Carlos, Maisy, and Atlas walked along the path the crowd had opened, heading straight toward Zeyd. They drew closer and closer. About a meter in front of Zeyd, Carlos stopped in place, and the moment he did, Atlas and Maisy stopped as well.

  Kaelis was too far back to see clearly, so he moved forward through the gaps earlier to change his position. Gently pushing aside the people in the crowd, he reached a spot where he could watch the entire conversation directly. The boy they had spoken to moments ago followed right behind him.

  “So he knew he was coming.”

  “Hey you’ve been hanging around me for a while now. Who are you?”

  “Reiner”

  “Reiner, why are you following me?”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t specifically following you. I just followed the person in front of me who was clearing the way—for a better view. Anyway, I’ve seen everything I needed to see.”

  After saying that, Reiner didn’t even look back. He slipped into the crowd and disappeared. Kaelis stayed quiet. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the conversation between Zeyd and Carlos.

  Kaelis turned his head toward the two of them and began listening carefully.

  Zeyd was still keeping up his fake-friendly act, while Carlos looked completely serious—at least on the surface.

  “What a familiar face!”

  “The feeling is mutual, Zeyid el-Ticar.”

  “Haha! you’re embarrassing me. I honestly didn’t expect someone like you to address me that way, Head of the Rebels.”

  “It's really annoying that you're still acting like such a jerk. And judging by how cheerful you are, things must be going well for you.”

  “Yeah, then without prolonging—”

  “How dare you come back here again?”

  Carlos’s sudden outburst still hadn’t stopped Zeyd. The crowd, along with Atlas and Maisy beside Carlos, continued listening carefully—and so did Kaelis. The source of Zeyd’s confidence was obvious in every way, yet these kinds of attitudes were truly disgusting.

  “I only come here for one reason, and you know it perfectly well—no need to play dumb. I’m here for workforce. Harvest time is approaching, and the crops in my fields need to be harvested and taken to the Bazaar for sale as soon as possible.”

  “After what you did last time, why should I give you any workers at all?”

  “Because of the food shortage.”

  “———”

  “Famine or terrible living conditions were already common on this side of Naucratis, but lately they’ve gotten much worse. The increased rights and security the Bazaar gives to merchants is stopping you from stealing more from me than before, am I wrong?

  A heavy silence fell over Carlos and everyone around him. Everything Zeyd said was true. There really hadn’t been such a shortage here, and they desperately needed extra supplies. Carlos stared straight into Zeyd’s eyes with a cold expression.

  “What will you give in return?”

  The moment Carlos said that, Atlas, Maisy, and the entire surrounding crowd looked shocked. They had been certain Carlos would reject the offer outright, yet here he was, negotiating. The community was deeply unsettled, and one person spoke up loudly on their behalf.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “But Carlos—”

  “I don’t want to hear any objections!”

  The voice in the crowd instantly fell silent under Carlos’s powerful, commanding tone.

  "Can any of you deny what Zeyd just said? No, you can’t. So we’ll take what we need.”

  “How wonderful! How wonderful!”

  “Now it’s time to talk with you, Merchant Zeyd.”

  “By all means…”

  “Half of the agreed goods will be brought here by horse carriage when you come to collect workers. We’ll take the other half once the work is finished.”

  “Asking for this much at once is pretty rude—”

  “Do you accept or reject? Only one word”

  Zeyd lowered his head slightly and shook it slowly from side to side. As he did, he muttered, “Ah, these new kids…”

  He then turned his gaze back to Carlos, who was still staring at him with that cold expression, and answered in a lively, warm-blooded tone. The good mood he had been in grew even stronger.

  “Very well then.”

  “If you break the terms of this agreement again, I don’t think anything good will happen.”

  “Haha, is that so? Then I’ll be careful.”

  “———”

  Having reached the agreement and left as the winner, Zeyd prepared to depart. He turned around and signaled to his bodyguard, Asim, who stood beside him. The large, burly man opened the door of the horse carriage. Zeyd stepped inside with slow, graceful steps.

  Just before entering fully, he paused at the doorway and turned his head back. These words were clearly meant for Carlos.

  “This time, I don’t think there’s anything I can do, Head of the Rebels. So let’s keep living in peace.”

  Carlos left the words unanswered. Zeyd didn’t seem to expect a reply anyway. After speaking, he stepped fully into the carriage and vanished from sight.

  His massive bodyguard Asim then used the side of the carriage for support, leaped onto the steps with a heavy motion, and climbed in with large strides. The carriage door slammed shut violently. The driver at the front immediately began steering the carriage toward the other side of the bridge.

