Arc, Misha, and Raina tripping around the capital peacefully.

They shouldn’t could get in trouble. In first place, there protector from Everyne in shadow, they send by Duke saffron to ensure Misha safety. Arc and Raina are strong bodyguards despite being children, they could easily repel ordinary thug.

With that arrangement, they wouldn’t get in trouble, normally.

“Haaa…”

“…Why did you sigh, Arc?”

“*Stare*…?”

“No…”

However, Misha forgetting she was new in the capital. The capital was a wide city, wider than Everyne city. There many unknown areas in the capital, even locals couldn’t remember or know all of that.

For Misha to trip in unknown wide city without a guide to show them the way, something would happen as expected.

“……We’re lost, isn’t it?”

“……Yeah.”

“*Stare*…”

Arc, Misha, and Raina observing the unknown building in surrounding.

The children were lost.

Misha was dragging Arc and Raina in her arm aimlessly.

By the time Misha realized, she already far from main road, and got into this relative gloomy area.

 

– Meanwhile ago.

 

In marketplace.

“Hey, have you heard the shop in the alleyway?”

Ask a male passerby to his friend.

“You mean that rumored shop?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Isn’t that just an urban legend?”

“No, no, I heard that was true. My sister told me her friend have visited that shop.”

“Isn’t that just a lie to attracted girl?”

“It was true!”

“How are you sure?”

“Because I visited that shop with my sister after that.”

“What? If you have visited that shop, why you have told me in roundabout way?”

“Hahaha, isn’t that cooler?”

“Tsk… So, what kind shop is that?”

“… It actually a gloomy shop. There so many eerie items displayed inside, especially the dolls. They so eerily look alive that I thought they would come to live and attack me and my sister. That shop looked like a witch house no matter I looking when I’m inside.”

“Wow, what’s about the shop owner? How he was looked?”

“Hahaha… This… well, I don’t know. I and my sister run away after we saw the shop interior.”

“…You’re useless.”

“Hey! I couldn’t help when the dolls suddenly rose that time!”

“So, the dolls were alive!?”

Such kind conservation entered Misha ears.

While Misha browsing the merchandises in the marketplace, she caught the wind of mysterious and unique shop in the alleyway.

The passerby talk strung the curiosity in Misha heart, particularly when she heard moving dolls and witch.

“Arc, our next destination has been decided!”

“Uh? Where?”

“To the shop in the alleyway!”

“*Tilted*…?”

“……Where is that?”

Arc and Raina felt a bad premonition exuding from Misha word.

“In the alleyway?”

“Where exactly is that, Young Lady?”

“*Stare*…”

Misha taken aback by the blank stare of her two servants.

Truthfully, Misha totally clueless with the rumored shop location. However, she couldn’t give up something interesting so easily.

“C’mon, Arc. This was a shop with moving dolls, I heard there also witch in living in there.”

“Uh, oh, really?”

“Of course, I have reliable informer!”

“We could visit if we know the shop location.”

Misha persuading managed to rosing up Arc inquisitiveness.

“…”

Raina stood coolly in their background.

“Then, let’s go!”

 

– Presently

 

That how they three in this situation.

“That’s how it happened.”

<<…You… *Sigh* So, that’s how it.>>

Currently, Misha telling her situation to Rian through whispering orb.

Rian image that hovering on the orb sighing tiredly after he listened Misha.

<<We grew worried since the secret guards had separated from you, Misha.>>

“Uh? That quite serious, Brother.”

Arc faintly remember he saw some familiar figures being blocked by carriage when they went into alleyway. He guessed that people must the guards that protecting them from shadow. It’s unfortune they accidentally separated from the secret guards. Arc had informed it to Misha before she made the calls.

<<Where are you now?>>

“We in the alleyway of South Capital”

Misha lied her actual location.

<<For now, you must return soon. If you still lost, just stay in guard station. I’ll dispatch our knight to pick you.>>

“Okay, Brother Rian.”

The whispering orb image cut off after Misha nodding at the instruction.

Misha sighed out as the calls over.

“Seems like we’ve enough playing.”

“Right, we had made the people worried.”

“*Nod*…”

“Let’s return then.”

“How? We don’t even know where exactly we’re.”

“We could just ask people, Arc.”

“Here?”

“*Looking around*…”

Arc and Raina warily threw their glance to the surrounding. They feel surrounding around the three children was dangerous, as if they in wilderness.

Misha doesn’t mind their exaggerated alertness, since she herself recognized how dangerous the place they currently in.

When Misha met Arianne before, she told Misha the areas she must avoid in the capital. The areas were east area, outer south, and central area.

Currently, they now in the east capital. Misha could easily guess since the east part known as slum area.

The slum was most dangerous area in the capital, many crimes and evils in the capital gathered there, since east area were poorest and have laxest security.

It was practically a small wilderness in human civilization. A truly dangerous place, especially for wealthy and noble children, as kidnaping for ransom often happening there.

“…”

“…”

“Hahaha, sorry to brought us here… seems like we got into trouble again.”

Misha let out sheepish laugh, while scratches the back of her head. Misha sweeping her embarrass as she was bored by Arc and Raina stare.

“W-Well, our situation isn’t dire since we actually roughly know where we’re, right Arc?”

“Yes, Misha. However, the path here harder to through than its look.”

As Arc said, the slum path was like a maze that would make people astray. The intersection of road was connected unorderly, some long paths have many turns or blocked by building, and the arrangement of the buildings in the slum completely chaotic like a boy’s toy box.

With that kind circumstance, unless someone born and live in the slum, one could easily get lost in the maze-like path of slum.

Even them who had taken a long path with many turns and twist must return to the start, as their way got a dead end.

Misha quite distressed when the long way they got actually a trap.

“There nothing we could with just stood still.”

“Right, it’s better we move now.”

“…”

Unexpectedly, they didn’t encounter anyone from slum despite in the depth of slum. Arc could feel presence of people coming from inside building around them, but they won’t show up. It as if they hiding from something.

“Weird, how come there no anyone here?”

“No, Misha. There many of them hiding in their houses now.”

“*Nod*…”

“They are hiding? From the book I had read, that looks we’ll get into trouble.”

“Stop that, Misha.”

After Misha said that, they crossed the crossroads and a small white figure rushing from the other side of road.

Both of Misha group and white shadow caught off guard, never expecting someone would come in their way. Arc and Raina particularly, since they never feel the white shadow presence until it reaches them.

“Guah!”

“Kyaaa!”

Misha and white shadow crashed, toppling them on each other. Misha chest was hurt as she slammed by white shadow head.

“Misha, are you okay?”

“*Worried looks*…”

“Ouch! Yeah, I’m fine… What just happened?”

Misha patting her hurt chest, looking at the ones that bumped her.

“A little girl?”

“Yes, it is a white little girl.”

“*Nod*…”

Arc, Misha, and Raina watching the white-haired little girl in front of them.

“Uuuuhhh…”

The white girl crying pitifully, clutching her slightly swollen her.

 

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