Murder. (1)
Rhea was dragged deep into the slums without the strength to resist.
She was so terrified, so afraid, that even tears would not come.
In the slums, Riel had always been at her side—but not now.
It hurt.
The hand clamped over her mouth crushed her lips until they burned as if they had split open.
It was agony.
Her arms were twisted behind her so she could not move, and even struggling was pure pain.
The scum of the slums would not leave her alone. When she resisted, they struck her where bruises would not show. A blow to her stomach—thud—and Rhea crumpled from a pain she had never known in her life.
"Yeah. This is better."
After kicking her in the stomach a few times, until she was too hurt even to resist, they slung her over a shoulder and walked into the deepest part of the slums. There, Rhea sensed her fate.
She heard women's moans. Men's lust-soaked shouts and cries, and the coquettish thanks of women taking money. Deeper and deeper into that place.
She was dragged all the way to where the special clients stayed, past a dark wooden door, and locked like an animal in a bedroom thick with a lewd atmosphere—the raw stench still hanging in the air, sharp enough to sting her nose.
"N-no, please—l-let me out!"
Only then did Rhea come to her senses. She rushed to the door and pounded on the wooden surface.
Thud— thud— thud— thud—!
"N-no— I, I have someone I love, please, n-no, please—!"
Thud— thud— thud—!
After she had screamed herself hoarse for several minutes—
Bang—!
The wooden door shuddered as if it might break. From outside came a thug's shout, probably cursing her for the noise.
"Ah, fuck—. Whether you've got some bitch you like or not, I don't give a shit, so shut the hell up! Before I kill you!"
"N-no, p-please let me go back, h-hic—, p-please—, I, I— I m-made a mistake—, I was wrong…."
Even though she had done nothing wrong, Rhea begged for forgiveness. Imagining the future that was about to come, she trembled and sobbed in fear.
"That's not up to me—it's for our client to decide. Well, if you don't want to get hurt, try hard. You need money anyway, right? I'll give you plenty, so just close your eyes and make a big score. A bitch who sells her hair talking about someone she loves and a place to go back to—what a joke."
The thug snickered and kicked the door a few more times. Rhea trembled in fear, cried in fear. Lately she had only been looking for Riel, so she had not prayed—but now she did.
If there was a god, please help her.
Sister Flora, please help me.
Riel, help me.
How many hours passed like that? When she was trembling in despair, too drained even to cry anymore—
Creeeak—.
The door opened. A middle-aged man looked at Rhea as she prayed.
"…Oh, heh heh. Finally, they found me a similar bitch."
Clapping with private delight, he approached her.
"…Count Loren, you know…. We brought someone desperate, just like you asked. Fuck, there won't be a next time. Do you know how many people got hurt because of you? There's a war coming, they say. Stop looking and get the hell out. Please, just…."
From outside the door came the thug's voice.
"Heh heh. I understand."
Creeeak—.
The floorboards creaked.
"N-no, p-please—, I beg you…. J-just let me go, please, pleeease…."
Rhea begged, but the man did not stop.
"Yes, yes. That bitch was like this too…. You were praying, weren't you? What were you praying for? Hmm?"
"…I, I was wrong, I w-want to go back, I w-want to—…. Th-there's someone I love, please, s-send me back…"
"Heh, heh heh. Someone you love? Even better."
Loren laughed. The moment he grabbed the hem of her clothes, Rhea screamed.
"Kyaaaaaaah—!"
It was the dress Riel had bought for her. Bought a little large so she could grow into it—a dress she had carefully worn and cherished for years.
Riiip—!
The fabric tore. Thrashing, Rhea kicked Loren in the face. He must have bitten his tongue—blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
"Heh, hahah. Good. Whores don't have this kind of flavor…."
Loren laughed. The red blood seeping between his teeth soaked the torn edge of Rhea's dress. He raised his fist—
Thud—!
And brought it down.
When I woke up, Ceria and Claudia were nursing me at my bedside. My head felt like it was splitting open, and I accepted as a matter of course that I had been pushing myself too hard lately.
