* * *
'Clap! Clap!'
I can hear the sound of wheels rolling on a rough gravel road.
"It seems like things are going well?"
As I look out the window, I notice a background that is becoming increasingly familiar.
"uh..."
"Tir. Shouldn't we stop by the house first and get what we need?"
Yesterday, I was dragged by Noel out of my mind and became Count Deckard's servant. That's why I felt a kindness and a creepiness at the same time when she said that.
"yes..."
Could it be the Count's information power? How? She probably doesn't know anything other than my name, Tirdu. And considering the nature of the people in the slums, they have the advantage of not easily leaking information about the neighborhood to outsiders. That's the reason why I've been able to survive as a pickpocket until now.
'The location of my house has been revealed. That means...'
I can briefly reveal how many people's pockets I've robbed as a pickpocket. This is the Count's estate. That's why I...
'criminal.'
From Noel's perspective, he was a criminal with a criminal record that wouldn't be strange if he were locked up in a prison or a professor's office. That's why I felt like the path the carriage was taking wasn't the path back home, but a ferry crossing the river of death.
"Well, it looks like we've arrived."
I've finally arrived. Since my place of residence was nearby, I realized that I couldn't hide it, so I slowly opened the carriage door, hiding my trembling hands.
"Please guide me."
She was wearing a white silk dress. It was an outfit that didn't seem appropriate for a slum village.
"The floor...is dirty."
She was worried that her high-end diagnostic shoes would get dirty. The slums were neither tiled nor organized, but rather mounds of loose dirt that could be swept away at any moment.
"That's right."
A smile as if it didn't matter. I took her hand and helped her get out of the carriage. But.
"Please...let go of my hand."
I tried to pull my hand away, but she wouldn't let go. I was worried that it would be rude to use force, so I spoke to her slowly.
"I'm an escort. Shouldn't I guide you?"
"Ah...yes."
As someone who had never learned proper etiquette, I had a feeling that I should hold the hand of a lady when guiding her on her first trip. When her small hand touched the white gloves I had received when I became her servant, my face turned red without me knowing.
"It's a bit dirty."
The road felt shabby and there were lots of stained places where you couldn't tell what had been left behind. There were stray cats, homeless people, and vagrants who could come from anywhere at any time. There could be drunkards who smelled of alcohol, or self-proclaimed vigilantes from the slums who approached you for money.
"There is no escort?"
"huh?"
A look that seems to be amazement.
"No... This kind of place is quite dangerous for Noel. You never know when something might appear..."
I was about to say, "Couldn't there be pickpockets like me?" but stopped myself.
"Tir, you can protect me, right?"
This was a place where it was hard to build my body. There were three ways to survive in the slums. Either there were a lot of gangs, or they looked dangerous, or they looked like they had nothing. I wanted to say that I was not a trustworthy person, but maybe because there was a lady holding my hand, I felt a needless sense of pride.
"Let's go."
It was the first time I had invited a woman to my home. I felt a bit uneasy, but the fact that the daughter of the count's family came to this dangerous neighborhood wearing a white silk dress meant that she was likely to be a target belonging to a very dangerous group.
'Of course... stronger than me.'
It was clear that Noel was the one who took me down in one go. However, even an ordinary pickpocket like me who couldn't even enter a thieves' guild could subdue anyone.
'Are you overconfident?'
"What are you staring at like that?"
"Oh, no."
Even if you practiced self-defense at the Count's house and could subdue someone like me, you'd be in a pretty difficult situation if you ran into a bunch of guys who were just hanging out in the slums. I turned around, wondering if the dagger I had hidden in my waist was safe.
'Here...'
A side road that doesn't seem to be used often in a place that can be considered a major ¼ of a slum. Turn around there and go inside, passing through the streets of the shantytown.
"It might look quite... dirty to Noel."
"Are you embarrassed?"
I couldn't hide my embarrassed cheeks when she whispered next to me.
"yes..."
The house is not very organized. That's why I hesitate, but she calmly takes my hand and pulls me along.
'My real home?'
I wondered if the Count's information power was really this strong. She opened the door to the house without hesitation and came in. The two of them came in, pushing aside what looked like a pile of worn-out boards that couldn't even be called a door.
"I'm embarrassed..."
A simple environment. There was a makeshift bed made of straw piled up next to him and covered with a blanket, a broken chest of drawers used as a table, a basket containing some food, a water bottle, and a few shabby bags to store his luggage.
"Is this your first time at home?"
"yes?"
For the first time? Up until now, she has said that she has seen me... I have been thinking about it since yesterday, but I have never seen her. From the first time we met, she did not remember me. In the first place, there is no way I could have had close contact with the noble lady, right?
'We're not close enough to walk home together...'
Noel was staring intently into my deep thoughts.
"Be happy."
"Okay, just a moment! Youngae!"
Slowly she wraps her arms around my neck.
"Noel."
A face with slightly puffy cheeks.
"No, Noel..."
"Yeah, why?"
"It's so close!"
I tried to step back, but her arms were already wrapped around my neck, so there was a chance that I would fall over if I went back. I slowly pulled her arms away and grabbed her elbows.
"Tir."
"yes yes?"
My face turned red and I could barely answer her question.
"You need to grab the waist, not the arms."
"Noel! Oh, that's not it..."
Her lips touched my reddened cheek.
"..."
"more?"
The sound of her heartbeat pounding along with her breathing that seemed unbearable.
"wait a minute!"
Somehow I quickly move my body towards the pile.
"Chae, I have to pack. Isn't today the day you came to pack your bags?"
I quickly opened the bags and checked the contents. There wasn't much to pack, but I was worried that I would lose my mind if I stayed any longer, so I quickly filled the bags and poured everything inside.
"okay."