  At that moment, Carlos and the crowd watched the departing carriage in silence.

  As the carriage moved farther and farther away, Carlos turned around. First he looked at Maisy and Atlas, who were still standing right behind him, waiting for his orders.

  He looked first to the right side of the crowd, then turned his head left, scanning the people around him.

  “I assume everyone heard and understood what I said. If you need anything, let Aunt Catalina know.”

  Even though the crowd had opposed the idea at first, they now accepted Carlos’s decision. It was clear from their expressions.

  “May God protect you!”

  “May God protect you!”

  The crowd answered Carlos’s words in loudy and in unison. Carlos, along with Atlas and Maisy beside him, began walking back through the path the crowd had formed.

  Atlas spotted Kaelis in the crowd and walked straight over to him.

  “Come with us now.”

  “Huh— Okay.”

  Kaelis shook off his surprise after Atlas nudged him and spoke. He then followed Atlas.

  Meanwhile, the crowd slowly began to disperse.

  Kaelis thought to himself,

  —『Head of the Rebel』and his real name is Carlos Castro. That’s why everyone treats him with such respect and leadership. Carlos isn’t a bad person—at least, that’s the only conclusion I can reach with what I know. Or maybe it’s just the trust my heart is giving me.

  ***

  After the events of the previous day, Kaelis had returned home with Carlos and the others. Nothing else had happened that day.

  The first rays of morning light slipped between Kaelis’s eyelids again. This was still only his second time waking up here, so he couldn’t say he was used to it yet.

  Kaelis tried to stand up once more and succeeded this time. The progress he had made in just one day was impressive.

  The person sitting on the chair by the table was Atlas, just like yesterday. He was once again drinking tea from the cup on the table.

  Atlas’s gaze turned toward Kaelis’s noisy awakening. It wasn’t particularly loud, but in the complete silence of the room, it stood out clearly.

  “Good morning, Atlas.”

  “Oh— Good morning, Kaelis.”

  Kaelis gave the first greeting of the day to Atlas. Then he slowly made his way to the table, stepping carefully so he wouldn’t make noise.

  “Wake Carlos up”

  “Carlos? But why—”

  When Kaelis looked toward where Carlos had been sleeping, he immediately noticed something was missing.

  The missing person was Piera—the same one he hadn’t seen in the crowd yesterday either. Come to think of it, she hadn’t shown up at all during yesterday’s events. Kaelis had no idea where she was.

  Kaelis gently nudged Carlos’s foot with his own. Carlos began to roll lightly, entering the first stages of waking up.

  Carlos sat up in bed and looked around with sleepy eyes. First he looked at the person who had nudged him—Kaelis. There was no anger or resentment in his gaze; he wasn’t upset about being woken.

  Then he looked at Atlas.

  “Couldn’t I sleep a little longer, huh? What’s going on, Atlas?”

  “Today is Sunday.”

  “Ohh— right. Has it already been that long?”

  Carlos’s sleepiness vanished in an instant. Kaelis, still wondering what was so special about Sunday, couldn’t figure it out. The fact that everyone around him was constantly talking in a mysterious manner had begun to bother him.

  Carlos shook Maisy firmly with his hand. The girl, who had been sleeping, woke up without understanding what was happening and immediately sat up in a defensive posture, as if ready for a fight. Even her sleepy body moved on instinct.

  “Maisy, today is Sunday!”

  While all this was happening, Kaelis simply watched as a silent gazer.

  The house door let out a soft creak. Everyone’s eyes turned toward it at once. Who could be visiting uninvited at this hour?

  The door hadn’t been locked. Whoever was outside could open it directly.

  The creaking continued as the door slowly swung open. Bright morning sunlight poured into the room, making it hard to see who was there.

  The door opened fully, and the light reached its brightest intensity. Kaelis’s eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness.

  Standing in the doorway was a girl wearing loose khaki cargo pants, a black sleeveless turtleneck top that left the rest of her body boldly exposed, and long blonde hair. It was Piera—the same girl who had been sitting on the couch that day. The person who had been missing all this time.

  “Looks like you’ve finished your tasks, Piera.”

  “And you’ve already finished your tea, as usual.”

  The friendly, teasing exchange between the two was cut short by Carlos, who was standing beside the newly awakened Kaelis.

  “Since you’ve checked all the places we’re going, there’s no need to wait any longer.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Today— is very important for us. We might even find Asaf there by chance.”

  “I hope so…”

  The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, but Piera reminded Carlos not to lose hope.

  Even though he was the 『Head of the Rebels』 Carlos was still only human—someone who had been separated from the people he loved, or rather, had lost them because of his own choices.