About Gutter Alley, Part 4
"Lee, Brack is calling for you."
"Me? Not Spindle?"
In the year they turned fifteen, Rina came looking for Lee.
Lee, who had brightened up at her arrival, instantly lost interest when he heard Brack was summoning him.
Since Rina hadn't come to see him of her own accord, Lee trudged toward Brack's quarters with a look of utter boredom.
"You called?"
"We have guests coming today."
"Guests?!"
Who in their right mind would visit Gutter Alley?
This place was the Empire's dirty little secret, hidden away from the world.
While people often fled here to escape the law, no one had ever been formally invited or come here on official business.
"Our food supplies for the month are running low, and I've invited them here to make a deal. Show them what you can do. Put some back into it."
"I'll consult with Spindle and prepare a feast..."
"Spindle is sitting this one out. Prove your worth to me. I've fed and housed you for fifteen years, so you've got no right to complain, understand?"
It sounded like a threat: prove you're useful, or die.
Rina flinched, but quickly masked her reaction.
Whenever Rina spoke to Lee or paid him any attention, Brack would glare at her with disapproval and scold her.
Although Brack hadn't touched her body or even attempted something as simple as a kiss yet, Rina could instinctively feel that the time was drawing near.
No one spoke of it openly, but this was Gutter Alley.
The grown women sold their bodies, and any man who crossed the wrong person would vanish without a trace.
The men, too, lived by the law of the jungle—the weak simply died.
All of this happened under Brack's tacit approval.
Arciel, Labin, Lee, Rina, and the other children were relatively spared from the worst exploitation because they belonged to the gang.
But soon, they would all grow into adults.
What would they do when that day came...?
Lee planned to gather his crew soon to figure out a way forward.
Deep in the forest.
Before preparing any major meal, Lee always made a point to visit the forest to forage for better ingredients.
If he was lucky, he would find wild eggs; if he was even luckier, he could hunt larger game like wild boar.
Today was an exceptionally lucky day.
He had gathered plenty of wild herbs and eggs, enough to ensure everyone would eat their fill at the feast tonight.
Yet, Brack's order to empty their pantry for tonight weighed heavily on his mind.
Gutter Alley relied entirely on foraging or raiding travelers passing along the forest outskirts for food. A single mistake could plunge them into a long period of starvation.
Thud!
Hearing a heavy impact behind him, Lee turned around to see Labin dropping a dead wild boar onto the ground.
"To tell you the truth, I've been waiting for a man like you for a long time, you know."
It was rare for Labin to initiate such teasing.
Feeling a sudden spark of mischief, Lee decided to play along for once.
"Honestly, so have I."
"Really?!"
Labin's face lit up instantly.
"Just kidding."
She froze on the spot.
"Haha! What's gotten into you, Lee? Look at Labin, she's completely traumatized."
Arciel emerged from the thicket, carrying a wild boar over each shoulder.
As she set them down one by one, her fully developed breasts bounced heavily with the simple movement.
In contrast, while Labin possessed slender, shapely legs, her chest was only slightly rounded.
It was a clear victory for the late bloomer.
"You're really mean, Lee."
Today was a lucky day, but it was also filled with strange occurrences.
From the feast with outsiders to Labin pouting like this.
"Arciel, sorry, but could you carry the boars back first? I'll talk to Labin and follow you."
"Why bother? She's just throwing a tantrum on her own."
"Arciel."
"Fine."
Arciel didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood either.
With the burden of preparing the entire feast by himself, these added worries began to weigh on Lee.
"Labin, is something wrong?"
"I don't know. I don't know. I just feel weird."
Unlike Rina, who shut down and refused to speak whenever she was upset, Labin always tried her best to be honest with Lee.
It didn't seem like a situation he could resolve by simply handing her a treat.
"Before I went to hunt the boar, I saw the older women washing and dressing Rina up."
Lee listened in silence.
He was just grateful she was willing to open up to him.
"She looked so pretty. Her skin is so pale, her hips are well-shaped, and her chest is... obviously bigger than mine. They put her in this dress and did her makeup, and she looked just like a noble's daughter. Well, I guess she was the daughter of a noble's concubine."
