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The late-morning sun peered in through the shattered stained glass and gently caressed my pudgy visage as I slumped against the dusty pew of a ruined chapel.

In my indolent state, I didn't feel like thinking.

「I can't keep up with those District Masters... God knows what they're talking about right now...」

After unveiling the shocking truth that plagued the underbelly of the slum dweller community, Kayn immediately asked all unrelated parties to leave.

It came as no surprise I was booted out first. I had absolutely nothing to contribute...

Melyn and Rysef were among those who stayed. They were the ones who brought up the problem after all.

Before I exited, the Ashen Thief pulled me aside and asked me to wait for him upstairs. He said he'd brief me on the entire situation afterward.

However, that only filled me with even more uneasiness.

I was still unsure about involving myself in the slum dwellers' problems. For the past month, I had merely been using the Lakua District for my own personal gain.

To potentially jump in harm's way for the sake of the slum dwellers... I'd like to avoid that if possible.

I had grown fairly attached to these lot—but when push came to shove—I wouldn't have hesitated to abandon them for the sake of my own life.

I let out a deep breath at the very prospect of leaving Melyn and Rysef behind.

BAM!

All of a sudden, the basement door to my right flung open. On the other side was the Viridescent Queen, who had her leg raised as she let out a growl of frustration.

「What weak-willed bastards! Their passiveness led to this, and now the Hlanu District is forced to clean up after them?! How irritating...」

Seyna tromped over with her heavy-duty leather boots and came to register my presence as I entered her clouded field of vision.

「Mm? Oh, you're Rysef's brat. What was your name? Lorzonzo? 」

「I-it's Lorenzo. Good to see you again, District Master... Is the meeting over..?」

「No. I stormed out. They were talking nonsense by the second half.」

I nervously chuckled.

The slim but curvaceous woman joined me on the creaky bench. She stared me down like a ravenous wolf.

Whatever she had to say, it couldn't have possibly been good.

「Back when you had your little debate with Rysef... I noticed your breathing falter. You were thrown off by the fact you were losing against Rysef.」

A single drop of sweat trickled down my cheek.

It was no joke that every District Master was gifted in mindreading, much to my displeasure.

I played dumb and tried my best to ignore her question.

「I-I don't know what you're talking about...」

「Got it didn't I? Well, don't feel too bad. Rysef always lets you win your first back-and-forth with him. He purposely flubs up to give you confidence.」

「Hoh..?」

Deep inside I knew my arguments with the Ashen Thief seemed a little too contrived at times. Nevertheless, hearing it straight did hurt my pride a bit.

It wasn't easy having a fragile ego.

「More importantly, I could feel your eyes on me back at the meeting. I may begrudge your District Master but... do you find me somewhat... interesting..?」

「E-eh?」

Seyna leaned in closer to me—her breasts rocked back and forth as she did so.

Though I was a grown man at heart, I was still trapped in a 12-year-old's body. At the height of puberty, it took every ounce of my willpower not to get swayed by her advances.

Is this how she went about charming Rysef?! How strong is that guy's willpower?!

I slowly inched away from her and averted my gaze.

「Y-yeah... well... I was just a bit curious about you...」

「Curious huh..? I catch your drift...」

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

「I-I-I-I-I meant your hair color... I-I was just wondering if you were related to Melyn or something like that... haha...」

The Viridescent Queen stopped, before sitting upright again. I sighed a breath of relief.

「Hair color?」

「You both have green hair, so I was wondering if you had any relation to one another...」

Seyna narrowed her amber eyes as she inspected me.

「You seriously don't know anything about the outside world eh? You're a well-spoken kid, yet completely clueless when it comes to basic things like this aren't you?」

「B-basic?」

「Listen up! Hair and eye colors are indicative of one's race. Hair color corresponds with one's father, while eye color corresponds with one's mother. Rysef's other brat and I both have Beafrouxian fathers. A race of folk with grass-green hair and ruby red eyes. Knowing this tidbit is indispensable in negotiations alone. Damn that Rysef... what is he teaching you..?」

Could these different hair colors be the replacement for Battleshift's myriad of races..?

I was speechless.

The usually short-tempered and volatile Viridescent Queen had given me some actually useful information.

「On that topic, your auburn hair and emerald green eyes are a rare sight in these parts.」

「Rare sight?」

「You're a pureblooded Merulean. From way up north. You can hardly find them down south in Jazga. Not that I mind though, those Meruleans are a stuck-up bunch... no offense...」

「N-none taken...」

A Merulean? From Merulea?!

Merulea was a nation taken straight from Battleshift. In the game, it was a united continent of humans involved in multiple race wars and conflicts.

My character, Lorenzo, was also a human from Merulea. To hear that I'd shared the same appearance as the people of my player character was... a little comforting.

Well... even though I wasn't actually Merulean, just Irish. Not as exciting to call yourself an Irishman though.

