"Great Gaia, please bestow your blessing and protect with holy light…" Stella clasped her hands around the holy statue, sitting by a small bed, chanting the Divine Magic blessing spell.

Soft white light gently floated over Ureirika and Kuuderika's frail bodies. As the sacred faith magic took effect, the two suffering little girls hugged each other tightly as they slept. Their once-tight lips relaxed, and their pale faces gradually gained a hint of color.

Stella sighed, her beautiful light brown eyes showing a trace of sadness. She picked up a woolen blanket and covered the twin girls, then gently tucked in the corners.

"How is it?" EeDeChi, seated in a chair, asked once Stella finished her task. "Have you healed them?"

EeDeChi had a strong talent for Arcane Magic and had previously learned a High-tier group healing spell, but she was clueless about this Divine Magic blessing spell that soothes the spirit, so she could only watch Stella perform the magic alone.

Stella fidgeted with the holy statue in her hands and said, "Their physical injuries have been healed, and some internal injuries are taken care of. But their mental anguish is too deep; I can't completely soothe their inner trauma. It requires a more High-tier Divine Magic blessing spell to fully drive away the shadows from their hearts."

She lowered her head, feeling a bit guilty. "I'm still too weak."

"It's okay, you've done very well. Thanks to you, their spirits have stabilized. There will be opportunities to heal them completely in the future."

Such comforting words did not come from EeDeChi but from Sean, who patted Stella's shoulder to reassure her.

Barrett, reclining in a soft chair, watched the scene with a sense of boredom, idly swaying back and forth.

As a seasoned adventurer with nearly twenty years of experience in the industry, Barrett has seen many situations where both humans and gods will feel angry. His current concern was whether the imperial constables would come knocking on their door.

They were now on the second floor of a hotel in the capital, occupying four adjacent single rooms.

Sean had taken care of paying for the rooms. After leaving the burning Julina's Forbidden Paradise, Barrett had persuaded EeDeChi to cover her face, and under the cover of night, he had sneaked into the hotel with the twin girls and EeDeChi, presumably without being noticed.

"This world is so dark! They would even harm such young children," EeDeChi fumed as she stood up from her chair and walked out of the room.

"This world is dark like that," Barrett shrugged. "This is a legitimate business. Captain, next time you're out robbing people, you'd better cover your face. Otherwise, if you're caught killing, setting fires, and leaving survivors, you'll definitely be wanted. And it'll drag us into it too."

"Young man, watch your words. How am I a robber? Did I steal anything?" EeDeChi retorted loudly.

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Barrett gestured toward the two little girls curled up on the bed, sound asleep. "Aren't you the one who stole these two kids?"

The twin girls were sleeping peacefully, cuddled together like kittens, their golden hair intertwined, their tiny bodies rising and falling gently with each breath. They looked both pitiful and adorable.

EeDeChi snorted, "In a feudal society with underdeveloped productivity, the existence of the sex industry does have some degree of rationality, but forcing minors of this age into prostitution is absolutely illegal!"

"What are productivity and feudal society?" Sean and Stella asked curiously. The Captain's explanation, though somewhat unclear, seemed very intriguing to them.

Barrett, who had been with EeDeChi the longest, could understand a few things and shook his head. "It's not illegal. The Empire revised the law five months ago, stating that any female, regardless of age, can sell herself, no matter how young. If you don't believe me, ask Stella. She's from the Empire—she can confirm if it's true."

Stella nodded. "That's correct. Since the Empire became a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Emperor has relaxed many industry restrictions."

Hearing this, EeDeChi's face hardened. "It seems I need to have a word with the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire and impart some elder wisdom. How do I get to the Emperor's residence?" she asked Barrett.

Barrett pointed out the window. "The palace is in the middle of the capital, underneath the tallest spire."

EeDeChi looked out. Although it was deep into the night, a faint magical light outlined a high tower in the sky. She had seen this tall, four-sided spire during the day and thought it was just a landmark, not realizing the Emperor's palace was below it.

EeDeChi walked toward the window, seeming ready to jump. Sean hurried over and grabbed her, looking worried. "Captain, what are you doing?"

EeDeChi shook off his hand. "I'm going to see the Emperor."

Barrett, who had originally given directions, ran over and grabbed EeDeChi. "Captain, calm down. You'll get into big trouble like this! Wait until later…"

In the scuffle, Ureirika and Kuuderika, who had been sleeping soundly, were woken up. One of the girls looked at the arguing figures by the bed, her frail body trembling, and with a sobbing voice said, "Sister… Sister…" The other girl remained unresponsive, holding tightly to her sibling.

Seeing the twin girls awake, EeDeChi no longer insisted on jumping out the window. She approached the two little girls wrapped in blankets and tried to put on a friendly expression. "Don't be scared, I'm here. No one will hurt you. I'll take you home. What are your parents' names? Where do you live?"

The little girl cried out, "We don't want to go home, we don't want to find our parents. We want to find our sister…"

Stella stepped forward, bending down to gently support the girl's thin shoulders and offered comfort.

…

EeDeChi, Barrett, and Sean waited outside the room. A few minutes later, Stella, with a look of worry on her face, opened the door softly and walked out, closing the door behind her.

The plan had been to send the twins back to their parents, as the group couldn't take them on adventures. But Stella's expression suggested things weren't going smoothly.

"They don't want to go home. They said their parents treated them poorly, but their sister was very kind to them, so they want to find their real sister. By the way, their sister is also an adventurer," Stella briefly explained the situation.

This made sense; only irresponsible parents would let their daughters end up in a brothel. It's possible the parents sold the twins.

"Then let's find their sister quickly. Since she's an adventurer, we can check with the Adventurer's Guild. We're an adventuring party, not an orphanage. We can't be dragging these two around on every mission," Barrett said bluntly.

EeDeChi shot him a sharp look, making Barrett feel uneasy. However, EeDeChi acknowledged Barrett's point—there would be many tough battles ahead.

"But," Stella sighed, "their sister is Arche Eeb Rile Furt, a member of the Four Strategists. She took on a mission and hasn't returned in a long time. It seems she went missing while exploring the Great Tomb of Nazarick on the Empire's border."