TMKWPL CH 20

Chapter 20

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The Missing Child

Not only did they need to have the kindergarten uniform tailored, they also had to buy a bag and stationery, so Lucia stopped by a general store recommended by Marien.

On their way out after purchasing the necessary items, Lucia felt as though multiple people were watching her.

Was it just my imagination?

It didn’t seem so. Despite wearing plain clothes rather than a conspicuous uniform, she could still feel their gaze.

Have I become a target?

Lucia tightened her grip on Nia’s hand. Thankfully, the child was still following her closely, her eyes fixed on Lucia.

If this really was the pickpocket gang Lucia suspected, a crowded place would actually work against her. Too many people meant her movements would be restricted, making it harder to subdue them cleanly.

She deliberately turned toward a less populated area. A set of intersecting alleys where few people passed. Just as she expected, numerous shadowy figures flickered within the darkened alleyways.

“Come out.”

It bothered her slightly that Nia was with her, but since they had already been marked as a target, Lucia had to deal with them all at once.

She sensed around ten pairs of eyes. From among the shadows, one figure stepped into the sunlight.

“Leave everything behind! Even those nice-looking leather shoes!”

He looked like the oldest among them, but he was still just a boy whose voice hadn’t fully matured.

A group that uses slum children, like the ones reported to be appearing frequently in the capital these days.

Even though she was on leave, Lucia was still a commander, and the information she’d received came back to her. The fact that such young children were resorting to pickpocketing meant the Empire’s situation had worsened that much.

According to protocol, she should apprehend them all, but Lucia didn’t want to go that far with children this young.

“I’ll give you five gold.”

It was a considerable sum, enough to cover a normal household’s food expenses for a month. Lucia assumed that would be enough to make them back off.

“Did you hear that? Five gold! What should we do?”

The boy turned excitedly toward the darkest corner. There, a girl with long purple hair hidden beneath a worn hood watched silently. A strange glint flashed in her eyes. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shook her head.

“Tch. See? She says no.”

The boy gestured into the shadows, and several children even younger than him rushed out at random, charging toward Lucia’s bag. Perhaps because it was just one woman and a small child, they seemed fearless, intent on taking everything.

Lucia pulled Nia, who was startled, behind her and summoned her sword.

“W-What the hell?! She’s not an ordinary woman!”

“A mage! She’s a mage!”

“This is bad! Run!”

Just moments ago they had charged boldly, but when the aura blade formed in Lucia’s hand and gleamed in the light, the children scattered in panic. Her attempt to intimidate them had worked. The sight of the children retreating back into the shadows under the sunlight was bleak. They were so skinny it looked like they barely had the strength to run.

Bare skin showed where cloth was missing, loose threads fluttering from worn-out cloaks. Even if they wanted to work honestly instead of stealing, Lucia knew that with the Empire’s lands contaminated and prices soaring, it was nearly impossible to survive normally. She could only watch them go with a bitter heart.

Turning to head home, Lucia froze.

Behind her, the child who should have been looking only at her was gone without a trace. All that remained was the faint sound of hurried footsteps echoing from the far end of countless branching alleys.

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“S-sister!”

Nia panted as she ran after the girl ahead of her.

“Big sis Mia …!”

The girl with long violet hair slowed down, her oversized clothes slipping as she ran, then stopped when she heard her name.

“What? That brat, she was with that mage earlier.”

The children who had been running near Mia seemed to notice Nia’s voice and slowly gathered around. Nia shrank back in fear at the greedy looks directed at her clothes.

“Don’t touch her.”

“Huh? You know her? You and this kid?”

They looked incredulous, as if it made no sense that Mia could be friends with a child wearing such an elegant dress.

“Shut up and get lost.”

At Mia’s sharp command, the children who had been smirking awkwardly backed away one by one. The girl held a fairly important position within the group.

“Tch. What a temper. Anyway, since your plan failed, you’d better be ready when the boss shows up.”

The boy spat in irritation and walked off toward a hidden clearing where the others were. It was a secret place formed by maze-like, intertwined narrow alleys.

“…Annie. I can’t believe you’re that rich kid. Why did you follow me? Do you know how scary this place is?”

“Big sis Mia said she’d come get me…”

“…!”

She had said that once. Nia was still the foolish and innocent child, and Mia recalled that old promise, her expression turning complicated.

“…Who was that woman earlier?”

“She’s my mommy…”

Nia still wasn’t used to saying it aloud in front of others, but she wanted Mia to know. Mia sneered, venom rising in her voice.

“What? You’re kidding. A mother? What kind of mother drags her kid through a filthy market like this? Well, I guess if she’s such a great mage, nothing scares her. But look what happened, she lost you, didn’t she?”

Although the alley had been chosen to shake off the pickpockets, it definitely wasn’t a place to bring a child. Still, Mia’s anger went far beyond that.

“Listen to me. I guarantee it. Maybe not now, but she’ll start treating you badly soon enough. Look at me, I ended up on the streets, didn’t I? This place isn’t good either, but it’s way better than that hell.”

This wasn’t how Nia remembered Mia. She had said she was going somewhere better. That she’d succeed more than anyone else and come back for her.

