My lady is growing
"Haa, haaa, haa.....!"
Deep within the capital city's slums, where all manner of corruption thrived, a new victim was about to emerge.
"Haa, haa...... What on earth, you scoundrels!"
The girl sprinted through dim, sun-deprived alleyways, even though it was daytime. The buildings in this part of the slums had expanded chaotically, resulting in perpetual darkness. The pursuing footsteps behind her not only grew louder but multiplied.
Sudden attacks weren't uncommon in these slums, but this pursuit was relentless. Moreover, the girl couldn't fathom why she would be the target of so many.
"Darn... A dead-end!?"
Despite her continued evasion, she found herself outnumbered and eventually cornered. Men congregated at the only exit she could see, effectively sealing off her escape.
"Is the chase over?"
"Hah, don't underestimate me!"
The man who seemed like the leader of the pursuers confidently stepped forward. However, the girl just smiled and raised her right hand.
A glow of magical energy gathered in the girl's palm, forming an erratic, shimmering mass of magic. While it couldn't compare to the magic used by nobles, for a confrontation with fellow commoners, this "magic" would suffice.
"Take this!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Hey, hey! Why are you guys getting scared?"
With her magic pushed to the limit, she released it, sending one of the pursuers who had blocked the path flying.
The force of the attack shook the men, causing their encirclement to break.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the girl deployed her magic again and sprinted toward the men, attempting to break free from their encirclement.
"Damn, what a hassle... Don't panic! Use that thing already!"
"What the...!? You bastards, even if you use a smokescreen..."
As the leader shouted his orders, one of his subordinates immediately threw a bag. The girl instinctively tried to dodge, but right before impact, the bag's opening released a sand-like substance that scattered in all directions.
Certainly, it is a surprise, but it was just a distraction.
Thinking she could cast her magic even without seeing, she tried it again.
But then, the girl noticed something strange happening to herself.
"Why won't it work? Damn it, come on!"
The magic she had been able to use just moments ago had completely stopped working.
Realizing this, the girl panicked and tried to channel her magic through her hands, but she felt like something was hindering her, preventing her from controlling her magic properly.
"It's futile. I've sealed your magic"
"Wha!? Ugh!"
As she lifted her head, she observed the group's leader had appeared before her abruptly and struck her, causing the girl to tumble to the ground.
Until this moment, the girl had sustained herself in this slum, relying on her potent weapon: magic. However, with it no longer functioning, she had become nothing more than a vulnerable girl in the eyes of these men.
"Stop this!"
"Shut up, you brat! Your unnecessary resistance is costing us more!"
"Gah!"
A group of men surrounded the fallen girl.
Despite her desperate attempts to resist, the girl's feeble strength proved no match for the grown men, rendering her struggles futile. In fact, her resistance only seemed to further anger the men, leading them to strike her.
"This is valuable merchandise. Avoid hitting her face."
"I understand. Hey! You, the brat who attacked us earlier, you're in for it now!"
"Gah... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Although the leader of the group offered some advice, he didn't intervene further. The men who had earlier experienced the girl's magic now sought revenge, subjecting her to relentless brutality.
Under the repeated and unrelenting attacks, the girl, who had initially shown resilience, eventually broke down. She curled up and began pleading for mercy.
"Wow, that crying face is so enticing. Leader, can we have a taste before we ship this one out?"
"It's just a second-hand item; I don't mind."
"Heeey! Leader, you really get us!"
Having apparently satisfied themselves with the beatings, the men continued their crude conversation while restraining the now docile girl. Everyone in that place viewed her not as a human being but merely as a "commodity."
No one acknowledged the disposable nature of the girl's existence, and no hero arrived dramatically to rescue her. Her future seemed destined for nothing but despair.
"The fun's over; let's get out of here quickly before they catch wind of us."
"Got it."
Following the leader's instructions, one of the men picked up the girl who had been placed in a bag, and they all left the scene, trying to avoid drawing attention.
Such scenes were commonplace in the slums, and no one cared. However, this time, there was a slight difference in the situation.
"Hey, they really came this way, right?"
A little while after the girl was taken, a different group started gathering in the alley where the capture had occurred. Each of them carried weapons and cautiously scanned their surroundings. They were members of "Wildfang" known as the militant faction of one of the three major organizations that controlled the slums.
"According to eyewitness reports, they should have..."
"What do you mean 'should have'? If you're wrong, I'll kill you!"
"Eeek!"
Among them, a man wielding a massive battle axe angrily shouted at a nearby subordinate. Recently, they had been in pursuit of the culprits behind a series of kidnappings within their territory. Kidnappings were not uncommon, but when outsiders acted without permission in their territory, it became a different matter altogether. They were determined to find the culprits for the sake of their organization's reputation.
"No, this is definitely the right place."
