Chương 94: The Renard Behind the Bars

The Renard girl lowered her head, her heart full of sorrow. Before long, on the next full moon, she would meet her final fate. Her life would end, and her soul would shatter with the Killing Stone. She would not even have the chance to ascend to Heaven and be reborn. Her fate resembled the heroine of a sacred hero tale. But she knew she would not be saved like the heroine in those stories. No hero would come for her. She was not a pure heroine. She was only a courtesan.

In heroic tales, a courtesan was treated as someone who would only tarnish a hero's name. Even knowing she would not be saved, she still longed for a hero to appear. I want to live. Will someone save me? No, Haruhime. You cannot be that selfish. You cannot hope for a hero to save you. You are not a pitiful princess or a saint offered as a sacrifice. You are only a courtesan, a woman who would stain a hero's name. You offered your body to people you did not love for money. You are already far from pure. Tap, tap.

The sound of knuckles knocking on wood reached her ears. Haruhime came back to herself and raised her head. Outside the railing stood a boy wearing a mask from her homeland, lightly tapping the wooden bars with his finger.

"Yo. You finally noticed me. I was starting to think I had become invisible." A playful, self-deprecating voice came from behind the mask.

"Seeing my reflection in your emerald eyes proves no one cast invisibility magic on me."

"May I ask who you are, honored customer?" the Renard girl asked softly.

"Me? An adventurer who came to this street for the first time out of curiosity. I am wearing a mask because I do not want to be recognized. My name is Cael. What is yours?" Her emerald eyes were beautiful, yet deep inside them was lifeless sorrow and a desperate plea. Please save me. At that moment, something struck Cael's heart. Sanjouno Haruhime. A noble daughter from the Far East in this world.

Because she had accidentally eaten rice cakes offered to Amaterasu, her furious father cut ties with her and drove her from home. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. In truth, it had been a trap set by a Prum who liked her. After Haruhime was expelled, that despicable Prum took her away. Then they encountered beastmen on the road, and he abandoned her to escape.

Haruhime was saved by thieves, and after they learned she was a virgin, they sold her to Orario's Ishtar Familia. Because of the Magic she awakened after receiving Falna, Ishtar Familia treated her as material for a magic item and kept her trapped. Fortunately, she was allergic to men's bodies. If she saw anything below a man's collarbone, she foamed at the mouth and fainted. Because of that, she had remained untouched. She herself did not know that.

She believed the dreams she had after fainting were real, while the Amazonesses had handled everything in her place.

"Is this Lord Cael's first time in the Pleasure Quarter?" Haruhime asked gently.

"My name is Haruhime. Do you wish to buy me for tonight?" Her voice was extremely soft and obedient. Just hearing it made it clear that she was not someone who would argue with others.

"Lord Cael." Lili tugged his sleeve without expression. Although she felt uncomfortable, if Lord Cael insisted on spending the night here, she would not stop him. At most, she would tell Lady Hestia everything.

"Ahem." Cael swallowed and coughed lightly. For an instant, the easily distracted part of him had almost said yes.

"I was passing by and saw everyone here smiling, as if they were genuinely happy. But only you looked out of place."

"Out of place?" Haruhime blinked in confusion at the boy wearing the hyottoko mask. That mask meant he was probably connected to the Far East, the country of her birth.

"Yes. You feel cut off from the world, as if walls have locked you inside." Cael touched his chin as he watched the fox-eared girl gradually show surprise.

"Deep in your eyes, there is a dull sorrow, as if your soul has already died and you have completely despaired of your future." Haruhime's gaze wavered as she looked at the stranger who had suddenly spoken to her. For a moment, she felt as if her heart had been seen through. The clear eyes behind that mask seemed to peer straight into the secret depths of her soul.

"Is that why you came to speak with me?" Lili's hand slowly loosened from Cael's sleeve. This scene felt familiar. It was like what had happened to her.

"Yes. And deep inside those dead eyes, there is still a tiny expectation, as if they are saying, save me." Cael pointed to his own eyes and spoke gently. Ever since he had kissed Lili, he had somehow gained the ability to sense a woman's heart. It felt almost like touching someone's mind. Strangely enough, it worked only when their gazes met. Was it a Skill? No new Skill had appeared. Perhaps his Basic Abilities had grown absurd enough that his senses had become sharper.

"Lord Cael, you are a gentle, kind, and observant person. I am surprised you saw so much after only a glance." Haruhime's heart shook at his words. She lowered her head, hiding whatever she was thinking.

"I like meddling in other people's business. If someone is trapped and needs my help, I cannot ignore it." Cael reached his right hand toward Haruhime with a clear smile. It was sudden, but he had never hesitated once he chose to act. Whether it had been Hestia, Lili, or inviting Kyojuro, he never wavered over what he wanted to do. Of course, he was not acting on blind impulse. Haruhime was Ishtar Familia's most important sacrifice. Taking her away would inevitably mean facing Ishtar Familia.

Even if the world favored Cael, that favor protected only him. The people beside him could still be dragged into danger. There was still time. This was not the moment to solve everything by force. Even if he wanted to help her now, kind Haruhime would refuse so she would not involve anyone else.

"You do not even know what troubles this courtesan, yet you reached out without hesitation," Haruhime whispered.

"You are like the protagonist of a sacred hero tale." She looked at the masked boy in wonder. What kind of noble kindness and sincere heart would make someone reach out so readily to a stranger, and to a courtesan at that?