(New)

It is 10:30 p.m. Horai Island time. It was about time for Jin to go to bed.

"Yes?　What's wrong?"

<

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"Oh, you are going to attend the national commemoration ceremony, aren't you?"

>

The old man explains that Fritz bought a girl named Rita from a pimp, took her to an inn, and left her with Gloria at the inn.

The expression on Jin's face gradually became stern as he listened to the story.

Regulus 16 had been listening to every word of the conversation between Gloria and Rita using his extraordinary hearing.

"So, you were sold to cover a part of the heavy taxation on the village?

So far, well, it's not worth mentioning.

<

"And the orphans were the ones who couldn't afford it?"

"......"

Jin thought for a moment. His face remained grim. Eventually, Jin gathered his thoughts and gave an instruction to the old man.

"All right, bring in the 5th Row Rangers, too, to identify and protect those who have been sold.

Jin, who was an orphan himself, could no longer remain silent when he learned that others in this situation were being mistreated.

"Please think about it, Your Highness."

"Anne. ...... why?"

Yes. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Buying and selling such children is not a good thing, that's for sure, but it is also a necessary evil.

"......What do you mean?"

"The cause is the lack of food and the system of this country. The bottom line is that even if you bring them back, they may not be accepted."

"Oh, I see. ......"

Jin's anger eases a little. Jin understood that it was also a way of reducing the number of mouths to feed.

It is unlikely that such a village would welcome back those who were just sold. Especially orphans without families.

Jin understood that Anne was admonishing him for his haphazard behavior.

"The food crisis is expected to be resolved in early summer. ......"

Jin estimated that it would be after the spring wheat harvest and the early buckwheat harvest.

"Until then, we need to protect them and possibly take in orphans."

"That's what I'm thinking."

Taking Anne's advice, Jin thought again.

"...... Wait a minute.　There's a ceremony in Selroa later. The heads of state and government will be there. ......

When he had thought it over, the grimness on Jin's face was gone, replaced by a look of determination.

"That's ...... why."

Jin and Erza were now riding to Ikasanat, a town in the Kingdom of Egelea.

They had traveled halfway by transporter, so they would be able to land in a few minutes.

In those few minutes, Jin explained to Erza what had happened so far. He also explained his future plans.

"...... but I still can't tolerate the buying and selling of girls."

Erza was just as angry as Jin.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The old man immediately started to take action in response to Jin's instructions.

First, he instructed the 5th column (Quinta) in charge of Tellurus, Regulus 16, <>.

<> disguised herself as a wealthy young merchant and approached the pimps. He succeeds in meeting the so-called "mastermind" who is using them.

Using his ample funds, he discovers that eleven girls have been sold from the region of Rivas.

Eleven girls between the ages of 12 and 18. So far, there are no others. But that's all for now.

"Well, taking into account the money they will be earning, I'll give you 500,000 TUR (about 5,000,000 yen) per head.

Since there is no way to judge whether this is high or fair, and we probably don't have time to dilly-dally, we decide to pay what he says.

So, I paid 500,000 dollars per head.

"Heh, thanks a lot."

With this, I was able to secure up to eight of them.

One was bought by a man who looked like a merchant, one by a nobleman, and one by a foreign soldier. Yes, the military man paid for three whole days, so we should expect that."

Of the three remaining, one was Rita, whom Fritz had protected. Anyway, he paid for the girl who was not here, and succeeded in securing ownership for all eleven.

"But you're a real sucker, aren't you? I'm only interested in the money. ...... Here, here's the proof and here's the grimoire.

"I have received them all."

Having thus obtained the magic tools and the testimonials to activate the collars for everyone, Tiff moved on to the next step.

By this time, Regulus 39 and 40 had joined the rangers. Regulus 39 is named Glen and Regulus 40 is named Roi.

Glen and Roi hurried to the other two.

"What the hell are you?

Regulus 39, Glen tracked down the wealthy merchant who bought the 15-year-old girl for the night.

After banging on the door and finally coming out, the merchant was not happy to be interrupted from his fun-filled night.

"...... I paid ten thousand dollars for this girl!"

"I'll take care of that. I'll get you the money this way."

Glen returned the 10,000 Tall that the merchant had paid and added another 10,000 Tall.

"Ummm ...... well, if that's the case."

The merchant, after all, took money over color.

"Come, come."

"Yes, yes. ......"

Glen gently escorted the girl, who had stiffened her body, away from the merchant.

And the last one.

Regulus 40, Roi, had come to the house of a lowly nobleman who lived in Tellurus.

"What?　You want the girl to leave?

"Yes. Yes. My master bought the rights. I have here the 10,000 crowns you paid and another 10,000 crowns as an apology.

The low-ranking nobleman who greeted Roi in the entrance hall gave a slight thought.

"...... Well, I have no complaints about the money. But there is one more thing I want you to do for me.

