Chapter 28: How is it Him
“You kids are really bold, aren’t you? Don’t you know what the Central Workshop is?”
At the duke’s words, the chattering children fell silent, their eyes wide with fear as they gawked at him.
“H-Honest! The nuns said it’s… a place full of powerful weapons…”
“So you just came over? Do you know what happens if you get caught?”
“…Will we be hanged?” Their voices were barely audible, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
“Correct.”
The duke put on a stern face, and in an instant, the kids looked like deer caught in headlights.
“We just wanted to borrow some weapons while you weren’t looking! We promise to return them… Please don’t k*ll us, boo—”
“Will you dare to do this again next time?”
“N-No, we won’t dare.”
“Honestly, we didn’t mean it like this, but that weird person has guards; without weapons, we can’t fight him…”
Do you really think having weapons will give you a fighting chance?
Their bodies were so skinny; even the lightest of mysterious weapons would be hard to swing fluently.
But their eyes were bright and clear.
“This afternoon, a bunch of people dressed David up real pretty; he might be sent away soon,” said a little girl, wiping her nose. Then she grabbed the hem of my dress. “Sister, can you help us?”
Her eyes were full of pleading.
I looked at the brown-haired girl, Aili, who had freckles dotting her face.
Her eyes reminded me of a brave and kind young woman from my little village far away.
I could help you; that’s no problem. But could you not wipe your snot-covered hands on my dress?
Look, I can’t just push your hand away… can I? Oh, how I want to smack you upside the head.
Suppressing that urge, I turned to Duke Skarlick. Our eyes met, and I raised an eyebrow.
You get me, right?
The duke nodded and then spoke to the two Workshop Hunters standing off to the side. “Alright then. You two follow them to see what’s going on. If it turns out to be as the kids said… restrain the person first. If there’s fierce resistance, prioritize the kids’ safety. If absolutely necessary, you can k*ll. I’ll handle the church later.”
“Understood!” the two hunters bowed their heads.
“Yay—!!”
“Awesome!”
When the children heard hunters would accompany them, their faces lit up with joy, and they couldn’t wait to run off with the hunters.
As they were about to leave, I quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped down the area Aili had touched before fixing my dress.
“I’m going too!”
It was so stuffy in here. I had been itching to escape for a while, and now, finally, I had a legitimate excuse. If I didn’t go now, when would I?
“Wait, Pepé!”
Just as I took two steps, the duke called out, and I turned my head in puzzlement.
“It’s already dark. You shouldn’t go; let them handle it. I’ll wrap things up here quickly, and we can head home. Catherine must have dinner ready.”
“Yeah, Pepé. Why do you want to go with them?”
Dinner with the duke’s wife!
That made me hesitate a bit. I wanted to rush back to Shanter Castle but also couldn’t resist the urge to go to the orphanage. After struggling for a moment, I shook my head.
“I’m going to take a look; I’ll find my way back.”
The duke sighed in resignation.
“Then just be careful. The Winter City lately… well, Pagos, take Pepé to get a weapon for self-defense.”
“Sure thing.”
“No need,” I quickly waved them off. “I don’t want a weapon.”
Not waiting for them to debate further, I darted forward, taking two steps before stopping again to grab the paper bag on the table, clutching it to my chest as I dashed outside.
“That girl…”
…………
The sky darkened.
Two crescent moons cast a shimmering glow over the pale twilight, creating a magical, aurora-like effect across the snow-covered Winter City.
Perhaps due to the weather, even though the huge city was lit up like Christmas, pedestrians were notably scarce on the roads.
I followed behind the children and the two Workshop Hunters, the snow crunching underfoot with every step.
I opened my mouth and released a puff of white breath into the air, feeling quite pleased.
“Hee hee.”
I loved this dark city, loved the icy wonderland.
“Miss Peilo, I think you should go back to the duke’s side. If the situation is as the kids said, there could be unexpected dangers. If that happens…”
The hunter trailed off, but I got the message loud and clear; they viewed me as a liability, worried that if something unexpected happened, they’d not only have to fight but protect me too.
The duke’s daughter, the master of the Central Workshop—if anything happened to me, they wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.
