AT THE BAKERY. The group of children stood outside the bakery and smelled the delicious aroma coming from within. Cadell hopped up and down.

"Let's go inside!" Cadell yelled as he ran and grabbed the door hinge.

"Jeez it's not going anywhere, no hurries." said Lifa.

The group entered the bakery and were greeted by a warm smile from Linda who was overjoyed by their visit.

"Thank You so much for visiting! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see children coming to my shop, especially such cute ones like you all."

"Miss Linda, it's your food that's amazing , my brother couldn't stop talking about it yesterday." Lifa said as she pointed at Cadell who was hopping all around the shop looking at the goodies it stored.

Linda gave them a big smile and announced

"I'll let you take whatever you want for free."

"No-no, We brought money we'll pay." Lifa said as she brought a bag of coins out from her pocket.

"Such angelic children you are." Linda said with teary eyes.

Lifa smiled. The gang spread across the bakery to look at all the delicacies it had to offer. After a few minutes of observing they were suddenly overcome by the tang of freshly baked cookies.

They looked at the counter to see Linda bringing a tray of chocolate cookies.

"I just finished these ! Want some?" Linda asked them and most of them nodded to her question.

As they were headed to the counter where Linda was placing the cookies on a plate, Cadell slowed down. Gunther, who noticed, turned back to see what was keeping him.

"Cad? " He looked at Cadell who seemed to have a serious look on his face.

Gunther's eyes laid upon Willow who was standing behind Cadell and clinging on to his shirt. She had her head facing the ground and was trembling slightly.

Gunther turned to look for Winslow and they made eye contact. It was a silent conversation of eyes. Willow was scared for some reason. Winslow was aware and was looking at Cadell and Gunther.

After a few seconds of staring at each other. Cadell whispered to Willow as he patted her head.

"Shh... it's gonna be okay.. go with your brother.."

Willow looked up at Cadell , still trembling. Cadell smiled at her and Winslow walked over to hold her sister's hand.

Cadell went to the counter where although Ruby , Elio and Jasper were unaware of Willow's reaction, Lifa had noticed it.

"Yay! Linda your cookies are heavenly" Cadell said as he picked up one of the most chocolatey ones.

"What's going on?" Lifa whispered quietly to Cadell.

"..We're leaving.. Willow had that feeling again." Cadell whispered back before taking a bite of the cookie.

Lifa gulped before looking back at Gunther. Gunther was standing near the door with the twins.

They made eye contact and Gunther signaled for them to leave when they got the chance.

"Hey... act natural.." Cadell whispered to her.

Lifa immediately turned her head forward at the cookies and picked one up.

"W-wow they have such a nice color.."

Ruby and Elio had already tried the cookies and were asking Linda about the recipe and ingredients, while Jasper too had eaten a cookie and had noticed something wrong with Lifa.

Before he could ask her anything , Cadell put his hand on his shoulder and said.

"Oh Jazz, did you see the cakes at the back , there was one with chocolate ALL over it. Let me show you!"

"Uh-I–"

Cadell tightened his hold on his shoulder.

"Uh-O-okay.." Jasper replied.

Cadell dragged Jasper at the end of the bakery and whispered the details to him.

"The three of you over there... is something wrong ? " Linda asked as she pointed at Gunther standing with the twins.

"Oh Goodness! The girl's complexion doesn't look good , is she not feeling well?" Linda asked worriedly.

"..Willow has always been a bit on the sensitive side. Maybe she needs some fresh air.. Win, let's take her out for a breather." Gunther said as he looked over to Cadell and Lifa.

'Now!' They thought.

"Willow! Are you okay? Where does it hurt ?" Ruby ran to Willow and bombarded her with questions. Elio followed behind her.

Willow just stayed silent and kept her head low, while tightening the grip on her brother's hands.

"She's fine, just needs some air." Winslow replied with a small smile.

Lifa came closer to Ruby and Elio and whispered to them "Ruby , Eli , I know this is sudden.. but we need to leave.."

Ruby and Elio looked up at Gunther and Winslow before subtly nodding. Gunther looked over at Cadell and he nodded as well. They were now ready to make a run for it.

Lifa gulped as she announced to Linda.

