Let's Get Out Of Here

“I… I…”

For ten long seconds, I didn’t dare look up. My forehead stayed pressed to the cold stone. I gave him everything—completely and utterly. At any moment, he could’ve cut me down. And maybe he should have. But I needed Lord Calilah to believe I was sincere.

Because if I faltered for even a second…

The orphanage would go down with me. And I’d rather die than let that happen!

But eventually... that ol' familiar ping in my head had activated.

[SALARYMAN STATUS SCREEN]

[The East Gate Nobility] Reputation gain! +10 

Status changed from: Infamy to... Soft-Hearted Devil

Description: While your less-than-stellar reputation precedes you, you are now held in only slightly veiled contempt. With the right leverage, this is easily exploitable.

“Okay,” I heard him say finally. “Okay, I get it… you can stop the theatrics…”

As expected, he was stunned by my performance! Red-faced, probably flustered by the sheer emotional force of my honesty! My relentless attack on his conscience was working!

The fact he’d trust a total stranger after all that was… also kind of worrying, but hey, the gift horse was already bloated and it’d be rude to question its eating habits.

Although I had no doubt in my mind he’d beat us all in a fight if he sensed anything off.

I smiled. “I’m glad you agreed to this.”

“So… how exactly are you going to prove what you say is true?” Calilah still didn’t get it, huh?

“We leave the same way we got in.”

“Leaving!” His eyes went wide. Then he tilted his head, unsure. “We are… leaving?”

“Of course. I intend to keep my promise.”

“But we’d break so many rules…” He gave a breathy laugh. “So many taboos. Oh dear… Daddy’s going to be absolutely livid… teehee…”

“Take my hand.”

He nodded once.

And off we went.

\\

“You got the prince of all people?!” Piper hissed, her tail lashing behind her.

“Son of a Duke,” I corrected. “Not technically royalty.”

“He may as well be a damn prince! If we get caught, we’re dead.”

I frowned. “Then let’s not get caught, huh?”

Uriel didn’t wait. “I’ll clear us a path. Wait for my signal.”

“Oh, for the—” Piper groaned, realizing Uriel was already off like a shot. “Alright, we’re doing this. Come on, milord. I’ll have to carry you—those boots are going to be a problem.”

“E-eh?!” Calilah flushed beet red, clutching his attire like they’d somehow defend his dignity.

I hoped we weren’t pushing him too hard... but from the way he kept sneaking glances at Piper, I wasn’t sure.

Sure enough, his hand crept out—and he poked one of Piper’s biceps.

“You’re so… str—”

“Milord, hush!” Piper snapped. “You’ll get us caught!”

“O-okay,” he whispered, nodding like a scolded puppy. “Hands, kept.”

Uriel peeked around the corner, then flashed us a signal.

We moved.

“S-slow down!” the prince whimpered.

“No can do,” I muttered. “We’ve got, what, an hour tops before someone notices you’re missing? And the walk to the orphanage alone is fifteen minutes.”

We picked up the pace.

“Eeeeeek!”

He screamed. Then screamed again because a branch brushed his hair.

Honestly, it was a miracle no one had caught on yet.

But even through all the shrieks and flailing, I heard him mumble behind me, eyes shining:

“This is the greatest day of my life…”

\\

The evening sun was just over the horizon, unfortunately. It lit up everything. The overgrown moss, the weeds strangling the cobbles, the cracked and crumbling road that led to the orphanage.

Yep, this was home.

But to his credit, the Lord wasn’t as squeamish as I thought she’d be. In fact, he looked almost disappointed.

“I… I’ve never been to this side of town before,” he murmured. “From the descriptions given by my… mercenaries, they painted quite the vivid picture. It’s rundown, yes, but overall relatively okay…”

“Did that vivid picture include unflattering sketches of beastkin with menacing expressions?”

“Decidedly.”

Both his feet were on the ground now. Even if that ground was caked in mud, leftover from the creeping winter. His shoeshiner or whatever could probably deal with that.

Piper rubbed the back of her neck. “Don’t get the folks here wrong. Crime’s rampant, yeah… but no more than any other neglected corner of the Capital.”

“What are those cute little things over there?”

