I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

54 – 054. Cherished Children (2)

“Whoaaa….”

The heart of the Western Continent. Someone visiting the Imperial Capital, Berliner, was constantly exclaiming in awe.

“It’s incredible….”

The amount of people? Understandable. Even the volcano where her sect was located, and the occasional trips to Mu Han, were filled with people, packed to the brim.

But… this place was different, somehow.

Wide-open avenues, fountains powered by magic. Occasionally, knights, trained in mana, moving with sharp, rhythmic steps.

*Thud!*

It was in the midst of strolling and taking in the sights that it happened. Someone bumped her shoulder.

“Hey, lady! Watch where you’re going.”

“Ah! S-sorry!”

Lady…

A rush of anger, for some unknown reason, instantly boiled up, but she calmed herself.

Stay composed. Right now, to anyone who looks, she’s just a regular ‘lady’. Overreacting would be the worst possible move.

“Hmph!”

The passerby scoffed and went on their way. Left awkwardly on the street, the woman scratched her head and turned around.

‘Just like Father said, it’s true.’

She’d often heard that the people of the Western Continent were cold and individualistic. But feeling it firsthand made her father’s advice resonate once more.

*Slap!*

With that thought, the woman raised both hands and touched her face.

…It was a truly strange thing to see. The reason why this ‘skin mask,’ that felt exactly like her own, was layered over her face.

“Ahem.”

Clearing her throat, she shifted her steps this way and that. Perhaps it was because this was the Empire’s capital, where all manner of goods gathered, but the commercial district was filled with shops that sparked her curiosity.

And so, time passed.

“I should probably find a room soon….”

She realized that the number of people on the streets was slowly thinning out.

*Grumble!*

“And I’m hungry too.”

Her footsteps, now dragging, lacked energy. Perhaps it was due to the slight tension, but she felt like she’d poured all her concentration into sightseeing.

“…Huh?”

Then she saw a unique scene.

“Come one, come all! A peek into destiny for just 1 shilling! Wow! Cheap!”

“……?”

Before she knew it, the atmosphere of the neighborhood she was walking through had changed.

She’d entered the central district, where mansions lined up, instead of the low buildings and crowded shops.

“Hey there, elder! Don’t you want to peek at your destiny?”

What she found unique was the boy who had set up a stall right in the middle of the street.

“Oppa! People don’t like it!”

“Tsk… Mary, it’s because you don’t know any better.”

Beside the boy, a small girl, who seemed to be his younger sister, kept chattering away.

But then.

‘…Could it be, forced begging?’

The next scene she saw scratched at her heart.

A makeshift stall, seemingly set up by the siblings. And next to it, a man with a listless face sat on a chair, watching the boy’s sales pitch.

‘Oh, he’s super handsome.’

For a split second, she’d slightly opened her mouth, then shook her head.

Is that what matters right now? If that man was forcing the children to work, it was a problem she couldn’t easily overlook.

Carefully, she approached the stall. Right now, she was playing the part of a plain, old lady. She steadied her thoughts.

“Hello! Won’t you get your fortune told? I’ll do it for 1 shilling!”

“A fortune? That does pique my interest.”

She smiled with as much benevolence as she could muster. At least with this, that man wouldn’t be so wary…

*Hiccup!*

‘Wh-What was that?’

She sensed a shift the moment she began talking with the kids at the stall.

That man. Embarrassingly, the one she’d thought was rather handsome, had slightly turned his gaze to look at her!

‘Why?’

…that question quickly reared its head.

Right now, she was ordinary. Her clothes, her face. All of it was a common sight on the street, so how could it be that man was looking at *her*?

“Alright. A fortune, you said it’s 1 shilling?”

The woman focused herself. In a worst case scenario, she might have to fight that man and rescue the kids.

The fact that her heart was already fluttering was surely a sign of a bad outcome.

“Yes! I’ll tell you for 1 shilling. Hehe.”

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that.”

*Click.*

She took out her wallet and produced a silver coin.

Of course, in that brief moment, she didn’t forget to steal a glance.

‘…He’s a master.’

And not just any ordinary master either.

She was a martial artist on the cusp of her peak. In the Eastern Continent, she was a prodigy, practically unmatched among her peers.

But…

The man, casting a listless gaze her way, was on a different plane altogether. He was clearly at least in the late stages of his peak, if not beyond.

She couldn’t even gauge his power with her senses.

*Gulp!*

The man was still sending her that unnerving look.

She quickly lowered her eyes to the children. Come to think of it, up close they were adorable, radiating innocence.

“Okay, okay, place your hands on this crystal ball.”

“Like this?”

“Yes! Just wait a moment! Hyaap!”

What on earth kind of fortune telling is this…?

The boy squeezed his eyes shut as if concentrating, then with a huge shout, he flapped his hands around.

It was so adorable. A faint smile graced her face.

*Scratch! Scritch scritch!*

The boy was furiously writing something on a piece of paper.

She couldn’t help but be curious. She’d thought he was just some charlatan reading palms, but it looked like it was more serious than that.

“Okay! The result of the fortune is out…!”

The boy, who had been focusing intently, shouted this at that very moment.

