Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 175 Rescue

"I thought the so-called slave market would be located further inside town."

Taking this opportunity, Rudius struck up a conversation with King.

In other towns, slave markets were usually located in more secluded places.

Although slavery itself is not unusual in this world, and the slave trade is legal in many places, this was the first time Rudeus had ever seen a market openly operating in front of a main street.

"Yes, those kinds of bidding are usually held in more secluded venues."

Rudeus had expected Jin Jie's tone to be barbed, but she responded in a flat tone, which made Rudeus question her attitude, as if she wasn't some kind of henchman of a bad guy.

"Is there any event today?"

"No, I heard that there was a conflict between adventurers in the area where the original slave market was located, which made the market unusable, so it was temporarily moved to this place."

A conflict occurred in the slave market?

Rudeus suddenly realized that Alice and Rigellud had also gotten into some kind of conflict with someone, and the location seemed to match up.

...It's best to remain silent in situations like this, otherwise you might just be asking for trouble.

Then Jin Jie picked up Rudeus and placed him on her shoulder, treating him like her own child so he could see him more clearly.

Rudeus seized the opportunity to steer the conversation towards his master, Loki, whose few accurate statements only deepened his suspicions.

The other party seems to be someone close to the master, and all the things that happen between them match up. Could it be that they are just being paranoid?

After observing for a while and finding nothing amiss, the group continued their journey towards the palace.

During the conversation, Rudius learned a lot about what his master did in the country, such as teaching the prince, participating in soldier exercises, and teaching soldiers how to deal with magicians. For example, the reason why the soldiers were able to react so quickly and deflect his missile yesterday was because of their training.

This left Rudius with mixed feelings, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

The Yue people mostly acted as listeners, only occasionally asking a few questions about folk customs, which were quickly answered.

Rudius was now quite certain that his master, Loki, was there.

As they chatted, the three arrived at the royal palace.

Although it looks quite large, it cannot compare to the city of Chihiris in Licaris Town or the White Palace in Milishion.

Rudius felt that it was about the same size as Alice's house.

In short, Asura's border territories are at a similar level to this country, and the Kingdom of Asura is indeed formidable.

"6

""

"You must have had a tough mission!"

After Jin Jie nodded slightly to the guards at the door, the guards immediately stood up straight.

"Please come this way."

Rudius originally intended to walk straight ahead, but Jin Jie turned to the side.

She bypassed the outer perimeter of the palace and entered through what appeared to be a back entrance.

"I'm very sorry, the main gate is for nobles only."

"is that so?"

Although I had some doubts, since I was a guest, I could only go along with what the host did.

There was a place resembling a soldiers' guard room behind the back door. In the corner of the room, there were two long tables side by side, where several soldiers were sitting and playing something that looked like playing cards.

Upon seeing Jin Jie, they immediately stood up and assumed a standing-at-attention posture.

""

"You must have had a tough mission!"

Jin Jie nodded slightly and entered the room.

The two Yue people followed behind her.

Jin Jie ventured deeper and deeper, and her steps seemed to become more cautious.

Instead of going up the stairs, she went to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the room at the very back.

Rudius had some doubts.

Is this Luo Qixi's room? It's quite a deserted place, though you could say it's very much in Luo Qixi's style.

"6

'

Jin Jie suddenly glanced at Rudeus and then reached out her hand.

"Excuse me, I'll take the wand and luggage."

1

"ah...

..good."

It's so kind of them to be in charge of this kind of doorman-like job.

So he happily handed over his equipment.

Looking at the captain's blank expression, Yue Ren sighed inwardly. He was really slow-witted; he hadn't even noticed such a simple disarming maneuver.

But he didn't say anything, just as the purpose this time was to let him feel it for himself.

After taking Rudeus's luggage, Jin Jie knocked on the door.

"I am Jin Jie, and I have brought Mr. Rudius and his entourage."

"Come in."

The voice that responded was male.