The smart and admired big sis Mia, wearing a pretty dress, riding a luxurious carriage, waving a handkerchief as she left the orphanage. Now, her eyes were hollow, cheeks sunken, and harsh expression.

Nia could only watch her nervously in silence.

“Annie, when you get allowance, save it. Take as much as you can while you’re allowed to. Got it?”

Mia looked Nia up and down with the same calculating gaze as before. Yet the only things that looked expensive were the white silk dress and leather shoes.

“What? No accessories at all. A mage’s kid, but not that rich, huh?”

“I don’t know… mommy Lusha and I were together… Ah?”

Only then did it hit her that Lucia wasn’t beside her. She hurriedly looked around. Mia snorted, she was amused.

“See? Why’d you follow me. It’s fine. I’ll take you back.”

Nia nodded, but tears welled in her golden eyes as she kept glancing around anxiously. Seeing that, something snapped inside Mia.

“Annie! Back in that crappy village, when we were hauling buckets of filth—who protected you from the kids who bullied us?”

“…B-Big sis Mia.”

“So trust me. Don’t trust anyone else. Don’t rely on them. You trust people too easily, got it?”

“…”

Despite Mia’s harsh insistence, Nia only rolled her eyes around, still searching for her mother. Mia frowned deeply.

Suddenly irregular footsteps of a large middle-aged man echoed from the end of the alley, like a drunken stagger. Startled, Mia quickly took off her tattered cloak and wrapped it around Nia. She shoved her into the narrowest corner of the connected alleys.

“Big sis Mia? I need to go to mommy…”

“Shh. Annie… If you want to live, don’t come out. No matter what. Okay?”

Nia didn’t understand, but at Mia’s serious tone, she nodded silently. Mia quickly fixed her expression and sat in a secluded spot, away from the others as usual. The large man, half drunk, exhaled heavily as he staggered forward. His violent aura made it seem like he could explode at any moment, and the children swallowed nervously.

“Ugh… my head. Huh? What’s this?”

As always, he roughly shook the bucket in the middle and dumped its contents. A few coins and cheap accessories scattered across the ground.

“That’s it?”

“Th-There weren’t many people on the streets!”

“They only had coins!”

“We didn’t hide anything!”

“Yeah, nobody’s got money. But…”

He grabbed the nearest boy by the collar and lifted him up. The thin child dangled helplessly as if caught by a monster. Then the man shook him violently and threw him down.

“Ugh…!”

The boy covered his mouth to stifle a scream, he knew it would only make things worse.

“You should’ve worked harder! Who do you think feeds and houses you, you bastards?!”

The children could only pray for time to pass.

“Mia! Where are you, Mia!”

“…Here.”

“You’d better keep these brats in line with that smart head of yours. If there’s no haul like today, I might sell them off before long. Got it? Be grateful I let you slide just because you’re a girl. Tch.”

He licked his lips at the thought of selling Mia in a few years when she became an adult. Mia lowered her eyes, looking as though she had already given up on everything. She was smart, but still a child, unable to imagine escaping him.

Satisfied by her reaction, the man turned away with a grin. Then Mia froze.

He was heading toward the alley where she’d hidden Nia.

“What’s this? Looks like there’s a scared little rat here.”

Noticing Mia’s familiar cloak trembling, he roughly yanked it aside. Nia was revealed beneath it, frozen in terror, panting like a rabbit just caught. Mia ran forward and grabbed his arm.

“Let her go! She has parents!”

“Grab her!”

He shoved Mia away and barked orders. The children rushed in and pinned Mia down with all their strength.

“Oh? You know her? If she was adopted by some fancy parents from an orphanage, that’s even better. We should get the ransom before she gets thrown away like you! Hahaha!”

“Please! Stop it!”

Mia screamed desperately, but the man didn’t even flinch, he only grabbed Nia’s neatly braided hair.

“When the deal goes through, I’ll buy you all plenty of food! How about that?”

The children, having lived on thin gruel for days, cheered despite it was a complete lie. Overwhelmed by fear, Nia’s body finally went limp, she seemed to have fainted from shock.

“Why’s she so weak? This is why I hate kids. Tch. Mia, you know who her parents are—”

Bang!

A cannon-like explosion rang out, and everyone looked around. Red smoke rose in thin strands into the sky. From the narrow alley, figures began to emerge one by one.

“What the hell—who are you—?!”

The moment the man dropped Nia in shock, a sharp blade flew through the air and slit his throat instantly.

Thud.

His massive body collapsed without a sound.

“I’m the uncle!”

“I’m the aunt!”

“I’m—”

A blue-haired woman and a red-haired woman struck poses as they answered, while a white-haired boy hesitated, clearly struggling internally.

“Oh, Heath. Way to ruin the mood. We bet you’d be called her older brother if we found her safe within five minutes. He’s already dead.”

“Hey! You killed him too fast! I was going to! And Heath, it’s time you accept your role in this family!”

As they bickered, they picked up the unconscious Nia and glared at Heath. Given their line of work, they had rescued people many times before and seemed used to situations like this. But being forced into a family role was new for Heath,  and for the first time in his life, he felt humiliated.

“…I refuse!”

The boy, a devoted mama’s boy, clearly wasn’t ready to accept another sibling yet.

Chapter 19

Chapter List

Chapter 21