The boy Aldis rescued from the clutches of Lactor reveals his own pocketbook in a weak way.

'I have no money. ......

What?

I don't have the money to hire an escort anymore.

　Aldis rolled his eyes at the unexpected response.

'You don't think your guards took your money?'

　If that's the case, it's not something that can be forgiven.
　It's not just abandoning the guard, it's a robbery that speaks the name of a mercenary. We'll need to find him and turn him in to a patrolman as soon as possible.

''No, it's not that: ......

　I had a bad feeling about the boy's reaction as he slurred his words.

'You don't think so, ......, but you didn't pay the entire fee in advance, did you?

'What?　Yes, but ....... Is it usually different?

　That nimbleness would make Aldis sigh.

'You know what? I don't care if you only pay part of the money up front, but if you pay the entire fee up front, you don't know if you'll be able to do the job responsibly and to the end.

　I'm in trouble, Ardis said, raising his eyebrows.
　Apparently, this boy, although he made a request for an escort as a mercenary, he paid all the rewards in advance and was left behind in the forest.

''But otherwise, I couldn't find anyone to take on the escort ......

　The boy insists that it was unavoidable.

And?　What do we do?　If you want to return to King's Landing, I'll accompany you.

　Frowning at the boy's carelessness, I return to the beginning of the conversation.

'Thank you. ...... but I can't just leave like this.

What?　You don't remember the day you almost died, do you?　This is the kind of place where a party of skilled mercenaries would risk getting wiped out even if they fought in a party?　If you're alone, and you're not used to fighting, you're going to go cold in less than an hour.

'That's ......, I think I know that. But I really need to go.

　Although the tone was quiet, Ardis could sense a strong will in it.
　I was intrigued and sat down at a reasonable fallen tree and encouraged him to talk.

　According to the boy's story, the purpose is to explore a certain ruin.
　The location of the objective is clear, and the purpose of the search is also clear: 'to obtain the sword that is left in the ruins'.

　But the problem is the location of the ruins.
　If Aldis's memory is correct, that is the area that Whips uses as his territory.
　The danger would be too great for a half-skilled escort.

'How many guards did you hire and how much did you pay for them?

'I asked for four mercenaries with one gold coin.

　One gold coin for four people means two silver and five copper coins per person.
　That's just about the line for an escort to enter the Caussus Forest.
　Moreover, that's a shallow area of the forest, and it's not a worthwhile job if you're going to be escorting people into such a deep area of the forest.

　At first I heard that he threw out the request and ran back, and Ardis was angry at the selfishness of the request.
　However, as far as the compensation is concerned, it is hard to believe that the person who accepted the job is also a skilled mercenary, but on the other hand, if it is a mid-level mercenary, escorting him to the depths of the forest would obviously be a heavy burden.

　On top of that, the boy is so stubborn that he insists on continuing onward even if he doesn't have an escort.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get away with it.

I'm sure that's the best we can do until the shallow part of the forest. If you want to reach this area, you'll need to hire five or six skilled mercenaries. We'll also need at least five gold coins as a reward.

Yeah, right: ......

　He must have been rejected by a large number of mercenaries in the King's capital for his request.
　The boy's expression was a mixture of satisfaction and disappointment.

''Do you really intend to go deeper?　Let me tell you, the demon ahead of you is much stronger than the giant snake you saw earlier, okay?　There's only one chance in ten thousand that we'll make it out alive.

　This means that barring a miracle, the boy's life will end up as fertilizer for the trees.

'Still, ....... There's about one possibility in ten thousand, isn't there?

　Is it boyish shallowness, or is there a reason to let it go so far? The boy's intentions seemed unwavering.
　Aldis sighed deeply and mouthed, "Let me hear what's going on," and then asked why the boy had come to this point.

　The boy's name was Kirill.
　He grew up in an orphanage in the city-state union in the west of the Kingdom of Nagras.

　When he turned ten years old, he entered the service as an apprentice to a medium-sized merchant association, and this year it has been two years since he became an apprentice.
　As an orphan, I can say that working for a chamber of commerce is a privilege to be treated well.
　In addition, Kirill's quick thinking and quick wit seems to have earned him the favor of the master of the Chamber of Commerce.

　The problem happened about half a year ago.
　The master of the chamber of commerce made a big mistake and got himself in considerable debt.
　Naturally, the master went to all sorts of places to get money, but he couldn't get anywhere with the results he wanted.
　Then one of the city's leading merchant associations offered to help him.

But the condition was that he had to offer up his sister as Julis' concubine.

　It seems that 'sister' is the only daughter of my master.
　Although she is not Kirill's biological sister by blood, she has taken good care of him and treated him like a little brother since he became an apprentice.
　His good-natured personality made him well-liked by the children of apprentices and other employees, who treated him well regardless of his wealth or ability to perform his duties.

　A man named Julis, the head of a large trading company, had long proposed to Kirill's master that he would like to have his sister as his mistress.
　But to his master, she is his precious only daughter and the heir to the Chamber of Commerce.
　Giving her up is tantamount to falling under his opponent's umbrella in effect.
　Her father would never forgive her for being a concubine, let alone a legitimate wife.

　However, if his business had failed and he was saddled with a large debt, and it would be impossible for him to repay it on his own, that was a different story.
　The only way to keep the trade association alive is to give up the daughter.
　In tears, the master decided to accept Juris's offer, and the daughter herself accepted it.

