When the first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room, I opened my eyes.
I looked apologetically at Hill, still fast asleep beside me.
Then I carefully slipped away from this warm, welcoming home.
In the end, I was still an outsider. I couldn’t keep causing them trouble.
I pulled my collar up to hide my face and walked along the village’s dirt road.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was probably best not to let too many people see my face.
“First, I should head to the town Hill mentioned...”
I walked straight ahead, just as Hill had told me.
The town wasn’t very far from here. At my pace, I should get there before long.
“Poor Hill’s family. Those thugs came and made a scene yesterday.”
“Yeah. I heard they’re coming to collect money this morning, too. If the family still can’t pay...”
“Sigh... No one can stand up to them. Anyone who dares to oppose them...”
Two elderly women passed by me, whispering to each other.
Their words held both anger toward the villains and a sigh of helplessness.
There wasn’t a single force in this village that could stand up to those thugs.
The villagers had no choice but to give in and hand over some money on the appointed days.
That was the only way to keep their families safe. But Hill’s family was struggling financially.
Raising the amount those thugs demanded would be incredibly difficult for them.
“Mom! Mom! Where’d big sis Vivi go? Waaah! Big sis Vivi doesn’t want me anymore!”
When Hill woke up, she found the space beside her empty.
She hurried around the house looking for Vivi. When she saw the letter left on the table, she burst into tears.
“Hill, you have to understand. She left on her own because she didn’t want you to be sad. The road ahead of her is completely different from ours.”
The woman held Hill, smiling bitterly.
She couldn’t tell what kind of person Helawei really was.
But just from that face and skin blessed by the gods, she knew Helawei was no ordinary person.
“Waaah... I understand, Mommy. I’ll remember big sis forever.”
Hill pouted, mumbling miserably.
Give her a few days to get over it, and she’d probably be back to her usual self.
“Hill, listen to Mom. Take Locke and go sell berries in town right now. You can play as long as you want today.”
“But isn’t it too early?”
Hill didn’t know why her mother was hurrying her along so insistently.
Come to think of it, Mom had seemed strange since yesterday.
“Listen to me. Leave right now.”
The woman’s expression turned cold. She spoke sternly and reached for the basket of berries.
“Well, well. What are you two discussing? Where’re you going?”
An unwelcome voice came from the yard. A shifty-looking brute sat sprawled there.
He crossed one leg over the other and peeled a piece of fruit with a small knife.
The bald brutes behind him wore equally sleazy grins.
They looked every bit like the sort of villains who’d done countless terrible things.
The woman’s heart sank. This was bad.
She hadn’t expected them to come so soon.
Shielding Hill, she slowly stepped out of the house and faced the sleazy man.
“I-I didn’t expect you so early. My daughter hasn’t gone to the market to sell the berries yet. As for the money, if you’ll just give me some time...”
“Enough!” the sleazy man barked, cutting her off.
“I don’t have time to wait around. I’ll give you a choice: let your daughter stay with me for a while, and I won’t ask you for money. I’ll bring her back safe and sound afterward. What do you say?”
The sleazy man cut off a piece of fruit and popped it into his mouth.
His predatory gaze kept sweeping over Hill, who was hiding behind the woman. She was still just a child.
But he still meant to take advantage of her.
The thought twisted his expression with vile excitement.
“You bad man! Don’t you dare hurt big sis and Mom!”
Locke ran around from behind them and planted himself in front of the woman.
He swung a tree branch he’d found somewhere.
His trembling legs made it obvious how terrified he was.
But he could still protect his big sister and mother, because he was a man.
“Pfft... Hahaha! Kid, are you tired of living?”
The sleazy man laughed at Locke, who hadn’t even grown his first whiskers.
He glanced at the brutes behind him, signaling that they could get to work.
He’d never intended to negotiate with them.
He was just looking for a nice, respectable excuse for what he planned to do next.
The brutes grinned cruelly as they walked toward Locke.
They didn’t care that he was a child.
They’d done hundreds of wicked things by now—if not a thousand.
They hadn’t grown sick of it. If anything, they’d come to enjoy tormenting other people.
“D-Don’t... don’t come any closer... W-Waaah...”
Locke watched the brutes steadily closing in on him.
His whole body trembled despite himself, but he still didn’t take a single step back.
His beloved big sister and mother were right behind him.
His father had once said that a man who couldn’t even protect his own woman didn’t deserve to call himself a man.
“Please! I’ll work for you—I’ll do anything! Just don’t hurt my children!”
The woman clutched Locke, heartbroken, and kept kowtowing to the sleazy man, begging him to spare her children.
“You? What would I want with a useless wreck who’s practically dead already? Get lost!”
The sleazy man looked at the filthy woman in disgust, spat, and sneered.
“Heh... A textbook cannon-fodder scene.”
A soft voice rang out from the doorway.
Hill covered her mouth, staring in disbelief at the familiar figure standing there.
Her eyes stung, and she burst into tears.
“Holy shit, what a gorgeous voice... Fuck! No! Who the hell are you?”
The sleazy man thought he must’ve imagined what he’d just heard.
He looked at the person in the doorway with disdain. Come to think of it, he’d never seen them in the village before.
“Run! Why’d you come back?”
The woman shouted anxiously. She knew what the person in the doorway really looked like.
If that beast saw, she could only imagine what he’d do.
“I’m sorry to have worried you. You told me to leave yesterday because of this, didn’t you? Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon.”
I reassured the woman and Hill, then gave Locke, who could now stand on his own, a thumbs-up.
Then I lowered my collar and took off my sun hat.
“Hahahaha! Did you hear that? They said there’s nothing to worr—Oh my God...”
The sleazy man’s laughter cut off abruptly. And he wasn’t the only one.
The brutes behind him froze, too, as long black hair spilled down like a waterfall.
Those finely sculpted features and that cool, striking expression left them rooted to the spot.
“Dad... I think I’m in love...”
The sleazy man stared blankly at the beauty before him, drool slipping from the corner of his mouth.
At that moment, he seemed to see nothing but the beauty in front of him.
Even heaven and earth seemed to lose their color, turning bleak.
