“There’s a commotion in the Slave Market, Master.”

Evelyn and Arthur with Jonathan, the human slave that, along with Kha’rya, was the leader of Silcard’s slaves.

Silcard Fedge sent him with Arthur, his newest conspirator, to help Isabella and the women that were bought by Espero Garcia.

In fact, Jonathan was tasked only to provide Arthur with information regarding the target as well as lend subtle assistance.

As the alarms echoed within Raml Asfr City, Jonathan looked in the direction of the Slave Market, visibly worried.

Still, he didn’t recklessly leave, he kept his composure and pointed at a manor a distance away.

They were in one of the main streets of the city, the closest one to where the wealthy merchants and nobles lived.

The city wasn’t as big as Blackcrest, nor was it distinctly divided into semi-isolated regions.

Admittedly, the Yellowjackets were patrolling the street and making sure no unsavoury or suspicious individuals got close to the series of adjacent villas and mansions, but the security was relatively lax.

“That’s where Espero Garcia is staying. Expect a couple of knights and guards inside. Also…”

Jonathan turned his head and looked at the eye-catching residence of the Sultan. It was a kilometer away, but it shone in the darkness and seemed to have been built on a slightly elevated ground, thus making it dwarf everything around it.

“If you take too much time to retrieve the slaves, the Sultan’s men will come. The real danger is his Hashashin. A group of cold-blooded and very strong assassins. If they catch your scent, there will be no escape. At most, you’ll have 10 minutes.”

“It should be enough, but how can we be sure Espero and the slaves are there?”

“We’re not… not yet, at least.”

The slave looked at the few passerby on the street, seemingly waiting for someone.

Soon enough, a young boy that looked like a beggar, slowly approached Jonathan and whispered something before disappearing into an alley.

“Espero Garcia is on his way back right now. Give it a couple of minutes and you’ll see his carriage.”

Jonathan’s words were followed by loud explosions as flames could be seen rising from the Slave Market.

“Take Evelyn and go see what’s happening.”

“Master!”

Arthur sighed and leaned close to her, “I’m worried about Chris. I told him to stay still but that idiot will surely go there.”

“...”

The maid gave him a solemn look before nodding her head.

“Good luck to you… sir. And thank you.”

Jonathan lightly bowed his head before dashing away with Evelyn right behind him.

Left alone, the Parasite looked at the villa while pondering.

‘Sneaking inside shouldn’t be a problem. The real question is: Should I take control of Espero or kill him?’

Retrieving Isabella wasn’t going to be overly easy or impossibly hard. As a parasite, he had more skills in his arsenal to guarantee a successful infiltration into the target’s residence.

Even the Knight that protected Garcia didn’t worry Arthur.

Possessing, and masquerading as Garcia could be easier than killing him. However, there was a chance that his identity would be compromised.

After dealing with Sonia and the Dean, Arthur now knew that even if he tried his best not to reveal his identity as a Parasite, there were still ways for other people to know. Whether it was through the System or simply by using advanced magical spells coupled with vast knowledge and keen observation.

‘If I don’t kill Espero, he’ll look into the matter and send people to look for Isabella. If I kill him, the Sultan would investigate. If I act as Espero, I could be discovered.’

As the head of an Aristocratic family from the Despot Collective, Garcia could be wearing protective Artifacts, therefore, possessing him might be a very bad yet lucrative option.

‘Freeing Isabella takes priority. If we have to flee from the city… then so be it.’

Arthur wasn’t keen on leaving Raml Asfr this soon, especially since he had yet to gather any information about the Devil Doctor. Nevertheless, he just couldn’t let Isabella remain as a slave.

He remembered her dangerous encounter with those black-clothed assassins. They were decently strong, but most importantly, they could be the Hashashin.

Isabella’s appearance in this city indicated a couple of things: First, when Arthur had taken control of her body that night, she was in the Desert of Peace of Commerce, or at least close enough to reach Raml Asfr City from then till now.

Second, since the Hashashin only obeyed the Sultan, it meant that they were in that farm that night to do his bidding. They didn’t seem to be after Isabella specifically, but the fact that ‘she’ killed them meant that she became involved in the matter.

If the Sultan were to discover her involvement, he would send people after her.

‘It’s only speculation so far, but leaving her alone for a prolonged period of time might complicate things even more. I can deal with Espero Garcia, but the Sultan is another matter.’

Time slowly crept by as the Parasite hid in that inconspicuous spot until Espero Garcia appeared. His luxurious carriage passed through the gate and stopped in front of the villa.

Garcia seemed to be in a bad mood as he stared at the smoke rising from the Slave Market and then went inside his residence.

His new slaves, including Isabella, were right behind him. They were linked by a chain and the tall solemn Knight was walking behind them.

