"Abigail?"
Chloe thought she was seeing things.
But the dirty blond hair rolled into a ball, hiding in the corner and watching her, looked somewhat familiar.
Not quite like the Abigail wearing a little dress in reality.
But very much like the little girl rescued from the slums in memory.
Instinctively, he rubbed the girl’s head and said:
"What are you doing out here?"
"I-I was hiding under the awning, feeling a bit scared."
Chloe felt a bit dazed.
When he called out Abigail, the girl didn’t seem confused.
This made him feel incredible.
So he cautiously probed once more:
"Abigail..."
"Yes, brother, are we going begging now?"
So it really is.
Chloe felt a bit bewildered.
Abigail from the Heroic Era?
Abigail in reality?
He couldn’t tell.
He really couldn’t tell.
Perhaps frightened by Chloe’s unusual behavior, she spoke slowly and softly.
Chloe didn’t say much, just led him to where they lived.
Alright.
That couldn’t even be called a home.
It was basically an awning made from trash scraps.
It was heart-wrenching to look at.
That night, Abigail hid in the corner of the awning, hugging her knees, like a curled-up little beast.
It was a sleeping posture that only someone extremely anxious would have.
He had been like that for a time, too.
After being taken away by Master Nini, he no longer had this habit.
He couldn’t figure out what this historical shadow was all about.
But he chose to wait.
Because the historical shadow of "Simulated Hero" has a very strange characteristic.
[No matter how you choose, the torrent of history will push you toward the inevitable path]
It seemed like there were choices, but in reality, there weren’t.
So he just needed to be himself and quietly wait for the so-called "main storyline" to appear.
Days passed like this.
This day, he was walking on the street with Abigail.
Compared to modern times, orphans of this era lived even more difficult lives.
In his memory, he at least had intermittent meals.
But in this era, it’s basically pure starvation.
If not for the silver coins snatched from the little scoundrels, he might have starved to death.
Abigail carefully licked the snow candy.
Chloe said casually:
"Eat slowly, I haven’t starved you."
He now understood his identity.
Abandoned by his parents in childhood, he could only wander outside, living through theft.
Until a few days ago, he found the likewise abandoned child Abigail, felt pity for her, and took her in.
If he had a bite to eat, so did the girl.
Of course, after Chloe took over, he went even further.
After all, he had an adult’s awareness, so getting the gold coins was easier.
He didn’t even need to steal.
Just relying on looking more pitiful was enough.
This he had experience with.
Before awakening his Innate Wisdom, what he did most often was using his deceptively cute face, pitifully holding his stomach in places where noblewomen and ladies would pass by.
The noblewomen and ladies were kind-hearted, and if they saw him, they would give a little.
It’s still the same old saying, the lord might not always be cold and heartless, just never saw the lower class with their own eyes.
As long as one out of ten people felt compassion, he wouldn’t go hungry.
This day, he pretended to be starving again, standing in shabby clothes, wretchedly at the street corner.
A luxurious carriage passed by nearby.
He recalled the direction the carriage was heading, it should be going to Kaf Restaurant.
That is one of the best restaurants in the city.
Though compared to what he ate in reality, it could only be considered coarse grain, but in this era, it’s the best.
"Tsk, it’s troublesome, the guards at Kaf Restaurant will drive people away."
The guards did not allow beggars within dozens of meters around Kaf Restaurant.
That was the manager’s order.
They were afraid that the nobles would find the sight unpleasant.
So the little beggars dared not to pass by there.
Afraid of getting hit without a word.
But Chloe was different.
He was always bold.
If the timing was right, sneaking near when the noble got off the carriage, the guards wouldn’t dare to make a move in front of the noble.
At most, they would just pull him aside.
As for face?
Joking, what kind of person is Ke, if losing face could make money, he would lose it all the way to the bank.
So after the noblewoman got off the carriage, he took action.
Plop.
The sudden sound of falling to the ground caught the attention of the noblewoman getting off the carriage.
Chloe even cunningly chose an angle that showed his half-cute side profile.
"Hill, go and help that child up."
A female beastman knight stepped forward and picked him up.
Seeing Chloe’s frowning little face, even though he was a bit dirty, she seemed to show a look of heartache.
The guard, seeing this scene, showed a fawning and flattering smile, immediately stepped forward to pull Chloe.
"Sorry, Lady Stuart, I’ll just take this beggar away."
Chloe immediately showed a pained expression.
The female knight, Hill, said unsatisfied:
"Be gentle, that child is only a few years old."
The guard bent his waist even more:
"Sir Hill, you don’t know, this little beggar has done this several times, he’s just trying to trick money out of noblewomen."
Tsk.
He was discovered.
He thought that by changing his outfit, the other party wouldn’t recognize him.
But he wasn’t upset.
To him, it’s just a means of making a living.
However, as he was being pulled, a small figure suddenly jumped in front of him, biting the guard’s hand hard.