episode_0035

Behind the festival, we head through the dark back alleys where people’s deaths feel all too close.

The emotions reflected in people’s eyes were not envy and happiness, but jealousy and despair, and the splendor of the festival and the noise of the joyful people were a story from a completely different world to them.

All that was left here was suffocating silence and ugliness.

“eup――!! Ugh!!”

In the distance, I could see the beasts in the back alley raping the opposite sex, but I just passed by. The woman’s resistance underneath the two men stopped as soon as I ignored their earnest gaze.

Other people who saw it also started to gather there one by one, but since it had nothing to do with me, I just passed by.

And in the distance, I saw parents boiling and eating their children.

“Give me, give me!!”

“No… … !! It’s my meat!!”

Another starving human approached and tried to steal the pot, and the child fell into the boiling pot and turned into well-cooked meat, but the parents fought hard to protect their child.

The parents, who were only paying attention to the pot, did not notice another person approaching from behind and were hit in the back with a rock. I collapsed completely.

Oh, that thing is killing me.

“… … Should I eat this too?”

Rather than a brain hemorrhage, I’ll just die from being eaten. He shook his head and moved forward again.

It must have been headed this way… … .

“Hee, hee. A noble lady there. Don’t you know you can’t come in here?”

Should I do some training too? Well, no. I don’t know how long it will take to train myself to the point where I can climb on the roof of a building. Just using your body in bed is enough.

Confused as to which direction Mel had gone, I closed my eyes and felt the imprint. Oh, I just had to go into that alley on the left instead of the right.

“Are you ignoring me, you idiot!! Did you think you would think of me as a nobleman? ”

The man shouted and put his hand on my shoulder, and I unconsciously swung the fan. Then, following the trajectory of the fan’s swing, an ugly shadow appeared and tore off the opponent’s neck.

The man, who was screaming and spitting blood foam, died, covering his torn neck with both hands.

“Ah. They were supposed to be rebels, so I deliberately left them alone without killing them… … .”

I was intentionally not touching the worms in the alley here because they were people who would later become rebels, but the man’s hand on my shoulder made me feel so bad that I killed them without thinking.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to return to the same path he had taken earlier, and went back towards the starving humans he had seen earlier, threw the man’s body with his head torn off, and started walking again.

There was blood on the clothes, but it wasn’t noticeable because the dress was red. I asked you to prepare a red dress just in case, and it comes in handy.

As I was walking with that thought in mind, I caught sight of a blue-haired kid struggling in the distance, held by Mel’s hand.

“Let go of this!! I told you to let go, you fucking bitch!!”

“I can’t let go until the lady comes.”

“My arm hurts!!!”

The sight of the little boy struggling with his legs and swearing had a different charm from Mel or Sarah.

“Mel.”

“Miss, are you here?”

“You are that girl… … !! Seed… … .”

The little boy, who was looking at me with his eyes wide open, stopped resisting as soon as our eyes met and began to tremble.

“You, what are you… … .”

“As expected, a child’s instincts are scary.”

Is it not a child’s instinct, but is he sensitive to malice because he grew up in a back alley like Mel? Anyway, either way is great.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the child. A child who doesn’t seem much different from my younger brother.

Sharp facial features and roughly cut blue hair. Even light blue eyes full of caution and irritation.

Perhaps because she grew up in a back alley, she was scruffy and looked like a boy, but she was a girl who looked like she could look good if she just dressed up well.

“Ugh… … .”

“You really look like a cat.”

When I reached out and tried to stroke his head, the trembling little boy opened his eyes, twisted his body, and swung his legs towards me.

“Go back!!”

As I stepped back, Mel slapped the kid to the ground and although he didn’t hit his leg, the corner of my mouth twitched at the harsh resistance I’ve never felt before in this episode.

“Kaaah――!! Ah, it’s F!!”

“Hmm… … .”

“Sorry, Miss! Because I didn’t hold on to it properly! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, it’s okay. Because it was also my fault for approaching a cautious child without thinking.”

It’s fun. I looked down at the child who was glaring at me as if he was going to kill me, forcibly holding back the corner of his mouth that was slowly rising without notice.

“Mel, let me go.”

“But.”

When I glanced at Mel, Mel quietly let go of the child. The child slowly got up, gritting his teeth, but did not run away.

“Are you not running away?”

“You caught me because you wanted something. It’s obvious that I’ll get caught again if I run away, so why should I go through the trouble?”

“Although you speak harshly, you are quite wise.”

“Tch.”

Mel looked like she wanted to say something, but I told her to be quiet and then looked at the child again.

The child was spewing out curses while turning the shoulders of the arms he was holding on to, and perhaps feeling my gaze, he let his arms hang limply and glared at me.

“So, why did I catch it? Don’t you think the nobleman caught me because he didn’t have enough money?”

“If you say so?”

“What does that mean?”

