Ch.49Chapter 49. About Sewage Alley (4)

# “Lee, Brak is calling for you.”

“Me, not Spindle?”

At the age of 15, Rina came looking for Lee.

Lee, who had initially brightened at her arrival, lost interest upon hearing about Brak’s summons.

Since Rina hadn’t come to see him for personal reasons, Lee trudged reluctantly to Brak with a bored attitude.

“You called for me?”

“We’re having guests today.”

“Guests?!”

What kind of guests would come to Sewage Alley?

This place was the empire’s shame, a hidden corner.

There were those who fled here to escape the law, but never had anyone been formally invited or come with official business.

“We’re running low on this month’s food supplies, and I’ve called them for a trade. So show off your skills as best you can.”

“I’ll discuss with Spindle to prepare a feast…”

“Spindle’s taking a break this time. Prove your worth. I’ve fed and sheltered you for 15 years, so you shouldn’t have any complaints, right?”

It sounded like a threat: prove your usefulness or die.

Rina flinched but quickly composed herself.

Strangely, whenever Rina spoke to Lee or showed concern for him, Brak would look at her with displeasure and scold her.

Though he hadn’t yet done anything to her body, not even a kiss, Rina instinctively felt that the time was approaching.

Though never explicitly stated, this was Sewage Alley.

Adult women sold their bodies, and if they displeased men, they disappeared without a trace.

Men too died if they were weak, following the law of the jungle.

All of this happened with Brak’s tacit approval.

Arsil, Ravin, Lee, Rina, and the other children were relatively less exploited because they had the protection of the group.

But soon they would all grow up like adults.

What would happen then…

She planned to discuss this with Lee and the other vassals soon.

—

In the forest.

Before preparing meals, Lee always made a point to visit the forest to find better ingredients.

With luck, he could find bird eggs, and with even better luck, he could hunt large game like wild boars.

Today was a particularly fortunate day.

He had gathered plenty of plants and eggs, enough to feed everyone at the evening feast.

On the other hand, he was worried about Brak’s instruction to use up all of today’s food supplies.

In Sewage Alley, they procured food either by gathering or by robbing people passing through the forest outskirts, so carelessness could lead to prolonged hunger.

Thud-!

Hearing a heavy sound behind him, Lee turned to see Ravin setting down a dead wild boar.

“Truth be told, I’ve been waiting for a man like you for a long time.”

Unusually, Ravin initiated the dialogue.

Feeling playful, Lee decided to respond differently than usual.

“Honestly, I felt the same way.”

“Really?!”

Ravin’s face instantly brightened.

“Just kidding.”

She froze in place.

“Haha! What’s gotten into you, Lee? Look how shocked Ravin is.”

Arsil appeared, pushing through the undergrowth, carrying a wild boar on each shoulder.

As she set them down one by one, her well-developed chest bounced noticeably with each simple movement.

In contrast, Ravin had shapely legs but only modest breasts.

The late bloomer had won.

“Lee, that’s too mean.”

Today was not only lucky but also strange in many ways.

From the feast with outside guests to Ravin getting upset like this.

“Arsil, sorry, but could you take the boars ahead? I’ll talk with Ravin and catch up.”

“Why bother? She’s just sulking on her own.”

“Arsil.”

“Fine.”

And Arsil didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.

Lee was starting to feel burdened, with the added worry of having to prepare the meal alone.

“Ravin, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I just feel strange.”

Unlike Rina, who would clam up at the slightest displeasure, Ravin tended to be as honest as possible with Lee.

This didn’t seem like a situation that could be resolved with just a snack.

“Before going to hunt the boars, I saw the adult women bathing Rina and dressing her up.”

Lee listened silently.

He was grateful that she was opening up on her own.

“She looked pretty. White skin, shapely bottom, and breasts… obviously bigger than mine. And when they dressed her in something like a gown and put makeup on her, she looked like a nobleman’s daughter. Well, she was said to be the daughter of a noble’s concubine.”

There was too much information, but Lee could guess why Ravin was feeling down.

“Girls like Rina must be what you’d call a woman. Protected, leisurely reading books, and despite being stuck-up, captivating men with just a smile. Even you.”

He couldn’t deny it.

That silence made Ravin even more depressed.

“Just now too. You could have said something nice to me.”

“Hey, you’re always saying I’m ugly.”

When Lee retorted in disbelief, Ravin hung her head low.

“No, you’re not ugly.”

“…”

What should he say at times like this?

With his lack of social skills, he had no idea.

“You’re pretty too.”

“Huh?”

Ravin raised her head with a start.

Lee felt his face growing hot for some reason.

“You’re much prettier than the adult women.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“You’re not lying?”

“No, both you and Arsil are pretty.”

A fist flew into his side.

