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 wereadventurers 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.