Oh, I’ve never studied or anything like that, so I can’t understand if I say it again. He laughed and covered his mouth with a fan.

“What if I need the money you have?”

“Don’t be a damn thing! It’s hard for a noble bastard to ignore people… … !”

I poked him and he said wow! And the reactions were more fun than I imagined. It was quite interesting, perhaps because it was a type I had never seen before.

I feel like I want to take her away like this, but I shouldn’t because things get complicated. I smiled brightly at the sight of the child gnashing his teeth and glaring at me.

“I’m sorry. Wasn’t this joke funny?”

“… … .”

“Okay. It wasn’t fun. I won’t do it anymore, so don’t stare at me like that.”

Then, seeing the child turn his head away, I smiled and folded the fan.

“I have a suggestion for you. Do you have any thoughts?”

“… … What is it?”

“I need your strength. To be exact, your skills were honed while living as a petty thief for a long time.”

Mel blinked and looked at me at what I said, but I ignored it because I could tell her the reason later.

The child listened to me, glanced in my direction, then looked back into the alley, and finally made eye contact with me.

“What is the price?”

“A prosperous life without starving. No shortage of money. Also, is it just that I don’t have to commit petty theft like I do now?”

“… … .”

The child, who had been looking down at the floor while contemplating something, raised his head. Although the guard was lighter than before, the child, whose eyes were still full of wariness, quietly opened his mouth.

“Not that one. Can you get me the medicine to cure my mom?”

I smiled and nodded.

“If you want, I can even call a member of the National Assembly.”

“… … I will do it. You just have to do what you’re told, right?”

The child nodded with a deep smile at those words, and the child frowned and avoided his eyes.

“Mia. My Name. That’s Charlotte, right?”

“I guess you knew.”

“I can’t forget. You are the owner of the carriage that almost hit me back then.”

“Ah, was that so? I was sorry back then. It’s late, but I apologize.”

When I smiled sweetly and apologized, Mia, who had been looking at me with her eyes closed, blushed and turned away.

“Ta, not really. I didn’t mean to get an apology! and. At that time, I… … . Because I was careless… … . Anyway, that’s it! Don’t apologize!”

The sight of him squealing and screaming was so cute that I chuckled and took off my gloves.

“Then, shall we shake hands to congratulate the contract?”

“… … .”

Mia caught my attention and took the hand I held out to her. I felt the warm body temperature typical of a child, and the calluses were swollen and torn here and there.

His hands are so rough that you wouldn’t even think he was a child. Thinking about that, I smiled.

“Please take care of me in the future. Mia.”

“… … Well, that’s it now! Let go!”

Mia blushed brightly, as if she was embarrassed, and let go of her hand. I raised both hands and stepped back.

“Business done, right!?”

“That’s right. If something needs to be done, I will send someone separately, so in the meantime, I am living comfortably with that money.”

“… … .”

I looked down at Mia and said that, and Mel blinked and then made a face of astonishment, probably because she felt that the emergency fund bag attached to her waist had become lighter.

“At some point… … !?”

“You have to be good at guarding your money, Mel.”

“Tch, you. I don’t like it.”

When I smiled, Mia frowned and disappeared into the alley.

After watching that for a while, he smiled and turned his back.

“Let’s go back. Because the business is over.”

“Yes, lady.”

Saying that, I left the alley and headed back to the street where the festival was in full swing, where I ran into Seria.

“Ah, Charles! Did you come out for the festival too?”

“I am――”

After thinking for a moment, I said yes and nodded.

“That’s right. The festival is in full swing, so I should go see it at least once. So, what brought you out? Weren’t you resting at the villa?”

“Ah, it’s just that I have something to buy separately… … .”

“Are you going to buy it? Do you have money?”

I glanced at Seria, but it didn’t look like she had any money.

“Ahaha… … . Well, that’s what I’m saying. From now on, I need to buy the artifacts needed for the strategy, but I need some money… … . Can you lend it to me?”

I looked at Seria for a moment with an expression that I knew would happen, and then I remembered what Seria had said about the artifact.

A ring that emits light like a candle. A hairpin that prevents your hair from blowing in the wind. A belt that never falls off… … . All the artifacts I know are just useless decorations… … .

Hmm… … . Well, okay. Seria seems to know this game well, so there must be something different.

“Good.”

“Wow! Thank you!”

“Of course.”

I raised one hand to stop Seria, who was happy and trying to hug me.

Seria stopped with her arms outstretched and looked at me. She laughed at the ridiculousness of the sight and continued talking.

“It’s a bit much to just lend money, so can I follow along?”

“Of course!”

Seria smiled brightly as she said that and naturally took my hand and started to lead the way.

A warm feeling rose up through our joined hands.

‘Well, something like this isn’t that bad.’

okay. You can have a little fun until you kill it.

With that thought in mind, I quietly followed behind Seria.