It hurt so much that he fell to his knees. When he got back up, he saw Ravin’s back as she walked away carrying the wild boar.

And despite having left earlier, Arsil was walking a bit further ahead.

Both of them seemed to have a more cheerful gait than before.

Something was strange.

They had found three wild boars, and the cooking had gone better than usual.

Brak was very satisfied with the feast Lee had prepared alone without any mistakes.

The strangers around him also seemed quite impressed by the lavish table.

Even Rina was focused on eating, not minding the gazes around her, which said it all.

Lee kept glancing at Rina as he brought out dish after dish.

As Ravin had said, with her lips painted a soft pink, she was more beautiful than ever.

The children in the group also ate to their heart’s content.

This might be the first time they’d eaten so well.

Everyone was in a good mood from the abundant feast, drinking and making merry.

“Arsil, what’s that?”

“The guests brought them. They unloaded several pigs from there.”

Several large carts were parked at the entrance to their hideout.

They weren’t ordinary carts but cage-like structures for containing animals.

“Heh, what’s with the sudden generosity? They usually just beat us if we couldn’t pay for our meals.”

Jack sneered as he tore into the wild boar meat, and others joined in the gossip.

Ravin was the most enthusiastic, while Arsil just watched.

Lee realized it was time to refill the wine at the feast and went to where Brak was.

“That’s enough wine. Let’s end here.”

Surprisingly, Brak announced the end of the feast earlier than usual for Sewage Alley.

“Then, have a good night.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Rina, tired from forced smiling and dressing up, quickly rose from her seat, but Brak grabbed her wrist.

“Ah!”

Falling into his arms, Rina’s face hardened with shame, and Lee’s eyes wavered as he watched.

Brak lifted Rina in a princess carry and, with a drunken face, said to Lee:

“Bring some snacks and sweet wine to my room.”

His heart pounded heavily.

In the heat of the feast, his blood ran cold.

Suddenly, he noticed an empty wine bottle nearby.

…Should I try?

“What are you doing? Hurry up and bring it, you idiot.”

It was Rina who stopped his impulse.

Having been forced to learn crude language through their daily morning fights, she berated Lee harshly.

But her trembling lips were telling him:

‘Don’t try to fight alone, gather the children and ask for help.’

Understanding immediately, Lee bowed and left.

The adults snickered as they watched him run away.

“That kid’s always quick to catch on.”

“Boss! Are you finally deflowering her today?”

“Why haven’t you touched her until now?”

“You idiot! Because she wasn’t ripe yet. The boss isn’t a pedophile.”

“Well, 15 years is a long time to wait.”

At the insulting remarks, Rina bit her lip.

Seeing this, Brak barked at them to defend his woman’s dignity.

“If anyone opens their mouth again, I’ll kill them right here.”

The feast instantly fell silent.

Instead, one of the so-called guests spoke to Brak.

“I’d like to collect the merchandise now.”

At those words, all the strangers stood up.

But one of them was staring at Rina.

“Did you hear? It’s time to finish the deal.”

Brak gestured with his chin.

“Go sell all those pig bastards who just eat our food.”

Right then and there, one of the few survival stories of Sewage Alley was beginning to unfold.

—

What’s going on?

The adults had definitely barged into where the children were.

“Arsil, Ravin! We have work. Come here.”

“What work in the middle of the night? Is it guard duty?”

As Ravin grumbled and went toward them with Arsil, one of the adults threw a stone at the children.

The sharp stone flew straight at Jack’s head, cracking it open.

“Ugh!”

Frozen as if struck by lightning, Jack collapsed with only one leg twitching.

“What are you doing!”

Arsil, horrified, tried to rush forward, but the adults blocked her.

“Hey, what if you kill him!”

When the stranger in the black hood protested, Grum casually scratched his temple with his dagger handle.

“He’s not dead yet.”

“He might as well be!”

“Then we can sell him as meat! We deal in human flesh too, don’t be so uptight.”

“Damn it, capture them!”

And so the chaos began.

The children tried to flee, screaming, but the encirclement was already complete.

With their stomachs full, they couldn’t move properly, and one by one they fell to crude spears and stones.

Only then did Arsil and Ravin understand.

The adults had sold off the children, except for useful ones like themselves.

“Stop it.”

Lupino fell to his knees.

Grum shouted that he was too weak and should be used for meat.

Spears rained down on Lupino’s back.

“Stop it.”

Lapham was stabbed in the stomach.

The spear was embedded so deeply that he cried and struggled to pull it out.

“I said stop it!”

Arsil rushed out without even putting on her gloves.

Breaking through the adults blocking her way, she went first to Jack and used her holy power to heal him.

“What…?”

As white light flickered and Jack rose with a groan, the adults held their breath.

“I wasn’t told about such a premium item! I offer 1,000 gold coins, no, 5,000!”

