In the back of the storeroom, she found a large cage. She felt the mana reaction from there.
When she peered inside—a boy was clutching his knees, looking terrified.
“W-Who are you…?”
Übel scratched her cheek.
—This might have turned into a bit of a pain.
“Hmph. So, you were kidnapped.”
Übel said, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the boy gnaw on some bread in the living room. She had cleaned up the table earlier—though “cleaning” just meant pushing everything on top of it onto the floor.
After letting the boy out of the cage, Übel first looked for something to wipe herself with. It wasn’t for the boy. She simply felt uncomfortable with the rain and the man’s blood on her body. After finding a towel and drying off, she prepared a meal. There were more than enough food supplies in the kitchen.
“Y-Yeah… I was walking in the forest, and then suddenly… I’ve been here for about three days.”
The boy was still gnawing on the bread in small bites, looking frightened.
He looked about ten years old. The clothes he wore were of high quality, but the fabric was grimy. He didn’t look like royalty, but he seemed well-bred.
“Well, it’s probably the work of bandits. You’re lucky, kid. If I hadn’t come, you might have been sold off somewhere and forced to become a mercenary or a hitman.”
The boy shuddered.
Übel was certain this house was a bandit hideout. The dead man must have been the one staying behind to watch the place. His comrades would likely return before too long.
“Do you know the way back?”
“No, I don’t… but, there’s a place I have to go.”
“Where?”
“Äußerst.”
Übel tilted her head.
“Why Äußerst?”
“I want to… become a mage. Everyone in the village was against it… but I really want to be one. I was heading to Äußerst from the village on my own.”
That actually surprised her a little.
She didn’t know how far the boy’s village was from Äußerst. But for a child to travel through the forest alone was a suicidal act. He was lucky he hadn’t been attacked by monsters. Since he had been kidnapped by bandits and then rescued by Übel, who happened to be passing by, this kid might have used up a lifetime’s worth of luck.
“Being reckless at that age… you’ve got a bright future.”
Though you’ll probably die before you become an adult.
Adding that in her mind, Übel stuffed a piece of meat pie into her mouth.
The boy looked at Übel and spoke up hesitantly.
“U-Um. Could you take me to Äußerst?”
“Eh… Me?”
“You’re strong, aren’t you? Please, just to Äußerst…”
He pleaded with tears welling in his eyes.
If you pick up a puppy, you should take care of it until the end—such words came to mind. She was the one who let him out of the cage. Then it might be logical to take responsibility and bring him along.
—I’m not really the nanny type, though.
But if she left this kid alone, he would definitely die this time. That would leave a bad aftertaste. Since she knew the direction to Äußerst, they should be able to reach it in about two days if they didn’t take any detours.
Übel sighed.
“Well, I guess I’ll rack up some good karma for once.”
“You’ll take me?”
“Just to Äußerst. If you get in the way, I’m leaving you behind.”
The boy’s face brightened. It was the carefree smile of a young boy.
How long has it been since I dealt with a child? While thinking that, she noticed the boy had stopped eating.
“Why don’t you eat more? You haven’t had anything decent to eat, have you?”
“No, it’s just…”
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Suddenly, the boy’s face clouded over. He stole a glance toward the entrance with half-closed eyes. The man’s bifurcated corpse was still there. She had left it because cleaning it up was a hassle.
“Ah, too much stimulation for a brat, huh?”
“D-Don’t call me a brat!”
Speaking as if to act tough, the boy stuffed bread into his mouth. He swallowed it with effort and glared at Übel with teary eyes.
“I have a name. It’s Schloss.”
“I’m Übel. You can call me Onee-chan.”
“Who’d call you that!”
Übel chuckled and ate more meat pie.
After finishing the meal, Übel lay down on the sofa in the corner of the room.
“Well, I’m going to sleep.”
“Eh… shouldn’t we run away?”