"What is it?"

The lowly nobleman chuckled and said to Roi.

"<>. What are you going to do about my desire to have fun tonight?"

"On the contrary, what should I do?"

The low nobleman chuckled at the answer.

"...... I suppose you can. Take it by force."

"What?　What do you mean?"

The woman is in the room at the end of the corridor. You're going to show me how to get her out of there. But get rid of my men, they'll get in the way.

"......I might hurt you, if you don't mind?"

"Yes. I don't mind if I hurt you a little. I mean, so that I don't die, right?

But Lois asked for confirmation.

No suing me later, right?

"No!　I'll write you a statement if you want. ...... Here, is it enough?

On a piece of leather paper, he wrote that he would not be held responsible for anything that might happen in the future, signed it, and handed it to Lois.

"...... Okay, I understand. I accept."

"Ha ha!"

As soon as Lois received the paper, three firebullets were shot from the ceiling.

"Oops, that's dangerous..."

The speed of the firebullets was as fast as the reaction speed of the fifth column (quinta), which was as fast as standing still. Roi dodged with time to spare.

"Well, you're good!"

A low-ranking aristocrat looks on in amusement. Roi, thinking in a corner of his mind that this is quite bad taste, also dodged the fire bullet that was shot at him again.

!"

A spear was thrown at the same spot where he had dodged the fire bullet.

Roi avoids it without any difficulty. However, it was inevitable that he was a little out of position.

Then came the third level of the attack.

After magic and spears, this time it was a battle of bullets. A fist with a gauntlet attached was unleashed.

"I see, that's a good coordination.

Without forcibly trying to regain his collapsed position, he did not kill the momentum of his fall, but back-turned. At the same time, he kicked the fighter in the jaw.

"Gahaha!"

The man who was knocked out was knocked unconscious and fell down with his back to the ground.

"......Hohoho......"

The eyes of the aristocrats watching him widened.

The nobleman's eyes widened as he fell backward and was hit by a spear. A normal human would have been skewered. But Roi is not human.

With a reaction speed several times or ten times faster than that of a human, he grabbed the spear by its hilt.

"What the ......?

The face of the man who had brought out the spear twisted in astonishment.

Roi, with his strength more than ten times greater than that of a human being, forcibly snatches the spear out of the man's hand. Then, without a moment's pause, he thrust the spear with the stone butt.

The spearman lost consciousness.

"Phew!"

Without even checking to see if the spearman had fallen, Lois threw the spear at the ceiling.

"Hit!"

The spear passed through the crotch of the mage who was hiding in the ceiling and pierced the wall.

The mage fell down from the ceiling and fainted.

Roi walked down the corridor and opened the door at the end of the corridor.

At the same time, he swung down his sword.

"That's dangerous."

Lois stopped the sword with the that Jin had taught her, and then she put all her strength into it and broke it.

"Hey, hey ......"

He then strikes the swordsman, who seems to have lost his will to fight, in the jaw with the bottom of his palm. With that, the swordsman's consciousness was cut off.

"Well, is that all?"

In the corner of the room, there is a trembling girl.

"I'm here to help you. Come on, let's get out of here. Your friends are waiting for you."

Hearing the word "friends," the girl reached out her hand.

Lois took her hand firmly in hers and pulled her close. She walked back down the corridor and stood in front of the nobleman.

"So, as promised, I will take her home with me.

"Mm-hmm. ......"

With a word to the lowly nobleman, whose face had lost its venom, Roi and the girl disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Thus, everyone except Rita arrives at , and the girls are finally reunited.

（Old)

It is 10:30 p.m. Horai Island time. It was about the time when Jin was about to go to bed.

"Yes?　What's wrong?"

<

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"Oh, you are going to attend the national commemoration ceremony?"

<<>

The old man explains that Fritz bought a girl named Rita from a pimp, took her to an inn, and left her with Gloria at the inn.

The expression on Jin's face gradually became stern as he listened to the story.

Regulus-16 had infiltrated the inn using the Invisibles and had overheard the conversation between Gloria and Rita.

"So, you were sold to pay a part of the heavy tax imposed on the village?

So far, well, it's not worth mentioning.

<

"And the orphans were the ones who couldn't afford it?"

"......"

Jin thought for a moment. His face remained grim. Eventually, Jin gathered his thoughts and gave an instruction to the old man.

"All right, bring in the 5th Row Rangers, too, to identify and protect those who have been sold.

Jin, who was an orphan himself, could no longer remain silent when he learned that others in this situation were being mistreated.

"Please think about it, Your Highness."

"Anne. ...... why?"

Yes. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Buying and selling such children is not a good thing, that's for sure, but it is also a necessary evil.

"......What do you mean?"

"The cause is the lack of food and the system of this country. The bottom line is that even if you bring them back, they may not be accepted."

"Oh, I see. ......"

