"No!"
Tapper rushed in front of Roman.
He raised his arm...
Shhhck!
The sound of metal cutting through flesh rang out.
"Erk!"
A person had appeared out of nowhere behind Maple and had thrown a knife towards Roman.
Tapper gritted his teeth in pain.
The knife was blocked by Tapper's quick reaction.
The smell of the AlleyWays weren't coming from Maple but rather, the person behind Maple!
She had hidden the assassin behind her back and masked his footsteps with her own heavier ones.
"M-Maple?" The Young Master stuttered.
The current expression of the head maid deeply frightened Roman. It was an expression he has never seen on anyone's face before.
A scowl had twisted Maple's facial features. Her original plain and neutral expression was nowhere to be found.
She also looked at Tapper the same way.
It was hard to say who she hated more.
Meanwhile, Tapper and the attacker were having a face off. Tapper pulled out his fish wire.
'Damn. My arm is injured. He doesn't look weak either. It will be a hard fight.'
The attacker was as young as Tapper. But he was more taller and robust.
Maple wasn't very tall. She wasn't very fat either.
It would have been hard to hide a tall and fully grown assassin behind her well enough to lure out Roman. After all, the path leading to the emergency shelter was a tunnel that wasn't very wide or had many places to hide behind.
Besides, two pampered and weak children who grew up under good food and shelter couldn't be so difficult to deal with.
So the assassin sent was a newbie.
The young assassin stared at the two children in front of him. They were about his age.
'Tch. These soft and weak members of the noble class couldn't possibly understand the pains of the poor.
'Yet, that arrogant scumbag decides to try to eradicate us for trying to survive?'
It was a noble thing that the young assassin was undertaking. For his organization's future, he had to bring back the son of Chief Tourey alive.
The higher ups had considered sending someone more experienced but ultimately decided that as a seedling, he needed experience.
The young assassin was the top of his generation anyways. He could handle it.
However, out of his expectations, the knife sent to incapacitate the young master of the Tourey family was fully blocked by a servant.
It wasn't even a guard but a—
'Wait…' the young assassin carefully observed that servant that took his dagger head on. The fish wire and strange form.
'This fellow…'
"You…"
The young assassin froze in shock. And in front of a surprised Maple and a confused Roman, he shouted.
"It's you?!"
Tapper was surprised too. He didn't think he would be recognized. He rarely ever went to the Southern AlleyWays.
"Why are you here?!"
"Do we know each other?" Tapper asked.
"You don't remember—"
The young assassin was cut off as a vicious slice came towards his face. He dodge hastily. At the same time, Tapper wove a net with one hand and pinned Maple onto the ground. Thanks to his reverse dagger style, he was capable of fighting with his former skill with an injured arm.
It would not be good if she had caught the Young Master.
Meanwhile, the young assassin and Tapper traded blows. Both of them were in full concentration in the fight against a dangerous enemy.
Ting ting ting ting ting.
The speed of the knife as it met the fish wire made a string of collision sounds. But its power as it met the flexible fish wire was severely decreased.
Tapper slowly began to get wounded. First it was a slash here. Then it was a cut there. The assassin was still in top notch form.
"Noble's dog! Look how weak you became. Where were the guts you had when you stole from me?!" The assassin taunted.
Tapper gritted his teeth trying to not think about his injuries.
'Oh is that why the assassin doesn't like me very much?
'Focus.
'Just a bit more. Just a bit more!'
The assassin sneered. He snuck in another quick slash before dodging away from a whistling coil of fish wire.
As much as the young assassin wanted to continue messing with the accursed thief, he knew he had to end it soon. He charged forward with the blade aimed for Tapper's throat.
Suddenly a burst of strength came from Tapper's body.
Out of nowhere, a knife appeared and slashed at the young assassin's face.
Caught unawares by Tapper, he used every muscle in his body to stop his forward momentum and barely dodged it.
The young assassin had lowered his guard after he was slowly overpowering Tapper. That dodge distracted the young assassin for a split second. But it was enough for Tapper to finish weaving the fish wire.
