Captain – Chapter 464 – Reunion in the Rainy Night

The child huddled in the corner wasn’t actually asleep. Rather, with exceptional hearing, he had detected someone coming outside the alley early on. However, first, he didn’t know their intentions, and second, the exit route had already been blocked. At this point, the chance to escape was extremely slim.

So he lowered his head, kept his eyes tightly shut, and held his breath in pretense, wanting the visitors to think he had died in the rainy night or fallen asleep from exhaustion, to reduce their vigilance.

At the same time, as Roy and her companion approached, he unconsciously tightened his grip on…

The short dagger hidden behind him.

But he waited and waited, never feeling the warm breath of someone approaching or experiencing any rough kicking. Instead, he only heard the man’s gentle voice, saying things he couldn’t understand.

Science, pioneer…

These didn’t sound like things that the thugs from the “upper district,” whose minds were full of money and lust, would consider. They were more like the mutterings of those eccentric old people living in the slums.

They always loved to tinker with strange symbols on yellowed old paper that couldn’t fill their stomachs.

But despite often going hungry themselves, when they had food, they would still think of children like him, leaving some for these little ones at the bottom of the city of sin.

No matter how bad-tempered they were, they weren’t bad people.

Thinking of this, the boy’s hand gripping the dagger loosened slightly. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes, and the two people who had entered the small alley happened to stop a few steps in front of him.

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The sky was very dark, but children like him, called “rats” by people in the “privileged district,” always needed to adapt to pitch-black environments, whether for theft or for hiding.

So even though it was a rainy night, situated in an alley and other factors made this place so dark that one could hardly see their fingers, he could still quickly discern the general appearance of these two people.

The man wore a dark suit, holding a black umbrella to shelter the child beside him from the rain. He looked very much like a butler, with a composed, reserved demeanor that was out of place in this city.

What surprised him was that the person the man was sheltering was not a well-dressed young master or miss, but a child who looked slightly older than himself, wearing a coarse cloth shirt.

These two standing there looked odd from any angle, and what was even more bizarre were their similar dark golden pupils, glowing brilliantly in the rainy night, looking like beasts in the forest.

Feeling a slight trepidation in his heart, the boy somewhat regretted not continuing to feign sleep, because from any perspective, this strange pair of… “master and servant”? seemed to have no reason to trouble him.

But obviously, they had already noticed him.

Feeling their gaze upon him, feeling the fire burning within that even the cold rain couldn’t extinguish, the boy huddled even tighter, his hand holding the short dagger trembling slightly, his voice equally shaky: “Please… please give me something to eat, kind sir and young master.”

Under that gaze that seemed to penetrate his soul, he dared not do anything, only hoping to use begging as a pretext to make them leave him alone, or even better, to have them leave out of disgust.

Looking at the boy’s dirty little face and those familiar, gem-like clear blood-red eyes, Roy temporarily suppressed the urge to contend with the devil and unceremoniously let go of his hand.

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The captain stepped forward, kneeling in front of the boy, gently stroking his wet black hair. Her other hand silently reached behind him, and without his notice…

Grabbed his small hand that was clutching the short dagger, trembling continuously.

She did it with such proficiency, as if in some past moment, she had done this before.

“Relax, little troub…”

Halfway through, the captain felt this nickname was inappropriate in the current situation. She smiled apologetically, then changed her words: “Richi, I won’t hurt you.”

For some reason, the boy, who was usually extremely vigilant around strangers, actually relaxed after hearing the reassurance from this person he was meeting for the first time, following her lead and letting go of the knife.

“You, no, do you know me?”

The boy blinked in bewilderment, asking very helplessly.

Confirming the threat was eliminated, Roy finally released the boy’s hand, looking at him with gentle eyes, responding: “Of course I know you. I not only know you, but I also know that you will leave this place in the future and live a completely different life.”

Already confused, the boy became even more perplexed upon hearing this: “Are you mocking me?”

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What future, what life after leaving—people like him didn’t even dare to imagine such things.

For these “little rats” in Ilruwin, the best outcome was to become pawns of those villains from the “privileged district,” and for most, they couldn’t even survive this night’s rain.

The captain smiled, shaking her head gently. She didn’t explain anything but merely gestured to the devil behind her. As if having anticipated this, he reached into his bosom and, in a place the boy couldn’t see, produced a small cloth bag out of thin air, handing it to Roy.

Taking the small cloth bag, Roy took the boy’s hand and solemnly placed the bag in it, saying earnestly: “Remember every word I’m about to say, without missing a single one.”

Hearing the other’s instruction, the boy felt a strong sense of familiarity surge in his heart and nodded instinctively.

“In this bag, the upper layer is covered with copper coins. Take them to find a trustworthy place in the slum, eat and drink your fill, then prepare some food and water for the journey. When you get the chance, leave this place.”

“As for the lower layer… there are some jewels. When you have the ability to protect yourself, find a proper jewelry store and sell them. The money you get will be enough for a lifetime.”

Although this cloth bag was requested by Roy from the devil, it was actually created by her. Her previous act was only to make this matter seem more normal.

That’s why she knew its contents so well.

And the reason the captain could have such power was because, at least in this dream, she was awake.

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“Why… why?”

Even the dullest person would have realized by now, let alone the sharp-witted boy. Although he hadn’t opened the bag, he was already ninety percent convinced, but didn’t understand why the other would do this for him, and what qualification he had to accept it.

“There is no why. You just need to remember my words and live well. That’s enough.”

Like a little adult, Roy rubbed the boy’s head, stood up, and retreated to the devil’s side. She took a deep look at the boy who had also stood up, not giving him a chance to ask more questions before turning away. Soon, the two figures once again disappeared into the deep rain curtain.

Only long after they had left did the boy come to his senses. He untied the fine string of the cloth bag and saw the copper coins the “young master” had mentioned, as well as the brilliant jewels beneath.

After taking out the copper coins, the boy quickly and carefully put away the bag. However, he didn’t follow the other’s instructions to immediately find a run-down tavern in the slum to eat, drink, and rest. Instead, he leaned somewhat powerlessly against the wall, allowing those real rats to peek at him.

Recalling the “young master” who, though never seen before, was strangely very familiar, the boy’s eyes were slightly unfocused, his thoughts all sunk into this windfall. Even the hunger that had been tormenting him for days was pushed aside.

After who knows how long, the previously intense downpour seemed to have softened and warmed considerably, returning to what summer rain should be like. The boy finally moved to leave the small alley.

Leaving behind only an extremely low, uncertain murmur.

“Brother… Roy?”