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「Ysolva and I were adopted by an illegal Ingvardian immigrant, his name was Jolf. I dunno th' details, but apparently our parents died when we were young. I don't remember nothin' 'bout them, much less me ol' name. T' me, I've always been Thonvir.」

The boy recounted his childhood to us on the way to the factory. We were quite a ways from the purported facility.

The thief girl and I intently listened as we snuck through the alleyways, hiding from both the city night watch and the Sentinels.

Getting caught in the middle of this furtive endeavor would only complicate things.

「Jolf was a kind ol' man, not yer typical rambunctious Ingvardian. I saw 'im as more o' a friend than family. He treated us as equals. Survivin' wasn't a breeze, but we enjoyed a decent flow o' food and clean water comin' our way from th'Lakua District. Th' days were peaceful back then...」

「Rysef sent supplies to the city slum dwellers?」

「Back then he did, up till four years ago. Th' Lakua District headquarters was located 'ere after all. It all changed once he moved t' that village t' the south.」

「Four years ago...」

We stopped at a narrow intersection between the slums and the market district. I figured we arrived, but couldn't tell which building it was.

The boy crouched beside a manhole cover and wiped the dirt off.

「Factory's underground. This sewer lid 'ere leads directly t' it.」

「Wait... then doesn't that mean it's directly connected to the Warrens?」

「Th'what?」

「Ah... long story...」

The Warrens connected all the slum dweller districts. If the enemy was operating right where we could get them, then something was positively up.

Never mind Rysef—what were the other District Masters doing?

「Virvir, what happened to Jolf? And the kids?」

「V-Virvir? Are ya talkin' t' me ya ninny?」

「From now on you should refer to me as Big Sis Mel. Lorenzo may have outgrown it, but you ought to respect your elders. You are young after all.」

「I-I'm 10 years old, I'm practically an adult!」

She didn't take no for an answer and exerted pressure onto him with her crimson glare. He cracked almost immediately.

In the time it took for me to pry open the sewer lid, he was already replacing me as Melyn's baby brother. Deep inside, I rejoiced.

「Aye... B-big Sis Mel... I was just gettin' t' that anywho...」

「Hmm... it really does sound better coming from you Zozo.」

My joy melted into dread as I heard those words.

「Jolf was apprehended by th' guards and hauled off t' th' city prison. Since th' Lakua District no longer looked out fer us, we city slum dwellers were prone t' harassment from th' city guards. In recent years it's slowed down, but three t' four years ago were th' worst years fer us. A lot o' us kids turned t' crime as a result. And those who didn't were eventually forced into it anyways...」

「O-oh... sorry for asking Virvir...」

「It's fine... truth be told, I never liked Jolf. He was nice t' us sure... but somethin' 'bout th' way he looked at us put me off... The only one I ever cared about is me sister.」

One by one, we climbed down into the sewers. It was a familiar sight—only now we didn't have a malfunctioning candle with us.

「You got a light Thonvir?」

「Nah... it's better t' keep it dark. Wouldn't want 'em t' spot us from afar. Stay close, I've got th' way memorized.」

He stuck to the wall and led us through the Yarzon sewers.

I could never get used to the stench. Skulking through the foul-smelling tunnels did make it easier to use the Hu breathing technique though.

No one was around but us. I readied my ballistette and waited for the instant I detected someone.

I was eager to make up for my pitiful display before. Put it frankly, I was still frustrated.

「What about Ysolva, Virvir? What's she like...」

「 Like Lorenzo said, she's me only reason in life. A sweet and innocent girl, who shouldn't be involved in all this drivel. I shudder t' think how they're treatin' her in me absence...」

「How'd you even get into this mess in the first place..?」

「Sh!」

He shushed us and halted as we reached a corner. My eyes had just about adjusted to the darkness.

Melyn tapped me and Thonvir on the shoulder and signaled us to stand down.

I sensed it. Behind the corner was a man, presumably in his late thirties. From the sound of his respiration, he was either asthmatic or sick.

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Whether he was an enemy or not, was to be determined.

「I don't think th' bastard heard us. Avoid all combat till we get there aight?」

「So we're taking the stealthy approach? How the hell do we all get past him..?」

「Hold on lemme think...」

「And is there even a point in being this subdued about it?」

「Th'leader of th' factory keeps track o' all his lackeys. One disappears, he'll know. He's one o' 'em paranoid types...」

「Great... just what we needed...」

We stayed where we were, unable to proceed. None of us knew what to do next.

Our guide boy held his breath—much like we did—except he hadn't an inkling on how to use the breathing techniques.

Afterward, through the musty air of the waste conduit, we felt it. Through the silence, we heard it. Sharp footsteps getting closer and closer.

We had to act fast.

「Oi! Someone there?! Quit shadowin' me! I heard ya squeakin' a few seconds ago ya git! Come out or I'll splatter yer brains all over th' pavement!」

Well, there goes our escape plan. Talking loudly in a confined space, minutes from the enemy's hideout wasn't the brightest thing to be doing...

My finger hovered over the trigger. I was prepared to take this goon out.

Best case scenario was taking him out now and rushing through the factory. Worst case scenario was getting caught and running away.

Ysolva would indubitably be punished or used as a hostage had the leader caught wind of Thonvir's disappearance. It wasn't hard to put two and two together.

Having assessed the risks, I opted to kill the sickly thug without hesitation.

However... imagine my surprise when the boy scuttled out on his own and revealed himself.

「It's me Zalgrough! I'm back with th' payment.」

「Hah? Since when did I say ya could be so casual with me ya rat?! Also if ye're already here, don't loiter 'round like those aimless slum dweller! Make yerself known ya maggot!」

「S-sorry..! I'm back with th' money... sir...」

「Ya sure took yer sweet time ya runt! Th' boss was gettin' nervous! Ya know how he feels 'bout tardiness right?!」

「I-it's not me fault! Th' customer was late fer th' appointment—」

Slam!

