Seirei Gensouki Volume 1 Chapter 2 Another World

Chapter 2: Another World

Year 989 of the Holy Era.

The continent of Euphelia. The kingdom of Beltrum and its capital, Beltrant, were located in the Strahl region, towards the west side of this land.

It was here in these lands that a mother and child lived modestly — but happily — in a small house. The mother was a lovely and attractive woman, and her son was comparably cute in an androgynous way.

On one fine summer day...

 

“Hey, mom. Why do we have black hair? No one around us has black hair.”

 

The little boy peered up at his mother with caramel-colored eyes. Indeed, there were no other black-haired people in the capital they lived in. Because of that, the two of them were treated as oddities in their neighborhood.

His mother looked troubled by his question.

 

“You’re right, Rio,” she said, taking a moment to answer him. “Perhaps it’s because we came from somewhere far away.”

 

“Do all of the people who live far away have black hair?”

 

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not just you and me. Your father’s hair was black, too... and so was your grandmother’s and grandfather’s hair.”

 

Her son, whose name was Rio, had asked so curiously — his mother couldn’t help but smile as a result as she answered him. Seeing her smile made the boy so happy, making him beam right back at her. To the young boy who had just turned five, his mother was his everything.

 

“Huh! I’d like to meet grandma and grandpa someday.”

 

“...Yes, that’d be nice,” the mother replied. “I’ll take you to see them when you get bigger. They’re in a place called the Yagumo region.” Her smile had become troubled again as she spoke.

 

“Really? You promise?”

 

“Mmhm. I promise.”

 

◇◇◇

Two years later, in the year 991 of the Holy Era. Early spring.

In the slums of Beltrant, the capital of the Beltrum kingdom, there lived a small orphan boy. He was curled in the corner of a dark and shabby wooden shack, the air dry and chilly.

 

“Hah... hah...”

 

The boy panted for breath, his cheeks bright red. He groaned openly, tormented by his nightmares. The dirty rags he wore on his body were soaked through with sweat; at just a glance, it was clear that he had a fever. There were traces of multiple people living in the run-down shack, but none of them were present to nurse the sick boy. Who knew how long the boy had been alone like this? He was alone, left lying on the cold floor in a single layer of clothing. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d died like this. And yet—

 

At one point, a warm, gentle light began to shine and embrace the boy’s body. It was a different kind of heat from the fever that had been tormenting the boy... This heat was warm and comfortable enough to entrust oneself to. Color rapidly returned to the boy’s face, and his breathing evened out. For some reason, the fever that ailed the boy’s body was gone, and the light that covered his body disappeared with a subtle flash.

 

“Mmh...”

 

The boy blearily opened his eyes sometime later. Lying on his back, he blinked until his vision cleared and a dimly-lit wooden ceiling came into focus. His mind was still hazy, as though there was a fog preventing him from thinking clearly. The fever was gone, but not without consequence. He was still weak, and had yet to recover his strength and stamina. Overwhelmed with fatigue, the boy stared blankly at the ceiling. His mind managed to recover to a point where he could process his thoughts again; pushing his weary body up into a sitting position, he started to wonder about his situation.

 

“Ugh...”

 

A dull pain ached in his muscles, making the boy wince. It might have been a result of the cold he caught, or perhaps from sleeping on the hard floor. A glance around at his surroundings revealed a dismal room with some shabby furniture placed in the middle.

This is...

A room he was very familiar with, the boy thought... And yet, something inexplicably felt out of place. He knew he’d lived in this room for a while, now... but he was also seeing it for the first time. It shouldn’t have been possible, but it was almost as though there were two people’s consciousnesses within him...

Something just didn’t feel right... rather, something was muddled with his memories. As he looked around the room in a daze, a sour smell suddenly pierced his senses. The boy noticed the rags he was wearing were soaked with sweat. He furrowed his brow, mind now awakened. With a deep breath, he collapsed back on the floor; he felt like lying down for a little longer. He lifted a hand to place against his forehead — but in the next moment, he gasped loudly and stared intently at his hand.

It was definitely his hand... the small hand of a seven-year-old boy. But it was... weird. There was something strange about it...

Ignoring the headache pounding in his head, the boy kicked his hazy brain back into gear.

 

A child’s hand...? I... Wait, I?...

 

Rio — that was the boy’s name. He was an orphan living in the slums of Beltrum’s capital, sworn to take revenge on a certain man. That was why he had grasped at straws to survive up until this point. That should have been the entirety of Rio’s existence...

So why did he have another person’s worth of memories? The memories of a person living in another world, in an unfamiliar civilization, with technology that he didn’t recognize...

Broken images of various scenes flashed through his mind... They seemed all-too realistic to be written off as just the imagination of a seven-year-old boy. They showed the life of a completely different person. Someone named Amakawa Haruto. According to his memories, he was a twenty-year-old university student. No — even now, Rio was living that life, as if those memories had happened to him just moments ago. A strange unsettled feeling fell over Rio, causing him to shake his head violently.

 

What am I thinking? Amakawa Haruto...?

 

The set of dual memories left Rio feeling confused. He looked down at his hands, as if he were trying to escape reality. But it wasn’t the unblemished skin of a Japanese child who grew up well provided for in the age of plenty. These were the hands of someone that was underweight from malnutrition; the skin was dry and rough and covered in a thin layer of grime.

Of course... According to his memories as an orphan, he hadn’t had a bath in ages.

 

Seriously...?

 

It was so unhygienic. Rio grimaced. The tattered clothes he wore were stiff and made of hemp, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d washed them. Of course, he didn’t have any proper socks or shoes, either... But he should be grateful he had something to wear at all, he guessed. His hair was disheveled and pretty damaged, too. But he could tell it was black in color underneath all of the filth.

 

“...Phew.”

 

Rio breathed in and out, deeply, trying to calm himself and organize his memories. He placed a hand against his mouth in thought. He was Rio... and he was apparently the university student Amakawa Haruto as well, with seven years worth of memories from living in Beltrum’s capital and twenty years worth of memories from living in Japan. But no matter how much his memories were doubled, he wasn’t Amakawa Haruto. If he were Haruto, he wouldn’t be a little boy right now, much less in a place like this. And if his memories were correct, the young man named Amakawa Haruto wasn’t even alive.

 

“In my memories, I died on the bus... I think?”

 

He remembered being on a bus that hit something, and he remembered being in extreme pain, like his limbs were torn apart. He couldn’t remember what happened after that, but it was hard to imagine recovering from something like that.

 

“Where am I right now...? Is this a dream? The afterlife? Was I... reborn?”

 

He listed off every possibility he could think of, but there was something too raw about this reality to write off everything as a dream. It was hard to imagine that this was the afterlife, too. Although... this place, while definitely not heaven, was as close to hell as it could get.