I heard her say that there are many small opportunities, but I try to ignore it. She seems to be a big fan of teasing people.
"Go, I think it would be better to go."
In my bag, I had two silver coins and 11 copper coins that I had secretly hidden in my house, as well as several very small daggers that I had to take good care of due to my job. These were all items that I could use in an emergency.
"okay."
She smiled and reached out her hand again. I thought to myself that I already knew the way back, but I didn't have the ability to reject her, so I held her hand again.
"Is there a place to eat nearby?"
"There aren't any good lunch or dessert shops here. I think it would be better to take a carriage and then head downtown."
"Which bakery did you often go to?"
"...."
¼ How far did you search for me? A bakery... That is, a shop run by Sophia's mother. Sophia, who I was close with since we were young, went on a journey to become an adventurer. I often visited the bakery run by Sophia's mother, who I used to play with often, and I tried to deduce it at Noel's question, which seemed natural.
'Did Sophia's mother tell me where I live?'
She also doesn't know exactly where I live. However, since she's a regular customer, she probably knows which direction I usually go, so she could be a prime suspect for giving me clues to my house.
'No, ma'am, you're not the type of person to do that...'
I shook my head and glanced at Noel. The mysterious smile seemed to read my gaze, and my pupils shook several times before I opened my mouth.
"It's not a particularly good store..."
It's just a shabby neighborhood bakery without even a sign.
"...It doesn't matter since she's gone."
"yes?"
A smile that seems to tell me to go back again.
"This way..."
I was walking along the shabby slum streets again, holding her hand. It was a completely different road from the carriage, and I couldn't help but feel nervous because it was a distance away from me.
'If something goes wrong, will I be able to protect Noel?'
As the feeling of uneasiness passed by, Noel stopped walking for a moment.
"Noel?"
"huh?"
I looked at her for a moment at her incomprehensible behavior. Soon...
"Hey! Who is this!!!"
With one person's scream, I knew something was wrong.
"Noel!"
I had to grab his hand and quickly get out of the slum. However, along with the sound of quick footsteps, I could hear a crashing sound nearby.
"Fuck!"
Surrounding everything, whether from the front or the back, is a characteristic of these slum guys.
"Tir, right? You've grown so much, huh?"
'Fuck.'
I ended up getting caught by the guys I least wanted to get caught by. Those self-proclaimed vigilantes who are running rampant in the slums. They call themselves vigilantes and collect protection money, and they don't hesitate to do any gangster-like things, like catching people near the count. The collective name for these guys is 'Bastards'. In a word, they are bastards.
'Bastard bastards...'
He puts his hand near his waist. He holds a dagger, but it is only a small dagger that can be used to cut pockets when performing a quarter-pocket. It is not a good weapon for threatening people.
'If I were alone...'
He must have somehow escaped by jumping over the walls on both sides. However, Noel was caught in the situation.
"Noel, come next to me..."
The guys are swarming in front and behind, blocking the way tightly. I have no choice but to push her back, and I feel anxious and uneasy because I can't stay by her side.
"You little punk, have you been doing well so far?"
"...okay."
"But what the hell is that? Where the hell did it go?"
Hantir in servant clothes. I thought he had an unremarkable face, but seeing those who recognized him right away even when he changed his clothes made me think that he must have had a unique face.
'It may be that the thief's temperament did not suit him.'
"Then I should express my gratitude to the vigilantes who have done such hard work for me after such a long time, right?"
Tir took out his bag and put his hand in. And.
'Tangrang!'
Coins spilled onto the floor. The two silver coins and 11 copper coins I had brought from home earlier fell to the floor, making a clanking sound, and I screamed hysterically.
"That's all. Take it and get out."
"Oh! That little brat was rich?!"
"Two silver coins? Man, damn it, you've still been hanging around until now, so I thought you must have something!"
Those guys who are picking things up one by one.
"But you have more than that, don't you?"
"..."
One of those bastards with a wooden club. He was pointing at Noel.
"That lady."
"You guys aren't the ones who can touch him."
"Then the story will be faster. It means that you are worth the money."
It's a difficult situation to get through even with two silver coins. Usually, those guys are persistent and say they'll get through even if you give them three copper coins, let alone one silver coin. Like the beast who saw the beautiful woman after a long time, their target was Noel from the beginning.
"Do you think you'll be okay?"
"There are brothers who specialize in kidnapping. If we take it to them, we can get paid for it. In other words, we can hand it over to them and there won't be any problems. Of course..."
The guy in front continued to speak sarcastically.
"If only you would just ask."
In the slums, that word means 'get behind'. Hand over Noel to the kidnappers and kill the day you find out Bastard's strategic moves. It seems like this isn't the first or second time he's done this.
'Fuck...'
He secretly put the dagger in his bosom into his sleeve. If they attacked him, he was planning to fight them at the right time.
"What are you doing? Let's get to work."
"Hey, don't touch me until I catch you, my ransom is dropping."
"That's right. Let's just taste it before handing it over."
Those giggling guys. Hyenas of the slums, dogs of the city. I cursed inwardly and cautiously stretched out my arms toward the guys who were slowly approaching me.
"This little shit!"
A guy runs at me with a large club. I quickly turn around and grab his large elbow, aiming the knife on his sleeve at his neck. I'm going to take him hostage.
'Phuk!'
But then, something stronger went into my arm. It was as if someone was giving me a helping hand.
"Ugh..."
One of the bastard's pups, clearly pierced in the carotid artery, rolls his eyes and falls to the ground.
"...."
Everyone was in a state of stiffness. The knife was pulled out while bleeding profusely. I had no choice but to stand still, stiff. Today...was the day of my first murder.
"Hmm."
And there she was, humming a contented tune somewhere I couldn't see.
* * *