"Hah, ha, ha...!"
Royal capital, deep slums.
In this place where all kinds of vices are rampant, there will be another victim
And it was.
"Hah, hah... What the!"
As a result of repeated sprawl of the surrounding buildings as if competing with each other, the girl runs through a dimly lit alley where there is no light at all even though it is daytime.
The footsteps of the pursuers behind them are not lost but rather increasing in number.
It is not uncommon in this slum to be attacked suddenly, but it is persistent.
Besides, there was no reason for the girl to be targeted by so many opponents.
"Oh... Dead end!?"
He continued his escape for a while, but he was outnumbered.
The girl is gradually cornered and eventually ends up in a cul-de-sac.
The only way out was the only way out where men gathered one after another and were blocked.
"Is the chase over yet?"
"Oh, no!"
A man who seems to be the leader of the pursuers takes a step forward with a triumphant expression, but the girl laughs at it and holds her right hand in front of her.
The light of magic converges in the girl's palm, and the irregularly flickering mass of magic power is refined.
It is simply a release of magic power, and it is far from the magic used by nobles, but this "magic" is enough for the same commoners.
"Eat it!"
"Whoa!?"
What's the matter, Bibi?"
Magic increased to the limit is unleashed, blowing away one of the pursuers who was blocking the passage.
The power of the pursuers upsets the men and the siege collapses.
There is no way to miss the opportunity.
The girl unleashes her magic again and runs towards the men to break through the siege while pursuing her.
"Hey, don't be upset! You can use that thing right away!"
"Whaa Huh!?"
When the leader orders him to yell, one of his subordinates immediately throws a bag at him.
The girl tries to avoid it, but just before she can do so, the mouth of the bag opens and the sand inside is scattered around.
I was certainly surprised, but I was blinded.
Even if he can't see it, he decides that it is okay if he shoots properly, and tries to release the magic again.
There, the girl noticed something unusual that was happening to her.
, get out!"
All the magic that should have been released earlier is gone.
Noticing this, the girl impatiently puts force into her hand, but she can't handle the magic well because she feels as if something is blocking her.
"It's useless, I've sealed your magic."
"What!? Guha!"
When she looked up, she was beaten by the leader man who was in front of her before she knew it, and the girl rolled on the ground.
The girl has survived this slum until now because she possessed a powerful weapon called magic.
Now that she couldn't use it, she was just a weak girl who was just prey for men.
"Stop this!"
You're putting up extra resistance, so you've spent a lot of money!"
"Ugh!?"
Other men flock to the fallen girl.
The girl tries desperately to resist, but the power of a helpless girl is completely useless against an adult man.
On the contrary, he gets angry and beats the men.
"It's an important product, avoid your face."
"I know. You did a good job earlier, this brat!"
I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
The leader man, who was watching it, advises, but that's it.
The men who had taken the girl's magic earlier beat her body as if to relieve her humiliation.
The girl's heart, which had been bullish about the relentless assault that continued over and over again, was broken, and in the end, she curled up small and begged for forgiveness.
"Wow, I'm crying, Leader, can we taste it before we ship it?"
"It's used anyway, I don't care if that's it."
"Huh! Leader, I understand the story-"
Perhaps satisfied with the beating, the men restrain the girl's body while having a vulgar conversation.
Everyone here sees the girl not as a human being, but only as a "commodity."
No one cares about the girl who is only expendable, after all, and there is no one who saves her in a casual manner like in the story.
There was already nothing left in her future but ruin.
"You can have fun, but before we do that, we'll straddle here, and it will be troublesome if they sniff it."
"I know."
At the leader's instruction, one of the men lifts the girl's body in the bag, and the men leave the place to avoid public view.
This is a very common sight in slums.
Nobody cares, but this time things were a little different.
"Hey, are you really here?"
Shortly after the girl is taken away, another group gathers in the alley where the capture play was taking place earlier.
Carrying weapons in their hands and looking around vigilantly, they are members of the Wild Fang, known for their militant factions, one of the three major organizations that control this slum.
"According to eyewitness information, it should be..."
"Huh!? What should it be! If I get it wrong, I'll kill you!"
"Whoa!?"
Among them, a man with a huge battle axe yells at a man who seems to be a subordinate who was nearby.
They are in the midst of pursuing the perpetrators of the kidnappings that have been occurring frequently on their territory lately.
Kidnappings are not uncommon, but it is a different story if the rest of the country are doing whatever they want without permission on their own territory.
For the sake of the organization's face, they were bloody looking for the culprits.
"No, there's no doubt about it."
"Boss!"
Suddenly, a voice broke in from behind them, and the men turned around to see a young man coming towards them.
That alone clears the way for the tough men and makes them bow their heads.
The sight showed that the young man had the power to make them obey.
"Were you here?"
