He had no choice but to step foot in the filthy place. High-quality handmade shoes and a well-finished cane stepped on the muddy ground mixed with sewage and unpaved dirt. The arrogant gentleman walked looking only ahead. The lowlifes of the back alleys wouldn't touch a gentleman even if they touched a lady. Because they feared the consequences.
If he went deeper than this, the story would be different, but then he'd have to deal with them using the violence those back alley thugs loved. How difficult would it be to put bullets ant for animal bodies into human bodies?
The tip of Cider's cane split open and a round gun barrel erged.
"It's a magic pistol."
"A noble......."
The murmuring sounds were like baby rats squeaking. Cider didn't hide his displeasure. When he found Esperanza, he'd have to give her a piece of his mind. One word, just that much. And then he'd throw her in front of Mrs. Lux. Then Mrs. Lux would handle the nagging.
Tap, tap, the sound of the cane echoed in the narrow back alley. Cider didn't hide his aristocratic air even as he went deeper inside. The reason he didn't set foot in this place wasn't because it was frightening but because it was filthy.
"My lord, just one piece of bread...... I haven't eaten for three days."
When a child tried to grab his pant leg, Cider pushed the hand away with his cane without even looking down. Though he didn't crush it like stubbing out a cigarette, it was sufficiently cold. A girl who had been trying to rummage through his coat pocket hesitated.
Cider clicked his tongue. They sward like a pack of rats. This was why he hated coming here. As if they thought he wouldn't shoot a child. Cider demonstratively loaded his gun and placed it about a finger's width away from the girl's forehead. Slow and elegant. As if there was no need to be hasty in dealing with them.
"I was wrong! Please spare !"
The child was quick to change tactics. Cider asked.
"Didn't a lady pass by here?"
"She went that way! Turn around......."
She seed to have gone deeper than expected. Cider clicked his tongue. Considering her boldness in not even blinking when faced with a rifle, it made sense.
The mont he turned toward the dark path the girl had pointed to, his vision spun. His back touched the filthy wall blackened with chimney soot. But what he felt first was the blade against his protruding Adam's apple.
It was so smooth he couldn't even sense any presence. Movent approaching art.
Black hood, small stature, close-pressed body. A woman. A woman pointing two thin swords at his neck. However, the speed that couldn't be taken lightly, and the strength that pushed him back instantly despite her much smaller fra, even though it was a surprise attack.
Eyes that didn't conceal killing intent flashed. Brilliant purple eyes. Their gazes intertwined like weaving warp and weft. A thrill ran through him. Ti moved slowly. Taut tension and eerie exhilaration. Cider realized this woman's identity. He reached back and pulled back the hood that had co down to the woman's forehead.
"......Esperanza."
The tensed muscles relaxed. The relief of having found her ca only after that. Cider quickly frowned and thought.
'Is there not a single injury anywhere? I could use that excuse to extract a bit more blood.'
Esperanza was equally surprised. The purple eyes that had flashed like a predator before the hunt beca docile.
"Lord Avondale? Why on earth did you co in here? Is the business already finished?"
What an absurd thing to say. Who was the one who entered here first? If it hadn't been Esperanza, would Cider have had any reason to set foot in this dirty place? Moreover, he probably got his coat dirty when he was pushed just now. Realizing this fact belatedly and feeling his mood sink a little more, Cider spoke sowhat irritably.
"Don't you think that's what I should be saying?"
Even with ten mouths, there was nothing to say. Still, she didn't want to just silently take the scolding.
"Well, . Ah, I'm being chased. Let's get out quickly."
Cider had a lot to say, but since he didn't want to stay in this place even one more mont, he obediently followed. He wanted to quickly take off this dirty coat too. Getting dirty outside the research lab for purposes other than research was disgusting.
Anyway, the woman with bloody swords and the man with a magic-loaded pistol, despite their mouth-watering appearance, were left untouched by anyone. They soon escaped the back alleys.
Esperanza put the thin swords and hood into her inventory. Cider narrowed his eyes.
"It wasn't just a magic bag after all."
"I can't give you this."
"I didn't ask for it."
You coveted it though!
"If you gave it as an apology, I'd accept it, but for now I want to ask about sothing else."
You did covet it after all.
"Are you going to scold ?"
"Mrs. Lux will."
