Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health - Chapter 219

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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219
Episode

The Black Market was run by an organization whose true identity remained unknown.
It had the image of a cell-based operation that would make a quick profit during the Foundation Festival and disappear—so I’d unconsciously assumed it would be nestled somewhere in a dim back alley or a building on the outskirts of the Capital.
‘So this is why prejudice and preconceived notions are dangerous.’
The carriage that carried me pulled into a perfectly ordinary merchant house.
It was a district densely packed with trading companies, including those owned by Sperom, and hiding a tree in the forest was bold indeed—perhaps too bold.
“Can we really get away with this?”
“No idea. We’re just following orders. You got a better plan?”
“No, I don’t.”
The kidnappers muttered to each other while glancing at me.
Fine. Let them sell me to a slave trader.
I hardened my gaze and glared at them, and the kidnappers all flinched in unison.
As it turned out, I’d been kidnapped purely by bad luck—I’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, so they grabbed me along with their actual target.
These mayflies of men hadn’t even bothered to identify me properly; they thought ‘She doesn’t seem dangerous, let’s sell her off,’ and then got the beating of their lives from me.
‘I’ve already used six spells.’
Six: the Sealing Magic I’d placed to keep the kidnappers from babbling to the slave trader, and the Tracking Magic I’d laid on them for later recovery. My daily allocation was already running thin.
I wouldn’t be able to finish this today.
‘Mother will worry.’
Still, a day or so should be fine, shouldn’t it?
“You’ve brought good merchandise. Well done.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
“I look forward to more profitable dealings in the future.”
“Of course, of course.”
The conversation between the kidnappers—eager to leave—and the satisfied slave trader was coming to an end.
“By the way, what’s wrong with the carriage?”
…….

