LIGHTNOVELWORLD Episode 3: Retribution's Aftermath
Episode 3: “Retribution’s Aftermath”
―――― About an hour later, I still hadn’t arrived home.
“My arm hurts, and my legs feel heavy… Actually, my whole body feels sluggish.”
All of this is because of that wicked-looking guy named Lamdo who gave the order to capture me and that skinhead.
Nevertheless, my retaliation against him is over, and I don’t feel inclined to get involved any further. In fact, I hope I never see him again.
(Come to think of it… The skinhead guy, even though he’s just a small fry, is a member of an underground organization. Isn’t it bad that he went missing after chasing me?)
As I walked, my head, now calm, realized an unwelcomed truth.
No, it would have been dangerous if I hadn’t realized it.
Since I’ve realized it, I have no choice but to change my plans.
As soon as I arrive home, I’ll gather my mother’s inheritance and prepare for a journey as best as I can, leaving this town immediately.
For now, if I can just escape to the neighboring town, I should be safe for a while.
I whip my tired legs, on the verge of striking for a strike, to pick up the pace since I had to get home quickly.
“…Hey, this is boring. How long do we have to stay here?”
“Until we receive the order to withdraw. It’s a pain.”
I hear voices coming from around the corner.
Carefully masking my footsteps, I approach the corner and peek ahead. Two well-built thugs, who don’t seem impoverished in the slightest, stand blocking the path, holding lanterns and engaged in conversation.
“What were the distinguishing features of the kid we need to capture?”
“I think it was a boy with long bangs that hide his eyes, with black hair. They say he has a good-looking face.”
“Huh!? There are countless kids like that in the slums… It’s the worst if we have to catch every black-haired kid we come across in this dark and capture them all.”
“Well, supposedly if we catch kids other than our target, we can sell them as slaves, so it wouldn’t be a complete waste of effort, I guess.”
As expected, they probably don’t know about the skinhead, so it seems that the wicked-looking guy called Lamdo was placed as a backup.
And there’s no doubt that the kid they’re searching for is me.
Considering that they are waiting along my escape route, it’s safe to assume that the location of my house is somewhat exposed.
While it’s one thing for children to operate in the slums, I live in Bazfeld, a relatively safe area near the main street.
If you think about it normally, it’s easy to figure out where I live. So, I have no choice but to accept that the location of my house has been compromised.
However, the only thing they know about me is that I’m a black-haired kid, which is good news.
When I met Lamdo and the others, they didn’t have any light sources to avoid drawing attention. Even with the moonlight, it’s not particularly bright due to the clouds, so in a dimly lit place, even someone with bright brown hair could be mistaken for having black hair.
Those lookouts have to consider the possibility of mistaking someone for having black hair, and under those conditions, there are many children who fit that description.
They probably won’t go as far as to search every nook and cranny of the slums.
While the slums are practically lawless, if there’s a large-scale operation, the guards in the vigilant town might step in for investigation.
For Lamdo and the others, who have been acting discreetly, that’s the very situation they want to avoid.
I’m currently in the middle of the slums, somewhere between Bazfeld and the central area. Setting up a dragnet here means that there will likely be no pursuers for a while if I make it to Bazfeld.
Even if they set up a wide-ranging net to catch me, the roads around here are complex, so there should be some openings somewhere. There’s a possibility of breaking through by aiming for those openings.
“By the way, why do we have to catch that kid? It’s not like the guy we were planning to sell has escaped, right?”
“It’s just a rumor, but it seems like Lamdo-san was caught in a dangerous situation by that kid.”
“Oh, really? What did he see?”
“You dumbass, there’s no way a small fry like me would know something like that. If I knew as much as, I wouldn’t be here keeping watch with you!”
“Well, that’s true.”
I feel sorry for the kidnapped child whose name I don’t even know, but I hope they leave me alone since I won’t tell anyone.
Based on the conversation of the underlings, there are undoubtedly other children who, like me, came here to work and were caught, even though they’re unrelated.
Guilt pricks at my chest, but I shake my head and switch my focus.
From the way things are going, it seems like there aren’t many guards taking their surveillance seriously. If I circle around from the other side, maybe I won’t be found.
I don’t know how much of a detour I’ll have to take, but I need to hurry.
◆
“They’re here too… They’ve set up a pretty solid dragnet. It’s troublesome.”
I’m trying to see if I can pass through by avoiding the main roads and taking inconspicuous, narrow paths, but so far, there are lookout guards stationed at every boundary between the central and Bazfeld areas.
