A Story of a Noble Lady Who Was Ravaged by an Incurable Disease and Covered in Bandages All Over Her Broken Body; After Healing Her, She Turned Into a Stunning Beauty and Started Desperately Courting Me - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Getting Lost in the Back Alley (Alicia’s POV)

A little while after that.

“Really, really thank you so much…!”

“Thank you, big sis!”

“Yeah. From now on, make sure you don’t get separated, okay? See ya!”

I said goodbye to the kid and his mom like that and left the guard station.

(Hehe, I’m so glad they reunited safely.)

Just like I thought, the kid’s mom was at the station, so the parent and child got to see each other again right away. Watching the sad look on the little boy’s face clear up so fast really made me happy.

(Still… that scene somehow felt really nostalgic, didn’t it?)

While I was walking through the town, old memories suddenly came floating back.

It was the memory of that time when Mom took me out to get ice cream to comfort me after Dad had scolded me and I was crying. She brought me to the ice cream shop to cheer up her little girl who just kept sobbing—that kind memory with my gentle mom is really precious to me.

Come to think of it, whenever I remember those old days, Mom was always so incredibly kind no matter what. Of course Dad was kind too, but whenever I was crying or feeling down, it was always Mom who came close with that soft smile and stayed right by my side.

And when I think about it like that… somehow Setsuna-sama and Mom are kinda…

“…Huh? Um… wasn’t it around here?”

While I was lost in those thoughts, I ended up near the chiffon cake shop. But I couldn’t see any building that looked like a weapon shop. Maybe it’s a bit farther ahead?

I asked a guy who was passing nearby whether he knew about the weapon shop that was supposed to be close by.

“Um, excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but…?”

“…Hm? What’s up? You’re using a cane… did you hurt your leg or something?”

“Oh, yes. I was sick for a long time, so my legs still get shaky sometimes. That’s why I use a cane. But I’ve done a lot of rehab and I can walk pretty well now, so please don’t worry.”

“Hmm, I see, I see. Good to hear. But since you’re still using a cane, you’re not totally back to normal yet, right? No one with you?”

“Yes, I’m alone today. I figured I wouldn’t be walking around town for too long, so I thought I’d be fine.”

“Gotcha. Well, if the young lady says she’s okay, then whatever. So? Why’d you call out to me?”

“Yes. I came to do some shopping at a weapon shop that’s supposed to be around here, but… I can’t seem to find it. So if you happen to know where it is, I was hoping you could tell me.”

“…Weapon shop, huh… Oh, yeah—if you go through that back alley over there, it’s right past it. That alley’s a straight shot, so just keep walking forward and you should get there.”

“Oh, so it’s past that back alley. Got it. Thank you so much for kindly telling me!”

“…Haha. No problem. Take care, yeah?”

“Yes, thank you! Bye!”

I thanked the man and quickly stepped into the back alley.

The moment I entered, though, the air felt… weird. Totally different from the lively town vibe just a second ago—there wasn’t a single person around.

And it had this damp, gloomy feeling hanging over everything.

“Wh-what’s this…? Kinda scary vibe…”

I’d never gone through this alley before, so the strange darkness actually intimidated me a little.

But I had to get to that weapon shop, so I told myself to just hurry up and pass through already. With that, I kept walking deeper into the alley… but…

“…Huh? W-wait… why’s it a dead end?”

I kept going… and even though I’d heard it was a through alley, somehow it ended in a wall.

“But I’m sure that guy said if I went through this alley—”

“Pffhaha! We caught a dumb chick!”
“…Eh?”

“And damn, she’s top-quality too! This one’s gonna fetch a high price!”

“Whoa, for real?! We’re on a roll today!”

“Wh-what…? Who… who are you guys…?”

Suddenly loud voices came from behind me. I whipped around and saw several tough-looking men standing there.

“Who are we? Haha, come on, just one look and you can tell we’re bad guys, right? Basically we do theft, assault, kidnapping… anything that makes money. We’re filthy scum.”

“Yeah, yeah. Lately the slave trade’s been hot. Especially women—they’ve got all kinds of uses, so they sell for big money. Big sis here’s got a pretty face and a nice body; she’ll definitely go for an insane price.”

“S-slave trade!? You mean human trafficking…! Human trafficking is supposed to be illegal, isn’t it? Doing something like that is a serious crime…!”

“Ahaha, what kinda stupid crap are you spouting? Crime only counts if you get caught! Didn’t they teach you that in school, big sis?”

“Th-that’s… impossible. There’s no way a crime won’t get found out. Because right now I’m gonna go tell the guards everything…!”

“You’re gonna go tell the guards right now? Yeah, that’s not happening. Look at you… you really think you can get away from us while leaning on that little cane??”

“Eh? Ah…”

“Haha, we ain’t idiots, y’know. We pick our kidnapping targets carefully for the slave trade. In other words, a hurt girl like you is just perfect for us!”

“Th-that’s… so cruel…”

“Yeah, we’re villains, so of course we’re cruel. Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, just in case you somehow get away, that’d be a pain in the ass… so—!”

“Eek… kyaaah!!”

—THUD!!

The bad guys suddenly kicked my cane as hard as they could. It flew far away, my body wobbled, and I collapsed straight onto the ground.

“Ugh… ah… wh-why…”

“Obviously ‘cause if you escape we’re screwed. Once your support cane’s gone, you can’t run anymore, right?”

“Now we don’t have to worry about you escaping. After this we just hand her over to the usual slave trader and we’re done. But if she screams it’ll be annoying… so let’s just knock her out with some drugs for now?”

“Yeah, good call. Alright, pretty big sis… sorry ‘bout this, but could you just sniff this drug and sleep for a while? It’s just gonna make you pass out in a second, no big deal. Nothing scary, promise.”

“E… ah… n-no… I…”

“Hey hey, saying no doesn’t really help us. We gotta make a living too, y’know. So just give up quickly and let yourself get sold to the slave trader, ‘kay?”

I froze, my face stiff with fear, while the burly men grinned and slowly came closer.

“N-no… d-don’t come any closer…”

“Haha, told ya that’s impossible. And hey, even if you become a slave it might be fine. Maybe you’ll get bought by some nice master. But if you’re unlucky and end up with some perverted piece-of-shit owner… pffhaha, well, our condolences, yeah?”

“E… n-no… I… I don’t wanna become a slave… ugh… hic…”

“Hey hey, crying’s not gonna bring help, y’know? You think tears are gonna save you or something?”

“Haha, that’s way too naive. But if you start bawling now, it’s only gonna get worse later. ‘Cause once you’re sold to the slave trader… today’s gonna feel like nothing compared to the messed-up hell you’re gonna go through. So maybe save the crying for later, huh?”

“N-no… hic… no… I don’t wanna be a slave… someone… help… ugh… hng…”

“Haha, like I said, no one’s coming. Whatever. She’s getting noisy—let’s shut her up, drug her, and sell her off quick—”

“What the hell are you doing to Alicia-san!!”

“Eh? Wha—guhaaaah!?”

—BOOM!!

Right when the tough guys closed in and I squeezed my eyes shut in terror… for some reason, a very familiar voice reached my ears. It sounded like that extremely gentle person.

“…Fe…?”

So I pushed down the fear and slowly, timidly opened my eyes. And right in front of me was…

“E… ah… ah… aah…!”

“Haa… haa… I made it…! Are you okay, Alicia-san!”

“A-ah… Se-Setsuna-sama…!”

Standing there in front of me… was Setsuna-sama.