Which meant he was most likely reborn, Rio suspected. Could such a fantastical story be real? Did this Amakawa Haruto even exist? Had these memories in his head actually happened? But no matter how much he wondered, no one would tell him the answer. There was no answer. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was Rio, not Haruto.

 

As time passed, the different memories and personality within him confused him less and less, and Haruto’s persona merged with Rio’s. Their two different memories and personalities showed on the surface, but blended together without conflict underneath. Haruto showed up more intensely because he’d had far more life experiences, but Rio was able to accept that part of him. That was why they were able to perceive each other’s memories as their own experience and still remain sane over the situation at hand. Even so... Rio thought it best not to think too deeply about how strange it felt.

But right now, he had a bigger problem...

 

Rrrgghhhh. The sound of an empty stomach echoed throughout the room, and Rio came to the depressing realization that he was starving. He sighed; the hunger he felt made him feel a bit lightheaded. There were a lot of things on his mind: whether these memories of another life were real, why was he reborn if so, and why did he only get those memories now?

 

But Rio knew full well how futile it was to ask those questions. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to trying to break out of his dire situation. Haruto’s memories and personality played a big role in how he was thinking so calmly right now. If it had been Rio and only Rio, he would have died a dog’s death as an orphan, with no prospects for his future.

 

That would’ve been the worst possible outcome... and it would have been unacceptable, for Rio had a goal to fulfill. He couldn’t afford to die here.

If I die now, that man...

 

He recalled his deep-seated hatred for the man and gritted his teeth.

Rio’s father died shortly after his birth, and his mother was killed when he was still small. He’d lived in these dumpster-like slums ever since.

His parents were both immigrants from a faraway land. They were adventurers that planned their lives around their travels. But when Ayame, his mother, was pregnant with Rio, she temporarily withdrew from adventuring. This left the financial burden of their livelihood on Rio’s father, Zen, who was a skilled adventurer. Unfortunately, he died not long after Rio was born. Despite this, Ayame continued to raise Rio admirably; she lived a modest life and dug into her savings in order to raise her child. But their peaceful life together ended when Rio was only five years old.

 

Ayame was an exotic, foreign beauty. She may have had Rio, but she was still young enough to be targeted by vulgar men and their obscene looks. With the still infant Rio as a weakness, Ayame was easily swallowed up by the evil around her and brutally murdered before Rio.

 

He could still remember that moment as clear as day. From that point on, he swore to take revenge on the person who killed his mother, living every moment from then on for that purpose. That raison d’être remained carved into Rio’s soul even after Haruto’s memories cropped up... but now, he had Haruto’s morals, too. While he truly detested his mother’s killer with every fiber of his being, Haruto’s morals within him questioned whether revenge was a necessary evil...

 

But Rio’s morals and desire for revenge burned too strongly. Just the thought of that man made his emotions turn an ugly black.

 

Revenge is evil? What empty words...

Rio scowled, clicking his tongue in irritation at the conflicting opinion coming from within.

Just then, the door to the shack was yanked open. Rio pushed his exhausted body up so that he could look at the doorway as several men and one woman crowded into the small wooden shack.

 

“Hmm? Oh, Rio! Are you finally awake?” asked one of the men standing at the front of the group as he spotted Rio in the dimly-lit shack. The boy knew him.

 

“Huh! So you actually survived. Thought you were a goner... Hey, boss! Rio’s still kicking! We thought he was good as dead before...” the man yelled. His eyes were wide with surprise as he directed his voice toward the back of the group, where a giant man stood over the rest.

 

“Ha! What a lucky brat. You were almost keelin’ over from yer fever yesterday... We were gonna toss you out if you were still sleepin’ today,” said the giant man who had been referred to as boss; he sounded impressed.

 

“...Yes. Somehow.” Rio replied, holding back a frown.

 

These men were a group of jacks-of-all-trades here in the slums. They had a large circle of influence and earned their money working as outlaws-for-hire and by taking requests for all kinds of evil activities. Human trafficking, illegal trading, robbery, swindling, extortion, transportation and disposal of stolen goods... even hit jobs. The list of crimes they were willing to get their hands dirty for was endless.

 

To these men, an orphan in the slums was like a convenient, disposable pawn. Easy to obtain, use, and throw away — which they often did. Rio was one such pawn that these men had picked up. He lived in this small shack with them and lived in fear of being subjected to their abuse. Sometimes they would hit him for stress relief, sometimes they would force him to assist with their crimes, using him as a scapegoat or bait while they escaped.

 

In a word, Rio was their slave.

But in this cruel world, his survival depended on them. In fact, he had survived until today by desperately obeying them.

 

“Hey, it’s cold in here. Let’s get to celebrating and warm ourselves up!” said the other underling.

He walked to the shabby wooden table in the middle of the room and placed some food and alcohol down with a thud.

 

“Good idea. Hey — leave that in the corner. S’been drugged to sleep, so don’t go wakin’ it up,” ordered the leader of the group of men.

 

One underling moved to place a sack with their spoils on the floor. Then, in high spirits, the men had the sole woman in the group pour their drinks, and they began to eat.

 

“But ten gold coins sure was a great haul... right, boss?”

One of the underlings cackled.

 

“Hmph. It’s ten gold for cargo transport. Can’t be anything decent... I doubt it’s just a slave inside. Probably some noble’s kid or something.”

 

“Wait, what? You lot better not be doing anything dangerous again,” the woman pouring the drinks said with a disapproving expression.

 

“Well... yeah.”

 

The giant leader yanked the woman closer to him and snorted with a smug smirk on his face.

 

“But ten gold coins fer a side-job like that? It’s freakin’ amazing.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

The leader took a large gulp of his alcohol and took a ferocious bite of his hunk of meat. Rio watched on from the side, swallowing his saliva hungrily. The topic of their conversation was ominous, but Rio was far more interested in the food in their hands. While it was evident they weren’t doing any decent work... if Rio had helped even a little, he would have been given something to eat. But this time around, Rio had been sleeping off his sickness, so the chance of them feeding him was extremely low. It wouldn’t happen unless they were in a really good mood...

 

The relationship between Rio and these men was simple: the strong and the weak, the exploiters and the exploited.

 

They’d shelter him as long as they could exploit him, then mercilessly throw him out once he was done. Rio had seen them do that to many other children already. While he didn’t intend on continuing their relationship forever, he was just a seven-year-old child. Only the fittest could survive on the streets of the slums, and he doubted he could live for very long out there without them. But at that very moment, the smell of the food was unbearable on his empty stomach.

 

I’m hungry...