"Since Willow's feeling under the weather , we might as well call it a day. We won't be buying anything. Thank you for the cookies , they were delicious. We'll be leaving now." Lifa smiled and then held Ruby's and Eilo's hand, Gunther held Willow's and Winslow's hand and Cadell attempted to hold Jasper's hand but Jasper punched him in the face.

'Something doesn't feel right..' The group thought.

"..Why hasn't Linda replied...?" The group thought and Cadell looked over at Linda and almost screamed at the face she was making.

Suddenly Gunther opened the door of the bakery, looked at the rest of them and shouted for them to leave, yet nobody moved...

"Well if it isn't the same brat from last time!"

'..Huh?' Gunther turned back to face two grown men , one of them was the same one who tried to kidnap Arius from last time, he had a scar on his chin.

The man wickedly smiled at them.

"FINALLY! WE GOT SOME GOODS, lately they raised security so we didn't have any luck!" The other man said as his eyes laid on the girls in the group.

"Oi! Did ya give them?" The man with the chin scar asked as he directed his eyes to Linda.

"Should be any minute now." Linda replied.

Ruby and Willow were trembling. Everyone was scared. Elio was standing in front of Ruby to shield her from those men, even though his own legs were shaking.

Jasper and Lifa although were scared but they quickly understood the situation and were slowly taking out their daggers hidden in their jackets. They were looking at Gunther for the signal to start fighting.

'Two men... They have knives with them.. they have a strong build too ... and who knows if there are other people outside.. Damn it.. Will, Ruby , Eli and Wins can't fight... leaving Me , Cad , Lifa and Jazz as the only ones who can... Oh wait there's Linda too... Does she have a weapon?... What if they capture us? What if we get separated? DAMN IT ! This is all because I was too careless! I should've been careful , I shouldn't have brought them here during such a dangerous time. But I thought that with all the recent events ... some good food might cheer us up... but I was so stupid. Arion–'

Cadell suddenly put his hand on Gunthers shoulder and whispered.

"Jeez.. relax.. We're all gonna be safe at the end of this.. I promise." Cadell reassured him and although Willow was scared, she gripped tighter on Gunthers hand.

Gunther regained his confidence and began inspecting the bakery for something he could use as a weapon. Cadell already had a wooden broom behind him which he intended to use as a weapon, he suddenly felt someone staring at him. He looked around to see Winslow looking at him.

"What? Are you scared too? want big brother to hold your hand ?" Cadell whispered teasingly.

"No , Not really. I was just thinking that you're finally acting your age. " Winslow whispered back.

"Hey!" Cadell whispered but was cut by a small and quiet chuckle.

"Agreed." Willow stated Winslow's words after giving a small chuckle.

'Hmph, welp at least you're smiling now.' Cadell thought as he smiled while gazing at Willow.

"OI Ya Brats ! What're ya whispering amongst yourselves! " The chin-scarred man shouted at them.

"NOW!" Gunther yelled.

Lifa and Jasper pulled out their daggers and went into their fighting positions.

Cadell picked up the broom and Gunther picked up some other broom. Ruby , Elio , Winslow and Willow hid behind them.

"Cocky lil' brats, ya think yer sooo strong ehh? kekeke." The man laughed as he and the other guy took out their knives as well.

"LIFA! JASPER! " Gunther shouted.

Lifa and Jasper both ran and attacked the man from opposite directions.

The man dodged Lifa's attack, but Jasper closed in enough to stab him in the abdomen but was interrupted by the second man.

Gunther joined in on the fight and decided to hold off one of the men while those two took care of the other.

Cadell was protecting the others who couldn't fight and keeping an eye on Linda.

The two men seemed like mere kidnapping thugs but their fighting skills were similar to mercenaries.

The clanging of knives could be heard throughout the bakery. Jasper and Lifa were overpowering the man whom they were facing.

They moved in sync and attacked from different positions and their speed, especially Jasper's, was one to be feared.

Gunther on the other side was being pushed back because the man had more strength than man's knife and Gunther's broom had been in contact for a few seconds now and it was merely a battle of strength.

The rest of the children remained near the walls of the bakery to stay safe, all while watching the others fight.

Cadell upon seeing Gunther being pushed back decided to interfere in the fight by throwing the breads in the bakery's table on the chin-scar man's face to let Gunther turn the tables, which he did.

