Chapter23-The Demon Who Steals Children
"Finally caught you!"
"Damn it, you're the one who stole our children!"
"Everyone, get him! Beat this child thief to death!"
The townspeople wielded wooden sticks and steel forks, each of them furious, rushing at Owen to give him a good beating.
Owen's eyes widened.
What's going on?
What children?
He didn't even have a girlfriend, so why would he steal someone else's children?
Just then, a "meow!" came from inside the stroller.
A chubby cat pawed at the mosquito netting draped over the stroller and jumped out.
"Why is it a cat?" a young woman, visibly agitated, exclaimed, "The stroller… it's not holding a child?"
"This lady, I made this stroller myself," Owen finally got a chance to explain. "But I don't have kids. It's for taking my pets out on walks."
He untied the mosquito net.
Everyone could see clearly.
The stroller indeed held only two plump animals.
"Why the heck are you using a stroller?" a bystander grumbled. "You got us all worked up for nothing."
"But without the stroller, they're too heavy; my hands would break from carrying them," Owen pointed at the netting. "And this way, they can't run away."
Looking at the plump bodies of the cat and the rabbit, everyone found Owen's explanation very reasonable.
"Boohoo, my baby, where's my baby?" The young woman suddenly burst into tears.
The others' faces also turned to expressions of sadness and anger.
Owen asked curiously, "What happened?"
"Hey, I think I've seen you before. Aren't you the young man who sings really well?" someone in the crowd recognized Owen.
"Yes, that's me. I haven't been to the town in a while. Who stole the children? Have you reported this to His Majesty the King?"
Owen's singing had left a good impression on the townspeople.
Their guard lowered, and they told him the whole story.
It turned out that some time ago, there were rumors spreading across the country saying that many children had suddenly gone missing.
Some said it was an arcane beast that ate children.
Others claimed it was a gang of human thieves.
The people of this small town didn't pay much attention to the rumors at first, but starting from half a month ago, five or six children had disappeared one after another.
The Silver Knight Order had reportedly begun investigating.
But the town was far from the capital, and it would take at least several more days for the knights to arrive.
"When you're out strolling around, keep an eye out as well," said a young man holding a pitchfork. "If you see anything suspicious, let us know immediately."
"Alright," Owen nodded seriously.
He hated human traffickers the most.
Seeing the parents crying their hearts out, he felt deeply upset as well.
The crowd dispersed and began searching the area.
Owen no longer felt like strolling around.
Just as he was about to head home, he suddenly saw a familiar figure darting around a street corner.
"Huh?" Owen remembered. Wasn't that the little girl who used to sneak into his yard to gnaw on raw potatoes?
He immediately gave chase.
With the situation being so dangerous, if a little girl like her wandered around without an adult, she could easily be snatched by bad people.
Owen pushed the stroller and ran after her for a while, finally catching up at a corner.
"Hey, wait!" Owen panted. "The red-haired girl up ahead, wait!"
The little girl froze, turned around, and, upon seeing Owen, broke into a smile.
"Ah, it's the kind sir. Are you out for a walk with your child?" She glanced enviously at the stroller. "Your child must be very happy."
"It's not a child; they're my pets," Owen said. "Don't run around by yourself. I heard several kids have gone missing in town."
"You're out looking for food, right? Here, take this."
Owen took out some candy and a few small apples from his bag.
"No, I already took food from you last time. I'm saving up money to repay you. I can't take anything more," the girl waved her hands frantically.
"Saving up money?" Owen asked curiously. "How do you make money at your age?"
"My friends and I help people take out the trash and clean their bins. Anything we find in the trash is ours to keep, and I can sell it," the girl carefully took out two copper coins and handed them to Owen. "Here, take these for now."
Owen's eyes instantly welled up.
What kind of "Little Match Girl" story is this in another world?
"No need. I was helped by others when I was young too," Owen patted her head. "If you want to thank me, just grow up and help others someday."
The girl's eyes lit up.
"Kind sir, can I know your name?"
"My name is Owen. And you?"
"I don't have a name," the girl said. "Everyone says kids like me won't live long, so no one ever gave me one."
That's too sad!
Owen almost broke down crying.
What is this tragedy-filled plot?
"Mr. Owen, you seem to know a lot," the girl said shyly. "Could you give me a nice name?"
"Of course." Owen thought for a moment. "Let's call you Cinderella."
Cinderella.
Though she endured a harsh and difficult past, she ultimately found happiness.
That was Owen's wish for the little girl.
"Cinderella?" The girl repeated the name several times and then said happily, "It's so beautiful! Thank you, Mr. Owen."
She cheerfully ran off.
Owen saw a few other skinny children waiting for her not far away.
They were dressed similarly and were likely also abandoned kids.
Owen sighed.
Hopefully, these children are clever enough not to get caught by bad people.
Owen pushed the stroller, feeling heavy-hearted as he headed home.
Just yesterday, he was praising how nice this other world was, and today he ran into such a situation.
A sudden rush of hoofbeats echoed.
A group of people seemed to be coming from the front.
Owen pushed the stroller to the side, planning to wait until they passed by.
But to his surprise, the group stopped right in front of him.
"That's him!"
"Don't let him get away!"
"Prepare for battle!"
Owen was so shocked his jaw almost dropped.
Again?
He hurriedly explained, "Hey, you've got the wrong person. I'm not a child thief! The stroller has my pets in it."
"Who cares if you're a thief!" The leading knight scoffed as he looked Owen up and down. "So, you're just a commoner with no mana flow."
"Now that you've left the mountain, you'll pay for what you've done!"
Owen was utterly confused.
Leaving the mountain means getting caught? More importantly, what exactly did he do to deserve this?
The hostility from these unfamiliar knights was completely undisguised.
They shoved him a few times to confirm he really had no mana, then rudely tied him up with rope and tossed him onto a horse.
The group took off with Owen in tow, leaving only an empty stroller behind.
"What now?" The rabbit, White, looked stunned. "Why didn't you scare them off?"
"I'm lazy," said the cat, Avel. "It's my nap time. You figure out how to get Owen back. And don't leave the stroller behind."
With that, it nonchalantly trotted back toward the mountain.
White hopped up in frustration.
"Just wait. I'll tell Owen you didn't help him," the rabbit muttered. "From now on, he'll give me all the good food, and you'll be stuck with veggies and carrots."
No one knew what White did, but the stroller disappeared on the spot.
And it silently reappeared in Owen's arms.
Owen, dizzy from being jostled by the horse, didn't notice the blue-furred mop-like rabbit now nestled in his lap.
The knights were moving fast, galloping all the way.
After crossing fields and woods, they finally slowed down.
"We're entering our territory. No need to be so tense, everyone," the leading knight said.
Hearing this, Owen strained his neck to look around.
They had entered a small town.
There weren't many people here.
The shops lining the street looked somewhat rundown.
But the sight of the knights made everyone stop, bowing to them respectfully yet fearfully.
Owen noticed a shop sign that read, "Gleam Town Tailor Shop."
A light bulb went off in his head.
He'd heard of this place before.
Owen recalled Flora mentioning not long ago that her family had once been bullied by a certain Viscount Lewis.
And this Gleam Town seemed to be that viscount's territory.