 

It was all he could think about. He was too fatigued for anything else. Rio let the men’s conversation wash over him, only half-listening as he sat slumped in the corner of the shack, resting his body, when suddenly—

 

“Heeey Rio. Rio!” one of the underlings called out to Rio.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Your fever sweat stinks like crap. Go wash yourself — you’re ruining the food and drink.”

 

“...Okay.”

 

He’d hoped that they would give him food, but that was just his wishful thinking. The underling pinched his nose and made a shooing gesture with his hand. Apparently, the sweat made Rio’s body odor a lot stronger than he realized.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Rio bowed his head once and staggered to his feet. Although Amakawa Haruto didn’t know the man at all, Rio knew the underling very well. It was a mysterious feeling. Stumbling over his feet, Rio hobbled towards the door of the shack.

 

“Rio! If yer still not better, we’ll sell ya off as a slave. The only thing y’got goin’ fer ya is yer devil’s luck and pretty face, after all,” the leader said gleefully, already well on his way to being drunk. The underlings roared with laughter, as if he had said something hilarious.

 

“Oh, stop picking on children!”

 

The woman pouring the drinks chided them exasperatedly, but Rio continued walking out the door without looking back. He closed the door behind him.

 

“Rio.”

 

Rio turned back at the sound of his name being called. The door reopened immediately, and the woman who was pouring drinks stepped outside.

 

“Go get yourself some breakfast with this. It should be enough for some stale bread and plain broth,” the woman said, placing three small copper coins in Rio’s hand.

This woman was the prostitute the leader favored the most. She was also on amicable terms with Rio, often looking out for him like this.

 

“...Thank you very much, Gigi. Are you sure?”

 

Gigi responded with a kind smile when Rio thanked her. “Just make sure you come play with me when you’re a little older.”

 

“Haha...” Rio laughed awkwardly.

 

“I’m just kidding. I’ve told you before how I have a niece your age, right? You remind me of her, that’s all. I’m going to quit this job soon anyway,” Gigi explained with a shrug.

 

“I’m opening a shop with Angela, my little sister. Come visit us someday,” she said with a soft smile.

 

Rio had heard about that from Gigi before. Gigi and her sister, Angela, were working as prostitutes while saving to open their store. Rio intended on paying her back some day, but just as he opened his mouth to tell her so—

 

“You seem different today... did something happen to you?” Gigi asked with wide eyes.

 

“Huh? Umm... I’m not sure what you mean,” Rio answered uncertainly and tilted his head. He was startled.

 

“So you can make that kind of face, too. Your pretty face looks much better when it isn’t sulking,” Gigi said cheerfully.

 

“Er... sure,” Rio hesitantly agreed. “I’ll keep that in mind, I guess.”

 

“Alright. Off you go, now. They’ll get mad at me if I chat with you for too long.”

 

“Right. Thank you. For everything.”

 

Rio bowed his head deeply, then left.

◇◇◇

The time was still early morning.

The worn-down wooden shack sat in the chaotic rows of the slums, where the air was characteristically stagnant. Nevertheless, the shining rays of the morning sun managed to make everything feel a bit better.

 

Although the men had ordered Rio to wash himself, there was no proper bathing area in the slums. He needed to leave the area and walk to the closest well if he wanted to clean himself. The capital of Beltrant was split into multiple blocks by walls that surrounded the castle in the center. Entering the city required both a permission form and an entry fee. 

 

Naturally, living within the walls was safer and more comfortable, but that was only possible for the rich and powerful; it was a sign of greater wealth to live closer to the castle. Meanwhile, travel between districts outside of the walls was completely free. The people who couldn’t live inside the walls could be found in these areas instead. Although they weren’t as safe, they showed different growth compared to the districts inside the walls. 

 

The slums were located in the outskirts of the district outside the castle, and while there was no entry fee, the state of law and order was the worst of all the districts outside the castle walls. They’d fallen out of reach of the government’s supervision and become a lawless area left to its own devices as a result. One never entered the slums willingly, unless you had no choice but to live there.

 

Rio left the slums and headed for a nearby district with a well, then quickly washed himself and his clothes. Since it was still early, there were barely any people walking on the streets. Thanks to that, he was able to use the well in peace. Of course, there was no proper soap or warm water that could be used, but he did the best he could.

 

After thoroughly washing himself, Rio stopped by a street stall on his way back and filled his stomach with some cheap, hard bread and sludge-like broth. Then he made his way back to the entrance of the slums. He found a sunny spot and sat down, staring at the ground as he waited for his clothes to dry.

 

It was early spring, but it was still too cold to be outside half-naked, and he was still recovering from his sickness. Fortunately, Rio was used to life in the slums, so it wasn’t unbearable. At this early hour, the red-light district neighboring the slums was gradually emptying out. Both the women that sold their services and the men that bought them were making their way home. Barely any of them headed home towards the slums, though. The only ones that did were ruffians that had struck it rich for the night. Rio had no particular interest in them, so he sat and thought about what to do next. In all honesty, he didn’t think he could live with the men in the shack for much longer — sooner or later, he’d be run into the ground if he did.

 

That being said, the world just wasn’t kind enough to let an orphan live on his own without any plans. The only chance an orphan had of survival in the slums was by scavenging for leftovers, stealing from others, or being used by violent gangs, like Rio was. There were no other options.

Stealing is out of the question. I’d prefer some kind of job, if possible...

 

He knew his chances were bleak. It wouldn’t be easy to find someone willing to hire someone like him in this dismal society. Orphans from the slums were already considered to be at a high risk of committing theft in marketplaces and such, making people all the more wary of them. Not to mention, if it were that easy to find a job, orphans wouldn’t exist. Even if they did manage to find one, they’d be exploited and underpaid. Since that was the case, Rio wondered if he had any useful talents he could use to his advantage. 

 

The only special skills he had were the ones he obtained in his previous life: a university-level education, the ability to do housework and other life skills obtained from living alone, as well as a myriad of other know-hows from his family home and part-time job. He searched his head for a way to apply these skills in a useful manner, but it was nearly impossible without the right social connections.

 

This meant that the only options left were the less-than-legal methods, but Rio — no, Amakawa Haruto inside of Rio — was extremely reluctant about turning to crime, which was a weakness that Rio himself had long since thrown away. Really, there was no point in avoiding criminal activities anyway, considering how often Rio had been forced to act as an accomplice for the men that used him. 

 

The realization of how dirty his hands were rose within him, overwhelming him with guilt. It was too late for him. The corner of Rio’s mouth quirked up in a self-deprecating smirk as he stared at his palms with a furrowed brow.

At that moment—

 

“Hey, you there. Little... girl?” a stern, womanly voice said to Rio.