By the time the young assassin focused, he tried to jump out of the net.
However coils of fish wire had already surrounded him. There were different shapes of meat cutlery tools flying from him in all directions.
It was the move that Tapper had used against Lord Wayde.
At that time. Wayde was capable of evading it and blocking it. But the young assassin could not.
His arms and neck were wrapped by the fish wire like a fly in the web of a spider.
Tapper took the opportunity to jump on top of the assassin and shoved his face into the dirt.
"Argh. Damn you, you $&@#%^! ##€%^¥*^%#!! @##$@&$"
'As expected of a fellow AlleyWays denizen… ouch it hurts…. terrific verbal skills! It's comparable to my own.'
Tapper grumbled as he dragged the bound assassin, the hate filled Maple, and the fainted Roman back towards the shelter and firmly the door
Tapper swiftly changed Roman's pee drenched pants.
'The Young Master would hate it if anyone else saw that he wet his pants in fear. Then I would be punished. Out of anger as well. Oh my life.' He thought.
It was only after that that he dressed his own wounds.
Meanwhile, the assassin was still spewing out vulgarities. Tapper soon knocked him out after an attempt to bite Roman.
Tapper removed his shirt and began to apply some bandages that he found in a first aide kit within the shelter.
He gritted his teeth and tightened the bandage on his arm wound.
Maple watched Tapper's actions in silence.
She saw how he had swiftly blocked her view as he changed Roman's pants. She noticed how even as he was bleeding, he had still made sure of Roman's comfort and safety.
A complicated feeling arose. It was her who had taught him that the Master's needs came before his own... and she had gone and betrayed Lord Wayde.
How ironic.
"Why?"
A steady voice broke the peace and calm. It was Tapper.
"Why what?"
Maple snapped.
"You know what I am talking about…" Tapper continued to focus on dealing with his wounds. He did not look at Maple.
"...Head maid."
Hearing that familiar form of address, Maple's eyes widened before a sneer spread across her face.
"Oh. You're asking me why I betrayed that son of a bitch and his spoiled scum of a son?"
She laughed harshly.
"Do you realize that…
"They do not give a damn about our lives?"
Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled.
"You think they appreciate the work that we do? No….
" In their heads, all of us are simply ants made to serve their overrated asses as they 'protect' the city from the outside world. All they do is jealously hoard their combat energy flow secrets when spreading it amongst the populace would be a far more effective way to protect the city!"
'What is she talking about? What's this… energy flow thing?'
Tapper's expression changed.
Maple, who had misunderstood, grew delighted seeing that he had such a reaction. Her ranting grew more explosive.
"Only they cower behind their high quality lives! They cowardly order the ordinary people to fight when all of them should be doing the protecting! And as soon as one normal person SLIGHTLY offends them, then they would tyrannically punish them and greatly display their combat energy skills in a spectacular show of power."
"Bah!"
She spat out viciously.
"Disgusting!"
Maple's chest heaved up and down with the strength of her passion. She saw that the thoughtful look that Tapper had, had formed into a doubtful expression.
Abruptly, her own face softened. If Tapper had not seen her expression moments earlier, he would have mistaken it for a motherly aura.
She spoke warmly.
"Youngster. What's your name? You don't need to slave for those hypocrites. You should not be wasting your talents on this hopeless retard. Become part of something greater! Find some meaning with these short lives of ours. "
Tapper remained silent.
Then he calmly stated. "Master has not yet asked. I shall not divulge."
Maple still continued, undeterred by Tapper's response.
"With us, you do not have to bow to anyone. Neither would you ever be treated with derision or rudeness. Dealing with Roman was difficult right? You must have felt humiliated. Or jealous? Even anger, that he can instantly toss something away that you desperately want."
Her eyes took on a look of compassion.
Those last couple of words struck Tapper deeply…
'...school…' He thought longingly.
"You're young.
"You should be at an age where you freely enjoy the bright side of life. Yet you are living a life in servitude to a master that doesn't deserve you.
