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Light casts shadows where it shines, and the brilliant light naturally draws in the deep darkness.

The back alleys swarmed with criminals were just like that.

The more people gathered in the Capital City, the more criminals and lowlifes flocked like trash. That was exactly what this back alley had become.

I left the students waiting outside and boldly crossed the alley in search of Marian and Gwen. In the process, I didn’t forget to kindly ask the criminals who had taken up residence there.

“Guhhh… I saw… I saw… a girl with red hair and a boy with black hair…!”

“Where did they go?”

“The girl went that way… the boy went straight… Ugh! Are you asking us just for that…?!”

I casually tossed aside the now unnecessary thug.

The quickest way to gather information is to subdue your opponent and start from there. After all, these guys were criminals living off pickpocketing or scams, and they’d only look down on you if you played nice.

By the way, why did those two split up?

Marian surely knew that Gwen was bad with directions, so it was hard to believe they intentionally separated.

So whom should I look for first?

Despite appearances, Marian is quite the capable golem pilot. I often didn’t use her golem in class for fear it would break in my hands, but her golem is not something mere thugs in an alley could handle.

The lack of real combat experience was the issue, making her undervalue herself, but having taught her, I knew her abilities well. She had enough skill to get herself out if things got dangerous.

The problem was Gwen. Unlike Marian, who was quick on the uptake, Gwen had a simple demeanor. Plus, being seriously directionally challenged, it was hard to predict where she might wander off to if left unattended.

She may have even gone somewhere she shouldn’t have. I needed to find her as quickly as possible before any serious incidents happened.

As I continued on the path I believed Gwen had taken, I soon sensed a presence up ahead. Following the sounds of what seemed like a struggle, I saw Gwen pinning down a boy.

The sounds of scuffling were the boy trying to escape from Gwen’s grasp.

“Let go! Let me go! Damn it!”

“Return the stolen goods! Then I’ll let you go!”

“I already handed it over! I don’t have it!”

“Then lead me to the person you gave it to!”

Without realizing it, I let out a laugh that was either admiration or disbelief. I thought she was lost and in trouble, but I never expected Gwen to catch a pickpocket here.

Only when I approached did Gwen finally notice me, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

“Instructor? What are you doing here…?”

“That’s what I should be asking. Didn’t I tell you to report to me immediately if you got into something you couldn’t handle?”

“B-but this guy stole Schurz’s wallet…!”

“Even so, that doesn’t mean you can just wander off and end up in places like this. Gwen, that’s one demerit. Let’s head back.”

Gwen seemed more shocked to be scolded by me than receiving a demerit, pursing her lips and hanging her head low. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “What should we do about this kid?”

Gwen pointed to the boy she had subdued.

“Ugh…!”

Pinned down by Gwen, the boy stopped struggling when he noticed me, looking up with a slightly terrified expression and holding his breath.

Perhaps he thought he could get away easily since we looked like students. Little did he know, we were not as harmless as he assumed.

“First, let him go.”

Gwen looked puzzled, unable to comprehend my intention, but she did not refuse the order and let the boy go.

The boy seemed relieved as he thought he was being set free, immediately trying to run away, but I was quicker to grab his neck.

“Don’t move.”

“W-what! You weren’t going to let me go?!”

“I never said that.”

I glared at him with fierce eyes.

“Take off your coat and shoes.”

“W-what? Wh-why do I have to…?”

“If you want me to cut off your hands and force you to take them off, I can do that.”

At my harsh words, both Gwen and the pickpocket looked shocked and gasped. Eventually, after a moment of hesitation, the boy cautiously removed his shoes and coat. But upon inspection, all I found was dust.

I stared at the boy.

“Damn it….”

Finally, the boy spat out a resentful comment and took off his yellowed, dirty socks. That’s when I discovered Schurz’s wallet hidden beneath his feet.

Gwen asked, looking intrigued, “How did you know it was hidden there?”

“Just a hunch.”

It was obvious where a pickpocket would stash their loot. Even in the army, there were plenty of guys who sneaked out trophies, including army supplies, so I could tell where it was by merely looking.

Gwen looked pale as she gazed at Schurz’s wallet, now a bit dirtied.

“Hmm, I guess it’s best not to tell Schurz where we found his wallet… So what are we going to do about this kid?”

That was the very dilemma I was facing.

The boy must have sensed the atmosphere turning tense, for he quickly dropped to the ground, burying his head.

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! It’s just that I was struggling to make a living, and I didn’t mean to…! Please don’t kill me or cut off my wrists!”

“Cut off your wrists…?”

“They used to do that back in the day.”

In fact, such things still occasionally happened. Cutting off a thief’s hands was common in outer cities of other countries or empires, or even on the front lines.

In the Capital City, they wouldn’t claim it was barbaric, but getting sent to forced labor camps or mines was no better. It was hard to judge which was harsher.

After much deliberation, I finally spoke.

“I’ll just leave you be.”

“Is that really okay? Wouldn’t it be better to hand him over to the Gendarmerie…?”

