A month had passed since Lucian met Cifera, and with each passing day, the weather in Dolos grew noticeably warmer as the cool spring breeze gradually faded away, replaced by a gentle warmth that lingered in the air and made it seem as though summer was quietly drawing closer with every passing day.
Today, Cifera came to his house as usual to steal food, but this time, something seemed a little different.
To Lucian's surprise, instead of grabbing the food and immediately running off like she always did, she remained where she was and spoke to him first.
"You... You're a good guy... I'll definitely repay you someday..."
Upon hearing Cifera's sudden words, Lucian paused.
'Good guy card?'
At last, after a month of effort, he had finally managed to pry open a small corner of her tightly guarded heart. It was only a small step forward, but for someone as wary and distrustful as Cifera, that alone was already a very good start.
Lucian, who was lying on a reclining chair as usual, slowly opened his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
In his vision, the eight-year-old girl now stood only about one meter away from him. Compared to the past, when she would immediately turn and run the moment he came within five or six meters of her, this distance was already considered remarkably close.
Today, not only did she no longer run away, but she also looked far more spirited than she had a month ago. Her pale cheeks had filled out slightly, restoring a bit of the vitality that had once been absent from her face.
Needless to say, she was no longer little more than skin and bones, and with a healthy bit of color finally returning to her complexion, her delicate features appeared much prettier than before.
It was just that her clothes and hair were still just as dirty and unkempt as they had been when they first met.
However, that was completely understandable, considering that she had been living in the sewers all this time, and in a place like that, brushing against filth and grime daily was practically unavoidable.
"Hungry? Eat first, then we'll talk."
Lucian spoke with a faint smile, then closed his eyes again, continuing to bask in the sun like a retired old man.
Cifera looked at him without saying a word, her gaze quietly fixed on him. Deep down, however, she understood very well that the man standing before her had the ability to catch her with ease. He had already proven it time and time again, catching her whenever he wanted, and yet despite all those opportunities, he had never once truly hurt her.
Of course, except when he bathed her.
Sometimes, he scrubbed a little too hard without realizing it, and it hurt enough to make her wince, which was quite uncomfortable. Still, aside from those occasional moments, he had always treated her well, and everything else had been good.
For one month, a full month, regardless of whether the skies were clear or the rain poured down, this stone table was always waiting for her every morning with warm, delicious food.
Not a single day had been missed.
And not once, during that entire month, had there been a trap hidden behind those meals or any malicious intent concealed beneath that simple kindness.
Even an idiot could tell that this man was genuinely trying to help her.
Cifera was not an idiot, but simply cautious—far more cautious than most people.
However, that did not mean she failed to understand Lucian's intentions.
After spending an entire month like this, seeing the same kindness repeated day after day without asking for anything in return, even she could no longer pretend not to notice it.
In this world, maybe there really could be kindness without reason.
Maybe there really could be someone willing to help another person without expecting anything in return.
'Grandma, I think I've met the kind person you talked about...'
Cifera thought with a trace of melancholy as memories of her grandmother surfaced in her mind—the familiar recollections stirred her emotions for a moment, causing her expression to dim slightly before she quietly took a deep breath and slowly calmed herself down.
"Oh..."
In the end, she merely responded softly and briefly to Lucian's words before walking over to the stone table, reaching out to pick up a dried fish, and casually putting it into her mouth.
'Oh man, this is so good!'
Cifera thought to herself with sparkling eyes as she happily ate half of the dried fish, carefully packing the remaining half away for later.
Just as she was about to climb over the wall and leave, her small figure already moving toward the edge, Lucian suddenly spoke once again, causing her to pause in her tracks.
"Heading out already?"
Hearing that, Cifera paused, remained silent for a moment, then responded.
"Yeah... there's... a group of kids waiting for me... they're starving..."
During this past month, she had been bringing food every day to share with that five-year-old girl.
However, as time passed, it gradually attracted other homeless children as well. One after another, they gathered around her, huddling together for warmth and companionship, all looking to her for help whenever they were hungry.
And just like that, the eight-year-old Cifera had somehow become the guardian of a small group of five- and six-year-olds.
Every day, besides coming to Lucian's house to collect food, she would wander through the city, stealing whatever she could get away with or rummaging through piles of trash in search of anything useful to help those suffering children who, much like herself, had been abandoned by the world and left to struggle through each day.
