episode_0117

Bang!

The Prime Minister of the kingdom, Adrian, slammed his desk in anger.

It was all because of the misbehavior of his second son, Dorian.

Not only did he freely spend the household money, but he also engaged in trading slaves in the underground sewers.

Furthermore, he tried to use more of the household money because he had lost a slave he had bought for a large sum.

“When are you going to come to your senses? What kind of disgraceful behavior is this? Are you trying to disrespect me?” Adrian shouted, his face red with anger.

“What have you ever done for me? You only care about the eldest son, no matter what I do, you never pay attention to me,” Dorian retorted.

“What did you say?”

“The money I spend, it’s just loose change for you, isn’t it?”

Dorian said with a dissatisfied expression.

“The money I spend is nothing compared to what the eldest son receives. He invests thousands of gold coins without lifting a finger, while I have to beg to spend a little money for fun, is that fair?”

“Is the money you spend the same as the money your brother spends? If you keep throwing money away like that, you’ll end up begging on the streets!”

“You don’t even consider me as your son, do you?”

Dorian confronted Adrian without holding back.

Unlike his older brother, who was intelligent and physically fit from a young age, Dorian had been discriminated against by his father for being stupid and talentless.

At first, Dorian tried to gain his father’s attention.

He studied and even learned swordsmanship, but lacking talent and perseverance, he quickly gave up.

Eventually, he found solace in the dark alleys of the Pifnel underground sewers.

There, Dorian, the son of the Prime Minister with plenty of money, was not ignored by anyone.

From gambling dens to slave markets, it was filled with all sorts of exciting and stimulating things.

Most of all, what he enjoyed was the fact that every time he was caught coming back from there, his father would be furious.

When he cruelly played with and then abandoned the first slave he bought at the slave market, Adrian’s face turned red with anger, and he scolded Dorian until his ears were burning.

To prevent the incident from spreading to others, Adrian had to clean up the mess for a while.

Dorian found Adrian’s reaction strangely satisfying.

Adrian, who was busy with the affairs of the kingdom and his eldest son, could not stop Dorian from coming and going to the underground sewers and causing trouble.

“No matter what father says, I will do as I please.”

“Do you think I should keep tolerating you just because you’re my son?”

“What do you suggest?”

“You little rascal.”

Adrian glared at his son with gritted teeth.

The situation had already come to this, and it was true that he had treated Dorian as a disposable child until now.

But he couldn’t bring himself to send Dorian to prison or kick him out of the house.

However, Dorian knew this and took advantage of it.

Moreover, he thought that when his father’s patience ran out and his life came to an end, he could deal with it then.

After all, in Dorian’s mind, his life was a mess even without his father ending it.

“Even indulging in debauchery in that filthy den is too much.”

“What if I continue to do so?”

“There will soon be a major cleanup of the underground sewers.”

Adrian said with a sneer.

Due to the long neglect of the Pifnel underground sewers, it was causing a negative impact on the city’s public safety.

Initially, the royal family and the knights turned a blind eye to it for various complicated reasons, but they were starting to realize the danger.

Recently, at a royal meeting, there was a suggestion to ‘clean up’ the underground sewers and the slums.

The strategy was to deploy the knights and troops to the slums and underground waterways to sweep away the source of crime.

Although the signs of demon invasion were nowhere to be seen, now was the perfect time.

Adrian enthusiastically supported the major cleaning operation.

If Dorian couldn’t stop littering in the underground waterways, then the solution was to get rid of that place altogether.

Adrian didn’t care about carousing in the ordinary entertainment district.

He had long since given up on relying on Dorian.

But the darkness of the underground waterways was different.

If Dorian continued to frequent that place, unexpected harm could come to Adrian as well.

“We will deploy troops to drive out the slums and dark alleys in Pifnel on a large scale. It’s not just a simple security operation. If you want to have fun, do it normally without lingering in such places.”

“Is that really necessary?”

Dorian felt that his father was not joking.

From the kingdom’s perspective, it was natural to crack down on the dark alleys, which were hotbeds of crime, in order to maintain security.

In fact, the knights regularly cracked down on the slums and underground dark alleys.

But this time, something felt different.

Despite repeated crackdowns and sanctions, the power of the dark alleys in the underground waterways seemed to be growing.

That’s why this operation was decided upon.

Dorian learned this fact through his father and frowned.

The dark alleys of the underground waterways were his only source of joy in life.

He didn’t want the countless illegal entertainment venues in the Pifnel underground waterways to disappear.

