Listen to My Lady’s Story Chapter 2

 My lady picks up things.

"Haah... Haah... Damn it... Serves you right!"

'I' gasped for breath, slowly releasing my grip on the broken dagger's blade. Despite snapping in the middle, it was too large for a child's hand and had embedded itself deeply in my palm, dyeing it a deep red with spilling blood.

Karat, the capital of the Kingdom of Farrant, the largest country in the world, is encircled by a historic white castle adorned with three layers of solid walls and formidable magical barriers. This meticulously maintained city is also recognized as the White City due to its appearance.

However, even within this seemingly stunning city, there are imperfections.

As the kingdom has flourished, the disparity between the rich and the poor has expanded, giving rise to social imbalances.

This slum is the consequence of those who have been displaced from the center of the kingdom due to the social imbalances that have arisen, and it's where they've congregated in a corner of the slum.

Located in the shadow of the city walls, perpetually out of reach of the sun's rays, even the knights dare not recklessly venture into this slum, making it an oasis for those living in the shadows.

There is absolutely no order in this place.

The only law that exists is the fact that the victor takes all.

Here, adults and children are all the same.

That's why, when I departed from the orphanage where I was born and raised and entered the battle for survival in this slum, I was ready.

Stealing, killing, torturing, raping—using whatever means necessary. I've managed to survive by accumulating a myriad of vices, relying on luck as my ally, and using countless corpses as stepping stones.

But it seems that this will come to an end today.

"Guh... gah... darn it! Going all out against a bunch of kids..."

In the slums, it's not just food, but all goods that must be acquired from outside the slum, making them extremely valuable.

Naturally, these items are monopolized by the organization that controls the slum, and there are only two ways to obtain them: to obey them and receive their favor, or to take them forcefully.

By yielding to them, it's apparent that individuals like us, who are weak, will be exploited as pawns.

I wanted no part in such a situation.

The slums were vast, and even though the organization had control, the watchful eyes of the upper echelons rarely reached all the way down to the lower ranks. That's why I led my subordinates to target the underlings at the bottom, but it seems I may have gone a little too far.

We had finally caught the attention of the upper echelons of a certain organization, and we, a group of weak and ignorant kids, fell easily into their trap. Though we managed to escape, my subordinates scattered in all directions, leaving me alone to be pursued by the organization's trackers in this dire situation.

"Cough...! Damn..., as expected, this is annoying..."

I managed to defeat the assassin with a narrow margin, but I'm more bruised and battered than my opponent.

Coughs mixed with blood, as if my internal organs had been pierced earlier, and my clothes are soaked in blood from being cut up by that bastard.

Above all, that searing wound on my back is bad news. The pain that was twisting me up until a moment ago is no longer there, but I can still feel my life slowly slipping away from it.

"Anyway... to a safe place..."

I doubt there's such a thing in this slum, but since I can't guarantee the pursuers won't return, I should move from here as soon as possible.

I breathe life back into my battered body and slowly dismount the man who had been on top of me. The man, who had persistently tormented me with a sinister grin, now lies dead, wearing an expression of fear and despair. I glance at him and chuckle contemptuously before starting to walk toward the dimly lit alleyway.

◇◆◇◆

I wonder how long I've been walking. Time has become so vague, and I no longer know where I am. While I continue to move forward, my life keeps slipping away from the wounds, and an inevitable death looms closer.

"…?"

Still, I keep moving my feet, and my ears pick up a lively commotion, something one would never hear in the slums. When I raise my head, I see many people dressed neatly bustling about on the street beyond the narrow alley.

"I see, this must be the outskirts of the slums..."

In this area, which serves as both the outskirts of the slums and the border with the surface, knights patrol to prevent slum residents from coming out. As a result, the security here is relatively good. Surely no pursuers will come here. Even they wouldn't want to cause trouble with the knights.

"Gah.....!"

Realizing that safety had been secured, a sense of relief washed over me, causing the tension I had been feeling to dissipate, and my body went limp. I ended up sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, overwhelmed by an immense feeling of fatigue and drowsiness.