Though she was sharing a bit too much detail, Lee could guess why Labin was feeling so down.
"Girls like Rina are the ones who get to be called real women. They get protected, they read books all day, and even though she's a snob, she can charm any guy with just a smile. Including you."
Lee couldn't bring himself to deny it.
His silence only deepened Labin's gloom.
"Even just now. You could have said something nice to me for once."
"Hey, you're the one who calls me ugly all the time."
When he pointed out the absurdity, Labin hung her head low.
"No, you're not ugly."
"..."
What was he supposed to say in a moment like this?
Lacking the gift of gab, Lee was utterly at a loss.
"You're pretty too."
"Huh?"
Labin snapped her head up in surprise.
For some reason, Lee felt his face grow hot.
"You're much prettier than the grown women."
"Really?"
"Really."
"You're not lying?"
"Yeah. You and Arciel are both pretty."
A fist flew straight into his ribs.
Doubled over in pain, Lee sank to the ground. By the time he managed to stand back up, Labin was already walking ahead, the wild boar slung over her shoulders.
And even though she had left much earlier, Arciel was walking only a short distance ahead of Labin.
Both of them seemed to walk with a lighter, more cheerful step than before.
Something was definitely strange.
They had secured three wild boars, and the cooking turned out even better than usual.
Brack was highly pleased with the feast Lee had prepared flawlessly all by himself.
The strangers gathered around Brack also seemed quite impressed by the lavish spread.
Even Rina was so focused on eating that she completely ignored the eyes on her, which spoke volumes.
As Lee kept bringing out dishes, he couldn't help but steal glances at Rina.
Just as Labin had said, with her lips painted a soft pink, she looked more beautiful than ever.
The children of the gang ate to their hearts' content.
It might have been the first time they had ever eaten like this.
Warmed by the abundant feast, everyone was in high spirits, drinking, laughing, and shouting.
"Arciel, what are those?"
"The guests brought them. They unloaded a few pigs from them earlier."
Several large carriages were parked at the entrance of the hideout.
They weren't ordinary carriages, but rather cages designed to hold beasts.
"Heh, what got into them to feed us like this? Usually, they just beat us if we don't earn our keep."
Jack muttered sarcastically as he tore into a piece of boar meat, and the other kids chimed in, gossiping in unison.
Labin was the most enthusiastic, while Arciel simply watched.
Realizing the alcohol at the main table was running low, Lee headed toward Brack.
"No more alcohol. Let's wrap this up."
Surprisingly, Brack declared the end of the feast much earlier than usual for Gutter Alley.
"Then, have a good night."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Exhausted from dressing up and forcing smiles all evening, Rina tried to slip away, but Brack grabbed her by the wrist.
"Ah!"
Pulled into his lap, Rina's face stiffened with humiliation, and Lee's eyes trembled as he watched.
Brack scooped Rina up in a bridal carry, turned his flushed, drunken face to Lee, and ordered:
"Bring some snacks and wine to my room. Make sure it's sweet."
Lee's heart hammered against his ribs.
His blood ran cold amidst the lingering warmth of the feast.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on an empty wine bottle rolling on the ground.
Should I do it...?
"What are you standing there for? Go get it, idiot."
It was Rina who stopped his impulse.
Having learned to swear like a sailor from their daily morning brawls, she insulted Lee harshly.
Yet, her trembling lips were sending a different message:
Don't try anything alone. Gather the kids and bring help.
Understanding her instantly, Lee bowed his head and quickly left.
Seeing him practically run away, the adults chuckled.
"Look at that brat run. At least he knows how to read the room."
"Boss! Are you finally popping the cherry tonight?"
"Why did you wait so long to touch her anyway?"
"You idiot! She wasn't ripe yet. The boss isn't a pedo."
"True. Fifteen years is a long time to wait."
Rina bit her lip at their crude remarks.
Seeing this, Brack barked at them to save face for his new prize.
"Anyone else who opens their mouth dies right here."