“It’s raining, isn’t it? Don’t be scared; I’ll wake up if someone comes back. I have good ears.”
“Will you really wake up?”
“If you’re worried, you can run away on your own.”
She said it dismissively. There was nothing a powerless child who didn’t know the way could do by running away alone. Because he understood that himself, Schloss fell silent.
Übel gave a yawn and closed her eyes. Even if this was a bandit hideout, even if there was a corpse on the floor, even if there was a child—none of that was a reason she couldn’t sleep soundly. In no time at all, she fell into a peaceful slumber.
When Übel woke up, it was still before sunrise.
She could hear breathing close by. When she sat up, she found Schloss sleeping next to the sofa. Even if he didn’t want to sleep on the floor, he could have found a bed if he looked. Perhaps he was anxious about sleeping alone.
“What a scaredy-cat. Well, I guess it’s only natural at this age.”
What was I like back then? Übel wondered.
Back when she was living with her older sister.
She hadn’t been so coddled that she couldn’t sleep alone, but she liked being with her sister. There were several times she fell asleep while watching her sister’s back as she did needlework. The sound of scissors cutting fabric became a more pleasant lullaby than any fairy tale or hero’s adventure story.
—I wonder if Sis looked at me like this, too.
She started feeling sentimental. But she immediately thought that wasn’t like her and brushed the memories from her mind. Tapping Schloss on the cheek, Übel told him as he stirred:
“We’re leaving.”
The rain had stopped during the night.
The forest was shrouded in mist. The morning air was moist and cold, filled with the scent of soil and greenery. Übel stepped onto the muddy ground, occasionally cutting away branches or vines as she headed for Äußerst.
“W-Wait…”
About an hour after leaving the hideout, Schloss’s weak voice came from behind. When Übel stopped, he caught up to her, out of breath.
“You’re… walking… too fast.”
“I thought I was walking slowly, though.”
“Slow down the pace a bit more.”
“You won’t become a mage if you’re worn out by this much.”
Schloss frowned and overtook Übel without saying a word. Simple, she thought. What’s the point of going ahead when you don’t even know the way? Shrugging her shoulders, Übel drew level with Schloss.
“Why do you want to be a mage anyway?”
she asked as they walked.
Taking care of a child was a hassle, but she was honestly happy to have someone to talk to. Though she was often misunderstood, Übel was not an irrational murderer. She possessed a normal level of social skills, and her interest in others was greater than most. She just had slightly less hesitation about killing than others.
After a long silence, Schloss answered.
“…Because I admire them.”
“Hmph. But just because you get to Äußerst doesn’t mean you can become a mage, right?”
“That’s… I was thinking of asking a strong mage to let me be their apprentice.”
“Haha, that’s a truly great plan.”
It was sarcasm, of course. It was so unplanned it was almost endearing. Schloss seemed to realize he was being made fun of; he turned red and looked down. He was smart enough not to argue back out of spite.
“I mean, there’s a strong mage right here.”
Schloss looked up and turned an expectant gaze toward Übel.
“Will you… teach me magic?”
“It’s easy. You just get close quickly and take them down with a bam—that’s all.”
“C-Could you be a bit more specific?”
“Eh? I mean, you know, if you swing your staff like whoosh… it comes out, the magic.”
“…?”
She tried to explain the sensation of using magic, but Schloss only tilted his head with a puzzled look. Despite her efforts to make him understand, it didn’t get through at all, and Schloss was the first to give up.
“I’ll ask someone else after all.”
“Fine by me.”
It probably wasn’t because Schloss was slow. Übel herself wasn’t suited to teaching things. There was some frustration, but telling herself, “Well, I’m the intuitive type,” she stopped thinking about it.
As they walked, the mist cleared, and warm sunlight filtered through. The sunlight filtering through the trees created a dappled pattern on the ground. It was good weather. On days like this, both people and monsters became active.
“I’m going to ask something insensitive,”
Übel spoke up again.
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