Void stuffed a hamless sandwich into his mouth and reached for a second piece of bread. But as if suddenly remembering something, he rummaged through the paper bag again and handed me a carton of milk.

“You’re gonna drink this, right?”

“Why are you acting like that’s obvious?”

“Huh? ‘Cause you’re a shrimp, obviously. Hurry up and grow already.”

This guy, seriously. He’s got the temperament of a saint, so why is his mouth so foul? Am I some kind of weed growing by the roadside? If growing taller were that easy, I wouldn’t be struggling.

Well, I’ll take the milk anyway. I drink it every morning—to get taller.

I snatched the milk carton from Void’s hand.

“Oh, how kind of you! Thanks for the unnecessary advice!”

“...Kuh, kuh, kukuku, hahaha.”

“Don’t laugh at meeeeeee!”

My voice cracked.

“Kuku, nah, it’s your fault for being funny. Just shut up and drink it. Kukuku.”

“……”

Clicking my tongue loudly, I tore open the carton and pressed my lips to it, tilting it carefully.

It’s hard to drink without a cup. But milk is good. In my past life, I drank mostly alcohol, but I guess that’s just the effect of being in a child’s body now. Damn, this is good.

“El-tan… the way you drink is kinda cute…”

“……”

Void took another bite of his second piece of bread and turned his gaze back to Riona.

“If your target had been kidnapping this guy, I would’ve made it look like an accident in the dungeon and killed you. But if you’re after His Majesty instead, I’ll let it slide. No matter where you came from or who you are.”

What a way to put it.

Void really hates Kilpus. If I don’t hurry up with the slum redevelopment, my father’s going to get bitten by a stray dog that looks like a pet.

Riona’s eyes widened.

“You’re not just some amateur, are you?”

“Before I enrolled, I worked as a mercenary. Not unusual in the slums.”

I’d heard that before, but is he really a mercenary?

I asked him.

“You mean a hunter, not a mercenary?”

“Nah. A mercenary. Slum kids make perfect disposable mercs.”

In the Kingdom of Galliant, hunters specialize in hunting monsters, while mercenaries hunt both monsters and people. That means his hands are already stained with blood.

In past battlefields, many slum children had fought. They were the mercenaries.

Because they were children, they were weak. Because they weren’t knights, they weren’t given decent equipment. Because they weren’t registered as mercenaries with a guild, their families received no compensation. Most worked alone, unable to coordinate with others.

And, as a matter of course, many of them perished on the battlefield.

Of course, most didn’t choose that life willingly. Yet, they weren’t conscripted either. They simply had no other choice. Not in Elva’s slums.

Those lucky enough to inherit their parents’ businesses could make a living. But for most boys, the only thing they could sell was their lives. For most girls, their bodies. That’s how they earned their meager daily wages and how that city continued to exist.

And all while being looked down on by nobles who grew fat off wealth sucked from tourism.

“A mercenary, huh… Void, tell me something. Were you in that war?”

“Ah. Well, only for about a year, until the ceasefire.”

I was shocked.

Just one year—but to think someone at his age survived that hell, just like Lili… Except unlike Lili, who was under the protection of the Blythe faction, he had been alone. How had he managed to stay alive?

Ah. Now I finally understood.

That’s why he was so unnaturally experienced.

“……”

I glanced at Riona. She was speechless.

She must have realized she wasn’t the only one. That others had seen hell in the war between two nations.

Eventually, she forced out a voice.

“…I see…”

“Don’t worry about me. More importantly, Orunkaim, right? …Ah, whatever.”

Void pulled a third piece of bread from the paper bag.

I gave Riona a light tap on the shoulder. She flinched and spoke up.

“Ah. I… I’m Riona Belzhein, from Westwill, in the Egil Republic. That’s my real name.”

The bread paused at Void’s lips. Just for an instant.

Then, he took a bite and swallowed.

“Huh. Westwill’s Belzhein, huh. Never heard of any survivors from the ‘Incident.’ The lord had a newborn daughter, supposedly, but turns out she survived.”

“Ah… So you know about the ‘Incident’...”

Void tapped his temple with a finger.

“I told you. My brain’s built different from yours. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived.”

Right. Void was a scholarship student at Lehan Knight Academy.

A delinquent who rarely attended class and spent his time napping on the rooftop. And yet, he was carrying something as heavy as Riona.

Void continued.

“Belzhein.”

“Huh? What?”

“It was an unnatural case, with almost no survivors. The mastermind must have really wanted to erase all witnesses.”

He said no more and simply continued eating.

Riona and I exchanged glances before finally bringing the bread we had been given to our mouths.