"The idiot you stole from," Alden said, looking at two kids in front of him.
Both of them had brown hair and green eyes.
Their clothes are unkempt and torn in places. Alden's gaze softened slightly looking at them.
They looked too mature for their age.
He stood between Alden and the girl, his posture tense and eyes defiant.
There was no fear in him—just the quiet, sharp resolve of someone who had decided his life was worth less than hers.
Alden had let the boy steal his ManaSync out of pure curiosity. He didn't really have any intentions.
Okay, maybe just a slight intention.
But it would have helped them as well.
"You can take your ManaSync." The boy extended his hands holding the device. "Let my sister go."
"You can relax. I'm not here to hurt you." Alden replied, trying to ease the tension.
But, instead of relaxing, Mark gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
He didn't trust Alden in the slightest.
Do I look like a villain or what?
Alden couldn't help but question.
"I'm here to give you a job."
Mark narrowed his eyes. "A job?"
Alden nodded. "You know the city better than I do. Every alley, every shortcut, every place worth knowing. I need someone who can guide me."
Alden continued, "I don't like tourist traps. I don't like wasting time. And I really don't like getting followed. I figured a local expert would help with all three."
The boy looked him up and down, still sceptical.
"What's the catch?" Mark asked.
"No catch", Alden said. "You help me out while I'm here, and I'll pay you. Simple."
Mark glanced back at Yuna. She was staring at Alden with open curiosity now.
"What if I say no?" Mark asked.
"Then I'll walk away," Alden replied casually. "I'll find my own way around. And I'll still leave that ManaSync with you."
The boy blinked. For the first time, his posture faltered.
"…Why?" he asked. "Why would you trust us?"
"I don't," Alden said, shrugging. "But I've got good instincts."
Mark finally lowered his arms.
"…Okay," he muttered. "I'll do it."
Alden gave him a slight nod. "Good. Then lead the way, Guide."
Yuna clapped softly behind him. "We guide now."
Mark rolled his eyes, but Alden didn't miss the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Alden wasn't some bleeding-heart hero.
He'd learnt long ago—trying to help everyone just gets you killed.
So why was he helping them?
At first he just decided to let the boy steal ManaSync out of curiosity. He followed him to see what he was doing with it.
He was going to leave when he saw he was just going to steal it for money.
But then he saw his sister.
Her face had sparked something—a memory.
A girl from the novel. One of the most irritating villains Alden remembered.
At first, he'd dismissed it as coincidence.
Then he heard her name–Yuna.
It was also the same.
He scanned through his memories to remember any information he could. Her backstory was slightly mentioned.
She was also from the slums of Lustra. After her brother died, she became a demon contractor.
The reason Alden remembered her was simple—her special ability was too annoying.
She gave Lucien the most trauma out of all the villains. Even more so than the Demon King.
Her special ability was Weaver of Truth, a power that twisted reality itself.
It was really a broken ability. Even Lucien with his system couldn't resist it.
But something else made her even more terrifying. In this world the age of awakening was 17.
But she was the sole person in the novel mentioned to have awakened at the age of 14.
Blessed of the world – that was what she was called.
Even Alden didn't know how it worked.
But now, she was just an innocent little kid. Alden couldn't understand how broken she had been to be turned into a broken villain.
He decided to change her fate.
That would reduce one of the core parts of Demon Forces.
As for how he was going to change her fate – it was simple.
All of Yuna's suffering started from Mark's death. So he was going to save him.
He didn't know when Mark would die, but he was going to make sure it didn't happen.
Alden watched Mark and Yuna as they walked ahead, their clothes still ragged and worn.
He looked around himself. Just then he saw a well-dressed woman coming out from a cloth-store across the street.
"Hold on," Alden said, looking at them. "We're stopping here."
Mark looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, 'here'?"
"This place", Alden said, nodding toward the clothes shop across the street. "You're my guides, and I don't want you to be looking like beggars."
"You don't have to do that. We're fine." Mark said.
"I don't care," Alden said firmly.
Mark opened his mouth to say something, but before he could even utter anything, Alden turned and walked toward the shop.
The siblings followed silently.
The tailor was a man in his mid-twenties. He had black hair and purple eyes.
He had a gentle smile on his face. "Ah, welcome. What can I do for you today?"
"I need clothes for my friends here," Alden said, gesturing to Mark and Yuna.
"Of course. I'll make sure they look proper." The tailor smiled warmly. He didn't judge. "Come, come, let's see what we have."
Mark and Yuna stood awkwardly in the corner, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation.
After a while, Mark and Yuna came out of the dressing room. They looked vastly different.
Mark wore a casual white shirt paired with dark trousers. Yuna wore a cute pink dress.
Alden walked towards the counter to pay for the clothes. "How much for clothes?"
"These are on the house, my friend." The tailor said.
Alden blinked, taken aback by the offer. "Are you sure? You're just giving them away?"
The tailor's smile grew even wider. "Why not? You've got a good heart, helping these two." He winked. "Consider it a gift."
Alden shook his head but couldn't help but grin. "Thanks."
"No problem," the tailor replied. "And it's really nice weather to go on a trip for the next few days."