your pets. I just thought they could be used as ingredients for the tavern. A place that only serves alcohol can’t really be called a tavern.”

Mary’s expression immediately dimmed.

“Oh… I see…”

“Besides, we already have the two ice wolves that Camilla caught as pets. You can play with them when we get back.”

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“Really?!”

Her earlier gloom vanished in an instant, replaced by excitement.

Amused by how quickly her expressions shifted, Yisi felt an urge to tease her and put on a serious face.

“Of course. Once you’ve raised the ice wolves, the tavern won’t need a tiny guard like you anymore.”

She pretended to glance at Mary casually, only to find the girl stiffening, her violet right eye filled with tension.

“Hmm… What should I do with Mary, then…?”

Yisi deliberately dragged out her words, but when she looked back at Mary, the girl’s eyes were already shimmering with tears.

I went too far.

She quickly patted Mary’s head.

“Sorry, sorry! It was just a joke. I won’t abandon you.”

“Uuu… Master is too mean.”

“Ahaha…” Yisi chuckled awkwardly and pointed ahead. “Hurry up and follow me. The rest of the way is all narrow alleys.”

“Yes!—Ah!”

A collision sounded behind her. Yisi turned immediately—Mary stood in front of a middle-aged man with a bulging belly and a balding head. The man, around forty, wore clothes that betrayed his terrible fashion sense, but their quality marked him as nobility.

Without even looking at who he was, Mary hastily bowed in apology.

“I-I’m sorry.”

The nobleman scowled, his impatience deepening when he saw that the one who bumped into him was just a child. He puffed out his chest arrogantly.

“Are you blind?”

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“I’m sorry…”

Mary kept bowing, but the noble suddenly stopped her, scrutinizing her closely. When Mary finally saw his face, she froze, her shoulders trembling briefly before she stiffly lowered her head.

“You… You’re that discarded slave from the other day? Your name was…” His gaze landed on the white bandage covering Mary’s left eye, and he recoiled as if afraid of catching a disease. “You’re a monster!”

His loud, unashamed declaration drew the attention of passersby, who began gathering around them. The weight of their stares made Mary shrink back, her eyes darting around in search of Yisi.

“Are you okay?”

Stepping out from the crowd, Yisi placed a hand on Mary’s back, feeling the girl’s tense body instantly relax.

“I’m fine…”

“Good. Leave the rest to me. No matter what I say, follow my lead, understand?”

“Yeah.”

After whispering to Mary, Yisi turned her attention to Baron Wells. The moment Mary had apologized, Yisi had already identified the man from her omniscient map—Macayu Wells, a low-ranking noble below Level 3. His two guards were only Level 4 and 5, weaker than even Mary, who was a Level 7 warrior.

“Aren’t you the Fallen that is on the verge of losing control? Why are you standing here perfectly fine, with your eyes healed?!”

Regaining his composure, Baron Wells pointed at Mary accusingly. As a minor noble who had bought his title, he knew every servant in his household by sight—he had personally ordered Mary’s exile.

Seeing Mary hide behind Yisi only fueled his arrogance.

“The Fallen corruption is an incurable disease! What are you hiding? Tell me now! This is an ord—”

“Excuse me, Baron Wells. Could you let this child go for now?”

Before he could invoke his authority as her former master, Yisi stepped forward, cutting him off.

The baron’s beady eyes shifted to Yisi, and like a miser stumbling upon a mountain of gold, they gleamed with a disgusting light.

“Ohhh! A beauty I’ve never seen before! You—no, milady, may I ask your name?”

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“Yisi. A cleric from the Niru Diocese.”

“So you’re a cleric…” The baron sighed in relief. As long as she wasn’t the daughter of some high-ranking noble, this was manageable. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“To be honest, that monster behind you is a Fallen. A few days ago, she fled my mansion without permission, causing me great concern. I never expected her to end up in your hands. While the Church despises the Fallen, she is still my property. Of course, I’m not unwilling to hand her over to you, but I do have a small request. This isn’t the place to discuss it—perhaps you could visit my residence to hear the details?”

Yisi had expected him to use Mary as leverage for some unreasonable demand, but it seemed she’d misjudged his intentions. If not for the crowd, she would’ve burst out laughing.

Keeping her expression neutral, she raised her chin slightly.

“Then first, release Mary from her slave contract. Naturally, the Church will compensate you for the gold you spent on her.”

“Well…”

The baron hesitated.

While he was captivated by Yisi’s beauty—especially her aloof demeanor, imagining how satisfying it would be to break her—the disappearance of Mary’s Fallen markings was equally significant. He had personally seen the corruption covering her body, yet now it was entirely gone. There had to be some undisclosed secret behind it.

After all, the reason the Fallen were reviled was because their corruption led to death and rampages. If a cure existed, even at an exorbitant price of 1,000 gold coins per dose, people would flock to buy it.

“Miss Yisi, I must decline. That slave is mine, and how I deal with her has nothing to do with the Church.”

“You abandoned her.”

“She escaped on her own.”

Seeing no chance of winning Yisi over, the baron hardened his resolve. He turned to his guards and muttered something. Meanwhile, Yisi frowned and whispered to Mary.

“Hide in the alley. I’ll handle the rest and find you later.”

“But…”

“Don’t argue. If you cause trouble, no dinner tonight.”

“O-Okay.”

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Whether motivated by food or Yisi’s authority, Mary nodded and sprinted away without looking back. Strangely, the two guards facing Yisi saw her escape but didn’t alert the baron. Instead, they subtly gave Yisi approving looks.

Probably because they’re slaves too. Yisi smiled back. By the time the baron noticed, Mary had already vanished into the alley.

“Damn it! Where’d that monster go?!”

“She must’ve slipped away while you weren’t looking, Master.”

“Useless! After her!”

The baron rushed in the direction Mary had fled. Though he’d never find her, the thought of him chasing her—given how he’d abused Mary in the past—made Yisi quietly snap her fingers.

“[Solidify].”

The baron’s boots fused with the ground. Instantly, his momentum sent him face-first into the dirt, his flabby cheeks smacking against the cobblestones.

“Urgh! Wh-Who did this?!”

He tried to get up, but his legs, trapped in the immobilized boots, refused to obey. His bloated body writhed pathetically, drawing jeers from the crowd.

After scanning the area, the baron glared at Yisi, who stood with an impassive expression.

“You—!”

“Did you have something to say, Baron Wells? Perhaps that Fallen cast a spell on you?”

With no proof, the baron could only curse as he struggled to free his legs. Eventually, his guards had to help him remove his boots entirely.

I should’ve stuck his clothes to the ground too, Yisi mused. For someone like him, no humiliation was undeserved.

Still, she didn’t linger. Though she needed to reclaim Mary’s ownership from the baron, dealing with such a small fry wasn’t worth her time.

Shrugging, she turned and walked away, leaving the crowd laughing at the noble’s misfortune.

“Looks like I’ll have to visit the Wells mansion as a vampire later.”