“You’re that fake princess?”
Chris instantly grew tense. Her left hand slid quietly toward the strap on her thigh, her body lowering into a guarded stance.
Aristine gave her a glance, then stepped back behind Russell.
Her whole vibe scread: just here to watch the show.
Russell still rembered Chris.
The Blue Falcon squad’s rogue—responsible for scouting and enemy detection.
He hadn’t expected to et her here in the slums.
Thud—
Russell released his grip, and the scruffy-bearded man dropped heavily to the ground.
Clutching his throat, he curled into himself, gasping in ragged breaths, his face full of the terror and relief of surviving near death.
“I’m no fake princess,” Russell said.
“Rhine Kingdom’s Seventh Princess, Rozelite Othinus—real, without a doubt.”
“Who are you trying to fool? Your wanted posters are plastered all over the city bulletin boards!”
“Why don’t you go take another look.”
Russell’s overly calm tone made Chris hesitate.
She glanced at the man collapsed by Rozelite’s feet and couldn’t help but call out, “Zig! Get up and co over here!”
“Cough, cough...”
The man staggered to his feet with the wall’s support.
He cast Rozelite a strange look, then stumbled over to Chris’s side.
The petite Chris standing protectively in front of him looked oddly out of place.
Russell crossed his arms.
“Fine, let’s put aside whether I’m real or not for now.”
Seeing that Rozelite wasn’t making any further moves, Chris relaxed slightly.
“Why are you here, and why did you attack my friend? Last ti I saw you was in Ato City, which is far from here.”
Russell ignored her question.
“Who runs things here?”
“...Shouldn’t you answer my question first?”
Chris asked seriously.
“This girl really is troubleso.”
Russell’s patience was running thin.
But she had called the man’s na, Zig—matching the na shown on his status panel. That wasn’t sothing she could have made up on the spot. Which ant she really did know him.
In other words, Chris was likely quite familiar with this slum.
With that in mind, Russell explained earnestly.
“I received reliable information that demon spies are hiding in this slum. I’m responsible for investigating.”
“Hah?”
Chris’s face was full of disbelief.
“Wait—what kind of ridiculous excuse is that? Why would demon spies hide in the slums? And why you? Even if you are the Seventh Princess, how does it make sense for a princess to co investigate demon spies in the slums?”
“...”
“She’s right. Why indeed?”
Russell had no coback.
He sighed helplessly.
“Anyway, for the sake of our acquaintance, could you guide around here?”
“Do we even have that kind of acquaintance?”
Chris’s expression was full of question marks, as if she suspected mory loss.
“If you don’t help , I’ll have to resort to more forceful thods.”
Russell raised a finger.
“I don’t like wasting ti with the whole ‘play the pig, eat the tiger’ act, so I’ll tell you upfront: I’m very strong~. Best not to think about refusing.”
“Relax. I won’t do anything unnecessary. Once I find the demon spies, I’ll leave.”
“This should benefit you too. After all, you wouldn’t want demon spies lurking in the place you live, would you?”
“...”
Chris frowned, weighing it carefully.
“Are you sure we can trust her?”
Zig rubbed his throat, still shaken.
“That one clearly tried to kill just now...”
“Ugh, what’s the point of saying that now? She’s royalty. The situation isn’t in our favor. Best to be realistic.”
Chris sighed.
Cooperate or not...
Could she or the ragtag folk of the slums actually stop Rozelite? And when it concerned sothing as monuntal as the coronation ceremony, even if the “big nas” here got involved, they’d still have no choice but to comply. This was too sensitive a ti—no one dared stir up trouble.
In the end, Rozelite was just offering them an out, hoping they’d cooperate willingly.
If they didn’t, she’d “help” them cooperate.
“Still haven’t decided?”
Russell asked.
“Or is it that you can’t?”
“No... fine. I’ll do my best.”
Chris sighed.
“But what’s your deal anyway? Are you really the Seventh Princess?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Wha...”
…
Through the narrow alleys of the slums, four figures moved in a line: Russell, Aristine, Chris, and Zig.
Chris had ultimately decided to help.
She might not have had much of a bond with Rozelite, but she didn’t want trouble at a mont like this—unless Rozelite did sothing outrageous.
For now, she was genuinely here to work.
Zig trailed behind Chris, head hung low.
Scruffy and unkempt, he looked every bit the washed-up man—like her underling.
Temporary muscle, just for errands.
Aristine said nothing, her eyes occasionally scanning the corners of the slums, expressionless.
She’s just here for the stroll.
“By the way.”
Russell glanced at Chris.
“Aren’t you an S-rank adventurer? What are you doing in the slums? Don’t tell you ca here specifically to practice rogue skills.”
“I grew up here.”
Chris clearly didn’t mind the question.
She said casually.
“My teacher was a decent thief. Not good enough to make it big as an adventurer, but still sowhat known. Later, he injured his hand and couldn’t keep working, so he lived here in the slums.
“At the ti, I was just a little delinquent surviving on petty theft. He told I had talent and that it would be a waste to stay a thief. So he taught real skills, so I could make a living in the open. He wasn’t exactly a good man, but I respected him. After all, the reason I could beco an adventurer at all was thanks to him.
“Later, he stole sothing from a noble and had his legs broken by the noble’s steward. He beca a cripple.
“I told him I could make money now, that I’d take care of him. I had no father or mother, so I decided to treat him as my old man.
“But when I brought him bread bought with my commission pay... I found him hanging from the rafters.
“Hah, that old fool. Raised all those years, and didn’t even stick around for to take care of him. Just left. What a waste.”
Chris spoke flippantly, but Russell could hear the strange emotions beneath it.
Rozelite, too, couldn’t help but feel a pang inside.
For people born in the slums, this was the norm—living every day without hope or future, thinking only about the next al. Even in the capital of the Rhine Kingdom, the most prosperous city of all, their fates remained beyond their control.
For soone like Chris, who had grown up with guidance, learned proper skills, and eventually found a respectable livelihood—that was already a rarity among rarities.
To most people, a rogue from the slums becoming an S-rank adventurer might not seem so glorious. Adventurers barely scraped by, many living al-to-al. But for the people of the slums, Chris was already a figure of respect and admiration.
Zig was one of those admirers.
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