Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Thieves in the Market
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"Thief!"
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
"Someone grab that kid!"
"Get lost, you little punk!"
Shouts erupted from merchants here and there.
Some fidgeted nervously in place, stamping their feet for fear that another child would swoop in and steal their wares if they stepped away. Others left their stalls in the care of family members to chase after the thieves, while some swung brooms nonstop to guard their goods.
Lianus stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded by the scene. Just then, a shrill cry like tearing cloth rang out right beside him.
"Let go! You ugly gorilla!"
Startled by the voice, he turned to see a boy who looked about ten years old clutching a single loaf of bread. The baker had him by the hand, his feet dangling slightly off the ground as he flailed in midair.
"You brat! You won't learn until I beat some sense into you before dragging you off to the guards!"
"Let go! I said let go!"
The boy struggled fiercely for a while in that position, but when it proved futile, he crammed the stolen bread into his mouth.
"Y-You little...!"
The flustered baker belatedly reached to snatch it back, but the bread had already vanished into the boy's mouth. Well, not entirely vanished—it bulged out his cheeks like they might burst.
As if terrified someone might steal the bread from his mouth, the boy clamped both hands over it and hurriedly chewed away.
Bern, the baker, let out an incredulous chuckle and smacked the boy lightly on the head. He then glanced down at the two grubby little kids who had been standing quietly nearby.
He had been wary of them the whole time, suspecting they might be thieves too, but the pair had done nothing but watch.
They looked about seven or eight. One was wrapped head to toe in bandages, as if injured, while the other had pulled a hood low over their face, making them look all the more suspicious.
Bern eyed Lianus and Nihil suspiciously as he spoke up.
"You two with this kid?!"
At Bern's shout, the bandaged one flinched and ducked behind the hooded child, timidly shaking their head. His gentle reaction eased Bern's guard just a bit.
But perhaps he relaxed too much—his grip loosened slightly—and the boy, having wolfed down the bread, twisted his body sharply, kicked Bern in the shin, and bolted.
In the moment everyone panicked, the bread thief lunged for the bag of the bandage-wrapped kid, who looked a bit dim-witted.
He sliced the strap with a short razor blade and snatched the bag in a flash—truly in the blink of an eye.
And then,
Thud, splat.
He tripped.
"......"
"......"
A brief silence fell.
Bern awkwardly withdrew the hand he had reached out.
Too embarrassed by the fall to get up right away, the boy lay there. The hooded child calmly reclaimed the bag, while the bandaged one poked the back of the fallen boy's head, seemingly worried.
Blood streaming from his nose, the boy sprang up and glared at the two kids, who were a head shorter than him. His eyes met Bern's, and in that instant, he swiped another loaf and fled.
Bern let out a stunned "Ha!" upon realizing he'd been robbed again mid-chaos. Wondering what the little ones would do next, he watched as the hooded child, who had been inspecting the severed strap, looked up.
"Got a needle and thread?"
"......"
Bern thought to himself, What weird kids.
In the end, Bern couldn't lend them a needle and thread. His bakery had no sewing kit, and he didn't know how to sew anyway.
The hooded child shrugged helplessly and wrapped the broken strap around the bandaged one's waist, tying it tight. Then, as if they'd seen enough, they took the bandaged child's hand to leave.
"W-Wait, hold on just a moment."
Bern hurriedly stopped the departing kids and handed over a paper bag filled with bread scraps and misshapen loaves he'd prepared earlier. He'd meant to placate any would-be thieves today, but the feisty stray cat had already scampered off, so these two would do.
Moreover, while the hooded one gave off shady vibes, the bandaged kid seemed so mild-mannered they probably couldn't pull off a proper theft anywhere.
At first, both kids just stared blankly at the offered bag. Urging them to take it since it was free, the bandaged one rolled their clear green eyes cautiously, hesitantly accepted it with a shy bow.
Bern had always looked out for street urchins a little, but he'd never felt quite this baffled. And for some reason, he had a hunch he'd see these kids again.
He had no idea it would be just twenty minutes later.
"These kids were holding paper bags with your bakery's logo. Is this the stolen merchandise from today?"
"......"
Bern's mood grew complicated as he saw the two children in the guard's grasp. The bandaged one clutched the bag of bread preciously to their chest, while the hooded one looked utterly unconcerned despite being held. He glanced back and forth before speaking reluctantly.