"This is... not good..."

Even though I've secured safety, I've definitely lost too much blood. I no longer have the strength to stand up. I used up all of my healing potions in the recent battle, and there's no one around to call for help. I'm in a completely hopeless situation.

I can barely hold onto my consciousness now, and I'm sure that if I let go of it now, I'll never wake up again.

"Oh...ahh...."

Outside on the main street, well-dressed people pass by, and street vendors at the roadside stalls try to attract customers. Couples walk arm in arm, and children around my age walk hand in hand with their parents, all with smiles on their faces.

Yet, none of them would ever notice the dying kid in the nearby alley, gasping for life. Of course, they wouldn't. Our worlds are so different, theirs bathed in light on the main street while mine is shrouded in darkness in this alley.

The world is completely divided by an invisible wall at the border between the illuminated main street and the dim alley.

(What's the difference between them and us...?)

But that doesn't mean I can accept this reality. I never wished to be born into the slums, so why are our lives so vastly different?

Most of them have probably never had to scavenge for scraps or take another person's life. They eat warm meals every day and don't have to fear being attacked while they sleep.

Such a dreamlike world is right there, within arm's reach, yet I can't even touch it. The fact itself is suffocatingly maddening.

(This... is... bad...)

Finally, the warmth in my body is completely gone, and I can't even move a single finger anymore.

My consciousness is fading gradually, and I can't think of anything.

With this, my life is coming to an end—

"No... I refuse..."

Gathering what remains of my fading consciousness, I resist.

I absolutely refuse to die like trash in a place like this.

I wasn't born for such a meaningless life!

"I refuse to die like this..."

That's right! I still want to live!

God, if you exist, I'll offer everything I have.

So, please—!

However, reality is merciless.

No matter how much you pray, miracles just don't happen.

I'm scared

It's cold

It's hurts

I'm sleepy

I don't want

I don't want to die

Somebody

Somebody

―――Help me

◇◆◇◆

"You... have a rather unusual 'color'" I heard a voice in my fading consciousness.

It sounded like the voice of a confident yet young girl.

I wonder how much time had passed since then. My senses had nearly faded away, and I had been in the darkness without any knowledge of the passage of time. But it seemed that I was finally starting to hear hallucinations.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before I died... No, perhaps I was already dead.

"Mistress! Why did you suddenly start running like that!?"

I could hear another hallucination, this time the voice of an elderly woman.

I see, it must be the spoiled noble's young lady and her attendant, right?

Nevertheless, it was unimaginable for nobles to come to such a slum. Seeking common sense in these hallucinations might be a mistake in itself.

"Hey, Martha. Take a look, don't you think black hair is unusual?"

Black hair... She must be talking about me after all.

When I became aware of the world around me, I was already in an orphanage, so I didn't know who my birth parents were.

I figured I was just another child born to some prostitute impregnated by a client. It's a common story in the slums.

What I inherited from such parents, if you could even call them that, were this jet-black hair and eyes that seemed to absorb the darkness of the night. Having black hair and eyes was quite rare in this country, and coupled with my well-defined features, I had been the target of perverts and human traffickers from a young age.

This color that I despised so much had apparently piqued the interest of the young girl.

"M, Mistress!? You mustn't touch a corpse, it's filthy!"

"What are you talking about? It's perfectly alive. Although, I must say, his attire looks quite shabby. Do commoners really favor such outfits?"

Indeed, my current attire consisted of tattered rags stained with blood. It was shabby, I admit, but I wanted to make it clear that I didn't choose to dress like this out of preference.

"Mistress, I believe that's not what commoners typically wear. Most likely, this person is from the slums."

"The slums?"

"Yes, it's where people who act like beasts, worse than animals, live as they please. Even though this is a child, they might be one of them."

I knew that the residents of the slums were not well-regarded by those on the surface, but the words were quite harsh. Sadly, I had no argument to offer in response.

"Oh, I like this one. Let's take them home."

"W-What are you saying?! It's dangerous!"

