TLDH~38

Chapter 38

But-

“Enough.”

Lian, as expected, wasn’t so easy to deal with.

He threw away my goodwill, and with that foolish stubbornness of picking up the single copper coin that had fallen to the ground and getting up-

“What do you mean, ‘enough’.”

I shot up, grabbed the water and bandages, broke the safe distance between us, and approached him.

Tch.

During our first meeting, I had intended to make him be the one to break the safe distance and approach me.

‘Because that would make him more comfortable.’

But it’s all ruined now.

It seems the setting of him disliking me was unavoidable.

Well, for him to develop trauma towards women, I need to be here.

I’m just a supporting character meant to instill that setting within the novel.

Looking at Lian in front of me, I tightened my grip on the bandages and water bucket.

If he can’t like me.

‘Then all the more reason I must buy the dagger and return.’

Because that will be my only lifeboat.

Rekindling my enthusiasm, I strode purposefully closer to him. Then I sat down right next to him, so close we were practically touching, and grabbed the hand that the noble bastards had trampled to a pulp.

“Let go.”

But true to form, as he tried to shake off my hand, I tightened my grip and let out a long sigh.

“If I put more strength into it now, it’ll hurt you. So, relax your hand.”

“……”

At my words, trying to reason with him rationally, Lian’s bright brown eyes stared intently at me.

Eyes like those of a young beast, full of wariness. Moreover, his small hand—the one not holding mine—clenched the coin even tighter, and it somehow looked pitiful.

That wariness, not wanting his money to be taken—

“Right now, if I use force, you’ll lose. So, give me your hand quickly.”

I pulled his wrist. Then, placing the water bucket on the floor, I dampened a piece of cloth and gently tapped the back of the child’s hand, wiping away the dirt and other foreign substances.

‘Bastards.’

Did they intend to make it so he couldn’t use his hand at all?

The wounds, crushed and torn to the point where the soft skin on the back of his hand was mashed, became even more of a mess after wiping away the dirt. The injuries looked like they would sting and hurt with even the slightest movement. “Hah,” I let out a frustrated breath.

Yeah, this is what life in the slums was like.

Suddenly remembering the time before the ceiling collapsed and killed me in an earthquake, I chewed on the soft flesh inside my mouth.

A world where the powerless are trampled, the powerful are flattered, and children can be treated recklessly.

A world similar to, yet different from, the world of nobles.

I don’t know which is more miserable, more wretched.

“Why do you just stand there and take it? You should at least run away.”

Seeing Lian like this made me angry.

Not because my past came to mind, but because the protagonist’s narrative of having to survive like this was irritating.

‘You could be happy, you know.’

A life lived so harshly, not even knowing of his father’s existence, until after his mother’s death, when his Emperor father appears saying, “I am your father.” And then the half-siblings constantly looking for a chance to kill him. Having to risk his life to survive among them.

‘Insane narrative, plausibility.’

Even for a novel, it was too harsh on a young child.

They were just a few letters, a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter. It was an emotion I hadn’t felt when it was just a few characters.

Feeling the boundary between reality and fiction crumble like this, I raised my head and saw Lian staring straight at me. More precisely, at my furrowed brow.

His amber eyes seemed to say, ‘Why are *you* getting angry?’ I let out a long sigh.

“Never mind… No, how precious a person are you?”

I shook my head, about to close my mouth, but then a surge of emotion made me lift my head.

“Don’t just go around getting hit. If you can’t hit back, then just run away.”

“……”

At my words, Lian glanced down at his clenched fist, and another sigh escaped me.

“Damn it.”

“!”

As if surprised that such a word came out of my mouth, Lian’s eyes widened—

“Hey!”

I slightly lifted his chin and then immediately bowed my head, blowing on his wounds and using the wet cloth to wipe away the scabs.

Lian needs to manifest his ability soon.

So he can get hit less and li— no, well, he might still get hit, but at least he won’t just take it.

Moreover, his ability included not only sword aura but also self-healing.

Remembering his ability, which, while not as high-grade as his sword aura, could easily heal minor wounds, I raised my head—

“……”

He was staring straight at me.

The expression that was initially wary, like a wounded animal, seemed to have softened slightly as he looked at me.