 

He raised his head to see four people of various ages standing before him. They all wore nice, clean robes that hid their faces and covered their bodies, so Rio couldn’t tell their genders from their appearance. Looking at their heights, the one who addressed Rio was probably the oldest in the group. Judging by how young the person sounded, they were most likely in their late teens. Behind the one who spoke was a figure who looked to be the size of an early teen and two child-sized figures — they were probably around Rio’s age.

 

Apparently, the one who spoke to Rio was unsure of his gender, too. His face had always been rather androgynous, and his hair had grown long and scruffy, making it easy to mistake him for a girl.

 

“Stinks...” one of the small children muttered under their breath in disgust.

 

The voice sounded feminine, like a little girl. It was a melodic and cute sound, which ran contrary to the blunt and scathing words.

“It would be best to avoid breathing in too much. It might be bad for your health,” the other small child said.

This one also sounded like a little girl.

They sure are saying whatever they please...

Rio frowned, slightly upset at their words. He was aware of the fact that his current state wasn’t ideal, but he had just washed himself...

Rio turned to look at the two little girls. Their faces were covered by hoods, but he could feel them looking down on him anyway. Meanwhile, the small figure next to them was also watching Rio observantly. He couldn’t feel any negative emotions behind this gaze, though.

 

“Hey, are you listening to me?” the eldest woman asked in a serious tone. “Don’t tell me you can’t even understand what I’m saying.”

 

She seemed to be in a hurry for some reason as she threateningly pressed for a reply.

 

“I hear you. What do you want?” Rio replied coldly.

 

He observed the four of them cautiously — their clothes were too clean for them to be residents of the slums. He could see an expensive-looking hilt peeking out from between the robes of the eldest woman. What could they possibly want from an orphan of the slums? They didn’t seem like the types that would want to hire thieves, but Rio raised his guard anyway.

“Have you seen a little girl with lavender hair? She’s around your age,” the woman explained.

There was an air of superiority behind her words, as though she was looking down on someone that she expected would obey her orders.

So they were looking for someone.

Rio wasn’t particularly bothered by her attitude, but he didn’t feel obliged to answer her politely, either. And in any case, he didn’t have any clue where this girl could be. He stood up with a sigh and shot them one more glance before briskly walking away.

 

“Hey, wait. Answer the question,” the woman called back to Rio, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

 

“No clue. Sorry,” Rio said, pausing mid-step and tossing his answer over his shoulder.

 

“Answer her properly.”

 

“Hiding the truth won’t benefit you.”

 

The two little girls pressed Rio imperiously, seemingly doubting Rio’s statement. He huffed.

 

“Like I said—”

 

“I don’t think he’ll answer if we speak to him like that, everyone.”

 

Just as Rio was about to restate his point, the small figure who had been silent until now interrupted him. It sounded like the slightly tired voice of yet another girl.

 

“Hm... Celia.”

 

The eldest woman looked at the girl she had called Celia.

 

“Please leave this to me, Miss Vanessa.”

 

“Good idea,” the woman addressed as Vanessa said, hesitating for a brief moment before passing the baton to Celia. “A teaching professor like you could probably handle this situation best.”

 

Celia then took a step forward.

 

“Hello there. Sorry if we surprised you before. Will you tell me your name?” she asked kindly. 

 

“Oh, and I’m Celia.”

 

“...Rio,” he muttered in response.

 

“Rio? That’s an unusual name.”

 

“...I’m a migrant child, so.”

 

“I see... so that’s why your hair is black. Would you mind if I asked you a question, Rio?”

 

“Go ahead.” Rio nodded.

 

“Have you seen a little girl with lavender hair by any chance? We’re currently looking for her. Would you happen to have any ideas?”

 

“Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone like that...” Rio shook his head.

 

But you’re probably too late, he didn’t add.

He couldn’t imagine any child from another district remaining unharmed after wandering into the slums. To the residents of the slums, even commoner clothes could be resold for a ridiculous amount. If the aforementioned girl was related to these four in any way, she’d probably be wearing high-quality clothes — those would have been long stripped from her by now. If she was lucky, that’d be all that was taken. She could end up in one of those brothels for men that had a taste for little girls.

 

“I see...” Celia’s voice trailed off with disappointment. She took a breath and pulled herself together before asking, “The slums are past here, right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Is it a big area? Would we get lost easily if we went in?”

 

“It’s pretty big, and the roads are kind of complicated... Are you going to go in?” Rio’s eyes widened a little.

 

“Yes. We have to find this girl,” Celia asserted without hesitation.

 

“I wouldn’t recommend it.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Celia tilted her head in confusion as Rio looked her up and down.

 

“...Your clothes are too nice. It’s like you’re asking to be attacked. There aren’t many people around this early, but you’re still asking for trouble. It’s not a place for a girl like you,” he informed her politely. Celia’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“He sure speaks well for an orphan,” one of the smaller girls muttered.

 

“Ah, I see. It must really be a dangerous place,” Celia said, looking down at her own outfit with a strained smile.

 

“This was a plainer robe, too...” she mumbled to herself.

 

If Rio didn’t have Amakawa Haruto’s memories and personality within him, he probably wouldn’t have shared that information with Celia. He especially wouldn’t have bothered with the warning if it had just been Vanessa, who was overbearing, and the two little girls.

They could wander off and die in the slums for all he cared.

That’s what he was supposed to feel in the bottom of his heart... yet, the man named Amakawa Haruto was kind. Kind enough to stop a little girl who spoke to him with the minimal level of respect from wandering into the slums.

 

“Umm... what kind of clothes do women in the slums wear, then?”

 

“What do they wear? Just your usual commoner clothes, worn down to rags. There are people in nice clothes, too, but they’re usually the types that run wild in the slums.”

 

“I see. That’s very helpful.” Celia nodded cutely in contemplation. “By the way, you speak very politely for an orphan. Do all orphans talk like you do?”

 

“...Who knows? My mother told me to speak this way before she died,” Rio answered rather stiffly.

At just seven years old, Rio didn’t have a very extensive vocabulary. But he knew that speaking rudely would just make the men hit him, so he had learned to speak while judging other people’s moods. With his mother’s original influence and Amakawa Haruto’s personality returning to him, Rio’s mentality had grown and changed his speech into that of an adult’s.

 

“S-Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that,” Celia apologized in a fluster.

 

“No, it’s fine...” Rio answered rather listlessly.

 

“...”

 

Celia’s eyes widened by a fraction, as though she had seen a glimpse of an unknown emotion deep within Rio’s eyes.

 

“Celia, let’s return after we change our clothes,” Vanessa interrupted. She had been quietly watching on.

 

“What are you saying! We have to hurry or she’ll—”

 

“That’s right!”

 

The two small girls frantically protested.