What are they so cautious about when dealing with children, I wonder?
“This makes it the tenth one. If I don’t find an opening soon, it’ll be bad both in terms of time and stamina.”
Near the location where I defeated the skinhead, the roads are intricate and maze-like. If you’re not familiar with them, you can get lost and not find your way out for an entire day, so there’s still some leeway in that regard.
The problem lies in my stamina.
Thanks to my past life’s experiences, I’m considerably smarter compared to kids my age, but on the flip side, that’s all there is to it.
Physically, I’m just an ordinary eleven-year-old, roughly equivalent to a fifth-grader, so if my stamina runs out, I’ll feel tired and sleepy.
The already undeniable drowsiness has slowly started to gnaw at my thoughts.
Although the pain in my arm is keeping it at bay, if I take too much time, I might collapse and fall asleep somewhere along the way.
If I sleep defencelessly on the roadside in the slums, not only will the money I have will be taken, but there’s also a risk of them finding me. Plus, it would result in significant time loss.
That’s something I absolutely wanted to avoid at all costs.
“(This place… seems empty. Have I finally struck gold?)”
The eleventh path seems to lack any sources of light at first glance, and it disappears into darkness ahead.
To take this path, I have to pass through a narrow path that’s only enough for one child, and the path itself is only wide enough for one adult, so it wouldn’t be strange if someone didn’t notice or pretended not to notice.
Eager to reach Bazfeld as soon as possible, I quicken my pace while being cautious of broken cobblestones and debris.
As I approach a place where there’s a side street, intending to pass by it, suddenly, my arm was grabbed, and along with the impact on my legs, I feel a sense of floating as I’m slammed onto the ground.
“Ugh!”
In a prone position, being held down from above, my mind finally catches up to the situation, and I understand that I’ve been captured by the enemy.
“Jeez, I’m tired of waiting. Although I intended it as insurance.”
With my arm restrained behind my back, I hear a familiar voice from above me. It’s the man who was with the skinhead and was called Lamdo.
Realizing that I’ve fallen right into the trap set by Lamdo, I gnash my teeth in frustration.
―― Was it because I was rushing and my field of vision narrowed? Or was it because I couldn’t think straight due to drowsiness?
No, that’s not it.
Now I understand, I was careless. I can’t help but be amazed at myself for not considering the possibility of a trap when I found this path.
The arrogance of thinking that I can handle the situation well because I have memories from my past life has led to the current predicament.
Thinking that way, I felt frustrated with my own carelessness and had the urge to punch myself.
“(…Blaming myself can wait. Right now, I need to think of a way to get out of this situation.)”
“…Hey, kid. What about that Gad guy?”
“…I don’t know what happened after I shook him off. Maybe he got lost somewhere?”
While thinking about the out-of-place name “Gad” for that skinhead, I answer Lamdo’s question.
[T/L: Gad & Bald, isn’t it rhyming somehow]
I couldn’t mention the circumstances after I shook him off because that would imply that I encountered him later.
Since I genuinely don’t know, its not like I am lying.
“Well, it’s possible that even that idiot Gad got shaken off, considering you didn’t immediately run away after seeing us and instead observed our movements to find an opening.”
“Enough already. I won’t tell anyone that I saw you, so let me go, okay?”
“Don’t ask pointless questions. Before you escaped, you overheard Gad talking to me, right? You’re going to become a slave from now on.”
I’m not disappointed since I asked as a last resort, but I can’t help but sigh at the confirmation.
“Hey, show me your face.”
“Ugh.”
“Just as I thought, you’ve got a good-looking face. And this one… Hahaha, rejoice, depending on the owner, you might have a good life. I’m relieved that you seem like you’ll fetch a high price.”
As instructed, I lift my face, and a sudden light shined on it, causing me to narrow my eyes reflexively.
Lamdo pushes aside my bangs, peering into my face, showing a slightly surprised expression, and then smiles down at me with a condescending grin.
I don’t know what Lamdo is pleased about, but it’s probably not something good for me to be happy about.
“Now, hurry up and stand up. Follow me.”
“…Fine.”
Lamdo swiftly ties my hands with a rope and lightly kicks my legs, urging me to stand.
It’s infuriating, but I bear with it and use Lamdo’s pulling force on the rope to help myself stand up.
If Lamdo intended to walk in front of me, he should have at least tied my hands in front, making it less cumbersome for me to walk.
With such thoughts in mind, I walk behind Lamdo.
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