Chapter 455 – Playing Hero

“Hey stranger, fancy a treat?”

“No thanks.”

Roland turned his head away from a grinning man missing half his teeth. In his hands, he had some valuables that were probably stolen. To make things worse he smelled of narcotics, something that also existed in this world. A plethora of them existed, some resembling white powder, while others took the form of sparkling liquids or even crystals.

“Don’t be like that, I’ve got some good fairy dust, my friend. Or do you perhaps prefer something stronger?”

“…”

Roland didn’t reply. Instead, he removed himself from the alleyway he had ducked into. Just like when he took an airship, people seemed to follow him around. After leaving the mansion, he had been followed by someone, but eventually lost them during his trip through the city. Luck wasn’t on his side though, as he ended up in what looked like the slums.

After he navigated the narrow, winding streets of the slums, Roland couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The atmosphere was thick with desperation, and the air was heavy with the stench of decay and filth. Shady figures lurked in the shadows, eyeing him as if they wanted to cause him harm. However, thanks to his bulky frame and armor, they seem unwilling to initiate a proper confrontation.

‘This is bad, could Albrook turn to this if we ignore the gambling and pleasure district?’

It was disconcerting to witness such a place in a supposedly well-run territory. It seemed the older Valerian brother had chosen to turn a blind eye to the seedy elements within the city. Perhaps those managing the place were lazy or had been bought off by the criminal underworld. Whatever the case, it was evident that Aldbourne had its fair share of problems.

This situation reminded him of the small criminal council forming within Albrook. They had been stopped before things got out of hand and were now even collaborating with the current leader of the thief guild. In a sense, they had an agreement, but his city didn’t leave so many people out on the streets. There were cleaner ways of running gambling dens and red-light districts than what he was witnessing here.

Something like this wasn’t anything new to him as it seemed to happen in almost all cities. With a settlement’s growth, the wealth distribution tended to favor the top percentile. It flowed toward the rich merchants, store owners, and nobility while leaving others struggling to make ends meet. The gap between the wealthy and the impoverished continued to widen as finding jobs became increasingly harder.

In this world, entities similar to charities were practically nonexistent due to limited resources. While churches occasionally offered some food, like everyone else, their coffers were limited. The nobility, possessing both power and wealth, hoarded it out of fear. Their focus lay in training new soldiers and striking deals that would directly benefit them, rather than investing in the well-being of the common people.

‘I shouldn’t linger for too long here. I have two options, either I join another merchant caravan or head out on my own.’

Dragnis Island, where he found himself, lacked a proper train connecting most of the cities. The density of monsters outside the settlements was higher, making solo travel quite dangerous. Even seasoned adventurers preferred to journey with a caravan, knowing there was safety in numbers. Monsters outside dungeons behaved differently from those created by dungeon cores. They wouldn’t just mindlessly attack everyone to risk their lives and usually avoided well-lit gatherings with a lot of people.

‘But they probably won’t let me travel with them unless I reveal my adventurer card…’

Things would become problematic if his enemies were made aware of his travelels here. Emmerson was still alive, as were other Knight Commanders. Even the knights from the Baskerville family had attempted to attack him, so maintaining a low profile was crucial. It wouldn’t be surprising if these individuals acted similarly upon discovering his presence at their doorstep.

‘Going out alone might be dangerous but I should be able to avoid monsters and flying is an option too now, but I might have to wait until it’s dark. The gate guards will want to see some identification…’

Roland had gained entrance into the city thanks to the merchants he had saved. The guards recognized them and allowed the carriage to pass without hindrance. However, leaving the city would likely prove more difficult. Although he had shaken off his previous pursuers, he was certain they remained keenly interested in his true identity. They appeared to be embroiled in some form of power struggle and perhaps suspected he had been hired to rescue the young girl.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you to get that coin ready by today?”

“What do you mean, we returned all of it.”

“Did you forget about the interest? That’s why I dislike dealing with little brats. If you can’t pay off your loan now, then I’m sure we can arrange something… Your friend there isn’t that bad, we can use her.”

“No! We gave you everything back!”

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a loud conversation. Roland had surrounded himself with a concealment spell that masked his presence, but he couldn’t help but overhear the heated exchange between some individuals. It seemed to be a dispute over money, and one of them mentioned something about using someone as collateral. While normally he would have just ignored it, but the lenders sounded rather young which peeked his interest.

Roland was on his way through an alleyway and the sounds were coming from one of the decrepit buildings on the way. He was able to peek through some gaps in a boarded-up window and inside he saw three adult men confronting a group of children. The one that he heard shouting was a boy who didn’t seem much older than twelve. Behind him was a girl who seemed slightly younger and another boy of similar age.

On the other side stood a smug-looking man who reminded him of a rat. Behind him were two burly men who resembled bandits. It was painfully clear that these kids were in trouble. They had likely become involved in one of the oldest scams: taking a loan. Now these loan sharks would keep trying to fleece them for more money, and their eyes were seemingly set on the young girl. It was obvious what their intentions were, and the children’s fate seemed to be sealed.

‘…’

Roland was reminded once more of the brutality of this world. People were often judged by the classes they were born into, and the three youths he encountered were simple farmers with no land to cultivate. Farmlands were scarce around this city, which prioritized commerce over agriculture. To make a living, these children would likely need to venture outside to a different area. However, with no money and monsters lurking everywhere, such a journey would likely end in tragedy.

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‘They look like orphans, no caravan would probably take them without compensation… There is also no adventurer guild here so they wouldn’t be able to hire any adventurers either.’

This place was not near any dungeon, which was the biggest reason why he saw mostly mercenaries everywhere. Adventurers simply used this as a hub to pass through to Albrook or other cities in this territory that had access to a dungeon. Just like Arthur, Theodore Valerian was initially given a city close to a different dungeon, and that’s where his base of operations was situated.

Something like this wasn’t anything new; people were always taken advantage of. In the past, Roland usually ignored such things as he needed to watch out for his own well-being. In his earlier years, he found himself in situations where he had to rely solely on himself, yet he harbored no illusions of superiority over others. He acknowledged that his advantageous position came largely from lucky circumstances. It was a pure circumstance that he arrived from a different world with skills that enabled him to survive.

Things were different now though, Roland had achieved a certain amount of power and the unfolding situation was making his blood boil. However, if he intervened in this situation it needed to be done with some thought. Unwanted attention was something that he didn’t want and even if he helped these children, their problems would probably not vanish but just be postponed.

‘It would be better if I didn’t use any obvious magic… and take out the lookout first…’

He found himself in an alleyway and it led out to one of the streets. Someone that looked like a criminal was standing right at the end and was probably part of the trio that was trying to scam the children. Thus, after scanning the entire area for other potential threats he started moving. His presence had not been noticed yet, so sneaking up behind this lone man wasn’t difficult.