"Huh... Huh... Shit... Damn it!"
"I" slowly let go of the blade of the broken dagger while adjusting his disorderly breath.
Even though it was broken in the middle, it was too big for a child's hand.
Karat, the capital of the Kingdom of Farland, the world's largest country.
Surrounded by a historical white castle with three layers of solid castle walls and powerful magical barriers, this beautifully maintained city is also called the White City because of its appearance.
However, even in this seemingly beautiful city, there is something called a blemish.
The more the kingdom prospered, the wider the gap between rich and poor, and the more distortions were born in society.
This slum is the result of those who have been driven out of the kingdom's center stage by the distortions that have been created, and those who have gathered in a corner of the slums.
This slum is a shady paradise, where the sun never reaches, and even the knights can't carelessly touch it because of the shadow of the ramparts.
There is no order in this place.
There is only the fact that the winner takes all.
There are no adults or children involved.
That's why when I left the orphanage where I was born and raised and entered the struggle for survival in this slum, I was prepared.
Stealing, killing, torture, rape, whatever the means. I have survived by accumulating all sorts of vices, using luck as my ally, and using countless corpses as stepping stones.
But it looks like that will end today.
"Goo... gah..., shit...! You're just going to get serious about a kid..."
In the slums, not only food, but all goods must be purchased from the front, and are therefore extremely valuable.
Of course they are monopolized by the organization that controls this slum, and there are only two ways to obtain them. Follow them and receive blessings or take them away.
If we obey them, we can see that weak brats like us will be used up appropriately.
I was not allowed to do that.
Because the slums are so large, no matter how much they rule, the upper echelons of the organization rarely reach the bottom.
That's why I followed my minions and attacked only those low-level scoundrels, but apparently I went a little too far.
Finally, the upper echelons of a certain organization took notice of us, and we, who were nothing more than a group of powerless and ignorant brats, were easily caught in a trap.
Even though he managed to escape, his subordinates were scattered and left alone, and were attacked by the organization's pursuers.
"Gofu...! Shit..., as expected, it's tough..."
I managed to win against the assassin with a gap, but I'm more bruised and tattered than my opponent.
There's blood in my cough, probably because my internal organs were hit earlier, and there's scratches all over the place, and the clothes that were cut by that fucking bastard are covered in blood.
More than anything burnt to pieces・・・・・・The scar on my back is bad.
The wound on my back that was cramping until just now doesn't feel anything anymore, but even now I can feel that life is slowly spilling out from there.
"Anyway... in a safe place..."
I don't think there's anything like that in this slum, but since there's no guarantee that we won't be pursued again, we should move out of here as soon as possible.
I revitalized my tattered body and slowly descended from the body of the assailant man who was on horseback.
I glanced at the man who had persistently tormented me with a grinning smile and finally died with a look of fear and despair. bottom.
◇◆◇◆
"Gu..., ah..."
how far did you walk?
I no longer have a sense of time, and I don't even know where I am now.
Even while he was doing this, life continued to spill out along with blood from his wounds, and the inevitable death was imminent.
「...?」
Even so, I continued to move my legs, and I could hear the lively hustle and bustle that I never heard in the slums.
When I looked up, I could see a lot of neatly dressed people coming and going on the street at the end of the narrow alley.
(I see, this is the outskirts of the slums...)
In this area, which is the outer edge of the slum and the boundary with the front side, the knights patrol to prevent the slum residents from coming out, so it is relatively safe.
As expected, no pursuers will come here. They shouldn't want to cause trouble for the Knights.
"Goo...!"
Perhaps from the relief of knowing that safety has been secured, the tension that had hitherto been released and the strength left my body.
As I leaned back against the wall and sat down on the ground, I was hit by a tremendous feeling of fatigue and drowsiness.
(This is..., bad...)
Even though they were able to secure their safety, they still spilled too much blood.
I no longer have the strength to stand up.
Portion Recovery used up all of them in the battle just now, and I have no one to call for help.
It is completely clogged.
I'm barely conscious, but I'm sure if I let go of it now, I'll never wake up again.
"Ah... Uh..."
On the street outside, neatly dressed people come and go, and stallholders lined up on the side of the road stop customers.
The lovers are happily arm in arm, and a child about the same age as me is smiling while being led by his parents.
None of them even noticed the dying kid in the alley nearby.
Of course, I live in a different world than they do.
The boundary between the brightly lit main street and the dim alley, the invisible wall there divides the world completely.
(What's the difference between me and him...)
That's why I can't accept this reality.
I didn't want to be born in a slum, so why is it so different?
Most of them don't live by scavenging garbage, and they probably never kill people.
You can eat warm meals every day, and you don't have to worry about someone attacking you while you sleep.
Such a dream-like world is right in front of my eyes and nose, but I can't even touch it.
The fact tightens my chest to the extent that it is crazy.
(First of all... i-na...)
Finally, the heat in my body was completely lost, and I could no longer move even one finger.
My consciousness gradually faded, and I could not think of anything.