"Don't you also want to try out some game that you saw in the store windows? Or even suggest out a movie idea that you would like to watch.
"How about today?
" Did you not feel any hunger as you stood there, pouring juice or clearing plates for the young master?
"When you saw that huge chunk of leftover cake, did you not want to give it a try?
" When Roman threw out various foods, did you ever feel your heart bleed…
".... and even think 'I could have had that' kinds of thoughts?
"Imagine! If all this would not just be exclusive to the nobles!"
Her voice that had rose with each sentence, fell and turned soft. Like a blanket that enveloped everything.
"We could do it all… Everyone could do it all! All that you have wanted but could not get would be something reachable.
"Tell me, child…
"What have you ever desired?"
Tapper looked away from Maple and mumbled under his breath. Under a few moments of silence, he could no longer hold Maple's gaze and slowly said.
"... I want to go to school… just like Roman…"
Maple was surprised and responded.
"What?"
Tapper cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"It's nothing."
Maple had struck at the heart of all of Tapper's most secretive thoughts.
He did feel all of that today.
And he admitted it was tempting. However a thought occurred to him.
"Then, what about the AlleyWays?"
Tapper interjected just as Maple was opening her mouth again.
"Why don't you help out the oppressed people from the AlleyWays? The organization you belong to is based there right?"
Maple was left stunned.
"We cannot help with every issue in this world… besides… The AlleyWays people are there for a reason. They aren't exactly good people. It will be hard to change that."
Hearing that, Tapper smiled sadly. Then his face went back to looking neutral.
"How about some food? Maybe clothes? Self defense weaponry? Shelter?" Tapper said all of that in one breath.
"Why don't you help them out?"
By now, Tapper's expression was an unmovable block of ice.
Maple became angry. Her eyes turned fierce once more.
"There isn't enough time or resources! We have to focus on the larger picture. For the good of basic commoners!...."
Tapper sighed.
He remembered his old life. It was filled with constant danger.
Vicious orphans would even kill each other over the possession of a blanket. Food had also been heavily contested for.
What would they have done for the life Tapper was living now?
But the hunger, cold, and violence was not the worst aspect of being an AlleyWays denizen…
Maple's voice continued.
"..... In that light, what importance are there in some little rats?"
Tapper's expression was one of calmness. He looked towards Maple. But there was no longer any longing or doubt. Instead, in his eyes was a bone chilling coldness.
He looked at Maple and said.
"I will not betray the Master. Nor the Young Master."
'Do you really think you can pull me in like that?'
He looked down disdainfully as if he was back in those days when he had looked down on the streets of Market Area with Ink.
"Aren't you such heroes? That you have to save the important commoners that are obviously living lives of suffering."
Tapper grew a little angry.
'The people that had the one precious thing that the majority of the AlleyWays had lost. Yet they bemoan their ordinary lives?'
'What bullcrap!'
'But I have it now too. Unlike before, I now….
'...have hope.
'Hope for the future.'
And for the first time in over a year, Tapper completely relaxed all of his facades.
He showed a smile confidently as he had done every time he snatched a big bag of money from a 'fat wallet'. The light source reflected off his eyes which were normally numb and polite and made it seem as if Tapper had come alive.
"Listen up, self proclaimed oppression victim.
"As great as your goals sound…
"I do not need a lofty and idealistic organization.
"Nor heroic people spewing righteousness…."
Tapper scoffed. He glared at Maple who was about to erupt in fury.
"As one of the so called 'rats'...
Maple was stunned.
"... I'd say."
" I would rather have the 'bad guy' that has helped me…
"... over the 'good guy' too busy fighting the 'bad guy' to give assistance!
"So, even if the Master decided to turn into a demon, I will still be willing to serve him!"
Tapper swung his arm and pointed at Roman.
"And the Young Master acts spoiled only because he's young. He doesn't know anything. He will grow out of it eventually. I don't want to wish him ill just because he had lived a better life than me."
Tapper huffed. He smirked as if he thought about something. He spoke to the livid Maple.
"... get over yourselves.
" You aren't all that better than what you claim to fight."