"Boss!"
The men turned to the voice that suddenly broke through from behind, and a young man approached them. His mere presence compelled the burly men to clear a path and lower their heads, showing that he had the power to command them.
"Did you find them here?"
"Yes, but more importantly, search the surroundings immediately! They couldn't have gone too far yet."
"Yes, sir!"
Leading the men, Ralph, the boss of Wildfang with his purple hair, issued orders with a commanding voice. His voice, imbued with magic, not only stirred the air but also the souls of those who heard it. The men began moving to seek revenge against those who had intruded upon their territory.
Once the men departed, Ralph, the sole figure remaining, bent down where he stood. As he touched the black sand at his feet with his fingertips, he could sense his own magical power weakening.
"A magic-sealing stone, a troublesome item..."
It was a special mineral that inhibited the activation of magic in the area it affected. Normally used to restrain noble criminals, it was tightly regulated even within the kingdom due to its effectiveness.
The fact that this item was brought here indicated that their current adversaries were not to be underestimated.
Despite that, the power of Wildfang here was diminishing. Since the events of ten years ago, the group had gone through numerous splits and defections, and the once-dominant force in the entire slum had all but disappeared.
This situation hadn't changed even since Ralph had become the boss.
"These people have been doing as they please in our territory. I'll make sure they pay for it."
That's precisely why, if they left this situation unattended, the very existence of the organization known as Wildfang could be in jeopardy. To prevent that outcome, they had to capture the mastermind behind this incident at all costs and demonstrate their power.
With a fierce grin, Ralph glared at the unseen enemy.
◇◆◇◆
"Excuse me."
"Thank you, Miss."
After placing two cups of tea on the table, Eins bowed and stood behind me. Dee then smiled at her and took a sip of the prepared tea, nodding contentedly. I watched their interaction as I reached for my lunch box.
Since the end of summer vacation and the reopening of the school, it had become a daily routine for Dee to persuade me to have lunch together in this courtyard. I owed him for the previous expedition training, so I couldn't just ignore his requests. To be honest, I didn't fully understand what a friend was, but according to Dee, "Sharing a meal together to deepen our friendship is important."
Moreover, the information about the Empire that I heard from this guy was valuable, regardless of its accuracy or usefulness. Taking a little time during lunch was no problem at all.
"By the way, Crow, have you heard? About that recent disappearance case?"
"Yeah..."
As we finished our meal and Dee put his cup on the saucer, he looked pleased and brought up the topic. He was probably referring to the recent string of disappearances of noble daughters in the capital. Initially thought to be mere runaways, the situation had escalated as more and more young nobles went missing.
While it was a matter known only to a few nobles and the Royal Knights, it could potentially tarnish the reputation of the Kingdom's nobility if left unchecked, especially if unmarried noble children continued to disappear. I wondered where Dee was getting his information, as he always seemed to know about these things.
"Where do you think those girls have gone, Crow?"
"Why are you asking about that?"
"They might still be students, but they are bona fide kingdom nobles who've gone missing. Don't you find it intriguing how they managed to disappear like this?"
It's evident that this guy finds the case interesting. Even though I've only known him for a short while, it seems he has a strong interest in these sorts of intriguing matters. Nobles can be a peculiar bunch, but he's in a league of his own.
"Well... having magical abilities doesn't make them invincible. Even though they're nobles, they're still inexperienced young girls. Anyone, even commoners, can capture them if they find the opportunity."
"Oh... so you think the perpetrator in this case is a commoner?"
"If a noble were the culprit, there would likely be traces of magic left behind. However, it's been reported that there were no traces other than those of the victims at the presumed scene of the disappearances. The possibility is quite high."
Considering the students' level at this school, they could easily pull off something like this, especially if they gathered enough people from the slums. However, they should generally avoid interfering with us to prevent conflicts with the Royal Knights.
So, could it be newcomers from elsewhere causing trouble?
"I see. If you say so, it's probably true."
"It's just speculation, though?"
"I get it. But haven't I told you before? I think highly of you."
"Is that so?"
I couldn't help but look puzzled at Dee, who appeared unusually cheerful. He remains a mystery, and I wonder what he finds so interesting about me.
"So, what do you think happened to those noble daughters?" Dee asked again after finishing his tea.
He still seemed quite interested in this matter, although I had no interest in such discussions. However, we still had some time before classes ended, so I could entertain him for a bit.
"If it were just one or two, they might be kept as pets by some pervert. But with so many of them missing, it's likely some trading company sold them as goods."
"Goods..." Dee's expression soured slightly upon hearing that word. It seemed he had a conscience of sorts.
Buying noblewomen through criminal means, for purposes that are anything but noble, is something we already know, right?
"Kingdom's nobles all have excellent bloodlines. That's why they can give birth to children with a high chance of strong magical abilities. They are the best choice as a mother's womb."
