The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 2
EP.2 Raging Flames (2)
“What is this? Are you saying you’ll come along?”
“……”
The old woman spoke, and I simply stared up at her. She clicked her tongue in disapproval and continued.
“Well, since you’re here, hold this lamp.”
She handed me the oil lamp she was holding. The lamp, filled with oil, was quite heavy. There were lighter gas lamps available, but they didn’t last as long as oil lamps.
Everything in this orphanage was cheap. The clothes had been worn by previous orphans countless times, so the necklines were stretched out, the hems were frayed, and holes gaped where the fabric was worn thin. Underwear was so stretched out that it rarely fit properly. We had to pin it to our waists to keep it from falling off.
When was the last time this building had been repaired? The windows were damaged and filled with whatever rags we could find, but the cold wind still seeped in. The floorboards were old and squeaky, as if they might collapse at any time.
The porridge we got daily, barely enough to fill our stomachs, was clearly made from the cheapest ingredients, thrown together without care. The most expensive things in this orphanage were probably the orphans themselves.
“No matter how pretty your face is, if you keep acting all gloomy like that, no one will want to take you.”
“……”
I chose to keep my mouth shut.
Could a five-year-old child win against the old hag?
No, even if she walked with a cane and had lost most of her teeth, she was still stronger than a five-year-old. I remembered her yanking my arm once, and I was shocked at the difference in strength between us. If I argued back, I might just get hit or, worse, be prevented from even walking beside Claire.
Even at this moment, I was racking my brain, thinking of a way to get Claire out of here. I didn’t have any brilliant ideas, but I didn’t want to just let her go.
Claire’s first impression in the game was far from favorable. She was rude, insecure, and frequently made fun of the princess, a character the player was often attracted to.
But as her past was gradually revealed, she then reconciled with the princess, and her image improved. Eventually, she stood alongside the emperor, who sought to conquer the world. In the end, she defied even the emperor’s orders to sacrifice herself for the princess.
I… liked Claire as a character.
In fact, I liked almost every main character that appeared in this game series. Each installment took anywhere from 70 to 150 hours to complete, and I often played through multiple times to fully explore each game. Having spent so much time with these characters, I had grown attached to almost all the main characters in the game.
For seven years, I eagerly awaited each new release, pre-ordering the games and opening the packages with excitement. I even bought the digital version once because I couldn’t wait for the physical copy to arrive.
Over the years, these characters had become so important to me. I desperately wanted to help them escape their terrible situations. After all, I knew what their future would be.
But… I didn’t have the power to do anything about it. Even if I knew the future, I was still only five years old.
In other cases where someone transmigrated into another world, especially into a game, they often find themselves with a status window or some incredible special abilities. But… I had none of that. And even if I did, I wouldn’t know how to use them immediately.
Why did it have to be here, of all places? Why was I placed near the heroine when I couldn’t do anything?
“Now, greet them.”
The old woman’s voice came from behind.
The door was open and the sky was pitch black. A middle-aged couple, who appeared to be from a wealthy family, had gone out of their way to come here in the middle of the night.
“…Hello.”
Knowing that I would get beaten if I didn’t greet them, I bowed politely. Claire, who was standing next to me, awkwardly followed my lead and bowed.
“Ho-ho.”
A man, neatly trimmed with a thick mustache and wearing a tall silk hat, leaned over to look at my face. The wind was still cold, suggesting that it was early winter. A chill ran through my body, not just from the cold wind grazing my skin.
The man, with his protruding cheekbones and a monocle over one eye, had his other eye appear grotesquely large due to the glass lens.
“Is this the child?”
“Ah, no. The one you came to see is this one…”
The old woman, who usually spoke to the children with a voice full of irritation, spoke politely to the man.
“…But of course, this one is also available for sale.”
“Hmm.”
The man snatched the oil lamp from my hand and held it up next to my face. The distinctive smell of burning oil filled the air, and I could feel the heat from the flame through the thick glass. The lamp’s flame flickered a deep red, tinged with blue, almost as if it were a gas flame instead of oil.
He scrutinized my face under the light and slowly lowered the lamp, examining me from head to toe. Then, taking a few steps to the side, he did the same to Claire.
“Unfortunately, I only have enough money for one child today. But this one is just at the right age. The customer will be pleased. Is the price the same?”
The man asked after thoroughly inspecting Claire.
A plump middle-aged woman, standing a few steps away from the man, seemed completely uninterested in what was happening.
“Ah, well, you see, this girl has always been a top-quality product, so I’ve kept her well hidden. I was planning to sell her to customers who prefer slightly older children…”
The old woman explained.
“Hmm.”
The man turned back to me and reached out, grabbing a handful of my hair. A shiver ran down my spine. Even if I had my original body, I didn’t think I could win against this man.
