Although she was the ruler of this area.
For a blind girl living in the lowest strata, who probably couldn't even watch TV, this was simply too incredible.
"You... know me?"
"Yes."
"Although I don't know why I can suddenly see... but whenever I came to beg before, I could hear the Seitenshi's interviews on the big screens on the street."
"I asked my companions who could see what the Seitenshi looked like..."
"They said the Seitenshi has hair like snow, wears a white dress, and is the most beautiful person in the world..."
"And... everyone says the Seitenshi is a very great person, always protecting us..."
"But... now that I've seen her with my own eyes... the Seitenshi is even more beautiful than I imagined..."
The blind girl's sudden, straightforward praise made the Seitenshi, who had just been weeping, blush slightly.
However.
The next second.
When the blind girl turned her head and her gaze fell upon Heimer, who was standing to the side.
Instantly.
Her eyes widened even further, her small mouth slightly agape, as if she had seen something even more incredible.
"Lord Angel... is also more beautiful than I imagined..."
Heimer: "..."
So it's still an angel?
Is this title going to stick?
Heimer smiled wryly, somewhat exasperated.
However.
Why argue about a title with a child of a few years old?
After all, what a lovely child.
Despite suffering so much hardship and being treated so cruelly, she could still maintain this innocence, and still express heartfelt admiration for regaining her sight.
Such a child should not be forgotten to rot in a corner, should not become a victim of this world.
And this childish reaction also moved the Seitenshi even more deeply.
"From today onwards, I will take care of you."
With that said.
The Seitenshi continued to tightly embrace the blind girl's frail body, disregarding the dirt on her.
And this time, her arms no longer trembled, and her voice became incredibly firm.
As if making a vow that must be fulfilled with her life.
"Really?"
"Seitenshi... are you going to adopt me?"
The blind girl's body stiffened upon hearing this, and she asked cautiously, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed, as if afraid this was just a beautiful dream.
"But... I can't..."
"I have a younger sister."
"She's too young and afraid of strangers; she's waiting for me in the sewers of the outer district right now... If I don't go back for her, she'll surely starve to death alone..."
"I have to bring food back for my sister..."
Moreover.
The blind girl touched her shriveled stomach.
Even though her eyes had regained sight.
The hunger still lingered.
Especially.
She knew very well.
In the outer district.
Food was especially precious.
The food allocated daily was what she and her companions actively left the outer district to bring back.
Even though everyone usually took care of each other, if she couldn't even eat her fill, the food she could share with her sister would surely be pitifully small.
Perhaps just half a rotten apple.
Or perhaps nothing at all.
Especially since her sister always hid shyly in dark corners; if no one specifically looked after her, she would truly starve to death.
Thinking of her sister huddled in the damp, cold sewers, trembling with hunger.
The joy of regaining her sight was instantly washed away by more than half.
If it meant living a good life all by herself,
she would rather return to that dark, damp, and foul-smelling sewer to starve with her little sister.
As long as they were together, that was all that mattered.
"It's alright..."
"I will solve the food problem."
"No matter how many children there are, no matter how much food everyone needs..."
"I will find a way."
"I will take everyone away from here."
"Don't worry about your little sister starving to death, don't worry about everyone going hungry."
"I promise!"
The Seitenshi seemed to understand the unspoken words of the girl.
Her heart felt as if it had been viciously wrenched.
Once again, she pulled the girl tightly into her embrace, holding her even more firmly than before, as if trying to transfer all the warmth from her own body to the other.
If the Holy Residence couldn't accommodate them, she would convert those grand halls used for lavish banquets into dormitories!
If the finances weren't enough, she would sell all those high-end dresses and jewelry she never even had a chance to wear!
In short.
As the ruler of this land,
if she couldn't even fulfill the most humble wish of letting her people eat their fill, what face did she have to sit in this position?
What right did she even have to be called the Seitenshi?!
...
At the same time,
Heimer could clearly sense a change occurring within the Seitenshi's soul.
However,
just as the Seitenshi had finished making her vow,
"Got you! Don't run, you damn brat!"
A rough, angry roar suddenly rang out,
brutally shattering the sliver of beautiful atmosphere that had just been built.
*Slap slap slap...*
A series of hurried footsteps,
the sound of bare feet slapping against the sewage-covered road surface,
accompanied by heavy panting, came from a street not far away.
Heimer had already seen the scene ahead.
The Seitenshi followed his gaze.
She saw,
at the entrance of a dark alleyway not far away,
a small figure wearing a tattered baseball cap, even filthier than the blind girl from before, stumbling out.
This was also a Cursed Child.
Her long hair was disheveled, and she wore a ragged short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, likely salvaged from some garbage bin, both covered in stains and mud splatters.
The tattered baseball cap on her head was pulled down low, as if she didn't want anyone to see her eyes.
But,
even so,
the faint red glimmer flashing beneath that old cap still revealed her identity.
At this moment,
this small figure was desperately pumping her skinny legs, sprinting madly towards them.
In her arms, she clutched a slightly dented meat can, its label so worn it was illegible.
It seemed to be that cheap kind of luncheon meat.
But in her eyes, it was as precious as the greatest treasure in the world.
For this can,
she seemed to have expended all her strength, even losing one of her ill-fitting, worn-out shoes in her flight. The bare foot stepped on the rough road surface, already covered in bloody scratches from the gravel.
With each step, it left a faint bloody footprint on the ground.
But this didn't slow her down in the slightest.
Instead, spurred on by the pursuers behind her, she ran even more desperately.
Because behind her,
two Patrol Officers in uniform were waving black rubber batons, chasing after her in furious frustration.
"Stop! How dare you run after stealing!"
"Damn monster spawn! Don't let me catch you!"
"If I catch you, I'll break your legs!"
The Patrol Officers' curses sounded especially harsh on the bustling commercial street.
The passersby originally enjoying their nightlife all turned to look.
Some were shocked, some disgusted, others indifferent.
The only thing absent was sympathy.
Most, upon seeing those red eyes, just frowned in disgust and quickly cleared the path as if avoiding walking trash.
A rat crossing the street, chased by all.
Even if it was just stealing a can to survive, it was an unforgivable capital offense.
The Girl in the Baseball Cap was now fleeing in blind panic.
After all,
she hadn't expected that simply prying open a locked dumpster to scavenge for food inside would lead to being chased and beaten.
She no longer had time to clearly see the road ahead; only one thought echoed frantically in her mind:
Run!
Run faster!
Must not be caught!
If caught,
she would be beaten to death!
Even if not beaten to death, she'd be thrown into a more terrifying detention center, and then she'd never see everyone again!
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