* * *

A vast underground cavern, dug deep beneath the city.
In this space—which resembled both an ancient sewer system and a network of subterranean tunnels—slaves were imprisoned.
The reek and dampness clinging to the stone floor was revolting. I wouldn’t want to spend even a day in a place like this.
“Should I just use magic anyway, even if it hurts?”
Whoooosh—!
Ether, responsible for my final safety, absolutely objected.
“If I just go straight to Master now…”
Whoosh—!
After enduring a lengthy lecture about how such complacency breeds accidents, I found myself naturally humbled.
Yes. I’ll wait patiently for one day.
Ether had been skittish when I first became a mage, but now it clung to me as if it had been part of me forever.
‘With that Barrier in place, I can’t escape anyway, and I can barely cast spells.’
I’d been brought here, but they apparently kept their merchandise and their slaves in separate storage—the relic I’d targeted was nowhere to be seen.
I’d wanted to become a righteous thief.
‘What should I do—just escape?’
With my remaining spell allocation, getting just myself out wouldn’t be difficult. The problem was the young noble who’d been kidnapped with me, and…
“Uhhhhh…”
the other slaves weighed on my conscience.
“Ha! These slave gladiators are so scrawny. Why?”
“Fight! Keep fighting! Only the winner gets food today.”
I wasn’t sure I could leave this place, go back, and sleep peacefully knowing what I’d witnessed.
I’d been raised kindly, after all.
Even though the violence wasn’t directed at me, just watching someone else being beaten and degraded was crushing my heart.
‘Seeing that… I just want to burn this whole place down.’
Weren’t those people wronged too?
Eventually, the slaves who’d fought until their teeth fell out from punches were locked back in their separate cells.
As I watched the winner receive only thin gruel, I felt something stirring—the bloodline of the Proletarian Revolutionary within me crying out.
So this is why people start revolutions.
“The sale is approaching. Maintain the slaves without marks. Any blemishes and I’ll sell you all instead.”
“Oh, don’t worry, sir!”
“Don’t touch the Premium Goods.”
“Yes, yes! We’ll be extra careful!”
The oily gleam in his eyes as he looked me up and down was disgusting.
“You’re lucky, miss. Very lucky. Hehehehe.”
Lucky? That’s you.
‘Should I just do it now?’
I had a ticket anyway. Should I just burn this place down and leave?
I was seriously considering it when—
“Ugh… wh—?”
The young noble who’d been taken with me opened her eyes.
“Where… where am I? Who…? What is this?”
“Please stay calm. We’ve been kidnapped.”
“What?”
Her large eyes blinked rapidly.
Her gaze was still confused—she hadn’t grasped the situation yet.
I quickly summarized what had happened, information I’d gathered from beating the kidnappers.
“Your uncle hired mercenaries to kill you, but they decided selling you was more profitable than murder, so they sold you to a slave trader. I was kidnapped as collateral and sold along with you.”
“Wh—what?!”
The young noble’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she stared at me. She clearly wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come; she stammered for a while before asking me back.
“How can you be so calm?”
“Would you rather I cry?”
…….
Crying wouldn’t solve anything. If it would, I’d have done it already. That didn’t mean I had no faith in a way out, either.
She still couldn’t understand my composure, but it seemed to help her pull her own emotions together.
“I’m Sylvie Groom Blaque. I was supposed to inherit the Blaque barony soon…”
Sylvie introduced herself with a distant expression, her lips trembling.
From the moment she’d opened her eyes, her hand gripping my sleeve had been shaking. She was afraid.
Yes, that was the normal reaction for a young noble.
“My name is Arelin.”
“That’s the same name as someone famous!”
“Famous?”
“The Crown Prince’s first love.”
…….
“Oh! Now that I look closer, you do look similar! Oh my, oh… So Arelin is one of those types who’s after the Crown Prince!”
What does ‘those types’ even mean? What am I supposedly after?
It seemed I’d been thoroughly misunderstood, but I didn’t feel like correcting her. It was exhausting to explain things one by one.
What kind of strange people have I accumulated around me?
“Be careful. His Highness is not merciful to imposters claiming to be his first love.”
…….
I wondered if she was mocking me, but her eyes and voice held nothing but genuine concern.
Your kindness is wounding me.
“Anyway, are you all right, Sylvie?”
“Ah…”
Sylvie’s expression darkened considerably.
“I never thought my uncle would do this. I trusted him… he must have coveted the family fortune that much.”
“What does your family possess?”
“A newspaper.”
……?
There were only three newspapers of significant size in this country, and the most famous one was…
“There’s no point hiding it—the Albrecht Times is owned by my family.”
I’d accidentally caught a big fish.
“But what do we do now? We’re trapped in this place… and there’s no one to help me anymore.”
Sylvie’s face fell into despair.
I should tell her the truth anyway.
“Actually, I’m a mage.”
Sylvie’s eyes widened.
“You’re saying that to reassure me, aren’t you? Arelin, you’re really kind.”
She didn’t believe me.

* * *

Four days had already passed since Arelin hadn’t returned.
The Foundation Festival was slowly drawing to a close.
Mehren had gone to attend a Sperom party, and her daughter’s absence gave her a headache.
“Why does she seem more and more like Valere?”
It was probably just her imagination. It had to be.
The way she vanished without warning, the secrets she kept, the things she held close without easily sharing them—unmistakably resembling the Grand Duke, Mehren thought as she sighed, mentally cataloging the similarities.
One of several letters on the desk caught her attention.
「I will return soon.」
A letter sent directly by the Regent Duke.
But the very person who’d ended the Regent Duke’s seclusion had now disappeared…
“Hah.”
“Aren’t you worried, Mehren?”
“Worried? The Grand Mage herself certified her as a great prodigy. I suppose as long as she doesn’t cause trouble, I should count my blessings.”
Mehren muttered with a worried expression—her anxiety so severe her composure was fraying.
There was another person inconvenienced by Arelin’s absence.
Knock, knock.
Ciel, who entered Mehren’s suite with a polite knock, looked troubled.
“It seems Arelin still hasn’t returned.”
“No, she hasn’t, Ciel.”
Mehren nodded.
“Then I’ll have to go to the Black Market with you instead.”
At this sudden change of partner, Ciel made an anguished face.
Arelin, where on earth are you?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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