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Latia asked.
"So, the Millennium Tree is under the lake?"
"Yeah. It would be weirder if the Millennium Tree was in a normal place, right?"
"Does it even make sense for a tree to grow under a lake?"
"Does it make sense for it to bear fruit once every thousand years?"
"Ah."
Davian, Latia, and Liber are on a carriage, heading towards the center of the continent.
A giant lake located in the center of the Manum continent.
It was Liber who obtained the information that the Millennium Tree was underneath it.
Of course, along with the information that this summer is when the Millennium Tree bears fruit.
Davian looked around.
"By the way, this place has a very different vibe from our Pax continent."
"Yeah. Yesterday it was all desert, and today it's nothing but rocks everywhere."
Liber explained.
"The Manum continent is so big, it doesn't just have the terrains we've seen today. But there's no continent as resource-rich and with such a good natural environment as the Pax continent. Isn't that why the Marino Empire is so after our kingdom?"
Davian asked.
"But that Millennium Tree fruit. Are we the only ones going to look for it? Since the tree is on the Manum continent, wouldn't the people of Manum continent know more about it?"
"Well. I don't know about that. We'll find out when we get there."
Liber unfolded a map.
"If we keep going like this for three more hours, a city will appear. Let's stay there tonight."
As Liber said.
After driving for about three more hours, a fairly large city appeared.
"The gate security was lax, but there are a lot of guards inside the city?"
Liber shook his head.
"They're not guards. Well, I guess they do play the role of guards."
"Then who are those heavily armed people?"
"If I had to say, they're soldiers in charge of public order."
"Isn't that what guards are?"
"It's a little different."
"What do you mean?"
Just then.
"Let go!"
A shouting voice was heard from inside an alley they were about to pass.
The Davian party's heads naturally turned.
A kid, maybe 10 years old, was hanging in the air, grabbed by a soldier.
"You dirty Colonia brat. I finally caught you."
"Let go! I just needed a piece of bread to give to my younger sibling!"
"Then you should work to earn it!"
Whizz!
The soldier threw the kid.
The kid's light body flew and hit a brick wall.
"Ugh..."
Clank, clank.
The approaching soldier grabbed the boy by the collar and lifted him up.
Slap! Smack!
He repeatedly slapped him.
"Let's go, you little thief."
The soldiers carried the boy and disappeared in the opposite direction of the alley.
Latia tilted her head.
"What... what are they doing right now?"
Liber replied.
"Don't mind it. It's their business here."
"Is it okay to treat a child like that? He said he needed bread for his sibling."
"That's the reality of people in colonies..."
This time, a man's wailing voice echoed on the main street.
"Please save me!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, there were two fully armed guards and a citizen in shabby clothes.
Thud! Thwack!
"How dare a cocky Colonia guy touch someone from the Marino Empire?"
"I'm sorry! Please save me!"
"You shouldn't have touched him in the first place."
"He, he harassed my wife, and I lost my mind for a moment. I'm sorry!"
Swish.
The guard drew his sword.
"Summary judgment."
"Ah, aaaack!"
Slash!
The soldier's sword cut straight through the man's chest.
"What? The city guard just cut down a citizen?"
Liber grabbed Latia's arm as she tried to step forward.
"Don't get involved, Latia."
"That man is still alive! What's going on here, with that kid earlier too?"
"Didn't you hear 'summary judgment'? He was just executed by the soldier."
"What? Execution? In the middle of the city? From what I heard, it just seemed like a common argument between ordinary people?"
While Latia and Liber were arguing.
Ting.
=====
[Quest: Rescue the man attacked by the soldier.]
―Latia Meridiem is agitated by the scene she's witnessing for the first time. Help Latia save the man.
―This is an unavoidable situation. If left as is, things could escalate.
―Reward: Mana Point 10K (x2)
=====
Davian tilted his head.
'What is this again?'
This is an unavoidable situation.
Doesn't that mean I have to save that man no matter what?
At that moment.
"Let go! I have to save that man. No matter how you look at it, it's not right. The city guard, who should be protecting the citizens, is trying to kill a citizen in the middle of the street."
"That person might be a criminal."
"He argued with someone who harassed his wife! Even if he is a criminal, this isn't the place to do this. They should fairly hand him over to trial."
"Listen to me, Latia."
While Liber was trying to stop Latia somehow.
Davian stepped forward.
"What's all this commotion on the main road?"
The two soldiers turned their heads.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a traveler passing by, and I'm asking what all this commotion is on the road."
"Traveler?"
The guards slowly scanned the Davian party.
Three people who still looked young.
But they were all wearing expensive clothes, and their faces exuded wealth.
The woman standing in the middle looked like the daughter of a well-off aristocratic family at a glance.
With a very angry expression.
They had never seen such a face among the few remaining nobles in Colonia City.
"You don't look like Colonia people. This is none of your business, so don't meddle and go on your way."
"What if I can't do that?"
"This city has its own laws and regulations. If you continue to interfere, we'll have to deal with you according to the laws of Colonia City."
The remaining soldier also drew his sword.