"Y'know, I actually wanted to adopt you. You'd have plenty to eat and wear every day, a warm place to call home, and a big, comfy bed to sleep in. You wouldn't have to wander around anymore. If you're up for it, come home before it gets dark."
Lucian, now opening his eyes and staring straight at Cifera's back, spoke plainly and sincerely, with no threat or coercion in his words.
Cifera froze completely when she heard what, to her, sounded like an utterly absurd suggestion.
Adopt her?
Enough food every day, warm clothes, and a place where she would no longer have to worry about surviving?
A warm home?
Truth be told, all of those things felt far too distant for the current her. Ever since her grandmother had passed away some time ago, she no longer had a home to return to.
As a result, the streets had become her shelter, and simply getting through each day had already taken all of her effort.
Cifera slowly turned her head to look at Lucian, and the moment her eyes met his, she immediately saw that within those deep golden eyes, there was no greed, no false kindness, and no hidden calculation, but only calmness, gentleness, and a kindness that seemed genuinely sincere.
"You..." Cifera parted her lips, her voice a little dry. "You really... wanna take me in? Someone like me...?"
In her ears, Lucian's words were still hard to believe and still sounded too good to be true.
"But I..." Cifera continued, lowering her head and looking at the dirtied nice clothes she was wearing. "I don't know how to do anything... I only... steal... and I... got this hated golden blood..."
Right after saying that, she almost held her breath, as if waiting for judgment, waiting for rejection and scolding, or perhaps waiting for another expulsion and beating, just like she had experienced before.
Lucian listened to her words quietly, his expression unchanged, and after she finished speaking, he actually smiled, a light and effortless smile appearing on his face.
"Yeah, of course I do..." Lucian said gently, but without hesitation. "I mean, I don't give a damn what you can do. Just having you here is what matters most to me."
Cifera was, after all, the protagonist of the current script, so she was indeed what mattered most to him right now, above all else.
However, the words he spoke, though they sounded ordinary, were like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending ripples spreading throughout Cifera's heart.
"I... matter to you..."
Cifera murmured to herself, quietly repeating the sentence over and over, and within her blue eyes, something flickered intensely.
It was confusion, bewilderment, and then... a faint glimmer of light, like a candle swaying gently in the darkness, fragile yet unwilling to be extinguished.
A homeless girl who only knew how to steal, who carried the hateful golden blood—could she also be someone needed by another person?
Could someone like her truly have a place where she belonged?
Cifera was suddenly moved to tears, but then she blinked hard, trying to force back the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes before stubbornly raising a hand to rub them, refusing to let the tears fall.
"I'll come back on time..."
Immediately after saying that, Cifera turned around and ran off again, wiping away her tears as she ran. Her small figure quickly disappeared into the bustling crowd, as though she was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would lose control of her emotions.
Lucian watched her departing figure and smiled faintly.
He knew what she was going to do, and that was also one of the reasons why he liked her character.
As someone who had once been drenched in the rain herself, she would hold an umbrella over others. Even after experiencing so much malice and hardship, she still had not allowed the darkness of the world to completely extinguish the kindness in her heart.
===
In a familiar dark corner, the moment Cifera appeared, pairs of eyes immediately lit up in the shadows.
In the next second, the owners of those eyes quickly gathered around her, their faces filled with anticipation the moment they recognized who had arrived.
All of them were small children—there were five of them in total, and at eight years old, Cifera was the oldest among them.
"Kids, I've got some good news for you!"
Cifera evenly divided the dried fish among the children before speaking with a bright smile.
"I got adopted by this really nice guy. He's a good guy, and honestly, he looks pretty loaded too. From now on, I can bring you food every day. You can take my little spot—it's safe there."
Hearing her words, the children stared at her in surprise for a moment before their expressions gradually brightened.
Meanwhile, the little girl whom Cifera had helped earlier smiled in understanding and nodded without hesitation.
"Thank you, big sis."
Just like that, the other children also revealed happy smiles as they carefully accepted their portions of dried fish before sitting together and eating the dried fish Cifera had brought, smiles spreading across their faces as the familiar dark corner became noticeably more lively than usual.
===
At sunset, as darkness gradually approached and the last traces of daylight faded from the horizon, Lucian sensed someone sitting at his doorstep.
When he extended his spiritual sense, he discovered that it was none other than Cifera, quietly sitting on the steps. However, she neither knocked nor called out, nor did she make any attempt to get his attention. Instead, she simply sat there in silence, patiently waiting.