Something hit the stone brick wall. The Hu breathing technique told us everything. This time, I was the one holding Melyn back. She was ready to give the bastard his just desserts.

Sounds like his cranium took some damage. He's walking it off though, astonishingly...

「I swear... ya must be gifted in pissin' me off. No excuses ya lil' shitstain! If yer customer doesn't come, get off yer lazy ass and find 'em! We're runnin' a business here! And th' customer, as contemptible as they may be, is always right!」

Thonvir slumped against the wall and struggled to maintain his footing. Blood audibly dripped off his head. We couldn't see it, yet that only made it harder to sit through.

The thug spat on the ground beside him and muttered to himself.

「Why'd th' boss put me in charge of these runts? We'd still make bank without 'em... I seriously can't get a read on that bastard...」

「I-I'm s-sorry...」

「What was that? Speak up ya sprog!」

「I'm sorry, sir...」

「Ya better be! And if th 'boss asks about yer head, ya better say ya slipped. Otherwise, I'll do ya worse, get me?」

「Yes sir... I'm sorry sir.」

The man stormed off, leaving an injured Thonvir behind. Once he'd left the vicinity, Melyn and I rushed to the young boy's aid.

He had a nasty cut on his left temple. I brought out a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the streaks of red running down the contours of his young face.

He was on the edge of tears.

「Jesus Thonvir... who the hell was that guy..?」

「It don't matter. All we need t' do is get Ysolva outta here. Ya saw how he treated me, now imagine how he treats th' younger ones...」

「Y-you're right... Yet... letting lowlife scum like him roam free seems like a crime on its own...」

I handed Thonvir my handkerchief and instructed him to apply pressure on his wound. You never knew how much blood you could risk losing.

Melyn had a menacing aura this whole time. Her bloodlust was deathly apparent.

「Virvir... when he said "brats", did he mean other kids besides Ysolva..?」

「W-what does it matter? Don't tell me yer willin' t' jeopardize Ysolva's safety fer a bunch o' no-name brats...」

「No-name brats?! These are also Lakua District children we're talking about! We can't just leave them behind—!」

I covered the thief girl's mouth and shushed them both. Infighting would get us nowhere. Plus, their voices echoed through the tunnels.

None of them learn...

「Let's not do this now. We'll decide on our course of action once we get a good view of the place. It's senseless to assume anything without inspecting every possible route.」

「I'm tellin' ya, there's no way I'm rescuin' brats unrelated t' us. Th' smaller we keep our party, th' better our chances o' slippin' through th' guards.」

「Thonvir. Think of it this way: the more kids we rescue, the easier it'll be to persuade the Ashen Thief you're worthy of living in the village.」

「H-hah..? You said you were sure he'd accept us..!」

「It wasn't a guarantee. Besides, we're in too deep to back out now. Cooperate and I promise you'll receive a spot in the slum dweller village.」

「Promise..? From th' asshole who lied 'bout his side o' th' deal?」

The boy shook his head and continued leading us down the sewers. He was aware that any further protests would only compromise our positions.

Stealth was not optional.

A few junctions later, and we reached a wooden structure intrusively built into an offshoot of the main sewer tunnel.

Thonvir leaned up against the wall of the building and directed us to the door beside him.

「Ere's one o' escape hatches. I overheard 'em talkin' 'bout it. It leads t' the dormitory, and isn't as guarded as th' lab area. Still though, expect some patrols up ahead. It's their territory 'member?」

「Needn't tell me kid, I've confirmed about three scattered upstairs and a sorry sod on our level.」

「Do ya village dwellers 'ave a sixth sense or somethin'?」

「We are students of the Ashen Thief...」

「E-eh?」

We slowly opened the door and crept into a narrow passageway. The path was hidden by a cabinet from the other side. From between the cracks, we spotted our first adversary.

Well... more of a potential adversary... If we were clumsy enough to wake him up.

The scraggly watchman was sound asleep on his chair in the corner. His seat overlooked a row of prison cells dimly lit by a dying lantern. Sneaking past him would be a piece of cake.

Although, a glaring hurdle was preventing us from moving forward.

「Does this thing make noise when we push it aside?」

「Yes... a very loud one at that.」

「Could we try slightly shifting it and checking?」

「I know what it sounds like ya ninny! It's purposely designed t' be loud.」

While we contemplated on different ways of approaching the obstacle at hand, Melyn went ahead and placed her palm on the back of the cabinet.

Ssfff...

The wooden wall quietly parted open, creating a child-sized gap we could easily slip through. Thonvir stumbled backward at the sight.

「Nice thinking Melyn! I forgot you're an ina caster that specializes in wood! Looks like that wasn't enough to wake the guy up—we're in the clear.」

「W-who in Vel's name are ya people..? H-how'd ya do that..?」

「She knows magic. Uh... guess you haven't heard of it huh? Think of it as powers gifted to her from birth.」

「I might've struck a goldmine with this deal...」

We slinked through the opening and tiptoed our way through the dreary sleeping quarters.

I had no idea how these crooks secretly built such a structure within the sewer systems, but I could tell the stone brick prison cells were adapted from the sewer tunnel alcoves.

As we left the snoring guard behind, I came to notice a distinct lack of children filling these bunkbeds.

It was about nine o'clock, way past bedtime.

「Where are the kids Thonvir?」

「That's strange... they should be down 'ere 'round now...」

「Did you mess up the locations?」

「No! I know fer a fact this is where Ysolva and I sleep!」

Cough! Cough!

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