Side Story – Chapter 8
“Oh… Mom…”
Only then did Damian realize that in the middle of the huge crowd, he had lost hold of his mother’s hand. His face turned pale.
He had taken so many turns while trying to shake off the people following them that he didn’t even know where to start looking for her.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve convinced her first and gone to the carriage station together…’
Regretting it deeply, Damian began walking again. But everywhere he looked, all he saw were unfamiliar faces.
He approached a street vendor.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Oh? What is it, little one?”
The vendor, who had been resting for a moment, leaned closer to listen when he saw a young boy talking to him. Damian politely asked,
“Have you seen a woman with pink braided hair and blue eyes? She’s wearing a navy skirt and a brown coat.”
“Oh my, did you get separated from your mother?”
“Yes…”
“I haven’t seen a pink-haired woman. There are just too many people passing by. It’s hard to notice who goes where.”
“I see… Thank you anyway.”
He hadn’t expected much, but he still bowed politely. The vendor, moved by the boy’s manners, stopped him from leaving.
“Where are you staying? If you tell me the inn’s name, you can wait here until a guard comes, and I’ll ask them to take you back.”
“No, it’s okay! I can find my way back on my own!”
“You’re such a polite kid. Are you sure you can find it?”
“Yes! Don’t worry!”
Damian added confidently,
“I’m not a little kid—I’m already seven years old!”
“…Seven years old is still a little kid, you know.”
The vendor’s face filled with concern.
“Listen, just in case—if anyone comes up to you saying they know where your mother is and offers to take you to her, don’t follow them, okay? On festival days, there are bad people who try to kidnap lost children.”
“I’ll remember that! Thank you for warning me!”
Damian smiled brightly to ease the man’s worry.
“And don’t worry—I won’t be fooled by bad people like that.”
“…Really?”
“As I said, I’m not that young. I can tell the difference.”
“…I wonder if I should really just let you go alone.”
“Yes!”
The vendor offered again to wait for the guards with him, but Damian politely declined several times before walking away.
As he walked, he glanced at the wooden stick the vendor had given him—something to use for self-defense if a bad person approached.
‘He was a nice man, even if he did treat me like a little kid.’
‘Who gets fooled by strangers at seven? Not even a five-year-old would…’
He tilted his head and kept looking around for his mother. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t see anyone with pink hair.
‘Should I just go back to the inn…?’
But if he went back, he felt sure his father would be there.
Even if Father wasn’t there yet, one of his men surely would be.
Damian pouted. He had wanted to spend at least three more days alone with his mother.
‘Father’s always too fast when it comes to anything about Mom. He can’t even give me three days with her.’
Damian sighed long and hard. Still, he couldn’t just wander around the streets forever. If he stayed out too long, his mother would be worried.
‘And I’m not a little kid. I can’t make Mom worry.’
He decided that before his father arrived, he would spend as much time with his mother as possible.
He stretched his legs and began walking quickly toward the inn.
Then, he heard a conversation nearby and turned his head.
A few steps behind him, a man with a kind-looking face was talking to a child.
“Hey, if you go down this alley, your parents are there.”
“Really? My parents are waiting there?”
“Yes. They asked me to bring you here. You trust me, right, Liam?”
Damian frowned.
‘Who would trust that? Who’d believe a stranger leading them into such a dark alley?’
“Yes! I trust you!”
‘…What?’
“Then let’s go. Your parents are worried.”
“Okay!”
The boy followed the man into the alley without hesitation. Damian was shocked.
‘Did he really believe that? He looks older than me! Maybe he’s just taller but actually five?’
Or maybe this wasn’t kidnapping, but a real case of someone helping? But when Damian glanced into the dark alley, he quickly changed his mind.
‘No, that’s definitely a kidnapping.’
He hesitated.
‘Mom told me never to do anything dangerous…’
But if he left that boy alone, would he ever see his family again? Just like how his own mother must be worrying right now, that boy’s parents were surely doing the same.
He remembered what the knights who trained him used to say—those who have strength should protect the weak.
His mother had also told him not to help blindly, but to follow his own will. If he wanted to help, then he should.
‘And I’ve beaten trainee knights before. I can handle one grown man.’
After a short moment of hesitation, Damian ran into the alley.
Soon, he saw the man and the boy called Liam ahead of him. He stopped and shouted,
“Liam! You’re Liam, right?”
Both turned in surprise. Liam blinked in confusion.
“Uh, yeah… that’s me.”
“I knew it! Liam!”
Damian ran up, smiling brightly, and grabbed Liam’s wrist.
Who would be afraid of a small boy running up to them? The man didn’t even react defensively.
“Liam, do you know this man? Have you met him before?”
“No. I met him today. But who are you?”
Damian was shocked again. ‘You followed a stranger into an alley? Without even thinking?’
There was no doubt now—it was a kidnapping. Damian quickly pulled Liam behind him to keep him safe and then swung the stick hard at the man’s shin.
“Argh!!!”
The man screamed in pain. Just then, three rough-looking men came running from deeper in the alley.
“Mac! What happened?!”
“That pink-haired brat hit my leg! I let my guard down—ugh! I think it’s broken!”
Damian frowned. So there were more of them.
He grabbed Liam’s hand and started running. Liam tried to pull away, but Damian was stronger and dragged him along.
“W-what are you doing to that man?!”
“He’s not helping you! He was trying to kidnap you!”
“What?!”
“Haven’t adults ever told you not to follow strangers into alleys?”
“They have!”
“And your parents too, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then would your parents ever wait for you in a place like this?”
“Oh…!”
“Then run! Before they catch us!”
Urged by Damian’s words, Liam started running on his own.
Damian remembered every turn of the alley. ‘If we turn left here and go past the last fork, we’ll be out!’
But his hope was crushed when one of the kidnappers blocked the exit ahead.
‘Oh no…’
He finally realized his mistake. Even if he knew the paths well, these men were locals. They could easily circle around and block him off.
“You little rats are trapped now,” one of them sneered.
The kidnappers closed in—one in front, two behind.
Damian gritted his teeth, gripping the stick tightly. He rushed toward the man in front.
But the man smirked, already expecting it, and threw a handful of dirty snow mixed with soil into Damian’s face.
‘It stings!’
He shut his eyes in pain. In that moment, two men from behind tackled him to the ground.
He struggled to break free, but the strength of two adult men was too much for him.
“…Coward,” Damian muttered.
“Throwing dirt? Kid, do you think this is a game? When you’re trying to win, who cares about being fair?”
They laughed loudly, pinning him down.
“This brat’s not even nine, but look how quick and strong he is.”
“Yeah, if we’d let him go, we’d be in trouble. The new emperor doesn’t go easy on criminals like us!”
“Still, a kid like this will sell for good money, huh? He’s got a face that’ll be worth something when he’s grown.”
“Right! If we sell him, that’ll cover Mac’s hospital bills easy!”
Underneath their laughter, Damian clenched his jaw.
What they said was cruel, but it was true—this wasn’t a training duel. There was no such thing as fairness here.
‘Mom’s going to be so worried…’
He could already picture her searching for him with a frightened face.
The thought that his mother might be suffering because of him made his heart sink.
‘Mom… I didn’t want to make you sad…’
A tear rolled down his cold cheek.
Then—something sliced sharply through the air.
Thud!
One of the kidnappers collapsed before he could even scream.
“W-what the—?! Boss! Someone threw a rock at you!”