“Shut up, we didn’t know she had such abilities either! Arsil, come here right now. If you do, I’ll forgive what just happened.”

Grum growled, but Arsil ignored him and continued healing the fallen children.

Her strength was draining.

Having only used her holy power moderately before, she couldn’t control it when using it without restraint.

As the children were almost fully recovered, an anxious Grum gave the order.

“Damn it, capture her alive!”

“Oh my! What a shame.”

And there was one swift silver-haired girl blocking them.

“Even you, Ravin!”

“Why are you all so disappointed? This is our way, isn’t it? Survival of the fittest. It’s obvious our young sprouts will grow stronger.”

With daggers in both hands, Ravin laughed so loudly it could split ears.

“Hey, where are Lee and Rina?”

“You fucking bitch!”

“Sorry I don’t have a dick!”

The trash talk was over.

Grum pulled out a reddish potion from his chest and downed it in one go.

Ravin charged at her master.

As Ravin engaged with Grum, Arsil managed to heal all the children.

“Let’s go! I’ll heal you if you get hurt, don’t back down!”

The battle had already begun.

Ravin, Arsil, and the children were all fighting against the adults.

In the midst of it, Arsil shouted at the top of her lungs:

“Sewage Alley is ours from today!!”

The sounds of blades and flesh being torn came from afar.

Lee, who had come to seek help from Arsil and Ravin, stopped in his tracks when he saw the battle.

‘They’ve decided to abandon us!’

Quickly assessing the situation, Lee left the battlefield.

It might seem cowardly, but there was nothing he could do there.

He would coldly focus on what he could do.

In the kitchen, he quickly scooped jam made for the feast and mixed in a generous amount of poisonous herb extract he had prepared for emergencies.

After mixing it into sweet wine as well, Lee hurried to Brak’s room with the tray.

“I really can’t do it…”

Heart-wrenching sobs leaked through the door.

“Hey, did I tell you to spread your legs and ride me? I just told you to suck it!”

“I really don’t know how… *sob*…”

The proud Rina was begging while crying.

She was desperately pleading, even swallowing her pride.

Suppressing his boiling blood, Lee knocked on the door.

“Boss, I’ve brought snacks.”

“Come in!”

Opening the door, he saw Brak standing naked and erect, with Rina crouched before him.

There was a red mark on her cheek, and her top was torn and disheveled, revealing her snow-white breasts.

Lee quickly turned his head away.

“Yes, I like that you have this kind of tact.”

“Where should I put this?”

“Is that jam? Ah, I’m craving something sweet. Bring it here.”

Since sweet things were rare in Sewage Alley, Brak scooped the jam with his fingers without hesitation.

While eating frantically, he extended his jam-covered finger toward Rina.

“You can’t say you can’t suck this, right?”

Rina looked at Lee, but Brak snorted.

“This is punishment for not doing it when told. Suck it in front of this guy.”

“Boss, shall I pour you a drink?”

“Yeah, pour me one.”

Moving subtly to Brak’s side, Lee poured the wine into a glass.

As he did so, he gave Rina a very small nod.

Seeing this, Rina very slowly extended her tongue toward Brak’s finger.

Just as she was about to reach it, Brak slowly pulled his finger back.

Inevitably, Rina had to crawl on the floor with her tongue out, right up to between his thighs.

The stench of an unwashed male tormented her.

“Hmm?!”

Suddenly, Brak’s movements stopped.

The poisonous herb extract he had put in earlier was starting to take effect.

Sweating and drooling, Brak immediately glared at Lee.

“You… don’t tell me…!”

“Have a drink, boss.”

CLANG-!

“ARGHHHH!”

Lee didn’t miss the moment and splashed wine in Brak’s eyes before striking him with the glass.

“Lee!”

“Now’s our chance!”

As Brak fell backward in a rage, Lee covered Rina with his top and carried her in a princess carry as he ran.

“I was scared, so scared! Why didn’t you come rescue me sooner!”

“I’m sorry, it’s a complete battlefield out there. I came as fast as I could…”

“Why didn’t you come sooner!”

Lee was hurt by Rina’s bitter reproach, mixed with a metallic tone.

“How did I end up depending on someone like you…?”

Perhaps this was the first wound Lee had ever received.

Despite carrying her, there was a bitter pain lingering.

The battle situation was quite unfavorable.

Although Ravin was holding Grum back, the children, much younger than the adults, were clearly at a disadvantage.

With Arsil unable to join the front lines due to healing duties, the battle had become a futile war of attrition, with more and more children becoming incapacitated.

“Haa… haa…”

Arsil, who could only heal one person at a time and was squeezing out her holy power, was drenched in sweat on her chest and back.

Jack was already receiving treatment for what must have been the umpteenth time he’d been injured.

