Kyle had ended up deciding to take Ethan's offer, He wore a green cloth backpack and some sandals, along with his usual rags and even a fancy cap. It was a gift from Irene, the head of the brothel.
Gathered today were all of the prostitutes who had pitched in to raise Kyle, and they all stood outside the brothel. It was a rare sight to see in broad daylight, and they all waved goodbye to Kyle.
One by one he gave each of them a hug. There were 7 in total, Irene and 6 other women who worked at the brothel.
Each hug was emotional and tear jerking. To Kyle, it was like saying goodbye to his seven mothers, and to them it was like finally seeing their son head off to become a man and go to work.
It was a completely bizarre and nontraditional scenario- one that would leave the nobles of the country in disgust upon seeing the filth and shame of the country gathered in such a joyous manner. Some nobles might have thought this as a mockery of the ceremonies held when a noble son turned 15, and was able to be considered a full fledged man who had completed his educational studies,
However, among this gathering in the slums of the royal capital where no decent folk would go, a gathering occurred that would touch the hearts of many if they could look past mere appearances.
No men were gathered, and not a single person was in the street of the thin alleyway. This was of course because nobody would come here unless it was to visit the brothel, which no sane person would do in broad daylight for fear of being seen.
After hugging each of his mothers, Kyle walked off waving and smiling towards the women who had raised him and treated him so well all his life.
He owed them everything. Especially the head of the brothel, Irene. Normally, bastards would be thrown to the streets, however he had been taken pity on by her and given such a wonderful life as a result.
He would definitely pay them back with interest. He was off to work as Ethan's apprentice as a blacksmith, and he swore to himself that 90% of the money he earned he would set aside for them. He would make them proud to have raised him. He wanted to ensure that they wouldn't regret having spent so much time and effort caring for such a useless and needy child.
Kyle knew that he was nothing more than a piece of lint shoved into the corner of society. He was a person who could die at any time and nobody would so much as sneeze at his passing. The cogs of society would not even stop turning for a single rotation if he were to be eliminated.
But knowing this made him all the more grateful for what his mothers had done for him.
He could not have asked for a better life.
It was time to head off, and he walked down the streets for the first time. The sun shone brightly into the bloodshot eyes of one who had lived his life in the dark. Kyle was not only malnourished, but had the figure of a ghost. One could almost see through his skin now that the light shone on it.
This was a testimony to the poverty he lived in. It was not because the prostitutes had been greedy with the money and not allowed him to eat much. On the contrary, Kyle had eaten more than his fill, and they often would go without eating just so he could have an extra meal- which tore at his heart.
Kyle was reminded of this harsh reality and further decided that he would make it so that they no longer had to suffer from such a situation.
Every single woman in that whorehouse was not there because they wanted to be- but because they had to in order to survive. Even Irene was barely able to keep the house running after sacrificing everything for her girls and Kyle.
Despite the fact that none of these people were related by blood, they were a closer family than most real families.
Kyle exited the alleyway after passing a few shady hooded men who seemed to be discussing some sort of trade, into a wide street full of liveliness.
Vendors stood at their stands advertising their products, and people walked back and forth looking at merchandise. There were more people than Kyle had ever seen in one place, all dressed in relatively nice clothes. They were not those of nobles, but of a higher level than Kyle was used to seeing.
There were stands selling raw meats and fish, vegetables, jewelry, weapons, tools, magical items, textiles, armor, and more. Kyle almost wanted to go over and take a look himself, but he knew that his duty was to meet with his new employer, and so he curbed the temptation to run around like an excited child looking at everything.
He instead turned the other way, down the street towards the industrial sector of the capital. The brothel where he had stayed in was hidden away in a corner of the commercial sector, and Kyle had to make his way to the industrial sector on his own. It was the first thing he would ever have to do on his own, and so he pulled out the map with pride as he readied himself for this small adventure.
He would have to travel down the main road for a while before making a left turn at a major crossing and then follow the path until the population density lightened up. There he would find the workplace of Ethan, all the way across the city.
Ethan had offered for Kyle a residence in the townhouse that he lived in, which was a small dormitory for his apprentices. Apparently Ethan was actually a big shot among the blacksmiths guild of the kingdom, and had many apprentices under his study.
This made Kyle somewhat nervous, as he was unsure if he would be able to meet the expectations put onto the other students, however he would do his best.
Kyle's arms were weak and malnourished, however this did not mean that he would not be able to work hard. Even under the conditions he had lived under, he was able to persevere and suck up any pain that he had gone through, knowing that the other women in the brothel were fasting more than he was.
Kyle saw a blonde man who was wearing the purple mark of royalty on him, and immediately stepped out of the way to allow the man to pass. While Kyle was not exactly aware of the cultural customs that existed outside of the brothel, he at least understood the difference between royalty and peasants.
This man beamed with a radiance that Kyle could not describe. He felt a kindness emerging from the man that was almost like the care given to him by his mothers. Instead of loudly proclaiming himself in the city, he simply shifted his way through the crowd. This was unthinkable for a member of the royal family, and people were soon stepping out of his way and begging for his forgiveness once they realized what he was wearing and who he was.
"Forgive me, your grace the indeterminant! If I had known it was you I would have lay prostrate an hour before you arrived!", a man said as he bowed down.
The rest of the crowd soon parted for the man to walk through.
"Please do not mind me. I am merely searching for someone, there is no need to make such a big deal out of my arrival", he said with a benevolent smile as he held his hand out to the man.
"I could never touch someone as honored as yourself with my filthy hands!"
"Ah... I see. Well then, as I said, please do not mind me, I am simply here to do work as usual. As a matter of fact, could I ask all of you to pretend as if you didn't see me here? If I am stopped like this every time I show my face somewhere, then the pace at which I accomplish work will decrease."
The people bowing were reluctant, but eventually they stood up.
"If it is your wish, your grace, the indeterminant."
"I appreciate it. This is for the sake of the country and its people after all."
Kyle could not help but find himself in awe of this figure. What a kind man. He had heard so many nasty things about royals and nobles from the complaining customers and even from some of his mothers, that he was sure that they were evil men, however this man was clearly unlike the stories he had heard.
The man shuffled his way through the streets, and as he had ordered nobody bowed before him in order to open a path, however they did get out of his way and allow him to pass swiftly.
He headed into the alleyway towards the brothel that Kyle's mothers resided in.
"It must be a coincidence. There is no chance that a royal as classy as that man would be heading towards our run down little home.", Kyle murmured to himself as he picked up the pace and followed the map drawn out by Ethan to reach the smithy.