Before Rudius could question this, Jin Jie had already quickly opened the door and gestured for the two to go inside.

"Oh... is this Rudeus?"

What came into view was a guy sitting there casually, a man whose body size was no different from a small wooden barrel.

Although he puts on an air of superiority, he is actually quite short, and not only is he short, his arms and legs are also very short.

The unique presentation makes it lack any sense of grandeur, instead giving it a comical feel.

His appearance is the kind that would make Rudeus feel close to him, so he can't be considered a senior.

On either side, you can see two maids, one you recognize and one you don't.

Leaving aside the one I don't know, the one I do know is Lilia.

But at this moment she was forced to sit in a chair.

For some reason, the person and the chair were bound together with ropes, and their mouths were gagged.

Luo Qixi could not be found anywhere.

Upon seeing this, Rudyus was visibly taken aback for a moment before realizing:

'

So, is this a trap?

"I thought you still didn't realize it."

"Forehead..

""

Rudeus blushed slightly when he heard his older brother say this in a rather irritating manner, after all, he had only just come to this realization himself.

Turning to look at Jin Jie, who had brought them there, he saw that she was struggling, but she didn't say anything. It seemed that she was an accomplice.

"How dare you ignore me! Throw him down!"

However, as the man spoke, the floor beneath Rudius and the Yue man's feet disappeared.

The sudden weightlessness startled Rudeus, who had just become wary. He instinctively tried to use magic, but to his surprise, although he did release magic power, the desired effect did not occur.

trap!

"Oh no!"

Just as he was about to fall and felt a sense of impending doom, he suddenly felt a hand grab his neck and lift him up, thus avoiding the effects of gravity.

I instinctively turned my head and saw a reassuring figure.

To the Yue people, everything before them was undoubtedly child's play.

He had thought Rudeus would be able to handle it, but unfortunately, the young man still couldn't manage it. Or rather, this trap was specifically designed for a magician like him, which seemed to be the only part of the whole thing that made him somewhat interested.

However, he was very dissatisfied with the captain's mental defenses throughout the process, and it seems necessary to give him some extra training later.

With this in mind, Yue Ren completed a series of actions before the floor was pulled away, including seeing Rudeus falling without responding, turning back to bring him back, and landing him in a safe place. The whole process took less than half a second.

This speed wasn't his limit, but rather the limit to ensure the boy in his hands wouldn't strain his neck due to excessive speed.

To onlookers, it was only a blink of an eye, and the two people who should have fallen into the trap suddenly appeared beside them.

The man and the female knight behind him were both stunned.

"What exactly is going on...?"

'

Before the short, chubby boy in front of him could finish speaking, the Yue man who had put Rudeus down disappeared again and reappeared beside him and Lilia the next moment.

"Your Highness Pacus!"

Having grasped the reality, the soldiers made a reasonable move and came to protect their leader.

"Don't move, or I can't guarantee I won't do anything to your master. After all, my current actions can be considered self-defense, right?"

With one hand on the neck of the richly dressed man, she used the other hand to remove the restraints from Lilith's body with a chop.

Yue Ren spoke calmly, signaling Jin Jie and the soldiers to stop.

"Stop, you bastard! Do you know who that is? Release Prince Pacus!"

"You are surrounded. Taking royalty hostage is a serious crime!"

A dozen soldiers suddenly rushed in from outside the door, cautiously approaching step by step, but their expressions were tense, afraid that the Yue people would do something outrageous.

"Young Master Rudius."

Lilia, who was now free, immediately rushed to Rudeus and instinctively shielded him behind her.

"Don't worry, Miss Lilia, everything will be alright, your brother is here."

These words made Lilia subconsciously look at the young man who had controlled the prince.

For young master Rudeus to trust someone so much, this person must be very strong.

The next moment, her doubts vanished.

Several dark figures emerged around the scene, coalescing into physical forms, including wolves, snakes, and toads.