Furthermore, the kingdom’s planned crime eradication operation this time included some extreme measures.

It involved completely wiping out the slums and underground dark alleys in the capital city of Pifnel.

In this operation, all criminals would be immediately executed without going through the process of capture, trial, and punishment according to the law.

* * *

“It’s quite fascinating.”

Goddess Stellania said to me as we walked down the street.

She was bored of staying at home and was now taking a walk with me and Kubel.

Right now, she looked like an ordinary blonde lady rather than a goddess, and it almost felt like we were on a date.

“It’s your world, so what’s so fascinating about it?”

“Even humans sometimes find it fascinating to see their children grow up.”

“Is that so?”

I wouldn’t know since I’ve never had children.

“Moreover, since I didn’t create this world myself, it’s fascinating to see it change.”

Indeed, she seemed far from the all-powerful creator god I had originally thought of her as.

Walking together like this made me feel like I was with a unique species with a slightly peculiar personality.

“And even gods have rules to follow. It’s our duty to respect the will of the world.”

“I don’t really understand.”

“Don’t try to understand gods from a human perspective.”

The more I look at the existence of gods, the more incomprehensible they become.

Stellania had exhausted all her power in creating the Holy Sword, so she was now in a state almost like an ordinary human.

But she still retained her status as a goddess, so she still had some strange abilities different from ordinary humans.

What surprised me the most was that she naturally knew about Shari, who was attached to my head.

While Shari’s presence was usually invisible to others, Stellania could see her as if it were normal.

As the goddess of this world, it might be natural to assume, but Shari’s presence was not something even the goddess Stellania had intended.

Even Shari, who usually didn’t speak, seemed to communicate without any problems.

As they built a closer bond, Shari was now attached to Stellania’s head, not mine.

There were also minor abilities such as changing appearances slightly and being able to communicate with animals.

These abilities seemed to be things that the existence of a goddess could naturally do without needing any special power.

Anyway, as I was wandering around with the goddess and Kube, a man suddenly ran up to me.

“Y-Yunoa-nim, are you Yunoa-nim? Huk, huk….”

“Yes? Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?”

“T-The guild master is urgently looking for you. Huk, huk… I definitely delivered the message!”

“Yes? Ah, okay.”

What could it be?

Why would Algot call me so urgently, even sending someone to find me?

I immediately sent Stellania back home and headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

***

“Yunoa-nim! It’s a big problem.”

As soon as I arrived at the guild and entered the office, Algot, with a rare look of confusion, spoke.

“W-Well, calm down first and tell me what’s going on.”

“The Demon Protection Shelter….”

“Why the Demon Protection Shelter? What happened? Could it be…?”

Is it related to Meruru’s sister who is staying at the Demon Protection Shelter?

Could it be because of the incident when I rescued the saint from the slave market and got into trouble?

If that’s the case, I feel really sorry…

Algot continued speaking.

“Mirabel received an urgent message. The kingdom is mobilizing the knight order and troops to conduct a crime eradication operation.”

“A crime eradication operation…?”

“Thanks to Mirabel serving as the deputy commander of the kingdom’s knight order, she heard the news first. They are currently planning a large-scale cleaning operation of the slums and underground waterways in Pifnell for the purpose of crime eradication and improving public safety.”

It wasn’t because of the incident I caused at the slave market.

Whether to be relieved or to be troubled by another problem.

A crime eradication operation… From my perspective of having been to the underground waterways several times, it was an operation I wanted to support.

The fact that the kingdom left such a place untouched until it became so big was a problem in itself.

But the real issue seems to be the Demon Protection Shelter…

If they carry out such a large-scale operation, the existence of the Demon Protection Shelter hidden deep in the underground waterways is also at risk.

We thought it was a place created with good intentions, but from the kingdom’s perspective, it’s a terrible facility hiding and protecting demons.

“Still, if we hide well, maybe we can quietly pass through somehow?”

The Demon Protection Shelter was disguised as a gambling den and restaurant on the outside to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

In fact, they had occasionally avoided inspections from the knight order in that way.

But Algot said with a serious expression.

“No, it’s different this time. According to Mirabel, the purpose of this eradication operation is not inspection but extermination.”

“What? Is that possible? In that case…”

At that moment, the narration was heard.

“The kingdom has decided to eliminate the slums and underground waterways, which have become hotbeds of crime, in the capital city of Pifnell.

However, this operation was not just about selectively eradicating criminals.

The kingdom intended to destroy all facilities in the slums and underground waterways and kill all the people there.”

…Isn’t that just a massacre instead of a crime eradication operation?