[Law of Perception]

[Magick Sense]

Arthur surveyed the vicinity just to be sure only of something unexpected. His senses, including his eyesight, were considerably sharpened and enhanced, allowing him to see almost any magical fluctuation.

He saw an invisible silhouette temporarily stand just outside of the villa before leaping in the air and entering through an open window.

Not even Garcia’s Knight seemed to sense this.

‘One of the Hashashin.’

Arthur wasn’t able to see how they were dressed, but their proficiency in Stealth and their agile movements were proof enough of their identity. Whoever it was, they seemed to have followed him from the Sultan’s palace.

The question was: Why would the Sultan send someone to tail Espero Garcia? Was it just for precaution?

Arthur’s human host vanished, now replaced by a relatively small lizard which blended with its surroundings and turned invisible.

The scaled creators, its tongs wriggling in the air, rushed toward the villa.

[Miscellaneous skills: Lizardly Climb]

[Law of Resilience]

With many passive skills taking effect, the lizard swiftly climbed the wall and went through the same entrance used by the Hashashin.

Once inside the villa, the invisible Arthur took his time and looked around. The servants inside didn’t notice him, and even when he reached the Main Hall, the Knight didn’t spare a glance in his direction.

The Parasite maintained a short distance from the slaves and followed them to one of the rooms.

A couple of minutes later, Espero was facing his new slaves. They were all dressed in dirty rags that barely covered their malnourished bodies. Still, they had alluring bodies that would entice any horny aristocrat.

Whether it was a voluptuous female beastman or a slim human slave, it seemed that Espero’s tastes were all over the place.

“Did you bring him?”

The Knight nodded to his Master’s words.

“Good. Clean them up and then bring those two to my room after dinner.”

He pointed at Isabella and a tall beastman with wolf-ears and a tail that seemed to have been cut in half.

“...”

The Knight kept his head bowed until Espero walked out of the room.

‘Here?’

Arthur, who had also snuck into the room, was focusing on the invisible Hashashin rather than Isabella or the Knight.

Now that he was only a couple of meters away, he could see the distinct figure of a short man that was strikingly similar to the Hashashin that attacked Isabella the other night.

‘Did he find out about Isabella already?’

Fortunately, the Hashashin only lingered there for another minute before going after Espero.

“Stay here.” Solemnly said the Knight as he exited the room and soon returned with a young man with curly and ruffled beige hair, a timid expression and overly-large round spectacles.

“Check all of them.” Spoke the Knight before standing next to the open door like a statue.

The young man, wearing a long light-green robe with a symbol across the chest, opened a big leather bag and took out a couple of things.

‘A doctor?’

Arthur’s guess was almost correct. The young man was an apothecary, one who looked rather timid and easily-scared. He didn’t seem to be comfortable being in the room, and the pitying look he gave the slaves made him seem innocent and inexperienced.

“Please sit.”

Still, he maintained his professionalism and, one by one, he inspected all the slaves while handing them medicinal herbs and a couple of potions.

In fact, this was quite the normal procedure for slaves that were recently bought by aristocrats.

The slaves were going to be used for sex, therefore, their owners would generally ensure that they carried no disease or curses. The Apothecary was here to do exactly that.

The process barely took 10 minutes, in which only one of the slaves showcased signs of illness when she was fed a potion.

She knelt down and coughed a couple of times.

“It’s nothing serious. I’ll… wait! What are you doing?”

The apothecary was about to explain to the Knight only to see him walk toward the slave while unsheathing his sword.

“Defective products are to be disposed of. Master’s orders.”

“She’s just a little sick! And it’s not contagious or dangerous!”

The young man blocked the Knight’s path while raising his hands,

“You want to kill her? Are you crazy?!”

His looks notwithstanding, the young man stood up to the Knight with a determined and angry expression.

“Out of the way. Your job was only to inspect them.”

“She’s a living being before a slave. I can’t let you kill her just because of a minor thing!”

The Knight, whose face was hidden by the silver helmet, looked down at the apothecary before sheathing his sword and backing away.

The apothecary breathed a sigh of relief then started tending to the slightly sick slave while whispering words of reassurance.

‘He’s still looking at her. She’s dead for sure.’

Although the Knight backed down, Arthur knew that the slave was definitely going to be killed. The apothecary's intervention only prolonged her life by a bit.

It seemed exaggerated to kill a slave just because of such a trivial matter, however, they were nothing but disposable tools for their owners, easily replaced.

‘With the Hashashin monitoring Espero, I can’t kill and possess him without attracting attention. If I am to help Isabella, I cannot do it with this host alone. Even though they are under the Enslaving Spell, the Knight is still watching the slaves closely. Any kind of commotion will attract the Hashashin, so I’ll need to act quickly and use a disposable host, preferably one of the people in this villa.’