Gunther put all his strength in one strike and hit the man right in his groin, resulting in the man falling down from the pain and then Cadell struck him on the head to knock him out for good.

Clatter!

At the same time, Jasper and Lifa had unarmed the man they were facing. His knife fell on the floor and his neck was inches away from Jasper's dagger. Gunther stepped in and knocked the man out with a head strike.

All the children's faces brightened up as they ran towards the door to escape.

Elio held Ruby's hand, Lifa held her brother's hand, who did not say anything , as they went to the door. Gunther was keeping an eye on Linda who was still standing on the other side of the counter with a wicked smile on her face.

Cadell picked up the knives of the two men and gave one to Gunther and kept one for himself.

Cadell noticed Willow once again with her head facing the floor and Winslow beside her talking to her. He went to her and told Winslow to get going with the rest of them.

"... Will , I'm sorry , was that scary?.." Cadell spoke softly as he gently held her hands.

"...T-the win–" Willow stopped when she heard someone falling down.

Thud!

'Huh..'

"JAZZ!" Lifa screamed.

Cadell looked back to see Jasper unconscious on the floor... but no enemy in sight. Willow gripped tighter on his hand.

Thud!

"RUBY!" Elio screamed as he placed a hand on her head before she fell.

Linda's smile widened as she picked up a long knife used to cut long loaves of bread. Winslow who observed this suddenly announced

"EVERYONE! we're following Arion's plan!"

"Huh?!" Elio shouted confused.

"LISTEN ! EVERYONE WILL SCATTER AND MEET AT THE BASE ! IF YOU GET TAKEN THEN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Winslow Shouted at the top of his lungs. They all didn't question him and did as he said.

Cadell picked up Willow in the bridal manner and began to run.

Thud!

Elio fell to the ground beside Ruby. Cadell slowly began to feel sleepy as well, but still ran to the door.

Clang!

Lifa was engaged in a fight with Linda who still had a wicked smile over her face. Lifa's movements were slower than before because the sleeping drug in the cookies was kicking in, but she bought enough time for the others to leave.

Gunther , Winslow , Willow and Cadell were right outside the bakery and gave out a sigh of relief as they saw no one outside. Gunther kept feeling guilty leaving the others behind, but Cadell once again reassured him.

"It's okay, we'll get them all back , safe and sound, including Mia. But for now some of us need to protect themselves. "

Gunther nodded. And they once again heard a Thud! from within the bakery. This time it was placed Willow on the ground as he looked at Gunther and said.

"Take care of them."

"Wait what abou–"

"I ate the cookie too. The drug is beginning to work. Plus we need someone to act from inside too."

"But-" Gunther gritted his teeth out of frustration. Cadell ruffled his hair and smiled. Winslow had his head down but nodded at what Cadell said. Willow just stood there quietly holding her brother's hand.

"My , My, you all still haven't left I see." Linda, who chuckled, was now at the door of her bakery and smiled at the four.

"Go!" Cadell shouted.

The three began running away with guilt in their hearts for leaving the rest behind.

Why ?

Isn't there a better way ?

Gunther was once again drowning in guilt while Willow had a river flowing down her cheeks. She was crying but a soundless cry.

Winslow was keeping himself calm but inside his head he was having a clash of emotions.

All three were far from satisfied with this but they didn't know what else to do, except to run.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───

"YOU'RE LETTING THEM GO?" Cadell asked as he looked at Linda's uncaring expression towards those who ran.

"We already got enough goods. Plus I can't transport that many bodies. And those two pigs are sleeping too now."

Cadell's vision was getting blurry and his head was getting dizzy. But he tried to stand for as long as he could.

"Say what do you guys do with children?"

"Ooh are you scared ?" Linda asked in her usual cheery voice.

"I'm worried about my friends whom you'll be taking with you."

"HAHAHAHA such a loyal friend! welp sorry kid but this is where it ends."

Cadell couldn't fight against the drug and fell to the ground as well.

THE THREE HAD NOW reached the base, but no one was there to greet them. The once lively base was now filled with silence.

"Now..What?" Gunther asked as he looked at Winslow.

"We should rest for now... that was quite a scary experience after all.." Winslow replied as he patted his sister who was still trembling.