　As it turns out, it's a common story.
　It's not that they take your life.
　Even though she is a mistress, she will be supported by the master of a large store, so her life will not be terrible. In fact, they might be able to live a more luxurious life than they do now.

　Even for the Chamber of Commerce that Kirill is serving, it would be painful to lose a future heir, but at least the family and their party would not be lost to the streets.
　In addition, being able to do business under the protection of a large store could be an advantage.
　Aldis didn't know why this would lead to Kirill's current situation.

'My sister is ...... 'thwarted'

"Thwarted"?　What's that?

　I've never heard the word before, and Aldis asks what it means.

'Thwarted is the one who was born as a twin and 'allowed to live'.

　According to Kirill's explanation, in the city where he was born and brought up, there is a custom to kill the child born after the twin as the 'unclean child' when it is born.
　It is said that the idea is that if one of them dies bearing all the sins of both of them, the sins of the other will be purified.
　Therefore, after disposing of the 'unclean child', one of the twins can be raised normally.

I heard that there are places where only one of the twins is kept and raised.

　The words of Ted that he had heard before suddenly came to Ardis' mind.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　It's because one of the twins is thinned out as an 'unclean child' and the other one is called 'thinned out'.
　But the fact that they have such a name makes it easy to imagine how the other half of the twins will be treated by the people around them when they grow up.

Julis has always had a bad reputation. It is said that she has had orphans and daughters from poor families as concubines in the past, but they all died within a few years, and they are rarely seen. I have heard from people that the deceased concubines had numerous bruises and scratches on their bodies.

　We'll have to find out what's really going on, but the suspicion that Juris is abusing his concubine is strong based on what I've heard about the situation.

If the 'thwarted' sister is taken to such a person, how will they treat her: ......

　Kirill's dark, downcast face brightens as if he has found a faint hope.

'But this month, another large chamber of commerce has offered to give me a loan with conditions.

And one of those conditions is that you bring back the sword from the ruins?

Yes, sir.

　I finally understood why Kirill had been so stubborn about advancing through the forest, without regard to the danger he was in.

　But even if you understand the situation, it's still dangerous.
　If you really want to go deep into the forest, you should hire an appropriate amount of money to protect you, and if you can't do that, you should give up.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it, because even if you put Kirill's life on the line here, there is no chance of winning.

　But--.

　Ardis smiled falsely and said to Kirill.

I understand the situation, but there's no need for you to go that far, is there?　They are blood strangers, and above all, they are twins. The twins are called the cursed children.

　Kirill took a bite out of those words.

'Your sister is not a cursed child!　My sister is amazing!　I read a lot of books, I know a lot of things, my handwriting is neat on the books, and I'm the best in the business world at calculating transactions!　He's so kind that he's been taking care of me the whole time I've been sick with a fever!　They don't look down on you because you're an orphan, or avoid you, or look at you like you're touching a boil, and they treat you like a proper human being!　I've never known a more wonderful person!　It doesn't matter that we're twins!

'But the twins are demons avenging a goddess, aren't they?　The fact is, the church is looking at you. No one will blame you for abandoning them.

　Kirill glares at Aldis with his dark blue eyes.

'I can't forgive myself. I'd rather be the one who wags his fingers and abandons his benefactor when there's a chance he could help: ......

　He bites his lips gritty, then straightens his posture and says

'I really do appreciate the help you've given me. But I'm going. If there's even one possibility in ten thousand, I'd like to help my sister.

　He wasn't going to wait for an answer from Aldis.
　Kirill turned away and stepped deeper into the forest.

　From behind him, Aldis asks one last question.

'Even if it means going against the Goddess's wishes?

'Of course. It is wrong for someone like your sister to be unhappy just because she is a twin. If that's what the Goddess teaches, then .................. that's not a god!

　Kirill replied without looking back, and when he finally denied the goddess with an angry look on his face, he disappeared from Aldis's presence as it was.

　Sitting down, Aldis stared at the direction Kirill had gone for a while, before eventually turning his face to the sky and closing his eyelids.

　The thinning practices Kirill had mentioned were heartbreaking.
　It's a horrible thing to be killed the moment you are born, but perhaps that absurd practice is the result of the anguish of our ancestors as they tried to save at least one half of the twins.

　Once again, Ardis suppressed her anger and thought about the boy Kirill.
　A child, not yet an adult, walked alone through a forest infested with demons.
　It's a good thing that he is not accustomed to the world for his age, for example, he paid his guards the entire reward in advance. But considering the age of twelve, it would be good to call him intelligent.

　I'm not sure if he's been taught a good lesson at the trade association he's serving, but his answers are solid and he seems to have a quick mind.
　He had the courage to risk his life for his bloodless sister, the energy to come to distant Naglas, and the strength of mind that would never give up.

　Above all, Ardis, who is protecting Filia and Liana, finds it highly desirable that the twins' values stand in direct opposition to the tendency to treat them as an abomination.
　It was a shame to let them die in vain in this place.

''It's wrong for someone like your sister to be unhappy just because they are twins. If that's what the goddess teaches, then .................. that's not a god!''

I know,

　Kirill's last words repeated in his brain, and he stood up, mumbling in a convincing tone of voice.

'How can that thing be a god?