Chapter 57
She must have meant the children she’d grown up with in the back-alley slums. Luirene thought it over, then said she’d like to go along if Eneka didn’t mind. She felt that visiting the place would let her understand Eneka more deeply than she did now.
The place Eneka led her was an alley even Luirene, who’d grown up in this city, didn’t recognize. They passed through the bustling streets around the square, then cut deep into narrow, winding lanes for a long while.
Though the sun was still blazing, the sky felt dark. That was because the rooftops were covered with rags stretched between buildings, as if constructing makeshift rooms in the open air.
The roads, once flat for carriages to pass easily, had long since turned to stone—and even that was cracked and broken in places, dry weeds sprouting through.
The buildings matched. The neat structures of colorful brick and glass were nowhere to be found. Instead, crumbling timber and planks had been patched together into ramshackle frames. Between those alleys, the eyes of those who sat watching Eneka and Luirene as they stepped into the backstreets were hollowed out.
What dwelled in those eyes were souls already gnawed clean away. A sordidness utterly removed from the world Luirene had known existed within the world those eyes reflected.
“This is where I was born and raised. The tent on 7th Street with the red leaves painted on it.”
The scene unfolding inside the tent Eneka lifted open was nothing like she’d expected. She had thought someone would spot Eneka and rush out, overcome with longing. Instead, the inside was a battlefield—voices shouting as if war had broken out. Eneka didn’t even have time for a leisurely greeting before she dove in.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“E-Eneka!”
“Eneka! Rika… Rika!”
There was no time for a reunion. Amid the huddle of grimy children, the smallest-looking girl lay collapsed, her mouth smeared with blood. Her complexion was ghostly pale—she looked critical at a glance.
“What happened? What’s wrong with Rika?”
“I-I don’t know. She just suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.”
“The day before yesterday, Rika picked up a piece of bread off the ground and ate it…”
“I’ve told you over and over—food off the ground is contaminated, it could be moldy! Don’t eat it!”
“But she was so hungry!”
“What about the money I sent last month?”
“We already used it all. We wanted to make it last as long as possible, but everyone’s clothes were falling apart and we were all starving… we couldn’t help it. I’m sorry, big sis…”
Eneka clutched her head.
“We’re taking her to the free clinic right now. What are you doing? Get Rika on your back!”
“But the money… we don’t have any money.”
“Let’s save Rika first and worry about that later!”
Startled by Eneka’s command, the children, who’d been frozen in tears, scrambled into motion. Watching, Luirene easily recognized that Eneka had been the leader of these children here—the one who guided them. These kids were the reason she’d endured such vicious bullying without breaking.
They arrived at the free clinic with the children carrying Rika. Inside, rows of medicine bottles lined the shelves, but before treatment could begin, a problem arose.
“How much did you say?”
“Twelve pence, I said.”
The doctor had demanded an outrageous price for Rika’s treatment. Twelve pence was equal to a high-end piece of jewelry. Even scraping together a year’s wages from Eneka’s work as a maid wouldn’t cover it.
“One of the herbs this child needs now cannot be cultivated in the Lille Empire—it’s imported at great expense from foreign merchants. A precious ingredient like that must be ground into her medicine, so you’ll pay a price to match.”
“Even so, how can you charge twelve pence…! Isn’t this a total swindle?”
“Regardless, if you want treatment, you pay first. If that’s not possible, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Why you—!”
Eneka fumed and nearly lunged at the doctor. Luirene barely managed to hold her back. Committing violence against the doctor here would solve absolutely nothing. She pulled Eneka outside the clinic.
“Is there a pawnshop nearby?”
“A pawnshop…? What for?”
“If you know a place, just take me there.”
Eneka turned and led the way, apparently knowing one.
The pawnshop sat in the middle of the bustling square. Carriages crossed back and forth over the gaslit roads. Evening was drawing near, and the occasional luxury carriage carrying nobles returning from social engagements caught the eye.
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