Gunther looked over at Willow and nodded. The three decided to rest and process all that's happened.

Willow went to sleep while Winslow sat in the lounge of the second floor, his mind not allowing him to rest. Gunther had gone to take a quick bath. There was no water supply at the base , but with the help of Vincent they were able to get a water pipe connected with the bath and toilet.

Winslow was lost in thought.

'Did I make the right decision..? To leave everyone and escape? Was that selfish of me? Was I really thinking of everyone or just me and Willow? I...I left them... I said we'd get them later but... when is.. later? ... We couldn't find Mia either... and Arion wasn't with us either... What If we never find them again..Ugh dammit don't think that way. It'll be..okay...right?'

He was frustrated with himself. He was slowly losing the confidence he usually would have. He was becoming afraid of the possibilities of them not being able to save the others. He was drowning. Drowning in a sea of negative emotions and thoughts.

Gunther, too, was drowning because he accidentally fell asleep in the bath and was currently choking on the water.

1

He had been lost in thought as well and ended up falling asleep because he was tired from the fight.

He didn't die though, he jumped out of the water causing splashes to be heard in the bath area.

"HAH-HAH- Cough! Cough! Hah...hah.." He struggled to breath for a while. After his breathing returned to normal , he wore the clothes , which consisted of a blue full-sleeved shirt and brown jeans. The clothing they had was mostly provided by Vincent.

Vincent would give them clothes every year. They would always refuse such things but he would tell them that those clothes were of his older siblings and that they no longer fit them so he decided to give them away.

Gunther left the bath area and decided to sleep for a bit. He saw Winslow sitting in the lounge with his head on the ground.

"Wins, you can take a bath now.." Gunther said but Winslow didn't respond.

He was still lost in thought.

'...It's all my fault...'

Gunther suddenly pulled Winslow in a hug. "It's okay , Wins , we'll get them all back, safe and sound." He patted him on the head a few times and stayed in the embrace for a while.

Winslow who was already experiencing several emotions was at his breaking point and the hug made him breakdown.

Winslow began to cry.

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he couldn't help but scream and cry in frustration. Gunther simply sat beside him hugging him and telling him that everything's gonna be okay.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───

WINSLOW FALLEN ASLEEP while letting out all his frustrations.

Gunther carried him to where Willow was sleeping and placed him beside her for him to rest. He looked at Winslow and remembered the face of him crying. Winslow wasn't the type to cry openly in front of people.

'For him to cry like that... He must've had a lot on his mind...'

"Did he cry? " A small voice asked.

Gunther snapped out of his thoughts to see Willow sitting up straight on the bed.

"Oh Will, you're awake.. I'm sorry did I disturb you? "

"No it's fine..." Willow said as she placed a hand on her brother's cheeks. She then looked at Gunther waiting for him to reply to her first question.

"He did.."

Willow nodded and began to strike her brother's hair.

"You should rest some more." Gunther said as he stood up and began to walk towards the exit of the room.

"Gun.. I'm coming with you." Willow stated.

"..what do you mean?" Gunther turned back confused and asked her.

Willow got out of bed and quickly tied her hair into pigtails. She then walked towards Gunther and one again stated "I'm coming with you."

"..."

"You're gonna go around the city aren't you?... I'll join you. "

"No, it's too dangerous. Stay here and take care of your brother."

"I can help. I can tell you where they took the others."

Gunther's eyes widened at the statement. "R-Really? you can do that?"

Willow nodded.

"..Okay then.."

Both of them left the base once again and headed towards the bakery but this time with stealth.

" I don't think we'll be there in time for us to see where they take the others.." Gunther replied.

"It's okay."

They both reached the bakery and got flashbacks of what took place there. Gunther looked at the sign on the bakery saying "Closed". He peeked inside through the windows, and saw no one in the bakery.

"As I thought, we're too late. "

Gunther turned at willow to see her staring at the sky. "Will.. Are you okay?"

Willow nodded and continued staring at the sky. Gunther just stood there watching her as she kept staring. After a while she stopped staring and went to Gunther.

"They took the others to a huge mansion."

"A mansion?" Gunther asked as he placed his index finger and thumb on his chin.

