Published: September 9, 2025
This is not from Satou's perspective. (It is from the viewpoint of Guard A of Labyrinth City.)
This is the second report of the day.
I lightly prodded three lumps lying in the dark alley with a stick. Just lightly.
Two of them moved while making muffled sounds, so they were still alive. The problem was the last one.
I glanced at my partner, hoping he would take over, but he just jerked his chin to encourage me to keep working, showing no intention to help. I guess it’s because I owe him for food.
It’s okay if he’s dead, but please don’t let him be all rotted.
Using the stick, I tilted the kid’s chin upwards.
His mouth moved slightly, but there probably wasn’t much time left.
“How is it?”
“Alive.”
The next patrol is in ten days, so by then, this one will probably be decomposed. I’m no demon, so I can’t just kill him here. I’ll report this to our superior and ask to send another squad in about three days.
“Let’s get out of here quickly. Staying in a place like this is depressing.”
“Yeah.”
Just as I pulled the stick away from the kid’s chin and turned on my heels, it appeared.
Eyes shining brightly from the darkness stared at us.
Those eyes were clearly different from the fading ones of the kid before; they were full of life and vigor.
“What are you doing? Are you bullying little kids?”
“N-No, we’re not.”
I stammered without thinking.
This is strange. I usually handle rough guys with fierce banter.
“We are the prefect’s guard squad.”
“Po-po-po? You’re police! That’s amazing!”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re really amazing.”
I didn’t know what “police” meant, but I decided to just go along with it and back off.
Even if this one eats the kids, it would only hasten their death a bit.
“Are these children sick?”
Out of the shadows came a little dog girl from the dog tribe. For a demi-human, she wore expensive clothes. She was probably a perverted noble’s slave. I wouldn’t mind dressing my own daughter like that at least once.
“They’re probably starving to death. If they had been bought by a wealthy merchant or noble like you, they might have survived.”
“Hunger is painful! Being hungry is sad!”
The dog girl suddenly panicked, took out something like a whistle from her bag, and blew with all her might. I instinctively covered my ears, but no sound seemed to come out.
“Master! Pochi is here!”
After finishing the whistle, the dog girl loudly called out to her master.
What a loud voice.
“It’s an emergency! I need help!”
She cupped her hand beside her face, raised it to the sky, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
Hey, hey, are you okay? Is this kid out of their mind?
“Hey, let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
My colleague tilted his head, trying to remember something, but I didn’t want any trouble.
A sudden gust of wind whipped up the dust in the alley.
Damn, unlucky. Now my mouth feels gritty.
“Pochi, what happened? Were you bullied by these guys?”
“N-No! These people are police. That’s not true. Come quickly. I’m starving and might die!”
When did this one appear?
“Hey, where did you come fro—”
Ouch!
I seemed to have been hit with a stick from behind by my colleague. The pain was so bad I couldn’t even cry out.
“Sorry, Baron Pendragon. My colleague was rude.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize.”
There’s no need to be so humble just because it’s a noble young lord, right?
The noble lord was led by the dog girl to the dying kids. After watching that, I complained to my partner.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“That’s my line. Don’t you even know who that was?”
He always makes fun of me. Humph. Pendragon, huh? Pendragon?
Could it be?
“Could it be, the master of the maid who defeated the king of bandits?”
“What kind of memory is that? Well, yes. That’s the one. By the way, she’s the prefect’s wife’s favorite and has also defeated Low-Rank Demon Race in distant lands. A maid can definitely handle the king of bandits.”
Phew, I almost lost my head twice over.