"Wait! Don't go, please don't go!"
Seeing Skadi make a turn to leave, the young Feline girl panicked. Panic flashed across her eyes, and she reached out as if to physically stop the tall hunter, but she caught herself immediately.
She knew better than to make any sudden moves around someone who was clearly far stronger than her. An impulsive gesture could easily be misunderstood as a threat.
"If you don't want us to leave, then spill it," Skadi said, stopping to look down at her. "Tell us what's really going on."
Skadi could tell the child had ulterior motives, but she didn't sense malice. If the girl needed help with something troublesome, she had likely hidden her intent out of fear that they would turn her down immediately.
"Well... it's just..." The girl hesitated, her voice faltering.
What she needed was immensely dangerous. Telling them now risked driving them away immediately, just like all the others.
She had originally planned to bring them home first before asking. Every single traveler who had agreed to see the room ended up backing out the moment she explained the situation.
It was simply too much trouble. Nobody wanted to waste their energy getting involved in her mess.
"If you tell us the truth, we might actually consider it," Jeanne chimed in gently, observing the girl's inner turmoil. "Finding lodging is difficult right now, so as long as it isn't completely unreasonable, we're open to helping."
"I... I know. Others said the same thing," the girl muttered, her confidence flickering for a second before her gaze dimmed again. She looked down at her feet, whispering softly.
"I just... I need you to help me get rid of some people. Kill a few men. You look really strong, right? It should be easy for you!"
The girl flinched slightly when she uttered the word kill, but the raw determination in her eyes proved she had thought this through.
Jeanne and Skadi instantly understood why so many desperate travelers had turned down a dirt-cheap room. Committing murder inside a city under martial law meant drawing the wrath of the local Inquisition.
Nobody was stupid enough to risk getting dragged off to a dungeon just to save a few coins on rent.
"Please, I'm begging you!" The girl's eyes filled with desperate hope. "Just get rid of those men! I'll turn myself in afterward! I'll tell the Inquisitors I did it myself..."
Seeing her willingness to sacrifice herself, Jeanne knew the child had been backed into an absolute corner. Nobody her age would resort to such desperate measures otherwise.
"Why?" Skadi asked, her voice steady. "Why do you need them dead?"
"Because those bastards are planning to take our house!" The girl's tears finally broke through, spilling down her dusty cheeks. "My parents died fighting sea beasts during a rescue mission outside the city! The insurance payout and this house were left to me and my little sister! But... but I can't protect it!"
As the words poured out, Jeanne and Skadi learned the full picture.
Her parents were merchants who had lost their lives to the sea beasts outside. They left behind a sturdy two-story house and a small payout for the girl and her younger sister. But a pair of orphaned children could never defend such wealth.
Local thugs were trying to seize the property through force and intimidation, while corrupt opportunists tried to swindle it away under legal pretexts. With the city in chaos, the Inquisitors had zero interest in civil disputes, leaving the criminals free to act. Lately, thugs had been lurking around the house, scouting the area.
"Take us there," Jeanne said, letting out a soft sigh.
Tragedies like this were all too common across these lands. But since fate had brought them together, walking away pretending she knew nothing went against everything Jeanne stood for.
"Okay..." The girl wiped her tears, turning around to lead the way.
They followed her down a remarkably quiet, desolate street. This neighborhood seemed built for wealthier residents, yet a heavy, unnatural atmosphere hung in the air.
"You said thugs are coming after your home," Jeanne asked, looking down at the small child walking ahead. "Are the Inquisitors running this city completely ignoring local crime?"
She knew the city's authority had shifted from local nobility to the Inquisition. Inquisitors weren't the type to be bought with gold; in fact, trying to bribe one usually ended with a blade through the throat.
"Those high-and-mighty Inquisitors?" The girl let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh. "They don't have time for small-fry like us. All they care about is hunting remnants of The Deep Sea Church. They don't give a damn about anything else. Even if they did, nobody is going to waste time guarding a house for two orphans."
Her resentment was plain. She had clearly tried reporting the threat to the Inquisition more than once, only to be turned away by judges who had bigger fires to put out.
Jeanne and Skadi exchanged a brief look, choosing to remain silent as the girl guided them toward her home.
Along the way, Jeanne felt dozens of hidden glares scanning them from the shadows. Some held burning desire, others held raw greed, but most directed sharp mockery toward the small Feline leading the way.
Jeanne noticed the girl's steps growing heavy, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. Those hostile gazes weighed on the twelve-year-old child like leaden weights, threatening to crush her resolve with every step.
Jeanne reached out, gently patting the girl's shoulder.
The simple touch seemed to sweep away the suffocating pressure hanging over her shoulders. A strange warmth spread through the child's chest, awakening a long-lost sense of relief.
She felt weightless. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced since her parents died—the quiet comfort of knowing she had someone to lean on.
Relying on total strangers might have been foolish, but for a twelve-year-old orphan fighting alone, she had reached her absolute limit.
Her shoulders trembled for a moment, an overwhelming urge to turn around and cry her heart out washing over her, but she bit her lip, straightened her back, and kept walking.
Jeanne and Skadi swept cold, piercing glances across the alleyways. Their razor-sharp gazes made the lurking thugs shiver in the shadows.
"Damn it," one thug muttered under his breath, shaking off the chill. "Getting spooked by a couple of girls... how embarrassing."
"This is my house," the Feline girl said, stopping before a neat, two-story stone building. Her voice trailed off as she looked at the entrance. "Uh... the outside looks a bit messy, but I promise the inside is clean..."
The front door had been battered violently with heavy tools. Fortunately, the previous owners had installed a reinforced metal door, which had successfully held off the street-level thugs.
"They came back! Lucy!"
Forgetting about her guests entirely, the girl sprinted forward and pushed through the damaged entrance, terrified for her sister's safety.
Jeanne and Skadi exchanged another glance, following her into the house and pulling the heavy door shut behind them.
"Waaaaah! Sister!"
An eight-year-old Feline girl, bearing a striking resemblance to her older sister, threw her arms around the older girl, sobbing hysterically.
Watching the young child weep in terror, Jeanne felt a sharp, furious heat rise in her chest.