***
(Third Person)
Several kilometers away from the town of Agrona. A certain caravan of royal carriages was journeying towards the infamous town through the great forest dividing the kingdom of Inizio and the town of Agrona.
Clad with smooth and shiny black metal and gold on every edge. Each one of the carriages was being pulled with 5 horses, inside were trained knights specifically selected by the Prince himself for this expedition.
At the center of the formation of the carriages was where the Prince’s carriage was surrounded by the other 4 carriages while traveling.
Inside, Prince Dieter’s eyes we’re dwelling at the forest outside with a confident smirk on his face while leaning his cheek on his hand while observing the hidden watchers from the distance.
Hidden from the tall trees surrounding the dirt road, countless sets of eyes were watching their group with such vigilance. Swiftly moving trees by trees without making any sound.
“Since the day we arrived at the boundary of the town, they have already been watching over us.” Said the knight clad in body armor sitting in front of him.
“Their ruler is extremely cautious, well that’s what you expect from a person who has abducted human slaves as a business.” He shifted his gaze towards the knight. “They are probably waiting for us to reveal our objective, once we show any hostility or even any action that is worth the suspicion they will make their move.”
The knight nodded. “I see. That is why they’re intentionally letting us know that they’re observing us.”
“Let’s just continue and don’t engage with them.”
“Yes, Prince Dieter.”
He shifted back his gaze outside and felt the countless eyes observing their caravan from afar. “The ruler of the lawless town of Agrona. What kind of person are you? What have you done to earn utmost respect from my father?” A puzzling smile emerged on his face. “I guess, I have to find out for myself.”
***
At the entrance of the town of Agrona. A group of people finally arrived after a long journey from the kingdom of Inizio. Comprising 15 highly trained knights led by the Captain of the knight, Captain Callan Adelaide. While the 10 carriages they used to arrive in this town were left at the edge of the forest.
As they stepped inside the arc of the town, even though hidden from the hood of the red cloak he’s wearing, Captain Callan couldn’t hide the surprise from his face the moment he saw the current state of the town.
He wandered his eyes around the area. Most of the buildings were under construction with a lot of people working together, some of the workers’ eyes pointed at them but none of them showed any signs of hostility or suspicion.
The group walked through the gray brick road with their eyes and mouth wide open. As they go deeper, the life of the town was demonstrated on them. People carrying large wood and metal bars as building materials passed through them without minding the 15 outsiders watching them.
Laughter could be heard everywhere due to the workers joking at each other while in the middle of their job. Humans and demi-humans, working and laughing together in harmony.
“Are we sure we’re in the right place? This is the exact opposite of what I imagined what the lawless town of Agrona looks like.” One of the knights finally spoke while still wandering his eyes in the place. “If I say the least, this place looks like a place where different races are living together.”
“Isn’t that the lawless town of Agrona known for? I remember that the demi-humans are calling this place a sanctuary.” One of the knights answered while chuckling.
“Yes, I know that, but it’s totally different from what I expected it to be.”
“We are in the right place, we are inside the lawless town of Agrona. I have been here 2 years ago, that’s why I know that it’s the same place. However, it looks completely different now than I remembered.” Captain Callan answered. “This area was supposed to be the place of poverty in this faction, the houses around here had poor qualities and were full of shady individuals. I still remember this exact spot used to be filled with bystanders that would observe you as you walk towards the marketplace.”
“Should we scatter now to start our investigation, Captain?”
“There’s no reason to rush, the sun is almost down. We need to find a place to rest first.” Captain Callan removed the hood on his head.
“Captain Callan?” The other knights with him exclaimed in synchronization while still hiding their faces under their hoods.
“There’s no need for it. We were being watched since we stepped inside the vicinity of the town. All of the people around here already know who we are. What more is, they are intentionally letting us know that they are observing us.” Captain Callan pointed his chin on the group of workers occupied by their jobs. “Just like the scouts we discerned in the forest on our way here, the people in this place are just evaluating if we are trustworthy enough. Show them that we have no intention of doing any harm, don’t forget that this place is under the governance of a formidable ruler.”
Captain Callan walked towards the marketplace and the knights who were following him removed their hoods. As they reached the marketplace, Captain Callan instantly stopped and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the new state of the place.
“Is there a problem, Captain?”
“This place was the reason why we came to this town.”
All of the knights’ eyes wandered around the regular marketplace in front of them. There were multiple stalls scattered around the area, selling different goods for the large crowd of people gathered around the place.
All at once, all of their eyes shifted to Captain Callan. “What part of it, Captain? It looks like just a regular marketplace.”
Callan stared at them with a smirk on his face. “That’s exactly my point. The last time I was in this exact spot, this place was full of slave shops. Just by walking around, you could easily stumble upon them with human slaves being showcased right in front of the shop and every step you do, there would always be some dealers offering you their slaves.” He pointed his hand towards the marketplace. “But look at this place now, I can no longer recognize what this place looked like before.”
The other knights stared at him with surprise in their eyes.
Captain Callan crossed his arms. “That’s why we are here. Our job is to find out why.”