He was pointing toward one of the closed shops displaying one of the orphanage’s make.

“These are the Moonboxes we produce.”

“They are…”

I was half-expecting him to rag on them. But…

“They are great,” Calilah continued. “Flimsy, perhaps crude, but with plenty of character. It must have taken ages to…”

His eyes widened. “What… what’s this all this…?”

It was a graveyard. The same one I saw Martha stand over a week ago. Twenty, maybe more, weather-worn markers dotted the frozen soil.

We had to take the hidden back path through the trees to get here; an old, forgotten entrance behind the chapel.

It seemed to be getting to Lord Calilah, judging by how one gloved hand had drifted up to muffle his sobs.

“I don’t know if this brings any comfort to you,” Piper said quietly, “but… we haven’t had any deaths in a while. Winter is creeping in though, so if things remain how they are…”

The Lord’s voice was barely audible. “Why couldn’t they be saved…?”

“We didn’t have the money,” Piper replied.

“What?”

“As the Duke put it,” I said flatly, “this place was a tax burden and a danger to the city.”

His face twisted. “It was to discourage crime! And even then, what we’ve sent should have been enough!”

“Do you see any crime around you?!” Uriel snapped.

That stunned him.

“How much is ‘enough’ to you?” I asked.

Calilah hesitated, but only for a second. “A thousand gold. That’s what was allotted per month. It should’ve been enough to cover the basics. You wouldn’t have been able to live luxuriously, but we didn’t want to reward—”

Hold on. “A thousand gold?”

“Y–yes?” He blinked at me like he didn’t understand the question.

Uriel put her foot forward. “Come. Follow me.”

\\

I peeked around the corner and gave the go-ahead. Three figures slipped past me like shadows.

The Lord, unsurprisingly, was not dressed for sneaking. His gown dragged against the wooden floor, and his boot heels clicked far too loudly for comfort. But I had to give him credit—he moved with surprising athleticism, like a noble-trained cat burglar.

Worth the risk, though. The nun’s office was just ahead.

Miraculously, it wasn’t even locked.

“Piper, take right. Cotter, left. The Lord and I will handle the desk,” Uriel barked. She sounded like she’d done this before… probably had.

“Y-Yes, ma’am,” Calilah squeaked.

The desk was painfully neat. Of course it was—this was Mother Martha’s turf.

I got to work, fingers brushing over every drawer and crevice until—clink.

“I found the funds and accounts!” I called.

Inside the drawer sat a chest. On top lay a golden brooch, gleaming even in the dim light.

Calilah’s eyes widened. “Woah…”

Piper leaned over. “What, some shiny badge?”

“No,” Calilah said breathlessly. “That’s a commemorative medal—Posteria’s Faithful. Only fifty were ever made. They were said to descend from the heavens when Posteria the Wise ascended. They’re rotated among the most trusted clerics and nobles.”

Piper blinked. “Then why’s it collecting dust here?”

Exactly my thought.

I set the brooch aside and flipped through the papers underneath.

Each month had the same amount of income.

100 gold.

I felt some sort of unease from the Lord beside me.

“That… that’s impossible,” Calilah whispered. “I was told the orphanage was loose with money, that they were mismanaging funds…”

He took a step back. Then collapsed to her knees like the truth had physically struck her.

“The money’s being siphoned,” he said. “And the Crown didn’t catch it. I didn’t catch it. That makes me…”

He didn’t finish. His expression said enough.

Then, with a deep breath, he stood.

“Show me everything. Where you sleep. What you eat. I want every record you can find. I’ll take this too.” He gestured to the chest.

The door slammed open.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

We heard the scream of… Alexandria?!

Of course.

“You idiots suck at sneaking,” she snapped. “I heard everything. And is that the treasury chest?! What, trying to rob us blind now?”

I raised my hands. “Alex, calm down—”

“I was violated by your devil under the guise of being healed, Crystal, and now you’re stealing from us? People are going to die!”

Crap. This was really, really bad.

I doubt Alex’d recognize the Lord here; probably because she wouldn’t have had an opportunity to know who a minor noble is… let alone know his face.

If anyone else showed up from all this racket we were causing…

We were screwed.