Chapter 15: Children of God(1)

Just as the saying “heroes are often lecherous” exists for a reason, Gideon, true to its title as the city of heroes and myths, was a city of debauchery and immorality.

Most people enjoyed a night of pleasure without hesitation.

There were even certain places where bards and feasts were prepared in abundance, with people dancing and reveling.

Of course, there were heroes who kept their purity, but their numbers were relatively few.

Naturally, it wasn’t uncommon for children born without knowing their parents.

Most of the children born in such circumstances were abandoned in the back alleys.

These abandoned orphans were called “God’s Children.”

People criticized the heroes for abandoning their children so casually.

“How could they abandon their own child, no matter the circumstances?”

But people only knew one part of the truth and not the whole.

In fact, being abandoned was often a more merciful act.

It wasn’t uncommon for these children to be murdered under the pretense of returning them to the gods.

***

Just as the saying “heroes are often lecherous” exists for a reason, Gideon, true to its title as the city of heroes and myths, was a city of debauchery and immorality.

Most people enjoyed a night of pleasure without hesitation.

There were even certain places where bards and feasts were prepared in abundance, with people dancing and reveling.

Of course, there were heroes who kept their purity, but their numbers were relatively few.

Naturally, it wasn’t uncommon for children born without knowing their parents.

Most of the children born in such circumstances were abandoned in the back alleys.

These abandoned orphans were called “God’s Children.”

People criticized the heroes for abandoning their children so casually.

“How could they abandon their own child, no matter the circumstances?”

But people only knew one part of the truth and not the whole.

In fact, being abandoned was often a more merciful act.

It wasn’t uncommon for these children to be murdered under the pretense of returning them to the gods.

After completing a mere D-rank request, the Iron Shield Guild experienced a dramatic change.

In truth, the Iron Shield had been struggling financially, but that problem was neatly resolved.

The reason was that they received a huge reward from Sallen.

Yulis, ever the stubborn one, had saved every penny he received as a lord, spending only what was necessary for living expenses.

He handed over that vast fortune as a reward to Isaac without holding anything back.

Of course, Isaac adamantly refused.

The reward was enormous, and they had so much to do at the moment.

How could they manage without any money?

But Yulis didn’t budge from his position.

In the end, they compromised, and Isaac accepted only about thirty percent of the reward.

Even that was an enormous sum.

“A D-rank request? How did we get this much money?!”

‘There were circumstances. It’s not illegal money, so don’t worry.’

“I-Is that so? Then…………!!”

It was no surprise that Sophia, the guild’s accountant, was grinning from ear to ear.

Running a guild cost a significant amount of money, starting with the maintenance costs of the building.

There were also the expenses of feeding the guild members and maintaining or repairing their weapons.

On top of that, their master had implemented an absurd policy that the guild would cover all medical expenses for the guild members, draining even more money.

Now, they had enough to last several years if they were frugal.

It was no wonder Sophia was so ecstatic from an accountant’s perspective.

But the changes didn’t end there.

New recruits arrived.

“P-Pleased to meet you! I’m Yulina Fragrach!!”

“I’m Cain. Mess with me, and you might bleed.”

Yulina and Cain had joined the Iron Shield Guild as new recruits.

In fact, Yulina had long been planning to leave the estate and travel the world.

Cain had also thought it was a good idea.

Isaac didn’t miss the opportunity and made them an offer.

They accepted it.

Even Cain, who despised heroes, thought Isaac was different and joined his guild.

“Bleed, huh? Quite cocky for a rookie.”

Cain’s provocation struck a nerve with Hans, who valued discipline and respect.

Hans stood up menacingly, his huge frame looming.

But Cain snorted and glared back at Hans.

“Why? Want to test me?”

“You little shit………. I like your spirit!”

“……What?”

“Yeah! A hero should have this kind of spirit!”

Hans laughed heartily and slapped Cain on the back with his large hand, leaving Cain with a dumbfounded expression.

It wasn’t just a show of bravado; Hans was sincere.

Although Hans valued discipline and decorum, he placed an even higher value on boldness.

In that regard, Cain could only appear as the best newcomer in Hans’s eyes.

“You said your name was Yulina? Nice to meet you! I’m Sophia!”

“Y-Yes! Nice to meet you, senpai!”

“You don’t need to be so nervous. Just call me ‘sister’!”

Sophia welcomed Yulina warmly.

It was only natural to react this way, considering a woman who could communicate had finally joined the guild, which had been all men except for Zeke.

“Hans, has anything unusual happened while we were away?”

“Aside from that Dig getting kicked out of the brothel, nothing in particular.”