“Give me the herbal powder.”

“Yes.”

Carefully handing over the small pouch containing the herbal powder, I sprinkled it gently onto his cleaned hand—

“Ugh.”

Lian, who had been enduring well until now, bit his lip.

It seemed this really stung a lot.

“But if you put this on, the wound will heal faster.”

Then I wrapped the bandage around and around his hand.

It was a bit clumsy, to the point where I wondered if I was doing it right, and it looked a mess, as if his hand had doubled in size.

“Later, go find the Medi Clinic in the Benia area. There’s a doctor there named Paul. If you go to him, he’ll give you medicine and look at your wounds too.”

“……”

But Lian didn’t answer.

I wanted to tell him about his mother to make him go, but I swallowed the words with extreme self-restraint.

‘No need to raise his guard by saying something unnecessary.’

“Be sure to go.”

Instead, I emphasized it once more and pointed at his body with my hand.

“You might have broken bones. I can’t check for that.”

“……”

“Be sure to go to Paul.”

Looking at him, it seems he won’t go.

“Hoo.”

I shook my head side to side.

Stubborn mule.

Looking at him, who was frustrating to the point where I wondered how our personalities could be so alike, I rummaged through my pocket.

‘He won’t take a gold coin.’

Among the money I scraped together, I found two silver coins and placed them on his hand—no, on what should be called his hand, now covered in bandages.

And at that moment, I saw the child’s gaze, which had shown me a slight hint of favor, suddenly turn fierce.

“With this, go to the doct—”

“I’m not a beggar. Take it and get lost.”

This brat, his way of speaking, really.

Before I could even finish speaking, he violently threw them to the floor. The two silver coins clattered and rolled around in a circle before landing upside down at my feet.

In the past, I would have gotten angry too and probably punched him once, but—

“I’m not giving it to you because you’re a beggar.”

Right now, I’m an adult with the rationality of a 20-year-old, right? So, I bent down as calmly as possible and picked up the two silver coins.

Then I placed them back on his bandaged hand.

“You’re in pain right now, aren’t you? So, I’m lending it to you.”

“……”

“Pay me back when we meet again.”

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

‘This kid.’

Hoo.

Yeah, from Lian’s perspective, it must sound ridiculous.

When would he ever see me again? He probably thinks I’m just saying this to placate him.

But I intend to collect the debt of these two silver coins quite thoroughly, so I really wanted him to accept them. With these sinister intentions, I, in this life, definitely want to live well and happily.

“It’s true.”

“……”

“Probably, you’ll be able to repay me much more than what I gave you. I believe it.”

Staring straight at him, I curled his fingers as if enveloping them and made him hold the two silver coins.

“So, take it.”

Please take it, and later, treat me well.

‘Don’t kill me.’

I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the future, so I firmly closed my mouth and just held Lian’s hand tightly.

Then I stared straight at him.

As if to say, let’s just let it go like this, and then—

“Young Miss.”

I needed to go quickly too.

So, let’s just end it here.

“Be sure to pay me back later. Goodbye, I have to go.”

Then I let go of his hand and turned around.

And at that moment—

“Your name.”

From behind me, Lian, who had been acting fierce the whole time, spoke up, asking for my name, and I raised my head.

* * *

‘I’m Lian.’

The entire way to the auction house, Lian’s voice seemed to ring in my ears.

I had never once thought that he would tell me his name first.

It felt like I had been hit on the back of the head.

Some might say, “Is that all?” but considering my past bad relationship with him, it was understandable. In the past, Lian had refused to tell me his name.

I’m not sure exactly why he did that back then, but I think the root of it was that I had been too persistent and annoyingly clung to him, asking for his name.

Back then, I was a little.

‘No, very much a nuisance.’

Remembering the terrible times I followed him around, my face burned with embarrassment.

But thinking about it now, perhaps back then, I liked Lian as much as I bothered him. The problem was that neither of us had learned how to express that liking properly, and that was the greatest misfortune for both him and me.

“Hoo.”

I’ll do better this time.

First of all, I got Lian’s name.

I felt like I had broken through the first line of defense.

Grateful that this meeting had enough value just for that, I raised my head for the second line of defense.

“We’re here.”