I, the Villainous Prince, Buy the Ruined Villainess with Money - Chapter 48: The Darkness of the Royal Capital

Chapter 48: The Darkness of the Royal Capital

Haa… that was really fun.

Getting to play dress-up with my favorite character—seriously, I’d spend as much money as it takes.

Even so, I’m pretty proud of myself for managing to hold back on paying.

“Master, thank you again.”

“No big deal, just killing some time. (I could kill time like this forever!)”

“Hehe, then I’m glad. What should we do next?”

“Hm, it’s probably been about an hour already…”

They said about an hour, but it’s still bright out. Should we do some more shopping?

It feels like a waste to head back already when this is basically a date.

“I feel bad always making Master go along with me…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. (Supporting my favorite is the best!)”

“But it feels like I’m the only one receiving favors…”

She said that and her expression sank a little.

Yeah, she would worry about it… In that case, the true way of a fan is to do something that takes her mind off it.

“Hm… Then next, how about you keep me company while I shop?”

“Yes! I’d love to!”

“Then lead the way to a good store.”

“Understood. Um, in that case… something that would suit Master would be…”

Her gloomy face instantly changed into a happy one as she murmured to herself.

Yeah, her happy face is definitely the best.

We kept walking through the shopping district, and gradually more people started appearing.

“Whoa, it’s getting lively.”

“It’s almost evening, after all.”

“…Hm.”

It wasn’t bad earlier, but walking through a crowd like this isn’t bad either.

Walking with a girl after school in the middle of all these people gives me this weird thrill.

So this is the power of a uniform date… amazing.

“Hehe, this is kind of fun.”

“Hmph… (Wait! The same feeling!?)”

“I just realized that wandering around and looking without buying anything can be fun too.”

“I see…”

Ughhh! I want to take her out as many times as possible!

I keep saying it, but this girl has spent her life in chains.

I want to do whatever I can to ease that pain for her.

After that, even more people started crowding in.

“Ugh, this really is peak hour.”

“Yes… Kyah!”

“Hm…”

Someone bumped into Yulia and made her stumble, so I caught her.

Part of me wanted to glare at the person who bumped her, while another part was secretly cheering because of how close we were—complicated feelings.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine. (Lucky!)”

“Um… is it okay if I hold onto the edge of your clothes?”

“If we get separated it would be a hassle, so go ahead. (What!?)”

“Thank you… Excuse me.”

This… this is the legendary “holding the hem of the clothes” move that every guy dreams of! (I’m not even sure if that’s the right name.)

It’s not holding hands, and there’s no real skin contact.

Even so, why does it feel this happy? Am I going to die here from sheer bliss?

While I was savoring that happiness, I sensed someone approaching.

For a second I thought it was an assassin and grabbed them… but it turned out to be a small boy.

And on top of his head were ears, so he was probably a beastkin.

“Ah!?”

“Master! Are you okay!?”

“Yeah, of course. But still… you, you were about to bump into Yulia, weren’t you?”

That’s right—he wasn’t aiming for me, he was targeting Yulia.

Maybe he’s an assassin sent by the church.

In that case… I’ll have to eliminate him.

“Eek!? I-I thought you might have money…”

“So it was for money…”

He’s way too weak to be an assassin.

But a thief is still a problem.

Because Yulia now has this sad look on her face.

Even if it wasn’t directed at her personally, stealing from royalty is a crime worthy of the death penalty.

“Um, Master…”

“You don’t need to say more. Hey kid, it’s too crowded here. Take us somewhere quiet.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“T-this way!”

When I put some pressure on him, he quickly pointed toward an alley.

We followed him, and the crowd disappeared. The atmosphere instantly turned gloomy.

The walls were dirty, and here and there were people wrapped in cardboard boxes.

“Master, this is…”

“The darkness of the royal capital.”

“The very thing I wanted to do something about… and there are so many beastkin here.”

“Can’t be helped.”

The original homeland of beastkin is far, far away from here.

The ones here were probably brought as slaves or born from those slaves.

And the church oppresses beastkin, calling them defective because they can’t use magic.

“Here it’s quiet!”

“Hm, thanks for guiding us. Now, why did you try to steal?”

“T-that’s… because my little sister and brothers are hungry…”

When I looked behind him, I saw even smaller children peeking at us nervously.

So it wasn’t for himself—he did it for them.

“I see. Was this your first time stealing?”

“Y-yeah! I have an older brother, and he always told me never to do it!”

“Hm, sounds like a pretty good brother. But then… why did he leave you all alone?”

“Well, he’s an adventurer, but he said something about a big payout somewhere and left… and he hasn’t come back.”

“I see… For now, let’s clean you up—Cure Piryufate, Purification of Healing.”

Through the purifying power of water, the dirt on the children washed away.

At the same time, the walls and everything around them became spotless, like brand new.

The stagnant air completely changed into something bright and fresh.

And finally… a rainbow appeared in the evening sky.

“Wow… so pretty.”

“… (The pretty one is you!)”

If only I could say that out loud!

The side of her face as she looked up at the rainbow was divine.

If there’s ever a saintess, it would be someone like her.

“Amazing! What did you do, big brother!?”

“Hmph, I just couldn’t stand the filthy air, so I purified it. Anyway, do you know where your brother went? Did he mention any specific word?”

“Um, I think he said something about the arena…”

“Got it. For now, next time watch where you’re going so you don’t trip.”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Hurry up and go… but there won’t be a next time, so keep that in mind.”

“Y-yes!”

The small boy ran off like he was fleeing.

I didn’t really feel like shopping anymore.

“Well, let’s go.”

“…Are we going to help him?”

“If you trace it back, this is our responsibility as royalty. The fact that a kid like that has to waste away and steal to survive—it’s unacceptable. People with status have responsibilities that come with it.”

“…The same way I used to think… back when I hadn’t given up on everything yet…”

“Hm? Did you say something? …Do you think I’m being too soft?”

“N-no! It’s just… I like that about you.”

…Aaaaaah!?

In my head, only those last words kept repeating over and over.