“Sephirena?” Tari remembered that when Liana first saw that elf, she had called her by this name.

At that time, Tari was curious about how Princess Liana knew her.

The Angus Commerce Guild had investigated Sephirena for some time but hadn’t obtained any accurate information about her.

Sephirena was strange—not only were her requests unusual, but more importantly, she didn’t seem like an elf. She couldn’t use nature magic and seemed more like a human, but her physical characteristics undeniably proved her elven identity.

The Angus Commerce Guild didn’t know Sephirena’s name. After investigation, they only confirmed that she was an elf expelled from the Elf Forest, so even if she was sold as a slave, the Elf Forest wouldn’t say anything. More importantly...

Sephirena had offered too much.

“...” Liana didn’t recall ever telling Minoga about Sephirena. “You know Sephirena?”

Minoga shook her head. “I don’t know Miss Sephirena. My understanding of her is limited to knowing she’s an elf. So, is the elf Princess Liana is going to find now Miss Sephirena?”

“Then how do you know Sephirena’s name? I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it to you. You haven’t been eavesdropping on my conversations again, have you?” Liana said with some dissatisfaction.

“Princess Liana... can be a bit forgetful sometimes,” Minoga said.

“What do you mean?”

“I was present at that meeting too... and Princess Liana showed concern about Miss Sephirena during the meeting. Princess Mephilia noticed this as well, didn’t she?” Minoga said.

“...” Liana felt her face burning.

How could she have forgotten this!

For such an important meeting, how could a Judge not be present!

Liana coughed awkwardly twice. “I suppose so? I’m not entirely sure, but that elf does seem similar to what Princess Avira described, so I’m coming to confirm this matter.”

Liana looked toward Tari, “How much do you know about that elf?”

Tari’s cat ears twitched. “I’m not entirely clear if the elf that Princess Liana mentioned is Miss Sephirena. After investigating, we didn’t get any accurate information. She’s very mysterious, and at the Angus Commerce Guild, we refer to slaves by numbers.

After all, there are too many slaves to remember all their names, so numbers are much easier to remember. Plus, slaves have corresponding numbers on their handcuffs. The elf lady’s number is 314.”

“Number... 314?”

Life is death?

That number certainly suited Sephirena.

“Yes, from now on I’ll refer to her by this designation.”

“Continue telling me everything you know about Number 314.”

“Number 314 is a strange elf. When I first met [N O V E L I G H T] her, I thought she was a human pretending to be an elf, since she couldn’t use magic unique to the elf race. She used human magic more frequently.

Moreover, when she came to our Risade branch, she gave us a large sum of money. We initially thought she wanted to purchase something expensive, but surprisingly, she wanted to sell herself and have us find someone who could kill her.

Princess Liana, as you know, not making money when you can is stupid. How could we merchants pass up this opportunity to make a huge profit? So after confirming that Number 314 had been expelled from the Elf Forest, we didn’t investigate further. Making money was all that mattered,” Tari explained.

This matched the information Liana had learned.

“Why would she want someone to kill her? Couldn’t she commit suicide?” Minoga asked curiously. “You know, even though she’s an elf who was expelled, you can use her as a slave, but killing an elf would bring endless trouble from all sides.”

“Let alone the Angus Commerce Guild, our Lisat Kingdom doesn’t allow such things to happen, not to mention... the elf race is a very mysterious race.” Now after forming an alliance with the elves, if such a thing happened, it would have very serious consequences.

However, this matter needed to be kept confidential for now, so Minoga didn’t mention it, but Princess Liana should also be aware of this.

Minoga also believed that Princess Liana would definitely not do such a thing. She wasn’t going to find Sephirena to kill her.

“That has nothing to do with the Angus Commerce Guild. That’s for the customer to consider. We just need to handle the paperwork and ensure the merchandise being sold is in good condition. Of course, we also explain various matters to the customer,” Tari said.

“...” It seemed the Angus people didn’t know about the current relationship between the Lisat Kingdom and the Elf Forest.