But how can I make you understand that I’m a kid who won’t be a bother to anyone?
I can’t exactly perform an ice magic show for you—now that would be ridiculous.
So I just smiled and shook my head.
“It’s okay, I’ll stand back a bit.”
The two hunters exchanged a glance and flashed a somewhat resigned smile, clearly viewing me as one of those mischievous little girls who didn’t listen.
I didn’t mind.
The orphanage was surprisingly close to the Central Workshop; I figured that must be one reason the kids considered sneaking over to steal.
Their thinking was quite straightforward—it’s close, full of weapons, so of course, they came over without a second thought about the consequences.
What a bunch of adorable little rascals.
“Sister, that’s the orphanage!”
Aili pointed at a small, gloomy building nearby as she turned back.
I squinted at it.
The orphanage was smaller than I imagined—just an old, gothic-style structure surrounded by an iron fence from which faint children’s laughter could be heard.
“We’ll go this way!”
A little boy led us around the orphanage, deeper into the streets.
“I saw that weird guy last time when I snuck after the dean; he was around here.”
The alley wasn’t exactly mysterious, just a regular residential street, lacking any ambiance of a sinister deal going down.
“We’re waiting here?”
“Yup, they should be here soon.”
I scanned the area but didn’t see any promising hiding spots. Thankfully, the terrain wasn’t totally flat; the houses were of varying heights. We walked up a slope to where the houses were set higher, finding a platform below with a clear vantage point.
The two hunters jumped down first, then called up to the children, “Only one of you needs to come down; the rest should stay up there.”
The kids hesitated for a moment, then all eyes turned to Lucas.
“Lucas, you should go down!”
“I-I don’t think I should…”
“Why not?”
“I… I’m afraid of heights.”
Lucas was shaking at the sight of the one-meter-high step.
“Tsk, coward.”
I smacked my lips, giving him a contemptuous look.
With that kind of courage, you think you can save someone? You wouldn’t even dare use a weapon if I gave you one. I once thought you could somewhat pass for a tough guy, but turns out you’re just all talk.
“What did you say? You little windbag!”
It seemed my look had bruised his ego. His face turned bright red as he shouted at me.
I frowned, getting a bit angry.
“How dare you insult me?”
“What if I do? Don’t think I’m scared of you just because you’re a noble!”
“I’ll go down. Lucas, don’t argue with your sister.” Aili hurriedly interjected, scrambling over the step and jumping down.
“You dare to jump down?”
“Sure! Afraid you won’t!”
A few other kids, probably bored standing up there, started jumping down one after another.
“Hmph, cowards.”
I was angry, but I reminded myself he was just a little boy, too young to take seriously. I huffed and ignored him as I prepared to jump down myself.
“You ugly freak!”
My jumping stance froze.
“Excuse me? What did you call me?”
“Ugly freak!”
“…Say that again?”
I stepped right up to him.
“I-I just said it; what of it?”
“Say it.”
“I—y-you won’t scare me!” Lucas gulped, blushing and refusing to meet my eyes. Somehow he tried to gather his courage to shout, “I, Lucas, would rather d*e! I’d jump right down here without a care—”
“Then jump.”
I gave him a kick to his backside.
This little brat was too infuriating.
I, the beautifully talented and oh-so-smart young lady, how dare he call me an ugly freak?
“Ah—”
Lucas yelped as I kicked him and stumbled forward, flailing to maintain balance at the edge before ultimately leaping down.
I sighed in relief, feeling much better now.
I had gauged my kick just right; at over a meter high, he wouldn’t get hurt, but he certainly landed clumsily and sat there in a daze.
I followed suit and jumped down beside him, ignoring him and moving toward the hunters.
Before too long, I noticed some commotion on the road ahead.
“Looks like someone’s coming…”
“Is that the dean and David?”
“Looks like it.”
“Ah, there’s that weird guy; he’s back with guards!”
I turned to see where the kids were pointing.
In the dimly lit alley, I could see two groups of figures meeting, seemingly engaging in conversation.
Among them was a familiar silhouette.
“Hmm?”
I rubbed my eyes, a little incredulous as I looked again.
No doubt about it—it was Carlos.
