Chapter 19
When we first set out, I had been sitting safely in the middle seat, but as soon as the open fields began, I somehow found myself pressed right up against the window.
On both sides stretched fields of pink reeds, vivid green trees, and flowers whose names I didn’t know. A landscape I had never seen before unfolded before my eyes.
To think I could enjoy such a view while sitting on a soft, fluffy cushion!
“Should I tell him to slow down a little?”
“No! It’s fine.”
I could see perfectly well even now.
When I first went to his house, I hadn’t realized it because we arrived instantly as soon as we stepped onto the white circle Mr. White had created, but his house seemed to be quite far from the city.
Even after riding the carriage for over an hour without rest, the city was still nowhere in sight.
I felt like I now understood why Mr. White chose not to use the carriage and instead went directly home that way.
Oh—come to think of it, I never asked him if he really was a wizard.
Since I had already learned that Erev was a special being called a Dragon Knight, I vaguely assumed Mr. White must also be someone extraordinary.
I still hadn’t figured out how he was connected to my inner self, but I was certain I had summoned someone special.
“Oh! I see a tower over there.”
I pointed at the distant spire.
Its tip sparkled in the sunlight as if a star had been plucked from the sky and set atop it.
“We’ll be there soon. You’re not bored, are you?”
“Not at all! I wish I could ride this every day.”
“Then shall we go out every day?”
“…Really?”
“If you want to, anytime.”
But even today he looked terribly busy.
He had signed and stamped more than ten official documents just this morning.
I reminded myself of that fact and curbed my greed a little.
“Um… maybe not every day—how about once a week?”
“Once a week? Sure, let’s do that.”
“Alright.”
Before long, one-story buildings began to appear, then rows of two-story buildings thickened around us.
The carriage, which had been rolling across dirt roads, was now clattering over paved stone. Soon, it stopped in front of a large building.
“Here we are.”
As the door opened, a majestic structure rose before me.
The smooth, spotless ground greeted me, with not a single puddle of water collected anywhere.
“Shall we get out?”
“Yes! But… where are we?”
It didn’t look like the Kesnia district I had seen before.
Back there, most of the buildings shared similar appearances, but here each one was full of individuality.
There were unusually tall buildings and far more street lamps too.
Come to think of it, when will the house at 98, 1st Street in Kesnia be built?
I had the deed, so there shouldn’t be a problem, but Mafeus promised to let me know once redevelopment began.
Reaching out to Conet first was nearly impossible, so the only chance I got to ask questions was when Mafius suddenly appeared on his own.
Since he always popped in and out so quickly, I could only ask things little by little, never getting immediate answers.
“Today, we’re here to get a dress fitted for our daughter.”
Huh? Wasn’t that something he said just offhand earlier?
“But I already have clothes.”
Sarah had already dressed me in three different outfits.
I had worn a new dress every single day without fail.
Wait… where did all those dresses come from?
Sarah told me they were all mine and only I could wear them, so I put them on without much thought.
Now that I thought about it, even my pajamas changed every night.
One day I wore short frilly ones, and yesterday, a nightgown with a yellow ribbon at the chest.
“No, it’s nowhere near enough. Once we go inside, I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”
Really?
“Then, I won’t hold back… just once…”
Mr. White had just opened the door, and I was about to step inside when—
“Catch that brat!”
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
A flurry of footsteps rang out as a boy zoomed past us.
“Like you’re gonna catch me! That’s what you get for not keeping your wallet safe!”
Huh? What’s going on?
“You little punk! You’re not getting away with that!”
Two large men chased after the nimble boy.
I stood there, staring blankly at the three of them disappearing down the street.
Wait a minute—haven’t I seen that first boy somewhere before?
That’s weird.
I haven’t been in Peres long enough to know anyone…
But his voice—something about it sounded familiar.
Where did I see—?
“Ah!”
It came back to me!
One of the punks who bullied Callisto!
The one who kicked him like it was nothing. Even though I was flustered after unexpectedly running into Callisto that day, this guy left such a nasty impression that I remembered him clearly.
So he is a bad guy.
Judging by how he was running with something in his hands, it looked like he had stolen something and was making a getaway.
Just thinking about that day made me want to beat the crap out of him. The only reason I held Mr. White back was so that Callisto wouldn’t face any retaliation because of me.
But right now, Callisto isn’t here.
Bad guys should always get what they deserve. Especially when they’re way bigger.
Even from just a glance, they had been a full head taller than Callisto.
And Callisto hadn’t done anything wrong. He was just being punished for someone else’s wrongdoing.
So I had to make sure this one didn’t get away. That way, it’d be easier for me to help Callisto later too, wouldn’t it?
I spotted the boy veer off into a side alley up ahead. I carefully studied the narrow passageways between the buildings.
Hmm… my legs are a bit shorter now, but…
I’ve always been good at running.
More importantly, ever since I arrived here, I’d already built a rough map of the town in my head.
At first, I was puzzled.
It was my first time here, but everything felt strangely familiar—just like the first time I came to the Peres Empire. Maybe I was receiving information again?
Another question to add to the list for Mafeus later.
Anyway, it was definitely proving useful now!
Most of the alleys around here connect to each other.
And I knew how kids like that ran.
Because I used to be one of them.
So—
I quickly braced myself and took a deep breath in.
“Dad, big brother, just a minute! I’ll be right back!”
Even as my face burned from embarrassment, I spun around and dashed into the same alley the boy had disappeared into.
“Did she just say—Dad?! No, wait—Sweetheart!”
“You dummy! Where are you going all of a sudden?!”
Their shocked voices rang out behind me.
I’ll be right back!
I sprinted down the alley as fast as my now-shorter legs would carry me. I picked up a rock and rounded the corner at full speed.
“Hah… I’m already out of breath!”
Back in the day, these kinds of alleyways were nothing!
Just around the corner, two narrow paths appeared behind the buildings.
He was bound to come this way.
Should be any second now…
I looked around quickly and shoved over one of the two wooden trash cans to the left.
There had been times when I was starving and had to scavenge through these kinds of trash cans, so I knew where to find them. On lucky days, I could even find half-eaten bread.
Though eating it usually led to a stomachache.
“Ugh… it’s heavy…”
Grunting, I finally managed to topple it over.
The long trash can fell sideways with a loud crash.
If it had been fuller, it would’ve made a better mess, but it must’ve been emptied recently—only a few scraps spilled out.
So I knocked over some rotting wooden planks leaning against the wall to mess up the area even more.
Not bad, not bad.
Then I took the other trash can and tipped it over beside the first, making it look like part of the mess.
Now, unless someone jumped really high, they’d probably hesitate.
“Stop right there!”
“If we catch you, you’re dead!”
Just as expected.
I scanned the area, then grabbed a wooden stick that looked long enough.
There was a larger, more solid plank nearby, but it was too big and heavy for me to lift.
I hid myself at an angle, holding the stick in such a way that it wouldn’t be visible when the boy came running back from the other side.
I could already hear the sound of footsteps approaching—just barely.