"Oh, search the area sooner than that! You haven't gone that far yet."
"Hey, hey!"
Ralph, the boss of Wild Fang, a purple-haired young man with both men in tow, gives orders in a loud voice.
The magical voice shook not only the air but also the souls of those who heard it, and the men set out to avenge the territorial violators.
The men leave, and Ralph, the only one left, bends down on the spot.
If you touch the black sand at your feet with your fingertips, you can see that the magic inside you dulls.
"A magic seal stone or a nasty thing..."
It is a special ore that inhibits the activation of magic in the place it touches.
It was originally used to detain noble sinners, and due to its effect, it should be strictly controlled in the kingdom.
When he brought up such a substitute, it was clear that the opponent this time was a difficult one.
However, the power of this Wild Fang is decreasing.
Since the incident ten years ago, there have been many divisions and defections, and the power that once controlled the entire slum is no longer visible.
That hasn't changed since Ralph became boss.
"You can do whatever you want on people's territory, and I'll be sure to put it on before this drop."
That is why the survival of the Wild Fang organization will be in jeopardy if this situation is left unchecked.
In order to prevent this from happening, we must capture the mastermind of this incident and show our power.
With a ferocious smile, Ralph glared at his invisible enemy.
◇◆◇◆
"Excuse me."
"Thank you, Ojou-sama."
After placing the tea for two on the table, Eins bows and sits behind me.
Dee sat in front of me, smiled at her, put her mouth on the tea she had prepared and nodded in satisfaction, and I watched as I reached for my lunch box.
After the summer vacation ended and the school reopened, it became a daily routine to have lunch together in this courtyard in a way that Dixen forcibly pushed them.
I owe this guy for the last expedition training, so I can't afford to let him go.
To be honest, I don't really know what a friend is, but Dee says, "It's important to sit around the table and deepen friendships."
Besides, the Imperial information this man tells us is valuable, whether useful or not.
As long as you take a little time out for lunch, you won't have a problem.
"But Crow, did you hear that?"
"Oh..."
When the meal was over, Dee put the cup on the saucer and waved the topic to us with a pleasant expression.
What he is referring to is the recent disappearance of aristocratic daughters in the royal capital.
At first, it was thought to be just a runaway, but since then, several people have disappeared in quick succession, and it has begun to become a problem.
The disappearance of an unmarried noble child is a problem that could be a stain on the kingdom's nobility, so only some nobles and the royal knights know about it, but where does this man still get the information from?
"Where do you think Crow went?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Even though the missing people are still at the student level, they are still nobles of the kingdom, so don't you think it's quite an interesting case for them to go missing so much?"
I know this guy is amused by this incident.
Although only involved for a short time, this guy seems to have no eye for these interesting things.
Aristocrats are usually freaks, but they are one of them.
"Huh... Just because you have magical powers doesn't mean you're invincible. Even though they are nobles, they are inexperienced girls, and even commoners can capture them if they make a chance."
"Oh, you think the culprit of this incident is a commoner?"
"If the nobleman was the culprit, there should be traces of magic, but there were no traces other than the victim left at the place where he believed to have disappeared.
In fact, at the level of the students in this school, as long as the numbers are aligned, the inhabitants of that slum will do anything they want.
Basically, though, they should not interfere on this side to avoid a clash with the Royal Knights.
So, are newcomers from elsewhere doing it on their own?
"I see, if you say so, you're probably right."
"It's just a possibility, isn't it?"
"I know, but did I tell you before? I hold you in high esteem."
"Oh yes."
For some reason, Dee, who seems to be in a good mood, has a suspicious expression.
He's still a man I don't understand.
What do you like so much about me?
"So, what do you think happened to the daughter of the Lord?"
Downing the remaining tea, Dee asks again.
He still seems to be worried about this problem.
I have no interest in this topic, but there is still time until the end of the class.
You could hang out with them a little longer.
"If it's one or two, it may be kept by some pervert, but with such a large number of people, I wonder which company sold it as a product."
"Is it a commodity..."
Dee frowns slightly when she hears those words.
It seems that this man also had something that could be called a conscience.
Buying an aristocratic woman to commit a crime is probably understandable that its purpose is not a trivial thing.
"All the nobles of the kingdom have excellent blood, which is why they have a high probability of giving birth to children with excellent magical powers. It couldn't be better as a mother's womb."
There was even a case where he imprisoned a noble daughter and sold the magical child he gave birth to.
Even if this is not the case, many of the daughters of the kingdom aristocracy are beautiful women.
There will be many men who want to get them.
"Is it possible that they were sold to a brothel?"
"I've thought about it, but it's probably not. There have been cases of the disappearance of commoner magical women in the kingdom for some time. I don't think it's unrelated to this case."
He gives Eins an eye and gives him the documents about the incident.