「Should you really be telling me this? We're from opposing districts aren't we..?」

「Opposing? You seem to misunderstand the dynamic between us District Masters, kid.」

Seyna briskly hopped out of her seat. Like Melyn, her movements were dead silent. It would take years of training before I could adroitly move like her.

「Rule number one: we slum dwellers stick together. That rule goes regardless of your district affiliation. We masters may have disagreements on fundamental issues, but all of us share a common goal.」

「To guide and protect the slum dwellers, right..?」

The Viridescent Queen gracefully spun around and grinned at me. Genuine or not, I'd never seen such a smile from her.

「That bastard Rysef really struck gold finding you kid... the Hlanu District could use someone like you...」

Seyna collapsed back onto the pew and wrapped her arm around me. The distance between us had greatly diminished—physically at least...

「U-u-um... s-so what are your thoughts on the current state of affairs..? Any leads come up..?」

「Oh no... we were too busy bickering about how we should go about investigating the problem... Funny isn't it? Even when faced with a great crisis, we still find the time to quarrel amongst ourselves... Although...」

I tried as hard as I could to break free, yet she didn't budge one bit.

Seyna smelled sweet, like flowers from a spring garden. To make things worse, her chest was pressed up against my arm as well.

Here she goes again...

「Say... kid... want to know what I really think about the drug problem in the city?」

「W-wha..?」

Feeling the warm breath make contact with my skin as she seductively whispered into my ear, had somehow beguiled me in an instant.

My mind went blank. Seyna's smooth voice slithered into my brain and stopped me from resisting any further.

I could only listen to what she had to say.

「I think the church is behind it... no... I know the church is behind it...」

「T-t-the hwaaah..?」

Dopamine surged through every part of my body, melting my words into incomprehensible gibberish.

It must've been the work of a thief skill or magic.

「Nabal and I have concerns about this city... the direction it's going... sooner or later, the slum dwellers will be forced into conflict...」

「Whawha... cowfwi..?」

「Hearing you talk about overthrowing the Yarzon government... reignited the hope we had... Hope that the generations after us would catch on to the lies...」

I couldn't take any more of it. It felt like my consciousness had been taken over by her.

Forget protecting Lakua District secrets, I feel like I could tell her anything...

If she were to inquire about my past, I'd undoubtedly tell her all about my old world. The games I played, the death I experienced, and the god I conversed with.

It was a precarious position I found myself in.

「You're our hope... Lorenzo... come join us...」

「Cuh..? Juh..? Huh..?」

「Come join the Hlanu Distri—」

Thwack!

「OW!」

Seyna quickly jumped out of the way, leaving me as the target of a flying wooden cudgel. The sudden blow to my head snapped me out of my trance.

「I figured you'd target Zozo the moment he left!」

Melyn dashed and situated herself between me and the Viridescent Queen. She picked up the wooden cudgel off the floor and assumed a defensive stance.

From her voice, I could tell she was gritting her teeth in rage.

「You dare raise your hand against a District Master, girl?」

「That vial in your hand... And Zozo's flushed face... You drugged him with Freymist didn't you?」

Vial in her hand?

Right as Melyn said that, I caught a glance of an empty glass vial in Seyna's hands. She must've administered it through my ear.

I knew the warmth and euphoria I felt was unnatural.

「How attentive of you! And what exactly do you plan on doing, you meddling wench?!」

「I don't care if you're a District Master. If you lay one finger on Zozo, I'll kill you!」

It was not the first time I'd witnessed Melyn overcome by an irate mood.

But not being on the receiving end as she clenched her bludgeon with killing intent, did fill me with a great sense of security.

Seyna, on the other hand, was unimpressed.

「Very well. The bloodlust directed at me is real. That look on your face really ticks me off.」

「Shouldn't you be using that mouth for something else you ugly sow?」

「Hm?」

I chimed in to support Melyn. All traces of the stimulant had left my body.

「Zozo!」

「Oh? How disappointing. You were this close to being fully under my control.」

I pulled out the small club hanging off my belt and joined Melyn in facing the Viridescent Queen.

So much for not placing myself in harm's way...

「If you want a fight, we'll give you one. I'm through with your honeyed words...」

「Two on one? That's hardly fair now is it?」

Seyna cracked her knuckles and grimaced.

「...is what I would say if I were a coward like Rysef. It doesn't matter if there were two, twenty, or two hundred of you brats. The result would be the same regardless:」

The sun disappeared beyond the chapel windows, leaving us in near darkness. My heart couldn't stop racing. I would finally get to taste real combat for once.

「I'd rip you to shreds.」

The Viridescent Queen pointed to the exit and into the glade outside.

「Let's fight in a more fitting arena. Wouldn't want those pesky District Masters to intervene.」

Melyn and I nodded in agreement and followed her lead.

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