Until then, public interest had gradually risen thanks to various personalities stoking the fires with cautious speculation and rumors.
It was simple and to the point.
"So she gets away with shooting a room full of people, huh?"
Of course, any defense attorney worth their salt would claim self defense.
Heck, any prosecutor in the whole Empire would probably take that claim and offer a relatively mild plea. Something resembling community service in a way that looks good for the press, putting her into foster care, maybe some token probation.
Really, just a diplomatic way of forcing her to start going to school.
"Not going to school at her age just isn't right, no matter what fancy tutor they find for her."
He grumbled to himself, before forcing himself to reread the story from the top, having lost his train of thought to that wild tangent.
"So the Empire blames everything on the Syndicate, huh. And the Island government... as usual, disclaims all involvement. Convenient. They say it was a joint operation with Naraka... huh. Some of the locals will know what's up, but they don't mention who she is, just that she's his niece."
'Wait... is she actually the Demon King's niece?'
"What the hell kind of case did they put me on this time... well, at least it's wrapping up. Damn..."
The Demon King might be a near-mythological figure for most Terrans, but as the man in charge of investigating the assault on the Syndicate headquarters, he knew just what the old dungeon boss was capable of.
He just hoped he could conclude his investigations safely, and without disturbing the king of Naraka in the process.
It was pretty clear the Empire didn't want to make itself the man's enemy either.
'Probably for good reason.'
***
I was prepared for my inevitable doom in this world from the first moment I drew breath in it.
The only question was how long it'd take to get there.
Though when I shot a room full of men, I felt pretty certain it was going to be sooner rather than later.
Well, given they treated my Beginner Skill as something novel, they probably don't have a proper counter yet, but they should have had enough time to think up ways to deal with it.
So naturally, I expected the worst when Van asked me to come to the portal.
If I was lucky, I'd still be tried as an outsider under imperial rule.
It was only a couple steps short of being an imperial citizen. I couldn't run for office or vote in elections, not that I could anyway since I was still legally considered ten years old, but I still had plenty of legal protections.
I could still go to prison. After all, it was difficult to say that I'd acted in self defense when I had the Beginner Skill. The men had generally shown they wouldn't harm Lilac as long as I complied, so I hadn't really protected her either.
I'd just eliminated a threat.
If I was unlucky, the Empire would see me as a threat too, and try to eliminate me.
Although the Empire strived to protect outsiders, it was also true that most of the outsiders they protected were not killers.
Those were the sort of miserable calculations that filled my head as Savi and Lilac went along with me to the dungeon portal.
In short, I was wholly unprepared for what awaited me there.
***
RedOwl: I think I can link this.
RedOwl: (img)
Popcorn5: Huh, a party for Kid?
Hero194: Woah. Why wasn't this announced?
RedOwl: I think it was just decided.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
RedOwl: They all just showed up.
OutsiderFan71: On my way.
Indigo997: Yeah, you don't need to tell us...
***
There were a bunch of tables and chairs, not to mention colorful decorations.
Some of the tables had food on them.
A banner tied between two trees plainly said the party was for me.
'Why?'
Is this a going away party?
Perhaps they know I'm doomed.
'Should I have done something like this for Kazzim?'
Although, I think he preferred things how they went to something as garish as this, maybe that was just my own opinion.
I looked to the actual heir of the Lost.
As expected, Lilac seemed overwhelmed by all of the people. She was hiding behind my shoulder...
Though there was a hint of wonder in her eyes...
'I should have.'
Although it was impossible for me to have known, this regret would still have some bite, however mild.
"Heh, looks like they're glad to have you back," Savi chuckled, before adding, "Oh yeah, tell Lilac that this party's for her too. They just didn't want to draw attention to her."
"For Lilac too...? But she didn't do anything..."
"She got away safely too, didn't she?"
My mind raced. Why would they dare threaten her too?
Guilt by association?
No... the Empire sees things like that as barbaric.
Did some of the coincidental evidence pin her involvement?
She was there, but if so, wouldn't they have just taken her straight into custody already?
'So I am unlucky after all.'
There was no legal basis for the Empire to do anything to Lilac.
That meant they viewed us not as imperial protected outsiders, but as an enemy sovereignty. Maybe it was because Zaitenmodi had gotten involved.
I could tolerate them punishing me, either legally or as an enemy, but I wouldn't allow them to trample on Lilac in the process.
