A Girl Of Talent

Sara wondered if she was lucky today. Her long life outside had been difficult, and she had reached a situation where she had nowhere suitable to sleep, so she had had no choice but to go to the orphanage where she used to stay. Then she had ended up receiving money from the strange gentleman she met there.

It was not a lot of money, but if she saved this much, she could live for a few days without going hungry.

“Here is your grilled skewer. Take it.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“What for? I’m taking money and selling it to you. I’m the one who should be grateful. Ahem.”

The skewer shop owner did feel suspicious at the sight of the girl, who for some reason was buying food with money, but he quickly erased it from his mind. Since he had received the money, all he had to do was give her the goods he was selling. The moment Sara moved away from the stand, she could not help but swallow her saliva as she looked at the skewer.

“…It looks delicious.”

It was grilled skewer meat she had always only smacked her lips at and watched while passing by. It was made by applying sauce to chicken and grilling it, and the smell alone made saliva gather in her mouth. She put it straight into her mouth and chewed one piece. She thought it tasted so good that her body trembled on its own.

‘It’s so delicious…’

She felt as if tears would come out on their own. Thinking that this was not scraps she usually begged for, but proper food, she could not help but feel good. When she thought that she would be able to eat things like this for several more days, her steps naturally became light.

Was it just as she was moving with such excited steps? There were people who blocked Sara’s path. They were all boys and girls in their teens, and judging from their clothes, they looked like children wandering the city without parents. Of course, Sara knew very well who they were.

“Hey, Sara. You’re eating something tasty, huh? Where did you get the money to buy something like that?”

“I don’t have money… Buying this was everything.”

“Oh, really?”

A boy who looked about fifteen years old, with gray hair, put a sly smile on his lips. At that sight, Sara could not help but feel anxious that the remaining money in her clothes might be taken. The boy took a little step closer to Sara and said,

“You know what happens if we search you and something comes out, right?”

“N-No.”

“No? What is it that can’t happen? That means you have money, huh?”

“D-Don’t do this.”

“Don’t do this? If someone saw us, they’d think I was bullying you. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

At the girl’s words, everyone snickered and laughed. Each and every one of them looked amused by teasing Sara. People passing nearby did see this sight, but they only glanced for a moment and passed by.

It was close to indifference, but if they got involved in the affairs of street children, that itself would become a troublesome matter, so even though everyone knew, they had no choice but to turn away. In reality, the people passing through the streets were not in a relaxed enough situation to get involved in other people’s business.

“Guys. Grab her for me.”

“Got it.”

“Sara, stay still.”

Before long, two boys came scurrying over and grabbed both of Sara’s arms as they were. At that, she let out an “Ah!?” and before she knew it, the gray-haired boy approached, snatched the skewer in Sara’s hand, and slipped it into his mouth to eat it. At that sight, Sara’s expression could not help but fill with despair.

“As expected, Uncle Tom’s grilled skewers are delicious. Even I only get to eat these once in a while, so you must have some money, huh?”

He held out the skewer he had been eating to the other children, and a few of them took it and ate one piece each. It could be said that only the children higher in the pecking order ate it. From this, it could be said that the gray-haired boy clearly took care of the kids under him and managed them well.

“Let’s see where you’re hiding the money.”

“D-Don’t. It’s not yours. This is my money! Let go of me right now!”

“Your money? Your reaction makes it obvious you have money left, doesn’t it? Huhuhu.”

The boy approached while licking the sauce on his lips and began searching Sara’s clothes. She tried to resist this action by putting strength into her body, but because she was held by the strong hands of the boys, she could not resist. In the end, several bills could not help but come out into the girl’s hand.

“Wow, look at this. You do have some money, huh? You had something like this and still hid it well?”

“Give it back! That’s my money!”

“Your money? You stole this from somewhere too, didn’t you?”

“No. Some gentleman gave it to me!”

“A gentleman? Some benefactor must have pitied you and handed you some money, huh?”

“Y-Yeah. So give it back.”

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s… too mean.”

