Chapter 82 — The Wooden Box

"And who are you?" the man standing closest to me said, drawing his sword.

Fresh bloodstains were clearly visible on the blade, though it looked like he had tried to wipe them away.

What should I do? Kill them?

After what they did to this child and her parents… they already deserved death.

Though maybe it wasn’t them. But the chance of that was far too small.

"Answer. Or do you want to die?" the man said, abruptly pressing the sword against my throat, clearly trying to intimidate me.

Alright then.

I dodged easily—so fast he didn’t even have time to react.

I grabbed his arm, twisted… and broke it.

"AAAAAH!" he screamed, and his sword clattered to the floor.

I looked at the man holding the girl.

"Don’t come any closer!" he said, pressing the blade against her throat.

Despair filled the girl’s eyes.

Tears streamed down her face, but she trembled silently, trying not to move.

The man slowly began backing away, holding the girl with one hand while keeping the sword at her throat with the other.

"Don’t move or she dies!" he said.

Damn… This guy… Is he insane?

The blade lightly scratched her skin, and thin drops of blood ran down her neck.

"Don’t move. Stay where you are," he repeated.

To hell with that.

Why should I leave him alive?

I teleported behind him and, without wasting a second, placed my hand on his neck at full speed…

and snapped his spine, giving him no chance to react or hurt the girl further.

CRACK.

His body went limp and collapsed onto the floor.

I quickly created a healing potion.

"Hey… are you alright? Here, drink this. It’ll help," I said, opening the vial and carefully pouring the potion into her mouth.

It was a healing potion.

Within seconds, the wound on her neck disappeared, and the swelling on her face faded completely.

But the fear in her eyes remained. Weaker than before, yet still there.

"It’s okay. Nothing is threatening your life anymore," I said as gently as possible.

"You bastard! You don’t know who you messed with! Iron Jack won’t let you live. He’ll skin you alive for killing his man!" the man with the broken arm shouted.

What is he even saying? Is he threatening me?

His presence only made the girl’s condition worse.

I noticed her flinch when she heard the name Iron Jack.

Alright. Time to take out the trash.

I teleported to the man, grabbed him, and carried him into the Training Room.

One motion—and his neck snapped.

I threw the body outside and immediately returned to the girl.

"See? There’s no one else here. Nobody is threatening you," I said, trying to calm her.

She looked at me strangely.

That look made me uneasy.

Damn… how do I calm her down?

It seemed her parents had been killed.

Fresh tears filled her eyes, and she burst into loud sobbing.

Damn. What should I do?

Where are Rem and Sherial?

I need their help more than ever right now.

After some time, the girl calmed down enough to tell me what had happened.

The dead man and woman were not her parents.

The man was her father’s brother, and the woman was his wife.

Her father had been an adventurer.

She barely remembered her mother—she had died when the girl was very young.

About six months ago, her father left on an expedition into a large dungeon with a big group and never returned.

Her uncle and his wife apparently assumed her father had died.

And they decided to get rid of her… while earning money at the same time.

They planned to sell her to a bandit organization led by Iron Jack.

According to the girl, that organization practically controlled the entire city—brothels, underground casinos, and many other shady operations.

So they intended to sell her into a brothel.

What the hell…

Are they completely insane?

She’s only nine.

Her uncle had a son—a boy about two years older than her.

When the bandits came to take the girl, they decided to take the boy as well.

Apparently they had some client… who preferred boys.

And today they urgently needed another child.

But the uncle and his wife refused.

The bandits tried to take the boy by force.

The uncle attacked one of them, the wife joined the fight, and in the chaos they managed to give the boy a chance to escape.

So…

They were willing to sell the girl.

But they tried to protect their own child until the very end.

I didn’t know what to think about that.

On one hand—they risked their lives for their son.

On the other—they were ready to destroy another child’s life without hesitation.

No matter how you look at it… that didn’t change what they were planning to do.

And regardless—they still deserved death for it.

"Sir… who are you? And how did you get here?" she finally asked after calming down.

Isn’t that a bit late?

"My name is Alisar. I’m an adventurer. Not long ago, my party and I defeated a dungeon boss. A treasure chest appeared as a reward, and inside one of them was a wooden box.

That one," I said, pointing to the box I had taken from the dungeon.

"No… that’s impossible. That’s my box!" the girl said, rushing forward, grabbing it, and clutching it tightly.

I didn’t know what to say. I had literally found it in a treasure chest.

"But I’m not lying. I really found it in a dungeon," I said quietly.

"Maybe it’s another one… the same kind," she said uncertainly.

Another one? I doubted it. I was almost certain it was the same box.

"My dad had one just like this," she added.

"So they’re identical?" I asked.

"Yes. Our ancestor found them many generations ago. It’s a family heirloom. A magical tool. It’s our family’s secret," she said.

A magical tool…

I needed to know what kind of tool it was and what ability it had. But she probably wouldn’t tell me easily.

Though… maybe she would?

"Can you explain?" I asked gently.

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"If you put an item into one box and fill it with mana… enough mana… it transfers that item to the other box. My dad used to send me gifts once a month."

"My dad…" she repeated, her eyes filling with tears.

Damn. She remembered him.

"Calm down. I’m sure your dad is fine. Maybe he was delayed. Dungeons can be unpredictable," I said.

Damn… what am I even saying?

If he hasn’t returned for six months, he’s most likely… dead.

And if this truly is a magical tool, the gifts would have continued. But judging by her reaction, they stopped long ago.

And the fact I found the second box after defeating a boss only makes the worst possibility more likely.

"You need to be strong when your dad comes back. Okay?" I said.

She nodded.

Good.

"Take care of yourself and be careful. Do you have any other relatives? Or maybe your father’s friends?" I asked.

"No. All his friends went with him. They were adventurers," she said.

That’s bad.

I can’t leave her alone here. Maybe I should take her with me for now and ask Rem or Sherial for advice. Maybe they know of a good orphanage in the city… or something.

We’ll figure something out.

And one more thing—I need to deal with Iron Jack’s organization. People like that shouldn’t exist.

I’ll destroy them, no matter the cost. Even if my party disagrees.

Though… knowing Rem and especially Sherial, they wouldn’t leave scum like that alive either.

Suddenly, the girl looked at the wooden box in confusion.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"I don’t know… it’s shaking," she said.

"Let me see," I said.

"Okay."

She held the box out. The moment I touched it, it flared with blinding light.

…

"Alisar, what are you doing? Are you alright?" I heard Sherial’s voice.

When my vision returned, I was back in the dungeon clearing.