The bottom of the waterway should’ve been dark, but now it was brightly lit. Torches and braziers had been set up everywhere, and a crowd of gaunt, hollow-cheeked poor people sat on the ground. When we came in, quite a few of them gave us hostile looks, though for now, no one said anything.
Along both sides of the drainage tunnel, round openings appeared at regular intervals. They’d been built for drainage pipes or workers to pass through, but now they were all occupied by vagrants. Almost every one had someone living in it. Some even had curtains hanging across the entrance, as if these little holes had become sweet homes.
I had to admit, this was actually a pretty good place. Compared to the rest of the slums, it was much better. Down here, you were sheltered from the wind and rain, and if you could claim a little hole of your own, it’d even keep you warm. The conditions weren’t bad, either. It was close to a water source, and all the filth could be flushed away with the wastewater.
I even saw a crowd gathered in one corner, lying beside an iron grate. It seemed to be constantly venting hot steam, and they’d clustered around the outlet to keep warm.
“That’s probably an exhaust vent from a factory. The steam’s really hot, so don’t get too close. Every day, there are people who don’t believe the warnings and end up getting burned,” Jayard said, sounding like he knew the place well.
“A factory exhaust vent? Wouldn’t it release poisonous gas?” I asked. If toxic fumes were pouring in here, not one of those people would survive.
“I heard this is just a steam vent. The exhaust goes straight up through the chimneys, so it’s not dangerous.” Jayard seemed to know quite a lot—or at least, he’d looked into this particular spot. He answered without missing a beat.
I figured technology in this world couldn’t be all that primitive. They had factories and drainage and exhaust systems, so they had to be at least past the Industrial Revolution. And yet the buildings I’d seen earlier all looked like they were from the Renaissance. It was a little contradictory.
Still, at least life probably wouldn’t be too miserable from now on. There was just one problem: this really was a pretty good place, relatively speaking, but that also meant it was crowded. Would they let new outsiders move in?
“Is there still room here? Are they going to push us around?” I asked, a little worried. I had to admit, people were amazingly adaptable. I’d already started putting myself in my new shoes, thinking about my situation and future.
As long as people could still see a glimmer of hope, still had a straw to grasp at, they wouldn’t willingly let themselves sink into the abyss. I was no different.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already spoken to one of the big shots here, and I’ve stashed some food in this place too,” Jayard said.
“Wait, you’d been planning to leave for a while?” His words caught me off guard again. I’d thought he’d just had a sudden whim and decided to run away with me. I hadn’t realized he’d prepared for this.
“Of course. Who’d want to stay under that bastard vampire? Ever since he hit me last time, I’ve been thinking about escaping his clutches every minute of the day. Parula’s situation just made me leave a little earlier than planned. It doesn’t matter now, though,” Jayard said.
So he’d been making preparations for a long time. I felt a little guilty. If it weren’t for me, he could’ve made even more thorough plans before running away from home. And no wonder people said poor kids had to grow up fast—he seemed so mature for his age.
Jayard led me down the waterway toward the people huddled around the steam vent. When they saw him, they all stood and parted to make way. A huge, broad-shouldered bald man stepped out from among them.
“Jayard, what brings you here today? It’s not tribute day yet, is it?” The bald man grinned. His expression was pretty fearsome, and he didn’t look like a good person at all. His solid muscles made it obvious he knew how to fight, too.
“Boss Bartholomew, I’ve moved in like we agreed. You promised you’d take me in and give me a place to stay,” Jayard said calmly, facing the leader of the sewer gang without flinching.
“Oh? You’re a little early. And why’ve you brought your little girlfriend along? Did your affair get found out, so you ran off together?” The boss, Bartholomew, turned his gaze toward me.
The vulgar, disrespectful way he called me Jayard’s little girlfriend and talked about an affair made me furious. Luckily, I wasn’t very good at speaking yet, and my body was weak. Otherwise, I definitely would’ve snapped back at him—and caused unnecessary trouble for Jayard’s move here.
“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just my little sister.” Jayard hugged me even tighter. That idiot was still too inexperienced. No matter what he said, everyone could see how much he cared about me.
“Hmph! You showing up early puts me in a bit of a bind. I haven’t got a place ready for you yet. How about you go to the second spot under the bridge and squeeze in with the others?” Bartholomew was already trying to give him less than he’d promised.
“In that case, I might as well go to Maji. I told you before, I could stay in a wooden shack and sleep on straw over there.” I hadn’t expected Jayard to actually bargain with this gang boss. He’d even picked up the art of threatening to switch sides without anyone teaching him.
As long as you made it clear you had other options, the other side wouldn’t dare squeeze you too hard. Of course, that only worked if you had something they wanted. Jayard did: he was a thief with a “steady income.”
“Hmph! That stinking stable’s no match for my place. All right, I did promise you. If I remember right, some unlucky bastard died just yesterday. You can take his spot. Guess you got here at just the right time.” Sure enough, Bartholomew had no intention of letting Jayard leave. He agreed to give him what he’d asked for.
But I knew Jayard probably didn’t care about this so-called deal for his own sake. He was a guy, after all. Sharing a sleeping space with other people wouldn’t be a problem. He’d asked for a room of his own for me—or, more accurately, for the original Parula.
This body was weak. I could barely even move around, while Jayard had to go out and steal to keep us alive. He’d inevitably have to leave me here alone. If I were mixed in with a bunch of men, who knew what might happen?
Any woman here was a rare commodity. Even Bartholomew only had two women around him. They looked ordinary and wore revealing clothes, and when the little thugs beside them got handsy, they didn’t dare fight back. I immediately felt sorry for them—and saw my own future as bleak and hopeless.
Bartholomew led the way, Jayard carrying me, and together we followed the waterway to an opening with a curtain hanging over it. He pushed it aside and went in. It was a tiny cave, not even as big as my room in my previous life.
A foul stench drifted from inside. I saw someone lying on a layer of rotten quilts, no longer breathing. He really had just died—his body hadn’t even been taken away yet.
“Heh, what do you think? There’s some furniture here, too. You can have all of it. See? I’m being generous.” Bartholomew laughed. He was actually calling the dead man’s belongings his own generosity.
