Although there was no answer, the presence moved and became distant, as if it was moving between shadows.

“Now then…”

Sebas moved his feet.

He did not have a destination. His goal was to completely map out the geography of the capital. He wasn’t commanded to do it; rather, it was out of his own free will as part of his information gathering.

“Let us head in that direction today.”

Having muttered so, Sebas rubbed his hair back and spun the scroll he held in one hand. He was like a child enjoying himself.

He walked farther and farther out from the center of the capital, from where the public order was best.

After winding through the roads, the streets started to become dirty and a slightly foul stench began to permeate the air. It was the smell of rotten foods and sewage. Sebas walked silently through the stench that threatened to cling on to his clothes.

Sebas abruptly stopped his stride and looked around his surroundings. He appeared to have ventured into a back alleyway. The path was just barely wide enough to allow two people to pass each other.

The narrow alleyway and the setting sun, no sign of people anywhere, they made it difficult for people to take this road. But none of that posed a problem for Sebas. He walked on in silence, melting into the darkness.

Sebas turned multiple corners in a direction that was more desolate than the last and suddenly, his unfaltering steps came to a halt.

Without a specific destination in mind, he had been walking to wherever his feet and whims may take him. However, he found that he had ventured quite far from the residence he had established as their base. Using his intuition, Sebas roughly perceived his current location and drew a line in his head from here to the base.

Although it was a trivial distance considering Sebas’ physical ability, that only applied when moving in a straight line. Walking normally would end up taking quite a bit of time. Since it was almost time for the curtain of night to fall, it would be prudent for him to start heading back. He did not want to worry Solution whom he was staying with. Should a strong enemy appear, both Solution and Sebas had a Shadow Demon hiding in their shadows. Using them as shields would give them ample time to retreat. However—

“… I should be heading back.”

Though honestly, he wanted to continue his walk for a bit longer. This was almost like his hobby; he would often lose track of time when it came to his outings. However, even if he had to withdraw, Sebas felt that he should at least see what was past this road and decided to continue down the narrow alleyway.

As he walked silently through the darkness, a sudden creaking noise rang out fifteen meters in front of him. A heavy iron door slowly opened up ahead, spilling its interior lights outside. Sebas stopped and quietly observed the scene in front of him.

When the door was opened all the way, a person’s face came into view. Although he could only discern the silhouette because of the backlight, it was probably a man. He appeared to examine his surroundings and, failing to notice Sebas, went back inside.

Thud. Suddenly, a heavy sack was flung out the door and crashed on to the ground. The light leaking from the door fell on the sack, and by its shape, made it apparent that something soft was being held inside.

Although the door was open, the man who threw the sack as if he was taking out the trash did not yet reappear.

For a moment, Sebas frowned then wondered whether he should walk past it or head back the way he came. He had run into quite a bothersome incident.

After a brief hesitation, he continued down the quiet and narrow path of the dark alleyway.

The mouth of the large sack split open.

The sound of Sebas’ footsteps rang through the alley and at last, the distance between him and sack shortened.

As he was about to walk past, his feet stopped.

Sebas felt something touch his pants. He lowered his gaze and there, found what he had expected to see.

Extending from the sack, an emaciated, twig-like hand holding onto the hem of his pants and the topless body of a girl.

The sack was now opened wide, fully revealing the girl from the waist up.

Her blue pupils held no strength, glossed over in a murky glint. The hair that fell down to her shoulders was withered due to a lack of nutrients. Her face was beaten, swollen like a balloon. Her dry, cracked skin was littered with countless pink spots the size of fingernails.

The scrawny body had almost no life remaining.

It was already no different from a corpse. No, it was obviously still alive. The hand grasping on to the hem of Sebas’ pants claimed as much. But could you call someone who could only just barely breathe as being alive?

“…Will you please release your hand?”

There was no response to his words. It was obvious that she wasn’t ignoring him despite hearing what he said. Past the swollen cracks of her eyelids, there was nothing reflected in her murky eyes as they stared into space.

If Sebas were to move his feet, he could easily brush aside those fingers that were thinner than tree branches. However, he did not do so and instead, asked her once more.

“…Are you in trouble? If so—“

“—Hey, old man, where’d you come from.”

A low, menacing voice interrupted Sebas.

A man appeared from the doorway. Thick chest and arms with a scar on his face, the man glared sharply at Sebas with a hostility that was plain for anyone to see. The lantern in his hand shined a red light.

“Oi, oi, oi. What’re you staring at, old man?”

The man loudly clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin.

“Get lost. If you leave now then I’ll let you go in one piece.”

Seeing that Sebas did not move even after his warning, the man took a step forward. The door behind him slammed shut with a heavy thud. Very slowly, the man menacingly set down the lantern at his feet.

“Hey gramps, you deaf?”

The man spun his shoulder, cracked his neck, and slowly raised his right fist. He obviously was not someone who would hesitate to resort to violence.

“Hmm…”

Sebas smiled, one well suited for the expression of an elderly gentleman. His smile made others feel his kindness and experience a powerful sense of relief. But for some reason, the man took a step back, as if a powerful carnivore had appeared in front of him without warning.