124 CHAPTER VII Juvenile Leader 1 (1/2)

My name's Bill. I'm seven. I have a three younger sister.

My parents ...... don't remember them anymore.

When I was five years old, my ...... money was gone and my shitty father was happily telling his friends over drinks that he was selling me and Cassie to the slavers.

I overheard the conversation and ran off with Cassie without a second thought.

I couldn't allow our lives to be ruined just to pay for my father's booze.

But the world outside was different than I thought it would be.

You could only get one meal a day, every day, and it was cold to sleep outside. ...... Wouldn't it have been easier to be a slave?　There were many times when I thought, ”Why not?

While I was living that life, I learned that there were other people in the same situation as me in the slums.

Each was desperate to find food for themselves or their sister or brother.

When I saw that, I thought it would be easier if we all worked together.

So I started asking people who were in the same situation as me to join me.

We'd have an easy meal, my sister and brother would be safe.

When I said those things, it was easy to get them to go along with my offer.

And so our group was born.

Our main activity as a group was to attack rich people who wandered into the slums and steal their money and food.

We wouldn't have been able to do this by ourselves.

With enough of them, a child could easily defeat an adult.

This plan worked.

Now everyone can go through two meals a day.

I know that's a bad thing.

But we can't live without it.

And that's how I'll do anything to live.

And it's been about a year since the ...... group formed.

There were a few groups that imitated us, and we had some tiffs and disagreements with them, but we had no problems.

But that day was a turning point in our lives.

That day we earned our bread and butter for the day by attacking anyone who wandered into the slums, as we always did.

And just as we were about to finish our quota for the day with one more attack, that man came along.

He looks about ten years old, dressed like an adventurer, but his clothes are nice, so he's got some money.

At first we felt lucky today because of the way he looked.

A kid with money is a sitting duck.

And then ...... we were so careless, that the guy beat us up in an instant.

I couldn't even get my hands on him. .......

In the past, no matter how strong a person was, you could always get one or two people killed, but never all of them.

That's why I was so upset at that moment.

I thought I had to protect my friends, so I talked to her.

And then she said something incomprehensible.

An orphanage?　You can eat for free?　A warm bed?　Well, can they teach you magic?

No, you don't.

You've learned so far not to trust people so easily.

Huh?　Just to see if I'm alone?

d*mn it, ......, what to do?

No, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who gets hurt.

Guys, look after Cassie for me.

Yeah?

Did the place change in an instant?

Huh?　What a mansion!

There's a big bathroom, a really big bed, and a place to play.

Can we live here?

Funny!　Why are you being treated so well?

Are you sure you have nothing to hide?

So, but what if ...... is really an orphanage?

And I don't think he's a bad person: .......

Yeah...... my gut is telling me to trust this guy.

What should I do...... rely on my intuition?

No, wait. Think about it.

What happens if I say no?

I forgot. She's incredibly strong.

And it has the ability to move at a moment's notice.

If I said no, he'd just force me to go with him.

All right, now it's better to follow him.

Then I decided to follow him, joined Cassie and the others, and we went to live in the mansion.

A group of other people soon arrived, but we didn't get involved in each other's lives any more than we had to.

We didn't want to get into a fight and get punished, so we kept quiet for now.

Besides the maids who look after us, the house is patrolled by creepy armorers who don't talk.

They're all quiet because they're scared of this armor.

The maids say they are ...... guarding this place, but I think they are watching us.

Also, there was a collar on one of the maids.

Maybe they're her slaves.