CH 96

“Are you sure they’re on the outskirts?”

Zecko could only see Siervian, but in fact, it was not just the knights who followed her.

Siervian had announced she was going to the city in the middle of the night, so the Crown Prince and the Tower Lord’s apprentice followed her wordlessly.

“Yes, if the information that bad guy knew is correct.”

When Karmen returned from the mine, he came to see Siervian and accompanied her.

“If it’s the outskirts, it’s definitely hard for a child to find them alone.”

The crown prince shook his head at Siervian’s determination.

In the empire, the outskirts meant outside of the magic circle.

If the slum was still under the protection of the magic circle, the outskirts were not.

It was a harsh place where they would experience the cold wind of the north.

“What’s the outskirts?”

Zecko had been listening quietly and couldn’t help but interrupt their conversation. Just where were his parents that they discussed it with such grim expressions?

“……”

“……”

However, when two fierce eyes looked back at him, Zecko stepped back and lowered his head.

The gazes of the crown prince and the Tower Lord apprentice were very scary. He forgot because the Princess was so nice, but he actually was in no position to talk to her so easily.

“Don’t bully Zecko!”

“No, Siervy. I’m just trying to explain…”

“He keeps putting you in danger… okay, fine.”

Zecko had always defended himself by bluffing and found he couldn’t in this situation because his defense had already been broken.

He was nervous again. The experience of being surrounded by intimidating knights on a dark night made him more jittery.

They reminded him of the guys who surrounded him in the dark basement. Besides, he had run out in pajamas, so the closer they got to the outskirts they talked about, the colder his body became.

“So what’s the outskirts?”

“Do you know, Siervy?”

“Umm… I have just heard of it, too.”

The princess replied awkwardly to the prince’s question.

Even though Zecko thought it was strange, he carefully examined the crown prince’s face.

He wondered if his parents were really there. If so, could it be a dangerous place? Why were they there?

“We’re here. This is the outskirts. It’s pretty dangerous…”

They were standing at the edge of the huge magic circle that covered the upper part of the city.

It was impressive to see the border under his feet, shining subtly on purpose as if to show him the boundary.

“We need to leave the magic circle?” asked the princess, very surprised.

Zecko was also surprised. The magic circle was essential for the city. If they left it, they had to be wary of monsters as well as the extreme cold.

“Yes, but this is near the capital. There are people who live in the gap between the magic circle and the outskirts.”

Among the places in this empire, the situation in the southern part of the capital was better. First of all, there were fewer monsters.

Hearing the explanation of the crown prince, the princess asked curiously, “But why would they be there?”

“… They might be criminals, or there might be other unavoidable circumstances.”

At that moment, Zecko’s heart sank. Why did his parents go there?

“Let’s hurry for now.”

The princess was a very strange person. How did she know that he was in such a hurry that she went ahead of him?

The outskirts were generally similar to the slums. The old shanties were really close to each other as if trying to combat the coldness.

There was a non-magical fire burning on a pile of wood in the middle, and people huddled around them.

“Be careful, Your Highness. It’s a dangerous area.” The princess’ escort, who often came here to arrest criminals, spoke.

The people there showed signs of wariness, but Zecko didn’t care and rushed forward.

“Mom! Dad!”

They looked puzzled as Zecko ran toward them looking for his parents.

He approached the people near the fire recklessly and looked into their faces, but no one was familiar.

Everyone seemed uncomfortable with Zecko, but no one directly talked to him as they were wary of the knights behind him.

“Light!”

The bright light he saw earlier burst out again. When he turned around, he could see the princess behind him with a floating sphere of light in her hand.

“Let’s keep looking. Hurry!”

Zecko burst into tears again and barely nodded his head.

He felt it instinctively. If his parents were not here either, they would never be found elsewhere again.

“Mom! I’m Zecko, Dad!”

But no matter how much he looked at the people around the fire, he couldn’t see his parents.

It wasn’t until he was about to sit down in despair that someone hissed in a harsh tone.

“Go to the back. They seem to be the couple you’re looking for… Don’t wander around here making us uncomfortable.”

His voice was barely audible to Zecko, as if he was conscious of the knights behind him.

Zecko looked to that place as he was convinced and started running.

The sound of small footsteps was also heard from behind. The princess followed him.

“Mom, Dad!”

The place the man pointed to was behind a shady shack with no fire. He wondered if there would be anyone in such a cold place. Then, they saw some people lying there.

“Zecko……?”

They were his parents.

“Mom!”

The voice called him without energy, but there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it. At once, Zecko ran to his mother, who was lying on an old straw mat. She frowned as if the light that the princess had in her hand was too bright. Next to her was his father who was also sick.

“Dad!”

“Zecko…”

Zecko, who finally had what he had dreamed of, was thrilled and tried to hug them.

…Only if it wasn’t for what his father said next.

“What are you doing here?”

“Huh…?”

His father woke up and was puzzled for a moment and suddenly looked at him coldly. Only then did his mother sigh.

“……Yes, I think you came here after a hard time, but isn’t it time for you to understand?”

Looking at the two haggard faces in a daze, Zecko only smiled. He couldn’t understand what was going on.

“……”

Reading their windows, Siervian clearly understood the feelings of Zecko’s parents.

[Thoughts: How did he get this far? I didn’t want to be a burden on purpose… but he was always a brilliant kid.]

[Thoughts: That’s definitely knights with him. Like they said, Zecko must be treated well. If they know his parents are alive, he will be kicked out of the foundation.]

‘What are those two thinking?’

They said something more, but Siervian could grasp their situation and feelings. She didn’t know what they had heard, but it was obvious that they were acting like this for Zecko.

“M- Mom, Dad, why…”

“Go back. We decided to stay here for a while then move to another city.”

“I, I, I…!”

Finally, Siervian couldn’t stand it and shouted, “Why are you lying! It’s not like that!”

They might find out that she could see the status window, but she couldn’t bear it. Zecko was about to break down.

Startled by Siervien’s shout, Zecko’s mother looked up at her.

She noticed Zecko’s father holding his mother’s hand.

“Who are you?” asked Zecko’s father nervously, looking at her fine clothes and the knights behind her.

He was shocked for a moment because he saw his son. But now that he noticed, Siervian, who even used magic, seemed to have an extraordinary status.

“Even if Zecko has parents, he would still receive support! Even with the support of the imperial family, it would be better for him to be with his parents!”

Rather than answering the question, Siervian kept shouting. She thought they were acting strangely, and she couldn’t stand it when she read their thoughts.

It was like seeing her old self who didn’t know her father’s feelings and misunderstood him repeatedly.

If Zecko misunderstood his parents and turned around, he would be wounded for the rest of his life.

“Is that true?”

“Yes! It’s guaranteed by the princess!”

They were visibly shaken by Siervian’s words.

They were also shocked that the status of the small child in front of them was greater than they thought.

Then, Zecko, who had been holding his breath as if his world had crumbled down, asked again.

“Why, why… is that it?”

Zecko looked at his parents earnestly with confused eyes.

They didn’t want him to stay with them for material support.

But he just wanted to be with his family, so he persisted until he became a spy.

“Tell him honestly! Zecko is sad!”

The princess’ words encouraged them. They burst into tears as they looked back at their actions.

“Forgive your parents, Zecko…”

“Cough.”

“What’s going on!”

Eventually, Zecko crawled toward them tearfully. His parent’s shaking hands finally grabbed him.

“Your father and mother have mana scarcity.”

“Wh- what…?”