SOTBW - 116

Maximón spent the entire night thinking. If he were to get a day off, where should he take Najane? What could he show her and feed her to make her truly happy? After much contemplation, he figured it would be best to ask himself.

Looking back now, he realized how naive and foolish his decision was. If he asked Najane if she had a place she wanted to go, the answer would be predictable.

“There’s a lot of people in the black market today.”

Najane, slightly pushing back her hood, glanced at the crowded narrow alley. She couldn’t have imagined that Maximón was the reason why so many people had flooded the black market.

When Maximón Elgort used the excuse of injury to avoid going out into the field, some merchants hastily closed their shops and fled. Thieves entered the abandoned stores and looted cheap items, while slaves, piled up like unsold materials, were sold at bargain prices and dragged away to various places.

The once relaxed atmosphere of the black market had turned anxious and aggressive, all because of Maximón. As long as Maximón was around, the fortress of Noctis was as safe as a royal palace, but if he continued to act unpredictably, it would be hard for anyone to trust him enough to do business.

Whether it was expensive goods, people, or information, the ground they stood on had to be solid for things to sell and come back. After the chaos the previous day, people hurried to the black market. They quickly grabbed what they needed and sold whatever they couldn’t take with them.

Najane held her hood tightly to keep it from blowing off as she looked around, clearly worried about being recognized. It was probably bothering her that she hadn’t gone out into the field the night before. To match her concerns, Maximón also pressed his hood low.

“Did you say you were going to the slave market?”

“Yes, I haven’t had a chance to look around the auction house yet...”

Before Najane could finish speaking, Maximón took her hand and led her into the alley. Maximón, walking briskly, cleared his way through the people blocking his path as he headed somewhere.

Najane hurried to match his pace, curious about where they were going, but for now, keeping a firm grip on Maximón’s hand and not losing him was more important.

At that moment, someone suddenly came out of another alley and collided with Najane. The person, holding a birdcage, bumped into her shoulder, causing Najane to wince and lean against the opposite wall.

The person who had knocked into her, an apparent merchant from the black market, was frantically searching the alley floor for a parrot that had escaped from its cage. He didn’t offer an apology but instead shot her a glare before pushing past her to continue his search.

Just as Najane was about to lose her temper, there was a loud crashing noise behind her, and the birdcage was crumpled. The sound was so sharp and loud that it caught the attention of everyone passing through the alley.

“Mash—!”

Surprised, Najane called out his name but quickly ran over to Maximón. Maximón had kicked the crushed birdcage in front of the merchant, so badly mangled that its shape was unrecognizable. The merchant, who had just grabbed the parrot’s wing, looked at the shattered cage and began shouting something in protest. The tone was harsh, and although Najane couldn’t understand exactly, it seemed like Maximón caught some of what he was saying.

“He’s asking for compensation.”

“Did you break it like this, Captain?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, then...”

Just as Najane was about to suggest that they should pay for it, she suddenly scowled. Had they even gotten an apology from that merchant? Maximón noticed her angry glare as she looked at the merchant, and she could tell he was slightly taken aback by her attitude.

The merchant, still gripping the parrot’s wings so it couldn’t fly away, continued to shout at them. From what Najane could gather, he was threatening to call the guards if they didn’t pay.

“Let’s run.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s just run!” Najane grabbed Maximón’s hand and sprinted off. The startled merchant shouted loudly, chasing after them, but he soon gave up when he couldn’t endure the parrot pecking at his head.

People who had appeared from various alleys glanced curiously at Maximón and Najane. Maximón, caught off guard by Najane’s sudden action, laughed heartily.

“Don’t laugh! If we get caught, we’ll have to pay for it!”

Najane, feeling a surge of emotion, shouted, and Maximón responded with a quick “Alright.” In that instant, as Najane was running with all her might, her body was suddenly lifted off the ground. Maximón had scooped her up and started running.

Surprised, Najane hurriedly wrapped her arms around Maximón’s neck. People passing by stared at the unusual sight, as Maximón’s speed was so fast it seemed almost impossible for a human.

“If we run upwards, we won’t get caught.”

“Captain, wait...!”

Before Najane could finish her sentence, Maximón dashed up an outdoor emergency staircase slanted against the edges of the buildings. The poorly constructed steps were uneven, but he held Najane tightly and ran at an incredible speed.

When they reached the top of the emergency stairs, Maximón stepped on a pile of wooden crates and leapt upwards without hesitation. Their bodies seemed to defy gravity as they flew into the air.

Najane, pressing her hood down to keep it from blowing off, glanced down at the rapidly receding ground. At that moment, she locked eyes with a young boy across the alley, who was carrying a box of fish filled with ice. The freckled boy’s eyes widened when he saw them flying through the air. Najane quickly pressed her hood even tighter, trying to hide her face from him.

The dark green cloak, slightly wrinkled at the edges, billowed out like a trumpet flower before settling down calmly as Maximón’s legs landed on the building’s railing. He continued climbing upwards with Najane in his arms.

He lightly stepped on the rusted railing and leapt upwards again. A cat, basking in the winter sunlight on the building’s eaves, hissed in surprise when it saw the two of them.

The cat, wary of Maximón, stared at him for a moment before running off. Maximón paused for a moment, looking down at the people below. Despite the freezing cold, there were people, barely clothed, wandering the streets. They were all slaves.