"I'm sorry, this is all I can say for now..."

"No, this is good enough. Wins might figure out the rest. Let's head home for now. "

"Okay"

Gunther didn't question how Willow knew it. But he had trust in her words.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───

THE SKY BURNED RED as the sun left for the moon to rise. The two had gotten home after stopping at some food stall for snacks.

After returning to the base, the two headed to the lounge on the second floor. They tried their best to come back as quickly as possible before Winslow woke up.

The base was filled with darkness, they couldn't see well but they decided to hurry up to the lounge.

They sat on the mattresses and took a sigh of relief. They had packed some of the kebabs and other food they saw outside, since none of them knew how to cook.

"Where. were. you?" A voice from the shadow replied. Winslow turned on the lights of the room and glared at them.

"Did you sleep well?" Willow asked as she walked up to her brother. Gunther decided to let Willow talk to Winslow and simply enjoy some of the food he brought.

"Where were you?"

"We went to collect some information."

"Like?"

"The others were taken to a mansion."

Winslow's eyes widened.

"A mansion, huh... " Winslow said as he walked over to Gunther and sat beside him. He reached his hand out to the plastic wrapper in which the kebabs were wrapped and took one as he thought about what willow said.

"If it's a mansion , then it's likely the work of nobles... " Winslow concluded.

"That makes this issue more complex." Gunther added.

Gunther was now getting worried for his sister and the others. Willow came and sat beside him and held his hand for reassurance.

"Well , if a noble asked for the kidnapping of children then that means there might be a slave auction. Since nobles like these things. " Winslow said.

"Since Mia and the others will be treated like products instead of slaves I don't think they'll be treated all that badly." Winslow said to relieve Gunther's worries and Gunther's face lit up after hearing this.

"So they're safe ?"

"Chances are high. "

"That's great!" A huge smile came on Gunther's face.

"First we need to find out which noble it is..." Winslow stated.

"Me and Willow can do that." Winslow added.

"Then I can–" Gunther was cut off.

"You will be in charge of the meals and the base." Winslow said .

"You can count on me! " Gunther exclaimed.

THE NEXT DAY, IN THE PALACE. It was around evening, and Arius was dying to eat Linda's cookies once again. He already had plans to leave with Felix in a few minutes.

The first place they'd go was definitely the bakery.

"Your Highness, the preparations are complete."

Arius requested that he ride a horse instead of a carriage but due to his short height , he had to share the horse with Felix.

Nevertheless he was excited. He told Felix that this would be an undercover trip and that no one should know he's the prince. Felix agreed to it.

"Waah! The horse is so big and pretty." Arius was amazed by the horses that stood in a perfect formation.

This was his first time seeing horses. In his first life the only thing he saw used as a mode of transportation was cars and other mechanical vehicles.

Chuckle!

"Do you like horses, Your Highness?" The redhead asked as he picked Arius up to place him on the horse.

They were riding a brown horse, royalty would usually ride a different colored horse than the soldiers as a sign of superiority, but since they were undercover, brown horses worked just fine.

"I like all animals."

"I'm sure all animals love you back" Felix said and Arius just had a 'What.' look at his face.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───

THEY REACHED THE CITY center and Felix ordered for his men to scatter around to search for any suspicious activity.

"Now then, Your Highness, where would you like to go?"

"There's this bakery, but it's in a very dark and isolated alley."

"Your Highness, have you gone there before?"

"..No but some friends I made in the city told me it has amazing cookies."

'If Felix found out I was wandering around dangerous places I might never be allowed to come alone.'

Arius had used a magic artifact that could change his eye color to a deep blue and his height a bit taller.

They got off the horse around the city center and began travelling by foot towards the bakery, with Arius leading the way. They crossed the alleys and Felix started to grow more wary of their surroundings as they became more isolated every turn.

"Ah! There it is!" Arius exclaimed as the bakery came into his view.

"Your Highness, if I may, I believe that place is too suspicious, should I check it out first?"

"...but I wanna eat her cookies..." Arius said with puppy eyes.

"...let's go together then.." Felix could not win against those eyes.

They opened the bakery door and Linda had a surprised look on his face to get customers.

"A-ah Good Evening! Welcome to my bakery!" she faked a smile.