The feast fell dead silent in an instant.
Instead, one of the guests spoke up to Brack.
"We'd like to collect the merchandise now."
At those words, all the strangers stood up.
One of them, however, kept his eyes fixed on Rina.
"You heard him. Let's wrap up the deal."
Brack gestured with his chin.
"Go. Take all those useless, food-wasting pigs and sell them off."
Right at this moment, the story that the few survivors of Gutter Alley could never forget was beginning.
What was going on?
The adults had suddenly raided the children's quarters.
"Arciel, Labin! We've got work. Get over here."
"What kind of work in the middle of the night? Is it night watch?"
As Labin grumbled and walked toward them with Arciel, one of the adults hurled a stone at the children.
The sharp stone flew with lethal force, striking Jack directly in the head.
"Ugh!"
Stiffening as if struck by lightning, Jack collapsed to the ground, his leg twitching violently.
"What are you doing?!"
A horrified Arciel tried to rush forward, but the adults blocked her path.
"Hey! What if you kill them?!"
When the stranger in the black hood protested, Groom casually scratched his temple with the pommel of his dagger.
"He's not dead yet."
"He might as well be!"
"Then we'll just butcher him and sell the meat! You guys deal in human flesh anyway, don't be so squeamish."
"Damn it, just capture them!"
And so, the chaos began.
The children screamed and tried to flee, but they were already surrounded.
Bloated from the feast and unable to move quickly, the children were struck down one by one by crude spears and flying stones.
Only then did Arciel and Labin realize the truth.
The adults had sold out all the children, sparing only the two of them because they were deemed useful.
"Stop it."
Rufino tripped over his own feet and fell.
Groom shouted that the boy was too weak and should just be slaughtered for meat.
A shower of spearheads rained down upon Rufino's back.
"Stop it."
Rafam was stabbed in the stomach.
The spear was lodged so deep that he wept, desperately trying to pull the shaft out.
"I said, stop!"
Arciel charged forward without even putting on her gloves.
Striking the backs of the adults blocking her path, she broke through and reached Jack first, channeling her holy power to heal him.
"What...?"
As a white light flashed and Jack groaned, pushing himself up, the adults gasped.
"I wasn't told you had such premium merchandise! I'll offer a thousand gold coins—no, five thousand!"
"Shut up, we didn't know she could do that either! Arciel, get over here right now. Do that, and I'll overlook what you just did."
Groom snarled, but Arciel ignored him, moving from one fallen child to the next to heal them.
Her strength was draining rapidly.
Having only used her holy power in moderation before, she was now unleashing it without restraint, making it impossible to control the output.
As the children began to recover, Groom grew anxious and barked out orders.
"Damn it, capture her alive!"
"Oops! My bad. Looks like you're out of luck."
A swift, silver-haired girl stepped in to block them.
"Labin, you too?!"
"Why so disappointed? This is our way, isn't it? Survival of the fittest. It's obvious our little sprouts are going to grow up much stronger than you."
Holding a dagger in each hand, Labin grinned so widely her ears almost split.
"By the way, where are Lee and Rina?"
"You fucking bitch!"
"Too bad I don't have a dick!"
The trash talk was over.
Groom pulled a dark red elixir from his vest and downed it in a single gulp.
Labin lunged at her former mentor.
While Labin clashed with Groom, Arciel finished healing the rest of the children.
"Let's go! If you get hurt, I'll heal you! Don't back down!"
The battle had already begun.
Labin, Arciel, and the children fought back against the adults with everything they had.
Amidst the clash, Arciel screamed at the top of her lungs:
"As of today, Gutter Alley belongs to us!"
The distant sounds of clashing metal and tearing flesh echoed through the night.
Lee, who had run back to seek help from Arciel and Labin, froze when he saw the battle unfolding.
They decided to discard us!
Assessing the situation in an instant, Lee slipped away from the battlefield.
Some might call it cowardly, but there was nothing he could do in that fight.
He had to keep a cool head and do what he was actually capable of.
