Ashten showed Quigo the girl with red hair with a passive look on his face and calmly said, “I’ll take this one.”

  “What are you doing!? You’re going to choke her!”

  Holding her by the colr of the rag she called clothes; Ashten showed Quigo the little girl like she was a toy he had just bought.

  “Tch, tch, tch. Stop screaming, I know what I’m doing. As I have said, I have read books and consulted experts in how to raise a child. This is one of the tips I got; she said that when they are young, this is the most comfortable position to be hel—.”

  “She’s a cat! This is a girl! A human girl!”

  “Really? She’s not groaning in pain or anything though, so you must be wrong.”

  But Quigo’s face was turning red and steam was practically coming out of his ears. He let out a sigh and changed how he carried her

  Now, it was no longer like a cat, she was treated like a briefcase.

  “...better? Now stop huffing, I have a foolproof p—”

  It was not better.

  “Let her go! You Tyrant!”

  All the while they were arguing, the children took up arms and ran up to the two men who had taken their leader hostage.

  The coachman and Quigo were about to stop them but Ashten motioned for them not to.

  There is no need to bother against these weaklings.

  Ashten was rightfully ‘brutally mobbed’ by the traitorous dissidents who went against nobility.

  “Let her go!”

  “Yeah! Stop hurting our leader!”

  “You damn human traffickers!”

  The oldest raised a weapon against Quigo.

  “He-hey now, let’s all calm down, we’re not human traffickers.”

  Ashten did not say anything.

  He just continued looking over them.

  “Ye—yeah….let… her…go—please?”

  The children — the brutal and traitorous dissidents — were all ready to y their lives for the little girl until they saw the eyes that belonged to Ashten.

  Eyes that appeared like it held eternal fme inside. A searing gaze that permeated his surroundings as if to announce the edict of his prestige. Ashten watched as the children cower. He raised his hand—-

  “UWAAAAAAAAAHHHH! We’re about to get sold!”

  “We failed!!!!”

  The children cried and while they were thinking of what to do, the defeated adults had recovered and sprung up from behind the children.

  “Ah! Got you, you little brat!” The adult who Ashten assumed as the director of the Orphanage based on the fact he was the only one wearing a tailored suit grabbed a little girl with short bck hair.

  “Kyaaaa! Let me go!” The little girl screeched.

  “Tanya!” The oldest kid shouted and was about to punch the director but was instead punched by one of the maids who also escaped from the pile.

  “You brats!”

  “Get back here!”

  “Get the, before their leader wakes up!”

  The awakened adults all got up to quench their successful rebellion.

  “Sorry you have to see this sirs, the children here are all violent coming from troubled backgrounds and slums all around the area. I—”

  “Shhh.” Ashten pressed a finger to his lips and told him to keep quiet. He looked down on the director and whispered, “Save your voice, I’m not stupid. I know a criminal when I see one. And you, and your cronies are heinous criminals.”

  “Wha—”

  The director was just about to say something when another voice reached him.

  “All clear, boss.”

  The director turned around and found his subordinates once again in a pile.

  Quigo had already taken care of everything. None of the children were safe.

  The director did not even notice when Quigo had made his moves and that’s not all he missed.

  “Hey!”

  “Huh?”

  Right in front of him was the little girl with the fming red hair who had already approached him.

  She had been released from Ashten’s hold since the director was told to keep quiet. He just failed to notice her since he was too focus on regal man.

  “Stop right there! I have her host—GUGH!”

  The little girl’s fist hit the man squarely in the pit of his stomach. His eyes turned white and his hold on the bck haired girl loosened as he was sent flying to the pile of adults.

  “Are you okay, Tanya?” The red haired girl first checked the captured child.

  “Nn.”

  “That’s good, now, stand behind me.”

  After Tanya confirmed her status, the little girl stood in front of her to confront Ashten.

  The children who had been running away tried to convene to the little girl with the red hair but were stopped.

  “Get back, you lot. He’s not someone we can beat.”

  “Bu—but.”

  “DO IT!”

  They followed her orders and the children reluctantly retreated. But only to a certain distance. They could still rush in if the red haired leader really needed help.

  Tanya held the red haired girl’s hand.

  “These weaklings, really.”

  Watching all of this unfold felt wrong for Ashten.

  Something has gone awfully wrong.

  ‘What’s with the theatrics? They’re making it seem like I’m a vilin.’

  Having realized the role he was put into, Ashten wanted to approach the children and show he’s not a threat.

  ‘I have shown them my strength, the next step is to show I can be kind.’

  The pn to get the children to like and trust him remained.

  He had shown them he was strong. If Ashten can establish his ‘kindness’ by befriending one of the children, preferably their leader, then their ‘pack’ will allow him to choose a child to become his spawn.

  ‘I released the little girl but it seems like that’s not good enough for the carrot and stick. I’ll just pat someone’s head or maybe pick them up. If nothing works, I’ll give them money.’

