Seirei Gensou Ki Vol 1 Chapter 2

V1 Chapter 2

A Different World

The year 989 of the Holy Calendar.

There, lived a mother and child, leading a peaceful life in a small but modest house. The mother was a young, beautiful woman accompanied by her androgynous looking son whose fair features were clearly inherited from his mother.

“Nee, Kaa-san. Why is our hair black? We’re the only ones around here with black hair.”,

n.o.body else in the capital possessed raven black hair like the two of them. Therefore, the boy felt that their hair colour was unusual. His mother floated a troubled expression,

After a momentary pause, she answered like so.

“Yes, you’re right, it’s not only us two. Otou-san’s hair was black and so were Ojii-chan and Obaa-chan’s.”

Satisfied with the answer he received, Rio innocently smiled back. For the five-year-old Rio, his mother was everything to him.

“…Is that so? Once you grow older, I’ll take you there, to Yagumo.”,

“Really? Promise?”
“Of course, promise.”

*  *  *

Two years later, it is currently early spring of the year 991 of the Holy Calendar.

In the corner of a dingy, dirty wooden shed lies the boy, cold and thirsty, letting out a weakened groan.

Red in the cheeks, the boy continues struggling for breath. His ragged clothes are damp with sweat. All signs indicate that he is suffering from a fever.

Lying on the cold wooden floor with only a thin cloth to use as a blanket and without anybody attending to him, it would not be surprising if he pa.s.ses away if things take a turn for the worst.

It was a different than the stifling heat tormenting the boy just a while ago. It was a warm and pleasant sensation that one would want to yield themselves to.

“Nn…”

His mind is hazy and coherent thought is still impossible. Despite his body temperature having returned to normal, his energy has yet to recover since he was in a horribly weakened state just a moment ago.

When his mind has recovered enough to reorganize his thoughts, the boy starts pondering the situation he is in at the moment. He tries to raise his body, only to experience a sensation akin to dozens of whips las.h.i.+ng at his torso.

Perhaps as a result of his illness, or perhaps from sleeping on the hard floor, a dull pain pulses throughout his entire body causing the boy to distort his face in agony.

(This is…)

Yet, at the same time, an indescribable feeling of incongruity arises. The scene is oddly familiar, yet foreign at the same time.

Something feels off, but exactly what, cannot be pinpointed. Rather, his memories are a mess. The boy continues to absentmindedly look around the room.

However, he is now fully awake thanks to the stimulation. Taking a deep breath, the boy flops back down onto the hard wooden floor. He was in a mood to lie down for a while longer.

But that is odd. Something is not right.

(A child’s… hand? I2 am… No, I am?)

An orphan living in the slums of the capital of the Beltram Kingdom whose only goal is to exact revenge on a certain man. For that reason only, did he manage to survive until today.

And yet, why does he have memories of another person?

Various memories flash through his head. They are so vivid that Rio cannot simply discard them as delusions he unconsciously came up with.

Strange, uncanny memories fill Rio’s head. He forcefully shakes his head to help clear his mind.

The overlapping memories throw Rio’s mind into chaos.

They are not the hands of a child living in an abundant country like j.a.pan. They are dangerously thin from malnutrition, rough, and dirtied with grime.

According to his memories as an orphan, he had not taken a bath in a long time.

Rio’s face cramps up at his own uncleanliness.

Still, perhaps he should be thankful that he at least has clothes to wear. His long, messy, unkempt hair feels uncomfortable and happens to be black in colour.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down, Rio begins to try and make sense of his memories and situation. He puts a hand to his lips, a.s.suming a posture of deep thought.

The memories overlap, yet the current Rio is not Amakawa Haruto.

“I died whilst on the bus… right?”

“Then who am I now? Is this a dream? Was I reborn?”

However, judging from the oddly vivid sense of realism, it is doubtful that this is a dream.

As far as the situation is concerned, albeit skeptical, Rio considers the possibility of being reborn.

In the first place, was there really a person by the name of Amakawa Haruto?

However, no matter how hard he tries, he cannot come up with a satisfactory answer and there is n.o.body to ask. To his understanding, Rio is his current self, not Amakawa Haruto.

The memories of two people and their ident.i.ties have combined. Perhaps it would be better to say that they merged seamlessly.

As a result, it becomes possible to perceive each other’s memories and experiences without going mad. Thinking about it carefully, a sense of uneasiness wells within him. Without a doubt, this is a very unusual sensation.

