Heavenly Castle

Chapter 83 – Outside the city

A group of eye-catching people were walking within the row of disordered huts that seems to be unable to defend against the rain and wind.

The first one that they notice is an elf man. The elf is walking in the middle of the road in a dignified manner with a strict expression on his face.

A young man and two beautiful women who will make anyone turn their heads were walking side by side behind him. The three of them are looking around interestedly, and looking at the beggars lying on the ground and at the orphan children while frowning their brows.

And what caught most of the attention is the two golems walking right behind that group.

They’re a long and slender bodied for a golem, but they are still huge compared to humans. Moreover, the golems seemed to have been polished beautifully like a work of art.

「...... Wh, what’s that?」

「Two golems......」

「Are they some kind of nobles?」

「Stop saying nonsense. If they were nobles, they would ride on a carriage with a family crest. Maybe they are children of some wealthy merchant. I don’t know if it is the man or one of the women.」

While such whisperings can be heard, the four people and two golems are walking steadily.

「...... It looks like a slum. I haven’t seen one, though.」

「Slum?」

「No, it’s nothing. Shall we enter the royal capital first?」

As the young man and women were having such conversations, the young man suddenly noticed that a person had collapsed in the shade of the building. It’s a child whose limbs are nothing but skin and bones can be seen. His body is only covered by clothes like a simple piece of cloth and there’s not even any shoes.

That child has a swollen face, something that obviously happened after being harmed by someone.

「...... How cruel. I wonder if I can do something?」

When the young man said that solemnly, the woman with a gentle smile standing next to him smiled awkwardly and approached the child’s side while walking gracefully.

「............ Healing.」

She murmured something in a small voice and after a while, the child’s exposed skin shined faintly. Immediately after that, the child’s external wound was being healed in an instant and the child’s expression changes into a gentle one as well.

A commotion occurs.

The reactions of those who were watching the situation in the surroundings were various. They are divided into those who are exclaiming in admiration, those who are checking out the situation with a serious look and those who are mocking it.

「...... He’s going to die soon anyway. This hypocrites.」

Someone muttered that in a really small voice, but strangely, that voice resounded well.

The elf man frowned at those words and opens his mouth, but closes it immediately.

And the mysterious group with the golems walked towards the castle gate. Slipping some white bread into the collapsed child’s hand......

When the back of the tall golems disappears, a person walks up to the side of the sleeping child who received a healing magic that nobody had ever done.

「Bread...... white bread.」

「Oi, back off. It’s mine.」

「Don’t be silly, this bastard! It’s first come first serve!」

As the middle-aged woman with messy hair and the vulgar man develops into a shouting fight in front of the child, a woman wearing a robe came forward.

「Know some shame! No matter how you think of it, the bread is for this child!」

It was a beautiful voice like the sound of a bell, but it has a power. Those who were fighting also stopped their movements at the angry voice of the woman.

「Tch, slave woman, huh?」

「Aren’t you being nosy, for someone with a social status of a slave?」

To such words, the woman who was being called a slave woman knitted her brows and exposed her face by taking her hood off. She is a thin woman with short white hair and green eyes.

The woman stares back directly at them and speaks.

「I’m not a slave woman. My name is Letizia. Certainly I have been dropped into a third-class slave now, but I’m not planning to lose my self-respect. I will never do something unsightly like stealing a child’s food.」

When she said this in order to admonish them, everyone shut their mouths. After confirming that, Letizia walked beside the child without hesitation.

And then she crouched down beside the child and took the bread.

「O, oi!」

「Aren’t you going to eat it after all!?」

There was a person who exclaimed in criticism, but a boy who was in a far place objects it.

「Letizia won’t steal it! Stop yapping if you don’t know her well!」

When the boy scolds the man who criticized while shouting, the man gasps and shrinks away. It’s because there were more than ten children behind the boy.

「So, sorry.」

After hearing his word of apology, the boy snorted and removed his gaze from him. The children turned on their heels and headed towards Letizia.

「Letizia.」

When the boy called her name, Letizia speaks helplessly.

「Jade, please don’t do something dangerous.」

Jade, who was rebuked, pouted his mouth discontentedly.

「But, didn’t he say bad things about Letizia? He said you’re a slave woman.」

「Don’t worry about me, so Jade should protect everyone because you can use a precious magic.」

「No, it’s a beginner magic, so don’t expect too much from it. And it also takes time......」

Jade sighs while scratching his head at Letizia’s words. When he looked sideways at the children, the children who noticed Jade’s gaze put up the things they are holding in each of their hands and laughed.

Knives, squared timbers, bent frying pans, pots and broken swords.

Seeing the children laughing with a brutal weapon in a sense, Jade raises a dry laugh.

「Haha. Got it. If you can earn time, I’ll finish it in one blow.」

When Jade said that while shrugging his shoulders, the children happily laughed out loud.

Every child was thin, dirty and don’t have any decent clothes, but their expressions were bright. Letizia and Jade showed a smile at their state and laughed together.

And Jade and the children. All of them have marks of slavery on their shoulders, necks and arms.

「...... Oya? Somehow, the number of children are......」

A voice of young man resounded there.

Letizia and the children turned around towards that voice and their body stiffened.

It’s because the men and women with two golems who should have left a while ago are there.