“Right now, finding Marian is more important.”

I retrieved the lost wallet, and my priority now was to find Marian and exit this alley.

Catching a couple of pickpockets wouldn’t eliminate crime in the back alleys, and dragging this boy out with us was quite a hassle.

I gestured at the boy, and he left us, his face brightening as he immediately took off running before shouting obscenities from a distance.

Gwen frowned slightly, but I remained calm.

“……”

Anyway, that boy wouldn’t last long.

No matter how skilled a pickpocket, they wouldn’t dare cross soldiers or the Gendarmerie. The same went for Academy students in that regard.

Seeing he couldn’t distinguish between those he could rob and those he couldn’t, the boy’s fate was painfully predictable.

Not taking him straight to the Gendarmerie was the best mercy I could offer.

“Follow me.”

“Yes, Instructor!”

I would have liked to send Gwen straight out of the alley, but unfortunately, it was nearly impossible for the directionally challenged Gwen to find her way out alone. Ultimately, I had to take care of both Gwen and finding Marian.

I walked with Gwen in the direction I believed Marian had gone. Unlike when I found Gwen, I didn’t hear any sounds of conflict. Concentrating my hearing, I scrutinized my surroundings.

The rasping breath of the impoverished, drug addicts inhaling substances, the sounds of curses, and rats gnawing at corpses—all mixed in I heard a delicate sound of a woman’s breath that seemed out of place in this alley.

Found her.

I quickly threaded through the maze-like alley, following her presence until I discovered Marian standing alone in a relatively spacious area.

It was striking to see over ten men already unconscious and sprawled around her.

Marian, who appeared lost in thought, noticed our arrival and her face lit up.

“…Instructor? And Gwen!”

“Marian! So you were here!”

Marian immediately approached, her beautiful brow furrowing as she poked a finger into Gwen’s chest in discontent.

“Where the heck have you been!? Chasing after a pickpocket on your own, then suddenly disappearing! Do you understand how dangerous that was for me because of you!?”

“I-I’m sorry…! I messed up! I won’t do it again!”

“Ugh, seriously… I’m just glad you’re okay. You don’t seem injured at all.”

Marian sighed in relief and turned to me.

“Instructor, thank you for coming. I was worried about how to find Gwen. Did you find the wallet as well?”

“Yes. And Marian, regardless of chasing after Gwen, you too took a dangerous action, so that’s one demerit for you as well.”

“Eek.”

“Understood? Don’t engage in such reckless behavior again.”

I looked around as I spoke.

“Who did you run into?”

“Eh? No? It was just me here.”

Marian shook her head calmly; her demeanor was so natural that anyone would have believed she was telling the truth.

But I could see it. Her eyelids slightly trembling and her throat’s tension as she swallowed anxiously.

Around here were not only men but also shards presumed to be remnants of Marian’s golem, crumbled and scattered. Just from that, one could guess how powerful a force had acted.

Moreover, a corpse lay lifeless and shriveled nearby. The lingering traces of Dark Magic and the signs of its purification could still faintly be observed.

Killing someone swept up in Dark Magic and, in that short time, purifying it completely without leaving behind any aftereffects was something that couldn’t be done with just any divine power.

Only two people on the continent possessed such powerful divine powers, and having experienced the divine powers of those two, I could immediately deduce whose traces these were.

“Marian.”

“…Yes, Instructor?”

After a brief silence, I spoke.

“We’re moving.”

“Eh? Ah, yes…!”

I could guess who she had encountered and had a vague understanding of why she was trying to hide it.

So instead of exposing Marian’s lie, I led both her and Gwen out of the alley.

As we walked, I suddenly sensed a gaze from a distance and swiftly turned around.

“…….”

But upon looking back, there was no one there. Just the view of old buildings and the dark alley spread before me.

I stared at the spot for a moment before slowly turning my back.

*

The Saint, Charlotte, hid behind a wall, calming her racing heart.

Her heart pounded too fiercely.

It felt as if it would burst.

Did he see this? Did he notice me?

She knew this was wrong. While she was aware that it was dangerous to observe him from afar, she could not suppress her emotions.

She wanted to see him again but dared not peek around the building for fear their eyes might meet.

This was sin.

Her original sin she bore.

Charlotte wanted to cry but found no tears flowing. Even that flimsy emotion felt like a lie.

Deep within her chest, she was crushed by the overwhelming guilt.

She longed to see his face. To hear his voice. To approach him and strike a conversation.

But she couldn’t do that.

She had spoken those words, vowing not to meet him again. She was a sinner unworthy of such happiness.

‘Oh Goddess….’

Charlotte helplessly knelt on the ground. With her hands clasped together, she closed her eyes as if in prayer.

Her pristine white robe was tarnished with the filthy muck of the alley, but she didn’t mind at all.

‘Is this the punishment You have bestowed upon me?’

The sin of betraying both the man she loved and her faith.

The weight of that betrayal was deep and heavy.

 

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