02

Several hours later.

They had walked through the commercial district, occasionally stopping to rest at teahouses they came across along the way, but they still hadn’t found anything resembling what Ains was looking for.

“…At this rate, I really should’ve casually asked Kansas-san before heading out…”

Whatever enthusiasm he’d had a few hours earlier was long gone—Ains’s spirit had already been thoroughly crushed.

Seeing his state, Sophia couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“What shall we do, Ains-sama? Should we head back for today?”

“…Hmm.”

Even so, Ains continued trudging forward bit by bit.

They were now in the southern part of the commercial district—what would be the southwest of Kirk.

The number of wagons passing by had decreased, and the trading houses with signboards were nowhere to be seen. Apartment buildings with some age to them began to appear, and vacant lots and patches of farmland became more common.

“The atmosphere’s changed quite a bit.”

“Yeah. How should I put it… it feels run-down.”

Even outsiders like Ains and Sophia could clearly sense it—the air in this southwestern part of the royal capital Kirk was markedly different from before.

It wasn’t something unique to Kirk, nor to the Santia Kingdom. It was a place found anywhere. Even in a city as vibrant as Kirk, light inevitably cast shadows.

This was that shadow—the part Kirk had cast aside. In other words, a slum.

Compared to other cities or countries, security here was still relatively good, but precisely because Kirk’s bright side shone so intensely, the contrast was all the more striking.

Only wide, lifeless roads stretched on ahead. The stone pavement, once well maintained, showed cracks and missing sections here. Abandoned trash gradually became more noticeable, especially the farther south they went.

“……”

“……”

Their conversation dwindled.

Sophia wore a sorrowful expression, while Ains gazed over the desolate afternoon streets with an unreadable, expressionless face.

They reached an intersection.

Where wide roads crossed, a plaza-like open space naturally formed.

Garbage lay scattered about, and along the edges of the road stood numerous ramshackle shelters—little more than makeshift sleeping spaces, barely enough to keep out the rain, cobbled together from discarded wood and building materials.

“Hey! Hurry up and hand it over, you trash!”

A rough voice rang out through the otherwise quiet, lifeless slum.

“S-Stop… please… This is the only thing I have… no…!”

Ains and Sophia both turned toward the source of the shouting.

There, several men stood wielding crude, unmaintained short blades and other junk-like weapons. In their midst was a young girl, curled up tightly, as if desperately protecting something precious.

“Shut up! You worthless scum should be grateful you’re even allowed to live here without getting cracked down on! You’ve got no right to complain to decent folk!”

One of the men kicked the girl hard in the side with a black leather boot.

“…ngh—”

The air was forced from her lungs, and she let out a soundless scream. She looked slightly younger than Ains and Laika—perhaps around ten years old.

It wasn’t just one man. Several surrounded her, kicking, stomping, and hurling abuse.

“Someone… p-please… anyone…”

Her small plea for help was drowned out by the men’s vicious shouting.

Nearby, some people watched timidly from their decaying shelters, trembling. Others clasped their hands together as if praying that the same injustice wouldn’t befall them. Some felt sympathy for the girl, but lacking the strength to help, they averted their eyes, tormented by guilt.

It was a grotesque scene. Men with gleaming eyes threatening and assaulting a girl with clumsy weapons; people in the same circumstances as the girl holding their breath as if already dead; and the girl herself, tears streaming as she looked through the gaps between the men’s kicking legs at the slum’s inhabitants.

“…This is unbearable to watch!”

“……”

Ains felt it too. He sympathized with the girl. But unlike Sophia, he didn’t feel outright fury toward any of the three groups present.

“Ains-sama, please wait here!”

Leaving those words behind, Sophia dashed toward the girl.

“H-Hey! Sophia, don’t forget—you’re not carrying a sword!”

Ains reached out with his left hand and called after her, but Sophia didn’t stop, already closing in on the men.

“…Sigh. Figures.”

Ains slowly followed after her.

“Hey. Get away from that child. Now.”

Sophia’s voice was cold—utterly mismatched with her elegant, dressed-up appearance—as she confronted the men.

“…What the hell? This has nothing to do with you!”

One of the men turned to face her, momentarily stopping his kicks. The remaining four continued assaulting the girl, trying to rip something hidden at her chest away from her.

“You’re right. It has nothing to do with me. But it’s obvious that what you’re doing is not justifiable.”

“Lady, you don’t get it. These trash don’t deserve protection just because they wave around some ‘justice’!”

The man glanced at the girl, who was quietly crying and growing weaker by the moment, then continued.

“I don’t know their past. But right now, they’re not fulfilling a single obligation of living in this kingdom. They don’t pay taxes. They don’t work. They squat here illegally and rot a part of Kirk. All because of scum like them.”

“That doesn’t justify your actions!”

“Nah, makes no difference. Living in the kingdom while refusing to fulfill your duties—if the state stepped in, they’d be thrown straight into prison. After that? Disposable labor in the mines.”

Snorting, the man went on.

“So we’re saying, hand over what you’ve got, and we won’t rat you out. We’re being merciful. They don’t want to die, do they?”

“Well, not like they’ve got much reason to live anyway.”

At that moment, the girl finally lost her strength. The pendant she had been clutching to her chest slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.

One of the men picked it up and signaled to the man speaking with Sophia.

“Got it. Let’s go. We’ve gotta hand this over to the boss.”