The only one still holding on was Ravin…

*Thud*

“Ugh…! K… huff…!”

“Ravin!!!”

The dagger pierced through to her back.

Before Arsil’s eyes, Ravin fell back limply.

Spitting blood from her mouth, Ravin flailed her hand in the air.

“Lee… Lee… where are you? It hurts…”

“Ravin!”

“Just once… stroke my head… Lee…”

*Crunch*

Grum mercilessly stepped on her hand.

“You damn brats… whew… I didn’t expect this much trouble.”

Grum, who had drunk the potion, had blood flowing from his nose and mouth.

We’ve raised tiger cubs.

Without the potion, he couldn’t have guaranteed victory.

“The boss is fucking around while we’re… whew…!”

Sighing deeply and wiping his sweat, Grum looked around.

With the strangers joining in, suppression was just a matter of time.

Then he should demand his own reward.

Yes, that Arsil girl would do.

With her large breasts and feisty attitude, breaking her would be satisfying.

“Arsil!”

“What’s that now?”

“Lee! Don’t come this way!”

His voice could be heard from far away.

Arsil urgently tried to stop him, but Lee quickly arrived at the battlefield.

With Rina in his arms.

“What is all this…”

Half the children were lying in pools of blood, as Arsil’s healing speed couldn’t keep up.

And then there was Ravin.

Upon seeing Lee, Ravin reached out to him.

“Lee…”

“Ravin!”

“Don’t… come…”

Despite her warning, Lee tried to run to her.

After setting Rina down, just as he was about to run,

*Crunch*

“Huh?”

A sword pierced through Lee’s chest from behind.

The blade, which broke through his ribs, was quickly pulled out, and as Lee collapsed, Brak stood there with bloodshot eyes.

“What the hell is going on here!”

“Boss, that’s…!”

“Kill them all! Kill all those worthless pigs!”

“Boss, listen, that Arsil girl has healing abilities…!”

“Can’t you hear me! Should I kill you first?!”

Nothing could be heard.

The fallen children, Ravin, Rina, and Arsil were all looking at Lee.

The one who had cared for them all.

“Lee…”

Arsil had always believed herself to be a strong person.

A strong woman who would grit her teeth and stand up no matter what.

But witnessing the imminent death of someone she cared for, large tears blurred her vision.

She looked around.

There were no children standing properly except for her.

What was the point of being the only one left, losing him and everyone else?

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!!!!!”

A massive pillar of light struck down from the sky.

The pillar enveloped everyone, centered on Arsil.

And it healed all the children.

Yet the pillar did not disappear.

In the brilliant light, Ravin stood up.

Lee ran to them, shielding Rina.

“You damn brats!”

A frightened adult stabbed with a spear, but the wounded child quickly recovered after a moment of pain.

“H-hieek!”

“Oh, it’s so warm. Is this what a mother’s embrace feels like?”

Ravin sneered, grinding her daggers against each other.

Grum, whose body was deteriorating from the potion, slowly backed away.

“Boss, this isn’t working.”

“What do you mean it’s not working! I am Brak! The leader of this alley! You are all beneath me! Listen to me! Or death awaits you all!”

Arsil unclenched her fist and took a stance.

“The leaders of this alley are all of us from now on!!! We’ll kill and eliminate all you damn adults here!”

“You insolent bitch-!!!”

The leaders from both sides charged forward.

And their respective groups followed.

Ravin, Lee, Jack, Lapham, Lupino, each grabbed whatever could serve as a weapon and rushed out.

“You little bastards! I’ll make you taste every pain before killing you!”

The battle continued through the night.

In front of the immortal army that wouldn’t fall no matter how much they were cut, beaten, or hacked, the adults were all slaughtered.

Spindle had a kitchen knife stuck in his neck, and Grum had three potion bottles stolen by Ravin before getting a dagger in his eyelid.

Brak was tackled by Arsil, pinned down, and had to endure dozens of punches.

With each blow, white holy power sparked like lightning.

“The pain ends here! We will rebuild this alley anew!”

Lifting Brak’s pulverized face, Arsil howled.

“This is our victory! We are free!!!!”

With her declaration, the pillar of light began to fade.

If there had been a historian present, they would have recorded with awe the moment when the history of this small world was overturned.

But unfortunately, all that was there was an imperial spy who had infiltrated disguised as a stranger and was now slipping away.

And, one shabby-looking cleric who had witnessed the pillar of light rising from the forest outside Sewage Alley.

“Lord Rainfold, you were right. Lady Rinasien was in Sewage Alley.”

“Finally found her. The saint of this troubled era!”

Each harboring their own dark intentions, they were plotting new conspiracies.

Conspiracies far greater than anything a mere alley thug like Brak could compare to.