This is the end of my life--
"I don't like it..."
Rake up the remaining dregs of consciousness and reject it.
I definitely don't want to die like garbage in a place like this.
I wasn't born for this meaningless life!
"I do not want die..."
That's it! I still want to live!
God, if you have one, I'll give you my all.
that's why--!
But reality is heartless.
No matter how much I pray, miracles never happen.
scared
cold
pain
sleepy
I don't like it
I do not want die
who
who
---help
◇◆◇◆
"--You have a very rare 'color', don't you?"
In my fading consciousness, I felt like I heard a voice.
It was the voice of a young girl, yet somehow full of confidence.
I wonder how much time has passed since then. His five senses were almost dead, and time passed in the darkness without understanding anything.
At this rate, it's only a matter of time before he dies... No, he might already be dead.
"Miss!
I also heard hallucinations for another person, this time an old woman.
I see, is it something like a selfish noble lady and her watchdog?
Even so, it's usually impossible for a noble to come to such a slum.
It might be a mistake to seek common sense in auditory hallucinations.
"Hey, Martha. Look, don't you think black hair is rare?"
Black hair is probably referring to me after all.
When I can remember, I was in an orphanage, so I don't know who my parents were.
She must be the child of a prostitute who was impregnated by a customer. It's a familiar story in the slums.
What I inherited from such a parent is this jet-black hair and eyes that seem to melt the darkness of the night.
It seems that black hair and black eyes are quite rare in this country, and since I was a child, I had a lot of trouble being targeted by perverts and human traffickers.
It seems that this color, which is disgusting to me, is also interesting to girls.
"Oh, Ojou-sama!? Don't touch such dirty things like corpses!"
"What are you talking about, you're alive and well. Even so, you look pretty shabby. Do all commoners like this kind of outfit?"
Certainly, my current appearance is a piece of rags that have been chopped up and stained with blood. I admit it's shabby, but I'd like to say that I'm not dressed like this because I like it.
"Miss, I think it's an ordinary commoner. It's probably a slum person."
"Slam?"
"Yes. It's a place where sub-human beasts that attack people with their desires live. Even though they're children, I think this is one of them."
I knew that the slum dwellers weren't well thought of by the people on the surface, but it seemed like they were being called quite cruel.
Sadly, there is nothing that can be argued against.
"Heh... I like it. Let's take this home."
"What are you talking about!? It's dangerous!"
The servant looks surprised, but I have the same impression.
I wonder where there was a favorite element in the explanation just now.
I don't know much about nobility.
"If it's a beast, then why not train it? I destroyed the previous one, and I just wanted a new servant."
"My husband will object!"
"I won't... Father is busy, so he's not interested in such trivial things."
「...」
Unlike the confident look she had just now, the girl's voice sounded somewhat lonely.
That made me sad.
This girl doesn't have a lonely voice like this, but a voice full of confidence just now suits her.
Surprisingly, it seems that I quite like this auditory hallucinating girl.
"Even so, what do you mean you're sleeping all the time even though I'm talking to you? It looks like you need punishment right away."
"No, Ojou-sama. Isn't this sleeping, but dying?"
"picture...?"
"It's dirty and I don't know the details, but even if you look at it lightly, it has quite a few scratches. Is this really alive?"
I wanted to listen to this pleasant Ojou-sama conversation for a little longer, but it looks like it's about to end.
The girl's voice faded, and the consciousness that miraculously remained was also sinking into darkness.
"Say that kind of thing sooner! Martha! Treat this quickly!"
"Ha...! No, no..., but this person..."
"You're saying that you can't listen to my orders because you're a servant!"
"...Understood"
I no longer feel fear.
I can't even feel it.
My existence disappears.
(Ahh...)
At the very least, I wanted to see that girl's face for the last time.
I know it's an illusion.
Even so, I wanted to burn into my eyes the existence of someone who would watch over me at the end of my life.
"'Ex Heal'!"
"Huh...!?"
It was sudden.
My consciousness, which had been sunk in darkness, was suddenly caught up in the torrent of light and forced to surface.
At the same time, a burning heat was born in the depths of my chest, and it spread throughout my body in an instant, awakening the senses in my body that had lost its strength.
"Oh! Geho...! Gefu! Goha...!"
I couldn't breathe when I was woken up without knowing why, and I spit out the blood that had accumulated in my body.
I don't understand what happened.
However, the pain in my body disappeared before I knew it, and judging from the fact that I was breathing for fresh air, it seems that I was saved.
"I wonder if you've finally woken up. You've got a lot of guts to keep me waiting."
"Huh!?"
I couldn't understand the situation, but from above my head, the voice of the aristocratic girl from earlier came down.
However, the conversation up until a little while ago should have been an auditory hallucination created by my head...
No matter what, I can't help but react.
Even though I was confused, I raised my head and froze.
"Oh? You have an unexpectedly beautiful face. If it's this, you can leave it by my side."
it's a young girl
A girl probably younger than me, maybe ten or so, was looking down at me sitting on the ground.