When I tried to sit up, Ceria and Claudia tried to push me back down, but I sat up anyway. I had slept a few hours, at least. Compared to when I had been about to head out on a subjugation at dawn, my mind was remarkably clear.
"Where's Rhea?"
It was strange that everyone was here except one person. We were either all together, or just the two of us. That was how we had lived for two years.
"…Did you two fight again?"
"…Ah, no, it's not that."
"…Claudia, your eyes are swollen."
"…Th-there was dust, so I rubbed them…."
Both Ceria and Claudia hemmed and hawed, avoiding the answer. Something felt off, so I asked again.
"…I'm not looking for Rhea because I hate you. I'm just curious, so tell me."
I offered the excuse naturally and asked again. The way they averted their eyes, as if hiding something, was strange. Looking more carefully, I saw the pouch of gold coins I had saved on the desk beside the bed. There seemed to be a few fewer than before.
"…I won't say anything about spending money. What does money matter? You're all I have, so…. Tell me. Where on earth did Rhea go?"
An ominous imagination flickered through my mind unbidden. It couldn't be—but Rhea had especially been saying she hated me lately. Years ago she had said she liked me, that we would get married—but lately she wouldn't say those things anymore.
Had she left home?
The thought crossed my mind. Lately, it really seemed like everyone hated me. It wasn't just once or twice that I had worried they might leave me. It might have been paranoia, but I was anxious and afraid.
"I'm just asking where she went. Have you come to hate me so much you won't even answer that…?"
I asked, but the two sitting side by side kept their mouths tightly shut. I waited a little longer, but they still didn't answer, so I got out of bed and started walking.
"Ri, Riel."
"…Y-you need to rest. I-I'll take care of you. Okay?"
"Sh-she'll be back soon, Rhea will. So let's rest here with us. Claudia's tired too…. Okay?"
For some reason, fear seemed mixed into Ceria and Claudia's voices—as if they didn't want to reveal why Rhea had left.
"Then tell me."
"Why are you so obsessed with Rhea…. Wh-why…."
"…Riel, w-we're doing this because we're worried about you. You're not well, so there's no need to go looking for her for no reason…!"
Just what was such a big secret? In a little while, I would be able to leave for the Academy. Our circumstances would improve, we would achieve our dreams, and at least…. Even if we couldn't live like before, we could live in a better relationship than now….
"So where is she?!"
My voice came out louder than I intended. Startled, Claudia's tail and ears stood straight up. Ceria was the same. She flinched, then looked at me with slightly trembling eyes and spoke.
"…Sh-she went to earn money."
"…What?"
"…Hic, the money R-Riel earned…. We called a doctor, and he took five gold. We thought that when you woke up you might say you were going out to earn money again, so Rh-Rhea said she'd earn even a little…. Sh-she left…."
"Ri, Riel. D-don't go—. I-I'm scared… Wh-what if you get hurt? I-it would be fine if we just wait. Rh-Rhea said she wouldn't do anything dangerous…. She said she was going somewhere Riel knows, so p-please rest…. Okay?"
Somewhere I know?
A place Rhea and I both know….
The slums.
The place Sister Flora had gone last. In an instant, my blood ran cold. It shouldn't have been possible, but a terrible thought brushed through my body. My hands and feet trembled; my vision blurred and then grew even sharper. It felt as if someone had put a huge bell inside my head and was striking it over and over, the throbbing filling my skull.
She had been hating me lately. I'd rather she met someone else and left. She went to the slums? Why on earth?
"Ri, Riel—!"
I moved before I knew it. Among the places the two of us both knew where you could earn money, there were only the alleys where we sometimes caught rats, or the slums. But it couldn't be the alleys. For the past three years I had cleaned those alleys every day, until they were clean enough for people to walk through. The slums. It had to be the slums.
"Hah—, hah—."
I didn't even know how I had run all the way to the slums. I wanted to ask someone for help, but looking at the time, the guild members would already have left on a subjugation. Over the past three years of coming and going through the slums, there were people who knew I had become a new guild member. I hadn't exactly built friendships, but there were those who knew who I was.