Not many people knew about this now. The lords of various territories hadn’t received this information either; it was a secret.

But even without the alliance, the Lisat Kingdom wouldn’t allow the killing of other races.

“The Lisat Kingdom doesn’t allow the arbitrary killing of people from other races,” Minoga said.

“Tch.” Tari briefly showed a hint of dissatisfaction, but quickly returned to her normal expression. “Guardian lady, I know you’re probably a royal knight of the Lisat Kingdom, and you might be displeased or even angry with what I’m about to say.”

A Judge wasn’t someone everyone could see—no, rather, not everyone could recognize one. You might pass an ordinary-looking person on the street who could be a Judge, but you wouldn’t know.

Naturally, Tari didn’t recognize Minoga, much less know she was a Judge. In Tari’s eyes, Minoga was probably at Oliphia’s level, sent by Mephilia to protect Liana.

After all, Judges were extremely rare. It was unthinkable that a Judge would come out specifically to protect someone like Liana, who was only half-royal. It was simply impossible.

“Oh? What do you want to say?” Minoga looked at her.

“The Lisat Kingdom’s rules are indeed as you say—prohibiting slaughter, prohibiting the sale of other races as slaves unless they voluntarily agree and sign an agreement. But the Lisat Kingdom is vast. I’ve traveled around the Angus Territory for decades without leaving it, let alone the entire Lisat Kingdom.

I know it’s not the Lisat Kingdom’s fault. Even if they wanted to manage everything, they couldn’t. After all, the Lisat Kingdom is too large. As for those slaves now, how many of them willingly became slaves?” Tari said with a hint of mockery.

“Oh? I can hear some resentment in your voice,” Liana could naturally detect the hidden meaning in Tari’s words. Liana watched as Tari’s cat ears drooped again, suggesting she had recalled some unpleasant memories.

Liana didn’t know much about the cat-people race, only what she had read in books since coming to this world.

The women of the catkind possessed beauty rivaling the elvenkind, were quite cute and obedient, and had tails that elves didn’t. More importantly, the catkind was safer than the elf race—they didn’t have the abnormal magical talents of the elf race.

In slave markets, catkind were the most popular. Agile and dexterous, they were good choices as battle slaves.

More importantly, they were cute, obedient, and well-behaved, making them perfect pets to keep. Even an ordinary slave could fetch a good price.

The King of Lisat had thought about managing this situation. He once wanted to abolish slavery, but at that time, the Lisat Kingdom was just starting out. Taking action that would harm the Angus Territory would certainly displease them.

Moreover, they had agreements signed by both parties stating that the individuals voluntarily became slaves. Though Liana found this “voluntary” as laughable as when Loraviel initially “volunteered” to be her maid.

So the matter had been delayed until now. The King of Lisat had begun to retire without resolving it. Or perhaps this was a test for his heirs?

“Resentment?” Tari looked at Liana, then shook her head. “Not really, I’m just complaining about my own incompetence.”

Now, Tari was willing to tell Liana things she would never have told others before.

Although this was partly to gain sympathy from Liana, in the past, Tari would never have revealed such things.

“The Lisat Kingdom is good. If we lived in the Luska Kingdom, all our people would probably have been slaughtered long ago. We are grateful for the protection and care the King of Lisat has provided to our foreign race. We ended up like this entirely because we are too weak and cowardly,” Tari shook her head with a bitter smile.

A flash of sadness passed through her eyes, but now she was full of hope for the future and was working step by step toward this hope. The once unreachable conditions now seemed not so far away.

Liana now understood why Tari had initially refused her and why Tari had become a merchant.

It probably had something to do with her people or family. If it were just Tari alone, with her previous level as a top salesperson, she could have lived very comfortably.

“Are you saying these things to gain my sympathy?” Liana supported her face with one hand, looking at Tari.

Though Tari was older than her, she was very small, like a ten-year-old girl. Tiny, she looked malnourished.

“No, no, no, Princess Liana, I didn’t mean that at all,” Tari shook her head repeatedly. “Princess Liana has helped me enough already. Because of Princess Liana, I’m doing very well now. I’ll soon reach my goal, and perhaps then I can switch over to Princess Liana’s side.”

