"You little devil...
I'll find you!"
"Huh? Master, what happened?"
"Oh no, Ryu! My money has been stolen!
Life has no meaning anymore!
I'll just end it right here!"
The master pulled out his dagger and tried to stab his own heart, but Ryu quickly threw himself forward and stopped him.
"Master! You're really gonna kill yourself over a few coins!?"
"We'll find it together."
Ryu forcefully took the dagger away, and the master—now limp and dramatic—was dragged along with him…
Suddenly someone behind them cleared their throat.
"Ahem, the apple money."
Ryu pulled the money from his hidden pocket and handed it to the vendor.
"Wha… Ryu, where'd you get that?"
"Heh heh… When I was working earlier, that old man gave these to me and said, 'Hide them. You'll need them someday.'"
"Oh… how much is left?"
"Master, if you think I'm giving the rest to you, keep dreaming.
Let's go find your money first."
They searched around the city, turned every corner upside down, but still couldn't find the girl.
Night fell, and they needed a place to sleep.
Many houses had been destroyed or abandoned because of the monster attacks…
They finally found a house that wasn't too damaged; only some walls had collapsed.
"Master, can we stay here tonight?
It's a bit broken, but good enough.
But… grrrr… Master, I'm starving. That girl took all our food and money…"
"Ryu, give me some of that hidden money. We need it now more than ever."
"It's gone."
"What!?"
"When we were looking for the girl, all the snacks we bought were from that money."
"And they were expensive too. There's nothing left."
(Food prices in the City of the Moon were three to five times higher than normal.)
"So what do we do now, Master?"
The master thought for a moment and said:
"Stay here. I'll go find some food. Maybe I'll get lucky."
"Alright…"
The master walked around the outskirts of the city.
After searching for a long time, he couldn't find anything and was heading back when he suddenly heard a scream.
It was a familiar voice — the little girl who had stolen from them.
He rushed toward the sound…
Monsters were chasing her. Her hand had been bitten, blood flowing down, and she was weak from blood loss.
The monsters closed in, ready to eat her. She shut her eyes tightly in fear.
A few seconds passed… nothing happened.
She opened her eyes.
All the monsters were dead.
She felt a moment of relief and tried to run away—
But a voice came from behind.
"Hey, little girl."
She turned around…
It was the same man she had stolen from earlier, standing there with a terrifying expression.
She was so scared she fainted on the spot.
"Hey, kid, wake up."
Seeing her unconscious, the master picked her up and headed back.
Ryu, tired and worried because the master was late, had fallen asleep.
Footsteps
Ryu's senses were sharp, so the moment he heard footsteps, he jumped up.
"Huh? Master, you're back—?"
But the footsteps didn't belong to the master.
They belonged to a monster.
Ryu immediately leaped back.
(The monster wasn't strong or big—about the size of a goblin.)
The monster lunged at Ryu, trying to bite him. Ryu held it back with his hands.
Then he remembered—he still had the dagger he took from the master.
He grabbed the dagger from behind and stabbed the monster multiple times.
Blood splattered all over him, and the monster collapsed dead.
For the first time, Ryu had killed a monster on his own, fully conscious and aware.
He was terrified… yet excited.
He threw the monster's body aside and stood up—
A voice emerged from the darkness.
"Well done, Ryu. Nice work."
This time it really was the master.
"Oh! Master, you came back?
A monster attacked me but I managed to kill it."
"Yeah, I saw. Good job."
"So… did you find any food?"
The master stepped closer—
But what he carried wasn't food.
It was the little girl who'd stolen their money.
"Huh!? Master, isn't that the same girl who robbed you?"
"Yep. That's her."
"The monsters attacked her, and she almost died. Since she stole my money, I couldn't let her die until I got it back."
He set her down.
Ryu noticed her hand was bleeding from the bite.
"Master, her hand is wounded… if we don't help her, she might die."
The master didn't want to heal her at first, but she was too cute for him to ignore.
"Fine… alright."
He used his power and healed her hand.
— One hour later —
The little girl slowly woke up.
She found herself inside a house and looked confused.
She touched her wounded hand, but it was completely healed.
"Hi. You're awake?"
It was Ryu's voice.
The girl panicked and tried to run—
But her legs were tied.
"Well, well, the little thief is finally up."
That was the master's voice.
She heard it… and fainted again.
"Master… you scared her again."
"All I said was 'you're awake'!
How was this scaredy-cat even able to steal from us?"
"What can we do…"
"Sigh… let's just wait till she wakes up again."
End of Chapter 18