By the time Noah walked out of the club, Buck and the others had been twisted into shapes that barely resembled human beings.
He had preserved their consciousness for as long as possible, allowing them to experience what it felt like to have every drop of blood wrung from their bodies like water from a towel.
In the end, none of them survived the second trial.
The three girls followed behind Noah, still visibly shaken and careful not to walk too close to him.
Buck and his guests had been terrible people, but after witnessing such gruesome deaths, the girls felt far more horror than satisfaction.
Seeing a human body twisted into that shape was frightening enough.
The fact that those men had remained conscious, screaming and begging for mercy the entire time, made it much worse.
El and Luna supported Fal from either side because of her "injured" legs.
"It really doesn't hurt anymore."
Fal cautiously placed more weight on them. There was still a faint numbness and soreness, but the terrible pain from having both legs broken now seemed almost like a bad dream.
She stared at Noah's back in amazement.
With her limited experience of the world, she could not understand how a human being could possess such a miraculous power.
He had healed two broken legs in such a short time.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"Don't push yourself. Let us keep helping you."
El and Luna refused to let go.
Fal was deeply moved.
Even when the situation had been at its worst, neither of her friends had considered abandoning her.
There was no reason they would do so now.
The thought made her eyes sting again.
"Are we... really safe now?"
Fal was afraid that they had merely escaped one danger and fallen into another.
Luna looked equally nervous. Her hand unconsciously rose to touch one of her eyes.
A short while ago, she had almost lost it.
She had begged them not to do it, but her pleas had only made those men laugh more cruelly.
Without Noah, Fal, El, and Luna would have lost their dignity as human beings, and perhaps their lives as well.
After hesitating, Luna spoke quietly.
"I don't think he's a bad person. He may look cold, and he hasn't tried to comfort us, but I still feel much safer with him than I ever did with that bastard Buck."
El's eyes brightened, and she nodded repeatedly.
"Y-yes. I think he's a good person too."
As she spoke, she touched the clothes now covering her body.
When she had been left completely exposed, Noah had not stared at her. She had not sensed any of the filthy desire she had seen in the other men's eyes either.
He had even given her his coat before doing anything else.
Noah led the three girls outside.
When they stepped into the sunlight again, it felt as though they had escaped from a dark cave filled with monsters and been given another life.
The three exchanged glances before embracing one another.
Only beneath the warmth of the sun did they finally allow the fear and despair inside them to pour out.
Noah kept his distance and waited until their crying gradually faded into quiet sniffles before asking, "What do you plan to do now?"
The girls froze.
After everything they had experienced, simply calming down had already been difficult.
None of them had thought about what came next.
They were strangers in the Imperial Capital.
Unless they found a solution quickly, they would have nowhere to sleep that night, let alone any way to buy food.
Seeing their lost expressions, Noah asked, "Do you not want to return home?"
Luna lowered her gaze.
"Our parents sold us. The person who bought us turned out to be a demon wearing a human face. If we go back, they'll only sell us to someone else."
El began trembling.
After what had happened, she no longer felt capable of trusting another stranger. What if the next person they met was another man like Buck?
Who would be there to save them a second time?
Perhaps everything they had escaped today would become real the next time.
"P-please," El said, lowering her head. "Could you give us a chance to work somewhere?"
She was normally the shyest of the three, but this concerned her friends as well.
For Luna and the still-recovering Fal, she forced herself to step forward and ask.
Noah studied them while considering the possibilities.
There was nothing wrong with their character, but this society offered very few respectable jobs that allowed young women to support themselves independently.
Their best option was probably to become servants in a noble household.
Their clothing, food, and lodging would all be provided, and they would earn wages as well.
Many nobles were beasts in human skin, but some girls actually hoped to enter such households.
Becoming a nobleman's lover could provide even more benefits than working as an ordinary servant.
Under normal circumstances, Noah would have considered his responsibility finished after saving them.
Still, after a short hesitation, he asked, "What are the three of you good at?"
The girls looked at one another. Realizing that he might truly give them an opportunity, they quickly began listing their skills.
"I-I can cook," El said. "I can also wash clothes, clean, and do a little sewing."
Luna was still uncomfortable around strangers.
She kept both hands hidden inside her sleeves as she answered, "I'm fairly good at laundry and cleaning. I also know how to feed and care for animals."
Fal looked at her two friends.
In the past, she would have proudly talked about her martial arts. Today, however, those skills had accomplished nothing.
The one thing she had taken pride in had been crushed completely.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally said, "I'm... reasonably confident in my stamina and physical strength."
Noah listened to all three before giving them an address.
"Go there and tell them that someone named Noah sent you. Don't trust strangers along the way. Once you arrive, work hard and build a proper life for yourselves in the capital."
Realizing that he was genuinely introducing them to an employer, the girls thanked him repeatedly.
Adding three servants would mean little to the Leiden family. If they proved to be diligent and dependable, their presence would benefit the household as well.
More importantly, the Leiden family would never abuse its maids. It was probably the safest choice for three simple girls without greed or hidden ambitions.
"You've surprised me, Noah."
Esdeath was leaning against a pillar when he returned. She looked at him with open excitement.
"I never knew you had such refined taste when it came to interrogation."