“Then I’ll look forward to that. The current acting lord of Venus is my sister, and she’ll definitely listen to my orders. You won’t lose out by coming to our Venus Commerce Guild,” Liana said.

“...” Minoga mentally questioned Liana’s statement. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She knew Erinna’s character well. What Liana was saying might be a bit difficult to achieve.

“Thank you, Princess Liana,” Tari said with great gratitude, also looking forward to that day. “By the way, Princess Liana, because the journey is long, I’ve prepared some food and drinks for you.”

Tari took out a bunch of items from her small backpack, mostly snacks. After all, this world didn’t seem to have things like instant noodles.

The only food that could be carried around was snacks, and with this world’s culinary skills, Liana doubted how good portable food could taste.

“At least you’re quite thoughtful,” Liana put a small cookie in her mouth.

Since it wasn’t freshly baked, and Tari’s food surely couldn’t match the culinary skills of the chefs at Liana’s home, the taste was so-so, just enough to stave off hunger.

“Haa~” Tari suddenly yawned, looking like she hadn’t rested well.

Or rather, just as Tari was about to rest, Liana, her living boss, had shown up. Then Pecola had offended this living boss, scaring Tari half to death. Where would she have time to rest?

“About how much longer is the journey?” Liana asked.

“Because we’re using a carriage specifically for royal use, it’s much faster than the carriages we normally use. Even so, it will still take about six hours,” Tari explained. “By the time we reach the Angus Commerce Guild, it will probably be evening.”

“But don’t worry, Princess Liana, the Angus Commerce Guild is open 24 hours. It doesn’t matter when we arrive. And once we get there, I’ll have the guild prepare an excellent hotel for Princess Liana to rest,” Tari said.

“Then you should get some rest now. Don’t miss out on good things later because of your condition,” Liana said.

“I’m fine, and aren’t we about to cross into another territory soon? There will be questions and document checks,” Tari said.

“I think just my face should be enough,” Liana didn’t believe that anyone seeing her would stop her from passing.

“That’s true...” Tari was indeed terribly tired.

She had traveled early in the morning for business talks, and upon returning, she had encountered Liana before she could rest.

“Then thank you for your kindness, Princess Liana. I’ll rest for a bit.”

Tari laid down on the cushion opposite Liana, crossing her arms on the cushion, followed by her tail, then rested her face sideways on top.

Soon, Tari fell into a deep sleep. She really was like a little cat.

Minoga raised her hand, silencing the sound on Tari’s side.

“Princess Liana, you deliberately let her sleep, didn’t you?”

Liana and Minoga exchanged a glance, and Liana nodded.

“We did arrive suddenly, and she doesn’t seem to have rested much. She came in such a hurry. We’ll need her when we reach the Angus Commerce Guild’s headquarters,” Liana said.

“Actually, Princess Liana is quite concerned about Lady Tari, right?” After all, Minoga had been with Liana for some time.

“Not at all,” Liana rested her face on her hand, thinking about what Tari had just said. “It seems the Angus Territory is also somewhat concerning.”

“It’s because of what Lady Tari just said, right?”

“Not at all. Why would I care about her? We’re not that close. She’s just a tool I used for trading and to make a name for myself,” Liana pursed her lips. “Besides, my interest in this matter isn’t because I want to help her. She’s a merchant, and merchants are the best storytellers. I don’t care at all about what she said, really, not at all.”

“It’s completely because I see an opportunity to achieve merit. Yes, that’s the reason! Think about it—if I help Mephilia resolve the issues in the Angus Territory and abolish the slavery that His Majesty the King has long wanted to eliminate, Mephilia will definitely praise me, and it will give her an advantage in getting the throne.”

Princess Liana... seemed particularly skilled at convincing herself.

However, Minoga didn’t point this out to Liana. Besides, this was indeed a significant matter.

The issue of slavery was something the King of Lisat had always been concerned about, as it served no necessary purpose. Servants, guards, and the like were completely superior substitutes for slaves.

