“Hand over that child.”
Camille, who had never shown emotion before… or rather, had never paid attention to us, directed a frustrated emotion towards me for the first time.
“…And if I refuse?”
“I’ll kill you!”
The killing intent emanating from Camille made the boy in my arms flinch slightly.
In that instant, before Camille’s blade could reach me like an arrow, I separated from Elena and, still holding the boy, ran up the alley wall as if kicking off with my heels, intercepting Camille’s swung dagger with the blades in my heels.
Clang!
“This child will die, you know?”
“Let him go!!”
Fast. Camille, provoked by my words of using the child as a shield, swung his blade with even greater speed. I used the blades in my heels to climb further up the wall, dodging the blade, and with a flick of my wrist, I threw a hidden weapon I had taken out of 【Shadow Storage】 .
“Tch.”
Camille, who had tried to pursue me with pure physical ability, deflected the hidden weapon and landed on the ground.
I see… he really is strong. I felt that Camille surpassed me in terms of simple stats and skill. But he lacks “something.”
“That ‘sword,’ is it?”
“!”
Camille’s eyes widened at my words.
Just a slight, subtle discomfort, like forgetting to trim a fingernail. Camille also has a chain and weight, and since he’s a Dark Elf, he can probably use Magic too. But he can’t use it because of the child.
Is he unexpectedly kind? Sweeter than I thought? Anyone would think so normally. But if he has that much strength, there should be other ways.
He hasn’t been through enough life-or-death situations for his ability. I figured the secret lies in the magical, unrefined dagger he possesses.
“I’ll give him back.”
“What?!”
As Camille began to climb the wall again, I threw the boy to him.
Instinctively catching the child, Camille lost his balance. From behind him, I, having erased my presence, drew a Knife and swung it down—
“Stop it!”
Just as the blade was about to touch Camille’s neck, Elena’s voice echoed in the alley. I immediately kicked off the wall and landed next to her.
By that time, Camille, still holding the boy, had created distance and glared at me. Elena, silently accepting my actions, sighed slightly and stepped forward.
“That child is covered in blood, but his wounds have been treated. We didn’t lay a hand on him; we just couldn’t bear to see him dying and treated him.”
“…”
Hearing those words, Camille looked at the boy with suspicion. After a while, he realized that there were no wounds beneath the blood and understood it was a misunderstanding. With a distorted expression, he squeezed out a voice.
“…Sorry.”
“I accept your apology. I also acted in a way that could be misunderstood.”
Elena looked at me, and I nodded slightly.
I wouldn’t say that Camille and his companion Ron are evil, but whether they can be trusted is another matter. Elena understood that I trusted her to some extent when I handed over the child, but she thinks I could have handled it more gently.
However, there’s no need to show weakness on our part.
“Do you have any idea how to cure that child’s illness?”
Camille, who was about to distance himself from us while holding the child, stopped.
“…Is it any of your business?”
I nodded slightly at Camille’s words, which echoed what I had said earlier.
“It’s not. Even if I had the means to do so.”
“…”
Camille looked at me again at my words.
I don’t intend to get friendly. If they have the means, I don’t intend to get involved anymore. But the child is innocent. If his life can be saved without getting friendly, that’s better.
This is the maximum concession to avoid creating a weakness for us.
It would be difficult for the suspicious Camille to trust me. It’s only natural since that’s how I’ve been acting. That’s why I’m forcing him to make a concession as well, to avoid getting friendly.
“…I’ll pay you.”
“Agreed.”
The place was on the outskirts of town—the hut was built in an area that was almost entirely rocky.
“Camille! How’s Noi?!”
“Chako, Noi is still okay.”
Emerging from the hut, which barely provided shade, was a Cat Beastkin girl who was still in her mid-teens.
Noi must be the name of that Dark Elf boy. The girl called Chako didn’t look like family since she was a Beastkin, but Camille explained that Noi was covered in blood but unharmed, and she seemed relieved, suggesting that they thought of each other as family even though they were different races.
“Um… who are you?”
“…They’re the ones who treated him.”
Even with Camille’s disgruntled and casual introduction, Chako hurriedly bowed to us, the suspicious figures hiding our faces with hoods.
“T-Thank you very much! But we don’t have anything to pay you with…”
“I’ll get it from this guy. More importantly, do you know about this child’s illness?”
“…Yes.”
Chako told us bit by bit.
They were Street Urchins living in this town. Some were abandoned by their parents because they couldn’t afford to raise them. Some were left behind when escaping from this town because they were a burden. Some had their parents killed in mafia conflicts. In this town, there are countless reasons.
Among such children, those with power steal food and money from the weaker ones, stepping over the corpses of the weak to become the ugly adults of this town. That’s why the weaker children huddle together to survive, living in this rocky area close to death to avoid being robbed.
