Karon walked to Mizugae, a water bottle filled with rainwater at the back of the shop, and scratched the water with a coarse barrel that was rolling nearby and wore it over his head.
"Nh...."
The water stings on the wound and nods unexpectedly.
But if you don't wash your blood off, the shop employees will beat you up if you don't dirty the shop.
They punch and kick when they don't like something. Even if I don't have anything, I'm beaten just because I don't like the way my eyes look. So I had to be as discreet as possible.
It's still cold outside. Your body in water freezes and trembles immediately. But the blood hasn't fallen off yet. Karon once again draws water from a barrel and wears it over his head.
Around the shop, there were many tough men with swords and guns on their hips. They have sharp eyes around them, even if they don't miss the slightest anomaly. They're guards hired here. As well as watching for enemies and guards from the outside, I'm watching for beasts and beasts caught here to escape.
This is barren land near the border with neighboring countries. The plants are sparsely grown, and as soon as the wind blows, the smoke soars.
Away from people, it was a lawless area out of sight of security guards and knights.
There are many fine carriages lined up in front of a large building called a "shop".
However, when you turn around, poor huts and cages are left in a mess with a strange smell. Glittering front and back like garbage. That seemed to represent the difference in the world as it was.
In the "shop", customers with large amounts of money from all over the Kingdom and sometimes from neighboring countries were gathered and engaged in illegal transactions.
Goods are stolen, illegal drugs, and weapons. And rare beasts and beasts.
Though the Beast should have passed a law decades ago prohibiting discriminatory treatment, there is still a long way to go for those who use it like slaves behind their backs. This was a major hub for such a beast deal.
But that's not the only reason people are here.
When Karon raised his face, he saw the guests coming back to the store with horses. I didn't even know what they were talking about, but they came back with no excitement.
Behind it, you can see a beast dragged like an object in a carriage.
(Ah....)
Karon frowned slightly.
I know that beast. He had sad eyes in the cage until this morning. But he was a big guy who didn't come near or roar. Now, it is dragged as it is, even if it is not shiny.
They hunted us.
It also served as a hunting ground for beasts. It is an illegal hunting ground where rich people, such as nobles and lords, hunt and play with beasts that have left the wilderness.
I have heard the store manager say that it is famous in the back society.
There are several cages behind the shop that keep the beasts trapped.
I don't know where the beasts in the cage came from, but they must have been caught in a trap or something and brought here.
Karon himself was brought here about a year ago.
Born in a city near a harbor with mild climates, his parents died quickly of illness. After that, I was turning relatives around for a while, but I was here when I noticed. I think it was sold.
One of the guards yelled at me to get in early. As soon as Karon wipes his head and lightly drains the water, he returns to the store from the back entrance. As expected, we won't be able to fight the Beast anymore today, but there are still a lot of chores to be done.
I hurt my arm, but it's not a nice place to get rid of my job.
As soon as I entered, an employee man yelled at me.
"What are you blurring about? Go upstairs to the room."
"... yes"
The second floor of this shop is a private room. It's a space for guests to stay and rest, but early conversation is a room for bringing in the women and children in this store.
Fortunately, Karon is lucky to have a high offensive power for his children and has been assigned to a spectacle show with the Beast, so he won't be forced to do much work on your side.
But most of the Beast boys here were different. Many rich people came to this store for that.
As he was heading up the stairs to go upstairs to do the work he had been told to do, he called out to the boy with the firewood on both sides.
"It looks painful...."
I've been talking to the Beast boy who works here just like me.
The children lived together in a group in a digging shed behind the shop, so I knew their faces.
Dead or sold by illness or assault, members are often replaced for various reasons, but this child has certainly been one of Karon's children since he came to the store.
I've never seen it beautified because it's always humanized, but I know it's a beast with brown ears hanging like a dog. His rough eyes were a lovely boy.
It must have been called Clinston. I wonder why I remember.
……
I tried to pass him, but I was about to fall by being caught in the leg.
Unexpectedly staring at him, Clinston smiled with an unyielding smile.
(That's right....)
I don't remember the names of the other children at all, but I remember only the name of this child because he 'laughs'.
Laugh naturally, not forcibly for the guests. I remember because there was no one else.
"I'm sorry. My hands are closed. That arm was hit by the Beast earlier, right? It looks painful. If you keep it that way, you'll fester. I have it. Come with me. Ah, before that, I have to give this to Pitt. Come here for a second."
……
That's what Karon says, and he gets lost. If you don't go upstairs early to clean up, your employees will beat you up again. But I was sure my arm hurt. I wonder what happens to me if this arm gets pus and stops moving. If I can't fight the Beast anymore, I guess I'll end up being eaten by the Beast at the show.
(Anyway, that's fine.....)
There was no reason to be alive. In the meantime, I can get out of this shit shop.
Anything would have been fine. Death doesn't matter what awaits you.
If you're lost, Clinston turns around.
"Come here."
"Uh-huh...."
Somehow, Caron followed him after Criston.
Clinston comes to the back of the shop in front of the fireplace and lowers the firewood he held in both hands to the floor.
"Wow. I'm tired! Wait. Pitt, I'll give you some firepower right now."
The fireplace was slightly different from an ordinary fireplace.
A small metal cage is attached to the top of the firewood burning section, which contains a bright red lizard about the size of two children's palms.
"This guy is called a salamander. It's a very unusual beast."
Clinston explains the firewood he brought to the fireplace. The salamander seemed to miss Clinton, and when he came by, he crawled around in the cage. He seems happy.
"I'm his caretaker. It's called a pit. Pitt, I'll bring you some food later."
Yes, Clinston's eyes laughing at the salamander were very gentle.
"What are you feeding me?
Woon and Clinston tilt their necks.
"The manager doesn't really understand either. In the meantime, I'm giving you a fly that I wanted to put on the body of a beast."
"Are you a lizard? How many years do you think you'll live?
"I don't know, but it's been about three years since I got here. I've been taking care of it for a long time, so I totally miss it. He's my first and only friend."
That said, Clinston laughs again without hesitation.
But Karon was deeply surprised by the words "three years." I wonder how many years this kid has been in this store. Perhaps the longest of the children.
"But I don't call it salamander. It's just like calling people human, isn't it? That's why I'm sneaking around calling him Pitt. I'll be glad to stroke you. Ah, but it's so hot, you can't touch it unless you wear gloves for the fireplace."
"Heh...."
In the fire of the fireplace, the salamander pit became more and more red and yellow.
"Is this for sale, too?
In fact, I don't think there's anything in this store that isn't for sale.
"Yeah, just in case. But the store manager doesn't sell it because he likes it. This guy, if he stores the heat like this, he'll heat himself up, so he can use it instead of heating. So the manager wants to brag to customers about using salamander instead of heating."
Speaking of which, I've seen people in expensive clothes surprise and admire them several times. The store manager looked different.
When I was talking about that, the store door opened and a group of people came back. In the middle of the crowd dressed in expensive clothes, a man dressed in expensive clothes walks in. That's the store manager, Orlov Rocco.
"Let's go."
After the work was done, Kristen pulled his hand and Karon left. When I was near the store manager, I didn't know what I could do again.
I didn't want to get as close as I could if I didn't have anything to do. That must have been the same for Clinston.
After sneaking out of the shop, he went to the digging shed where he usually slept.