Of course, if both parties were willing, the King of Lisat couldn’t say much. But what Tari had just said clearly indicated this wasn’t the case.

Some people were conducting strange trades behind the scenes where the Lisat Kingdom couldn’t see, or coercing others to sign unequal treaties.

“I will inform Princess Mephilia about this. The Princess will certainly handle the situation properly,” Minoga said.

Liana sighed, extending her hand and counting her fingers one by one. “The Angus Territory, the Laurent Territory, the Darriss Territory, plus the previous Venus Territory under Countess Rose... four out of five territories are unreliable. I wonder if the Minagado Territory is also a bit problematic?”

Before, when the King of Lisat was still in power and when her father was still around, the people in these territories weren’t so arrogant.

“This...” Minoga was also somewhat embarrassed. The Lisat Kingdom appeared very harmonious on the surface, but undercurrents had been churning for a long time.

Not only among the various lords but even among the heirs, some had developed crooked thoughts.

“Well, the Lisat Kingdom was established not too long ago, and the current King of Lisat is only the first-generation king. It’s normal for some of his subordinates to be dissatisfied, especially those from the Darriss Territory. They’re just waiting for an opportunity. And now, with the King of Lisat semi-retired and the Duke of Venus missing, this is perhaps the best opportunity,” Minoga said.

The reasoning made sense, but it was still too extreme...

“Mephilia has a heavy burden and a long road ahead,” Managing these people, especially those old ones, was no easy task.

“But isn’t Princess Liana here supporting Princess Mephilia?” Minoga had previously felt somewhat hopeless about the current situation in the Lisat Kingdom, but since Liana’s appearance, things seemed to be gradually improving.

After all, Mephilia’s energy was limited. There would always be places she couldn’t see or manage. For instance, when Liana had asked Mephilia to send people to Gran Town, they had discovered some anomalies.

Then there was Countess Rose, and now the Angus Territory potentially coercing people into strange trades behind the scenes.

These were matters Mephilia would find difficult to detect, and Liana had effectively helped Mephilia compensate for this blind spot.

Of course, what the two of them had seen so far was certainly not everything.

“I haven’t done anything. Mephilia has always been this excellent. She could do just fine without me.”

“...” Minoga looked at Liana, unable to hold back any longer. “Princess Liana.”

“What’s... wrong?!” Just as Liana turned her head, her little cheeks suffered.

Liana: OMO?

“What Princess Liana just said to Lady Tari can be applied entirely to Princess Liana herself. Princess Liana also truly likes to belittle herself,” Minoga had witnessed it. She knew very clearly that it was Liana who had invented spellcrafting.

The patience and calmness Liana had shown when dealing with Countess Rose at Venus Manor wasn’t something an ordinary person could achieve. Moreover, Liana had used the limited resources at her disposal to make Tari so obedient. Even if they hadn’t appeared, Princess Liana would likely have been able to use Tari to collect the antidote.

“Princess Liana, you’re truly amazing—the most impressive person I’ve seen besides Princess Mephilia. So, Princess Liana, you can hold your head high and be more confident. You’re not inferior to anyone. Perhaps you’re currently feeling some inferiority due to your magical power issues, but we’ll help you. With your efforts and imaginative thinking, you’ll definitely become an excellent magician,” Minoga said.

Liana felt a bit embarrassed from Minoga’s praise.

The Judge gently continued, “So, don’t belittle yourself anymore, understand? Princess Liana, you’ve already tried very hard. And most importantly, don’t say these things in front of Princess Mephilia, or she’ll truly be angry. She understands your efforts better than anyone else. She won’t allow anyone to disparage you, including yourself.”

“I got it,” Liana nodded obediently.

At that moment, the carriage suddenly stopped, and they heard the voices of several guards. They must have reached the border checkpoint between territories, where guards would check for prohibited items and verify identities.

A guard approached the carriage and knocked on the door. “Sorry, to enter the Angus Territory, you must undergo inspection.”

“Am I not an exception?”