Did you just leave like that?!" Max shouted in the middle of the restaurant.

After Rea left to find Sally's whereabouts, Zack and Max stayed behind to take care of the children. The puppet show had ended, and the kids were tired from being in the sun and very thirsty, so they decided to take them to a nearby place to get something to drink and regain their strength.

Just like with the noble, it wasn't tough to find the place where they were having a drink. All you had to do was ask if anyone had seen a bunch of kids accompanied by two adults.

When Rea met up with them, they were in a shaded spot drinking. After greeting them and the children, she sat down and began to explain what had happened.

After finishing her story, Max stood up from his seat and started shouting, attracting the attention of all the nearby customers. Hearing Max's accusations, all she could do was lower her head. There was no way to deny it. After all, she had indeed returned without Sally. The courage she had shown earlier was nowhere to be found.

"Calm down. Are you sure you want to do this here?" Zack warned in a calm tone, pointing to the many people watching them.

Looking around and seeing the many onlookers he had attracted, Max realized the scene he was causing and reluctantly sat back down. Seeing that there was not going to be any drama, the rest of the diners returned to their own business, and the atmosphere of the place returned to its previous state.

At their table, however, things were different. Max was looking at Rea with an expression of surprise and pain, as if she had betrayed him, while she kept her head down, trying to avoid his gaze. Seeing how things were, Zack knew they weren't going to get anywhere.

"We'd better eat something. The kids are starting to get hungry too. We can talk afterward," he suggested, trying to ease the tension.

Max wanted to continue, but the children's expressions upon hearing the word "food" made him drop the subject quickly.

Never get between a young child and food. That was a lesson he learned a long time ago. The last time he did, he almost lost a finger.

After ordering some food, it didn't take long to arrive. As soon as the food touched the table, multiple small hands appeared out of nowhere and pounced on it, as if it were a succulent prize.

"Yummy!"

"Delicious!"

"Hey! That was mine!"

"I'm thirsty!"

Zack, Max, and Rea barely had time to blink before almost half the food had disappeared.

"Hey! Leave some for the rest of us!" Max protested and quickly lunged at the remaining food on the table.

Zack and Rea didn't lag behind either. Thanks to impeccable teamwork, the food on the table vanished in no time.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Seeing that everyone had finished, Zack knew this was the right moment. Max's relaxed face suddenly tensed, and he focused all his attention on Rea's words.

With a full stomach and some time to calm down, Rea wasn't as nervous and could not what had happened. Hearing her explanation, Max's reaction gradually diminished until all his anger had disappeared, leaving only discomfort and helplessness in him. The same was true for Rea.

When she finished speaking, silence took over them. For a moment, no one seemed to know what to say.

Zack also said nothing as he finished drinking what he had ordered from the waitress. In his world, he is a minor; he had never tried alcohol and had no intention of starting now.

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This world is completely different from his. Although it has similar elements, there are all kinds of things that are not possible in his world: animals, plants, and the different races that exist here, which can only be seen in movies and fairy tales.

What Zack was drinking was a non-alcoholic drink of a color similar to beer, made from local herbs, which had a sweet touch and helped with digestion.

Usually, only children and women drank that kind of beverage in a bar, so when he ordered it with the food, not only did his companions look at him strangely, but the rest of the diners looked at him with disdain. Even so, when it arrived, he drank it with pleasure.

If he had cared about other people's opinions, he wouldn't have been alone in his old world. With his parents' careers and influence, there was no way he wouldn't have joined some group if it hadn't been by choice.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Max asked quietly, breaking the silence that had formed.

Rea opened her mouth to answer, but the words wouldn't come out, and she closed it slowly afterward.

Rea wanted to rescue Sally as much as Max did, but the mayor's words constantly echoed in her head.

As far as they knew, the young noble wasn't a compassionate person. If they dared to demand that Sally go with them, it was unlikely he would let her go with a smile and a hug. They didn't know how he might react, but it was obvious it wouldn't be good for them. In the worst case, he could have his men deal with them with a mere gesture of his hand. And precisely because that was possible, they didn't want to leave Sally with someone like him. Who knows what might happen?

Neither of them had any idea, so they looked at the remaining person in the group.

Zack placed the jug he had just drunk from on the table and looked them in the eyes.

"Right now, there's only one thing we can do."

"Do you have a plan?" they asked excitedly. If the doctor had any idea to rescue Sally, half of their problems would be solved.

His words made them regain their energy, and they listened attentively.

"We can only wait," he finally said.

Max and Rea, who had been waiting for his response, felt their hopes dash, and they lowered their heads dejectedly.

BAM

Zack hit the table, startling them and making them look at him again.

"In these circumstances, we can't do anything. What the mayor said is true; trying to act without thinking could cause serious problems." To be honest, Zack also wanted to help Sally, but the things he could do were limited. Rushing headlong against that noble and his guards was a quick way to end up in prison or worse.

Even if they went to rescue her and succeeded, what would happen next? Obviously, they would be pursued for it.

Recalling his limited experience with nobles, Zack had no hope that a sudden conscience would sprout and they would be forgiven if captured.

In the extremely unrealistic case that they managed to escape the pursuit, they couldn't return to their lives here unless they wanted to live from now on in a cell.

Zack was fine, his appearance was modified by magic, and no one would know what he looked like, but what about the others? What about the children? Who would take care of them?

This is more complicated than it seems. It's not a matter that can be solved with brute force.

Zack knew this, and Max and Rea knew it too, but that didn't stop the helplessness they felt at not being able to do anything to help their friend. Standing by doing nothing wasn't an option either.

"Let's go home. It's late," Zack said as he got up to pay the bill. "The only thing we can do now is trust the mayor's word and hope Sally returns to the orphanage on her own in a couple of hours."

None of them seemed satisfied with his explanation, but they couldn't think of a better idea. Even Max said nothing, knowing it wasn't the time to make a scene.

They got up from the table and left the restaurant with the children.

Zack offered to accompany them to the orphanage, but they refused, saying it wasn't necessary.

Sigh

Watching their slumped backs as they left, he could only sigh.

He knew his suggestions had offended them, but there was nothing else he could do. This kind of problem left him without a solution. No matter how much magic he knew, there were problems he couldn't solve.

Even so, the situation wasn't as bad as they painted it. It was just a spoiled brat who had taken some girls to have fun. He didn't think the situation would go beyond that.

There were many girls more attractive than Sally in the brothels they had visited, and after a couple of hours, that noble would get bored and let her go.

Even so, Zack had a bad feeling.

Call him paranoid or obsessed. Maybe it was because of his experience in the castle, or perhaps it was due to the number of novels he had read in his life, but despite everything indicating that the matter would end here, he felt it might not be the case.

Maybe nothing would happen, but it was thanks to that distrustful attitude that he managed to escape from the palace. Besides, even if the worst situation didn't occur, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

Just when the others had disappeared down the village streets, he turned around and headed to the market.

There was much to prepare... just in case.