Aquí tienes la traducción al inglés del Capítulo 10, manteniendo la misma narrativa, estructura y ritmo, sin agregar ni quitar nada, y cuidando que suene como si hubiera sido escrito originalmente en inglés:
Chapter 10: A Silent Voice
The man watched him for a moment.
The merchant was breathing with difficulty, his gaze glassy, his life slowly fading away.
"Please…" he whispered with his last breath. "Forgive me…"
The man did not answer. He stood up from the chair where he had waited each time the merchant fainted and walked out of the room.He let him die.
A soul so rotten did not deserve a final blow.It deserved to feel its own body wither away until the very last second.
He wiped the blood from his hands and gathered all of the merchant's money: sacks filled with gold coins, jewels, and documents bearing important names. He took everything he could carry.
The girl had stayed outside the room ever since the merchant was tied up.
Before leaving, the man took a small handful of coins and headed toward the room where she was.
She was sitting on the floor, her back resting against the wall. Her gaze remained empty.
He knelt in front of her and held out the pouch.
"You are free now."
The girl blinked.
"You can go wherever you want. Make your own decisions. No one will stop you."
She looked at the pouch, but did not take it. She said nothing. She simply held his gaze.
The man sighed, stood up, and turned to leave. At that moment, the girl looked at the money again… and then at his back.
For the first time in years, her eyes reflected something different.Light.Hope.
She smiled. For the first time… she had not been used.She had been saved.
She could do whatever she wanted with her life.And she had decided to follow that man.
He was walking through the streets, moving away from the building, when he heard footsteps behind him. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
The girl was following him in silence.
"Don't follow me," he said, frowning.
She did not stop. He turned fully toward her.
"It's dangerous. I don't want you near me. Go and live however you want."
The girl pulled out a small piece of paper and a pencil from her pocket. With small hands, she wrote something and showed it to him.
"You are not dangerous. You saved me.You told me to do whatever I wanted with my life.Now my life belongs to you, because you saved me.I choose to follow you."
The man blinked. For a moment, his hardened expression showed confusion.
"Why do you write?"
She lowered her gaze, then nodded.
She could not speak. She never had. She had never screamed or asked for help. The merchant had controlled everything in her life… even her voice.
And yet, she had chosen him.
The man remained silent, watching her.
She had not screamed when he found her in the office.She had made no sound when the merchant died.She had not even gasped at the sight of blood on his clothes.
And now… she only communicated by writing.
He narrowed his eyes.
"You can't speak, can you?"
She hesitated for a moment and lowered her gaze again.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Leaving her there was not an option.
She was small, fragile, and that place was infested with rats worse than the dead merchant. If he left her alone, someone else would take advantage of her.
If he took her with him, at least she would have a chance.
It wasn't ideal.But it was the best option.
"Do whatever you want," he said tiredly.
And he kept walking.
The girl looked up, surprised, and followed him without hesitation. For the first time, she felt that her life belonged… to someone who had chosen her.
After walking for a while among shops and streets filled with fleeting conversations, she pulled out her notebook and wrote something.
"What's your name?"
The man blinked, taken aback.
It wasn't what he expected.After everything that had happened, he laughed softly. No one had asked his name in a long time.
"Ryan," he replied, with a faint smile.
The girl nodded and wrote again.
"And me?"
"You don't have a name?" Ryan frowned.
She shook her head.
Of course, she didn't. To others, she had been nothing more than an object.A possession.A toy.
But that was about to change.
Ryan thought for a moment, then smiled.
"I'll call you Lia. Do you like it?"
She tilted her head.
"It means 'lioness.'"
Lia blinked.
"If you're going to travel with me, you'll have to be strong. Learn to defend yourself. In this world, weak people die."
For the first time, the girl's eyes shone with something more than emptiness.And for the second time, she smiled.
With money in their pockets and new clothes, Ryan and Lia stepped back onto the streets.
The market lights shone brightly. Merchants shouted their offers. Lia watched everything with fascination.
Ryan noticed how her curious gaze didn't linger on anything… until she focused on one particular stall.
A skewer vendor. The smell of grilled meat and spices was irresistible.
Ryan saw her swallow.
"Do you want one?"
Lia nodded enthusiastically.
The vendor, a sturdy woman wearing a grease-stained apron, greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome. What can I get you?"
"Two each," Ryan replied, pulling out coins.
As the woman prepared the skewers, Ryan asked,
"Do you know this place well?"
"I've lived here my whole life," she replied. "Are you lost?"
"Something like that."
The woman pointed east.
"If you're looking for guidance, you should go to the Central Travelers' Office. They help outsiders there."
"Where is it?"
"In the Land of Fire, inside White Oak City."
Ryan frowned.
"I've never heard of that place."
"That's normal," she shrugged. "A lot of people outside know it, but not everyone passes through here. It'll take you a few days to get there."
That was good news… with a problem.
"I need transportation."
The woman lowered her voice.
"There's a merchant right now who needs bodyguards. He had some trouble recently and has to return to the city. If you help him, you could travel with him."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"Where can I find him?"
She pointed to an area on the other side of the market.
Ryan thanked her, paid for the skewers, and handed one to Lia. She held it with both hands, and when she took her first bite, her eyes widened in surprise.
It was her first real meal in a long time.
"Slow down, we've got time," Ryan laughed.
Lia smiled as she ate. For the first time in years, she looked like a normal child.
After eating, they headed to the indicated spot. There, a man was organizing a carriage loaded with fruit and goods.
Ryan approached him.
"Do you need help?"
The merchant climbed down from the carriage with a smile… which froze when he saw him.
The color drained from his face.
"Y-Y-Y-You…"
"…?"
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
The merchant screamed and fell backward into the carriage.
Ryan blinked. Lia tilted her head.
Then he recognized him.
It was the same merchant he had attacked days earlier… on the order of the lying merchant.
"Damn it…" Ryan sighed, rubbing his face.