*Guu* The sound of his stomach reverberates throughout the room.

Rio sighs dejectedly at his stomach’s emptiness which is accompanied by light-headedness.

However, it is clear that he will not arrive at a satisfactory conclusion even if he broods over it. Therefore, Rio s.h.i.+fts his thinking towards figuring out a way to break out of his current predicament.

It is the worst possible outcome. He must live to achieve his goal, he cannot afford to die in such a place.

Recalling the existence of that wretched man, Rio grits his teeth in anger.

Rio’s parents were foreigners from a distant country and the two of them made a living as adventurers during their travels. However, when his mother, Ayame, became pregnant, she temporarily withdrew from her adventurer life. Naturally, Rio’s father, Zen, became their sole source of income. Despite being a skilled adventurer, Zen died soon after Rio was born.

However, their peaceful life ended when Rio turned five years of age.

As a result, when her weakness, Rio, was used against her, she was swallowed up by the surrounding malice and cruelly murdered before Rio’s eyes.

The vow for vengeance had already etched itself deeply into Rio’s heart by the time Amakawa Haruto’s memories returned. However, Rio has now also absorbed Amakawa Haruto’s sense of values.

However, Rio’s own sense of values burned strongly with the desire for revenge. Whenever that man’s existence is recalled, pitch black emotions well up from his heart.

Rio clicks his tongue at the contradicting emotions swirling around in his mind. Just as he is about to frown, the door of the shack is violently thrown open.

There, several men and a woman enter the shed.

Discovering only Rio inside the clammy shed, the leading man spoke up. He is a man Rio is familiar with.

Staring in surprise, the man spoke to a gigantic man in the back of the group.

The giant called Aniki spoke in admiration.

Rio frowned unintentionally as he gave an answer.

Everything from human trafficking, sales of illegal contrabands, and a.s.sa.s.sination, to theft, fraud, blackmail, and disposal and transportation of stolen goods. You name it, they do it.

Rio was also picked up and used by them and lived with them in in this shack. Every day is spent in fear of abuse and maltreatment.

His treatment is no different than that of a slave’s and yet, he cannot survive without them. It is that kind of unjust world.

“By the way, it’s cold. Let’s drink up to warm ourselves.”

“Oh right. Oi, put that thing in that corner. Seems to be asleep thanks to the medicine, don’t disturb it.”

Afterward, the cheerful men are served by the woman and the meal commences.

An underling laughed in good humour at those words.

“Wait, what? n.o.body’s crazy enough to do that, right?”

“Who knows?”

“Even if that’s the case, a deal worth 10 gold coins is too much to pa.s.s up.”

After gulping down the alcohol in one go, the leader takes a hearty bite from the meat held in his hand. At that sight, Rio can only swallow his saliva.

However, the chances of the sick Rio receiving any food this time are incredibly low. Unless the men have a sudden change of heart-

The strong and the weak; the person using and the person being used.

He did not intend on continuing such a relations.h.i.+p forever but he is still only a seven-year-old child.

However, the smell of food only makes it more difficult to bear with his hunger.

Even sheer willpower cannot turn his thoughts away from food.

“Ooi, Rio, Rio.”

“Oi.”

“…Yes.”

While picking his nose, the man gestures for Rio to leave. Having become aware of it, Rio realises he is drenched in sweat and foul odour was arising from his body.

Slightly lowering his head, Rio unsteadily gets up. Although Amakawa Haruto does not know this man at all, Rio does, causing an odd feeling to emerge.

“Rio, if you don’t get better, I’m going to sell you off as a slave. If you’re lucky, you can fetch a decent price.”

Finding the leader’s remark amusing, the underlings erupt in laughter.

Although the woman serving them rebuked them in disgust, Rio exited the hut without a looking back.

The door behind him is pushed open and the woman came out. Having his name called, Rio turns around.

Saying that, the woman hands over three copper coins to Rio. She is a prost.i.tute that the leader favoured. Being acquainted with Rio, she had gone out of her way to look out for him several times.

“When you get older, you should come play with me with your earnings.”

“Haha…”

“It was a joke. I said it before, I have a niece around your age so when I see you, I can’t just look the other way. I’m also quitting this job soon.”

“You’re opening a shop with your younger sister, Angela-san, right? I’ll be sure to drop by sometime, okay?”

Rio had heard it from Jiji before. Jiji and her younger sister, Angela, had saved up a sum of money from prost.i.tution to open a shop.