Rushing to the kitchen, he scooped up the jam prepared for the feast and poured in a generous amount of poisonous herb extract he had kept for emergencies.
After mixing the poison into the sweet wine as well, Lee grabbed the tray and hurried to Brack's room.
"I really can't do this..."
A desperate, weeping voice leaked through the gap in the door.
"Hey, did I tell you to spread your legs and ride me? I just told you to suck it!"
"I really don't know how... sob..."
The proud, haughty Rina was weeping and begging.
She had cast aside all her pride, desperately pleading for mercy.
Suppressing the rage boiling inside him, Lee knocked on the door.
"Boss, I brought the snacks."
"Get in here!"
Opening the door, he saw Brack standing stark naked with a fully erect erection, and Rina crouching before him.
A red mark stained her cheek, and her shirt was torn open, exposing her pale breasts.
Lee quickly averted his eyes.
"Right, I always liked that you knew how to read the room."
"Where should I put it?"
"Is that jam? Ah, my sugar is low. Bring it here."
Since sweet things were a rare luxury in the slums, Brack greedily scooped up the jam with his fingers and ate it.
Devouring it hungrily, he thrust his jam-covered finger toward Rina.
"You can't tell me you don't know how to suck a finger, can you?"
Rina looked at Lee, but Brack sneered.
"This is your punishment for refusing earlier. Suck it in front of him."
"Boss, shall I pour you a drink?"
"Yeah, pour it."
Lee quietly stepped up to Brack's side and poured the wine into a cup.
As he did, he gave Rina a barely perceptible nod.
Seeing the signal, Rina slowly extended her tongue toward Brack's finger.
Just as she was about to touch it, Brack teased her, pulling his finger back slightly.
Forced to follow, Rina had to crawl on the floor with her tongue out until she was right between his thighs.
The foul stench of an unwashed man assaulted her senses.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, Brack froze.
The poison from the herb extract was beginning to take effect.
Dripping with cold sweat and drool, Brack glared at Lee.
"You... bastard...!"
"Drink up, Boss."
*Crash!*
"Aaargh!"
Seizing the moment, Lee threw the poisoned wine into Brack's eyes and smashed the cup over his head.
"Lee!"
"Now!"
Leaving Brack thrashing on the floor, Lee threw his outer shirt over Rina, scooped her up in his arms, and ran.
"I was so scared! I was terrified! Why didn't you come save me sooner?!"
"I'm sorry. It's a war zone out there right now. I came as fast as I could..."
"I asked why you didn't come sooner!"
Rina's voice cracked with raw resentment, and her words stung Lee deeply.
"How did I end up relying on someone like you...?"
Perhaps this was the very first wound Lee had ever received.
Even as he held her close, a bitter, metallic ache lingered in his chest.
The battle outside was going terribly.
Although Labin was keeping Groom occupied, the children were far too young to match the adults and were being pushed back.
Because Arciel had to stay back to heal the wounded, she couldn't fight on the front lines. The battle turned into a war of attrition, and the children were falling one by one.
"Pant... pant..."
Arciel, squeezing out every drop of her holy power to heal them one by one, was drenched in sweat.
Jack had been injured and healed so many times he had lost count.
The only one barely holding the line was Labin...
*Thack!*
"Ugh...! Ah... cough...!"
"Labin!!!"
A blade pierced straight through her torso, protruding from her back.
Right before Arciel's eyes, Labin collapsed limply.
Coughing up blood, Labin weakly reached her hand out into the empty air.
"Lee... Lee... where are you? It hurts..."
"Labin!"
"Just once... pat my head... Lee..."
*Crunch!*
Groom ruthlessly stomped on her outstretched hand.
"Fucking brats... Whew... I didn't think they'd give us this much trouble."
Blood trickled from Groom's nose and mouth, a side effect of the elixir he had consumed.
They had raised wolves in their midst.
Without the elixir, he wouldn't have been sure of victory.
"And the fucking boss is probably off getting laid. Damn it...!"
Groom wiped the sweat from his brow with a heavy sigh.
Now that the strangers had joined the fray, suppressing the rebellion was only a matter of time.
