The Slum

Flies… Rats… and a foul stench.

In my studies, I learned that even in the most glamorous city of the wealthiest empire, a shadow like this will always exist. Yet reading such descriptions in a book is entirely different from standing here and experiencing the reality myself—seeing dangerous individuals clustered on one side, and people with hollow eyes and skeletal frames poking out on the other.

“Melissa… do you not get targeted around these parts?”

Melissa simply shakes her head with a smile to reassure me. “My husband was once the leader of a group around here, so his name carries weight. Nobody dares lay a finger on me. If they tried, they know that my husband would make their lives miserable.”

I can only manage a wry smile at that… Of course. A man built like Tony must have been the undisputed boss of a gang in a place like this.

After navigating through the dark alleyway, I catch sight of a weathered church. It doesn’t look very large, especially compared to the one in the central district.

Melissa rings the brass bell hanging near the entrance, and before long, a middle-aged priest steps out.

“Father Graham! Good morning!”

“Oh! Melissa, welcome! Thank you for always coming here—we’re so blessed by your presence… And who might this young lady be?”

“My name is Luminera, an acquaintance of Ms. Melissa…” I offer a polite bow. “Nice to meet you.”

The priest opens the iron gate for us and gestures for us to step through. “Please, step inside and make yourselves at home.”

We step inside the chapel. The interior is in better condition than the outside, mostly because the people here keep the building clean. Still, I notice wooden buckets placed strategically across the floor to catch drops of water leaking down from the ceiling.

Passing through the main building, I catch sight of an unexpectedly massive backyard. It remains completely untended, with wild grass growing taller than my head. Off to the right side stands another wooden structure, which clearly serves as the orphanage proper.

“I am impressed… This plot of land is far larger than I thought.”

Father Graham turns to me with a soft, knowing smile. “The Holy See of Verecia purchased land in the poorer quarters of every major city they could reach, erecting chapels and sanctuaries across the world. It was Cardinal Fon’s decree over the past twenty years.”

“That’s… incredible.” That is all I can manage to say, momentarily lost for words.

As we draw nearer to the living quarters, the lively clatter of children’s voices echoes across the courtyard.

I count nearly thirty children as we draw closer… Two young nuns are tending to them—one hanging freshly washed garments on a line, while the other helps the youngest ones bathe and clean the building. Observing them closely, I notice a wide variety of physical features among the group, indicating that many of these children were fathered by foreign travelers passing through the capital.

“So many children… Is this why you have been unable to repair the chapel’s roof, Father Graham?”

When I ask that, Melissa excuses herself and hurries toward the kitchen with her food basket to begin preparing breakfast.

“That is precisely right. Abandonment cases have surged over these past ten years, especially since many people arrive from distant territories and even foreign nations. The surge stems from the entertainment district just north of here, brought on by the recent gold rush. We cannot hold them accountable. The Holy See’s allocated budget for this is limited, so I cannot request additional funds… But it seems Heaven never abandoned us. As soon as our numbers exploded, Tony and Melissa knocked at our door.”

My eyes widen as his words sink in… This is a stark reality I never witnessed or even considered from behind the walls of the Royal Castle.

I feel a sharp, painful pang in my chest… Father… No, as the First Princess, this should have been our crown’s duty—to care for our own citizens and shelter our vulnerable children. Yet here in the forgotten corners of the kingdom, it is the Church that steps into the breach where the royal house has failed.

“Thank you for explaining, Father. I shall think carefully about how I might help.”

I follow Melissa inside and offer to assist her with the meal. At first, she refuses, but my persistence wins out. I begin to set wooden plates along the long dining table while she wipes down the cutlery.

After the children finish washing themselves in the orphanage's communal bath, they start pouring into the room.

“There is enough for everyone! Please, do not run!” one of the nuns calls out from the doorway.

A few of the younger children quickly gather around me, tilting their heads up.

“Wow! A pretty big sister!” and “I want to look like her when I grow up!” A few little girls stare at my hair and face with sparkling eyes.

“Are you a noble, big sis?” A few little boys examine me, eyeing me almost like a rival instead.