“Has something about you changed?”

“No, I don’t see how. I don’t really understand but…”

“You, so you can make such a face, huh? You have a cute face so this is much better than your usual sullen look.”

Seeing Jiji’s joyful expression, Rio timidly nods.

“Okay. Thank you very much.”
Lowering his head deeply, Rio turns around and leaves.

*  *  *

It is early morning.

Despite being told to wash himself, there are no decent bathing facilities available in the slums. The only way to get a bath is to exit the slums and find a place with a well.

Naturally, only the upper cla.s.s reside within the safety of the castle walls. Only those above a certain level are allowed to live within those walls.

On the other hand, one is free to come and go in the areas outside the castle walls. While life outside those walls is dangerous, expansion and development progress quickly, unlike within the walls.

The country had long given up trying to impose order on the slums and lawlessness is rampant. Besides those who have no choice other than to live there, no sane person would dare venture into the slums.

Owing to that fact, Rio is able to leisurely take his time. Of course, soap and warm water are luxuries he cannot afford so he has to bear with only water.

Finding a suitable area with sunlight, he crouches on the ground while patiently waiting for his clothes to dry.

The brothel district is next to the slums and because a new day has broken, women who sold their prost.i.tution services and men who bought those services are making their way home.

Not particularly interested in watching them, Rio contemplates on how he will continue surviving.

However, he has no choice. The world is not kind to orphans like himself. For orphans living in the slums, what choices do they have? Do they scavenge for sc.r.a.ps? Steal? Become used by criminals like in Rio’s case? There are not many things one can do to survive.

His chances of finding work are slim.

Orphans would not exist if they could find employment, but even then, they would be exploited and worked to bone for ridiculously low wages.

University level education, domestic skills forged through living alone, there was a myriad of skills he developed from living with his parents and his part-time job. Rio starts brainstorming practical ways of putting his skills to use. In his present situation, where he has no social status or connections, it is vital that he makes the best out of his abilities.

However, even if thoughts of petty crimes like theft are discarded now, Rio had already partic.i.p.ated in many criminal acts alongside those men. When thinking about that, a sense of guilt springs forth.

“Oi, is that… a girl?”

However, judging from their builds, the lady who called out to Rio seems to be the eldest of the group. Her youthful voice indicates that she cannot be older than twenty.

The lady who spoke was probably unable to accurately discern Rio’s gender. Rio possesses androgynous features and in combination with his long, unkempt hair, it is no surprise he was mistaken for a girl.

One of the two children in the back muttered in blatant disgust.

“I’d prefer somebody who doesn’t smell so bad. It’s bad for my health.”

(Don’t be so selfish…)

Rio turns his eyes towards the two girls. Despite their faces being covered by a hood, it is obvious they are looking at him with eyes of disdain.

“Oi, did you hear me? Or is it that you don’t understand my words?”

“I heard you. What?”

Their clothes are too clean for them to be residents of the slums. An exquisitely designed hilt peeked out of the lady’s robe.

“Have you seen a girl with light purple hair? She’s around your age.”

Although he was not angered by her tone, Rio did not intend on responding either. After all, he has no idea about this girl they are trying to find.

“Oi, wait. Answer the question.”

“Eh, don’t know.”

“Answer honestly.”

However, perhaps doubting Rio’s response, the two girls in the back cautioned him in an arrogant tone causing him to become irritated.

“You two, you aren’t going to get an answer like that.”

“Muu, c’mon Celia.”

“Leave this to me, Vanessa-sama.”

The lady referred to as Vanessa seems to hesitate a bit before entrusting Celia with the questioning. Celia takes one step forward.

“…Rio.”

“Rio? That’s an unusual name.”

“I see. So that’s why your hair’s black. By the way, Rio, I have something I want to ask you, will you answer me?”

Rio nodded.

“Uhm, I haven’t seen anybody like that…”
Rio shakes his head.

It’s probably already too late- were words Rio did not add.

The inquired girl is probably related to these four so it is likely she is wearing nice clothes. If she is lucky, then she would only be stripped of her clothes, otherwise, she might be sold off to a brothel.

Celia responded in a disappointed tone.

However, taking after a deep breath, she asked so.

“Are the slums large? We want to go in but we’re a bit afraid of getting lost.”

Rio widens his eyes in surprise.

Celia responded with hesitation.

“Why?”