She resembled someone who had just left a theater after watching an exceptional performance—impressed, satisfied, delighted, and still wanting more.
"Interrogation?" Noah repeated.
"What else would you call it? Twisting someone like a wet towel while keeping them conscious was magnificent. I'm very interested. We should set aside some time to exchange torture techniques."
Noah fell silent.
He had understood Esdeath's twisted nature for years, yet she still occasionally found new ways to surprise him.
He had expected her to ask why he had interfered. He had also imagined she might say something about the law of the strong or how the weak naturally became prey.
Strictly speaking, Buck, his guests, and their subordinates had not broken Imperial law.
The laws concerning the sale of children and slaves had long since become meaningless. Such transactions were now treated as normal throughout the Empire.
Buck had purchased El and the others for more than the usual market price.
From that moment onward, he had been recognized as their owner, while most of their personal rights had ceased to exist.
No matter what Buck did to them, the law saw it as nothing more than the treatment of his own property.
Morally, Buck and the others were beneath animals, yet legally they were innocent.
Even if their actions became public, the greatest consequence would probably have been damage to their reputation.
These transactions were generally supposed to benefit both parties.
Once merchants learned that Buck purchased girls solely to torture and humiliate them, some might have refused to do business with him in the future.
That was all.
Knowing Esdeath, Noah had assumed she would have no interest in judging Buck.
He had been right, though not for the reason he expected.
She did not care that Noah had killed everyone inside, rescued the girls, or arranged jobs for them.
From beginning to end, only one thing had interested her.
Their screams.
She had interpreted everything Noah did as an elaborate interrogation method and given it her highest approval.
War, hunting, and torture.
Those interests formed the foundation of this brutal queen.
"Let's stop for today," Esdeath said.
Since they had failed to find Tatsumi, the excitement she had briefly regained quickly faded.
The disappointed woman standing there now seemed completely different from the merciless queen of moments earlier.
"On the way back, I should check on those two," Noah murmured.
He soon arrived at a crowded café.
"Business seems good."
There was a line outside, so he joined it and waited quietly.
Not everyone was waiting for a table. Some customers collected takeaway orders and left immediately.
As Noah moved closer to the front, he heard a familiar girl's cheerful voice.
"Three Snowcap drinks to go. Thank you for your purchase!"
Poney collected the money and passed the order over the counter.
Before long, Noah reached the front.
"Welcome! What would you like to—Eeeeeh?!"
Poney stared at him and let out a startled cry.
She raised one hand and pointed at him.
"No... No, Noa—"
Hearing her scream, Nahashu hurried over.
He seemed to think Poney had encountered a difficult customer or made some serious mistake.
The moment he saw Noah standing at the counter, he froze.
The reaction lasted only two seconds. Once he recovered from his surprise, Nahashu returned to his usual calm demeanor.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
Noah looked around the café.
There were no other employees.
Both of them were working without a moment to rest.
They were only managing because of their enhanced physical abilities. Ordinary people would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Then he examined the menu.
They served more than coffee. There was ice cream, several fruit desserts, and a surprising number of other items.
The workload was clearly excessive.
"I'll have a blended coffee."
"Please wait a moment."
Nahashu turned to prepare the drink.
Poney continued looking at Noah nervously, which left him confused.
Why did she seem so frightened of him?
As far as he knew, she had not made any mistakes.
After receiving his coffee, Noah found a seat by the counter so that he would not occupy an entire table by himself.
He remained in the café for an hour, observing Nahashu and Poney at work while enjoying the aroma of the coffee.
Since it was a café, it closed relatively early.
By six in the evening, nearly all the customers had left and it was time to shut the doors.
"Long time no see," Nahashu said, approaching Noah immediately after locking the entrance.
Poney followed behind him, hiding half her body behind his back.
"It has been a while," Noah replied with a sigh. "Several things have happened lately, and people keep sending me from one place to another."
He then looked at Poney.
"What's wrong? You've been nervous ever since you saw me today."
"Huh?"
Poney quickly looked away and stared at the ceiling.
"I-I'm not nervous."
Watching her reaction, Nahashu began to suspect the reason.
He probably carried the same concern.
It was a thought people like them, trained as assassins, were not supposed to have.
"Is it time for us to carry out our real mission?" Nahashu asked.
His question immediately brought Poney's attention back.
Both of them waited for Noah's orders.
"Hm?"
Noah looked genuinely confused.
"What real mission? You've been carrying out the assignment I gave you very well, haven't you?"
Nahashu froze.
Noah continued before either of them could answer.
"If there is a problem, it's that you haven't hired more staff. With this many customers, neither of you has any chance to rest. You should hire at least one more server and someone to help in the kitchen. You should also separate the lines for customers eating inside and those collecting takeaway orders."
"W-wait!"
Poney leaned forward anxiously.
"Mr. Noah, you didn't come here to make us close the café and leave for another mission?"
"When did I say that?"
"Then..."
"The task I gave both of you was to run this café. You've been following my orders properly, so this is your mission."
"You mean we can keep the café open?"
Noah looked at Poney's delighted expression, then at the faint smile appearing on Nahashu's face.
"Do you enjoy running the place?"
"Yes!" Poney answered immediately. "It's really fun."
Inside, she added another reason she could not say aloud.
'And this way, I can keep staying beside Nahashu.'