Under the City (7)
He had been forced out of his home under the guise of traveling to neighboring countries to broaden his horizons, sent away with a single escort and some money thrown his way.
"They gave me some travel funds and one escort, but..."
Even that escort had passed away shortly after arriving in Balifield. With the remaining travel funds, Charles had to hire a new escort locally.
"I was in such a panic. All I could think about was hiring a guard as quickly as possible."
And the two thugs Yohan had personally beaten to a pulp were the very escorts Charles had hired.
Initially, they had quietly accepted the job of guarding the kid. But once they realized their young employer had far more money than they expected, they decided to rob him blind.
Fortunately, Yohan had stumbled upon them in the act, stopping them before they could succeed. Otherwise, Charles would have lost all his money and likely ended up severely injured—or worse.
It was a relentless cascade of betrayal and loss. Far too cruel for a child his age to bear.
Even if he somehow completed his "journey" and returned home, his brother would undoubtedly find another way to take his life.
"Man..."
Hearing Charles's tragic tale, Yohan let out a heavy sigh, his expression grim as he shook his head.
—Truly, they are no better than beasts. To cast out one's own flesh and blood, blinded by greed.
Not only Yohan, but even the Goddess was utterly appalled.
Still, Yohan had to address the elephant in the room. He looked down at Charles and spoke.
"Alright, let me ask you one more thing. Why the hell did you bid against me for that statue? You didn't even actually want to buy it."
Charles's situation was undeniably tragic. Honestly, it wouldn't have been surprising if an ordinary person had completely broken down and made an extreme choice by now.
"T-That's..."
But pity was pity, and business was business. Yohan still wanted answers. He pulled the bird statue from his coat and held it out.
Charles stammered, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"I... I thought it was an item with some hidden value that others didn't recognize."
"Unbelievable."
In short, he had taken a gamble, thinking it was an undervalued antique.
To have the audacity to look for business opportunities even after being kicked out of his own home—Yohan couldn't help but respect the kid's sheer nerve.
Despite his delicate, pretty appearance, the boy had some serious guts.
But having guts wasn't always a good thing. There was a very fine line between being brave and being stupid.
"What if your competitor had decided to retaliate? I wouldn't actually do that, of course, but look what just happened. You almost got robbed of your wallet and killed by those thugs."
"..."
Yohan's point was entirely valid. Charles had no defense.
"I don't think you realize how things work around here. In this city, thugs who only take your money and leave you alive are considered saints. If you're not careful, you'll get snatched up in the middle of the night and sold off somewhere. Especially a pretty-faced kid like you."
Once the floodgates opened, the words poured out of Yohan. He let out everything he had wanted to say to the kid.
"Or what? Did you just decide to throw your life away because your family basically told you to go die? Now that your only trustworthy escort is dead and you're all alone in the world, did you figure it didn't matter what happened to you?"
"T-That's—"
Watching Yohan's relentless grilling, Falco began to look uneasy.
"Yohan."
Finally, Falco stepped in, placing her arm between Yohan and Charles to stop him.
Yohan snapped out of it and took a step back.
"I get that you're pissed about almost getting scammed at the auction, but you're taking it too far."
—Falco speaks the truth. The child has endured trials that would have broken the mind of any ordinary mortal.
"Ugh."
Faced with the combined scolding of Falco and the Goddess, Yohan had nothing to say.
Just like Charles a moment ago, he found himself tongue-tied, merely blinking in silence.
—I believe I know why you suddenly became so emotional.
"Shut up."
The Goddess tried to say more, but Yohan cut her off grumpily and let out a long, deep sigh.
Of course he knew. He knew better than anyone why he had suddenly lashed out like that.
This kid's situation was too similar to his own.
Being betrayed and abandoned by those he had trusted as comrades. The sheer, suffocating helplessness he felt when he was first dropped into this foreign world.
"Fine, fine. I get it."
He couldn't help the sudden flash of anger born from seeing his own past reflected in the boy. But meddling any further in the kid's life was, as Falco said, crossing the line.
"Hey, kid."
Falco spoke, looking down at Charles. The boy looked up at her, still trembling with fear.
"I'm sorry. I apologize on his behalf. Yohan didn't mean any harm by those words. To be honest, not too long ago, he was in a very similar situation to yours. He probably saw himself in you."
"There you go again, talking nonsense," Yohan grumbled, though he didn't try to stop her from speaking further.
"Still, you need to be careful in a place like Balifield. And honestly, I agree with Yohan's core point."
"You... agree with him?" Charles asked, his voice trembling.
Falco nodded silently.
"Yeah. The reason Yohan got angry. Just taking hits and doing nothing about it... that's not my style either."
Falco turned her head slightly to look at Yohan. Yohan merely snorted in response.
Exactly. Why else would they have gotten into this mess in the first place?
"Shouldn't you pay that brother of yours back in full?"
It sounded grand, but the kid didn't actually have any realistic way to do that right now.
Charles was undoubtedly clever and had decent guts, but at the end of the day, he was still far too young.
Of course, that was precisely why Yohan and Falco were so furious at the boy's brother.
In any case, Yohan and Falco's stance was simple: rather than giving up and waiting to die, it was always better to at least put up a fight.
"You're right... both of you."
Fortunately, the message seemed to get through. Charles, who had been completely cowed until now, finally showed a spark of resolve.
"Those bastards."
He walked over and kicked one of the unconscious thugs lying on the ground, spitting on him for good measure.
Despite the terror he had felt moments ago, he was clearly furious at the thugs who had tried to steal his entire fortune.