“…The high-quality clothes you’re wearing basically screams ‘Attack me’. It’s still morning so there aren’t a lot of people up yet but there are still people around. It’s not a place for a woman like you to enter.”

“Those are quite some words for an orphan”, mutters one of the girls.

Celia said so and looking at her clothing with a bitter smile, mutters,

If Rio had yet to recover his memories as Amakawa Haruto, he would not have provided any advice to Celia. Especially with the presences of the overbearing Vanessa and the two girls, he would never even think to warn them.

However, the human called Amakawa Haruto inside Rio is a softhearted person.

“Uhm, what kind of clothes do women in the slums wear?”

“I see. I’ll use that as reference.”

“By the way, for an orphan, the way you speak is oddly polite. Do most orphans talk like that?”

Rio answered in a slightly stiff voice.

In addition to his mother always speaking politely, the emergence of Amakawa Haruto has also boosted his mental growth resulting in a much more mature tone.

Celia apologized in a fl.u.s.ter.

Rio responded without showing much emotion.

Perhaps having gotten a glimpse of something in Rio’s eyes, Celia widened her eyes.

Vanessa who had been listening to their conversation in silence finally spoke up.

“That’s right!”

“If our information is correct, then there should still be time. Also, we’re moving in secret. We cannot carelessly get in the way of the search parties. Surely Christina-sama doesn’t want to create an uproar, right?”

At Vanessa’s explanation, the girl called Christina distorts her face in irritation.

“Uhm, please wait a moment

Taking a deep breath, Celia uttered words unfamiliar to Rio. Then, a formation with geometric designs forms beneath her feet.

Immediately following, Rio feels a strange sense of uneasiness. The sensation felt something like ripples in the air. Then, a wave of light is emitted from Celia’s body.

“Ara, you…”

“Is there something wrong with that child?”

“He was caught in

“Ah, I see… So there are such orphans too.”

Vanessa displayed an expression of understanding while Christina expressed doubt with a tilt of her head.

Celia gave a simple explanation.

The girl whose name Rio does not know murmured in admiration.

Vanessa turned her gaze towards Rio.

Rio tried to piece together the conversation between the three people.

“Uhm, nothing within a 50m radius. There was only a reaction from us and this child.”

are rare. On top of that, n.o.body can match your range either.”

“Thank you. Here, would you please accept this as payment for your information?”

Upon receiving the coins, Rio’s eyes widen in surprise. The information he gave was worth nowhere near that much. This girl’s sense of value seems to be quite off.

“Uhm, is it not enough?”

“…That’s not it.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Even though I said that, hush money is included in that as well. Please forget everything you saw and heard here.”

“Understood.”

Perhaps, the four are n.o.bles. Curiousity kills the cat. It would be unwise to get on a n.o.bles bad side and Rio is not foolish enough to poke his nose where it does not belong.

Celia nervously expressed her thanks.

“Then, farewell. Don’t give up.”

“Then let’s go, Celia.”

The four people turn around and depart from the entrance of the slums.

Startled, he looks down at his own body and realises that the same light he saw from Celia is also radiating from his body. There is no mistake. The light reflected in his eyes is real.

Out of the four people, the girl who seemed like Christina’s attendant gave off the most light.

Where the heck is this light coming from? Would Celia not have noticed? Rio ponders such questions but cannot come up with an answer.

When Rio becomes conscious of the amount of light being emitted from his body, in a surprising discovery, he is able to easily retract the light. A small amount is still leaking out but seeing that the intensity is a lot lower than when compared to Celia, Rio suspects that it will not become a problem and breathes a sigh of relief.

If it really is maryoku, then maybe he can do something with it.

For the time being, though, Rio decides to return to the shed since it would be ill-advised to return too late.

Making his way back to the shed, Rio used the time to think about his future.

For the time being, just having money and warm meals made him feel satisfied. Now that he was a little better off, was it time to leave those men? Possible means of living and escape routes are carefully taken into consideration.

“I’m back.”

He would likely be shouted at, depending on the men’s mood. Fortunately, thanks to the presence of Jiji and alcohol, they seemed to be in a good mood today. They might even be fooling around right now.
(Have the lights gone out?), thought Rio.

It is pitch-black and eerily silent inside the shed. The window is closed and all the lighting in the room is extinguished making it difficult to see.

(What is this smell? Blood?)

“Nnnh! Nm~~!”

“…!”

(What?)

