The Descent into the Nox

Hypotheses starting with “but” kept popping up, making my heart race with anxiety. But what if that bastard really is a lunatic who doesn’t care about the consequences? But what if I can’t find proof that Berinon intentionally sent Elliot inside? Can I even prove it with only my testimony?

“If you think I’m lying, go ahead and search the area.”

My vision blurred with rage when I saw Berinon smiling innocently, saying, “I thought he’d have the sense to find his way back, but I guess Elliot still has no talent for directions.”

“You… you piece of trash!”

Unable to contain myself, I lunged at Berinon. The juice I was holding spilled, making a mess of my trousers. With a sickening thwack, his head snapped back, and he couldn’t hold his footing, sprawling onto the ground. This wasn’t a neighborhood unfamiliar with violence, but the sight of noble young masters brawling seemed to pique people’s interest, and a few bystanders began to peer over.

As expected, Berinon, who had no talent for physical labor, couldn’t put up much of a fight. I grabbed the collar of the man who couldn’t even stand and hauled his upper body up. His teeth must have broken; he couldn’t even close his mouth properly and was mumbling with his eyes shut. His eyelashes trembling in pain and his flushed cheeks might have looked pitiful under normal circumstances, but sympathy was a luxury for a wretch like him. I gritted my teeth, suppressing the urge to strike that face one more time.

“If anything happens to Elliot, I’ll tie your hands and feet and throw you across the creek. I’ll make sure you’re the one tossed into the Nox so you can never crawl out in one piece.”

Berinon muttered something, but I didn’t want to hear anything that came out of that mouth. I threw him aside and ran toward the alleyway. Damn it, Elliot! Where did that idiot go!

Should I call out his name? No, if that draws unwanted attention, it’ll be even more dangerous.

My head was a mess. I felt like a parent who had lost their child in a strange place. No matter how much he acted like an old soul, Elliot was only thirteen. In Korea, he’d be a fresh-faced kid who hadn’t even started high school—what use was a clever brain in a place like this?

Elliot wasn’t at an age where he should be worried about like a missing child, but the location was the problem. Sensational headlines from articles I’d seen long ago flashed through my mind. Kidnapped and dismembered, found as a corpse in a river, or organs harvested. It was disgusting, but not entirely surprising. If such things happened in Korea, what would it be like in an Empire where human life was even cheaper? Especially in this neighborhood, where violence and poverty were rampant.

I had been complacent. The image of me mocking a startled Elliot after putting a fake rat carcass in his bed on the first day seemed to have diluted his malice just because he’d been quiet lately. That demonic bastard. I meant what I said to Berinon. If Elliot truly suffers because of him, I won’t let it go. I won’t even let him have a peaceful death. Since he dared to do this without knowing his place, I’ll make him beg for death, not for mercy.

“Shit.”

Running with bloodshot eyes, I tripped over a stone that I normally would have passed with ease. I clutched my knees and gasped for air. My physical stamina wasn’t failing, but the mental exhaustion was severe. I knew I was overheated, and I knew I had to judge things rationally. The situation was urgent. Nothing would be solved by me losing my mind and running wild.

Only after slapping my forehead and cheeks a few times did I catch my breath and notice my wet trousers. Clothes. I needed a change of clothes to go further inside. If I ran around in this state, I’d just be easy prey. When I stepped back out toward the “outside,” I saw shops scattered about, similar to the ones where I’d been fleeced over the past few days. Passing a few useless ones, I found a shop packed with all sorts of miscellaneous goods. A place that had everything except the things it didn’t. The sign hanging out front was barely holding on by a single rusty nail.

The inside of the shop, smelling of mold, was dark, as if it were a space separate from the outside world. The structure itself was a two-story building common in Lovenus, but it was hard to grasp the interior due to items piled high like pillars. Books, pots, a teapot with a broken handle. Mismatched objects barely maintained their balance, blocking even the windows.

“We don’t sell medicine. We don’t handle weapons, so if you’re going to complain about rust, get out. Mr. Logan returns in two days, so if you’re looking for the owner, come back then.”

A man appeared, scratching his head and yawning with a voice dripping with annoyance. Fifteen, maybe sixteen at most? It was hard to guess his age because of his bored expression and his tall, thin frame, but looking closely, traces of childhood remained. His half-closed eyes widened slightly when he spotted me.

“This isn’t the kind of place for young masters to visit.”

“I heard there are items that can change hair color. Do you have them here?”

“Aha.”

He chuckled as if he understood and disappeared among the goods, dragging his shoes. He seemed to take it as a deviation of a thoughtless noble child, but he didn’t point it out. I suppose Luxteel wasn’t a unique case.

