c83=c102 of the WN
CHAPTER 83: THE YOUNGER BROTHER PROPOSES
So, this is how it turned out after all.
Making sure he wasn't noticed, Stayle quietly exhaled as he subtly tilted his head backward.
The man named Val. From the moment we brought him here it was clear that Pryde would act this way.
Even more so when he opened his mouth to talk about human trafficking and then about saving the children...there was just no way Pryde could ignore it.
Curious, Stayle glanced sideway at Arthur. After understanding Pryde's intentions, and kneeling it seems like even Arthur had made up his mind.
Even though this man is the one who had tried to brutally kill his father.
It was impressive that Arthur immediately responded by helping even if it was by Pryde's orders. If it were me...if it were me, I wouldn't be able to forgive him. I know, because I've once lost control in anger over Gilbert's matter.
And if he were a normal criminal, I would have suspected that they were trying to deceive Pryde with lies and manipulation. However, Val is bound by the enslavement contract. He could never betray Pryde. So, what he was saying was mostly the truth.
Furthermore, the way he is resisting in relying on Pryde, his unwillingness to ask for help didn't seem like an act.
If what the criminal said was true and human trafficking was happening in our Kingdo, then even if Val wasn't involve there's just no way I could turn a blind eye to this. No one would be allowed to soil the land that Pryde would one day rule.
Val, who had been ordered by Pryde to provide details, seemed to be still in disbelief as his face started twitching as he started speaking.
According to Val, he had been living with two children for the past four years, both of them were homeless. A pair of boy and girl around the ages of seven and eleven years old. Their names were Kemet and Sefec. These names weren't familiar in this country and both of them were special ability users.
Sefec could control water however Kemet's ability is unknown. Val had made a living doing construction work, mainly carrying out manual labor like moving rubble. It seemed fitting for a man like him.
However when Val returned to his home last night, he found out that the two children were already captured by three men. One of them was special ability user that can control chains. As the children were taken away, Val was forced to accept their terms while bound by chains.
Then as per the enslavement contract, he was drawn to this place and collapsed midway. According to Val, this chain user had been well known for quite some time already around those areas.
...It's ironic.
Leaving the two children aside, Val had likely been involved in similar deeds with these men in the past. It could be said that the enslavement contract had, in a way, justly punished him for his past. In some sense, it seemed as though the contract had correctly judged him.
But even so...
Even so, Pryde was determined to help.
Stayle adjusted his glasses as he looks at Pryde with a thoughtful expression. He seemed to linger on her upon the mention of the chain user for a moment, he then pursed his lips tightly as he continue to listen intently to Val's account.
"...Hey Arthur are you sure about this?"
Stayle did not take his eyes off Pryde, only tilting his head slightly toward Arthur.
"Yeah. If it's what Princess Pryde decided, I'll follow."
Just as I expected. I couldn't help but admire how firm Arthur was in his decision.
Arthur took a step forward and added, "I've heard rumors about the chain-using special ability user from before. I've heard of him from some time ago."
"But that's all I know."
Pryde nodded in response to Arthur, then lowered her head, her face twisting with bitterness.
If we were to act quickly, we could simply have the guards ambush them and capture them on the spot. As the first princess, Pryde could demand the guards or even the knight division. But there was still the possibility that the children wouldn't be brought as promised.
Even if we were able to capture those men, there's no certainty that we could save the children. And even if we could get information about their hideout, there's no guarantee the children wouldn't be killed or that they wouldn't be able to escape before we could act.
There was no surefire method. If we could just find out where the hideout was, we could come up with a plan.
"...Haa...it can't be helped" Pryde sighed softly as she muttered under her breath, then I stepped forward.
Pryde, Arthur, and Tiara all turned their attention to me, surprised. Val raised an eyebrow, looking at me suspiciously with just his eyes.
Even though Pryde, who had been wronged by this criminal, and Arthur whose father had been hurt, and even Tiara, who once had been so frightened were all showing a willingness to cooperate, I couldn't just keep holding on to my grudge.
"...In a foreign country, there's a saying: 'The devil knows his own'**. When it comes to these matters, the best thing to do is to ask an expert.
Pryde tilted her head upon hearing my words. She looked puzzled and I smiled back at her before continuing, "You know, there's someone who is very familiar with human trafficking and criminals."
And since today was a day off, it worked out perfectly. I immediately asked Pryde for permission to bring Gilbert here.
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**(Eunie: the japanese idiom used here is蛇の道は蛇 hebi no michi wa hebi/ which implies that only someone who is familiar with a particular situation or type of person can recognize or understand it. The closest to its meaning in english is, "IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE" but I just decided to use "the devil knows his own" cause it seems to fit more in the context of someone's expertise, In this case Gilbert's connection and past expertise)
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