Jin's anger eases a little. Jin understood that it was also a way of reducing the number of mouths to feed.

It is unlikely that such a village would welcome back those who were just sold. Especially orphans without families.

Jin understood that Anne was admonishing him for his haphazard behavior.

"The food crisis is expected to be resolved in early summer. ......"

Jin estimated that it would be after the spring wheat harvest and the early buckwheat harvest.

"Until then, we need to protect them and possibly take in orphans."

"That's what I'm thinking."

Taking Anne's advice, Jin thought about it again.

When he had reached a conclusion, his face lost its grimness and instead became full of determination.

"That's why ......."

Jin and Erza are now on the heading for Ikasanat, a town in the Kingdom of Egelea.

They had traveled halfway by transporter, so they would be able to land in a few minutes.

In those few minutes, Jin explained to Erza what had happened so far.

"...... but still, buying and selling girls is unforgivable."

Erza was as angry as Jin.

* * * *

The old man, being an old man, immediately started to take action.

First, the fifth column (Quinta) in charge of Tellurus, Regulus 16, <> moves.

<> disguised himself as a wealthy young merchant and approached the pimp.

Using his ample funds, he discovers that eleven girls have been sold from the region of Rivas.

The eleven girls were between the ages of 12 and 18.

We paid 500,000 TL (about 5 million yen) per head and were able to secure up to 8 of them.

Of the remaining three, one was Rita, whom Fritz had protected.

Anyway, we paid for the girls who were not here, and secured the ownership of all eleven.

With the eleven, the magic tools for activating the collars, and the testimonials, Tiff moved on to the next step.

By this time, Regulus 39 and 40 had joined the rangers. Regulus 39 is named Glen and Regulus 40 is named Roi.

Glen and Roi hurried to the other two.

"What the hell are you?

Regulus 39, Glenn found a 15-year-old girl who had been bought by a wealthy merchant.

"......I paid ten thousand dollars for this girl. ......f*ck!"

Without further ado, Glenn stunned the merchant with a paralyzing gun (paralyzer). The old man had instructed him to increase the output just a little bit.

"......Ah,ah......"

The girl who had been stripped half naked on the bed looked pale and frightened. No wonder.

The man who had bought her, a merchant of some social standing, had suddenly broken in through the window and knocked her out.

The old man decides that it is better to take him out first than to take time to persuade him, and tells Glen accordingly.

Leaving on the bed 20,000 Tolle, 10,000 Tolle for the flowers and 10,000 Tolle to repair the window, Glen took the girl and disappeared into the night.

And the last one.

Regulus 40, Roi had infiltrated the mansion of a low-ranking nobleman in Tellurus.

They were able to get from the entrance to the second floor by <> without any difficulty.

"Magical Warding ......"

It is not as strong as the <> developed by Jin, but it is strong enough.

Roi decided that passing through it would probably result in an alarm.

But it is also true that there is no time. <, he decided to take a somewhat aggressive approach.

Since Roi was not originally in charge of Tellurus, it would not be a problem if his face was remembered, and he could change his face at will.

When he stepped into the ward, he was hit by an electric shock that would have made a human feel a tingling sensation.

"A lightning type of ward, huh? Surely this will detect intruders."

Three steps later, three firebullets were shot from the ceiling.

Roi easily avoids that level of magic.

But just as he dodged them, a sword slash came flying at him.

However, it is as good as stopped in front of the reaction speed of the 5th row (quinta). Rowa avoids the attack with a margin of safety.

Then came the third level of attack.

After magic and sword, this time the attack was a physical one. First, a fist with a gauntlet attached.

<

However, Lois thought it would be a bad idea to waste time fighting, so she blocked the oncoming fist with a solid physical barrier.

"Aaah!"

The impact of his fist was quite strong, even with his gauntlets on, as he hit the indestructible barrier as hard as he could.

At the same time, Roi unleashed a at maximum strength.

"Aghhh!

Aah!

Agh!

The mage, the swordsman, and the fighter who had been hiding in the ceiling all screamed and fainted.

Behind them was a door. From inside, a girl's screams could be heard. Roi kicked the door open.

"What are you?

On a large bed, an ugly middle-aged aristocrat with a big belly was about to throw himself on the girl.

Lois, in a fit of momentum, silently kicks the aristocrat away.

"Ghee!"

The middle-aged nobleman fell off the bed and rolled to the wall, where he fainted.

"Oh, that ......"

The girl seemed to have trouble understanding.

He urges her to put on her clothes, holds her in his arms, activates , and leaves the house. He left 10,000 dollars behind.

The girl was puzzled by the sudden blackout,

But she said, "Don't worry. Your friends are waiting for you.

She clung to Roi with her eyes tightly shut, believing his words, "Don't worry.

Roi ran through the darkness of the night and arrived safely at where Jin was waiting for her, and the girls were finally able to meet each other again.