 

“If our information is correct, we still have some time. Don’t forget — we’re moving against protocol. We cannot afford to make a wrong move and mess up the official search party’s efforts. Don’t you agree, Christina?”

 

“...Then let’s hurry and buy the clothes,” the little girl named Christina said, frowning unhappily at Vanessa’s explanation.

 

“Celia, are there any suspicious sources of essence nearby?”

 

“Umm... give me a moment. Zona Revelare!”

 

Celia took a deep breath and chanted some words that Rio didn’t recognize. A geometric circle of light began to rise from beneath her feet.

Hm?

A strange sensation immediately washed over Rio. It almost felt like some kind of... pulse. At the same time, he could see a faint wave of light being released from Celia herself. Was he hallucinating? Rio rubbed his eyes to check, when—

 

“Oh. You...”

 

Celia inspected Rio’s face up close.

 

“What about the child?” asked Vanessa.

 

“My area search reacted to him. I’ve adjusted my magic to react to a certain level of magic essence, which means this child has a fair amount of it flowing from him. He has the potential to use sorcery.”

 

“Ah, right... even an orphan can have the potential,” Vanessa said.

 

“This kid has essence?”

 

Whereas Vanessa accepted the situation easily, Christina tilted her head doubtfully.

 

“There are some humans outside of nobility with enough essence to use magic. Their parents might not have much essence, but they may have had an ancestor up the line that once did. Even so, none of that matters if they don’t receive any training, since they won’t be able to detect it otherwise. Most people go their whole lives unaware,” Celia explained simply.

 

“Huh... Guess you can’t judge everything by appearances,” the still unnamed little girl muttered.

 

“Hmm, makes sense... but he’s still an orphan. Essence is irrelevant.”

 

Vanessa shot a pointed look at Rio.

Magic? Essence? Was essence the strange pulse of light just now? I definitely felt something... but they said I shouldn’t be able to detect it without training...? What does that mean?

Rio listened to their conversation in confusion.

 

“So were there any suspicious essence reactions?”

 

“Nothing within a radius of 50 meters, at least. The only one caught by my search was this child here,” Celia explained.

 

“I see,” Vanessa said. “Sorry for making you come out here, but you’ve been a great help. Zona Revelare users are rare and no one else can compare to your search range.”

The two continued their puzzling conversation, leaving Rio completely lost, until Celia broke off and turned to him again.

 

“Thank you. Will you accept this in exchange for the information you gave us?” she asked, and handed Rio five large silvers. He accepted the coins and looked at them in shock. Five large silvers was worth way more than the information he told them... Perhaps this girl didn’t have a sense of money? He looked at the girl in wonder, but...

 

“Oh, is it not enough?” she asked.

 

“...No.”

 

After a beat, Rio shook his head. He would accept whatever money he was given — he didn’t have the freedom to refuse out of politeness in his current situation.

 

“Thank you very much,” he said, bowing his head at Celia in gratitude.

 

“Just to be clear, this also serves as hush money. Forget what you saw and heard here,” Celia warned in a slightly colder tone.

 

“I understand.” Rio nodded immediately.

 

These four were probably nobles, and Rio had absolutely no interest in sticking his neck into the troublesome business of nobility. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

 

“Well... thank you. For telling us so kindly,” Celia thanked him awkwardly.

 

“...It was my pleasure.”

 

“Bye, then. Take care of yourself.”

 

Celia seemed to have formed an attachment to the orphan during their short interaction, as she gave Rio a somewhat regretful smile from under her hood.

 

“Let’s go, Celia.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The four of them turned on their heels and walked away from the entrance of the slums. Rio watched their retreating backs, straining his eyes when he noticed a strange light faintly flowing out of their bodies. With a gasp, he fixed his gaze down at his own body. The same faint light that the girls had was flowing out of himself. It wasn’t a hallucination. He could both see and feel it. The light flowed through his entire body like the blood in his veins. It streamed out of his body endlessly, like water from a spring. The group of four gave off the most light in the descending order of Celia, Christina, Vanessa, and the one who might have been Christina’s attendant. However, the amount of light flowing out of Rio’s body was far greater than even Celia’s.

 

When did this light first start to release out of him? Were Celia and the others aware of it? Such questions passed through Rio’s mind, but he couldn’t find an answer for any of them.

Can other people see this light too? Would it be bad if they noticed it?

 

In a panic, he focused on decreasing the amount of light coming out, only to find it was surprisingly compliant with his will. There was still some leaking out, but it was much less than Celia’s group’s, so it probably wouldn’t be an issue. Rio sighed in relief.

 

Is this light “magic essence”...?

 

If it really was an essence, he should be able to do something with it intuitively. But attempting such actions without any knowledge of it risked things spiraling out of control, so he needed to pick a better time and place for experimenting with it.

It would be bad if he returned late as well, so Rio decided to head back to the shack for now.

◇◇◇

On the way back to the shack, Rio’s head buzzed with thoughts about his future. He could live off the five large silvers he received from Celia for quite a while, but he still couldn’t break off from the men until he had some form of stable income. There was nowhere to run from them in the slums, and they’d probably hunt him down and kill him if they discovered that he’d run away.

 

Still... for now, with both his stomach and pocket filled, Rio felt a little better. With his new funds in hand, all he wanted now was some time to carefully plan how to get away from the men, his escape route, and how to live going forward. Eventually, he arrived back at the shabby shack while pondering such things. The sight of it immediately dampened his mood. He sighed.

 

“I’m back.”

 

He entered the shack with a small bow. The men would yell at Rio for no reason at all sometimes, but they had been in high spirits this morning, bringing Gigi — who was their favorite — over to pour them drinks, so that wasn’t as likely today. They were probably partying and making an uproar right now.

Or so Rio had thought.

The lamp is out?

The inside of the shack was pitch black and completely silent, The window was closed and the lamp that lit the room had been extinguished, making it impossible to see. A sharp, metallic smell of rusted iron pierced his senses, making Rio frown.

What’s that smell? Blood?

The scent that wafted into Rio’s mind was blood... the same blood like when he got injured.

 

“Mmrgh! Mmmgh!”

 

Just then, a muffled sound could be heard inside the shack. It was coming from the corner of the room.

 

“...!”

 

The sudden sound made Rio flinch in surprise.

What’s that?

He could hear the rustling of fabric. Had someone fallen asleep?

Rio warily started to inch towards the sound when his foot slipped. He could feel a mysterious liquid against the sole of his bare foot. The floor was wet. Suspicious of the unknown substance that felt so strange against his skin, Rio decided to open the window first.

 

The window is...

 

Relying on his memory of the room’s layout, he ignored the uncomfortable sensation under his feet and proceeded towards the wooden shack’s only window. He threw it fully open; light flooded in from outside, illuminating the dark room.

