Chapter 162: Gift of the Shadow
Intrigued by the story, Violet put down her wine glass and spoke thoughtfully.
“A group that large, dozens, maybe close to a hundred, would have to take main roads and pass through checkpoints. If those slavers managed to move you safely through all that, then... it means someone inside Wangyuan City was helping them, right? And, if I’m not wrong, that group didn’t actually make it to their destination in the end, did they?”
It was a simple conclusion. Violet had been to the Nobos Ironblood Empire before. It was Theresa’s homeland. As one of the most powerful nations in the southern no-man’s land, they ran their territory with a semi-military system, similar to the Austre Empire, and were known for their strict, force-first attitude.
If Miss Shadow had really been taken to a slave trader’s base in a place like that, a young girl with no background or support would never have made it back alive. No matter how strong the Human United Kingdom was, it wouldn't send troops across the border to save just one person. And yet Miss Shadow had not only survived, but caught Queen Lilya’s attention and joined the Shadow Guard.
That could only mean something happened to that slaver group before they reached their destination. Most likely while still inside the kingdom or near the border. That’s how Miss Shadow, once just a powerless commoner, had the chance to escape… and eventually connect with the kingdom’s intelligence network.
As expected, Miss Shadow didn’t show much surprise at Violet’s confident deduction. But she still gave a small nod.
“You’re exactly right. Of course they had insiders in Wangyuan City. That slaver gang was secretly funded by some powerful nobles in the kingdom. They were made up of criminals and outlaws from the southern lawless regions and worked as a black market organization. With the nobles pulling the strings, getting a few ‘back doors’ opened in big cities wasn’t difficult at all.”
“But I didn’t learn the full truth until after I joined the Shadow Guard.”
“As I mentioned earlier, certain top nobles in the kingdom have been involved in dirty trades like slave trafficking and illegal drugs for hundreds of years. Their influence is deep-rooted, like massive trees with roots buried deep into the land. Even the royal family can’t remove them completely in a short time.”
“Her Majesty the Queen has been pushing reforms to suppress these old powers. By banning slavery and cutting off their income, she’s made a lot of enemies. After several failed assassination attempts, those nobles decided to fight back in another way.”
“They started building forces outside the kingdom and used their power inside the kingdom to protect them. These criminals attacked remote towns and villages, kidnapping citizens and smuggling them abroad to sell as slaves. That way, they could stir up tension between races, put pressure on Her Majesty, and maybe even force her to take back her reforms, all while making a huge profit to cover their earlier losses.”
“These people are the true cancer of the kingdom. Even now, they’re hiding in the shadows, constantly working against Her Majesty.”
Miss Shadow paused for a moment, then continued calmly.
“As for how I managed to escape from those criminals, and how I ended up joining the Shadow Guard...”
She reached behind her back and removed two slender swords, one long and one short, still in their sheaths, then presented them to Violet.
“It was all because of one person... and the appearance of the Primordial Artifact called [Blade of Shadow: Phantom Edge].”
………………………………………
Three years ago, on the southern border of the Human United Kingdom, near the outskirts of Wangyuan City—
The sudden arrival of the “Southern Calamity” changed everything in the chaotic no-man’s lands of the deep south. That once-in-a-thousand-years disaster destroyed more than a dozen countries and countless factions almost overnight. Tens of millions of people were slaughtered by abyssal beasts, and hundreds of millions more were forced to flee north in panic, displaced by the unstoppable wave of destruction.
The mass movement of people had a huge impact on the economy, wealth distribution, and many unseen or hard-to-measure things. Even though the natural disaster was eventually pushed back through the combined efforts of many nations, nearly one-third of the no-man’s land remained polluted by the aftermath. That land could no longer support life in the near future.
Taking advantage of this moment. Right time, right place, and right people, the Nobos Ironblood Empire, which was already located in the central region of the no-man’s land, quickly rose to power. They took in a huge number of refugees from the southern nations, and their strength grew visibly day by day. In a short time, they became the undisputed ruler of the entire no-man’s land, standing between the Human United Kingdom and the Azure Sky Kingdom.
Back then, the Nobos Ironblood Empire had already launched several military campaigns to the north, wiping out several smaller neighboring countries. Their furthest frontlines were less than 300 kilometers away from the Human United Kingdom.
Although they didn’t dare provoke the five great powers directly due to their recent rise, the Human United Kingdom still sent several major army units to the southern border just in case.
Both sides kept their distance, avoiding conflict unless absolutely necessary. In other words, once someone was taken into the territory of the Ironblood Empire, the chances of being rescued dropped to almost zero.
Cramped in a dark, narrow carriage, several girls sat in silence.
One of them, a young mage from the Adventurers’ Guild in Wangyuan City, had survived a massacre when she stumbled across a group of slavers killing people in a border village. She tried to resist but ended up being captured herself. In a low, defeated voice, she explained their situation to the other captives.
All the girls locked in the cage were villagers who had been taken from nearby towns. They didn’t know as much as the mage, who had graduated from a top magic academy, but they understood one horrible truth. Being sold into slavery in a foreign land could be even worse than being killed outright during the slavers’ raid.
Some began to cry quietly. Some were furious or fell into despair. Others desperately begged the young mage to save them, thinking she might be able to use magic to help.
But Miss Shadow sat quietly in the corner, saying nothing. Through the metal bars beside her, she watched the outside world through a tiny gap in the carriage’s curtain, fluttering with every bump on the road.
Depending on that mage to save them? What a joke.
If she was really that powerful, she wouldn’t have been caught in the first place. And besides, hadn’t the slavers already said? Magic-users only show their full strength when they have space to move and time to prepare. Right now, that girl was locked up just like the rest of them, with magic-sealing cuffs on her wrists. The only difference was that, thanks to her background, she might be worth more money.
So why beg others?
Why not count on herself instead?
If she had a good plan, maybe she didn’t need to give up hope of escaping.
Miss Shadow, though just a village girl with no real life experience, had always been different from the others since she was little.
Whenever night fell or she was in a dark place, she would become extremely calm, like something unseen was protecting her. She felt strangely safe and comfortable in the shadows. Her senses, especially hearing and sight, would also grow sharper.
She could clearly detect the slightest sound or movement from dozens of meters away. While most people were nearly blind in the dark… she could actually see better than during the day.