  From trickery and coercion to bribery, Ashten was ready.

  He took a step forward.

  The children flinched!

  “WAIT!”

  The red haired girl stopped him in his tracks.

  With a pair of resolute yet enlightened eyes, she addressed him without fear.

  “Seeing as how you didn’t help those bastards means you are not that evil like the other adults of the world. If so, then I offer myself to quench your thirsty bde.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I understand you are strong and I cannot hope to defeat you. So I will surrender without fighting. I only ask that you do not hurt them. They are but peons under my command. Their blood does not flow thick like mine. So, take me instead. This rebellion was my idea, let me handle its burden.”

  The little girl volunteered to be the only soul to be drawn and quartered, “I’m sorry older brother, I will not be able to find you.”

  “No, Leader! Don’t do it!”

  “You monster! How can you do this! We only want to live!”

  “Uwaaaaaaah!”

  The children protested.

  “I knew you were heartless! But, how can you do this! You are a complete and utter vilin!”

  At some point, Quigo had taken their sides. He was hurling insults with the kids, tears rolling down his face.

  As for the little girl?

  Her face reflected regret. But she was ready to receive punishment for the sake of peace.

  The brutal warrior was no more. She now embodied the word purity. The sorrow beneath her eyes could melt anyone’s heart.

  And Ashten… he was the devil who was about to execute a hero amidst the tears of children.

  …what is going on?

  Ashten swore he could see the light of a Saint behind her and a choir of angels adding to her theatrics.

  It’s hard to shake the man known as the Golden Sky Devil. But if asked and he answered honestly, Ashten would confess he felt perplexed by the situation.

  SNAP!

  A crisp sound of finger snapping pulled away their anger, giving them crity for a second, “This farce has gone long enough. Stop making me into the vilin. I am no noble, I am a merchant seeking to find a child to raise so I can prove a point.”

  “But you are a vilin—” Quigo chimed.

  “I said stop it.”

  “Okay.” Quigo complied with a pout, disgruntled.

  Now that there is silence, Ashten looked at the situation and took it all in.

  “I only came here to adopt—” Ashten rubbed his temples, a headache was forming.

  Everything was not going as he expected, the orphanage was burning, and the adults were knocked out, it was a mess, “---Little girl, expin to me what is going on. If you prove your actions have merit, then I will ensure the safety of the children present here.”

  “...prove it.” The little girl did not ask for confirmation. She knew he was not lying.

  She pointed at the pile of adults who were awake, but couldn’t move.

  They froze when Ashten looked at them.

  “My Lord! This is just a big misunderstanding!-”

  “They sell children to perverts, Nobles and Bck Mages.” the little girl expined.

  “Is that so? Quigo, handle this whole thing as you want. No need to hold back..”

  “Really? Me? I have to deal with this?”

  A shimmer surfaced from the depths of his fatigued eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “No reinforcement?”

  “No reinforcement, I give you the command. It’s time for the year end bonus.”

  Quigo was almost in tears hearing the okay from his boss. He got on one knee as he accepted the orders.

  “I will do this cleanly, boss!” though his answer, was of course, still unscrupulous, “Come on, scums of the earth. Let’s go! Those who surrender fast won’t get tortureeeed! Woo! Nice, dissidents, you get the special treatment ter!”

  Quigo skipped his way to his bonus.

  With this, the situation should be resolved.

  The red haired little girl watched Quigo skipping to the adults’ direction, spping anyone who screamed and doing it all with an excited smile.

  The children cheered every time Quigo spped someone so he did it five more times to make them happier.

  He was putting on a show.

  “You people are weird. Anyway, I will take my leave.” a sudden procmation came from the girl.

  “Mm?”

  “Take care of the children, humans. They are weak now, they have the heart of a hunter.” The little girl spoke softly, she worried that the children would hear her. She smiled at Ashten’s direction, “It was short, but it is refreshing to meet an adult carrying regality.”

  After journeying into the world, she thought all adults were scumbags as her only point of reference were those from the Orphanage. But thanks to Ashten, she got to see a side she actually liked.

  She gained a good memory right before leaving. The red haired girl turned to leave but was caught by the colr.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Ashten had different ideas.

  “Leave, obviously? My job here is done and the orphanage burnt down. I need to find a new pce where I can stay and I have to find someone.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re coming home with me.”

  “Huh?”

  “I said I was going to adopt a child, and you’re my prime candidate. Congratutions, you are going to be my daughter.” Ashten announced with a matter-of-fact attitude, “I cannot let a child roam the world. That will be negligent on my part, and I acknowledge you to have the qualities to become my daughter. So rejoice and—”

  The little girl was already running away.

  Ashten’s mind gged. He watched her running away, expecting her to return thinking “Who wouldn’t want to become my daughter?” he waited — until he realized she was not coming back he did not waste time and chased after her.

  OmniPlump