Slowly, Rio begins making his way towards the source.

(The window is…)

The light from the outside slowly starts to brighten the room.

A disastrous and revolting scene greets him causing Rio to instantly be at a loss for words.

And in the center of the corpses of men who were merrily drinking just a while go-

-Was the body of the prost.i.tute, Jiji. She, who gave Rio a free meal just a short while ago, lay dead, with a large amount of blood pouring out of her wounds. She lay on her back, her dress dyed a crimson red.

Nausea arises within Rio, but he is somehow able to force it down.

A m.u.f.fled voice can still be heard from the corner of the room.

(A person…? It can’t be-)

A bad premonition is felt by Rio and his heart beats uncontrollably. Holding his breath, he unsteadily approaches the bag. The contents of the bag squirm restlessly.

Just as he had predicted, an overwhelmingly beautiful girl in a charming dress resembling a s.h.i.+nto priestess’ clothes appears before him. Light purple hair and violet eyes, the girl around Rio’s age absentmindedly stares at him.

At that moment, Rio experiences an emotion akin to despair. Alarm bells go off inside his head.

Despite being seized by the desire of wanting to leave this place as quick as possible, when he witnesses the helplessly frightened face before him, he felt strangely embarra.s.sed.

When Rio reluctantly asked her that, the girl nodded. Timidly staring at him, she does not seem to be too cautious of him, likely thanks to their age proximity.

“I’m going to remove your gag and bindings now. Wait a moment.”

“Puhaa… haa…”

“Wh- Where? This… Where… am I?”

“The slums district. This is the house where I live with my companions but…”

“Sl- Slums district? Wh- Why? I…”

“Who knows? It’s off. You can stand now.”

“Ye- Yes. Thank you very mu… Ah, aah.”

“Are you alright?”

“Ye- Yes.”

“I see…”,

(This child, isn’t she the one Celia and her group was looking for a while back?)

“Uh- Uhm…”

“Excuse me but can you… take me to the castle?”

“The castle?”

“Father will…?”

“And, water…”

“Please lie there for a moment. Don’t move.”

His nose had been paralyzed from the stench and can no longer smell anything. Whether he wants to or not, the disastrous scene enters his view making him grimace.

Filling a wooden cup with water, he quickly returns to the fatigued girl.

Rio offered the water to the girl while holding onto it to a.s.sist her drinking. In cases of dehydration, ideally he would want to offer her a drink containing salt and sugar, but such luxuries are unavailable in this shed.

“Puhaa, haa… Kepo kepo.”

Seeing her choke, Rio cautioned her.

Having satisfied some of her thirst, the girl gave a faint answer before all the remaining power left her body.

Rio called out to her in a fl.u.s.ter but the girl seemed to be totally exhausted.

Judging so, Rio closes his eyes and while suppressing the desire to groan, he lays her on her back. At that moment-

Frantically turning his head around, he catches sight of a masked man approaching him-

Death. The instant he realises his fate, Rio’s heart stops.

Then, grasping onto the man’s hand, he redirects the knife away from his body.

An astonished voice leaked out from underneath the man’s mask.

However, now is not the time to ponder over such matters.

Having been caught in a fight for the first time, Rio begins to panic.

Cold sweat drips down his back while his heart beats wildly. Despite having barely moved, his breathing is wildly out of order. It is terrifying. Madly trembling, he can barely keep his balance.

Perhaps his unexpected block had made his a.s.sailant become wary as he is still standing there, knife in hand.

The man slowly approaches, looking for an opportunity.

(Haruto.)

“Eh…?”

An auditory hallucination, and a vision? Rio immediately scans his surroundings but cannot spot the girl. To begin with, was the girl not calling him Haruto? n.o.body in this world should know that name-

(There isn’t much time. Odo- the way to use maryoku… I’ll show you how, sense it, memorize it.)

I wasn’t hearing things after all!-, thinks Rio,

Clinging on to a bare thread of hope, Rio cried out to the mysterious voice. The man’s body in front of him immediately started trembling but he did not have to luxury to mind him right now.

The girl’s voice rang intermittently in his head. The explanation was quite vague. However, the following moment, Rio remembered the warm sensation that enveloped his entire body.

Thereupon, the girl’s voice trailed off.

Neither his visual nor auditory perception was improved but rather something akin to a sixth sense was developed. He could perceive things that he could never notice before.

Thanks to her, he is able to use maryoku. Maintaining his current state is not difficult at all and he can probably invoke it next time with ease.

