***
“Mia! MIA!!”
Bang!
Mia, the pink-haired girl, watched in horror as the man kicked through the barely boarded-up entrance.
The man, who stooped to pass through the small entryway, briefly surveyed the interior.
It was a small space, barely considered a home, with a few planks propped up and a tattered cloth scattered on the floor. In one corner, there was a basket with wildflowers.
“Hey, Mia.”
The man stepped inside and intentionally kicked the basket, chuckling.
“You have to pay for today, don’t you?”
In response to the man’s words, Mia, who stood up from her spot, pulled something out of her embrace.
Thud.
Several money pouches fell out from Mia’s embrace.
The man leisurely picked up the pouches one by one and inspected their contents with a relaxed expression.
He whistled and commented, “Indeed, it seems like people spend a lot of money during festivals.”
As he collected the pouches one by one, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a pouch that looked slightly different.
The deep red pouch had the name ‘Vincent’ written on it.
It was undoubtedly a child’s wallet.
As soon as he realized that, the man burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Mia, did you also steal a little kid’s wallet?”
Mia, with her head lowered, did not react or flinch at his blatant mockery.
“Well, it’s not like you’re hiding an adult’s wallet among your things right now.”
The man’s gaze shifted to the other side of Mia.
A tiny child, barely covered by a worn-out cloth. Realizing that the man’s gaze was directed at the child, Mia quickly shielded the child with her own body.
With a contemptuous snicker, the man added, “You shouldn’t be on your guard against me. I’m your only savior, you know. Don’t you still understand that?”
The man approached Mia, sitting down in front of her. He soon reached out and lightly patted Mia’s head while speaking.
“Royal street cleanup policies will be enforced soon. This street will be cleared without a trace. But…”
His smile became even more sinister.
“How can a mute person like you take your unconscious sibling and go somewhere? Where can you go and establish a place like this?”
“……”
Mia’s complexion turned pale at his brutally realistic words.
The man, who enjoyed watching her reaction, lowered his head and whispered in Mia’s ear.
“Don’t worry, as long as you pay up, I’ll make sure to take your sibling with us when we move.”
Nod, nod…….
Mia nodded her head weakly.
In response, the man, with a cold demeanor, stood up and barked, “If you understand, get out of there and collect the rest of your payment. With those damn flowers.”
The man, intentionally stepping on the flowers scattered on the ground, laughed and left the shabby house.
Mia, sitting down, looked around with a desolate gaze.
Due to his reckless rummaging, the interior was completely in disarray.
Mia slowly stood up from her spot and put the trampled flowers, one by one, into the basket.
A surge of emotions welled up inside, but she forcefully suppressed them.
As always.
Having tidied up all the flowers, Mia stood up from her spot.
She glanced back at her deeply sleeping sibling for a moment, then slowly left the shabby house.
For the sake of survival.
* * *
Cardien walked briskly, taking confident steps further into the city.
As he did, the crowd diminished, and an eerie silence filled the air.
‘Here…’
Livia soon realized his destination.
‘Zone 4.’
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
Livia remembered when she was very young, going with her father to volunteer for the poor.
She was bored at the time and wandered off on her own somewhere…
‘Come to think of it, something happened back then.’
Livia shook off her thoughts.
‘That’s not important now, so I’ll set it aside.’
Zone 4 had changed a lot, and not in a good way.
When Livia had come here as a child, there was still a faint trace of human habitation.
But then again, back then, Zone 4 wasn’t all the same.
Even within Zone 4, there were subdivisions, and the more relaxed areas had some bustling commercial activities.
Didn’t the owner of “My Favorite Restaurant” also come from Zone 4?
‘Now it’s completely dead land.’
The buildings had been roughly demolished, leaving only the skeletons, and the streets were filled with discarded trash.
The few residents wandering around stared at them with beast-like eyes.
As if they would pounce on the well-dressed intruders at the slightest vulnerability.
‘If it weren’t for Cardien, I wouldn’t have had the courage,’ Livia balked.
