~Chapter 27~
* * *
Some time later.
“……”
We were sitting in what looked like a secret hideout somewhere.
“Who are they? Outsiders?”
“That guy next to her looks like he’s from Saint Portou.”
Surrounded by young pickpockets, I studied each of them one by one, feeling like an animal in a zoo enclosure.
‘They said this district is basically run by kids now, right?’
Some looked like elementary schoolers by modern standards, others as old as high school students…
“Where are your parents?”
“Don’t need ’em. Life’s empty because we’re alone.”
“Even if we have them, they just lock us up in that academy prison and make us wear uniforms like convicts…”
“Enough. Want something to eat?”
I pulled snacks from my pocket — bits and pieces Karl had passed to me while escorting me the past few days.
Wrapped tart slices, meat pies, cake bits, sugared fruits, nuts, cookies, and chocolate…
“Is that pocket enchanted or something?”
“Why does it keep producing food?”
“Don’t eat it. Might really be cursed.”
“It’s not.”
I just packed efficiently.
Even so, the thought crossed my mind — he gave me a lot. Why so much?
Even when I smiled kindly, the kids didn’t drop their guard.
“Why are you giving this to us?”
Because this whole situation, by my standards, clearly qualified as child neglect.
The kids were scruffy, painfully thin — clearly not eating well.
‘Damn medieval fantasy worlds.’
Still eyeing me suspiciously, they didn’t budge.
Guess I’ll have to prove it’s safe to eat.
“Karl.”
“Why are you calli—mmph.”
Pop.
I quickly shoved a piece of chocolate into Karl’s mouth.
“……”
Caught off guard, he swallowed it and looked at me with rolling eyes. I patted his back reassuringly.
“See? He’s fine. No poison. No magic.”
“That guy looks like he wouldn’t die even if he was poisoned.”
“Probably wouldn’t bleed even if he got stabbed.”
…Can’t argue with that.
Guess it’s my turn to eat it myself now—
“What do you want?”
Apparently, the girl they called the “manager” didn’t intend to let this go on.
Her name was… “Eliza?”
A kid with fur bristled like a cat, just like Bess when she was younger.
How was her name Eliza? If you combine that with Bess, it’s practically Elizabeth.
‘Would they get along if I introduced them?’
As I got lost in that random thought, Eliza snapped irritably.
“Why’d you call us here anyway?”
“Let’s talk after eating a bit.”
But Eliza was way more temperamental than Bess.
Thud.
The tart I offered hit the ground like a guillotine.
Karl’s expression instantly darkened.
I quickly gestured at him to stop.
‘What were you about to say to a kid?’
Though I’d just taken a hit myself, it didn’t hurt much.
Still, kids should understand food’s value, so I took on a scolding tone.
“You know, when you die, all the food you wasted gets mashed together for you in the afterlife?”
“What?”
“That tart you just dropped? It’ll be waiting at the gates of hell for you…”
“Stop trying to distract me!”
Eliza cut me off, glaring warily at the tart.
I met her gaze and spoke seriously.
“Don’t be so prickly. I came to make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“The one I really want to meet is your boss.”
“……”
“More precisely, your boss’s boss’s boss…”
“You trying to meet the backstreet boss or something?”
“Exactly. Meeting you is just the first step.”
“……”
“I figured someone like you could connect me.”
That casual flattery clearly hit the mark — her guarded gaze slackened a little.
‘She’s looking at me like I’m a clueless idiot who barged in making ridiculous demands.’
And yet, being praised made her puff up slightly with pride. Her defensive eyes softened.
‘Just as planned.’
Back in my instructor days, I’d handled my fair share of prideful young trainees.
Eliza squared her shoulders and scoffed.
“Ha! You think the backstreet boss comes running when called…”
“Since the boss changed, we don’t even know how to reach them.”
“Hey! Tan!”
The one who answered was the pickpocket who led us here — Tan.
He was already munching on the snacks I gave him without a care in the world.
“Even the adults who used to take care of us were replaced.”
‘So that’s why no adults are around.’
At first, I thought the kids had all run away from home during a collective teen rebellion.
“The boss changed?”
“Yeah. About three months ago…”
“Three months.”
This time, Karl spoke.
He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, his hair brushing against it.
“Embezzlement inside the Duke’s estate increased around then.”
“Jeremy?”
“I overheard him questioning the soldiers about it.”
Hmm. Definitely something fishy going on.
“Did any almond-scented cigarettes start showing up around here?”
“Never seen those…”
“Don’t talk!”
Eliza’s fierce glare silenced Tan.
I offered Eliza a piece of pie again.
“You’d know better than the others, wouldn’t you?”
“……”
“Items like that usually move through middle managers. You probably have more info.”
“You…”
“You really haven’t seen any? I’m just asking.”
Eliza bit her lip a few times before asking,
“Why do you want to know?”
“For a secret crime investigation.”
“……”
“And maybe to help protect you all a little.”
“Protect?”
Her face twisted in irritation, and her hand shot up — ready to smack the pie away again.
I started to pull my hand back, but—
Karl calmly reached out and shielded my hand with his own.
Smack!
“Ow!”
Wait… Eliza’s the one who yelped?
He took the hit, but she’s the one hurting?
Is his hand made of stone or something?
“Why’d you block it?”
Instead of replying, Karl took the pie from my hand and bit into it.
I grimaced and pulled away.
“Eat with your own hands.”
“You fed me earlier, though.”
That wasn’t feeding — more like tossing it into your mouth.
“Anyway!”
Eliza frowned, still clutching her hand in pain.
“I don’t have any info for you. And we don’t need your protection.”
“I told you. I’m not here begging. I’m offering a trade.”
“……”
“I’m not here to play savior. You give me what I want, and I help you get what you need.”
It hurt my pride a bit to insist this wasn’t charity.
‘I was never good at this kind of interrogation or negotiation.’
Even those young trainees I used to handle — I usually just dumped them in boot camp in the end. It was faster and easier.
But I didn’t want to treat these scrappy kids the same way. They had nowhere else to turn.
I couldn’t ignore them — not as an adult.
“You must have had your reasons for agreeing to meet me.”
“……”
“So what are they? Tell me.”
Eliza bit her lower lip — clearly wavering.
“We…”
Just as she opened her mouth and reached into her pocket…
Something old and silver slipped out — a worn pocket watch, clearly sized for an adult.
Eliza’s eyes shook as she saw it.
‘What’s that?’
But the moment of suspicion was short.
“Eliza!”
Bang!
A pale-faced boy rushed in through the building entrance.
“I can’t find anything else! Everything left is too dangerous to climb…”
But he froze when he saw us.
He silently exchanged a look with Eliza — and something serious passed between them.
Eliza’s voice turned cold.
“Forget it. The deal’s off.”
“Eliza…”
“Please leave.”
She stood up abruptly and left with the boy.