Only around 10 seconds have pa.s.sed since the attempted stabbing.

Pulling forth his fighting spirit, Rio eyes the masked man.

“6”

Rio briefly widens his eyes. Before, light shone dimly from the man’s body but after the formation disappeared, his light’s intensity increased drastically. The intensity of the light still greatly lagged behind Rio’s light but Rio became more wary of his opponent.

However, to Rio, it looked like the man was moving in slow motion. His visual perception and reaction speed had increased dramatically.

“Guah! Ah?”

Although he is barely able to break his fall, the man nearly lost consciousness. Utter confusion and shock are written on his face. Kneeling down on one knee, he stares at Rio in astonishment. Still, the man struggles back onto his feet and slowly approaches Rio, striking with his knife once again.

“Guaa.”

Rio destroys the man’s stance and knocks him off the ground.

“Guu, s.h.i.+t… this brat… d.a.m.n it. Who…?”
Lying on the ground, the man grumbled a few curses at Rio.

“Haa, haa…”

A short moment later, Rio looks up at the man scowling at him. Eyes filled with hatred can be seen through the eyehole gaps of the mask.

(Is he still trying to fight!?)

The man must be covered in injuries. He cannot have much strength left to stand up.

Though, nor does he want to understand it either. However, if the man is aiming for his life, he will-

“Guu…”

Climbing onto his back, Rio grabs the man’s neck with both of his hands. It is possible for him to strangle the man to death if he so desires.

He cannot bring himself to take the life a person. He cannot kill. He was almost killed but he cannot bring himself to kill. Hesitating for a moment,

Cursing, Rio rams the man’s head into the ground with all his might. The man’s struggling ceases immediately and his body goes limp.

“I- I need to get out of here-”

Rio cautiously scans his surroundings wondering how he would explain the scene if somebody pa.s.ses by. He cannot help be feel scared.
Thereupon, the figure of the pa.s.sed out girl is reflected in Rio’s eyes-

It was still morning.

Dragging his feet around the slums, Rio carries the fainted girl on his shoulder. Her dress is was too conspicuous so he covered her body with the bag she was originally trapped inside. Even though he is not injured, Rio walks with slow steps.

Why did he allow himself to become involved in such a mess?

Rio could only keep walking on. Before he noticed, he had arrived at the entrance to the slums.

A nearby young girl immediately called out to Rio.

“I said wait!”

“Ch- Christina-sama! Please wait!”

“Un- Understood!”

Although they had changed out of their former clothes and now donned shabby robes, Rio could still recognise them from their names and height.

“Oi, you little s.h.i.+t, get away from Flora-sama.”

At that moment, Vanessa lifts Flora off of Rio’s shoulder.

Christina desperately pleads Flora’s name as Vanessa holds onto her in her arms.

After calmly diagnosing Flora’s condition, Vanessa requests aid from two people.

“Understood!”

“Oi, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

She fluidly draws her sword and points the tip at Rio.

However, that does not mean that he is calm. If anything, he feels indifferent.

Vanessa orders him in a cold voice.

“Wait!”

“He’s dangerous!”

However, Christina ignores Vanessa’s warning and proceeds to slap Rio across the cheek. *Pan* A dry sound echoes throughout the area.

“…Eh?”

He did not understand just what had happened. Why is Christina so angry? Why was he hit despite saving the girl they were looking for?

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot, give me an answer! You lied to us. What were you intending to do with Flora?”

Rio had no idea what she was saying. A lump forms in his throat.

Letting out an incredulous voice, Rio fixes his gaze on Christina.

Christina’s body trembles. Immediately, she tries to slap Rio across the cheek a second time.

Christina distorts her face in irritation and tries to slap him with her other hand.

“Let go! Filthy! Foul!”

“Release her.”

Glaring at Vanessa, he slowly lets go of Christina’s hands.

“Ha-”

Seeing his reaction, Christina’s body trembles again.

“Christina-sama! Please stop trying to provoke him!”

“This boy doesn’t even know you’re royalty. We should at least hear him out.”

At Christina’s shout, Vanessa lets out a troubled sigh.

“I’d rather not.”

“Sorry but this isn’t a request, but an order. You have no say in this.”

However, unperturbed, Rio continues staring at Vanessa.

Christina, Celia, and Roana nervously watch the scene in silence from the side.
A brief moment of silence pa.s.sed betwee