~ 💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 60→1ch | 100→2ch | 200→5ch ⏰ Resets Monday!
Thanks!
Claire, Beta, and Shino had all turned eighteen.
Claire trudged home, completely drained, and found Shino waiting for her again.
She’d told him more times than she could count to stop, but he just nodded and kept doing whatever he wanted, waiting for her every single day.
They fell into their usual rhythm.
Shino massaged her shoulders.
Then their mother caught them one time and put a stop to it.
Shino stopped giving Claire shoulder rubs.
…..
In the days that followed, Claire still slipped into the woods late at night to train.
Every time she stumbled back to her room, a full glass of water sat waiting on her nightstand.
She knew exactly who was responsible.
“Shino…”
Claire bowed her head, lost in thought.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
The truth was, Shino had a maid do it.
He never lifted a finger himself.
…
Shino and Beta had both turned eighteen.
These past few nights, Shino had been sleeping over at Shadow Garden.
That night, while telling her a story, he took Beta’s hand to help her feel safe.
Beta drifted off without realizing it, but she never let go of his hand.
Shino decided he might as well stay.
He sat beside her and kept watch all night.
The next morning, when Beta woke up and remembered how she’d clung to his hand the whole night, she apologized profusely.
“I am so sorry, Phantom-sama!”
She even dropped into a dogeza, a full prostration apology.
“Beta, you don’t need to apologize.
If you’re scared, I can stay with you the whole time.”
“Really?
Phantom-sama!”
Beta leaned in close, her eyes practically sparkling with stars.
Pure anticipation.
After getting Beta’s agreement, Shino moved in another bed.
Two beds, one room.
Beta was afraid to be alone.
And telling stories would eventually run dry.
So Shino chose the simplest, most direct approach.
Beta lacked a sense of security, so Shino gave her one.
Every night, Beta held Shino’s hand as she fell asleep.
Whenever those terrible images surfaced in her mind, a hand was always there to pull her out of the nightmare.
“Phantom-sama…” Beta murmured in her sleep.
Alpha was out handling investigations, so Beta trained with Shino to control her magical power.
Before they knew it, a week had passed.
Shino decided to give Beta a day off.
They headed to a nearby town, not in Kagenou’s territory.
Kagenou’s territory was tiny, and its market was even smaller.
They went to the neighboring Viscount’s domain instead, the town of Carlo.
The market there was enormous, packed with all kinds of goods.
Shino spotted a pair of blue hair clips.
After some haggling with the shopkeeper, he bought them for Beta.
“Phantom-sama, you’re too good to me!”
“Just call me Shino.”
“How could I?!”
“Why not?
That’s Phantom-sama’s order—call me Shino!”
“Shino!”
They walked through the busy market.
Where there are people, there’s trouble.
And where there’s trouble, there are scumbags.
A slaver spotted them.
A white-haired elf and someone who looked like nobility.
No guards.
They’d fetch a good price.
Meanwhile, some people nursing grudges against the rich noticed Shino.
“That brat’s dressed way too nicely.
Disgusting.”
A few of them deliberately used their size to bump into him, hoping to embarrass him in public.
Shino didn’t hold back against people like that.
When the guy got close, Shino moved.
He gathered magical power into a slime, yanked the man’s leg to send him sprawling, and lifted his wallet in the same motion.
“Broke-ass!
Not a single gold coin!
Just pocket change!” Shino sneered, scooping out the coins and tossing the wallet back near the man.
The money was useless to him, but he sure as hell wasn’t giving it back.
Shino and Beta kept walking until they reached a corner.
A huge sack dropped from above and swallowed them both.
Beta moved to strike, but Shino held her back.
“Let’s go to their hideout and wipe them all out at once.”
Before long, they were transported to a village outside the city.
“Boss!
Boss!
I caught two treasures this time!”
The slaver burst through the door, grinning, and froze.
Shino and Beta were already inside.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
The seven or eight slavers gambling inside exchanged confused looks.
The boss hadn’t even noticed when these two kids had come in.
He just assumed Old Nine had brought them.
“Old Nine, these two are decent catches!” the boss said.
Old Nine turned to look at his cart.
The sack that had held them was shredded to pieces.
When he turned back, his comrades were all getting stabbed by Beta’s sword.
Screams filled the room.
In the time it took him to turn his head, Beta had already killed three.
“We’ve got trouble, boys—grab your weapons!” the boss shouted.
He gathered magical power across his body.
The next second, Beta drove her sword through his heart.
Within a few breaths, every slaver in the room was dead.
Old Nine stared at the carnage, despair flooding his face.
He spun around to run.
“Monsters…
monst—”
He looked down at the jet-black blade piercing his own chest.
His mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He fell backward.
➤ Next: The Gang — Steel and Blood