In the midst of all this, Ron and Camille happened to notice that Noi, a member of their race, was impoverished and provided him with food and other assistance.
Besides Chako and Noi, there were two other children here. There was a dog Beastkin infant and a slightly stocky little girl who was probably a Dwarf.
Even with Camille’s assistance, they couldn’t feed all the children. In the first place, there are countless children like this around the town.
To survive, the older Chako takes fibers from the succulents in this area to make cheap footwear, which she sells to earn a few Copper Coins each day. And Noi had found a job taking care of the giant beetle larvae that are raised in the town.
Giant beetle larvae are nutritious, a valuable food source in this land. However, giant beetles are Monsters, and even the larvae are dangerous to care for. It is precisely because it is dangerous that even a Street Urchin like Noi can find work, but Noi was bitten by a beetle larva and unfortunately developed a disease.
Noi gradually weakened and realized that he was sick. He was worried that Chako and the other children might get sick, but he lied to them and went to work to feed the younger children. That was two days ago.
From here on, it’s just speculation, but the employer who realized that Noi was sick probably beat him and threw him into an alley. Presumably, they had already factored in the possibility of the Street Urchin they were taking care of getting sick, and they had been killing the children like this every time they got sick.
“…Rena. Fill the jar with water over there. Chako, prepare a cloth and some clothes.”
“Yes.”
“Y-Yes!”
After hearing their replies, I ripped off Noi’s blood-soaked clothes. I handed the blood-soaked clothes to Camille, who came out looking bewildered, and instructed him to burn them and bury them in the desert.
Even if the infectivity is low, it’s better to burn them if possible. I haven’t verified whether 【Purify (Clean)】 can completely erase it. I splashed the water that Elena had magically produced on Noi, washed off the blood with the rags Chako had prepared, and told Camille, who had returned, to burn these as well, chasing him away.
The Magic I’m about to perform is something I’m doing for the first time as well. If possible, it’s better to eliminate as many factors that could hinder my concentration as possible.
“…Are you okay?”
“I’ll do it. … 【Treatment】—”
Level 4 Light Magic, 【Treatment】.
This spell doesn’t restore stamina or heal wounds; it’s Magic that cures diseases.
Just like 【Treat】, which can’t cure poison unless you know the type, it won’t be effective unless you understand the cause of the disease.
Only my Light Magic remained at level 3. Level 4 Light Magic includes 【Treatment】 and 【Bless】, but since I was less likely to get sick due to my high Mana, and I was immune to diseases themselves due to Pink Hair’s influence, I didn’t feel the urgency to level up my Light Magic to level 4. Even I, who cast spells with Magic rather than Sorcery, had never been able to cast it until now.
However, the battles from now on will require level 4 Light Magic as well.
【Bless】, which increases magic resistance and defense, as well as what I idealized—what I and my master idealized and what my master (Serejula) couldn’t perfect, to become a true ‘War Demon.’
I will obtain “power” here.
And—
“…Did it succeed?”
“No problem.”
Camille called out to me with a subtle expression as I came out of the hut.
In the end, 【Treatment】 was activated, and Noi’s illness was cured. Elena and the others told me to rest, as I was too tired from concentrating, and I left the rest to them.
I think Camille has a complicated expression because he’s both dissatisfied that I foisted chores on him and kicked him out of the hut, and grateful that I healed Noi’s illness.
In the Kingdom of Claydale, there should only be about ten Holy Church high priests who can use Level 4 Light Magic.
I’ve heard that there’s only one in Cutlass Town, at the Adventurer’s Guild of the Hoglos Company. If you were to ask such a person for treatment, it would cost at least ten gold coins, plus a suitable introduction and trust.
The amount I presented for the treatment was one gold coin. I could have taken one silver coin, but I decided to take the gold coin for their pride.
Seeing how they try to be polite despite being rude and suspicious, I realize that they were raised surprisingly well.
“…Sorry. Thanks for the help.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I waved my hand dismissively at Camille, who honestly thanked me this time, and took off my hood in the shade to dry my sweaty hair. Camille’s sharp eyes widened when he saw it.
…Come to think of it, is this the first time I’ve shown him?
“Pink… blonde hair?”
“Is it weird?”
“No… it’s rare, but not weird.”
For some reason, Camille averted his gaze from me and stammered as if searching for words. Is something wrong? If there’s something he’s curious about, I’ll bring up what I’ve been wondering about.
“Well, yes. Adventurers with Demon Swords and Dark Elves with pale skin are rare, but they do exist.”
“…………”
Camille, now silent, stares intently into my eyes. After enduring his intense gaze, which would make even wild beasts flee, for several seconds in silence, he finally looked away and sighed dramatically.