'Let's handle this as quietly as possible and move on.'
Davian had no intention of making things big at all.
But the quest notification was saying that things could escalate if left as is.
Swish.
Davian moved.
Thud! Thud!
He instantly struck the two guys on the nape of their necks and knocked them down.
Now, all that's left is to save the fallen man.
"Are you alright?"
"Ru... Run away."
At that moment.
"Who's there!"
Several soldiers' clanking footsteps were heard from across the main road.
Davian muttered quietly.
"Crap."
Whoosh.
He prepared a fireball in his right hand.
"Liber! Carry this man! We're getting out of here!"
"Huh? Uh!"
Boom!
As the fireball Davian threw exploded in front of the soldiers,
The Davian party started running towards the other side of the main road.
Pee, pee.
Whistle blowing sounds echoed from everywhere.
Soldiers in full gear poured out from every alley, showing how many were stationed inside the city.
The man on Liber's back opened his mouth with difficulty.
"That way... that way."
Following the guidance of the man on Liber's back, they ran through narrow alleys for a long time and were able to enter a dark warehouse.
They barely shook off the soldiers.
Then.
Ting.
=====
[Quest 'Rescue the man attacked by the soldier.' completed]
―Reward: 10K (x2)
=====
Liber leaned the man against the warehouse wall, and
Latia took a potion out of her bag and poured it over the man's chest.
It was the highest-grade potion she was carrying, just in case.
The man's wounds quickly began to heal.
"Oh, my goodness. Thank you."
"What's going on? Those soldiers. Why are they attacking innocent citizens..."
The man tilted his head.
"Are you outsiders?"
Latia nodded.
"Hoo... They attacked the Empire's soldiers, so arrest warrants have already been issued for the three of you. Get out of this city quickly. Hiding here will only be temporary."
Liber nudged Davian.
"Davian, why did you do that? You knew this would happen."
Why, you ask.
Because it said that things would escalate if I didn't.
"Because things might escalate."
"Ah."
Even though he answered briefly.
Liber immediately understood Davian's intention.
"You stepped in because you thought Latia would make things bigger?"
"Well, something like that."
Latia asked the man.
"What happened earlier?"
"I was shopping with my wife and child when an Empire man harassed my wife. I should have endured it, but I couldn't control my anger for a moment and lost it."
"Endure it? How can you endure your wife being harassed when you even have a child?"
"But I had to endure it. For the sake of my wife and child... Because that's the plight of us Colonia people."
Liber added a simple explanation.
"Colonia City wasn't originally a city. It was a small but strong kingdom. Until it became a colony of the Marino Empire."
"Ah..."
The man smiled bitterly.
"That's right. There was a time when we also had something called freedom."
For once, Davian stepped up to ask.
"Is the Empire army's oppression severe?"
"Severe is an understatement. It's commonplace for Empire people to harass women on the streets, and the children can't even be sent to proper educational institutions. More than 80% of the profits must be paid as city operating funds, and you can't own personal property unless it's a small house on the outskirts. No one knows where the stolen property and monthly taxes flow into. And I'm actually... I was a noble of Colonia."
Liber shook his head.
"Those Marino Empire guys... they're even more wicked than I thought?"
"Our kingdom might end up like this if it's invaded too."
The man who said he was a noble.
Is wearing tattered clothes and blaming himself for saying he should have endured his wife being harassed.
"You must be from another continent. Leave Colonia quickly. If you delay any longer, you could also be in danger. I will never forget the kindness you have shown."
Liber nudged Latia's back.
"Latia, let's get out of here. We can't turn the Empire army into our enemy. Ah... It's already nighttime, where are we going to sleep tonight?"
At that moment.
Bang!
The warehouse door opened as if it would explode.
"They're here!"
Several soldiers entered the warehouse.
Davian sensed that there were more than ten soldiers.
Of course, that wasn't a number he couldn't handle.
But.
"Behind! Enemies on the back side!"
"It's the resistance!"
The soldiers suddenly started moving urgently.
The guys who were entering the warehouse also hurried out.
Then, fierce fighting sounds echoed.
The man leaning against the wall stood up smoothly.
"My comrades have started to move."
After muttering to himself, he took off his top and skillfully covered his face and tied it.
He secured his vision through the torn gap.
Then, he rummaged through the warehouse.
And picked up a long stick.
Whoosh.
Red aura gathered on the stick that the man picked up.
"Well, thank you. Take this opportunity to get out of here quickly."
He was definitely the man who had his chest cut by a soldier just a moment ago, with no strength.
But without a word, he infused aura into the wooden stick and rushed out of the warehouse like an arrow.
Liber stared at his back with dazed eyes.
"What? Just now?"
Latia asked.
"Davian, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That man can manipulate aura."
Although he can't observe other people's inner strength and the amount of mana like Director Hugo Molton.
Davian had now reached a level where he could roughly feel it to some extent.
"Yeah. I knew."
In fact, Davian was also initially questioning it.
Because he knew that the man was skilled enough to easily take on those two soldiers.
"But why was that man being attacked without any resistance?"
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