The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health – Chapter 219

Author: Asternkm

The Black Market was run by an organization whose true form was impossible to pin down.

Usually, it operated in scattered cells, then made a big score during the Founding Festival and vanished again. Because of that, I’d unconsciously assumed it would be holed up somewhere gloomy—some back alley or a building on the outskirts of the capital.

This is why prejudice and preconceived notions are bad.

The carriage carrying me rolled straight into a perfectly respectable trading house.

It was a district packed with merchant guilds, including caravans owned by the Spherom family. Hiding a tree in a forest, sure—but this was still outrageously bold.

“Is this really okay?”

“Who knows. They told us to do it, so we did. You got a better idea?”

“Nope.”

The kidnappers whispered among themselves while glancing at me.

Go on. Just sell me to the slave trader already.

I narrowed my eyes at them, and they all flinched at once.

From what I’d overheard, my kidnapping was purely bad luck. I’d been taken simply because I happened to be with their actual target.

These idiots, living mayfly lives, hadn’t even bothered to figure out who I was. They’d decided, She doesn’t look dangerous—let’s sell her, and promptly got beaten up by me.

That’s already six spells today.

A gag spell in case they said something stupid to the slaver, a tracking spell so I could hunt them down and fleece them later… My daily spell quota was already getting tight.

Looks like finishing this today will be hard.

Mama’s going to worry.

Still, one day should be okay, right?

“You’ve brought a fine piece of merchandise. Good work.”

“Haha, not at all.”

“Let’s do more business in the future.”

“Of course, of course.”

The conversation between the kidnappers—who clearly wanted to leave as fast as possible—and the satisfied slave trader was wrapping up.

“But why is the carriage in this state?”

“……”

****

A vast underground cavern.

It looked like an old sewer system or an underground passageway, and slaves were confined throughout the space.

The stone floor, soaked with dampness and stench, was revolting. I didn’t want to spend even a single day in a place like this…

“Should I just use magic, even if I get sick?”

Wooooong—!

The aether that served as my final safeguard screamed absolute opposition.

“If I just go straight to Master—”

Woooong—!

After getting thoroughly scolded about how that kind of complacent mindset was exactly how accidents happened, I felt appropriately chastened.

Yes. I’ll behave and wait one day.

Back when I’d first become a mage, the aether had been a little shy around me, but now it was practically glued to my side like it had always been there.

They even put up a barrier—unless I escape outright, I can’t easily use magic.

Since I’d been brought in as “goods,” it seemed they stored merchandise and slaves separately. The relic I was after was nowhere in sight.

I’d wanted to be a righteous phantom thief.

What do I do—just escape?

With the remaining spell capacity, getting myself out alone wouldn’t be hard. The problem was the noble lady who’d been kidnapped with me… and—

“Ughhh…”

—the other slaves.

“Haha. These are supposed to be slave gladiators? Why are they all so scrawny?”

“Fight! Fight already! Only the winner gets food today!”

I wasn’t sure I could go back and sleep peacefully, legs stretched out, after witnessing something this barbaric.

I may not look it, but I was raised gently.

Even when the violence wasn’t directed at me, just watching someone get beaten and trampled made it feel like something inside my heart was snapping.

Watching this makes me want to burn the whole place down.

Didn’t those people feel wronged?

In the end, the slaves who fought until teeth were knocked out with bare fists were locked back into their respective cages.

Watching only the winner receive a thin oat porridge… it felt like the revolutionary instincts slumbering in my blood were screaming.

So this is why people start revolutions.

“The sale isn’t far off. Manage the slaves so they don’t get damaged. If even a scratch shows up, I’ll sell you instead.”

“Ah, don’t worry, sir!”

“And don’t touch the top-grade goods.”

“Yes, yes! We’ll be extra careful!”

The greasy gaze that swept up and down my body made my skin crawl.

“You’re very lucky, miss. Heh heh.”

The lucky one here is you.

Should I just go for it right now?

I’ve got a ticket anyway—should I just flip this place over and leave?