Beneath the fine fabric of his suit, the contours of bulging muscles were clearly visible. His thick, rough fingers looked like they could crush my skull if he decided to squeeze my head. The man seemed unconcerned by my rigid stance as he lifted my hair closer to the lamp, as if checking its color.
“This one suits the client’s tastes better. Is she experienced?”
Dropping my hair, the man asked the old woman.
“Oh no, of course not. We always deal in new products. That’s the standard after all.”
“I see. Then the processing will be done on our end.”
Now that I noticed, the man was holding a sturdy cane in his right hand. It wasn’t like the old woman’s roughly hewn wooden cane. His was black and gleaming, with a handle shaped like an eagle’s head. It might have even been made of silver.
“Ah, yes, so what was the price again?”
the man asked, looking down at the old woman with his head held high. It seemed she had already forgotten the flattering way she had described me just moments before.
“Oh, no, there’s no difference in price since they’re both orphans. Just the price you mentioned last time will do.”
“Alright. Got it.”
The man pulled a hefty pouch from inside his suit pocket and tossed it to the old woman. She barely managed to catch it, peering inside with a broad smile. The wrinkles on her face bunched up, and her nearly toothless mouth gaped open. With the lamp below her, the shadows made the creases on her face look like something out of a horror movie.
“Thank you very much. Please continue to use our services in the future…”
The old woman said, bowing even lower, her already hunched back bending further.
“Sure. Keep that one safe until then.”
The man pointed at Claire.
“Of course, of course… There will be no problems.”
“Let’s go.”
The man turned to me and spoke.
“Sister?”
Claire finally looked at me, confusion in her eyes as if she still didn’t understand what was happening.
“…Claire.”
I hadn’t expected things to turn out like this, but maybe, at least for now, this was a good outcome. I couldn’t be sure what would happen to Claire in the future, but had I managed to prevent something terrible from happening right now?
“…Stay healthy.”
Anyway, I said my farewell.
“Sister, where are you going?”
Claire asked anxiously, looking at me. I was about to nod in reassurance when—
“Indeed.”
The man spoke, cutting me off. His voice was no longer the stiff tone he had used earlier; now, it was disturbingly warm, almost soothing.
The man turned around and walked toward Claire, bending down to her level. And then he placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder, as if trying to act the part of a kind adult.
“Your ‘sister’ is going to a better place. Somewhere much warmer, where she won’t have to go hungry. So, be a good girl and wait here. We’ll come back to get you soon. Then you can be happy together, just like your sister.”
“……”
But even at such a young age, Claire didn’t seem to believe his words. Her gaze flickered nervously between the man and me.
“……”
The man smiled at Claire and patted her head. Then he straightened up and turned around. Without saying anything more, he walked directly toward the carriage waiting on the street.
“……”
I waved at Claire. It wasn’t the kind of moment to be smiling, but I forced one anyway. Seeing my smile seemed to ease Claire’s worry, and she finally waved back. With nothing more I could do, I turned and headed toward the carriage.
*
Thud!
A loud sound filled the air. I thought it was just the sound of the carriage door closing the moment I got inside. But then a wave of pain spread across my forehead, and I realized I had been slammed face-first onto the floor. My vision flickered, and my ears rang. The dizziness overwhelmed the pain. A grown man had grabbed a five-year-old child’s head and smashed it against the floor. The fact that I could even make sense of what was happening felt like a near miracle.
“Ah…?”
But that didn’t mean my body was fine. Blood was trickling down my face. Had my nose broken? Something felt loose inside my mouth. I reached up to touch my face—
Slap!
A loud noise echoed as my head snapped to the right.
“H-Hngh…”
Only then did the pain register. It hurts. It was probably the first real pain I had experienced in my life. In this world or the other. Tears blurred my vision, and my head buzzed so loudly that I couldn’t hear properly. Maybe my eardrum has ruptured from the slap.
“Sorry.”
A cold, emotionless voice seeped through the ringing in my ears.
“I don’t have anything against you personally. The client just prefers you to be a little broken.”
A thick hand roughly grabbed my neck.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”
“Ugh…”
I wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
I could barely see the man raising his hand with my still-unswollen eye.
No, please…
*
…And then, in the next moment, I realized the pain in my body had suddenly vanished. I stayed curled up, bracing myself, but no further blows came. In fact, the warmth that I had felt inside the carriage had abruptly disappeared.
Had I died?
Tense and confused, I slowly lifted my head.
Standing in front of me was Claire, looking bewildered.
“Sister?”
She asked, seeing me crouched on the bed, arms raised in fear.
“…What?”
I slowly lowered my arms and looked around. This was the orphanage. Everything was exactly the same as it had been before I left.
I raised a hand to my face. There were no cuts, no bruises. I wasn’t in pain. I moved my tongue around my mouth; no teeth were broken or missing.
What was going on?
Before I could fully grasp the situation, I heard the old woman’s voice.
“Claire! The person who will take you has arrived! Show your smile!”
I had already heard those words once before.