“The popular ones are brown and gold. Gold is bought by people from Rosen, so I’d recommend brown. Anything too unusual isn’t popular. Though there are people who consistently look for red hair.”

There was no reason to hesitate. My goal was to not stand out. When I chose brown, a thin silver ring was placed on my hand.

“The earrings sell better. This is all that’s left.”

Since I didn’t have pierced ears anyway, the ring was better. If only earrings had been left, I would have had no choice but to tear my flesh on the spot, but I didn’t expect the hygiene of items sold in a place like this to be good.

I didn’t bother to ask what Rosen was. The boy, seemingly deciding to treat me like a sucker just as the alley merchants had done so far, talked incessantly.

“Rosen is the red-light district up there. It’s similar to this city. The innermost parts are glamorous, and the outside is miserable. The prostitutes on the inside are the prettiest and youngest. Then as they age or lose popularity, they’re pushed further out. If they have a kid or get caught running away, they’re kicked to the very end. But if there’s one thing in common between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside,’ it’s that blonde hair sells well. It’s a noble color, after all.”

When I didn’t respond, he asked once more pointedly.

“Don’t you agree?”

His grinning face made me wonder if he was intentionally trying to provoke me. I knew why he was doing this. It’s irritating enough to see a kid younger than yourself living in luxury just because of his bloodline. If that kid then throws away that privilege because it’s “burdensome” and enters the alleys to act like a commoner, it’s bound to turn one’s stomach.

“You have quite a long tongue.”

Normally, I would have played along, but I wasn’t in the state for it now. My mind, already heated to the limit, grew sharp at the slightest provocation.

Having accepted the warning, his mouth went quiet. There was no need to agitate him further, so I quietly slipped the ring onto my finger. I couldn’t actually feel anything in my hair, but I thought I felt a phantom sensation brush past.

“That’ll be two silver coins.”

“Bring me some clothes I can wear. Keep the change.”

I took off my jacket and handed it over. The boy, who received it with a tepid expression, broke into a wide grin when he found the money in the pocket.

“Shall I prepare shoes as well?”

The brown hair reflected in the mirror the boy showed me was unfamiliar. My face was the same, but the impression was so different I looked like another person. This had been my face for four years. If I went out like this, even Erkel wouldn’t recognize me. Meanwhile, the boy, who had gathered a shirt, jacket, vest, and shoes, couldn’t suppress the corners of his mouth.

“You’re really leaving everything behind? Don’t come back later asking for them; they’ll be gone.”

“Yeah. I told you to keep them.”

I could just take the ring off on the way back anyway. Llewellyn the Blond didn’t have the kind of face where the condition of his clothes would be noticed. Even if that weren’t the case, there were plenty of ways to prove my identity.

The juice-stained trousers were uncomfortable, but the condition of the ones he brought was so poor I couldn’t change into them. They were a simple design anyway, so they didn’t stand out much.

“What happens if a kid my age gets lost around here?”

“People live here too. I doubt they’d kill him.”

“Right…”

“As long as he’s not a noble, no one really cares. Even then, as long as he doesn’t go deeper in, this far is fine.”

The fact that he is a noble is the problem. My heart, which had barely found its balance, began to race again.

“What happens… if he’s a noble?”

I barely managed to squeeze the words out. The boy replied nonchalantly, “Wouldn’t he be kidnapped?”

“If he’s… kid… napped?”

“Sometimes they demand a ransom. But I’ve heard they’re often sold off, too.”

The thought made me lightheaded. If they demanded a ransom, I could bring him back somehow, but being sold off meant his life was truly forfeit. Once again, murderous intent toward Berinon surged. I shouldn’t have stopped at hitting that bastard just once.

“If he was sold, wouldn’t it depend on whether it’s a girl or a boy? A girl would go north. A boy… depends on his condition?”

“And if it’s a boy?”

“If he’s pretty and young, that’s also the north. Or I’ve heard they’re sometimes sold to the ‘inside.'”

“Where is the inside?”

“The Nox. Ah, maybe you don’t know it called that… There’s a dangerous neighborhood further in. Even we don’t go there. You’ll lose your head just for peeking.”

The boy hunched his shoulders and shivered exaggeratedly. Then he opened his mouth to show the inside.

“See this broken tooth? This happened because I was hanging around the Nox and got beaten up.”

His left molar was crushed, with less than half remaining. My breath caught in my throat. Either way, it was the worst. There was no way Elliot, with his personality, would just take it quietly. What if they beat the child to make him submissive?