Although there were only a few, their sheer numbers successfully neutralized the enemy's visible numerical advantage, making them virtually invisible.

Were all these things summoned by that young man? But he didn't do anything, did he?

"Alright, as you can see, you are now surrounded. So, it's time to tell what's going on, Your Highness. After all, we're not in a hurry to leave."

The soldiers were horrified, completely bewildered as to how these monsters had appeared around them, and even the noble captain leading them froze.

Things didn't seem to go as he had imagined.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

On the other side, Yue Ren tightened his grip slightly.

"Ouch... I know, I'll tell you, please don't push."

Then, it was time for the seventh prince of the Kingdom of Cylon, named Pacus Cylon, to recount his crimes.

That's right, he was the mastermind behind the imprisonment of Lilia and her daughter. The reason he did this was not because he coveted Lilia's beauty, but to lure out Rudeus's master, the water saint-level mage Lokishi.

Loki left partly because she had finished teaching the prince, and partly to visit Rudeus's hometown, which had been affected. In other words, Loki went to find Rudeus.

Upon hearing this news, Rudius was plunged into an overwhelming sense of loss. How could such a thing happen in the world? This must be what they call the impermanence of life.

One problem is solved; now it's time to address the immediate issue.

Rudeus's expression wasn't very pleasant as he looked at the guy being controlled by his older brother.

The guy in front of him, who should have been his junior brother, had done such a despicable thing. Moreover, his purpose in trying to lure Loki out was extremely vile. In addition, the guy looked exactly like him in his previous life, which made Rudeus's attitude towards him change to extreme disgust.

This made him even contemplate murder at one point, but he quickly reconsidered and gave up the idea.

On one hand, the other party was a prince of a country, and if he killed him, they might really have to become enemies with that country. On the other hand, if the other party heard that he had killed his disciple the next time he saw his master, no matter how good their relationship was in the future, there would probably be some resentment left, and he didn't want that to happen.

Just as he was hesitating, the person who broke the deadlock arrived.

Zanoba Cylon, the third prince of the Kingdom of Cylon, is Pacus's older brother.

He was also the first person the soldiers were to inform after the accident.

The clothing is luxurious, with black as the base color and gold embroidery everywhere, making it immediately apparent that it is very expensive.

He's probably around twenty years old. His features are somewhat similar to Parkus', but he's much thinner.

He had a long face, prominent cheekbones, and wore glasses, giving him a serious and unsmiling appearance.

Compared to Parkus, who has absolutely no presence, they are worlds apart.

He had initially entered with a murderous aura, but after hearing the whole story, this young member of the royal family made a decision that surprised everyone present.

He promised to punish his brother, let Rudius and the others leave, and make Pacus apologize to them.

This left Rudeus, who was preparing to break through, completely astonished. No, they had gone to such lengths, and suddenly the other party had become so reasonable? Something didn't seem right.

Rudius was quite surprised by Rudius's thoughtfulness and manners, but since they had such a person who was willing to do things impartially, they were naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.

After discussion, they handed over Pacus when they left the royal city.

Lilia and her daughter were thus saved.

It is worth noting that when handing over his luggage the following day, Zanaba showed great interest in the figurines made by Rudeus. After learning that Rudeus made these things himself, the two of them unexpectedly became closer.

The soldiers whose families had been coerced by Pakus were also freed, including the female knight Jin Jie.

That's right, they didn't actually want to help Pakus do these heinous things, but their families were captured and used as leverage, so they had no choice but to obey Pakus.

Of course, none of these people included that annoying soldier captain. He was of noble birth and had come to Pacus's side purely to curry favor.

So the Yue people secretly gave him a delayed-acting drug that wouldn't kill him, but should be enough to make him repent for his arrogance.

At the same time, Yue Ren also obtained the blueprints for the only King-level magic suppression barrier that he was interested in. This was something Yue Ren had suggested when Zanaba asked what kind of compensation he wanted, so it was an extra bonus.