 

“Wha...”

 

Rio fell speechless at the horrendous scene before his eyes.

There were dead bodies lying everywhere. The bodies of the men who were drinking in the shack earlier, and—

 

“Gigi...”

 

It was the dead body of the prostitute. The girl who gave Rio money for food in the morning was now a bloodied corpse. She lay face-up, her provocative dress completely soaked red with blood.

 

“Urgh...”

 

Rio wanted to throw up. He pressed a hand against his mouth and resisted the urge.

 

“Mm! Mm, mmrgh!”

 

The muffled sound could still be heard inside the room. Rio’s frown deepened as he directed his gaze towards it — the single sack sat in the corner of the room. There was something alive inside of it.

 

A person...? No way...

 

It didn’t look big enough to fit an adult. If it was a person... then it had to be a child.

Rio had an extremely bad feeling about this. His heartbeat thundered in his chest, and he held his breath to stop his trembling. He fearfully approached the sack. It squirmed as though it was declaring its presence. Rio slowly untied the drawstring and the sack fell open with a soft sound. Sure enough, there was a pretty girl in a beautiful priestess-like dress inside. The lavender-haired girl, who was close to Rio’s age, looked up at him with dazed, purple eyes.

 

Ah, I knew it.

 

At that moment, he was overcome with despair. Warning bells tolled loudly in his head; they were telling him to stop standing there. He had to flee this place as soon as possible... yet the sight of the frightened girl in front of him rooted him to that spot.

 

“...Are you all right?” Rio couldn’t help but ask.

 

The girl nodded once. Her terrified eyes watched him carefully, but their shared age range seemed to help her lower her guard a little. Fortunately, she was tied up inside the sack sideways, so she was still unaware of the horrific scene that had unfolded in the room. She might have been more panicked if she’d noticed.

Well, she’d realize soon enough.

 

“I’ll remove the gag and ropes. Hold on,” Rio said, removing the gag first.

 

“Pwah... hah...”

 

The little girl gasped heavily for air. She was rather sluggish, and her face seemed feverish.

 

“W-Where..? Where... am I...?”

 

Her small body trembled as she asked, possibly from fear of the dim room, the cold air, or both.

 

“The slums. This is the house where the gang that bossed me around lived...” Rio answered while untying the ropes around her body with nimble fingers.

 

“T-The slums? W-Why am I...” the girl asked in confusion.

 

“Who knows? I’m done. You can stand up now,” Rio said once the ropes were gone.

 

“O-Okay. Thank you very m... ah, oww.”

 

The girl tried to thank him as she stood up, but her legs had no strength and gave out. She’d gotten up halfway before collapsing back down.

 

“You okay?” Rio grabbed the falling girl and turned her onto her back, gently.

 

“Y-Yes.”

 

Although she responded with an affirmative, her breathing was shallow and her body was feverish.

 

“Really...?” Rio questioned doubtfully as he observed the girl’s face.

 

Is this the girl Celia’s group was looking for earlier...?

He had all the reason to believe that this was the girl that the four nobles he met near the slums earlier were searching for. With her lavender hair and beautiful upper-class dress, he was certain of it.

 

“U-Umm...” she murmured quietly to Rio, as though it took all of her energy to speak. She was probably suffering from dehydration after being in the sack this whole time.

 

“Sorry... Could you take me... to the castle...?” she panted out.

 

“Castle?”

 

“Please... I’ll tell my father... to reward you...”

 

“Your father...” Rio shuddered. There was no way that would end well.

 

“And also, water...”

 

So she was thirsty after all.

 

“Lie there and wait for a bit. Don’t move,” Rio said.

 

He walked over to the barrel where the water was stored. His nose had already become desensitized to the smell, but seeing the bloody scene with his eyes made his expression twist. Contrary to the constant revulsion turning his stomach, Rio was strangely calm as he asked himself what was he doing here. He filled the wooden mug he usually used with water and quickly brought it back to the collapsed girl.

 

“Here. Water. Don’t drink it all at once.”

 

He lifted her head to make it easier for her to drink and offered her the mug. It would have been best to add some salt or sugar to help her dehydration, but such fancy ingredients weren’t available in the shack.

The girl gulped down the water gratefully.

 

“Puhah... hah...” she coughed.

 

“Slow down. Drinking too fast is bad for you,” Rio warned.

 

“O-Okay...” she replied weakly.

 

Perhaps she was relieved she had quenched her thirst, because in the next moment, she lost all the strength in her body.

 

“H-Hey!”

 

Rio tried to wake her frantically, but she was out cold.

 

“Did she pass out...?”

 

Figuring that was the case, Rio closed his eyes and held back the urge to sigh heavily. He gently let her lie back down, when...

Creak. The floor of the shabby old shack groaned, breaking the silence of the room. Rio whipped around to see a masked man approaching him—

The masked man lunged, trying to stab a knife into Rio’s body. He was going to be killed. Heart-stopping fear ran through Rio in that moment. Suddenly, his hands moved of their own accord and he skillfully parried the man’s swing; the knife missed its mark and slashed through empty space instead.

 

“Wha...”

 

A surprised voice leaked from the man’s masked face as Rio looked at his hands in astonishment. His physical body had reproduced the movements that Amakawa Haruto mastered in his previous life. Rio had been so desperate that his body reacted instinctively.

But now was not the time to be distracted.

 

Was this guy hidden this whole time? Why is he trying to kill me?

 

The first real battle of his life had been suddenly thrust upon him. Rio was panicking, but that was understandable. He’d never faced off with someone holding a blade with the intent to kill before, previous life or not. His body felt hot and he could feel the thudding of his heart echo through his body. He hadn’t even moved very much, yet he was panting for breath. He was terrified — his legs trembled where he stood. Rio braced his trembling hands to fight and inched backwards. The masked man 

regarded him cautiously, having had his attack smoothly evaded. He kept the knife pointed at Rio.

 

To be honest, that first attack was pure luck. Rio couldn’t imagine the man was an amateur, and Rio was still a child, after all. If he came at Rio for real, their difference in physique would end the match swiftly.

The man slowly closed the distance between them; at this rate, Rio was as good as dead — that he was certain of. But even if he tried to escape, he wouldn’t be able to run far with his small body. He was completely cornered.

Then...

Haruto.

An unfamiliar voice echoed in Rio’s head. It was the clear, beautiful voice of a girl... yet there was something abnormal about it, something that made the voice sound weak. But suddenly—

 

“...?”

