I was never expecting this, especially in a bashful morning like this, but I saw slave traders and followed them to cause problems.
The slave traders were worried they might get caught since I was crying and bothering them to attract people—
But what they feared more than the citizens were those considered much worse: holy knights.
So they told me to stop crying and even gave me sweets.
One of them picked me up, playing a scam and gently lowering himself, said,
"Why are you alone, kid? Are you from here?"
I sobbed, acting perfectly as someone even younger than my age.
"I saw you guys taking kids in your carriage."
They were all like, "So yeah, why are you crying?"
"I wanna go too! I wanna have fun!"
They all laughed and smirked about it. They even carried me like they actually cared.
Then I said,
"Thanks! And gimme sweets—I want one!"
Yeah, like they actually cared.
And they gave me the reason I approached them and got myself abducted, playing as a kid who didn't even know what was going on, for one and only reason...
Money. Of course.
But I wonder if I will get money out of this...
The truth is simple: I will get money—and a whole lot of it—if I play it safe. As to how I'm gonna get money...
There is none other reason than the princess herself. I have always looked at her in posts everywhere in the city...
That's how I knew she was the princess. Last night, when roaming at the abandoned building, I saw them abducting her.
---
As I got into the carriage, I saw a hot girl my age near me. She was looking at me, very terrified—
But even her anger felt so hot that I couldn't stop looking at her.
As a kid, it was natural to like someone and get attracted to her.
So I said,
"Yo."
Looking normal and cool, since they actually didn't check on me, they sat me with her while they were all at the corners of the carriage, looking outside and checking the situation.
I took my time to talk to her.
She was worried and so scared—more like horrified.
As she crossed her hands and covered her face, kneeling down on the ground, she replied to me,
"Yeah..."
I casually acted like I never noticed she was scared.
"Wow, we're the only kids the same age. The others are a bit older, right?"
She said,
"Yeah."
Looking at her very softly, I lowered my voice and sat on the ground next to her.
"So why are you here?"
She replied,
"They abducted me because I'm—"
Then I covered her mouth and said,
"Shh... shh... shh!! You don't need to tell me you're the princess. They still don't know you are, so you know that."
If they actually knew about her, they wouldn't be wandering around and lurking between villages.
She looked confused and said,
"What do you mean?"
I said,
"They don't know you're a princess. They didn't notice you... I guess they never expected it."
She said,
"Okay... so is that good?"
This time, she raised her head, turned her shoulders toward me, and approached me.
"Yep, it saves you from all the tortures for their desire to get money."
"Great..."
She smiled.
As a kid, fooling another kid wouldn't be hard. I didn't fool her yet, but I made her feel completely safe even though she was gonna be a slave.
I don't know if it's because I'm an artifact or not, but I was a bit carefree and self-conscious compared to her.
---
The carriage drove carelessly and fast until we reached a forest. They got out.
Two of the ones who abducted us stepped forward, and I saw what was going on—they actually used tree magic to open the forest.
It was definitely magic.
One of them raised his hand, and tree roots extended and blocked the way. The other stood behind him, raising his hand too, layering the roots.
Suddenly, the forest—full of compact and massive trees—opened wide, creating a road. The place was just covered by tree magic.
So they got back and continued down the forest, recklessly driving the carriage into the mystery.
But it's not like I didn't expect it...
Abandoned places, caves, forests like this one—they're pretty good places to find shady business like abducted slaves.
What they didn't know was that it all worked for my benefit.
I sensed a bear—a giant one—sitting near the forest, about two kilometers away.
Another body ability: Neris.
Talking to the animals around wasn't as hard as it seems. They're pretty good fellas.
They actually gathered around to stop the carriage.
The moment I told them the place, the chat happened telepathically.
Good thing the one attacking and the one near us was an Earth Bear. It was huge and stood in the middle of the way.
One of them attacked it with tree magic—but nothing worked.
The moment they both took their magic wands, the bear struck the ground, jumping like a gorilla and pinching the earth.