The startled servant shared my sentiments. I couldn't fathom what was appealing about the recent explanation. Nobility was truly something I didn't understand.

"If it's a beast, we can train it, can't we? After all, the previous one got destroyed, and I was just thinking I needed a new servant."

"But, sir would surely oppose this!"

"He won't... Father is very busy, so he won't be interested in such trivial matters."

"....."

Unlike the confidence she exuded moments ago, the girl's voice now carried a hint of loneliness.

I found it disappointing.

This girl deserved a voice filled with confidence rather than this lonely tone she was using.

Surprisingly, it seemed like I had taken a liking to this girl from the hallucination.

"Anyway, even though I'm talking to you, you keep sleeping. What's that all about? You might need some punishment right away."

"No, milady. It's not that he's sleeping; it's more like he's on the brink of death, isn't it?"

"Huh....?"

"He looks quite dirty and I can't tell the extent of his injuries, but even a quick glance shows he's taken quite a beating. Is he really alive?"

I wish I could have continued to listen to this entertaining conversation with the young lady a little longer, but it seems it's coming to an end.

The girl's voice was becoming blurred, and the consciousness that had miraculously held on was sinking into darkness.

"You should have said that earlier! Martha! Hurry up and treat this!"

"Yes...! B, but mistress, this person is..."

"Do you dare to disobey my orders as a servant?"

"....I understand"

I am no longer feel fear.

I am not even capable of feeling it.

As if my existence has been fading away.

(Ahhh...)

At least, he wanted to see that girl's face one last time.

He knew it was an illusion.

Still, I wanted to etch into my eyes the presence of someone who would witness my final moments.

"Exheal!"

"...!?"

It was sudden.

My consciousness, which had been sinking into darkness, was suddenly caught up in a rush of light and forcibly brought to the surface.

At the same time, a burning heat welled up in my chest and quickly spread throughout my entire body, awakening the senses in my weakened body.

"Ugh! Cough...! Khoff...! Khak...!"

I was jolted awake without understanding what was happening, unable to breathe and expelling the blood that had accumulated in my body.

I couldn't understand what had happened.

However, the fact that the pain in my body had disappeared and I was breathing in fresh air led me to conclude that I had somehow survived.

"You've finally woken up, haven't you? Keeping me waiting like this, you have quite the nerve."

"Huh!?"

The voice of the noble girl from earlier sounded from above my head, but the conversation we had just had was supposed to be a hallucination created by my mind...

In any case, I couldn't just remain unresponsive.

With confusion, I slowly raised my head, and then froze in place.

"Oh? Surprisingly, you have quite a handsome face. With this, it wouldn't hurt to keep you by my side."

It was a young girl.

She was probably younger than me, likely around the age of ten or so, and she was looking down at me as I sat on the ground.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

For the first time, I realized that humans truly do stop thinking when they see something truly beautiful.

She was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen.

Her honey-colored hair sparkled in the sunlight, and she had almond-shaped emerald eyes that harbored a strong will.

Wrapped in a deep crimson dress that was clearly of high quality, her young yet matured feminine figure added to her allure. Everything about her seemed to shape her as a work of art.

The divine aura that seemed to emanate from her presence made it instinctively clear that she possessed a different class of existence. In her presence, I couldn't even muster the will to resist.

"Are you... a.. goddess...?"

Her presence reminded me of the goddess statues I had seen in an ancient, weathered church.

I had never believed in gods before, but I couldn't find any other words to describe her.

If she was indeed a goddess, did that mean I was dead? However, if I could meet such a goddess in my final moments, maybe my miserable life wasn't so bad after all.

".....fufufu, fufufufu! hahahaha!"

In response to my words, the supposed goddess initially wore a bewildered expression but suddenly burst into laughter. The divine aura that had surrounded her earlier disappeared, and she now appeared as an ordinary young girl.

"Did you hear that? Calling me a goddess. Sure, I might be the most beautiful in the world, but being called a goddess for that... Hahaha! You commoners, you've got quite a sense of humor. I like you even more now."

