Somewhere deep within the slums, among the tangled alleys of Thorn's Cloaca, a small boy raced forward, shoving past pedestrians and stumbling over uneven stones.
He was painfully thin. Dressed in rags and covered in dirt, he looked as if he had just crawled out of a fight to the death. Like a cornered animal, he zigzagged nervously through the streets, hoping to shake off his pursuers.
"You damn rat! Let's see where you run now!" a furious shout came from behind.
"Stop yapping, Podrick!" the second pursuer barked back without slowing down. "We need to catch him, or he'll slip away again!"
"Little bastard! I swear I'll skin you alive when I catch you! This old man hasn't run this much in years!" a third added, wheezing from the chase.
The boy's eyes darted from side to side, searching for a way out.
He scanned the chaos around him, desperately trying to find a path to safety. But all he saw were narrow alleyways like throats ready to swallow him and half-collapsed buildings huddled together as if out of fear. There was nowhere to retreat.
The crowd ahead began to stir. Excitement spread through the streets. Something had happened, but the boy didn't have time to figure out what it was. The shouts of his pursuers were growing clearer, already coming from three different directions. He frantically looked around for an escape.
The door of the nearest house suddenly flew open, and a drunk stumbled outside, barely able to stay on his feet. He didn't even have time to curse. The boy slammed into him so hard that the man crashed back against the wall and dropped onto the filthy ground, blinking in confusion.
"You little shit! Where do you think you're going? Can't you see your uncle just came out for a hangover drink?"
His drunken yelling immediately drew attention, but the culprit was already long gone.
Gritting his teeth, he ran in the only remaining direction, toward the city wall.
If anyone had been watching the little boy, they would have been shocked by his speed. It was obvious that he was an ordinary mortal without a trace of mana. Yet he ran faster than most grown adults. His lean body was perfectly balanced, his movements precise, and his eyes sharp.
The long chase had covered his sun-darkened skin in sweat. Steam practically rose from his head, but the boy had no intention of giving up and kept running.
With every passing moment, more pursuers joined the hunt. They had lost sight of him, so they searched every crack, looked under every stone, and cut off every possible escape route.
Their voices were getting closer.
When the boy spotted a pile of garbage, he realized he had no choice. He had to hide.
The place was painfully obvious, but that was exactly where his chance lay. He desperately hoped his pursuers thought better of him and would immediately decide he wasn't stupid enough to hide there. Since he had managed to evade them for so long, they were unlikely to waste time digging through filth to check such an obvious spot. It would only slow them down.
He was grateful that he had managed to leave several false trails while escaping. All that remained was to stay hidden and wait for the men in black to head in another direction.
What if they searched the garbage pile? Then he was dead. What could he do about it? He was exhausted and wanted to rest. The day had been far too difficult. A little more strain, and his heart would probably stop on the spot.
So he buried himself in the filth, held his breath, and waited.
Half an hour passed before the pursuers came close. He became all ears, hoping to catch some important information. The sounds reached him muffled, blending together with the usual street chatter.
"Did you check everything? He couldn't have just vanished into thin air, could he?"
"What?! A whole copper? This swill isn't worth a quarter of that!"
"I did. We searched every street and even forced our way into houses. But you know how hard it is to find someone in this chaos. Besides, we'd better not provoke the local gangs. They won't bother sorting things out."
"Dear, you have to try harder. It's not often that a girl like you gets a chance to enter the noble district. You'd better do your best and earn the lord's favor."
"Okay, Mom."
"I know. Wild Fang has completely lost his mind. He wants to relocate his territory, so he's been far too active lately..."
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a loud shout from somewhere nearby.
"FOUND HIM! HE'S HERE! GRAB HIM!"
The boy froze completely.
"Did they find me? No. Nobody is digging through the garbage. Then who did they find? I'm right here. Did they mistake someone else for me? Does that mean somebody else is going to suffer because of it?" he thought, without the slightest intention of revealing himself. "Sorry, friend. Everyone's on their own here. I can't save you. You can blame nothing but your luck."