Though a war against a hundred million was beyond dire...
As I stewed over this, my thoughts were interrupted by Van speaking up. "Hey, Kid."
Somehow, he'd approached us without my noticing...
His smile seemed understandably a bit forced, but I could sense no hostility hidden behind it. If anything, he seemed regretful.
It was too much to hope he'd go against his own people for a stranger, but I only needed one thing from him. Surely he could afford me that little.
"Why are they after Lilac?" I asked, more heat than I'd intended going into my voice.
He seemed surprised for a brief moment, but he answered my question. "They weren't. I think she just got wrapped up because she was with you that day. I hate to restrict your freedom, but it might be good if you didn't go out of the dungeon alone with her anymore. At least take an Azure Dragon going forward."
"Huh...?"
***
Although Van convinced the rest of the guild that the outcome wasn't all that bad, even he felt a bit uncomfortable about a couple factors.
First of all, getting kidnapped could affect either girl pretty badly.
On one hand, it was easy to assume Kid wouldn't be bothered by it, since she was such a stoic kid, but on the other hand, she was already so distrustful of others that it was easy to think of her as a wild animal rather than a normal child.
It didn't help that she stubbornly lived in a cave like some kind of mountain hermit.
He doubted the events of the past few days would improve that situation, or Lilac's own psyche for that matter.
Second of all, it meant their security wasn't good enough. They'd have to tighten it. Although they came to that conclusion on their own, the imperial government was breathing down their necks to make sure it happened.
So when he argued that it was a good outcome, he only meant the outcome, and not anything that led to it, and certainly not everything that came of it.
It was only the best possible result of an otherwise awful situation.
Who'd be foolish enough to try and harm a girl who was personally protected by a dragon-riding Demon King?
Well, those that did in the first place were still fools, so that kind of thinking felt a bit hopeful, but it did plainly settle things for everyone else.
And so he was given the important mission of convincing Kid that she couldn't just wander Terra freely anymore.
Still, he was surprised to hear the usually emotionless girl sound livid when she brought up Lilac... so surely, she'd at least understand that Lilac needed to be protected.
"I hate to restrict your freedom, but it might be good if you didn't go out of the dungeon alone with her anymore. At least take an Azure Dragon going forward."
"Huh...?"
'Does she not understand after all?'
Van felt uncertain as he looked at the young dungeon boss's perplexed stare.
'Ah. Bodyguards are expensive. It must be that.'
"No, seriously. Since this is our dungeon, the safety of both of you is our responsibility. It's not obvious to the public, but the fact you got kidnapped created a huge buzz in the government."
"A buzz?"
"Yeah. It's just an idiom, since... well, bees buzz, I guess... but it means everyone's trying to find a solution, and they won't be happy until it's found."
"A... solution?"
"Of course. Look, what happened to you wasn't normal or acceptable."
"That I... killed people, right?"
Those words hit Van hard.
He was actually briefly stunned, until he forced himself to recover by swearing up a storm at himself in his head.
'How could I not realize sooner...'
When he saw the damage she left behind, he had to just assume he was right to compare her to himself. In other words, he had viewed it as though he was the one who shot all those men.
As an A rank adventurer, he was used to such cold-hearted necessities.
It still weighed on him. It was just a burden he was used to shouldering. Besides, he was in good company, so it never felt like he was carrying it alone.
But this girl wasn't an A rank adventurer.
Actually, wasn't what she did practically impossible? He only just realized.
Had he been writing it off just because she was a dungeon boss?
He already knew dungeon bosses tended to be special. Theoretically, they were just chosen by coincidence, but that was the same as saying the best of anything just happened to coincidentally be the best.
The fastest runner was coincidentally just the fastest. The best boxer was coincidentally undefeated. And so on.
Having scanned Zaitenmodi, the Demon King himself, he knew how absurd dungeon bosses could be.
But looking at it another way, the fastest runner was still just a person. So was the best boxer. They really did just happen to be the best... in whatever esoteric criteria the dungeon had selected them for.
There was no way a young girl could kill over half a dozen people out of cold-hearted necessity, and not feel something.
That'd just make her a monster.
As the other person who'd killed that day out of necessity, he felt an obligation to help her through this, as others had helped him.
Was hugging the small girl who wasn't even related to him a good idea?
Well, if it wasn't, he'd deal with that later.
Holding her small frame close, he told her the words he'd long etched into his own heart.
"It wasn't your fault."