In that split second, waves from the ground changed the infrastructure of the place and the nature of the land—trapping the carriage wheels.
All of a sudden, a snake came out of nowhere—
It yanked the coachman in the blink of an eye. Without the coachman, we were in trouble.
The carriage hit a tree, and the other two got out—but the snake yanked them as well, one by one, even as they jumped and performed spellcasting magic.
Everyone was terrified.
I stood up and clapped my hands.
"Everyone here, listen! Go get out of the forest—use the same way we came, otherwise the monsters will return for more."
The slaves agreed, and all of them ran.
It felt good to see freedom.
The princess, confused and scared about where to go, grabbed my arm and said,
"Aren't you going to help me? I will do anything you ask of me."
"Of course, as long as you pay me, why not."
She took my hand—stealing it from my pocket. I held her hand and walked with her, murmuring to myself,
"Is it really proper for me to take a noble's daughter by the hand and walk with her?"
...Nah.
She's just a girl—not a noble lady. Even if she is, who cares?
Actually, I just brushed it off so I wouldn't blush.
---
I was talking about this and that—a lot. She was just straight-up terrified of the forest.
We got out.
"Where's your home? Let me take you back."
While checking around if there was someone watching us, and hitting on her too, I literally held her hands. That's not fair.
"My home's up there."
Pointing to the royal palace.
"You must be joking. Correct me if I'm wrong, but... you mean the castle?"
"Yes!! I'm Princess Eliza."
So I was right all along.
"I smell gold here. That's why you smell like money! Wooo... I hit my goals early at this age. Well, let's go!"
I kinda like this speech—a legend himself once said, "Money doesn't buy happiness, it buys crazy-ss happiness."
The way she openly held my hand and felt safe around me hit her the most.
"You're actually funny and easy to talk to."
She took out a very precious necklace and gave it to me.
"If I were to be held from meeting you when I get fully grown, show me this necklace. It's okay for me to take action myself."
Stupid 10-year-old me, not knowing what was going on. I actually thought she was being ambushed by her own family.
When she said it... she actually knew.
It's like—
When I brought her home safely, it looked like I was just using her as a way to get into the palace or something.
But that's not the case. It never was—and it never will be.
But still... I did want money.
And honestly? I deserve it.
---
After she reached the palace, I stayed there looking at her.
She got back and told them the situation. Her father the king and the duke came out with her, looking from the palace.
I asked a bird to replace me. The princess came to me and asked if I was there.
I talked through the bird.
"It's okay, come out. Dad wants to see you."
And the moment they knew she was talking to a bird, they shot it with an explosive arrow.
Which led to me running off. But one of them caught me while I was running. He was just a farmer nearby.
"Why are you running?"
I explained the situation. Even the farmers tried to take me to the kingdom, just so they could show off and act like heroes.
One of them even used an exaggerated old-man voice and said,
"I found this worthless thug lurking around—dragged him here! Your Majesty! This is unforgivable!"
"If we keep letting him live, he'll eventually eat the entire farmland! Unforgivable! How dare he run in my sweet carrot land!"
Damn old man... He even pulled the,
"Damn man, he was in my hands!"—and slammed his legs for dramatic effect.
---
It's the power of money.
So I walked away, trying not to attract attention. In the near valley, there was this one flower that was blooming.
At that moment, a wave of electric shock pulsed through me, striking my heart.
Sweat dripped from my face as it shocked me... it looked as if I had washed my face.
"Why don't I cut it using my artifact hand?"
I strengthened my arm and reached toward the flower.
I cut it. No pulse this time. I looked straight into the forest. Maybe I'd find some fruits there.
Out of the blue, a very hard pressure—like a heavy object—shook me from the bottom of my hair to my toes.
My body just froze. I couldn't move.
My neck resisted turning, but I forced it.
A small, skinny old man. Wearing regular winter cloaks, holding a wooden walking stick.
"You are a human, aren't you?..."
"How ridiculous?"
GRIN...