The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 236

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 236

Emeline, who had been looking around, spoke with a very tense expression.

“What on earth happened? Even if it’s a long-distance teleportation circle, it shouldn’t be able to pass through the barrier of Odis’s boundary gate. …I should contact the school first. I need to explain that crossing the boundary gate was a mistake.”

“Wait a moment.”

“Why? We need to hurry! At this rate─”

“Look over there, Emeline.”

Emeline, who turned her gaze following my fingertip, furrowed her brow.

The school is visible. The distance from the school to the First Gate, which is the farthest boundary gate, is quite far. If we had crossed the boundary gate, the school shouldn’t be visible.

“Let’s check the coordinates again. Do you have a map?”

“Yes.”

We spread out the map Emeline brought and checked our location.

“We came to the right place. Though we’re about 2 kilometers off from the destination.”

“Allen, that piece of trash…”

“Why Allen?”

“That guy taught us the coordinates. Is he crazy?”

“It’s spite. I had gotten him good before. And if we really had gone beyond the boundary gate, he could be held responsible for giving us wrong coordinates, so he couldn’t do that. Plus, he wouldn’t be able to break through the boundary gate barrier anyway.”

“Despicable bastard…”

Emeline clicked her tongue, so I shrugged my shoulders and said.

“Let’s go. It’s not that far, so we can walk there, right?”

“Right.”

We walked together and left the alley.

When we reached our destination, we burst out with “Wow!” in admiration.

Though it can’t compare to massive territories like Dubbled or the Imperial Shopping District, it’s unbelievably splendid for a village situated on a mountainside.

“There’s a tavern, and a blacksmith shop, a scroll specialty shop, and even a bakery!”

“I heard it’s festival season. Leblaine, look over there! It’s a clown!”

A clown on stilts walked unsteadily while juggling four balls.

A toy railroad laid out in winding curves along the road. The toy train running on the railroad had promotional flags from various shops stuck on it.

Each food stall was selling mouth-watering food, and at the end of the street, someone was handing out balloons to excited children while colorful glowing papers flew through mid-air.

We became excited as if we had returned to our childhood days, holding hands and running around the village.

When we came to our senses, both our hands were full of snacks like candy and juice.

“Oh no, I need to find West.”

When I startled and looked up, Emeline, who had been munching on marshmallows beside me, also hesitated.

“I need to find Lady Juliet too.”

We gulped and looked at each other.

‘Scary, this festival… Making us lose our minds like this.’

We disposed of all the snacks we had frantically bought by giving them to passing children.

“We haven’t eaten any of it. How about it?”

“Here, take this pinwheel too. It’s free.”

Finally, Emeline dusted off her hands that were covered with marshmallow powder with sharp taps and grumbled.

“This is all because I lived without having anything when I was young. Since I couldn’t enjoy it as a child, I get distracted as an adult.”

“I agree.”

“Didn’t you live abundantly in this life?”

“So what. The memories of my past life are vivid. You only lived as a beggar until you were nine, right? I lived as a beggar much longer than you and died that way. In both my second life and first life, I couldn’t even imagine things like festivals.”

“Both you and I have had tragic lives. Oh, good heavens. How pathetic to forget our purpose and just play around. I absolutely can’t tell Tree about this. Leblaine, this is a secret from Tree.”

“Of course. She’d sulk for a week saying we left her out and had fun without her.”

We shook hands to make our promise and then turned our backs to search for our respective targets.

“See you at school.”

“Yeah.”

I asked every new student I met on the streets about Mina’s whereabouts.

“She was at the flower shop.”

“I think I saw her at the souvenir shop.”

“She was buying juice at that food stall at the end.”

The food stall I found by asking around was near the slums where I had first arrived. And at the entrance of the alley, I finally spotted Mina and West.

“Leblaine?”

Mina, who had been holding hands with West, looked at me.

“What brings you here?”

“I have business with West. Since I thought he’d be with you, I’ve been looking for you.”

“With West?”

“With me?”

West looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

Being a beastman, he grew slower than ordinary people, so even though he was over twenty, he was a span shorter than me.

“I have something to tell you about East.”

“Why East…?”

It was just as he asked in a shrinking voice.

Crash!

A dull scraping sound followed by shouting came from inside the alley.

“You thieving bastard!”

Mina and I looked in that direction simultaneously.

A large man with a menacing face was pushing a boy who looked about thirteen against the wall, furious with rage.

Beside the boy was a small girl who appeared to be his younger sister, who looked about six or seven years old at first glance.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

Mina shouted angrily, let go of West’s hand, and entered the alley.

West called “Mina~!” and followed her, so I had no choice but to chase after West.

“Let the child go. What are you doing to a child!”

“Who are you.”

The man looked Mina up and down and frowned.

“You seem to be an Odis student, so mind your own business.”

“How can we just overlook something like this? Hey, are you okay?”

When Mina asked while examining the boy, the man snorted.