 

Rio’s eyes widened. A tremendously beautiful peach-haired girl had appeared before his eyes — but it was only for a moment, as she was gone in the next instant. A hallucination? Was he seeing and hearing things? Rio’s eyes darted around the room to check, but he couldn’t see the girl anywhere. And more importantly... had that girl called him “Haruto”?

 

A name that no one in this world could have known...

Rio stood there, baffled and unsure of what was happening, when—

Now is... not the time. I’m going to teach you how to use your ode — or your essence... Remember this feeling.

Once more, the voice of the phantom girl echoed in his head. So it wasn’t a hallucination, Rio thought.

 

“W-What do you mean ‘how to use essence’?!” he shouted back at the voice, grasping at whatever straws he could reach.

 

He could see the man before him flinch, but Rio didn’t have time for him right now.

Sharpen your mind. There should be light... flowing from your body. Use that light to enhance your body... and its physical abilities. Picture it in your head. Don’t worry. You can do it... Haruto.

Broken sentences echoed in his head with the girl’s voice. It wasn’t a very detailed explanation... But in the next moment, Rio’s entire body felt like it was being wrapped in a layer of warmth.

 

Now you can move... past the physical limitations of your body. Have you remembered... the feeling? You have to maintai... sorry, I can’t —

 

The girl’s voice cut off completely.

 

...But Rio was busy being taken aback by the change to his body; just when he thought the light flowing from him had increased, his body suddenly felt lighter. His senses were sharpened — not only had his vision and hearing improved, but a sixth sense he normally couldn’t feel had awakened too. It was exactly as the girl had described: the light flowing from him had been used to strengthen his physical abilities and his body. He had been half-doubtful and couldn’t understand the logic behind it at all, but he knew it was possible, thanks to the girl’s support. Because of that, he now knew the basics. It wouldn’t be too hard to maintain this state now, and he could probably do it by himself next time, too. 

 

While he still didn’t know who the girl was or what the light did, his first priority right now was the killer before him. At this point, approximately ten seconds had passed since Rio dodged the man’s knife. The man had been gradually closing the distance that Rio was trying to create, but when Rio came to an abrupt stop, he halted too, and watched Rio suspiciously. Rio gathered all of his fighting will as he observed the masked man. Suddenly, the man changed his words to some kind of spell.

 

“Augendae Corporis!”

 

Rio’s eyes widened as the man’s body was momentarily bathed in the light of a geometric circle. The faint light that until now had been leaking from the man’s body suddenly increased in volume. It was no match for the amount that was flowing from Rio’s body, but it was enough for Rio to be wary of. In the next instant, the assassin closed in on Rio and swung his knife at an inhuman speed.

He fully intended on ending the battle with that one strike, but Rio’s tracking ability and reaction speed had been enhanced, making the man’s movement appear so slow to Rio’s eye. He was able to easily evade the attack. The feeling of his enhanced abilities astonished him; he shifted his torso to the side and the man’s knife swiftly slashed through empty space. With his shorter reach, Rio had to take a step forward to hit the man in the stomach with the palm of his hand.

 

“Gwahah?!”

 

The strong impact to his abdomen made the man yell in pain. He must have been around 80 kilograms, yet he was easily blown away. The force behind Rio’s one attack was unimaginable for a child. 

 

Barely landing on his feet, the man’s consciousness nearly slipped away... he couldn’t understand what had just happened. Falling to one knee, he stared at Rio in shock. Then, he desperately scrambled back to his feet and stepped towards Rio once more, thrusting the knife forward sluggishly. However, Rio grabbed the man’s extended arm by the wrist and twisted it painfully.

 

“Gah!”

 

The pain in his wrist caused the man to drop the knife. Rio then toppled the man off-balance and easily threw him to the floor. His physical abilities had really improved. Rio’s weak and childish frame could bear a weight that should have been impossible for a child to carry. It was strengthened exactly like the girl had explained earlier. He couldn’t feel any burden on his body.

 

“S-Shit... Damn, brat... What the hell are you...?” he grunted his resentment towards Rio. The man broke his fall with a roll, narrowly avoiding being knocked out.

 

“Hah... hah...”

 

Rio gasped for breath where he stood. His heart was still racing as he looked at his own hands in astonishment. After a moment, Rio turned his gaze towards the man glaring at him in the dimly lit room. He could see the look from behind the mask that the man was giving him — it was filled with hatred. Rio wondered what the man was thinking as he stumbled to his trembling feet once more.

 

He still wants to fight?!

 

Horror fell over Rio’s face. The man should have been covered in injuries by now... he shouldn’t have had any stamina left to stand up. So why did he keep trying to? There could only be one answer: the man wanted to kill Rio with his very last breath. Why the man had to go that far, Rio had no idea. He didn’t want to know. But if the man was trying to kill Rio, then Rio would—

With an irritated huff, Rio pressed the man’s face against the floor.

 

“Guh...” the man groaned.

 

Rio climbed onto the man’s back and grabbed his neck with both hands. If he put a little strength into his fingers, he could probably strangle the man to death.

But his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Even when he tried to squeeze his fingers, they shook.

He couldn’t kill him. He wouldn’t. Even though the man had tried to kill Rio, Rio couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Rio hesitated for a beat, then...

 

“Damn it!” he yelled, slamming the man’s head against the ground.

 

The struggling man fell completely still after that. He’d been knocked out. Rio confirmed that the man was unconscious before standing up.

 

“H-Have to escape...” he muttered.

 

Rio staggered forward on wobbly legs, then nervously glanced around at his surroundings. How would he explain this situation to anyone? He was nearly frozen with fear. Then, Rio caught sight of the unconscious girl who was still sleeping...

◇◇◇

It was still morning.

Those with proper jobs would have left for them long ago, but barely any of the residents of the slums had proper jobs, so the streets were still deserted. Rio carried the unconscious girl over his shoulder as he dragged his feet through the slums; though he wasn’t injured, his feet still felt heavy. The dress the girl was wearing stood out too much, so he covered her in the sack she was originally in.

 

How did it end up like this? Why did this have to happen to him? Anger at the unfairness of the situation boiled inside of him, but he didn’t have the time to release it right now. He didn’t even know where to go. He just continued to walk forward until he eventually approached the entrance of the slums.

 

“Y-You! Hold it right there!”

 

The sound of a young girl shouted at him from nearby, but Rio failed to realize she was talking to him and kept walking.

 

“I’m telling you to stop!” she said, grabbing at Rio forcefully. She seemed to be trying to take the little girl that Rio was carrying.

 

“Ch-Christina! Please wait!”

 

“Vanessa, hurry and grab Flora!”

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

The one who had called out to Rio was Christina, one of the girls he met at the entrance of the slums earlier. The other three were also here. Their hooded robes were much more plain and shabby compared to before, but the voice and height were definitely the same. Christina pulled the girl she called Flora off of his shoulder angrily.