「...」
I can't take my eyes off the girl.
I learned for the first time that people stop thinking when they see something truly beautiful.
She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
Honey-colored hair that glistens in the sunlight, and emerald eyes that tend to hang with a strong will.
A young but feminine body wrapped in a deep red dress that is instantly recognizable as a luxury item, all of which form a work of art called her.
I was made to understand instinctively that the status of beings as beings was different from the atmosphere that even felt like a god wrapped around her, and I didn't even feel like rebelling against her.
"Mega... mi, sama...?"
Its appearance reminded me of the goddess statue I once saw in an old church.
I've never believed in God, but I couldn't find any other words to describe her.
If she's a goddess, am I dead after all?
However, since I was able to meet such a goddess at the end, maybe my shitty life wasn't so bad.
"... fufu, fufufufu! Ahahahaha!"
At my words, the goddess had a dumbfounded expression, but suddenly she raised her voice and laughed.
There was no divine atmosphere there until now, and there was a girl who was suitable for her age.
"Did you hear about me just now? You call me a goddess. Certainly I'm the most beautiful in the world, but that's why I'm a goddess... Ahaha! You know the habits of common people, don't you? circle"
Apparently, the goddess in front of me wasn't a goddess.
She's a human, not a goddess, so am I still alive?
Or is this just an illusion?
I didn't know what was going on anymore.
"What's your name?"
"...picture?"
I couldn't understand the situation and was frozen, so I was late in responding to the girl's sudden question.
"Isn't it always inconvenient for you? Hurry up and tell me your name."
"name..."
yes, the name...
In the slums, children are consumables that are born one after another and die like crazy.
There was no adult who could think of a name for an existence that was likely to be dead tomorrow.
That's why the children of the slums decided their own names and called themselves, but most of them died before I could remember them.
To be honest, it doesn't matter if you don't have a name.
Well, that's why...
I don't have a name
「...」
As expected, I didn't expect that the name would come to such a place where I thought that the name was just a symbol and put off thinking about it.
The fact that this girl doesn't even have a name to call herself makes me realize once again that I don't have anything, and I feel miserable and want to die.
"What's wrong? I wonder if you can't listen to my orders?"
「...」
"Lady, perhaps he doesn't have a name? I've heard that many children in the slums don't have names."
The one who saved me when I was unable to answer the girl's question was an old woman who was sitting next to me before I knew it.
To be honest, I didn't even notice that I was here until now because my eyes were only focused on the girl, but given the circumstances, there's no doubt that this old woman was the one who cast healing magic on me when I was dying.
"...Is that so?"
"..."
At the girl's question, all I could do was shake my head slightly.
Are you disappointed?
I knew that I was at the bottom, but I didn't want to be hated by this girl.
"What, if that's the case, say it quickly. Phew... If it doesn't have a name, there's no problem if I give it to you, right?"
"picture...?"
But the girl didn't care about that and smiled, put her hand on her cheek and started thinking.
I thought that she would definitely hate me, but I couldn't do anything but stare at the girl with a stupid expression on my face at the unexpected reaction.
"Let's see... how about 'Crow'? It's the name of the black bird in mythology. It's a name that suits you, who is black."
"black..."
After a long thought, the girl who finally opened her mouth gave me a name.
It doesn't belong to anyone else, it's mine... it's my name.
With that alone, I realized that the gray world was being repainted vividly inside me, with her at the center.
"You are already mine. From now on, you will serve me with everything from the tip of your hair to the drop of blood. Do you understand?"
The girl in front of me speaks arrogantly and says something unreasonable.
Normally, I wouldn't want to be ruled by someone, but my life was saved and I was given a name.
And more than anything else, he needed a human like this garbage.
So what's wrong with giving her everything I have?
"...I understand, from now on I'm yours. Use it however you like."
I don't know what to do at a time like this, but I thought I'd at least try to imitate a knight I saw in some book.
Kneel in front of the girl, bow your head and swear to her.
Even I laugh at the fact that slum brats imitate knights.
However, if the girl in front of me wanted it, I thought it would be fine.
"Yes.
Apparently I wasn't wrong.
The girl nods satisfactorily, then turns her back on me and starts walking.
An old woman follows after her, and I stand up in a panic when I see it.
"Wait!"
"What?"
Before I knew it, I had stopped her.
Perhaps dissatisfied with being stopped, the girl turned her head in a bad mood.
"Name..., tell me your name!"
I still don't know anything about her.
At least tell me your name.
"Oh? Come to think of it, I wonder if you didn't give your name. Well, you also want to know at least the name of your master."
Saying that, the girl smiled and turned around.
And then, when he looked straight at me, he raised his name loudly.
"I am Isabella Variaz. I am the daughter of the Duke of Variaz, the greatest aristocrat in this country! Please engrave it into your soul."
In this way, the nameless slum boy became a butler of the Duke's household at the whim of the Ojou-sama.
This is my story.