"Good evening to you too." Arius replied while Felix stared at the woman with suspicion.

'A-AN IMPERIAL KNIGHT!? What the hell is an Imperial Knight doing here!? Don't tell me , do they know about me? - Wait, that brat looks familiar. Isn't he the one with those other kids that day..? WAIT IS HE A NOBLE?' Linda was lost in thought.

"I want 3 boxes of Chocolate Chip cookies." Arius stated as he walked to the counter.

'He's a noble.'

"Of course, the next batch of 24 cookies is almost done. I'll give you the freshly baked ones. Is that alright?" Linda smiled.

"How long would it take ?"

"Let me check up on it , one minute please. You can browse the other items in the meantime." Linda said as she walked to her kitchen.

"Sure!"

Arius and Felix began to look around the bakery, but Felix couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

Linda who went in the kitchen was having a clash of thoughts.

'That Imperial Knight is suspicious of me. If I get caught then what? Damn that brat. I have to get rid of them. Should I drug the cookies? But he's getting them packed, not eating them here...Should I take the boy hostage and ask the knight to put away his sword? Those 2 pigs are in the area too, they probably saw the customers and would be here any second...Okay .. sounds good.'

Linda went out of the kitchen with the 24 cookies in a tray.

The aroma of the cookies engulfed the bakery and Arius was even more excited to eat them. Linda began to put 8 cookies in each box and packed them all up nice and tight.

Arius ran up to the counter.

"Well, did something else catch your eye? "

"No, thank you for the cookies, how much is it? "

"1 silver."

"Here you go." Arius extended his hand to give her the coin but she instead grabbed Arius's arm and pulled it towards her.

But before she could even threaten Arius with her knife. Felix, the knight of crimson blood stepped in and pointed a sword at her neck.

He safely stole Arius from her hands and Arius was currently being held by one of his arms while he pointed the sword with the other hand.

"Ah , Felix put me down!"

"But your highness–"

"..." Arius facepalmed.

Linda's eyes were drenched in horror.

'Did..he just said ... Your Highness... That means I JUST ATTEMPTED TO KILL THE PRINCE OF OBELIA!' Linda fainted from shock and fear.

Thud!

"Woah Felix , she fainted just by a touch of your sword.." Arius was kinda surprised by Linda's betrayal but he was more excited to see the cookies.

"Hehehe" Felix sheathed his sword while scratching the back of his neck and smiling.

Knock!

Knock!

Felix again brought his sword out and stepped forward towards the door.

He turned to signal Arius to hide behind him, but he almost died of shock himself when he saw Arius quietly sitting at the back while munching on the cookies.

"Your highness! What If the cookies are poisoned!"

"It's okay , she didn't have a reason to do that, if anything it would probably be a sleeping drug.."

'I wonder if the others are okay...they were gonna visit the bakery yesterday...'

"That's still something-"

Knock!

"Ah..what's happening Felix?"

Felix opened the door to the outside and saw two grown men lying unconscious on the ground.

"Ehh? "

Arius stood up and went to inspect it himself.

"Your Highness , it's dangerous, stay back."

"Felix. Call me Arion. " Arius ordered and Felix nodded.

"Arion!" A green headed boy came out from the alley.

"Oh Gunther.." Arius said as he walked towards the alley. Two others came out of the alley as well. The twins.

Felix understood that these must be the friends Arius made during his trip to the city.

"ARE YOU OKAY? She didn't do anything, did she?" Gunther asks as he looks at Arius.

"I'm fine, but what about the others? You guys went to the bakery yesterday right?"

Their faces became grim, but they still spoke." We messed up and everyone got taken..."

Arius's eyes widened at the statement.

"All of them?" he asked in disbelief.

Winslow nodded. Arius was in shock. Everything fell apart in just one day.

"We were on our search when I saw you enter the bakery , so I went back to the base to fetch Gunther and we came together." Winslow explained. Arius listened quietly and he noticed that Gunther was carrying a sword around his hip.

It was the same sword Gunther took from that slave trader. He kept it with him for safety.

While the boys discussed the events up till now , Willow stared at the red head who stood at the bakery.

Felix used a magic artifact to communicate with the rest of the knights and commanded them to come to his location.

"Arion , who's that?" Willow asked as she pointed to the red head.