Lucian sighed helplessly before walking to the front door and opening it, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"Welcome home, Cifera."
As his words fell, Cifera turned her head in surprise.
It was not because of anything in particular, but simply because the words he had spoken reminded her of her grandmother. Back then, whenever she returned home, her grandmother would greet her with the same warmth and the same gentle words.
For a brief moment, memories she had not thought about in a very long time quietly resurfaced in her mind.
"Thank... you—"
Still emotionally moved, Cifera was about to express her gratitude and say something heartfelt. However, before she could finish her sentence, Lucian pinched his nose and directly grabbed her hand.
"You're dirty and stinky. Same as always—go take a bath first."
Unlike before, Lucian did not knock Cifera out this time, and she did not struggle wildly as she had on the previous occasion, merely resisting slightly while trying to pull her hand back.
"No! You're too rough!"
Cifera immediately grabbed the doorframe with one hand, refusing to let Lucian wash her.
Of course, it was not because of any embarrassment between men and women, but simply because it genuinely hurt, as Lucian always scrubbed far too hard whenever he washed her.
Naturally, it was not that Lucian lacked gentleness. Rather, this girl was unfortunately far too dirty, and without scrubbing hard enough, all the accumulated grime covering her body simply could not be cleaned away.
He certainly did not want his house smelling like a sewer, so he had no choice but to use a proper, forceful method.
However, seeing Cifera's unusually strong reaction, Lucian ultimately chose not to force the matter.
"Fine, go wash up. If you don't get clean, I'm gonna do it myself."
Leaving those words behind, Lucian turned and headed toward the living room, seemingly having no intention of interfering any further.
Seeing his departing figure, Cifera let out a long sigh of relief before immediately slipping into the bathroom.
Now that she was fully conscious, she could finally take a proper look at the bathroom. Upon realizing that it was actually even larger than her entire previous 'den,' she felt as though she were dreaming.
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked around, taking in the spotless floor, the smooth walls, the bright lighting, and the fresh scent lingering in the air—things she had never experienced before.
Especially when she saw the huge bathtub and the shelves filled with bottles and jars that emitted pleasant fragrances, she felt as though she were witnessing one of the wonders of the world itself.
Cifera curiously picked up a round bottle with bubbles drawn on it.
"What's this?"
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Cifera twisted open the cap and leaned in to smell it.
"Whoa... this smells so good..."
Not knowing how to properly use the liquid inside the bottle, she ended up pouring the entire bottle into the water.
In an instant, the bathtub filled with a massive amount of white foam that rapidly expanded and piled on top of itself, quickly rising toward the rim and nearly overflowing onto the floor.
"Ah!"
Cifera was startled and hurriedly tried to disperse the foam with both hands.
Unfortunately, the floor beneath her feet was far too slippery.
As soon as she stepped forward in a panic, her footing gave way beneath her.
*Whoosh!*
*Thud!*
In the end, Cifera fell hard onto her buttocks with a yelp, baring her teeth as a sharp pain shot through her body and left her momentarily dazed, with tears nearly welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Worse still, in her panic, she instinctively reached out and grabbed the shelf beside her to steady herself.
However, the moment she pulled on it, the shelf shook violently, and several bottles and jars immediately tumbled from above, crashing onto the floor with a series of loud clatters before rolling off in every direction.
Panicking, she hurriedly tried to get back on her feet, but her soaked body kept slipping again and again. In desperation, she reflexively grabbed the towel hanging nearby and pulled on it hard, hoping to use it for support.
However...
*Crash!*
To CIfera's complete surprise, the towel rack was yanked down along with it.
As a result, the large bath towel instantly dropped over her like a fishing net, completely covering her head and face. In the blink of an eye, her entire body was wrapped up inside it, leaving only the small, wet, foam-covered top of her head exposed.
"Mmph! Mmph-mmph!"
Wrapped tightly in the towel, Cifera struggled desperately.
Unfortunately, the more she struggled, the more tightly the towel twisted around her body, turning her into something that resembled a giant wriggling cocoon rolling helplessly across the floor.
To make matters worse, the ground was covered in unknown liquids, making it so slippery that she could not stand up at all. Every attempt to rise only ended with her squirming awkwardly in place before flopping back onto the floor again.
"Help... Waa... Let me out!"
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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