***The north***

“We managed to shake off the people the Duke sent to track the whereabout of His Royal Highness and his companions.” The knight reported to the Marquis.

“Make preparation carefully considering the fact that the Duke still haven’t given up after two years of searching then it would mean until he finds and get rid of the young prince he wouldn’t stop searching.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And tells our people to lay low for a while. With the newfound power the Duke have he wouldn’t keep our people in the court at all.” The Marquis added.

“Yes, sir. By the way what do with do with the investigation regarding the queen death?”

“Investigate carefully and collect evidence quietly without letting anyone know. This going to be useful later on when we get the chance to use it against the Duke factions.”

Just like their motto “Forgive but never forget.” The Marquis make his preparation carefully for the future. Due to the experience that come with age the Marquis was incredibly cautious.

On the other hands the Duke was someone who wield his power aggressively and due to the sense of security he has he slipped up many wrongdoings without knowing that both the Marquis and the Emperor carefully collecting evidences.

With the weaken Marquis factions that couldn’t keep the Duke factions in check, the Duke’s followers enjoy their life without any worries. Whether it was corruption, gambling and slavery they enjoy their freedom with the law without any care in the world. The Duke who is in his forties who recently lose his wife got married again with a younger woman who was one of his follower’s daughter. The Duke’s new wife who could be said to be as young as his daughter was someone who enjoy luxury lifestyle. She doesn’t care if she was married off to a man who could be his father because the fact that being the Duke wife would mean she could enjoy all the power and money the Duke has.

Let’s go back to two years ago when the young prince and his companions leaving their homeland and entering the Greenwood Empire the land of the Elves. While they travel secretly and trying to the cross the border, they somehow manage to encounter the slave traffickers that just leave the Greenwood Empire land.

“Who are those people doing Uncle?”

“They are slaves’ traffickers, Your Highness.”

“Please drop the honorific Uncle, you said that we must travel stealthily so calling me ‘Your Highness’ defeat the whole purpose of doing that isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry. So, from now on during our travel I will just call you Cus.”

“Okay, but isn’t the previous Emperor already ban slavery?”

“While on the surface the Empire ban slavery but there is still the black market and many nobles’ are profiting and enjoy using slaves too. The punishment for slave trafficking and owning one isn’t serious too so if the local government turned the blind eyes slavery will never be erase.” Iori explained calmly to the young prince and his son.

“Father, should we help them? I mean we must travel stealthily after all.”

“No all of you stay put, I will do it myself. Both of you listen up ‘Never turned a blind eye to injustice, always lend a helping hand to those who are weaker than you.”

“Yes, Father”

“Yes, Uncle” both answers at the same time.

“Good.” Iori looks at both his son and nephew proudly.

Kidemónas Iori is a sword master so subduing a bunch of slave traffickers wouldn’t break a sweat at all to him. Just as his nickname “The north Steel sword” his silver sword aura manages to cut them all in an instant. His swordsmanship was flexible and precise in an instant six of the slave traffickers lost their life instantly. In the carriage that carry the slaves they see that there are nine slaves in there. There are two adult elves, one male and one female who seem to be twins due to their resemblance and two young female elves. There is also one weaken white tiger beastman and four young human.

“Those scumbags, how could they kidnap the Greedwood citizens and even such young human too.” Iori said angrily.

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All of them were shackle and seem to be drugged too. But they can’t stay here for a long time in fear of being discover by the soldiers who guarding the border so they have no choice but to ride the horse carriage into the forest first.

During their ride Iori told his son to give the kidnapped slaves potions to detox the drug and water for them. When they get to a safe area, he finally speaks to them. “Hello, please don’t be afraid I’m not going to hurt all of you.”

The oldest elf replies calmly to Iori “Are you someone from the Guardian Family?”

“Yes, we are but how do you know about me?” Iori answers back even though he is perplexed by the fact that the elf recognizes him.

The oldest female elf answered “Despite our appearance we are a little over a hundred year after all, we know of your fame and heard about your glory from the elf adventurers who visit your Empire after all.”