"Oh , Sir Knight? He was a knight patrolling around the area. He happened to see me and followed me to the bakery. He protected me in the bakery. " Arius explained.

"A knight!? " Gunther exclaimed. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Felix.

Felix walked over to the children. Arius gave him the look and began "Thank you for helping me , Sir Knight. I hope you catch the rest of those scary people as well!"

"It is our duty as imperial knights to help the people of the empire. It seems like you kids know a few things about these people, would you mind telling me?" Felix asked as he crouched down.

"...They kidnapped our siblings. Six of them. We came to this bakery yesterday and only three of us made it out. They were referring to us as 'goods'." Winslow explained. Felix's face became grim.

"...I see, Thank You for telling me–"

"Will the children who were kidnapped be alright?!" Gunther asked in worry.

"Yes , I don't think they would be willing to harm their 'goods'..." Felix said as his face darkened.

"..Can we help you somehow?.." asked Arius. Felix eyed the young prince with a worried look.

"What are your names?" Felix asked.

"Gunther , Winslow , Willow and Arion." Gunther pointed at the rest while he spoke their names.

Felix began in a bubbly voice "Well children.. the best help you can give us is by staying safe and protecting yourselves–"

"I know." Winslow cut Felix. Felix gave him a slight confused look and so did the others.

"Ophira County is behind this. The–"

Gunther suddenly pushed his hand on Winslow's face. "I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER'S–"

"It's okay." Felix stated.

To speak ill of a noble in public is a great crime punishable by death. Especially if a commoner is openly accusing a noble for something without proof. Worst case scenario, The three of them could be executed for even uttering the name of a count in a negative way.

But he only said it in front of Felix. Felix's expression darkened for a moment as he went into a Series of deep thoughts. Meanwhile Gunther was scolding Winslow for almost getting them killed.

"You sounded confident in your statement. May I know why?" Felix asked.

Gunther was about to apologize again but Felix told them "You can speak freely , you won't be punished." He then looked at Winslow.

"Ophira County has scheduled a Slave Auction today after sunset. All the slave traders are getting paid by the County for the kidnappings. They specifically asked for commoner children since they believed the Emperor wouldn't bother with commoners." Winslow explained.

"That's not what I asked." Felix reminded Winslow of his actual question. Felix had a rather dark face and Arius was getting kind of scared of seeing this side of him.

"You want to know how I got this information?" Winslow asked and Felix nodded. Winslow eyed Willow who flinched upon this.

"I saw it." Winslow stated.

Felix's eyes widened at his statement. Winslow looked confident in what he said.

Felix was amused by what the child had said but didn't completely doubt his words since he knew that the County had a lot of underaged servants working there... is this connected somehow, he thought.

"What else did you see ?" Felix inquired.

"If I tell you, will you allow us to help you?" Winslow asked.

Felix hesitated in answering. Gunther then drew his sword from its scabbard and said.

"Although I'm not as good as a knight, I know some swordsmanship , I promise I won't hold you back."

"Uh..I know the place where the slave auction is gonna take place, I can help with the directions." Willow added.

"And Arion can use some magic, right?" Winslow asked. Arius flinched at this. Claude sealed his mana, so he was useless now.

"Magic? Really?" Felix acted surprised.

Arius shook his head in disagreement. "My mana got sealed yesterday." Arius sadly stated.

"The Lord caught me using magic during work and had it sealed as punishment.."

"But I can help in freeing all the slave children..." Arius stated with his head down in slight embarrassment.

"That would be great!" Gunther reassured him.

Felix was thinking about his decision. 'One of them knows swordsmanship , one of them has information. One of them knows the directions. But I can't put the prince in danger...'

Felix eventually made his mind and replied,

"Okay... so the auction is tonight?"

Arius was a bit surprised since he didn't expect Felix to allow him to get into a dangerous situation.

"Yes , but the slaves have already been moved there."

"Winslow , do you have a plan?" Arius asked. Winslow nodded.

"Captain!" a shout came from afar. The knights had reached the area where Felix had called them. Felix asked for a few minutes from the kids and went to give his orders.

Felix ordered the knights to investigate the bakery and to arrest Linda. He then went with the children who took him to their base to discuss their plan in detail.