“How did you notice?”
“You lack experience.”
I don’t specify what “what” refers to. It could be taken in many ways. Perhaps Camille felt something from my words, as he frowned again. After a moment of silence between us, he muttered,
“How old do I look?”
“If you’re a Dark Elf… around thirty?”
He looks about the same age as me, like a human adult. But if he’s an Elf, a long-lived race, he should be older, so I said that. Camille quietly shook his head.
“I’m fifteen. As you thought, I have human blood in me. And if your Mana is high, both humans and Dark Elves will grow faster.”
“I see…”
“I have human… Mersenian blood in me. My mother… said that her own mother had beautiful pink blonde hair.”
“…………”
There are light red and pinkish hair colors, but only the women of the direct Melrose line can be said to have pink hair. Was his grandmother a Melrose woman who married out?
If so… could he be related to me?
“I heard that my father gave me this Demon Sword to protect my mother, who was human.”
Camille touched the hilt of the Demon Sword with a slightly sad expression. …So it is a special Demon Sword after all.
“What about your mother?”
“…She was killed. By my father’s other wife.”
“I see…”
I sensed anger rather than sadness in Camille’s voice.
“What about your parents?”
“My parents died protecting me.”
“…I see.”
A slight anger seeped into my tone as well. But the target of that anger isn’t the monsters that killed them, but my “fate” in the Otome Game.
What is Camille angry at? Is there a reason why Camille helps street urchins and opposes the Munza Society?
Without saying anything, we sat down on the ground in silence, not moving a muscle until Elena and Chako came to pick us up.
Two days later, Elena and I were heading back to Chako’s hut outside of town.
We should leave them to Camille or Ron and not get too involved. But Elena had become friends with the dog-beastman and the dwarf toddler in that hut, and seemed concerned about the toddler’s nutritional status.
The succulents in this region are nutritious, and eating them should keep them from dying, but it’s true that it would be difficult to obtain meat.
It was a little expensive, but instead of the insect food that the poor eat, I brought thinly sliced meat from a sheep-like livestock to the rocky area and felt a slight sense of unease.
“Aria!”
“Wait.”
I stopped Elena, who was about to run out, with one hand and stepped forward. Noi, who should have recovered, was lying in front of the hut. He’s not dead yet. As far as I can see, he still has Mana left, so he can still be saved if treated.
Still, the reason I stopped her was because three beastmen appeared from inside the hut.
Beastmen… the Munza Society?
“We’ve been waiting. You’re the alchemist woman who healed this brat, right?”
“What did you do to Chako?”
Two toddlers were being held hostage in the arms of two of the beastmen. The children were so frightened that they couldn’t even make a sound, and Elena gasped behind me at the sight.
Also, why do these guys think we’re alchemists? How did they know that Noi’s illness was cured?
“That woman was taken to our place. Don’t worry, we won’t treat you badly if you cooperate with us. If illnesses can be cured with potions, we can get a lot of brats who can be sold to the Leesan Syndicate like that woman.”
The beastman with the black tiger-like fur laughed as he said that, and the beastmen holding the crying children also laughed.
I stared at them—and at the children. A small flame lit in my heart.
Is that… okay with you?
“We’ll take you there now. I’ll guide you, so be quiet—”
“Are you just going to cry?”
The beastmen frowned at my clear words.
“What? What are you saying—”
“Are you just going to be taken away?”
The dwarf child looks up.
“Aren’t you really frustrated?”
The beastman toddler clenches his teeth.
As I said that, drowning out the men’s words, anger appeared on their faces.
“Shut up, you bitch!!”
“Fight back—to live.”
“Gah!?”
Didn’t you notice? That the children stopped crying. That they decided to fight of their own will to protect their families.
You underestimate children too much. Even toddlers can kill if they have fangs.
The children bit the men’s arms, and in that moment of surprise, I pointed my fingertips.
“—【Phantom Pain】—”
“――――ッ!”
The beastmen stiffened. I moved like a slide, thrusting a Black Dagger into the brow of the man holding the children, and then thrusting a Black Knife into the other man’s medulla oblongata, before gently placing the two children on the ground.
“Wh—”
I slid up to the black tiger man, who was still stiff from the instantaneous massacre, and shattered the wrist of his right arm, which he was trying to raise to wield a weapon, with a chop, and then shattered the right knee of the standing man by kicking it backwards with my heel.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
I silenced the man, who was screaming in agony and rolling around, with intimidation and Killing Intent, and coldly looked down at him.
“I’ll drag you along. You’re going to guide me quietly, aren’t you?”
Camille is surprisingly a young master.
His brusque attitude is like a boy’s reaction to a girl… or something?
Camille and Ron are together because they have similar circumstances. That also affects their actions.
Next time: Crash In!