“That's what happened,” said Max, trying not to look at Rea, who was glaring at him reproachfully.

“So, it wasn’t that Sally was kidnapped, but that the mayor convinced her to go with that noble,” Zack summarized the situation.

“How dare you make us worry for nothing?!” shouted Rea, lunging at Max.

“Ouch, ouch. Stop. It hurts,” said Max, trying to protect himself from blows coming from all directions.

“What do you mean by nothing?! She obviously didn’t want to go with that guy! We don’t even know where she is now! Ouch. Stop already!” Despite his protests, it didn’t seem like the blows were going to stop anytime soon.

Seeing a guy like Max being abused by a much smaller girl was surprisingly amusing, but it was clear I had to intervene before the situation got out of control.

“That’s enough.”

“It’s obvious that Max was only worried. It’s not every day you see something like that.” Upon hearing Zack’s words, they both stopped to listen to what he had to say. He didn’t even realize it, but after all the help they’d received during their time together, the others saw him as someone they could rely on.

“Still, it’s obvious the situation isn’t as bad as we thought.” Before Max could say anything in protest, he continued.

“Sally is fine. The mayor is with her; many people saw them leave with that noble. If the group was as large as Max said, it wouldn’t be hard to find them. We need to ask people, and we’ll know where they went.”

They both realized at that moment. It’s true. Sally wasn’t kidnapped in the middle of the night by an unknown group without the slightest clue, like in stories.

The people she left with had no intention of hiding their identities. They didn’t care if people saw them or not. You could say the more people saw them and felt admiration and envy, the better.

“You’re right. We need to ask where they are right now, and we can bring Sally back! I’ll go right now!” said Max enthusiastically, ready to dash out of there.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” said Rea, grabbing him by the collar, nearly choking him. Although she seemed to have forgotten the previous topic, her tone suggested she was still quite angry.

“Do you plan to leave the kids here alone to butt heads with the guards?! I’m sure you don’t even have a plan!” she said accusingly.

“B-But we have to rescue her. We don’t know how she’s doing,” Max defended himself, trying to avoid her gaze.

“That’s why I will go see how she’s doing while you two stay with the kids,” she said, pointing to the group of children who were watching them, not quite understanding what was happening. After the show ended, the audience dispersed, and the children, who had been enjoying the story a moment ago, focused their attention on them.

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“B-But, but-”

“It’s decided. You take care of the kids. I’ll go see what this is all about,” said Rea, cutting Max off before he could say anything and leaving.

Just as he wanted to go after her, Max felt someone tugging at his shirt. When he looked down, he saw little Suzy looking up at him with big eyes that threatened to spill tears if her demands were not met.

“I am hungry.”

Max wanted to free himself from her grasp and chase after Rea, but those hypnotic eyes made it impossible to try.

“Me too.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Before he knew it, Max was surrounded by children making all sorts of requests.

Zack, seeing this, sighed and picked up one of the kids who had approached, heading to the nearest food stand, leaving Max to deal with the children surrounding him.

There was no escape.

…

The mayor got up from his seat and headed toward the entrance of the establishment. After greeting the guards briefly, he hurried out of the place.

Once outside, he closed his eyes and let the breeze refresh him, clearing away the smell of alcohol and perfume that permeated the bar he had just been in.

Since meeting the young noble until now, all they had done was go from bar to bar, drinking and surrounding themselves with women.

Once he got tired of being there, he left with the girls he liked and went to the next bar. Of course, he didn’t pay a single coin for the drinks or the girls’ services.

This was the third place they had visited.

The mayor was no longer young and didn’t have the energy to keep up with the chaotic pace he had been maintaining all day.

Sigh

After a minute, the mayor turned his head to look at the establishment beside him and sighed in exhaustion. He just wanted this day to end as quickly as possible without problems, but seeing that kid’s attitude, even that would be difficult.

After resting for a while, the mayor got up from the bench where he had been sitting and prepared to go back inside. Given the noble’s attitude, if there was any trouble while he was away, it would most likely result in a disaster.

“Let me through!”

“This place is occupied. If you want to drink, go somewhere else.”

“Since when can a bar be occupied by one person? I don’t even want to drink. I just want to see how my friend is doing!”

Just as the mayor was about to enter the bar, a female voice made him turn around to see what was happening. There, a girl was arguing with one of the guards who was preventing her from approaching the establishment.

Seeing the girl, a sense of familiarity made the mayor stop and think about why she seemed familiar. Shortly after, he remembered where he had seen her before.

Among the many duties of the mayor, managing the budget was one of the most important. This town was not a big city controlled by nobles with soldiers under their command.

In the worst case, if the mayor spent tax money recklessly, his reputation would plummet, and it was even possible that his infamy would cause people to protest or even want to leave the town.

Usually, the only people whose classes benefit from the population are nobles with specific classes, but there are exceptions. Few people know that the Merchant class is one of those exceptions.

His position as mayor was not just a symbol of power and status; it was also the foundation upon which his class was built, his economic guarantee, and a sure way to level up for him, his family, and his descendants when they took over his position.

That’s why he always took his duties seriously, so he could recognize one of the people dedicated to helping the economic situation of the only orphanage in town. Considering that the orphanage matron was inside the bar entertaining a young noble semi-against her will, the mayor could put two and two together.