He would have to demand his share of the reward.
Yes, that bitch Arciel would do nicely.
She had a nice chest and a fiery attitude; breaking her would be quite satisfying.
"Arciel!"
"...What is that?"
"Lee! Don't come over here!"
His voice echoed from the distance.
Though Arciel screamed at him to stay back, Lee arrived at the battlefield in no time.
Holding Rina in his arms.
"What in the world..."
Because Arciel couldn't heal them fast enough, half the children lay bleeding on the ground.
And Labin was among them.
Spotting Lee, Labin reached out to him.
"Lee..."
"Labin!"
"Don't... come..."
Despite her warning, Lee tried to run to her side.
The moment he set Rina down and prepared to sprint,
*Squelch!*
"Huh?"
A sword pierced through Lee's chest from behind.
The blade, shattering his ribs as it emerged, was pulled back out with a wet sound. As Lee collapsed, Brack stood behind him, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
"Boss, it's...!"
"Kill them all! Kill every single one of these worthless pigs!"
"Boss, wait! That bitch Arciel has healing powers—!"
"Did you not hear me?! Do you want me to kill you first?!"
Nothing else registered.
The fallen children, Labin, Rina, and Arciel all stared at Lee.
The boy who had always looked after them.
"Lee..."
Arciel had always believed she was strong.
A resilient girl who would grit her teeth and stand back up no matter what.
But witnessing the boy she loved on the brink of death, fat tears blurred her vision.
She looked around.
Aside from herself, not a single child was left standing.
What was the point of surviving alone if she lost him and everyone else?
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh—!!!"
A massive pillar of light descended from the heavens.
Centered on Arciel, the light expanded to envelop everyone.
And it healed every single one of the children.
Yet, the pillar of light did not fade.
Amidst the brilliant radiance, Labin stood up.
Lee, shielding Rina, ran toward them.
"You persistent little pests!"
A terrified adult thrust his spear, but the child he stabbed healed instantly, the pain vanishing in a second.
"H-Hieee!"
"My, how warm. Is this what a mother's embrace feels like?"
Labin sneered, scraping her daggers against each other with a sharp metallic ring.
Groom, his body failing under the strain of the elixir, began to take slow steps backward.
"Boss, we can't win this."
"What do you mean we can't?! I am Brack! The ruler of this alley! All of you are beneath me! Obey me, or you will all die!"
Arciel cracked her knuckles and fell into a fighting stance.
"From now on, we are all the rulers of this alley! We're going to slaughter every last one of you miserable adults!"
"You arrogant little bitch—!!!"
The leaders of both sides charged at each other.
And their respective factions followed close behind.
Labin, Lee, Jack, Rafam, and Rufino all rushed forward, wielding whatever they could use as a weapon.
"You little bastards! I'll make you taste every agony imaginable before I kill you!"
The battle raged through the entire night.
Faced with an immortal army that refused to fall no matter how many times they were cut, beaten, or stabbed, the adults were utterly slaughtered.
Spindle met his end with a kitchen knife buried in his throat. Groom had his remaining three elixirs stolen by Labin before a dagger was driven deep into his eye socket.
Brack was tackled to the ground by Arciel, who rained dozens of punches down on his face.
With every strike she delivered, pure white holy power crackled like lightning.
"The pain ends here! We will rebuild this alley ourselves!"
Lifting Brack's bloodied, mangled face, Arciel roared:
"We won! We are free!!!"
With her declaration, the pillar of light slowly faded away.
Had a historian been present, they would have recorded this world-altering moment with trembling hands.
Unfortunately, the only witness was an imperial spy who had infiltrated the gang disguised as one of the strangers and was now slipping away.
And a shabbily dressed priest who had witnessed the pillar of light rising from the forest outskirts of Gutter Alley.
"Lord Reinfold, it was true. Lady Rinacien was indeed in Gutter Alley."
"We have finally found her. The Saint of this chaotic age!"
People harboring their own dark ambitions were already weaving a new conspiracy.
A conspiracy so vast that a mere street thug like Brack could never hope to compare.