Cider arrogantly nodded. Then that was fine. Unlike Cider Claiborne who couldn't let anything pass without finding fault, Mrs. Lux had a warm and generous nature. Though she was a bit ddleso, there was a baseless confidence that the beating from her side would hurt less than the beating from this side.
"So, was there any harvest?"
"No."
"You caused trouble and got no harvest?"
"I'm ashad."
Actually, she wasn't that ashad. Though entering the back alleys yielded no harvest, she had discovered sothing at the magical goods store anyway, and at least knowing where to start the investigation ant today's outing had achieved more than intended.
"If it weren't sothing you couldn't handle, you seem to have considerable close combat ability, so that's fine. But that sword was sothing I'd never seen before?"
"Shall I show you?"
"In the research lab."
"Ah, yes."
Actually, these thin swords weren't anything special from a magical engineering perspective. They were literally just swords. They had the advantage of unusual material and corresponding sharpness, and when equipped, agility and attack power increased. But while the stats were high, such options were attached to most decent weapons anyway.
Though not to the scythe.
Since she had gotten rid of her guilt about that part by sharing blood, Esperanza just shrugged.
"I bought the hide. I'll explain later why I suddenly said that."
"Later?"
It would be fine to do it now though?
To that question, Cider smiled brightly and said.
"Because there won't be ti today."
Just then the carriage stopped and puffed steam. Even while getting off with Cider's escort, she didn't understand what those words ant. Cider handed his dirty clothes to Mrs. Lux.
"Good heavens, what is this! How can soone who went to a magical goods store have clothes in this state? Is the Count still a ten-year-old child?"
"Because a certain miss went into the back alleys."
He naturally sacrificed Esperanza. Mrs. Lux's face turned demonic.
"I was foolish to think that since you're a refined person, you wouldn't need an old woman's nagging. Miss Esperanza, ladies do not go to back alleys."
The back of her neck felt cold. Mrs. Lux, with her hands on her hips, opened her mouth again. It was the beginning of a three-hour-long nagging session.
??????°??☆????°??????
Cider's words that there wouldn't be ti today were true. When Mrs. Lux's nagging finally ended, Esperanza was already exhausted. After washing and coming out, she was completely worn out. She needed to have dinner, but she couldn't move. It would be okay to skip one al, right?
Mrs. Lux really talked a lot. And every single word she said was correct. The fact that ladies don't go to back alleys was also, excluding the point that Esperanza wasn't a lady, reasonably understandable. Real ladies probably wouldn't go to back alleys.
Lying spread-eagle and looking at the ceiling, Esperanza just blinked her eyes.
'That damn bastard, he seed to be going easy on
but hit
in the back of the head like this.'
Still, she wasn't angry because Cider had personally co to the back alleys to find Esperanza. Though he detested it, he had co that far out of concern for Esperanza, and though it was a mistake, she had pointed swords at him and dirtied his clothes, so it was right to endure this much mischief.
It was obvious as fire that Cider would prefer Esperanza quietly accepting his mischief rather than frantically apologizing.
'No, what he prefers is......'
Should she let him draw so blood? The amount from last ti didn't hurt and didn't matter. But she absolutely wouldn't let him do magic power asurent.
When he asured only the part that touched her fingertips using his body as a dium, it stung, but if she got directly on the magic plate? It wouldn't end at just a stinging level.
Hmm. Honestly, she wasn't that grateful.
"Miss Esperanza, aren't you going to eat?"
Annie ca in with sandwiches. It wasn't food suitable for dinner. But from what she heard, the master of this house also made do like this during research. A guest couldn't complain about food the Count ate. Actually, she was hungry too. When Esperanza was about to pick up a sandwich, Annie added one more thing.
"It's Mrs. Lux's strict order. Take it to the Count, and you can't co out until both of you empty your plates together."
"Does Mrs. Lux hate
now?"
That was the only way to explain it. She was tired to death, yet being pushed toward that stuffy study.
"How could that be? Mrs. Lux is just......."
Annie closed her mouth. She couldn't say that Mrs. Lux was just overly excited because the Count had shown interest in a lady for the first ti in his life.
"I don't know."
"Can't be helped."
Was it because she had washed with hot water? When she actually tried to get up, she wasn't that tired. Annie carried the sandwich tray to the study for her. Despite Esperanza's earnest refusal, she only repeated "Mrs. Lux's orders." She really seed to have lost trust.
There was no one in the study. Esperanza entered the inner part of the study without hesitation.
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