Liliruca Arde disliked adventurers.
More precisely—
She hated every last one of them equally.
They talked endlessly about protecting their companions in public.
Behind closed doors, they squeezed those same companions dry, leaving them no way out.
Every time she worked herself to the bone earning money in the Dungeon, they came to take it.
Soma.
That was the Familia she belonged to.
And the name of her own personal hell.
Its god was obsessed with brewing divine wine and paid no attention to the affairs of his Familia.
To obtain that wine, its members would stop at nothing.
And their favorite targets were the supporters at the very bottom.
Some invented excuses such as “protection fees” or even “breathing fees.”
More often, they simply did what they were doing now.
They robbed her outright.
They wanted to crack open her bones, suck out the marrow, and drain every last valis she earned.
“So…”
“Let it all burn.”
With her back pressed against the wall, Lili stared at the adventurers looming over her.
Their faces were twisted into vicious expressions, and they reeked of alcohol.
All she could do was curl up in the corner.
Keeping her back against something solid was the only way she knew to feel even remotely safe.
“Lili, the boys are a little short on spending money.
You understand, right?”
“You wouldn’t want things to get even worse for you in the Familia, would you?”
The familiar voice rang in her ears.
Lili lowered her gaze, hoping that avoiding their eyes might buy her a little peace.
“I… I haven’t been to the Dungeon today… I don’t have any money.”
“No money?”
The beastman leading them, Enwan Kovo, flexed his hands with a vicious grin.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“How about selling your equipment?”
“No… Without it, I can’t work in the Dungeon…”
“Then borrow some!”
“Borrow from another Familia, go ask the goddesses at their brothels to arrange something—I don’t care.
I want fifty thousand valis today.”
Fifty thousand valis…
As a supporter, she would need more than a month of exhausting work to save that much.
“I… I can’t…”
“You can’t?”
The beastman grabbed Lili by the hair and hauled her up.
“I’ll find a way… to make you hand it over.”
“Hahahaha!”
His “way” was nothing more sophisticated than brute violence.
As fists and feet struck her, Lili bit her lip.
Her nails dug deep into her palms.
Why…?
Why had things turned out like this?
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
All she wanted was to stay alive.
Why couldn’t she even have that?
This.
This was why she hated every adventurer equally.
She wished these people would all die. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
That every last one of them would suffer and die in despair.
“Useless!”
“Trash!”
“Prums should know their place and live as slaves!”
The insults gradually seemed to recede into the distance.
As her body grew numb to the pain, Lili began losing track of time.
Endure it.
Stay alive.
Keep going until she had saved enough money to leave Soma Familia.
She didn’t know how much time passed.
At last, Lili managed to lift her head.
Through her blurred vision, she saw the Soma Familia adventurers hurrying away.
A Ganesha Familia patrol had answered a call and appeared at the entrance to the alley.
Yet the guards seemed not to notice the girl curled up in the corner.
“I wish… it would all finally end.”
Lili tugged at her hood and remained huddled on the ground.
She breathed deeply, waiting for the pain to subside.
Gradually, it eased.
But the despair inside her only deepened.
“Miss Lili?”
Then a somewhat familiar voice broke the silence.
Lili looked up through the gap beneath her hood.
There stood the young adventurer she had met in the Dungeon yesterday.
Rhodes.
The complete beginner wearing expensive equipment.
She wanted to get up and run.
But the pain kept her rooted in place.
“What… what are you doing here?” she asked coldly.
“I was passing by and saw the guards driving those people away.”
Bullying.
Apparently, it was common enough in a world with supernatural powers.
Rhodes simply hadn’t expected to encounter it so soon after arriving in Orario.
Ignoring the chill in her voice, he made a point of not staring at her battered appearance.
Instead, he took a bite of the fried potato balls he was carrying.
“So I thought I’d come check on you.”
“Want one?”
“…”
Lili looked at the offered food, then at his face.
She quickly turned her head, trying to hide the scrape on her left cheek.
“Are you here to shake me down, too?”
“If I were, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to get the guards to chase off those scumbags.”
“I’d have waited until they left, then come over and thanked nature for her generous bounty.”
Rhodes could tell that she was like a hedgehog with every spine raised.
He crouched nearby, leaving a comfortable distance between them.
“…”
Lili fell silent.
He had a point.
If he wanted to rob her, he could have taken her valuable equipment while she was helpless.
There was no reason for him to crouch here and chat.
“Want a potato ball?”
“They’re fresh.
Pretty good, too.”
“I…”
Lili still wanted to refuse.
Unfortunately, her stomach chose that moment to protest.
Her face reddened.
Eventually, she reached out and accepted the food, lowering her head as she began eating.
The warm food and its familiar flavor stirred a complicated feeling inside her.
Reluctantly, she murmured her thanks.
“…Thank you.”
“…”
Rhodes shook his head slightly and leaned against the wall.
“I only just became an adventurer.
There’s no way I could beat those veterans.”
“So…”
“When there’s trouble, ask Ganesha Familia’s guards for help.
That should work here, too, right?”
“…”
He really was a beginner.
Lili had thought of that solution years ago.
But even when she went to Ganesha Familia’s guards, they would ultimately turn a blind eye.
We can’t interfere in another Familia’s internal affairs.
That was always their excuse.
Lili nibbled at the potato ball and glanced sidelong at Rhodes.
She couldn’t understand.
Why… was he helping her?
A little hope stirred inside her.
Yet the words that left her mouth instinctively tried to smother it.
“Even if you helped me, I don’t have any money to give you.”
“?”
“Just think of it as me doing a good deed and earning a little good karma.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head into the Dungeon.”
Treating her to a couple of potato balls?
That he could manage.
He actually had those on hand.
And when he saw her being bullied, calling the guards had been a simple enough way to repay yesterday’s helpful warning.
But taking responsibility for her injuries as well would only make his already-poor Familia’s finances worse.
“…”
Lili said nothing.
She simply watched him walk away.
After a brief struggle with herself, she gritted her teeth and used the wall to push herself upright.
Then she shouldered her supporter’s backpack again.
She set off toward Babel.
Or, more precisely—
Toward one of the few sources of warmth she had found.
….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it
….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it