One of the older boys sneers at the kid who spoke first. “No way a noble would wear simple traveling clothes like that! Besides, this big sis looks super tough, unlike those soft nobles…”

A few of them spot the tachi resting behind my hip. Realizing how dangerous it would be if curious hands reached for the blade, I pull the scabbard close and hold it securely against my chest.

“My name is Luminera. It is a pleasure to meet you all. You may call me Lumi.”

“Alright! Alright! Children… Please take your seats!” Father Graham calls out gently, clapping his hands.

“Yes, Father!” the children chorus in unison, scrambling toward the long wooden benches with squeals of excitement.

As Melissa begins distributing the portions onto each wooden plate, I take a closer look at the contents of the basket the moment she opens the lid.

Wait… Are those cured sausages?

Sausage is not mere leftover food—it is preserved meat that requires extra effort and cost to produce! This means Melissa and Tony are not simply handing off kitchen scraps from yesterday’s menu… They are deliberately crafting fresh, preserved provisions out of their own pockets specifically for these children.

Once everyone is seated, Father Graham steps to the head of the table, bowing his head to lead the prayer…

“We give thanks, Lord, for sending us Your grace… Especially through Melissa and her husband, Tony… providing what we lack so these little ones may grow in health and strength. Please bless their home with abundance and joy… Now as we partake in this gift, sanctify this food so it may grant us strength… Amen.”

“Amen!” the children chorus together before diving into their meals, filling the hall with the cheerful clatter of wooden spoons.

The nuns begin pouring fresh milk into each child's glass while distributing warm bread. It seems the sanctuary somehow manages to supply its own dairy—perhaps maintaining a cow in the spacious backyard?

I lean closer to Melissa, keeping my voice low so it carries only to her ears. “Melissa… I am truly moved. That food… it is not leftovers as you claimed, is it?”

Melissa looks at the children with kind eyes. “Some of it is, but we preserved it before it could go bad. Of course, not all of it is leftovers either. My husband, Tony, was born near these very streets… He was an abandoned child himself. He fought simply to survive—stealing, scrapping, doing whatever was required. Eventually, he gathered a band of misfits and became the ruler of this sector. That is why we know the slum so well and want to protect it.”

I find myself thoroughly fascinated by his history… Especially since Tony, the man I met in the kitchen, appears so soft-spoken and gentle. “Did something occur to change his path?”

“Eight years ago, a purge swept through this part of the city… It began after someone stole ten kilograms of raw gold from a noble house—Marquis Belenova’s estate. It turned out the man who committed the theft was Tony’s second-in-command, acting entirely without his knowledge. His name is Giordano, and I believe he remains imprisoned in the depths beneath the Iron Fortress to this day.”

The Iron Fortress… A facility constructed near the Royal Castle to house the most dangerous criminals in the kingdom.

“The Marquis dispatched his private guards to scour the slum, and the trail led to Tony’s group. Tony’s men insisted that they had no knowledge of the gold, which only drove Marquis Belenova to cut down anyone in his path. Of course, street fighters couldn’t withstand disciplined knights. No one in this slum holds a high-ranking spirit; anyone with such talent is swiftly recruited by wealthy merchants or high nobility.”

Father Graham chuckles softly as he catches the tail end of our conversation, drawing the curious glances of the surrounding children, who quiet down to listen.

“I found Tony in front of the chapel, fatally wounded. It seems his injuries came from protecting his subordinates, but most of his men didn't make it. I tried to treat his injuries, but the Marquis stopped me. Of course, I knew Tony’s group well enough to know he wouldn't do anything like this, so I looked the Marquis in the eye and said, ‘Cease this mindless massacre upon this sacred land! Do you have any definitive proof that this man is the true mastermind, or that he deserves to die by your blade?’ Unable to offer a response to that, the Marquis turned and left.”

Hearing a true first-hand account like this… I can only reflect on my past. The road I am walking is still far better than this story. Yet I was thinking that I was the most miserable person in this world…

I remember what Chronos told me earlier and touch my backpack, which holds only a few souvenirs after putting my clothes away in the dormitory wardrobe.

After finishing our meal, I look up to meet Father Graham's and Melissa’s eyes.

“Father Graham, Ms. Melissa… once the children have finished their breakfast, might we speak in private? There is a crucial matter I wish to discuss with you both.”