It is the safest in the shade under the lamp

After excusing himself by claiming he needed rest to heal his wounds, Hale explored the dungeon with his soul and returned just in time to find a small figure by his body.

“Hey,” Chase, the little thief, tugged at Hale’s pants that ended at his calves.

Getting his attention, she mouthed, “So what’s your plan?”

Hale understood that she was being careful because there were anima and daemons among the captors and they tended to have enhanced hearing. But it was more suspicious to gather around silently.

“Why are you so sure I have one?”

Chase patted Hale’s bloodied pocket meaningfully.

“You saw?" Hale’s eyebrow crooked up.

Chase caught the drift and spoke aloud too. “No, but I had my suspicions. Don’t forget, you’re talking to a professional.”

Hale realized he was tricked but pretended not to care. “That’s nothing to be so proud of.”

“Are you two acquainted?” Katharin asked, casually moving away a few strands of lavender hair that blocked her eye. When did she get so close?

Chase stared for a long time before she snapped out of it. The female lead’s beauty surpassed species, age and gender. It was the bare requirement to attract the best bachelors of the 5 Realms after all. Hale didn’t remind Chase to wipe the drool.

“Call it an ill-fated relationship. We met at the festival today.”

Chase jumped up. “Don’t be like that! I nicked your stuff, you got me caught, we’re even.”

“As if. Neither of us would be here if you didn’t steal.”

“Tch, stingy. You didn’t even have much coin.”

Hale recited the ridiculously long names of past monarchs before dropping his lifted fist. He finally found a use for memorizing boring history.

“How did you guys end up here?” He asked the children. They had nothing to entertain themselves with so they recounted their misadventures cooperatively. Lily, in particular, had a lot of excess energy to burn, waving her arms and doing an impersonation of the man who snatched her when her nanny looked away for a moment. The female lead facilitated while Hale and Chase probed, acting like a responsible class monitor worried that the transfer students wouldn’t fit in.

“What about them?” Hale’s sharp chin pointed at two children who didn’t join in from start to end. They sat silently, in their own bubble away from the chatter. The teenager had elongated ears with pointed tips and spiky ivory hair. The girl next to him, looking 7 at most, was braiding her long, green hair. Her goose yellow dress was covered in dirt and footprints.

“The dark elf is Nikolai. It took me so long just to pry his name! And that’s Hermin from Homini. She was already here when I came. Another quiet one, she is!” Lily prattled on. “Ah, I was the 2nd to join this cage.” Her pride in being a senior was very obvious.

Lily’s lively voice brought smiles to them but Hale saw that she kept crumpling and releasing her expensive dress when she thought no one was looking. To be their emotional support, she needed to be strong but she was also a child who needed protection.

It was the responsibility of adults to send lost children home.

And Hale, 11 plus 21 years old, considered himself very much an adult.

There wasn’t much time. The festival was a week long and it was already the 5th day. The captives would definitely be transported before its end, the many tourists being their best cover. Hale stretched his short fingers towards the bars of the cage, knowing there was current running through them.

“Wait,” Katharin held his wrist with surprising strength.

Even though his fingers didn’t reach the bar, he pulled his arm back as if he was shocked.

He thought his movements were covert enough… He comforted himself. A main character is a main character after all.

She mouthed, “Don’t be rash. Trust me.”

How did she know what I was up to? Hale blinked twice, then nodded slowly. He didn’t want to be involved with her, but this matter was greater than himself. And if there was one thing he learned from his past life’s younger sister talking his ears off about her beloved stories, it was that…

You couldn’t go wrong following the main character.