When he no longer heard the voices of his pursuers, he relaxed a little.
Meanwhile, a few buildings away from the garbage pile, a similar-looking boy found himself surrounded by people dressed in black. Yet he completely ignored them. He was talking to himself as if pretending to be insane.
"Listen, you need to go back and apologize. What you said was too cruel. Don't you think so yourself? She only wanted what was best for us."
His voice changed slightly, and he answered himself.
"I know. I know. But I can't help it. You weren't there! Otherwise, you would've reacted the same way. Why does she keep sticking her nose into things that aren't her business?"
"I don't care! You have to deal with it yourself! Weren't you the one who said I should stay quiet and play along? Well, how did that work out? You made this mess, so you clean it up."
At last, one of the men in black lost his patience. At that moment, it seemed to him that they were being mocked. The boy wasn't even trying to run. He was just putting on some ridiculous act, as if hoping they would simply walk past.
"Hey, you little bastard, do you take us for idiots? Who's going to fall for this stupid performance?" he shouted, no longer paying attention to the boy's nonsense.
He immediately grabbed the kid by the sleeve to stop him from escaping and raised his hand to slap him a couple of times. But the moment he touched the child, he found himself staring into a pair of cold blue eyes. There was no fear or panic in them, only a shapeless, boiling rage ready to erupt.
The boy didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately drove a fist into the man's solar plexus.
The blow was so strong and unexpected that the man in black doubled over in pain at once.
But the boy had no intention of stopping. His skinny body crashed into him, knocking him off his feet. They hit the ground, and in the next instant he was viciously kicking the man as if he were a stray dog.
"For fuck's sake! Can't you see this father is confused?" Grey shouted. "Did I touch you? Why the hell are you bothering me? Want to help me blow off some steam? Many thanks! I'll gladly accept your assistance!"
Grey continued beating the man while taking advantage of his confusion, until he noticed several more people dressed in the same dark clothing approaching them.
Grey immediately realized something was wrong. Most likely, he had stumbled into trouble again. Goosebumps spread across his body, but he didn't even think about stopping. In his irritation, he hadn't noticed when he climbed onto the tiger's back, and now there was no way to get off.
The only decision he could make in his panic was to keep playing the role of an arrogant young master, just like in the web novels he used to read. Who knew? Maybe it would work and scare these brutes away.
"What are you staring at? Do you want to help this daddy blow off some steam too?!" Grey glared at the rest of them.
The pursuers froze in place. They neither grabbed the boy nor rushed to help their companion. Not because they were afraid or panicking. They simply had no idea how to react.
Their mouths opened and closed, yet not a sound came out.
Just... what was happening? Weren't they the ones chasing a child? Since when had their roles completely reversed? What was this?
Looking more carefully, they noticed something was off. The boy's hair was black rather than light brown. He was slightly taller, and even his clothes were completely different, though just as ragged. It was obvious that this wasn't the one they were looking for.
Wait...
That still didn't explain the scene they had just witnessed. Their companion was being beaten by a child. An ordinary child without a trace of mana. Since when had children become this ferocious?
"Who the hell are you?" the leader shouted the very question that had taken root in everyone else's mind. "And stop beating Podrick. Believe it or not, we'll skin you alive..."
Grey had been waiting for those words.
Silently, he prayed that his plan would work, though his face clearly showed nothing but rage and irritation. Thankfully, he had accumulated plenty of both emotions today, enough to play the role of an arrogant little upstart to his heart's content.
"Who am I?! Who the hell are you people? I wasn't bothering anyone. I was carrying out an errand for my lady when this idiot jumped me. Well, wasn't he the one asking for trouble? So what do you want now? I'm listening..."
The lead pursuer hesitated.
Even surrounded on all sides, the boy didn't seem particularly frightened. If anything, he was only getting more worked up. It was as if he was looking for an excuse to attack them. He didn't seem afraid of conflict at all. He looked eager for more trouble...
What was he relying on? Was this all just an act?