Dee quickly reads through the contents of these materials to see if she is used to reading them, and finishes reading them in no time.
"I see, so the problem is where you sold it..."
The Knights of the Kingdom are not incompetent, and if you make a deal with this many people, they will be discovered immediately."
"However, our Empire was at war with the Kingdom until a few years ago, even though it is currently friendly with the Kingdom, so at least it will be difficult to escape border checkpoints."
There are kingdoms in the southern part of the continent, centered on the great mountain ranges, and empires in the north.
If those two are eliminated, the rest are east and west.
And in the eastern part there is a demon forest, which is the habitat of monsters, so this can also be ruled out as a possibility.
"Then there's only one option left."
"The West..."
"Yes, a small group of nations in the west, and if they are constantly at war, they may want an excellent mother's womb. The children you give birth to will be a powerful force in a few years."
"Oh my goodness, it's troublesome."
The western part of the continent is a region of small states made up of people who do not belong to the two major nations of kingdoms and empires.
Although it calls itself the City-State Alliance, it is a provisional alliance formed to oppose the two major powers.
The reality is that it is always a chaotic region where some country is at war with each other, and countless countries are created and then disappear.
The two major powers also want to avoid getting involved in such a chaotic region, but they are basically maintaining non-interference.
If the whereabouts of the women were to be found, it would be extremely difficult to rescue them.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'm sure you won't."
Answer immediately.
What are you asking me stupid things?
"Heh... Why?"
"My job is only to take care of the Ojou-sama, and rescuing the snuffed people is the domain of the Royal Knights, and it's not just a servant's kind of thing."
"Well, that's right."
Perhaps because I had lost interest in the case after I made it clear that I had clearly communicated my position, Dee leaned back in her chair and demanded that Eins replace her tea.
"Anyway..."
"What?"
"You're pretty familiar with that, aren't you?"
The final bell rings, and on the way back to the school building, Dee, who is next to her, probes under the guise of a casual breeze.
On the surface, it's calm, but you don't notice that its eyes are glaring like a carnivore hunting for prey?
I thought that would be the case anyway.
As for the conversation I mentioned earlier, this guy would have come to the same conclusion without bothering to ask me.
So, what Dee really wanted to ask was about my past.
I'm sure they're also investigating my past anyway, so it must have been during the slum era, when there would have been no records of it.
"What, a little bit of a long time ago..."
However, there is little to talk about because it does not meet expectations.
Kill, rob, kill again.
It's just a repetition of everyday life.
It's not worth remembering.
In fact, I don't remember much about that time.
Anyway, it must have been much more irrelevant than now that I was able to serve the Ojou-sama, so it would be unavoidable to forget it.
"I'm back, Ojou-sama."
「...」
"Ojou?"
I separated from Dee in front of the classroom and immediately went back to the Ojou-sama, but she was staring at the door I had entered, not at me.
I wonder if I have done something.
"You seem to be on good terms with him lately."
"We get along well, don't we? Oh!"
I cursed myself for my circumvention.
Yes, the Ojou-sama is a "bochi" who doesn't have any friends!
Always alone, playing, eating, and shopping!
No, if you give them a prima facie order, the entourage will fly, but they are not friends.
Isn't it a fact that even a baby can understand that if you are with a friend (tentative) in front of such a "Queen of Bocchi" Ojou-sama, you will spoil the Ojou-sama's mood!
"Oh, if the Ojou-sama seems uncomfortable, I won't get involved with that man any more, but..."
I can't stop breaking out in a cold sweat.
It's different, Ojou-sama! I'm a Ojou-sama.
I really hate it, but that guy is persistent...!
No, I don't feel like I can change the ending after this.
... It was a short life.
"I'm not saying that, I'm not a narrow-minded woman enough to interfere with my friendships."
"Ojou...!"
I can't believe that a Ojou-sama would say such a thing...!
I was so impressed that my tear glands almost loosened.
If I had been a Ojou-sama before, I would have been grumpy and let go of magic without question, but I don't have that.
I'm so glad I've served you for ten years...!
"You've grown..."
"Hey! What does that mean!?"
While my chest was shaken by the Ojou-sama with blue streaks on her forehead, I was delighted with her growth.
____________________________________________________________
Name: Ralph Margus
Attribute: Darkness
A young man with purple hair and a crude atmosphere.
He was born into an aristocratic family, but was abandoned in the slums at a young age because he could not manifest his magical powers.
At that time, he was picked up by the director of the orphanage, and his childhood friend who has lived with Maria ever since.
At one point, he was able to release his sealed magic to help Maria, and after that, he moved out of the orphanage to live, but he still continued to interact with Maria.
After that, with the support of enormous magical power, he rose to prominence, and now he has risen to the boss of Wild Fang, one of the three major organizations that rule the slums.
It seems that he has some kind of relationship with Crow, who lived in the same slum.