 

“Hey you. Let go of Flora, now, ” Vanessa ordered in a cold voice. Rio relaxed his grip and let her take Flora from his shoulder.

 

“Flora! Flora!”

 

Christina desperately cried out the name of the girl in Vanessa’s arms.

 

“Stay calm. She’s just passed out. Celia and Roanna — please look after Flora.”

 

Vanessa checked Flora’s condition calmly and left her in the care of the other two.

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

“Understood!”

 

Celia and the girl named Roanna both nodded and took Flora into their arms; Rio watched the scene unfolding before him with detached, emotionless eyes.

 

“Hey, you!” Vanessa shouted, glaring at Rio.

 

She drew her sword in one smooth motion and pointed it at Rio’s neck, but Rio didn’t even flinch. He couldn’t feel any killing intent behind Vanessa at all, unlike the man who had tried to kill him just now. But Rio wasn’t exactly processing the situation in a calm manner. If anything, he had lost interest in everything.

 

“Explain what happened,” Vanessa ordered.

 

Rio shrugged and tried to walk away without a care. But—

 

“Hold it!” Christina said as she cut in front of him.

 

“It’s dangerous!” Vanessa shouted in a panic.

 

But Christina ignored her and slapped Rio’s face — hard. The sound of the resulting smack echoed around them, and the shock of the impact returned Rio to the present.

 

“...Huh?”

 

A sound of confusion spilled from his lips. He didn’t understand... Why was Christina angry? Why had he been slapped when he’d found the girl they were looking for? His cheek throbbed with pain as he stood there, bewildered.

 

“Don’t just stand there in silence. Answer me! You lied to us, didn’t you? What were you going to do with Flora?”

 

Christina released a barrage of accusations at Rio. He really couldn’t understand what she was saying...

 

He could feel something swell up within his throat.

 

“Huh?”

 

Rio glared at Christina with an icy gaze.

 

“...!”

 

Christina flinched. Her hand moved instinctively and rose up to slap Rio again. But this time, Rio grabbed Christina’s hand and stopped her. Christina’s cute face twisted in ugly frustration as she raised her other hand instead. Rio’s other hand moved to catch it, now holding Christina back with both hands.

 

“Let go of me! You’re disgusting! It stinks!” Christina yelled, but Rio didn’t let go.

 

Then...

 

“Release her,” Vanessa said coldly, once again pointing the sword at Rio’s neck.

Rio shot her a glare before slowly releasing her hands. Sure enough, the instant Christina was free, her hand came up once more to slap Rio’s face with as much strength as she could muster. Rio followed her movement with his eyes, but did nothing in particular to block it.

 

“Heh,” Rio laughed mockingly.

 

His smile made Christina’s body tremble once more. She was terrified. Having been raised as a princess, Rio’s smile held emotions that had never been directed toward her in her life.

 

“Princess Christina! Please refrain from such provoking actions!”

 

“He’s the one at fault! This is treason!”

 

“The boy doesn’t know that you’re royalty. We need to figure out what happened first.”

 

“Then hurry up and arrest him!” Christina screamed angrily, making Vanessa sigh tiredly.

 

“You heard her. You... Rio, was it? You’re coming to the castle with us.”

 

“No,” Rio declined, shaking his head.

 

“This isn’t a request. It’s an order. You have no right to refuse,” Vanessa said, moving the sword pointed at Rio’s neck closer.

 

The tip of the blade was mere millimeters away from his skin, but Rio looked into Vanessa eyes without fear. Vanessa stared back into Rio’s eyes as Christina, Celia, and Roanna watched on silently, sensing the tension in the air. Silence continued between them for a moment; in that time, Vanessa pondered in her head:

 

Is this boy really a child?

 

She was astonished by Rio nerves. A regular child might have thrown an angry tantrum, burst into tears, or groveled for their life. That would have been a normal reaction. Yet while Rio was rebellious, the way he was looking at the clearly advantageous Vanessa was bordering on serenity. A strange chill traveled down Vanessa’s spine.

 

“All I did was save that unconscious girl over there. You can ask her when she wakes up.”

 

“No. I want to hear what you know directly from your mouth.”

 

Vanessa immediately rejected Rio’s suggestion. Rio determined that arguing any more than this wouldn’t benefit him. Vanessa would only use her authority and strength to forcefully take him to the castle instead. He did have the option of using the power he learned earlier to counterattack them and flee, but there was no guarantee he would win against them, and they already knew his face. Rio would truly become a criminal if he did that, since his opponents were royalty and nobility. That would be the worst possible move he could make...

 

Rio prepared himself.

 

“...Just to talk, right?”

 

“Yeah. If we find that you’re innocent, we’ll release you. Nothing bad will happen. You can tell us the gist of it while we move.”

 

And that was how a mere orphan like Rio was brought from the slums of the capital to the castle in the center.

Then, several minutes later...

Around the same time that Rio was arriving at the castle, the official search party dispatched by the castle closed in on the crime scene at the wooden shack.

...As did the residents of the slums and other noisy onlookers.

 

“Sir Alfred! We’ve found someone that’s still alive,” a man clad in the knight’s uniform of the Royal Guard exclaimed as he burst out of the wooden shack.

 

“Arrest him and bring him here. He could be one of the kidnappers.”

 

Alfred Emerle — a man in his late twenties — ordered. He wore an extravagant cloak over the top of his knight’s uniform. A certain individual watched this conversation unfold while remaining hidden among the onlookers. They wore a black robe covering his whole body, hiding their appearance, age, and gender.

 

Just then, the captured suspect was dragged out of the shack. It was the man who had attacked Rio earlier. His mask had been removed, revealing his true face underneath. He was awake, but grimacing in pain from the damage he’d received in the fight earlier.

 

“This... might be bad,” the robed figured muttered after seeing the state of the man.

 

Judging from the voice, the person was male. His expression was hidden under the darkness of his hood, but the tone of his voice showed no panic, despite his words.

 

“...It can’t be helped.”

 

With a small sigh, the man took out a jewel from his breast pocket and crushed it between his fingers without hesitation.

Then...

 

“...Ah... gah!”

 

As soon as the gem crumbled to pieces, the restrained man cried out in pain. His body gave a single shudder before he dropped dead.

 

“H-Hey!”

 

The knight supporting the man panicked.

 

“What’s wrong?” Alfred asked, noticing that something was wrong.

 

“H-He’s dead.” The knight confirmed the man’s condition before informing him.

 

“What?” Alfred said, raising his eyebrows.

 

Hidden among the onlookers, the robed man looked on in satisfaction.

“Perfect timing. Mission accomplished... time to go home.”

And with those words, he left the scene.

 

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