There was a past incident where they kidnapped noble daughters, forced them to give birth to children with magical abilities, and then sold them.
Even without that, many noble daughters in the kingdom are beautiful. There must be plenty of men who desire to have them.
"Could they have been sold to a brothel?"
"I considered that, but it's probably something else. There have been cases in the kingdom where commoner women with magical abilities have gone missing. It's likely connected to this incident."
Eins nodded, and I handed her some documents related to the case. Dee quickly skimmed through the contents, seemingly accustomed to reading such materials, and finished reading in no time.
"I see, so the problem is where they were sold..."
"It's unlikely to be within the kingdom. The Royal Knights are not incompetent; if a transaction involving this many people took place, it would have been discovered immediately."
"However, even though our Empire currently has a friendly relationship with the kingdom, we were at war until a few years ago. It would be difficult to avoid border checks at the very least."
The continent is divided by the great mountain range at its center: the kingdom in the south and the empire in the north. If we exclude these two possibilities, we are left with the east and west. The east is the domain of the Magic Forest, where magical creatures reside, so we can probably rule it out as well.
"In that case, there's only one option left."
"To the west..."
"That's right, the small nations in the west. They are always at war, and it wouldn't be surprising if they were looking for exceptional wombs. The children they produce would become powerful forces in a few years."
"Sigh, what a hassle."
The western part of the continent is a region where various small nations have sprung up, not belonging to either the kingdom or the empire.
They claim to be a City-State Alliance, but it's a temporary alliance formed to counter the two major powers. In reality, it's a chaotic region where nations are constantly at war, with countless nations rising and falling.
The two major powers generally avoid meddling in such a chaotic region, probably to avoid getting entangled. Even if we were to find out the whereabouts of the kidnapped women, rescuing them would be extremely difficult.
"So, what will you do?"
"I won't do anything, obviously."
I replied immediately. Why on earth is he asking such a foolish question?
"Oh, really...? Why not?"
"My job is to take care of Milady. Rescuing kidnapped civilians is the responsibility of the Royal Knights, and it's not something a mere servant like me should interfere with."
"Well, that's true."
With my position clarified, it seemed Dee lost interest in the matter. He leaned back in his chair and casually asked Eins for more tea.
"But, speaking of which..."
"What is it?"
"You seem quite knowledgeable about these sorts of situations."
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Dee, who was seated next to me, began a casual conversation. He appeared composed on the surface, but his eyes gleamed with curiosity, like a predator sizing up its prey. Did he think I wouldn't notice?
I had a feeling this was the case. Given our previous conversation, I was sure Dee had reached the same conclusions as I had without needing to ask me. So, what he really wanted to know about was my past. Since he was likely investigating my history, he probably had questions about my time in the slums, a period for which there were no official records.
"Well, you know, just a little from the past..."
However, I had to disappoint him. There wasn't much I could share.
Kill, steal, kill again.
That was the repetitive and meaningless cycle of my daily life back then.
There was no value in preserving those memories.
In fact, I hardly remembered anything from that time.
It was all just a series of events that didn't matter much.
Considering that I now served Milady, it was safe to say that those days were far less significant than my current life, and there was no point in dwelling on them.
"I'm back, Milady."
"..."
"Milady?"
After parting ways with Dee in front of the classroom, I immediately returned to Milady. However, instead of acknowledging me, she was staring intently at the door through which I had entered.
Did I do something wrong?
"You seem to be quite close to him lately" she said.
"Close? Well, we do have meals together sometimes, but..."
I regretted saying that as soon as the words left my mouth.
That's right, Milady was a "loner" with no friends!
She did everything alone—playing, having meals, shopping—always by herself.
Well, if she gave the order, her attendants would come running, but they weren't her friends. Even a child could understand that having a "friend" (even if it was just pretend) around her "Queen of the Loners" could easily sour her mood!
"I-I apologize, Milady. If it displeases you, I will make sure not to associate with that man any further."
I couldn't stop sweating profusely.
It's not like that, Milady! I'm completely devoted to you.
The truth is, even though I didn't want to, that guy just keeps...!
It's hopeless. I don't see how I could change the outcome from here.
...My life has been rather short, hasn't it?
"I never said that. I'm not a narrow-minded woman who interferes in my subordinates' friendships."
"Milady...!"
Milady saying something like that...!
Without realizing it, I was almost moved to tears. In the past, she would have been in a bad mood and unleashed her magic without hesitation, but that wasn't happening now.
I'm so grateful that I've served her for the past ten years...!
"It seems you've matured..."
"Hey! What do you mean by that!?"
As Milady shook me vigorously, with a vein throbbing on her forehead, I couldn't help but celebrate her growth.
Thanks for the chapter.
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