Bai Ye wasn't an enforcer. When faced with scum like them, she could've done what she did before: knocked them out, then found a way to alert the Empire's soldiers so they could deal with them.
But even Bai Ye hadn't expected to be so furious when she saw those vile scoundrels—furious enough that she barely even considered letting them go!
Maybe she'd been holding in her anger ever since she rescued Yilisi. It had only just come spilling out now.
She'd thought the slave trade had vanished from the Empire without a trace. But the truth was, though there were no slaves in the open, this trade might never have stopped in secret.
And this was the Royal Capital. In remote cities far from the capital, there were bound to be plenty of slave traders.
Bai Ye felt utterly helpless. She was strong—strong enough that no one could bully her, strong enough to protect anyone she wanted to protect.
And yet, even so, she was powerless against this world.
Bai Ye hated slavery. She had the ability to wipe out any organization that dared defy Imperial law and sell slaves in secret. But in the end, she was only one person, and people had their limits.
Slavery was still legal in most countries on the continent. And even within the Holy Radiance Empire, the underground slave trade was something she couldn't stamp out on her own.
This helplessness felt exactly like it had when she was a slave, locked in a cage. Her circumstances were completely different now, and yet, years later, that same feeling of sinking into a mire had risen in her heart once more.
“This is strange. I never thought of myself as such a sentimental person...”
Not every problem had an answer, and not every feeling could be worked through. Even if this helplessness still weighed on Bai Ye, she had to take care of what was right in front of her.
She'd been gone long enough. It was time to go back.
Perhaps the Goddess of Luck was watching over them, or perhaps there simply wasn't much danger in this forest. Either way, the defensive and warning magic Bai Ye had set on the carriage hadn't been triggered.
But what surprised Bai Ye was that when she returned to the carriage, Yilisi wasn't asleep. She was sitting inside with her knees hugged to her chest.
“Y-Yilisi?”
Bai Ye was surprised. She'd been careful not to wake Yilisi when she left, so how had she woken up?
“Big Sister Bai Ye!”
As soon as she saw Bai Ye return, Yilisi hurriedly threw herself into her arms.
“Waaah... Yilisi is so useless. I didn't want to cause Big Sister Bai Ye any trouble, but... b-but when I'm all alone, I get scared...”
“It's okay, Yilisi. I'm back...”
Seeing Yilisi like this made Bai Ye's heart ache. She gently stroked Yilisi's back and comforted her for a long while before Yilisi gradually calmed down.
“Yilisi, you were still asleep when I left. How did you wake up?”
Yilisi rubbed her reddened eyes and answered in a slightly trembling voice.
“I-I woke up when you called my name before you left, Big Sister. It's just...”
“It's just what?”
Bai Ye was puzzled. If Yilisi had woken up before she left, why hadn't she called out to her? She must've been so scared all alone in here.
“I-I didn't want Big Sister Bai Ye to think I was useless, so...”
Actually, Yilisi had realized Bai Ye was about to leave. But she didn't want Bai Ye to think she needed looking after all the time, so she'd pretended to be asleep.
But being alone in the carriage was still frightening for Yilisi.
The dim, enclosed space always brought back the terror of being locked in a cage. All that fear had been bottled up inside her, and when Bai Ye returned, it burst out all at once, making Yilisi throw herself into Bai Ye's arms and cry.
“I-I'm so useless. Big Sister Bai Ye has to take care of me all the time!”
Yilisi clutched the hem of her clothes and didn't dare look Bai Ye in the eye. She was afraid she'd see disappointment and disgust there. If Bai Ye really had grown sick of her, Yilisi truly didn't know how she could go on living.
“It's okay, Yilisi. You can rely on me as much as you want.”
“B-Big Sister Bai Ye...”
“I can't promise you anything more, but as long as I'm by your side, you can rely on me all you want. I won't resent you for it. Being someone others can rely on makes me happy, too.”
Bai Ye meant every word. She understood how Yilisi felt—wanting to rely on someone, but being afraid of becoming a burden. She'd gone through the same thing after An Jieli rescued her from the slave camp.
Bai Ye understood Yilisi's feelings very well, so she could accept Yilisi's dependence on her wholeheartedly.
Just as Bai Ye had told Yilisi, being someone others could rely on was a happiness in itself.
“Big Sister Bai Ye, I-I like you.”
Bai Ye's words felt like warm sunlight falling over Yilisi's heart. Overcome with emotion, Yilisi somehow blurted out words that sounded just like a confession.
“Mm. I like you too, Yilisi.”
At Bai Ye's reply, Yilisi's heart gave a little flutter. But then she realized that the way Bai Ye meant “like” was fundamentally different from what she meant.
