Ravin was what adults would often call a "bad seed."

When she brought the silver-haired girl to the hideout, Brak showed some interest because she was a girl, but after seeing her face, he quickly lost interest, as she wasn’t to his taste.

“How did you end up here?”

“Well, I was just picking people’s pockets, got a bounty on my head, and ended up on the run.”

“Can you fight?”

“Well, yeah, sort of.”

Ravin began pulling random items out of her pocket.

Brak, who had been scoffing, became quite amused as the items kept coming out of her pocket.

On the other hand, the adults in the group grew increasingly alarmed as Ravin produced items that belonged to them.

“Hey, that’s my dagger!”

Particularly, Groom, the knife-wielder, was furious when he realized his weapon had been stolen.

“You little rat!”

“Ah, enough. She seems useful, so let’s raise her as a fighter. She’ll be in the vanguard with Arsil.”

Brak, standing up, patted Ravin on the shoulder, praising her.

“You’ve got some talent.”

“Thank you.”

And then, taking advantage of her lowered guard, Brak grabbed Ravin’s shoulder and drove his knee into her stomach.

“Oof!”

“Don’t even think about touching our stuff again.”

“…Okay.”

And so, Ravin was accepted into the group with little friction.

However, her compatibility with Arsil was the worst.

“You crazy b***h!”

Waking up in the morning, Arsil swore when she saw Ravin snuggled up in Lee’s arms.

It was probably around this time that Arsil’s language started to get rough.

“Shut up, I was sleeping so well.”

“Get away from Lee!”

“No way. This position is just perfect. It’s so comfortable to sleep like this.”

Ignoring the nagging, Ravin rubbed her cheek against Lee’s chest, causing Arsil to explode.

“I haven’t even slept next to Lee yet!”

“Well, you can keep sleeping separately. I’ll sleep like this.”

“You… you b***h!”

From that day on, the hideout began every morning with a brawl between Arsil and Ravin.

The adults, who had few other forms of entertainment, even Brak, started betting on the daily scuffles.

The one who suffered the most was Lee, who got caught in the middle and beaten while trying to break them up.

Time passed quickly.

It couldn’t be helped, as each day was a fight for survival.

Arsil learned boxing from Brak, while Ravin was taught how to handle a knife by Groom.

As they grew, learning skills suited to their nature and talent, Lee endured harsh treatment under Spindle, getting beaten and burned as he learned to cook.

In fact, he mastered all sorts of skills except for combat.

By the time they turned thirteen, they were recognized as full-fledged members of the group, unlike the “other kids.”

But that didn’t mean their tasks changed.

If they performed well, they were given more work; if not, they were beaten.

However, their skills steadily improved through the days of honing their abilities to survive.

That day was no different.

By now, Lee was contributing more than Spindle.

He could easily gather enough food from the forest surrounding the Filthy Alley to feed over ten people, and when he even made jam from an unknown fruit, Brak uncharacteristically praised him.

And today, after finding a few large bird eggs in the forest, Lee made a special fried egg.

“Ravin, if you’re here, come down and eat.”

He spoke up towards the trees, but there was no response.

Lee sighed and reluctantly said the embarrassing line.

“I’ve actually been waiting for a man like you for a long time.”

“That’s not right!”

Ravin shouted as she leapt from a branch and landed gracefully.

“I’m a girl, so I should say I’ve been waiting for a woman like you!”

“No, I wasn’t waiting for you…”

“Shut up, idiot! You ugly thing! There’s no other girl who would take you!”

“I don’t really plan on living with anyone, though.”

“What?!”

“You said I’m ugly…”

“Who said that?! Who?!”

The silver-haired girl with messy hair demanded an answer, but was promptly interrupted by Arsil’s fist as she emerged from the bushes.

Surprised, Ravin jumped, but the punch landed cleanly on her jaw.

“Oof!”

“Who else would it be, you harlot? You’ve been mocking him for being ugly every chance you got!”

“Arsil!”

Ravin, who had tumbled over with a somersault, quickly stood up, while Lee scolded Arsil for her foul language.

“But she started it…”

“You could just find another way to say it. How you say things can change the meaning a lot.”

At first, he had been saying this to Ravin, but at some point, he was directing it more at Arsil.

Arsil, who noticed how visibly displeased Lee’s expression became whenever she cursed, was trying to be careful, but it wasn’t easy with Ravin constantly provoking her.

“Lee! The gorilla hit me!”