“The one being too mean is you. Things like this should be shared as we live. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

At those words, everyone around burst into giggles as if saying he was right. At that, Sara had no choice but to lower her head deeply. In the end, the only thing she had gotten was one piece of grilled skewer meat. Now she would have to return to the same life as before.

‘Why am I so unlucky?’

She had no parents, and she had run away from the orphanage. She thought living itself was just too difficult. And today in particular, she even wondered if it would be easier if she just died. Even if she struggled desperately to survive, it seemed like things would not get any better than this.

‘In the end, if I keep going like this, I’ll be dragged off to some brothel, won’t I?’

Though she was young, she had matured early, so she knew many things. In particular, she knew very well that her situation was dangerous, to the point that not long ago, she had almost been dragged to a shop in the entertainment district. Just as she was slowly beginning to feel disillusioned with life, she could not help but be startled by the words she heard.

“You children over there, why don’t you let that girl go?”

“Wh-What are you?”

When a man wearing an expensive suit that clearly looked like something rich people would wear spoke to him, the gray-haired boy’s expression turned uneasy. The same was true of the children around him, and at that moment, Sara could not help but be startled when she realized the owner of the voice was the gentleman she had seen at the orphanage.

“Huh? Mister, you’re the one from earlier?”

“What? This gentleman gave you the money?”

“It is true that I gave her money, but you are still holding that child.”

“Mister, do you have money?”

“Money? I have a great deal of it. It would probably be hard to find anyone in the world with more than me. Perhaps only an emperor of an empire would have more?”

The wealth Ian possessed as King of Polia could not help but be tremendous. The gray-haired boy, who did not know this, simply thought he was bluffing by proudly saying he had a lot of money. Then he soon made his eyes shine and said,

“Then give us some charity too. Then we’ll let her go.”

“You are saying you will let Sara go if I give you money?”

“You even know her name? Anyway, that’s right. How about it?”

“You are an amusing child. But you should agree to such trades only after looking at who the other party is. You do not know how frightening the world is.”

At Ian’s cold words, the gray-haired boy could not help but flinch. At that moment, a man, who had appeared behind them at some unknown point, grabbed the backs of the necks of the boys holding Sara’s hands and lifted them high. At that, the children were startled and could not help but let go of the tray as they were lifted.

“L-Let us go!”

“Boss! Save us!”

The children flailed, but the children caught in Holy Knight Hans’s hands could not budge at all. At that sight, the gray-haired boy realized that things were going wrong. Through a fairly long life outside, his survival instincts told him that he must not try anything with this man.

“O-Okay. We’ll leave like this, so let our kids go.”

“It is not ‘let them go,’ but ‘please let them go,’ is it not?”

“P-Please let them go.”

At those words, Ian nodded, and Hans released the children he was holding. The children who fell to the floor landed on their backsides, but they soon got up and had no choice but to hurriedly retreat to where their friends were gathered. Amid that sight, just as everyone was about to flee, Ian said quietly,

“You are leaving just like that? You should return the money you stole.”

“O-Okay.”

He thought about whether he should ignore him and run away, but because he kept feeling that he should not do that, the boy carefully approached, returned the money he had taken to Sara, and then began running away as if fleeing. As several children ran away like that, only Sara was left behind.

“Th-Thank you for helping me.”

“What, it was not much.”

“You are a graceful person, Mister.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you helped me like this.”

“It is true that I helped you, but I came looking for you because I needed you.”

“Yes?”

At the words that he needed her, Sara suddenly felt suspicious. Seeing Sara’s wary expression, Ian wondered if he had spoken too directly, but he still thought it was better to be clear.

“It seems you have a talent you yourself do not know about. I will help that talent bloom, so come with me.”

“I have talent?”

“Yes, you possess a talent so great that you cannot even imagine it. If you make good use of that talent, you will no longer have to live a difficult life like this.”

“What kind of talent would someone like me have? You’re trying to trick me on purpose right now, aren’t you? You’re saying this because you’re trying to sell me off somewhere.”

