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“Why did it turn out like this?”

The young girl, Maria Francesca, blankly pondered.

The lives of the street kids wandering the streets were usually determined by one of two paths. Either they were used for begging or coercive selling, or they were involved in crimes like pickpocketing or robbery. And if they were a girl with a somewhat decent face, they might even be pushed into prostitution.

Some might wonder why they live such lives, but for them, there were no other options. They didn’t know any other way of life, and there was no one to kindly teach them.

Whether they had lost their parents, been abandoned by them, or been kidnapped and exploited, the environment around them was unkind to everyone without exception. The power figures in the back alleys who exploited them had no reason to teach such easily disposable slaves, and ordinary citizens only spat on and despised them as criminals or potential criminals.

Maria Francesca was also one of those street kids. She didn’t know since when. Whether she had been abandoned by her parents or kidnapped as a baby, her memory held no trace of anyone she could call her parents. She had been raised by slightly older kids in the same situation as her.

The only thing she knew about herself was the name Maria Francesca, engraved on a nameplate she was holding when she was found. Even that was only because there was someone in the slum who could read. Otherwise, she might have been called some completely random name.

Of course, Maria had never seen that nameplate. The object, said to be decorated with jewels, had long been sold on the black market. Some people jokingly talked about the mystery of her birth, but Maria had no interest in such things. Her daily reality was already challenging enough……

As soon as she could somewhat distinguish things, she was pushed out onto the streets to earn money. But to earn money, she needed the means.

Even if she wanted to beg, all the good spots were already taken by those who had claimed them, and if a newcomer begged without permission, they would be severely beaten.

And even if she wanted to pickpocket, how could a child who had just hit the streets manage that?

Fortunately, there were some who pitied her, so sometimes she was allowed to beg, other times she tagged along as a pickpocket’s assistant, and occasionally she joined in shoe-shining or other odd jobs, barely managing to meet her daily quota and get some leftover stew to eat.

But even that was reaching its limit. She was now around ten years old. In a few more years, she might start showing signs of puberty. That fact was making her increasingly anxious.

The root of the problem lay in her appearance, which, despite being dirty and skinny, was somewhat decent for a girl raised in the slums.

The scruffy men rolling around the slums couldn’t afford proper brothels. The ones who took them as customers were amateur prostitutes from the same slums. By that standard, Maria seemed to have a promising future.

Maria, being quick-witted, couldn’t help but notice the atmosphere.

Her heart raced. She had to find a way to show that there was a better use for her than selling her body to fellow street kids. But it wasn’t something she could control.

Then, she spotted a boy around ten years old on the street and, without much thought, tried to pickpocket him using the techniques she had learned.

But before she could even use her skills, she ended up sprawled on the ground. To make matters worse, the boy she tried to pickpocket not only applied medicine to her wounds but also invited her to lunch.

It was an absurdly unfamiliar situation, and her feelings were inevitably complicated.

The boy, Conra, soon returned to the restaurant with bocadillo and tortilla, carrying a straw basket for Maria. From the smell, it seemed to contain the same bocadillo and tortilla as his.

“I ordered the same as mine, but what if you don’t like it?”

He then smacked his forehead, realizing he had forgotten to ask what she liked.

But from Maria’s perspective, Conra’s worry was pointless. How could she know if she liked or disliked something when she had never eaten proper food like bocadillo or tortilla before? You have to try something to know if you like it.

Having only ever eaten leftover stew, and even that rarely to her fill, every word from Conra felt like a taunt.

Of course, that was only when she still had the mental capacity to think.

As her stomach growled, the proper food in front of her emitted a delicious aroma. Maria knew. Even though she had never eaten it before, she knew.

‘This must be delicious. At least compared to the leftover porridge I’ve been eating, this must be incomparably better.’

Even though she had only smelled it, her throat was already swallowing saliva on its own. Restraint in the face of food was something Maria had never learned in her life. The only thing making her hesitate was her wariness of strangers.

“What are you doing? Go ahead and eat. I’ve been watching, and this place has a pretty good reputation.”

Saying so, Conra took a big bite of his bocadillo.

“Wow! This is delicious! The crispness of the vegetables and the rich aroma of the meat are alive!”

Then he took a bite of the tortilla, shivered, and exclaimed again.

“It’s delicious!”

At this point, there was no holding back. Maria, like a possessed person, took out her bocadillo and took a big bite, just like Conra had done.

“Huuuut……!”

What she felt was the softness and richness of the bread, the freshness of the crisp vegetables, the savory flavor of the meat, and the explosion of tangy and sweet sauce blending together.

Shivering as she chewed and swallowed the感动, Maria’s gaze turned to the tortilla. Eating something made from eggs was honestly a first for her. She might have had eggs in the leftover stew before, but she had never seen a proper egg dish like this.

In fact, she only learned that this was made from eggs after Conra explained it.

So this mischievous tortilla had to be punished by being eaten.

With a slightly off-kilter conclusion in her head, Maria firmly bit into the tortilla.

“Haaahp!”

Like a carnivore tearing into its prey, Maria bit into the tortilla, and the explosion of flavor, aroma, and texture in her mouth made her let out a sound resembling a dolphin’s cry or an animal’s groan.

After eating her fill and coming to her senses, Maria felt awkward. Conra was looking at her with a strangely satisfied expression. For a moment, the girl’s face turned red.

……After finishing lunch, Conra asked Maria.

“So, what do you plan to do now? Go home?”

“Well…….”

Maria sighed, wondering what to do. After all, she hadn’t met her quota. Having a delicious lunch for the first time was an unforgettable stroke of luck, but going back like this would put her in a difficult situation.

But it also felt wrong to go around pickpocketing someone else now. Somehow, today didn’t feel right for that.

Though he didn’t know her situation, Conra could sense the air of someone in need of quick money. He didn’t want to send the girl he had lunch with back feeling uneasy. After some thought, he made her an offer.

“If you have time, how about showing me around the city? My hobby is sightseeing the streets of cities I’ve just arrived in.”

At Conra’s suggestion, Maria felt anger rising within her. Her mind was already troubled, and now this guy wanted her to be his tour guide? But what stopped her from refusing in a sharp voice was Conra’s next words.

“I’ll pay you generously.”

“How much are you offering?”

Maria’s cautious question was filled with the agony of a slum dweller struggling to make ends meet. For her, earning her quota without risk was not a bad deal.

And when Conra mentioned the amount he had in mind, Maria’s attitude changed dramatically, showing enthusiastic agreement to his proposal.

+++++

When Sophia returned to the Valencia church after handling some business, it was before Hildegard and Esiocles had returned. Esiocles, with his notoriously provocative attire, had caused a minor clash with the Valencia guards, so Hildegard had gone to pick him up.

Waiting at the lodging was Conra, her squire and disciple, who had been out sightseeing the city during the day.

Sophia was about to ask if he had a good time when she noticed the boy’s expression wasn’t great.

‘Ugh, what happened now?’

Experiencing various incidents like this sometimes made her question human relationships. Perhaps forming groups was a foolish choice for humans.

 

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