I asked, and asked again. But I got no answers. Had Rhea even come to the slums in the first place? After running around for a long time, trembling with despair—
Someone spoke. She had gone deeper inside. If I was looking for a red-haired girl.
Without time to ask more, I ran deeper in. Fortunately, from this point on there were people who had seen Rhea. Truly fortunately, it seemed Rhea hadn't gone to sell her body. It seemed she hadn't thrown herself away just for money.
Asking and asking, I reached the place—
"…Fuck."
My dagger was lying there. The dagger Rhea had taken for self-defense—and proof that something had happened. There weren't many things that could happen to a pretty girl like Rhea in the slums. If she had just been beaten, that would have been fortunate—but if she had been dragged deeper inside, it was a different story.
I gripped the dagger. I walked, then ran.
I headed down the path toward Kilea Brothel, which kept the largest number of prostitutes. A burly man stood there, threateningly displaying his tattoos along with a club. He asked me.
"What business brings you here?"
"I'm looking for a girl with red hair."
Please, let her not be here. Let him say he doesn't know, I thought as I spoke. Sister Flora had already passed through this place—Rhea didn't need to pass through it too. It was too cruel. Just living was hard enough—this was too fucking awful. I thought it over and over, but….
"Which bastard keeps spreading rumors, fuck. She's a girl who came in today."
The thug scratched his head as if it were a nuisance. As if it wasn't the first or second time this had happened.
My breathing was rough. Rage boiled up.
The hallucination I had always seen whenever I reached the slums—of Sister Flora being dragged away—now looked like Rhea being dragged away.
In my trembling hand, I gripped the dagger I had held countless times over the past three years. When I tried to just go in, he poked my chest with the club.
"…Where do you think you're going? You've got to pay."
I reached out. I grabbed the hand holding the club and gave a slight tug. Startled, the man instinctively pulled back. When I let go, he stepped backward, trying to grip the club again.
I slipped inside—
Thuck—.
And stabbed.
He felt his own stomach, then looked ready to cry like a child. I almost killed him, then stopped. Time was precious.
I pulled out the dagger and ran. The thug screamed that it hurt, then blew a whistle. Soon, several similar thugs blocked my path.
Sister Flora's teachings flashed through my mind. She had always told us to live kindly—but I knew I couldn't do that if Rhea, Ceria, or Claudia were in danger of dying. Sister Flora would have done the same as me, I was sure. She might not have minded herself getting hurt, but she hated it to death when we got hurt.
Even if that weren't the case. I simply shook my head and, just this once, let go of the Sister who had always supported me.
I chose the one who looked strongest. Even when killing monsters, if you kill the mother, the adult, or the leader of the colony first, chaos ensues. They naturally feel fear and lose even the will to attack. It was something I had done again and again over the past three years, following along on subjugations even with my child's body.
Swish—!
Dagger techniques I had practiced until I was sick of them. Because my body was small, I could move even more nimbly than an adult—techniques for killing something. I slipped in at once, stabbed his abdomen, and before the others could rush me, I slit his throat.
"Guh—, ghk—."
He was already dead, but I stabbed him a few more times. To make sure no one would even think of attacking me, I stabbed the flesh as cruelly as I could.
Thuck—, thuck—, thuck, thuck—!
Blood spurted. When I killed the giant so easily, no one blocked my way.
"…Rhea. The red-haired girl—where is she."
Instead, when I asked, they pointed inside. I ran inside and saw a thin-looking bastard who seemed to be the pimp—
"Aaah—, n-no—, nooo—!"
I heard Rhea's scream.
Thud—.
My reason snapped.
The door was locked, so I went to the pimp and shoved the metal into him. I threw him in front of the door, and understanding, he clutched his stomach and opened it for me.
I saw him.
Loren.
And….
"…Hic—, n-no—, d-don't—!"
Rhea, wearing the clothes I had bought her. Rhea, clutching her torn clothes, crying. Rhea with a black eye, her split lip bleeding. Rhea with red lines cut into her white skin, as if by a blade.
"Ha. I was just about to start."
I never knew those words—that he had been about to rape Rhea—could hurt so much.
Rhea and Sister Flora overlapped in my vision.