I was seriously considering it when—

“Mm… ah?”

The young lady who’d been kidnapped along with me woke up.

“Where…? Miss? Huh? What is this—?”

“Calm down. We’ve been kidnapped.”

“What?”

Her large eyes blinked rapidly.

She still hadn’t grasped the situation, confusion plain in her gaze.

I quickly summarized what was going on—valuable information I’d gotten by beating it out of the kidnappers.

“Your uncle hired thugs to kill you, but they figured selling you would be more profitable than killing you, so they sold you to a slave trader. I got kidnapped as a bonus and sold along with you.”

“Whaaat?!”

The girl stared at me, mouth hanging open, blinking rapidly. She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t organize her thoughts, stumbling over her words before finally asking,

“How can you be so calm?”

“Should I cry instead?”

“……”

If crying solved anything, I’d have done it already. Not that this means I have nothing to rely on.

She still didn’t seem to understand how calm I was, but perhaps because of that, she quickly got a grip on her own emotions.

“I—I’m Sylvie Groom Blac. I was supposed to inherit the Blac viscountcy soon, but…”

Introducing herself with a dim expression, Sylvie fidgeted with her lips.

From the moment she woke up, the hand clutching my sleeve had been trembling slightly. She was scared.

Yes. This was probably a normal young lady’s reaction.

“My name is Arellin.”

“That’s the same name as a famous person!”

“Famous person?”

“The Crown Prince’s first love.”

“……”

“Oh! Come to think of it, you even look similar! Ah—ahh. So Miss Arellin, you’re one of those who’s aiming for His Highness!”

What do you mean those? What exactly am I aiming for?

I felt thoroughly misunderstood, but I couldn’t be bothered to explain. I was too tired to correct everything one by one.

Just how many weird people had clustered around him?

“Be careful. His Highness isn’t merciful to people who impersonate his first love.”

“……”

For a moment I wondered if she was mocking me, but her eyes and voice were filled with nothing but genuine concern.

Your kindness is hurting me.

“Let’s drop that topic. Are you okay, Sylvie?”

“Ah…”

Sylvie’s expression darkened.

“To think my uncle would do this to me. I trusted him… I guess he really wanted the family assets.”

“What does your family own?”

“A newspaper.”

“……?”

There were only three newspapers of significant scale in this country. And the most famous among them was—

“There’s no point hiding it. The Albercht Times belongs to my family.”

I’d unexpectedly reeled in a big fish.

“But what do we do now? We’re trapped in a place like this… There’s no one left who can help me.”

Sylvie’s face clouded over.

Still, I should tell her the truth.

“Actually, I’m a mage.”

Sylvie’s eyes went wide.

“You’re saying that just to reassure me, right? Arellin, you’re really kind.”

She doesn’t believe me.

****

It had already been four days since Arellin failed to return.

The Founding Festival was gradually drawing to a close.

Mehen was at his wit’s end over his daughter, who had gone out saying she’d attend the Spherom party and never came back.

“Why does she seem to be getting more and more like Valer?”

It must be his imagination. No—it had to be.

Disappearing without a trace, keeping countless secrets, never easily speaking what she held inside… As if she weren’t Halbern’s child, she resembled him perfectly. Listing those similarities in his head, Mehen let out a sigh.

One of the many letters on his desk caught his eye.

“I’ll be back soon.”

A letter sent personally by the Regent Duke.

But the very person who’d forced the Regent Duke to end his closed retreat was now absent as well…

“Haah.”

“Aren’t you worried at all, Mehen-nim?”

“She’s a once-in-a-generation genius certified by a Grand Mage. How could I worry? I’d be relieved if she didn’t cause some kind of incident.”

Mehen muttered with an expression more worried than anyone else’s. He seemed so anxious his mental state had gone slightly off.

There was someone else troubled by Arellin’s absence.

Knock, knock.

With a polite knock, Ciel visited the suite where Mehen was staying, wearing a troubled expression.

“Looks like Arell still hasn’t come back.”