“This brat has already stolen from my shop three times!”

As the atmosphere grew chaotic, people with dust on their faces and clothes began emerging one by one from deep within the alley to watch us.

“He stole…?”

When Mina asked, the boy shrank his shoulders, and the girl who seemed to be the boy’s younger sister burst into tears.

“B-big brother didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the bad one, waaah─! Because I was hungry…!”

What the boy held in his hand was bread. Mina, who had been looking at the children with a flustered expression, soon turned her head to the man who claimed to be the shop owner.

“How much is it? I’ll pay for it instead.”

“…You will?”

At the mention of paying money, the man’s attitude changed. He cleared his throat and said.

“100 francs.”

Mina took out money from her pouch and handed it to the man, and the man glared at the boy once before taking the money from Mina and disappearing.

Mina let out a deep sigh and bent her knees to meet the eyes of the siblings who had stolen the bread.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, thank you.”

“I understand you were worried about your younger sister, but stealing other people’s things is wrong. Don’t do such things from now on, okay?”

“…”

Seeing the boy who didn’t answer, Mina smiled bitterly and took out paper money from her pouch.

Even from my perspective, it was quite a large amount that would easily cover living expenses for a couple of months in such a shabby alley.

“Take it. And now find work─”

Thud.

I snatched the money from Mina’s hand.

Surprised, Mina looked at me.

“Leblaine?”

“Don’t give it to them.”

“Ah, don’t worry. This is my money. A place called the temple agreed to support me…”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you not to give it─because it’s your money.”

“What?”

Mina frowned and stood up.

“What’s wrong with sharing with children in need, or rather, children who aren’t being protected? If no one helps, this child will have to repeat these wrong actions tomorrow and the day after.”

“You think giving them money is helping these children?”

“What?”

I left the alley and bought food from a food stall that was right in front. Then I handed the food to the siblings.

“Eat this today, and from tomorrow, go to the Poor Relief Center.”

“I heard the Poor Relief Center is near the First Gate. It would take a whole day to go back and forth on a child’s legs.”

“Even so, go to the Poor Relief Center. Don’t steal just because it’s far.”

“Leblaine!”

Mina shouted, but I ignored her and pushed the siblings’ backs.

“Go quickly.”

The siblings glanced at us nervously before disappearing, and Mina bit her lips tightly as she stared at me.

“What the hell. Why are you even interfering with helping poor children. Leblaine, I don’t think you really hate me and interfere with everything like the children say.”

“That’s right, Mina. I hate you.”

“…What?”

“I hate your short-sighted thinking. I hate the arrogance of believing that doing good deeds will solve everything. I hate your beliefs that are just rigid.”

Mina’s gaze trembled slightly, and West, who had been looking back and forth between me and Mina, suddenly shouted.

“That’s too harsh. I said you smelled wicked, and you really are wicked─!”

“What do you think will happen if the children go back like that?”

At my words, West and Mina blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“As you said, they’re children who aren’t protected. A large sum of money has fallen into the hands of such children. So what do you think will happen?”

“…Are you saying people will target the money and harm the children?”

Mina let out a deep sigh and ran her hand through her hair. She stared at me intently as if choosing her words, then opened her mouth again.

“Leblaine, the world isn’t just such a dark place. There are people with malicious intent, but there are more people who aren’t like that. People who can’t pass by those in need, people who volunteer, people who believe in human goodness… those kinds of people.”

“Yes, people with malicious intent definitely exist.”

“That’s not what I mean─”

“Those people with malicious intent!”

When I shouted, Mina’s face hardened. I stared directly at her face and continued speaking.

“How can you be sure there’s no one with malicious intent among the people who just saw those siblings receive money?”

“What?”

“How can you believe those children won’t fall into danger?”

“Why do you only think there will be people with malicious intent?”

“Because we have to. Because we’re people who must think of the worst case rather than the best case, you and I!”

“….”

“As you said, rights come with duties. Everything I enjoy comes with duties. Nobles protect commoners! Those who must protect should always think of the worst first. Like parents worrying about their children!”

“….”

“That’s why we must think of results more wicked than the wicked people themselves. That applies to you too, since you receive support from the temple.”

“…You and I really are different people.”

Mina and I glared straight at each other.

Mina said.

“Don’t do anything because you’re afraid of the worst that hasn’t happened? No, I’m going to do something. If my goodwill can change the world, I’m willing to do anything.”

“So?”

“I thought you were the Child of Fate of this world. Since I’m someone who will return, I thought you were the one to protect this place. But now I see that’s not true. You’re just a coward, Leblaine.”

“Enough with the introduction, just get to the point.”

“I can’t entrust this world to you.”

Mina, gripping West’s hand tightly, continued resolutely.

“I’m going to do my best with my duty now.”

“Then I’ll do my best to stop you.”

I twisted my lips into a smirk.

“You’ll have to fight with all your might, Mina.”

My fourth life, it was the first moment Mina and I turned our backs on each other.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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