It was a corner in the alley behind the tannery.
The tanners of Silvervein City would process raw hides here. Several waist-high soaking pits were half-buried in the ground, filled with a turbid lime solution used for curing.
The turbid liquid was mixed with scraped-off decaying fat, blood, and shed hair. After fermenting, it turned into a viscous, grayish-white substance, with a yellowish oil film floating on the surface, emitting a nauseating, alkaline stench.
Even the tanners themselves wore special cowhide aprons and arm guards when working.
At this moment, by the soaking pit in the furthest corner, a little girl, about five years old and wearing a patched smock, was sprawled over the edge of the pit, sobbing uncontrollably.
“My bunny… wahhh—my bunny fell in—”
Kaila stopped in the shadows.
She instantly grasped the situation.
The cloth rabbit had completely sunk.
The palm-sized soft fabric toy, saturated with corrosive fluid, was stuck beneath a pile of rotting leather scraps at the bottom of the pit. Only a faint, grayish-white outline, covered by an opaque yellow oil film, vaguely bulged from deep within the murky surface, making it impossible to even discern the ears.
That kind of broken toy from a street stall was worth at most one Copper Shell.
But to the little girl, it clearly wasn't.
Kaila stood in the shadows, quickly reviewing all the options in her mind.
Pick it out with a wooden stick?
The doll was already soaked through with corrosive fluid, soft as boiled greens. A stick would only poke straight through the fabric, or stir it deeper.
A wire hook?
Even worse.
One pull and it would rip open, the rabbit shattering into pieces, forever lost at the bottom of the pit.
Flip over the soaking pit?
Kaila could certainly do that.
But that was the tanners' private property; the soaking fluid, leather, and chemicals inside all cost money. A Hero couldn't destroy a workshop's entire livelihood for the day just to retrieve one toy.
What about magic?
A Hero's magic was meant to fight evil and slay monsters, not to be misused in situations where she would reveal her power before others.
Only the most primitive, and simplest, method remained.
Jump in.
Dive to the bottom, grope around, and slowly retrieve the cloth rabbit from between the leather scraps.
The soaking pit wasn't particularly deep.
But to reach the bottom, she'd have to immerse her entire body. Her hair, nun's habit, boots, and gloves would all be steeped in that turbid liquid mixed with lime, decaying fat, and blood.
Kaila lowered her eyes, glancing at her clean and tidy nun's habit.
Once that smell permeated, it would never wash out.
The fabric would harden, discolor, and emit a persistent, foul odor.
Her hair, too.
She wouldn't be able to see Sophie this afternoon.
That perpetually lazy and scatterbrained vampire was supposed to be waiting for her outside the market this afternoon.
She was supposed to listen to Sophie's inexplicable, yet strangely captivating, odd remarks; she was supposed to watch Sophie deliberately brush against her, only to be pushed away; she was supposed to be able to enjoy the night breeze on the rooftop and ask her why she could roll around in the sunlight without turning to ash.
But if she looked and smelled like this—
Sophie would probably dramatically cover her nose and float twenty feet away.
Kaila had never so clearly realized that beyond the simple phrase “so troublesome,” something far heavier could be layered on top.
So troublesome.
But.
【A Hero must help everyone who needs help】.
She took a deep breath, stepped out of the shadows, and reached to unfasten the clasps on the outside of her nun's habit.
At least take off the outer robe.
One less item ruined is one less item ruined.
Just then.
A deep blue figure slowly floated in from the alley entrance.
Sophie stopped across from the soaking pit.
She tilted her head, her gaze passing over the crying little girl and landing on Kaila, who was preparing to strip off her outer robe and jump into the pit.
Kaila frowned.
She and this vampire always had a strange connection.
It had been that way since their first meeting.
But right now, she'd rather not have such a connection.
Sophie looked at her, then at the pit, and an expression of sudden understanding appeared on her face.
“Miss Hero, you're not actually planning to jump in, are you?”
Kaila didn't answer.
Sophie gasped.
“How noble.”
She said seriously.
“But it smells awful.”
Kaila: “...”
Sophie raised her hand and snapped her fingers with a crisp sound.
“Squeak—”
A grayish-black bat, formed from blood mist, poked its head out from her sleeve.
The bat looked down at the soaking pit, and a hint of human-like tragedy actually flickered in its tiny, bean-sized eyes.
Then, it spread its wings and, with an incongruously heroic posture, splashed into the grayish-white turbid liquid.
The little girl's crying ceased abruptly.
Kaila also stopped her movements.
The blood mist bat struggled a few times in the corrosive fluid, then quickly dove to the bottom of the pit. A few seconds later, a string of tiny bubbles rose to the surface of the turbid liquid.
Immediately after, it surfaced from the bottom of the pit, clutching the cloth rabbit—now saturated with corrosive fluid and limp as a rotten vegetable leaf—with its two claws.
Sophie took half a step back in disgust.
The blood mist bat dragged the cloth rabbit to the edge of the pit, then its entire body seemed to melt as if scalded, poofing into a cloud of crimson mist, disappearing along with the stench clinging to it.
The cloth rabbit, in turn, plopped onto the ground.
The little girl froze for half a second, then rushed forward, hugging the strange-smelling rabbit to her chest.
“Bunny!”
She laughed through her tears, then turned and ran, seemingly eager to get home and wash the rabbit clean.
Silence returned to the alley.
Kaila remained in the posture of unfastening her clasps, quietly watching the little girl's retreating back.
Sophie had floated over to her side.
“That little brat was crying there for two hours. I was wondering if I could lure Miss Hero by lurking near someone who needed help.”
“Didn't expect I'd actually catch you.”
Sophie, as usual, pressed against Kaila and rubbed herself against her.
“So, so, is it date time now?”
【A Hero cannot turn a blind eye to evil deeds】.
Kaila flicked Sophie on the forehead.
Sophie's eyes widened in disbelief: “You're going to kill me.”
“You're a vampire anyway, you heal quickly,” Kaila said expressionlessly. “Next, as we agreed before…”
“Yeah, yeah, I'm all ready,” Sophie said, clutching her head. “Did you just smile? Are you a little happy?”
Oh right, she was apparently the second person who could read her expressions.
“A little,” Kaila admitted. “Now we should go.”
Actually, Sophie was wrong.
Not a little happy.
She.
Was very happy.
...
Rate on N.U.