It seemed that the goddess I had seen earlier was not a goddess at all. She was a human. So, was I indeed alive? Or was this still some sort of hallucination? I was completely lost.

"Your name?" 

"Huh?"

I was slow to react to the girl's sudden question, still struggling to make sense of the situation.

"You can't keep going without a name, you know? Just tell me your name already."

"a..name...."

I see, my name...

In the slums, children were nothing more than expendable commodities, born one after another, only to perish in quick succession. In such a place where the chances of surviving till tomorrow were slim, there were no adults who bothered to think of names for these children. Consequently, the slum kids chose names for themselves, but most of them would die before I had a chance to remember those names. To be honest, a name was unnecessary.

Well, so what...

I don't have a name.

"...."

I never thought much about names, considering them mere symbols, and I certainly didn't anticipate the consequences of that oversight in a place like this.

The fact that I don't even have a name to introduce myself to this girl makes me acutely aware of my own lack, filling me with a wretchedness that makes me want to die.

"What's the matter? You're not implying that you can't obey my orders, are you?"

"..."

"Mistress, perhaps he doesn't have a name? I've heard that many children in the slums go without names."

The one who came to my rescue, as I sat there unable to answer the girl's question, was an old woman who had somehow appeared by my side. I had been so captivated by the girl that I hadn't even noticed her presence until now. Considering the circumstances, it was likely this old woman who had used healing magic on me.

"...Is that so?"

"..."

In response to the girl's question, all I could do was nod slightly.

Had she been disappointed? I knew I was at the bottom of the social ladder, but I didn't want this girl to dislike me.

"Well, if that's the case, you should have said it sooner. Hmm... if you don't have a name, I suppose I could give you one."

"Huh...?"

But the girl, without worrying about it, smiled and placed her hand on her cheek, deep in thought. I had expected to be disliked, so her unexpected reaction left me dumbfounded, and all I could do was stare at her.

"Well then... How about 'Crow'? It's the name of a black bird from mythology. It suits you, being completely black," the girl suggested after a moment of contemplation.

"Cro... w..."

After a long pause, the girl finally spoke, giving me a name. It was a name that belonged to no one else but me. Just that simple act painted my world with vibrant colors, centered around her.

"You belong to me now. From now on, you will dedicate yourself to me, offering everything from the tips of your hair to a drop of your blood. Do you understand?" she said with an arrogant tone, uttering outrageous words.

Normally, I wouldn't want to be controlled by anyone, but she had saved my life, given me a name, and, most importantly, she seemed to need someone as worthless as me. So, what was the problem in dedicating everything I had to her?

"Alright, I understand. From now on, I'm yours. Use me as you like," I said, not exactly sure of the proper etiquette in such situations, but I tried to mimic something I had seen in a book. I knelt before the girl, bowed my head, and pledged myself to her.

It's laughable that a slum kid like me was playing at being a knight. However, if that's what the girl in front of me desired, then I was okay with it.

"Well, alright. I got your words. I'll make you work hard for me. Now that I have a new servant, I guess we don't need to stay here anymore. Let's go home," she said, seemingly confirming my actions were correct.

It appeared I had been correct. She nodded contentedly and turned away, walking ahead. The old woman followed, and in my haste, I stood up.

"W-Wait!"

"What is it?" 

Before I realized it, I had called out to stop her.

The fact that she was stopped seemed to annoy the girl, and she turned her head towards me with a displeased look.

"What's your name...? Tell me your name!" 

I still don't know anything about her. I just wanted her to tell me her name, at least.

"Oh? That's right, I didn't introduce myself, did I? Well then, I suppose knowing the name of your master is important," she said with a smile. She turned towards me, looked me straight in the eyes, and proudly proclaimed her name.

"I am Isabella Valiaz. I am the daughter of the most illustrious noble family in this country, the Valiaz Duchy! Make sure to remember that well," she declared.

And so, the nameless boy from the slums became a butler at the whims of the young lady.

That is the end of this tale.

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