One of the subordinates could no longer tolerate such treatment.
"Kid, you'd better watch your mouth. What, are you some big shot? And even if you are, do you really think we won't break your legs right here and now?"
Grey exploded immediately.
"You dare?! Go ahead, touch me. Let's see what my lady does. Do you really think you slum rats are worth anything? Just try it, and I'll smash your balls in."
He acted completely unrestrained, as if he were the son of the Heavenly Emperor or a god at the very least.
Grey knew perfectly well that he couldn't show weakness. The moment he gave even half a step of ground, he'd be completely screwed. The best thing he could do was keep pushing forward. Raise the stakes as high as possible until even an idiot realized that messing with him wasn't worth the risk.
He had deliberately called them slum trash, as if he didn't realize they weren't from around here. He had also mentioned his "lady" several times, giving them a subtle hint. He simply refused to believe that among this group there wasn't a single person capable of putting two and two together.
Truthfully, the whole situation had been an accident. Who could have known that in a fit of irritation he would stumble into something serious?
His mood was already terrible. He hadn't bothered anyone. He had been busy arguing with Junior about how to fix their mistake. So how was he supposed to notice that something was wrong when some idiot suddenly decided to pick a fight with him?
To his immense relief, his little plan worked perfectly. Just as a few lackeys were about to teach him a lesson, the leader raised a hand.
"Who is your lady?" he asked in such a cold, severe tone that it sent chills down the spine.
"Are you an idiot? My lady means my lady!" Grey shouted, throwing the token of Venus' Embrace at him. "Who else could it be but Lady Veronika?! We only have one lady!"
Grey had made his move. Now he could only hope the rumors about her were true. He knew that Lady Veronika held considerable influence in the city, and he had heard many times from the girls that their establishment was practically untouchable.
He had never figured out why.
Maybe it was Veronika's own strength. Judging by her appearance, she had certainly reached the Saint stage. Maybe it was her connections or her background. After all, the establishment was far too luxurious. Or perhaps she had some wealthy patron protecting her.
Grey didn't know for sure, so all he could do was wait for the man's reaction.
The man studied the token carefully, deep in thought.
"Damn. This really is one of Lady Veronika's people! Do I actually have to let him go? But if I do something to him, the consequences could be anything. Is it worth the risk? No, better not. I don't want to offend her. Who knows how many nobles dream about her at night. She wouldn't even have to do anything herself. Just a few words, and we'd have problems."
"Better to let him go. We've already wasted enough time here. Who knows where that little rat has run off to?"
"Leave him," he ordered through gritted teeth. "What are you staring at? Have you forgotten our target? Stop wasting time and get searching!"
"And you, young man," he said, turning to Grey, "would do well to be more polite. Not everyone here knows your lady."
After those final words, he immediately left. The boy's smug expression irritated him immensely. What the eyes didn't see, the heart didn't grieve over.
Grey stomped his foot. The moment his plan succeeded, all the fear and nervousness vanished completely. He had worried too much.
Those bastards had run off so fast it was as if their tails were on fire.
He had to admit, the experience had sobered him up considerably. Even Junior, who hadn't been able to calm down since waking up, felt enlightened. Just like that, one small mistake could have cost them their lives. This time, Veronika's influence had saved them, but what would happen next time?
They had better head back.
Grey walked home in a much better mood, arguing with himself.
"Did you see how I scared them off? Quite a refreshing experience. However, it seems Veronika's influence is much greater than either of us thought. She's not an ordinary person..." Senior voiced his conclusion.
Junior was stunned.
"Seriously? You only realized that now? I thought our meeting with her was proof enough. Wake up! Did you see her chambers? That's a damn palace! Of course she's extraordinary."
"Hey, hey, calm down," Senior said, raising his hands. "In case you've forgotten, I only arrived in this world recently. How am I supposed to know what's considered luxurious here? I didn't exactly see any flush toilets in our establishment."
"Alex?" a disbelieving voice suddenly came from the garbage pile.
"FUCKING HELL!!!" Grey screamed in fright.