“Master!! This is unfair!! They cheated me, I tell you?!”

“What happened?”

“Don’t take him seriously. He was just being unreasonable and got kicked out.”

Hans stopped Isaac from asking seriously.

How could someone who had been thrown out for insisting on unreasonable costs act as if he had done something commendable?

However, Isaac was different.

“Even if everyone else denies it, family must believe in each other to the end.”

“Master…………”

“Even if it’s the story of the boy who cried wolf.”

“What?”

“Lead the way, Dig. I need to confront this matter myself.”

“Um? What do you mean by that at the end? Master?!”

Isaac didn’t answer and pushed Dig to the front.

Of course, Zeke tried to follow Isaac, but Yulina and Sophia held him back.

They shook their heads and said,

“The world isn’t ready for you yet.”

“That’s right, especially for Zeke…………”

“I understand.”

At that moment, Yulina and Sophia felt a chilling presence, and they recoiled in surprise.

Zeke was smiling.

However, the shadowy smile of zeke sent shivers down their spines, as if he were a ghost.

“Of course, I have no doubt in the Master. But there’s always a chance, right?”

“Oh, that’s not possible. Isaac wouldn’t go to a brothel!”

“That’s right! The Master is definitely going for family reasons!”

Yulina and Sophia desperately defended Isaac.

It felt as if something terrible might happen otherwise.

Still, Zeke’s smile showed no signs of fading.

Yulina and Sophia couldn’t bring themselves to stop Zeke.

Like a ghost, Zeke trailed closely behind Isaac.

***

The culture of the underbelly, including brothels, typically begins at night.

This isn’t just to keep things hidden from people, but more significantly, it’s to avoid the gaze of the gods.

However, Isaac wasn’t quite sure if it was effective. At least based on the original story, the gods watching over this place never slacked off, whether it was day or night.

Dig, feeling especially wronged, continued to rant about his grievances beside Isaac, but Isaac was only half-listening, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

“I’ve heard this a million times already.”

“But!!”

“So? Where’s this brothel located?”

“Over there! Right there!”

Dig pointed toward a rather extravagant building. Its exterior was painted platinum, adorned with gold and various gemstones. Isaac tilted his head.

‘It looks familiar.’

“So that’s the brothel, huh?”

‘Oh, damn, that startled me.’

“Zeke? When did you start following us?”

Zeke’s voice came from behind, surprising both Dig and even Isaac.

He had clearly left them in the care of Sophia and Yulina, but he had followed them all the way to this place.

“You should turn back now.”

“Yeah, kid. I know you’re curious, but…”

“Dig, could you keep it down?”

“Sure.”

Dig wasn’t that foolish. Even if he was prone to scams at a brothel, he at least didn’t put his life in danger.

But just earlier, Dig felt his life threatened.

The overwhelming presence emanating from Zeke was chilling.

Isaac could feel it too. Why had he suddenly changed like this? Isaac couldn’t make sense of it.

“Are you determined to follow us?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Then I won’t stop you.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Since he was the protagonist, Isaac assumed there must be a reason and brushed it off lightly.

In fact, there was no other choice. The immense pressure from Zeke was enough to make Isaac’s knees buckle.

If he told Zeke to turn back now, something bad might actually happen. Isaac had no intention of peering into the abyss.

Regardless, the current situation was the priority. Isaac turned to Dig.

“You said they watered down the alcohol to scam you?”

“Yes, that’s right! I saw it clearly!!”

“Alright, then we’re going in.”

Even if it was family saying this, Isaac couldn’t just storm in without cross-verifying. He first positioned Dig and Zeke behind him.

There was a chance that Dig might be recognized, after all.

Zeke following him into the brothel would only complicate things further. Zeke didn’t push the issue, as his true purpose lay elsewhere.

Isaac entered first.

Inside, the brothel was extravagant enough to be considered a palace.

The floor was covered in a red carpet, and the walls and ceilings were decorated with marble and gold, with chandeliers hanging from above.

‘Now I remember. This is the brothel of the Night King, Nox.’

Gideon had a highly developed nightlife, and there were factions that specialized in running such places.

The difference was that they were close to illegal organizations that had not received official permits.

Among them, Nox was known as a massive organization that ruled Gideon’s nights.

They even made deals with the larger guilds in the open and had Hades backing them up; they were indeed the kings of the night.

Compared to Nox’s power, the Iron Shield’s influence was insignificant.

If a full-scale war were to break out, everyone would undoubtedly anticipate the Iron Shield’s defeat.

But.

Did that even matter?

What was important was family.

There could be no compromise on that.