“Who are you to tell me to stay home? If you don’t want to take me, fine. I’ll find a better job. Thanks for your help.”

I turned around and walked, but without showing any presence, someone suddenly grabbed my hand. Before the goosebumps from experiencing the real feeling of being followed by an assassin had subsided, I heard Yus’ crying voice.

“Don’t, don’t go……. I was wrong.”

I still don’t know what Yus did wrong, but I decided to be brazen until the end.

A hasty crush on others is no different from a weakness, and while living here, I learned how to hide my weaknesses and exploit others’ weaknesses.

“What did you do wrong?”

“…….”

“I’m really going.”

Prompted by my cold words, Yus finally spoke urgently.

“…… I’ll take you to the office. I’ll just get the request and come out soon. Okay?”

“Ung.”

***

There was a row of tenement houses that looked desolate because of the whitewashed walls. Streets full of unknown stench, people lying drunk in broad daylight.

Whether it’s the slum capital or the Janus Duchy, it’s all the same. I thought.

“It’s different from what you promised!”

“If you had fun, get out of here, don’t be mean.”

“Give me 2 albons, do you think I flattered you just to get a few pennies from you?”

“Ohh, I can call the police right now.”

The material itself was luxurious, but a noble man wearing oil-stained clothes and a skinny woman were arguing.

I secretly stuffed the opal necklace, emerald brooch, and pearl hairpin that I had trouble disposing of into the man’s coat pocket.

Yus asked when we had moved away from them for some time.

“Why did you do that?”

“Huh?”

“What did you put in that old man’s pocket?”

I decided to get away from it for once.

“I don’t.”

“I hate people who bully people like that. It’s really bad.”

“… Do you know who that woman is?”

“I don’t know. But he’s a bad person. I really hate people like that taking money.”

“I hate it too. They’re bad.”

“…… But why did you give him something?”

It was a persistent question, completely different from the foolish look from before.

I replied helplessly.

“I didn’t give him anything.”

I didn’t give him jewels because he was pretty, I gave him to mess with him.

The moment that man contacts the merchant to sell the jewels in his pocket, Duke Janus will come after him. That’s why I couldn’t give this jewel to the sick child who was playing the violin, but gave it to the disgusting old man.

I’m not sure if the duke would bother looking for me, but if he did, that disgusting fellow would be accused of taking me while I disappeared in the slums.

It’s not anyone else’s karma, but rather the karma of that man who drew attention by acting like a bastard.

Yus muttered, not knowing what was going on.

“If you’re going to give it, give it to that older sister. She seems very sick.”

“…… But I couldn’t give it to her.”

Because I can only screw bad people, not help weak people.

Perhaps he had understood it roughly, Yus didn’t bring up the story any more.

We entered one of the tenement houses that were clustered close to each other.

Unlike the center of the capital, where charmingly decorated townhouses lined up, slums were densely packed with people living in buildings resembling chicken coops.

The office of the assassination guild that Yus belonged to occupied three rooms on the fifth floor. It was decorated with furniture that somehow matched as if it was pretending to be an ordinary home.

As soon as I entered, Yus grabbed my hand and led me towards it. He opened the door shortly after and looked for people in a loud voice.

“Captain! Captain!”

“Shut up.”

The answer came only when the last door was opened.

I peeked out from behind Yus and looked into the dark room. The fierce eyes, like those of a leopard ambushed in the dark, turned this way.

Yus asked in a puzzled voice whether he could see the inside clearly.

“Where did the captain go?”

“How do I know, I’m not a babysitter? Wait, there’s one that’s just right for you.”

“Is there only one? Money is urgent these days.”

“Don’t frown, your head will break. Wait.”

Listening to the conversation, the person doesn’t seem like the guild captain.

But he seemed like a person who was in a key position.

Leading me to a chair in the living room, Yus said with a helpless expression.

“What can I do, the Captain, once he leaves, you don’t know when he’ll come back. This time, I’ll take more work for you, so you can just go back.”

He tries not to show it, but the purpose is to just for Yus to stay quiet and go back for now

It was obvious. I shook my head once.

“I have nowhere to go back to.”

“Well, then at our house…… Instead, you have to close your eyes until we get there.”

“No. I don’t like to close my eyes and go somewhere I don’t know where to live.”

“…….”

While Yus was suffering from a severe inner conflict, the man in the dark appeared. I naturally turned my head to that side, and I was stunned for a moment.

The man with an androgynous appearance and slender body was wearing only pants, and unlike his handsome face, his muscular upper body was full of ugly scars.

I tried to take a closer look, but Yus covered my eyes with his hand.

“Nick is ugly. Dirty.”