Children of God (3)
The Iron Shield Guild was, of course, thrown into complete chaos. After all, the members who had gone to confront the brothel had returned with an extremely young child dressed in clothes fit for a prostitute. It was only natural. Fortunately, Zeek's desperate explanations cleared up the misunderstanding. When Sophia suggested changing the child's clothes first, Dig unnecessarily chimed in that the current outfit was fine—and promptly received a punch for it. Not only from Sophia and Zeek, but even Yuliana shot him a look of contempt. After being knocked out and waking up, Dig sank right back into despair.
"Master, what should we do with those clothes?"
"They're filthy. Burn them immediately."
Isaac's expression wasn't pleasant either. To force such a thing on a child who looked barely elementary-school age... Just as described in the original novel, the place was truly horrific and filthy.
"Moonlight's Tear, was it? I had heard it was flourishing recently, but to openly engage in something like this..."
Las, who knew Gideon quite well, clicked his tongue and shook his head. After all, it was common sense that one shouldn't violate such a young child. Of course, under the Hades Guild's rule, secret prostitution occurred in the red-light district, but never so openly. Getting caught would mean being beaten to a pulp. Yet Moonlight's Tear showed no intention of hiding anything. That made sense—they had the Hades Guild and the Night King, Nox, backing them. What was there to fear?
"I've changed her clothes. So? What happened with this child?"
Compared to the flashy bondage outfit, the new clothes were shabby, but the girl seemed to like them, wearing a cozy expression. Facing her, Sophia glared at Isaac.
"Don't tell me you went and caused trouble at Moonlight's Tear just because you felt sorry for her?"
"No. The child followed us of her own accord."
"And you didn't notice until we got here? Does that even make sense?"
Sophia pointed out the obvious flaw. Dig and Zeek were still new, so maybe, but Isaac had been there too—how could he miss the presence of such a small child?
"He noticed. He just pretended not to. Because the child looked pitiful!!"
It wasn't wrong. In fact, it was probably the most likely explanation. Zeek, who knew Isaac's abilities, and the other guild members all nodded. That was the most plausible scenario.
'No, I really didn't notice.'
In truth, Isaac hadn't sensed the child at all. Instead, he was inwardly impressed. He had heard she possessed the Authority of Shadows, but to this extent...
The Authority of Shadows. The power to hide as silently as a shadow. As mentioned before, Authorities were sometimes granted directly by gods to humans. That meant even a mere child could receive one. According to the setting in Volume 3, this child possessed the Authority of Shadows. However, an Authority wasn't always a blessing. It could also be considered an ominous curse. Being right in front of someone yet completely undetectable was closer to a curse than a divine blessing—at least in the eyes of ordinary people.
"We have uninvited guests outside."
"Yeah, about four of them."
Hans and Kain reacted first, their senses sharpened from their days as a Holy Knight and a wanderer. At their warning, Sophia and Las immediately stood up.
Crash!
As if to prove their warning wasn't empty, a brick flew from somewhere and shattered the guild's window. The guild members drew their weapons without hesitation.
"Don't panic."
Everyone except Isaac, that is. Dig, who was still unconscious, didn't count either. Isaac raised a hand to stop his guild members. He already knew who the intruders were.
Just as he expected, four children kicked the broken window completely apart and stormed in. Hans looked dumbfounded. To think the culprits were kids.
"We won't waste words. Hand that one over."
A purple-haired boy wearing a mask over his face threatened them with a sharp dagger that matched his piercing gaze. Naturally, the guild members snorted and prepared to respond—until Isaac spoke.
"Understood. Take her."
A brief silence fell. The children clearly hadn't expected him to agree so easily. They stood frozen, exchanging glances.
"Huh? You're really just giving her up?"
"Something feels off about this..."
"What are you plotting?"
"Isaac! We can't just let this go!"
Of course, some guild members protested. Hans was the most vehement.
"You're going to let these brats attack our guild and just send them off?! Do you want to make us a laughingstock?!"
Hans wasn't wrong. Even if the opponents were children, once they deliberately attacked the guild, they had to be dealt with. Yet Isaac wanted to let them go?
"What does it matter if we become a laughingstock?"
"What?!"
"These children were at Moonlight's Tear from the beginning. They probably came to rescue this child."
Of course, Isaac hadn't actually sensed their presence. With so many people around, it would have been difficult anyway. He only knew because of the novel's plot. Five children who had survived the back alleys. They had banded together to overcome hardships, though misfortune far outnumbered the good times. Still, the children hadn't felt unhappy—because they were each other's happiness. Even eating scraps for dinner, they could endure by looking at one another's faces. But that hadn't lasted.
"You kidnapped this child from Moonlight's Tear, didn't you?"
"......!!"
The purple-haired boy with the sharp eyes fell silent. How had he figured that out from just the situation? Or was he connected to Moonlight's Tear? No, that couldn't be. If he were, he wouldn't let them go so easily. The boy glanced at Isaac. The man sat without even drawing a weapon. Yet his presence was overwhelming—on a completely different level from the mediocre heroes they had seen before. If this man so much as willed it, they would lose their lives in an instant.
"Kidnapping a child from Moonlight's Tear? What are you talking about?"
"It's simple. They abducted Children of God to satisfy the lust of their many customers."
"I see. Certainly a method with no repercussions."
Las nodded in understanding. The name "Children of God" had been given with the meaning of returning them to the gods. Since they had been "returned," what remained on earth was nothing but dregs. No one would complain about using such children however they pleased. A few heroes might find it disgusting and try to stop it, but everyone else turned a blind eye. In the past, such acts would have been condemned and punished—Gideon had at least cared about appearances back then. But under Hades's rule, things were different.
'Did he really figure all that out at a glance?'
Hans was inwardly impressed by Isaac's insight. He and Sophia had joined the Iron Shield not because they trusted Isaac's abilities, but because they had no other choice. Of course, he knew Isaac was skilled, but he had never witnessed that skill firsthand. He hadn't had the luxury—without a lifeline, he would have died. Yet after becoming guild master, Isaac was displaying his full capabilities. Hans couldn't help but acknowledge him.
Of course, it was all a misunderstanding.
'Of course I wouldn't know something like that!!'
Even Sherlock Holmes-level deduction couldn't piece together this much from so little information. Isaac could only do it because the novel had already explained everything.
"On top of that, you must have seen us burning the clothes she was wearing. Enraged, you came charging in. Am I wrong?"
"......You're right about everything."
The purple-haired boy broke into a cold sweat. Not a single word was incorrect. Especially the part about seeing the clothes burned—he had imagined the worst.
"If you were willing to attack even a guild, she must have been precious family to you."
"......"
"So you may take her. You have every right."
"But......!!"
"Hans, this is also the fault of us adults."
Hans still couldn't accept simply letting the intruders go. Isaac looked at him and struck at the heart of the matter.
"Adults who chased only pleasure, carelessly discarding the precious lives they created and showing no interest."
"......"
Hans couldn't respond. They hadn't committed such acts themselves, but the fact that Gideon was overflowing with such trash was enough to make him unable to lift his head.
"And yet you would mock us for showing even a shred of mercy to children who raised trembling hands against us to save their own family? Laugh all you want."