Just a few minutes ago, armed thugs approached, but Cardien had swiftly subdued them with a few slashes of his sword.
He was merciless, too.
It felt like he wasn’t dealing with people, but rather hunting down wild animals.
After the hoodlums had lost consciousness, Cardien carelessly threw them aside and swept his gaze challengingly across the wide street. As he looked around, the individuals who had been secretly waiting for an opportunity retreated discreetly.
‘No matter what, this isn’t a place to bring a child.’
Livia sighed inwardly.
If it weren’t for Vincent’s unwavering determination, they wouldn’t have come to a place like this.
Now that the two of them couldn’t go back, Livia tightly held Vincent’s hand instead.
When Vincent glanced at her, he turned his resolute face forward.
‘By the way…..’
Livia was impressed by Cardien’s confident and unhesitating strides.
‘How does he know the terrain so well?’
Even if the streets had become desolate, it wasn’t easy to navigate due to the debris of broken buildings.
Moreover, the buildings were similar in color and shape, giving the illusion of walking through a maze.
At that moment, Livia remembered the words of the owner of “My Favorite Restaurant”.
‘Young man, haven’t I seen you somewhere before? Your face looks familiar. Did you live in Zone 4 before?’
At the time, she thought the old man must have been mistaken, but seeing Cardien confidently moving forward as if he knew the way made her wonder.
‘Oh, could it be?’
Suddenly, the forgotten information came to mind.
“We’ve arrived.”
Livia snapped out of her reverie and raised her head.
“Where is this?” she asked.
Cardien nonchalantly replied, “Fox’s Den.”
“What?”
“It’s the hideout of the young foxes who think they’re clever. Their own little territory.”
A thick smile formed at the corner of Cardien’s mouth as he spoke.
Livia stared at him blankly.
‘Not again……’
That chilling atmosphere that she had seen in front of “My Favorite Restaurant.”
The current Cardien felt genuinely dangerous, and without realizing it, Livia tightened her grip on Vincent’s hand.
“Tutor Via?”
“Ah…”
As she regained her senses from Vincent’s questioning voice, she forced a smile and nodded.
“It’s nothing.”
At that moment, Livia felt Cardien’s gaze.
Startled, she turned to look in his direction as he steadily approached.
Cardien came up and pulled something out of his pocket, extending it in front of her.
Livia looked at what he was offering with a puzzled gaze.
It was a silver pendant in the shape of a cross.
It didn’t seem particularly special or remarkable.
Why this all of a sudden?
As she looked at him with a questioning gaze, he simply said, “It’s a magical tool.”
“A magical tool?”
Surprised, Livia asked for clarification. Cardien nodded his head.
‘This is a magical tool?’
Didn’t this just look like a little pendant?
Well…….
She’d heard that the more valuable magical tools, the less noticeable they appear.
For example, Cardien’s magic pipe was a perfect example of that. Without explanation, you wouldn’t know it was a magical tool.
However, those kinds of magical tools are extremely expensive, equivalent to the price of a castle, so one would rarely come across them in one’s lifetime.
‘He’s wearing something like that around his neck.’
Livia stared at Cardien in disbelief.
Well, he is the Duke of Mercedes, so it’s not particularly strange for him to wear something worth a castle around his neck.
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
But more importantly…
‘Why are you showing me this all of a sudden?’
It’s not like he suddenly felt the need to brag.
As Livia stared at him with a look of incomprehension, Cardien continued speaking.
“If you infuse it with mana, it transforms into the shape of a sword, allowing you to use magic. I assume you know how to infuse mana?”
Livia nodded her head.
“Yes.”
Although she can’t perform magic, she did learn how to manipulate mana at the academy.
“Then, that settles it,” Cardien calmly replied as he handed the pendant over to Livia.
As she held the pendant worth a castle in my hand, she looked at Cardien with a stunned expression.
“There might be some reckless rats charging at you without fear, so it’s good for the tutor to have it.”
At his words, Livia blinked for a moment and suddenly realized.
“Is this tool for self-defense?”