"You saved my life. Thank you so much."
Charles bowed deeply to express his gratitude once more. Yohan ignored him, but Falco gave a gentle smile and nodded.
"But even if I want to fight back... I have absolutely no idea what to do."
Steeling one's resolve and actually knowing what to do were two entirely different things.
And neither Yohan nor Falco were in a position to give him a clear answer.
After all, Charles's current situation was utterly desperate.
He was stranded alone in a foreign land, and if he went home, he would surely be murdered by his own brother.
At least Yohan had miraculously run into the Goddess. This kid didn't have any such divine stroke of luck.
"Wait."
As that thought crossed his mind, Yohan suddenly muttered to himself.
If the kid didn't have a miracle... couldn't Yohan just become his miracle?
—Apostle.
The Goddess's voice echoed in his mind. Yohan immediately knew what she was going to say next.
—What could be more beautiful than the tale of a mortal who, having fallen into the abyss, refuses to lose heart and rises once more?
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
The Goddess's words were so cheesy they made Yohan's skin crawl, but they hit close to home nonetheless.
"Alright, I'm feeling generous. At least while we're staying here, we'll make sure you have a place to sleep and food to eat."
Charles tilted his head, seemingly failing to grasp the meaning of Yohan's words immediately.
"You said you're from a merchant family in the Corporate State. Even if you're just a kid, you must know how to handle money a hell of a lot better than we do."
Grave robbing or mercenary work was far too difficult for a child. They simply lacked the physical strength.
But running a quiet business in Balifield was something anyone could do, regardless of age or gender.
Of course, there was always the risk of being targeted by thugs, just like today... but in this godforsaken fantasy world, that was a risk you faced anywhere, anytime.
"Besides, didn't you participate in the auction to try and make some money? Though in the end, you ended up screwing me over and almost got yourself killed."
"That is... true," Charles replied, his face filled with determination.
He suddenly stepped closer to Yohan and looked up at him.
"I won't just ask for your protection for free. It's only right that we make this a proper business transaction."
"This kid..."
Seeing him act so professional, Yohan couldn't bring himself to remain grumpy. His scowl softened, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a faint smirk.
"But... can I ask you one more thing?"
"What is it?"
The kid probably had a mountain of questions. Yohan nodded, prompting him to speak.
"You've been talking to the empty air as if you're conversing with someone else this whole time... Are you... okay in the head?"
"Why, you little—"
Yohan instinctively opened his mouth to unleash a torrent of colorful curses, but Falco quickly stepped in and slapped a hand over his mouth.
"We have our own complicated circumstances. It's not a good idea to talk out in the open like this anyway, so why don't we move somewhere else?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
"We got a room on the surface. It's a double, but it's spacious enough."
"And there's no point in hanging around these bodies. Let's get out of here before some gang spots us."
At Yohan's words, the three of them quickly slipped out of the alleyway.
Behind them, the two thugs lay sprawled on the cold ground, whether unconscious or dead, completely still.
Yohan and Falco had come to Balifield solely to fulfill Wilhelm's request.
Yet, in just a few days, their workload had tripled.
First, they had to destroy the statue imbued with the energy of an evil god. Second, they had to look after a kid named Charles.
"...And that's how we ended up here."
Inside their lodging, Falco explained their situation to Charles, conveniently leaving out the part about them being former grave robbers and how they had been saved by the Goddess.
According to her story, Yohan and Falco were simply wandering travelers. Since this wasn't technically a lie, Yohan remained silent.
"I heard there was a settlement west of Balifield, but I had no idea so many people lived there."
"That's not all. People in that village are constantly backstabbing and bickering with each other. It's a madhouse."
Yohan chimed in, adding his own cynical commentary to Charles's observation.
"Then... why did you spend thirty silver coins to buy that statue?"
"Well..."
At Charles's follow-up question, Falco hesitated. To explain why they needed the statue, she would have to mention the Goddess.
"It's a bit complicated, but that statue is actually a sacred relic of a heretical god."
Fortunately, Falco quickly came up with a plausible excuse. It wasn't entirely a lie, so it wasn't hard to spin.
"If an object like that falls into the hands of ordinary people, it causes disaster. That's why Yohan was determined to win the bid at all costs. We have to destroy it."
Falco shot a quick glance at Yohan, signaling him to play along.
—I shall allow it. Falco speaks no falsehoods. Furthermore, revealing my existence to one who cannot yet be fully trusted would bring you no benefit, Apostle.
With the Goddess's permission granted, Yohan let out a small sigh and spoke up.
"Yeah, this girl and I do that kind of work. We track down objects imbued with divine energy. When we find relics of evil gods, we destroy them."
—Fufu. Though, of course, my own sacred relics shall serve as my divine nourishment.
To be honest, Yohan had secretly worried that the Goddess might find it offensive to have her existence hidden. After all, she was a deity who relied on spreading her name to regain her power and immortality.
But the Goddess actually seemed to find the secrecy rather thrilling.
"Whoa..."
For some reason, Charles trailed off, staring at Yohan with wide eyes.
Yohan and Falco exchanged puzzled glances.
"What's wrong?" Falco asked.
"I... I just think that's incredibly cool..." Charles murmured in a small voice.
"..."
This time, it was Yohan who fell silent.
Falco and Charles both turned their gaze toward him.
"Yohan?"
"N-No, nothing."
Now that he thought about it, the kid was absolutely right.
A secret order traveling the world, hunting down and destroying the relics of evil gods?
'Honestly, even I have to admit that sounds cool as hell.'
Yohan genuinely, wholeheartedly agreed.