"So are you two going to tell me how you guys got your hands on this carriage?" Asked Suisei as she rode in the back of the black carriage.
"There's no need to worry about the details, master." Replied Lio as he rode in the front while steering the carriage.
"Also- what's with that uniform?" Asked Suisei as she looked at the all-black uniform with gold outlines.
"Worrying about something so trivial isn't worth your time, master." Replied Lio.
"Will you stop being so cryptic?!" Asked a slightly annoyed Suisei.
"Sorry but, unfortunately, I cannot stop." Replied Lio.
"And why's that?" Asked Suisei.
"It's fun seeing you angry, master." Replied Lio.
"It's honestly just that simple." Added Lio.
"This is why I despise the both of you." Said Suisei with disgust in her voice.
"That's fine by me, master." Replied Lio.
"Where even is the other moron?!" Asked Suisei.
"He concealed himself with his shadows. Having someone on the roof of a carriage is quite strange. Don't you think so, master?" Replied Lio.
"What is he doing up there? Isn't he supposed to be our guide?" Asked Suisei.
"He's telling me the directions through Spacial Contact so there's no need to worry so much, master." Replied Lio.
"Another carriage is coming our way but I sense an unusual amount of mana coming from the same direction." Said Ren.
"Understood." Replied Lio.
"Keep your eyes peeled." Said Ren.
"You don't need to tell me twice." Replied Lio.
~~~~~
"No way... it can't be him..." Said an unfamiliar voice from the carriage coming towards Suisei.
"That's definitely the crest of the House of Chamberlain. There's no mistaking it..." Replied another voice from inside the same carriage.
"What do we do?!" Asked the first voice frantically.
"There's no need to worry. Maquis Chamberlain is an ally. He would never rat us out to the king." Replied the second voice.
~~~~~
"Do you sense the mana coming from that carriage?" Asked Ren.
"Yes, it's definitely an unnatural amount of mana for humans." Replied Lio.
"Want me to investigate?" Asked Ren.
"There's no need. Whatever is happening in that carriage doesn't concern us." Replied Lio.
"Help us..." Said a quiet and unfamiliar voice.
"Did you hear that?" Asked Suisei.
"Hear what?" Asked a confused Lio.
"That voice..." Replied Suisei.
"What voice?" Asked Lio.
"Help us..." Said the same quiet voice.
"There it goes again." Said Suisei.
"Master? Is something the matter?" Asked Lio.
"Help us..." Repeated the same voice.
"Do you seriously not hear the voice saying help us?" Asked Suisei.
"All I hear is the useless human." Replied Lio.
"Hey?! What the hell, dude?" Asked Ren.
"My apologies." Replied Lio.
"Help us..." Repeated the voice once again.
"There's the voice again..." Said Suisei.
"What does it sound like?" Asked Lio in response.
"It sounds like a kid begging for help." Replied Suisei.
"Help us..." Said the same voice again but louder as Suisei's carriage passed by the other carriage.
"It's coming from that carriage." Said Suisei.
"That's strange." Replied Lio.
"What do you want us to do, master?" Asked Lio.
"Stop that carriage. Now." Replied Suisei.
"You heard the master." Said Lio.
"Understood." Replied Ren as he unconcealed himself and used his shadow magic to forcibly stop the carriage by pinning its wheels to the road.
"Why did you stop?!" Asked a pissed-off male voice from inside the carriage.
"I didn't mean to- The carriage just stopped moving on its own accord-" Replied the coachman.
"You're expecting us to actually believe that?" Asked the other man inside the carriage.
"We have priceless goods in here! You better not make us late for the auction!" Said the first man.
"I'm being serious..." Replied the coachman.
"Anata wo omou kanjou ga yugande yaburete itta~" Sung Suisei from inside her carriage.
"What's that voice?" Asked the first man.
"I don't know but it's quite lovely if I do say so myself." Replied the second man.
"Kajou na ai kono shoudou ga pyua na kimochi, bye~" Continued Suisei.
"It's the voice of the goddes-" Said the first man before he fell unconscious.
"No, it's the angels singing to wish us good fortun-" Replied the second man before he fell unconscious alongside the coachman and the other man.
"Looks like the sleep spell worked." Said Ren as he spots the unconscious coachman.
"I'll go check out the carriage. Lio, stay where you are. Ren, follow me." Said Suisei as she opened the door of the carriage and got out.
"Copy that." Replied Ren as he jumped down from the roof and opened the other carriage's door.
"There seems to be nothing in here except two men, a crow, and a white fox. All of whom are fast asleep." Said Ren as he looked inside the carriage.
"That's weird... the voices stopped as soon as the coachman fell asleep." Replied Suisei as she entered the carriage with Ren following suit afterward.
"Those animals aren't what they seem." Said Lio.
"Why's that?" Asked Suisei and Ren.
"The amount of mana coming off of them is unnatural." Replied Lio.
"It's that mana from earlier." Said Ren.
"Look, I something!" Said Suisei.
"What is it?" Asked Ren.
"They're some sort of document." Replied Suisei.
"What do they say?" Asked Ren.
"They're identifications." Replied Suisei.
"For who?" Asked Ren as he spots the shackles and collar on the fox and crow.
"It doesn't have any names. It just has numbers on them along with photos and a description." Replied Suisei.
"Wait a second... these are slave collars... they were supposed to be outlawed over two decades ago..." Said Ren with concern in his voice.
Author's Notes: In case anyone is wondering, anything italicized is the characters speaking through Spacial Content (mentioned it a while back but the basic premise is they can talk telepathically).
YOU ARE READING
Dancer in the Dark
FantasyHoshimachi Suisei is a world-renowned idol and songstress. One day she decided to take a short nap after her concert but she suddenly woke up in a world of swords and magic. She is soon belittled and ridiculed by others since she was cursed with the...
