Chapter 25.
At the same time.
In an item shop on the border between the slum and the main street.
Chloe, proficient in infiltration, efficiently located Eugene's designated target.
"Liliruca Erde, that's you, isn't it."
Chloe, whose face was hidden by a scarf and who appeared silently like a phantom, exuded the oppressive aura of a top-tier Level 4 adventurer. This left the cowering Pallum girl with no thought of resistance.
"My, my Lady, I... I don't know what you want with Lili?"
"..." Chloe did not speak, assessing the trembling Lili with various expressions.
The girl with brown curly hair, who looked barely ten years old, was petite but already well-developed. Her slender waist and curvy figure, if not for her timidness, would have made her an outstanding beauty among the Pallum.
Does the boss like this type?
The Black Cat girl really couldn't see anything special about Lili.
She was just a legal loli what was so rare about that?
I'm also both a mature lady and a loli, meow?
Shaking off these stray thoughts, Chloe casually tossed out an accessory.
Her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"If you want to leave the Soma Familia, go to the XX location in the Dungeon at XX time."
"This accessory will guide you to the person who can help you."
"Do not pin your hopes on your Familia's captain. His greed is boundless; even if you earn ten million valis, you will absolutely never be able to leave that hell."
"The person you are looking for, he can solve everything for you."
Lunoire threw the accessory over, not waiting for the dazed Lili to respond.
"My, my Lady!"
Lili sprang up from the ground as if waking from a dream, her expression a mix of disbelief and confusion.
There were too many things she didn't understand.
Why did the other party know what she wanted? Why were they so certain that she could never leave the Familia on her own?
Why would they help her, a complete stranger?
A thousand questions jammed in her throat, making it impossible to speak.
Chloe looked at the girl, who was choking up from excessive excitement, and couldn't help but look at her with sympathy.
What exactly had she been through?
How much hardship and frustration would a weak, helpless Pallum girl face in this world where the strong reign supreme?
But she hardened her heart and did not make any unnecessary gestures.
This was also Eugene's instruction.
Chloe's voice returned to its cold tone, leaving no room for explanation.
"If you succeed, no one will ever be able to trouble you again."
"Remember, this opportunity for freedom is only for once."
"Miss it, and you will never be able to turn your life around!"
Never be able to turn your life around!
To Lili, this was the darkest nightmare of her life!
A verdict that would drive her to despair!
Since she could remember, she had been trapped in this endless abyss, unable to escape.
For five, ten years, she had hoped for human kindness.
But all she ever received was merciless oppression.
"I will definitely"
Whoosh!
A cold gust of wind blew past.
In the blink of an eye, the person in front of her was gone.
"So, so strong..."
The speed of a Level 4 adventurer was beyond imagination.
A mere messenger had such power.
Then how incredible must the mastermind be?
I must go, I must go!
What if it was a trap? What did it matter!
Lili's heart was pounding, her lips trembling.
All of this was too fantastical.
Her life was already at the bottom.
Nothing could be worse than death.
No, in fact, if she truly had to be bound forever to this chaotic and unrestrained Familia.
Then it would be better to end her life sooner!
The impatient Pallum girl forgot the fatigue of her recent return from the Dungeon.
Her short blouse could not hide the layers of bruises on her tender skin.
But she frantically packed up her tattered canvas robe, which was covered in tools, and shouldered her oversized, seemingly comical rucksack, which looked bigger than she was.
Protagonists in this world are few and far between.
Lili was not one of them.
She was the weakest of the Pallum, with no outstanding talent or superior intellect.
Just staying alive was exhausting.
But that little bit of hope, accumulated over countless days and nights, was always easily snatched away just as it began to coalesce into light.
"Lili hates adventurers."
The scarred girl began to descend into self-loathing at some unknown point.
She used deceit, theft, and various dishonorable means to seek revenge on those who had wantonly bullied her.
Even if the result often ended in a harsh beating.
As long as she could have a brief time to make those high-and-mighty people feel the same despair she felt.
That would be the best.
To escape the constraints and exploitation of the Familia, Lili simultaneously fought desperately to earn money and lived with this fallen mindset.
She didn't know, and didn't dare to think, which would break first: her body or her mind?
When such a life becomes a habit, a person turns to evil.
And she was not far from that day.
But now.
An opportunity like a bolt from the blue was placed before her without warning!
A figure of great mystery and power would condescend to offer a helping hand to a humble Pallum girl?
Unfathomable, unimaginable!
Yet, she couldn't help but be obsessed with it, filled with twelve million parts of anticipation.
The night deepened.
In the dark and cold alleyways, the girl ran with all her might toward the Dungeon.
Her eyes reflected the tower that reached the heavens.
As if it were the symbol of a new life.
Lili had never felt so proactive, so full of vitality.
Unlike every previous day, when she struggled just to walk to survive.
This time, she didn't even feel tired.
The wind whistled past her ears, and the girl's skin felt hot.
This is wonderful!
The approaching scenery almost made Lili cry out.
She thought her tears had dried up, but when that light truly descended before her eyes, she couldn't control her emotions at all.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and Lili didn't even have the thought to wipe them away.
The muscles in her calves ached, and her panting throat felt like it was about to split open.
She was running toward hope, yet she couldn't stop crying.
I am so pathetic.
I, who have already fallen, am still shamelessly seeking salvation.
I, who have also hurt others, am still so anxiously chasing after a new life.
A person like Lili was not worthy of such a precious opportunity.
But her body still uncontrollably flew forward.
"I'm sorry, unknown adult."
"Please forgive my greed, please forgive my baseness!"
"But even so, I truly, truly still!"
"Truly still want to be saved"!!"
She finally reached the base of the Babel Tower.
The pitch-black entrance, which symbolized danger and death to adventurers.
Now it feels like the warmest place in the world.
Lili smiled genuinely.
For the first time in her life, she was so full of anticipation for the future.
Dong.
The clock struck the hour.
There wasn't much time left until the adult's appointed hour.
But if the journey went smoothly, it would be enough for the girl to arrive on time.
...If the journey went smoothly.
The overjoyed girl only paused for a few seconds before dragging her heavy body forward again.
And just at that moment"
"Yo!"
A thick leg suddenly shot out, tripping the completely defenseless Lili!
Thud!
The heavy rucksack pressed down on her back. Due to her exhausted state, she couldn't get up for a moment.
She looked utterly ridiculous.
"Two days, no see, I missed you so much, Erde."
Appearing from the shadows was not hope.
But the cold, cruel smiles of her abusers.
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