Valshius

Emerich clutched 30 crowns and took a winding route to a bar.

Yes, even the Underhive had places for leisure like bars. Of course, most of them were closely tied to gangs.

A boy like him naturally wouldn't go in through the front door.

The back courtyard was piled with corpses that had been brutalized beyond recognition. Most were girls, and most of them were very young.

"Well, if it isn't Emerich?"

The gang members in the courtyard had crossed bones tattooed on their arms. When they saw the boy enter, one grinned and said, "It's not work time yet. Don't tell me you've changed your mind?"

"N-no, Lord Bally." Emerich lowered his head meekly, avoiding the corpses.

He had a job. Every so often, he came to this bar controlled by the "Bones" gang, carried the corpses of girls who had been given to important people to abuse until they died, and delivered them to the corpse guild.

The pay wasn't much. It was only enough to buy supplies that would leave one person half-full.

"I told you ages ago: if you sold your sister to Lord Luke, you wouldn't have to live such a hard life." Bally forced a lecherous smile and patted the boy's frail shoulder, lecturing him in the tone of someone who'd been around the block. "Then I could put in a good word for you. Maybe you'd even become a full member of the 'Bones.'"

Emerich didn't answer. He simply lowered his head, fury flaring in his eyes.

"You're no fun. Every time, you act like a corpse."

Bally snorted. Used to the boy by now, he said dismissively, "Let's see how long you can keep this up. Heh."

"Lord Bally, I-I'm here to buy Nutrient Solution." Seeing that Bally wasn't continuing the conversation, Emerich breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained why he'd come.

"Hm? You're buying Nutrient Solution?" Bally looked surprised. He sized Emerich up and asked suspiciously, "Where'd you get the money, kid? Do you even know how many crowns Nutrient Solution costs?"

"I-I have money, Lord Bally." Emerich took out three coins, each worth 10 crowns.

Bally narrowed his eyes, took the 30 crowns from the boy, and pretended to question him sternly. "Where'd you get this money? Tell me the truth!"

"Lord Bally, I found it on a dead scavenger." Emerich had prepared his excuse before coming.

Finding money on a dead scavenger wasn't unusual. At most, it meant he'd been lucky.

"Hmm."

Just as expected, Bally didn't suspect a thing. His eyes rolled, then he grinned. "You got lucky, kid. Where'd you find it? Take me there next time so I can strike it rich too."

Emerich scratched his head with an innocent look. "Sure, Lord Bally. But I don't know if we'll find anything there again. Hehehe."

"Wait here."

Bally tossed out the words and turned to go inside the bar.

Before long, he came back out and tossed over two tubes of Nutrient Solution. "Here. The Nutrient Solution you wanted. Don't drop it."

"T-two tubes?" Emerich's eyes widened. He anxiously protested, "Lord Bally, it should be three tubes!"

"Three? That was before."

Bally gave a cold laugh and put on a helpless expression. "My price is 15 crowns a tube. Take it or leave it."

"T-then give me my money back. I'll buy it somewhere else!" Emerich worked up his courage and pleaded meekly. "Would that be okay, Lord Bally?"

"Fuck off, you stuttering brat!"

Bally's brows drew together. To Emerich's surprise, he suddenly flew into a rage and punched him in the face.

Emerich was knocked to the ground, his head spinning. But Bally charged at him again, kicking him hard in the stomach and stomping on him repeatedly as he cursed, "You think I owe you something? You dare ask me for your money back? You get two tubes. Take it or leave it, you little shit!"

As if he'd been beaten for years, Emerich immediately curled up to shield his head and organs, silently enduring Bally's blows.

After a while, Bally seemed to tire of beating him. He looked down in disgust at Emerich, curled up and trembling, then spat at him. "Get lost. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off."

Emerich silently hunched over and made his way out of the bar's back courtyard, one step at a time, leaning against the wall.

He knew perfectly well there had been no price increase.

Bally had simply seen the money and pocketed 10 crowns for himself.

The fury in the boy's eyes grew stronger, but he clenched his teeth and didn't make a sound!

He didn't dare cross Bally. The man was a full member of the "Bones," and if Emerich wanted to get by in this area, he had to do as Bally said.

Unless he could become a senior member of the "Bones" someday, he'd never have a chance to take revenge!

Emerich carefully wiped his hands clean, then respectfully held out the two tubes of Nutrient Solution to Alvin.

The boy was so nervous that guilt filled his eyes. Stammering, he said, "I-I'm sorry. They said the price went up. Thirty crowns only got two tubes of Nutrient Solution."

Alvin looked at the boy's face. There was a swollen bruise on it; he'd clearly been beaten.

He'd been through similar things himself, and it didn't take much thought for him to guess what had happened. He sighed inwardly.

Damn gangs. They were all the same, no matter where you went. It would be great if they all just died!

Emerich thought Alvin didn't believe him. He stumbled over his words, growing anxious. "I-I'm not lying to you. It's true."

"I know." Alvin lowered his eyes and pushed the two tubes of Nutrient Solution back. "They're for you. You don't have to give them to me."

B-but I can't do that!" Emerich seemed to stammer whenever he got anxious. "Y-you've already helped us so much. Chris and I can't—"

"Just take them. Enough talk."

Alvin cut the boy off, his tone firm. He said coldly, "I'm not short on Nutrient Solution. Got it?"

"T-thank you!"

Though Alvin had been rather harsh, Emerich knew he was a good person.

"Don't mention it."

Alvin turned his head away coldly.

He'd helped them as much as he could. The rest was beyond him. They could only rely on themselves now.

Silence settled over the alley again.

Emerich curled up in the corner once more, glancing at Alvin from time to time as if he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to.

With his senses enhanced by psychic energy, Alvin could clearly feel that the boy was watching him. He felt rather helpless. "Is there something else?"

"I-I wanted to ask your name," Emerich said very quietly. "I-I don't mean any harm. Really."

"Why do you want to know my name?"

Alvin didn't think the boy meant him any harm.

"Because you saved me and my sister. You're a good person!"

Emerich mustered his courage. His eyes were full of innocence and sincerity. "When I grow up, I want to repay you."

After a long silence, Alvin slowly said, "Alvin. My name is Alvin."

"What's your last name?" Emerich tilted his head curiously. "Mr. Alvin, don't you have one?"

"Last name... Now that you mention it, it does feel a little unfamiliar."

Alvin rubbed his brow, his thoughts drifting back to the word his mother had repeated to him before she died.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Alvin. I didn't mean to." Emerich waved his hands in a panic, guessing that he'd touched a sore spot. "A lot of people don't even have names, do they?"

That was true. Many people in the Underhive had been born without a "name."

"No, I just remembered something."

Alvin smiled and shook his head. His eyes flickered as he murmured, "My name is Alvin Valshius."

Valshius was his father's surname.

Of course, he'd never seen that deadbeat father, not even once since the day he was born. There was a good chance he'd died in some trash heap in the Underhive.