Before long, Sara’s eyes had become wary. At that sight, Ian thought it would not be easy to persuade her. Of course, the conclusion was already decided. The girl named Sara would eventually go with him. He would make it happen unconditionally.

“What would I gain by selling you?”

“You would earn money.”

“That thing called money is something I have as much of as I want. What would I do by earning such petty change?”

“They said the more money you have, the better. Everyone knows rich people are greedy for money.”

“Oh, you certainly seem smart. You have also matured a great deal for your age.”

“Can’t you let me go? I want to leave.”

“Do you truly want that? Do you think your current life is the best one for you?”

“It is my life. It is none of your business, Mister.”

“Yes, it is your life. But I need you, Sara.”

“Why do you keep saying you need me? What do I have to do for you, Mister? Are you perhaps after my body…”

“Pfft, me? You?”

Ian looked at the girl with amused eyes. He was a man with two of the most beautiful women in the world as his wives. The fact that this little girl was saying such things to him was truly absurd. Furthermore, he was not a pervert who felt sexual desire toward young girls.

Meanwhile, seeing him laugh as if he found her ridiculous, Sara could not help but turn red. For some reason, even after saying it herself, she felt embarrassed. At the same time, since he did not want her for that purpose, she could only wonder what kind of talent this was for him to act like this.

“If I really do have some kind of talent, isn’t it already too late? I’m twelve.”

“Twelve? You are older than I thought. But that does not matter. Your talent will be answered by time anyway.”

Wizards could be said to live long. They could accumulate mana as much as much time had passed, and as they accumulated knowledge as well, their growth was slow, but they could steadily complete themselves as wizards. Of course, it was also good to learn magic at a younger age, but twelve was still not so late. It was a sufficient age.

“I really don’t understand what you’re saying. A talent where time is the answer?”

“It does not seem like something I can say here. Are you hungry right now?”

“I’m not hungry or anything.”

Growl. At the sudden sound from her stomach, Sara had no choice but to clutch her belly. She had already been hungry to begin with, but because she had eaten only a single piece of the skewer, it must have stimulated her hunger, and she could not help but feel even hungrier. Seeing her face become completely red, Ian said that since she seemed hungry, they should go.

“Come with me. I will buy you something delicious.”

“No, thank you.”

“Surely you are not planning to buy something again with the money you received just now?”

“That’s right. This is my money now. I can buy whatever I want with it.”

“That is true. But what will happen if you buy something with it again and run into those children again? Then your food will be taken away, and the remaining money will be taken again too.”

“Th-That’s…”

“Come with me so you can eat in peace. There, I will tell you about your talent.”

“…..I’ll only eat the food.”

From the way she said that after hesitating, he could tell that she had come a little closer. In truth, the original Sara would never have given such an answer. She would have run away with tremendous wariness, but because she had already come to feel familiarity and trust at the orphanage, her heart had been moved.

“Go, eat your fill, think it over, and make your decision.”

At that, Sara had no choice but to nod reluctantly. Meanwhile, Ian marveled at the performance of the magic tool inside his clothes. It was something he had received from Wizard Oran, and surprisingly, it was an item capable of translation. That was the reason he could communicate with the child named Sara.

‘To think there is a magic tool containing such translation magic. It is amazing. It was a good thing I made him mine.’

Thinking that, he soon began to move, and Hans followed behind him. The place they headed to like that was a high-class restaurant of considerable size in this city.

Of course, they were stopped at first because of Sara’s shabby clothes, but before long, after Ian handed over even a check equivalent to a day’s sales, he rented out the entire shop and was immediately able to enter. And what followed was the appearance of luxurious course dishes.

For Sara, it could only be a moment from another world. Starting with meat that melted softly in her mouth, all the way to sweet desserts, it made her wonder if this was what happiness was like.

At the same time, when he told her that if she followed him, she could eat food like this as much as she wanted, her heart could not help but melt on its own. The wariness she had held so firmly had no choice but to collapse before mere food.

It was the moment one girl’s heart collapsed before delicious food.