"They didn't say anything...?"
"They insisted it wasn't stolen."
"......"
"We didn't steal it."
The hooded child spoke in a flat, toneless voice devoid of any pleading, and the bandaged one nodded carefully in agreement.
To prevent further misunderstanding, Bern quickly spoke up.
"That's right. These kids didn't steal anything. That bread bag just has the scraps and unsellable pieces I gave them."
"...I see."
The guard looked down dubiously at the two meekly held children.
He had found them in a dingy alley, sharing the bag's bread scraps with other kids.
The others had fled at the sight of him, but these two had just stood there staring blankly.
"We didn't steal it, see."
The flat voice chided almost, and the guard found himself making excuses without thinking.
"I figured since they were handing out bread to the other kids, they had to be the ringleaders."
"Handing out bread?"
No wonder it felt a bit lighter.
Bern eyed the paper bag the bandaged child hugged so dearly, struck by the odd urge to refill it.
The child wriggled slightly in the guard's grip, opened the bag, and pulled out a bread scrap. With everyone's eyes on them, it should have been nerve-wracking, but they offered it to the guard without a care.
The guard hesitated at the proffered piece, then set the kids down and took it.
He pondered what to do with it in his hand for a moment, but unable to withstand the "eat it already" looks from his partner and Bern, he popped it into his mouth.
"Ner, using food to charm people is wrong."
"Ah, uh. Yeah......"
"Cough."
Suddenly charmed by a mere bread scrap, the guard stared incredulously at the child who'd given it. At a loss for words, he pulled a silver coin from his pocket and handed it over.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. This is my apology."
The child's eyes widened round in wonder as they took the silver coin, then turned to what seemed their companion and opened their mouth.
"Nil, this th—"
In an instant, before the bandaged child could continue, the hooded one swiftly clamped their mouth shut.
As everyone blinked in surprise at the sudden move, the hooded child released their hand and spoke.
"Ner, you should thank the nice guard brother who gave you the silver coin."
"Ah... Thank you."
The bandaged child bowed politely to the guard, took the hooded child's outstretched hand, and strolled off casually.
"What was that about...?"
"......Who knows."
The guards and Bern stood dumbfounded, watching the kids' retreating figures until customers arrived at the bakery, snapping them back to reality.
They were some really unusual kids, they thought.
"I thought this was a dirty gold coin."
Lianus said, examining the silver coin he'd just received.
He knew silver coins existed as a currency unit, but his arithmetic studies involved palace budget plans with such high denominations. He'd never bought anything himself, and the treasury always held only gold coins, so this was his first time seeing one up close.
"Ner, silver doesn't tarnish that easily. That's why it holds value. For reference, one gold coin is a month's living expenses for a commoner family of four."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Not enough for leisurely cultural pursuits, but plenty to keep from starving."
As Nihil spoke, he recalled the gold coins he'd hidden around the 2nd Prince's Palace. By now, the butler would have gathered the servants and ordered them to collect the "gold coins the prince's friend hid and forgot."
Hope they're recovering them well.
Nihil already knew some had ended up in servants' pockets—thieves had snatched them while hiding.
He wondered what percentage they'd recover, but since Lianus planned to hire more staff anyway, firing a few wouldn't hurt. Whether this weeded out many was another question.
Finishing his thoughts, Nihil glanced at Lianus, still studying the silver coin, and added,
"Want to buy something yourself?"
"Buy something... myself?"
"Yeah. One silver coin should get you a couple of big potatoes."
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
Nihil led the wide-eyed Lianus back into the market.
Were the stares because of the earlier commotion with Sharton Street's kids? Eyes on Lianus and Nihil weren't friendly, but fearless Nihil didn't care, and Lianus was too preoccupied with the thrill of buying something himself to notice the prickly glares.
"Nil, can I really do this right?"
"Don't tense up too much. No one will blame you even if you mess up."
"But......"
"Don't worry. I've got your back."
"Okay!"
"Watch your speech."
"Right! I won't slip up this time."
Lianus had nearly spoken to the guard earlier in the polite tone he used with servants, only stopped by Nihil. Vowing not to err again, he stood tensely before a vegetable stall.
His heart pounded for his long-awaited first errand.