“The result of the fortune is…!”

“…!”

…Why?

Somehow, she had found herself completely absorbed in the result of the fortune, a change from her initial suspicion that the siblings were being forced to work.

And.

“＜Dealmaker＞, ＜Master Strategist＞, ＜Administrator＞! Jackpot!”

“Wha, wha-won! Won!”

“…Huh?”

Won? Won what?

Her puzzled gaze shifted to the children.

The words they’d spoken didn’t make any sense for a fortune. It seemed like some sort of explanation was needed…

*Dodo do! Thump!*

“What, what are you doing?”

Of the siblings, the younger sister was the first to spring into action.

The child, who had been quietly watching her brother’s work until now, suddenly clung to her leg!

“Eat dinner. Together.”

“Dinner? What’s with that all of a sudden…?”

“Ha, hahaha… I think our little sister likes you, miss.”

Huh? All of a sudden?

Thinking that, she looked down. How adorable were those tiny hands gripping her leg tightly; she even forgot the absurd situation and smiled.

“Eat dinner.”

“Maybe, that would be difficult. Your parents might not like that very much.”

She said softly, glancing away slightly.

And then.

“……?”

The man who had been there before, sitting on a chair beside the stall, was gone.

What in the world was going on? Was she hallucinating?

‘What, what is it? Just a neighbor, maybe…?’

It was easier to think that way.

When she thought about it, would there really be some crazy b*stard forcing kids to beg in broad daylight, in this fancy neighborhood? No way.

“We don’t have parents.”

“Wha, what did you say?!”

Whether she knew the woman’s thoughts or not.

The girl clutching her leg shook her head. Her delicately formed features were slightly scrunched up.

‘…Oh, no.’

For a split second, her heart plummeted. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how much pain her carelessly spoken words might have caused these two children.

“Then… who are you living with now? Do you, perhaps, have a home?”

“Yes.”

“My brother and I live with our older brother and older sister. And other people too.”

“……I see.”

It was an answer that made her heart ache.

‘Other people’… it sounded like they were talking about a slum. The children’s clothes and faces were strangely clean; she guessed it was like they were well-loved by those in the slums.

“Okay, then. Today, especially, I… Auntie, not Unnie, will buy you food!”

“R-really?”

“Waaah──!!”

The two kids hopped up and down, right there. Was buying them food really that great? As she smiled, a warm feeling spreading again.

“Eat at home!”

“Huh? Really? Eating out would be tastier and more nutritious.”

“No!”

“……?”

“My little sister’s right. Food at home tastes better than buying it out.”

“Is that… so?”

At the siblings’ confident cries, the woman gave up, hands in the air.

It was getting close to dinner time anyway, and she was actually pretty hungry herself. Showing up at a stranger’s house to get a meal felt wrong, but maybe giving back something bigger would make up for it.

“This way!”

“Alright, alright. Don’t run, walk slowly, okay?”

“Yessss!”

Such bright answers, the kids were so cute.

Maybe… she’d be a mother to kids like that someday?

* * *

“Th-this is your house?”

“Yes! Come on in. Big sister’s at church today, and big brother should be back soon!”

“……”

The woman gaped, her mouth hanging open.

This was a house beyond imagining.

The kids had led her to a mansion right in the middle of the pricey central district. The kind of place that screamed “important person” at first glance, no less.

“Come in! Hurry!”

“Ehehe!”

Dodo-do, the kids darted inside the mansion first.

No going back now, the woman wore a troubled expression as she awkwardly, clumsily entered the mansion.

‘S-should I apologize to the owner?’

Old enough to know better, and yet, she followed two little kids to their mansion just because they said, “let’s have a meal together.”

This ain’t just cluelessness. This is the kind of shit someone with a mental illness would pull…

“To the dining hall!”

The kids shouted spiritedly, grabbing the woman’s hands and pulling her along.

Those tiny hands were surprisingly strong, and she could only manage a pathetic “uh, uh, uh…” as she was dragged away.

*Screech-*!

Is this the mansion’s dining hall?

The place where the two kids led her was a rather luxurious dining setup.

It was a space way too intimidating for an uninvited guest to join. She turned to leave. She was just going to turn around and go.

“You’ve arrived.”

“……?”

But then, someone’s low voice echoed in her ear.

*Flitch!*

“W-who are you?”

Slowly turning around, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

The man who had been sitting next to the stall, looking bored just a moment ago. He was now sitting at the end of the dining table!

“Sit down.”

“N-no, thanks.”

The woman, realizing the situation was far from ordinary, voiced her resistance.

“I’m leaving. Sorry for the intrusion.”

“No.”

“……?”

“You can come in as you please, but leaving isn’t up to you.”

“W-what did you say?!”

*Slither-*!

The man rose from his seat. Then he took steady steps, walked over, and shut the dining hall door, which had been standing wide open.

*Click!*

And then. He came closer.

“Gasp!”

Why was it? A dizzying plum blossom scent, so potent it made her head spin, tickled her nose. A fragrance as intense as her father’s.

“You’ve been kidnapped.”

* * *

*Ssshk*, an expressionless face drew near. She lost consciousness.