51
Chapter 51
Perhaps Sovereign's Grace has some kind of hidden ability.
Something like an ability that massively increases the persuasiveness of my words when talking to my allies.
Otherwise, it just didn't make sense.
'Everyone really follows me so well.'
Let's go save people under the name of Black Fang.
I said that, but no one asked me for a reason.
Not a single person could be found asking why we were impersonating Black Fang.
Everyone just nodded with a look in their eyes as if they had expected this all along.
'Sure enough, I must have amazing luck with my allies.'
To have this many allies who follow me no matter what I say. There were probably very few people with as much luck in attracting good people as me.
I smiled with satisfaction at those thoughts, then turned my head to check on the kids' condition.
"Is everyone keeping up?"
A highly disciplined answer returned to my words.
I quickly checked the headcount, and it was exactly right.
We had to take a rough path to move without being noticed. Fortunately, there were no stragglers.
Perhaps it was the result of our training, but even in this situation where we were crossing a steep mountain, the kids looked lively.
Everyone, except for Rubia who was working hard at the mansion, was marching in unison under my guidance.
Seeing dozens of people following me brought a strange wave of emotion.
Especially because of their outfits, the feeling was even more complex.
The black robes that had somehow become our uniform.
Along with the spare Cognitive Interference Masks we took when Asel generously opened the warehouse and told us to take as much as we wanted.
A group of unidentified individuals wearing animal masks and black hoods.
It was the spitting image of Black Fang.
Maybe we looked more like Black Fang than the real Black Fang.
Besides, what we were about to do was attack the Empire and the Holy See with an inciting video to prevent attention from focusing on Rubia.
It was an act of hostility against the two enemies of Black Fang.
'I should at least be getting a bow of gratitude from the real Leader of Black Fang.'
I only helped because the circumstances happened to align perfectly,
But result-wise, I was supporting Black Fang the most passionately.
I was helping them so hard, to the point where the Leader of Black Fang felt stingy for not even showing their face once.
'At this point, buying me a meal is just basic human decency.'
I had those trivial thoughts, then got down on one knee and placed my hand on the ground.
Through the ground, I continued to spread my mana wider and wider.
The terrain.
The trees and bushes.
The shapes of the animals living on it.
All of those things entered my mind.
And... as I spread my aura even further away,
I began to sense it.
All sorts of trash and junk, shabby houses made of planks, corpses scattered in the corners, and the sight of people who didn't care about them at all.
'Found it.'
The Slums.
Our destination was right ahead.
A smile naturally formed on my lips.
It was time to run a Relief Center under the name of Black Fang.
*****
"You little fucking brat......."
Along with those words, a man with a deeply furrowed brow looked down at a young girl.
Dark red liquid dripped from his fist, hitting the ground. Drip, drip.
It was the blood the girl had vomited when he hit her earlier.
However, even in this situation, no one paid any attention to the girl or the man.
They merely glanced over for a moment before impassively quickening their pace.
It wasn't a strange occurrence.
Because this was the Slums.
No one cared about others here.
Soft-hearted people like that couldn't survive for long.
They were too busy just keeping themselves alive; why would they ever care about someone else?
Besides, this was a fairly common sight.
A Pickpocket girl gets caught in the act and is beaten half to death.
Things like this were nothing short of everyday life here.
With a furious face, the man punched her in the face, kicked her in the stomach, and stomped on her arm as she fell.
Terrible pain washed over her.
But the girl didn't say a word.
She had been in this situation a few times before, so she knew that staying quiet gave her a higher chance of getting beaten less.
"...Fuck, what kind of brat is this?"
The man spat on the ground, grumbling that his mood was ruined for nothing, and walked away.
It seemed he was unsettled by how she didn't show much of a reaction no matter how much he hit her.
Just like that, she survived another day.
Her entire body throbbed. Moving brought horrific pain, but the girl ignored it and stood up.
Swaying unsteadily, she walked down the street.
It was a sight of a battered girl walking the streets alone.
But naturally, no one cast a sympathetic glance at her. No one paid any mind to her.
"If anyone needs help, please come anytime......."
Strangely enough.
There were a lot of suspicious-looking people around today.
A few kids wearing black robes were wandering around spouting nonsense.
Claiming they would treat the sick for free,
Or that they would hand out food for free.
But. The girl wasn't stupid enough to be fooled by those suspicious people.
Because this was the Slums.
A place where you couldn't survive without taking from others.
In a place like this, offering to help someone or telling them to ask for help whenever they needed it...
There was no way anyone was saying those things sincerely.
Carefully avoiding their attention, the girl somehow managed to make it back home.
A shack on the verge of collapsing.
As she stepped inside, she saw her mother.
"I'm home."
The girl said.
But no greeting welcoming her return came.
There was no way it would.
Terminal-stage Mana Poisoning.
Her mother couldn't even move her own body properly anymore.
She hadn't been able to walk on her own since two months ago.
And a month ago, she lost the ability to speak properly.
Perhaps the disease had even affected her mind.
Because no matter what she asked, her mother only remained silent.
"Mom, it's so hard."
Even if she said that, a gentle answer like before wouldn't return.
Only something that couldn't even be called her mother anymore, akin to a corpse, stared blankly at her.
"I'm... really, really struggling."
Her vision blurred.
She felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
Up until now, she had been fine.
She believed that no matter how miserable their life was, they could overcome it as long as they were together.
But... no matter how hard she tried to live, her life never improved at all.
It was just an endless, endless downfall.
Her mother had caught the disease from mining Mana Stones without any Protective Gear, all for her sake.
The illness only grew worse.
Taking care of her sick mother all by herself, while also taking responsibility for her mother's life, was just too overwhelming for her.
She couldn't even remember the last time she had a bite to eat.
Her body was completely ruined, but in order to survive, she had to keep struggling tomorrow as well.
It was agonizing.
It was so agonizing.
And there was no one she could rely on.
"I'm sorry. I g-guess I'm a really terrible daughter."
The girl spoke in a trembling voice.
She had always only relied on her mother. She had bothered her with her petty whining.
Yet, now that she actually had to take responsibility for her mother, the agony of it all was too much to bear.
Sickeningly so.
She couldn't stop her thoughts.
That it was too hard.
That it would just be easier to die.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
With those words, she pulled a glass shard from her clothes.
She lacked the confidence to live on like her mother.
She couldn't be as strong as her mother, who had fiercely raised her child even in these Slums.
Her whole body was still throbbing.
Her left arm, crushed by that Mister, wouldn't move properly.
She couldn't take it anymore.
So.
"Forgive me. Please..."
She said those words.
As she spoke, she locked eyes with her mother.
Cruelly enough.
Even though she didn't say a word. Every time she met that gaze, her resolve weakened.
The vain hope washed over her that everything would get better, that they would be happy someday.
So, time and time again.
She tried to end her life, but she couldn't go through with it.
But.......
She truly couldn't take it anymore.
Living was nothing but agonizing.
No matter how hard she tried, life never got any better.
So, no matter how selfish it was.
No matter how much she knew she shouldn't.
She wanted to run away,
She couldn't stop thinking like that.
Ultimately, it happened right as she was about to slash her wrist.
"...Good thing I followed you."
Such a voice rang out.
Someone had snatched the glass shard from her hand in a flash.
Standing before her eyes... was the boy she had seen earlier.
A white-haired boy wearing a black robe.
Blue eyes could be seen behind the Wolf Mask.
"It seems you didn't hear me earlier, so I'll ask again. Do you need help or not?"
The unidentified boy held out his hand to her as she sat on the ground, pathetically shedding tears.
Though he did add the strange remark that he would help her by force even if she refused.