“Well done finding your way here.”

Maximón, pleased with his sense of direction, glanced at Najane. She slowly moved her hood back, gazing down at the dizzying sight below. The open auction house, the streets filled with barely clothed people, and the wagons used for transporting beasts—it was the slave market of the black market.

Najane stared at Maximón in disbelief, but when she saw him smile as if asking for praise, she was at a loss for words. The sight of him jumping between buildings like a bird had been shocking, but if it were Maximón… yes, if it were Maximón, it might be possible.

Najane rubbed her forehead to accept the reality, then suddenly flailed her body.

“… C-could you let me down…?”

“How do you expect to get down from here?”

“What?”

Before Najane could respond, Maximón lightly threw his body down toward the building below. Horrified, Najane quickly covered her mouth. As he dropped, he lightly stepped on the railings of each floor and landed softly.

Thankfully, no one noticed as the slave auction was taking place at the auction house, and no one was paying attention to the alley. Maximón checked to make sure no one was watching before leaping down to the ground.

Landing as smoothly as a cat, Maximón rose from his crouch and looked at Najane. Najane, frozen like a bird pierced through the wings, finally managed to look at him with her eyes. She then, trembling, struck Maximón’s chest with her fist.

Though it seemed like she hit him hard, Maximón thought it resembled a newborn puppy, unable to control its body and tapping its paws, and he chuckled softly.

“Well, the auction is going on. Do you want to watch?”

Maximón released Najane from his arms and asked. Najane staggered slightly, shaking her head.

“No. It’s better to just look around the shop. There are too many people over there…”

At that moment, a voice called out from a distance.

“Everyone, look! The highest-value item in this auction! A rare beauty with platinum hair! A price starting at three thousand lirangs!”

Upon hearing the mention of a platinum-haired beauty, Najane hurriedly turned toward the auction house. The slave on the auction stage was indeed beautiful, and the men around her cheered. At that moment, Najane, even though she knew she shouldn’t, ran toward the auction area.

She pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the slave’s face.

It might be Luna. If that person really was Luna… she exhaled deeply, gazing at the sunken auction area, like an outdoor stage. There, a beautiful woman with platinum hair and blue eyes stood, trembling in the cold.

But it wasn’t Luna.

Even though she hoped to meet her like this, she knew it couldn’t be her…

Despairing, Najane lowered her gaze. At that moment, the auctioneer tore the slave’s clothes off to incite the crowd’s desires. As the ragged clothes were ripped away, the slave screamed. In an instant, the slave was left completely naked and tried desperately to cover her body.

But despite the slave’s scream, the crowd eagerly raised their hands, bidding higher and higher.

Caught in the midst of this, Najane didn’t know what to do and staggered as she was jostled by the raised arms. At that moment, someone firmly wrapped their arm around her shoulder. There was no need to look to know who it was.

“This isn’t a pretty sight.”

Maximón muttered quietly as he enclosed Najane in his arms. Najane, catching her breath as she was held by him for a moment, looked up at him as if to suggest they should leave.

“It’s better to just look around the shop and leave quickly.”

Najane smiled calmly. Since Rockbell had promised to search for Luna, there was no reason to feel hopeless. Maximón had also said there was no information broker more skilled than Rockbell.

She glanced at the noisy auction stage before turning her head. If Luna was in Noctis, they would surely meet. It didn’t matter what she looked like. As long as she was alive, that was enough.

Maximón placed Najane’s hood back on her head and led the way.

However, the crowd of onlookers, who had been watching the auction from the opposite side, soon recognized Najane’s face and began shouting excitedly as if they had found an interesting spectacle.

“There’s a bitch from the Romsoa Knights! Najane Schnicks came to watch the slave auction! Has she finally come to find a comrade?”

They mocked Najane loudly. Their voices echoed through the auction house, and people quickly noticed Maximón and Najane. Startled, Najane tightly wrapped her cloak around herself. She could feel the overwhelming weight of countless gazes piercing her back, sending a chill down her spine.

Maximón glared at the crowd with intense, unblinking eyes. At that moment, the strong wind blew his hood back, exposing his face. The crowd began to murmur as they saw him. He quickly located the ones who had shouted and grabbed the sword at his waist. He was prepared to throw it and slice their faces.

But Maximón couldn’t draw his sword. Najane had swiftly grabbed his hand.

“…Captain, it’s better to quietly slip away. If we make a scene, it’ll only cause more trouble.”

“……”

Maximón didn’t agree with Najane’s suggestion, but he didn’t want to do anything she didn’t want. He had no choice. He had to do things the way Najane wanted. He shoved people out of the way as he created a path forward.

Najane tightly held her hood in place, ensuring it wouldn’t fly up, and followed Maximón. The crowd parted to let them pass, but they couldn’t help but snicker as they looked at the tightly clasped hands of the two.

The atmosphere in the auction house quickly descended into chaos. This time, unlike before, they couldn’t escape by leaping to higher ground. Those with base curiosity followed them, trailing after them throughout the auction house.

In the black market, where all sorts of goods passed through, there were plenty of despicable people, like rats in the muck. They leered at Najane with lewd gestures. Judging by their rude behavior, it seemed that they didn’t fear Maximón in the slightest.