“That’s right even if by the standard of Elves, we might be young but by human standard we are incredibly old after all.”

The two young elves chip in “Are you really the guardian family people?”

“Yes, since you know who I am then I wouldn’t hide it. I am Sora of the Guardian family and these two boys are my son Mark and Cus. Due to some circumstance we are leaving our homeland and going into the Greedwood Empire in search of finding teacher for both of my sons.” He lied naturally.

Despite the elves are said to be pacifist races he doesn’t to take any chance and reveal who they are since it could lead to trouble later on. And both his son and the young prince understood immediately.

“Hello, I’m Mark and this is my young brother Cus.” He speaks politely to the elves and the woken up Tiger beastman. While the four young children are still confusing.

Then the oldest male elf start introducing their name. “Hello, I’m Elvy and this is my twin sister Elva.”

The young elf also introducing their name naturally “He..hello, I…I am Shi…ro.” The little young elf who look like to the same age as them said shyly.

On the other hand, the other young elf speaks confidently “I am Yasha.”

The white tiger introducing his name gently despite his scary appearance “I am Klar Sor. Thank you for your help, I was careless and get capture when I was drug.” He spoke bashfully as if he were ashamed of the fact he was almost sold into slavery.

“It’s no problem at all, in fact I’m the one who should be ashamed that the empire citizen try to sold other races into slavery.”

“Yes, if I were to become…”

Mark cut off his word and said “If we were to be general in the border, we wouldn’t let the Empire citizen to trespass into the Greedwood Empire at all.” Mark who fears that the prince might accidently reveal who they are cut him off.

“Well considering the Nychta Empire policy and the fact they openly owning slaves of the other races the Ilios Empire on the other hand is so much better in the fact that they banned slavery altogether.” One of the elf retorted back.

Just like she said, the Nychta Empire aren’t banning on slavery at all. In fact the Nychta Empire pride themselves in being able to own slaves and flaunt their wealth by owning many slaves. Due to many reasons the Nychta Empire use the excuse of not being able to imprison the slave traders because of their scripture mentioning in the act of owning slaves as holy.

While elves are usually trade as sex slave the white tiger race would be sold either into Coliseum or becoming bodyguard for some rich noble. While the young humans are still afraid they start introducing themselves one by one.

“I am Mouy.”

“I am Pi.”

“I am Bey.”

“I am Boun.”

While Mouy and Pi are little girls, Bey and Boun seem to be brothers because of their resemblance.

“Are all of you sibling?” Iori ask them.

“We aren’t really blood sibling but we all came from the same orphanage.” The oldest girl replies back.

“Were you kidnapped too?” the young prince asks.

“No, we were sold by the director of the orphanage because the orphanage doesn’t have anymore money to feed everyone.” Bey answered as if it’s the most natural thing to do.

Iori thought that it was a pity that despite the fact the Empire is prospering there are still many children who lose their parents and many children who was sold into slavery because of the famine that hit the Empire a few years back. Even though the capital was full of lives and clamoring lights the land bordering the Greenwood Empire and Nychta Empire aren’t so lucky. So, he asked the four young children what they want to do. “We will return the Greenwood citizen back into the forest but what about the four of you?”

“We can’t go back to the orphanage and I don’t think we can survive on our own either so can we become your servants instead? We won’t ask for any wages we only need food and shelter.” Mouy ask with a pleading voice.

““Yes, I agree please take us in kind sir.”” All of them answer at the same time.

On one hand Iori doesn’t want to leave them alone too but on the other hand he doesn’t know whether he could protect all of them or not. The young prince who seem to know what he was thinking speak confidently to the young children “Sure, you can come with us but you must learn to protect yourself when there are any dangers since we are going to encounter many dangers in the future. They can come with us right father?”

While looking at his nephew he felt proud and answer confidently “Sure, all of you can come with us.”

So all of them have decided that they would all go into the Greendwood Empire.