“Apologize, Arsil.”

“Why should I?”

Lee sighed again.

“Ravin, stop teasing Arsil to provoke her.”

“Ugh…”

Ravin, flustered by Lee’s scolding, looked ashamed, while Arsil, who had been gloating, also pouted at Lee’s next words.

“Arsil, if you don’t apologize, neither of you will get any fried eggs.”

“What? Why?”

“Can’t help it, Arsil’s will be cooked hard.”

“Ugh!”

Ravin took on a smug posture, which made Arsil tremble with anger.

“Mi… Mi…”

“What? Mi-mi?”

Ravin taunted, bringing her hand to her ear.

“Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi?”

“Mi…!”

“Is ‘Mi’ all you know? Where are the next two syllables?”

“Mi…”

“Hah! Lee, did you hear that? She can’t even speak properly…”

“Shut up, you crazy b***h!”

The second punch landed as a clean hit to Ravin’s jaw.

She was out cold for a few seconds before waking up and grinding her teeth as she held daggers in both hands.

“You b***h!”

“Come on. I’ll make sure you can’t chew ever again.”

“You two, seriously!”

Just as the situation was about to erupt, with Lee clutching his head in frustration,

Booooooom!

The sound of a horn echoed through the air.

“An attack?”

As Arsil muttered about the meaning of the horn, Ravin quickly put away her daggers.

“Arsil! Ravin!”

“Jack! What’s going on?”

“It’s soldiers! Three squads of soldiers are marching this way!”

“Three squads?”

Ravin was shocked.

Why would they send so many soldiers to this slum?

Jack, shoving a slingshot into his pocket, urged the fighters to gather.

“Hurry and regroup! Lee, prepare food for when the adults return.”

“We’re running low on supplies…”

“We’ll be fine if we steal some lunchboxes from those soldiers.”

“Got it. Don’t die, Jack!”

“And Lee, next time, call me too! I like fried eggs!”

The three of them hurriedly left the forest and headed toward the entrance of the Filthy Alley.

Watching them go, Lee wished for their safety.

“Oh, it’s all overcooked.”

The boy bitterly collected the fully cooked fried eggs.

When Lee hurried back to the hideout, it was empty.

Even Spindle had apparently grabbed a kitchen knife and left.

It was eerily quiet.

Lee wanted to go out and fight, but every time he brought it up, Arsil, Ravin, and the other kids would get angry and refuse.

Even Spindle had told Brak that if he died, Lee would be the one responsible for feeding everyone, so he was always left behind to guard the hideout.

“Huh?”

As Lee cleaned up the shabby kitchen, he noticed the door to the food storage was slightly open.

Did Spindle forget to lock it?

Judging by the fact that the rough stove fire hadn’t been put out, it seemed they had left in a hurry.

As Lee approached the storage, he heard the sound of someone eating ravenously inside.

Chomp chomp Gulp! Ugh!

Even as they choked, they kept eating without stopping.

Though he wasn’t a fighter, Lee was still a member of the Filthy Alley, so he decided to pounce while the intruder was distracted.

He flung the door open.

“Who’s there?”

“Eek! Gulp… Gasp! Hiccup!”

Startled, the intruder began choking on the food they had been gulping down.

As they fell to their knees and began coughing, Lee panicked and offered them a cup of water.

“Are you okay? Here, drink this!”

The intruder grabbed the cup reflexively and gulped down the water. Calming down, they raised their head and glared at Lee.

“Oh…”

A face you’d never expect to see in the alley.

Snow-white skin.

Hair as golden as melted gold.

Fox-like features that gave off a sharp impression.

Bright gray eyes.

And a green dress, still fine though a bit dusty.

So this is what it means to fall in love at first sight.

Lee couldn’t help but be captivated.

“How dare a lowly thing like you stare at me so brazenly!”

But the girl’s manner of speech was incredibly rude.

For the first time, Lee learned that there were ways to offend someone without using curse words.

“How did you even get here? This is a really dangerous place.”

“Where is this place? You, tell me.”

“This is the Filthy Alley…”

“The Filthy Alley? What a disgusting name.”

But I came to the right place.

Lee clearly heard the girl mutter.

He would later learn that the Filthy Alley was the ruins of an old castle that had been destroyed during the first Hero’s battle against the Demon Army.

Even though it was located just below the capital, the forest surrounding the ruins meant it was largely unknown to most people, and since it was a gathering place for criminals and exiles, the authorities preferred to ignore its existence.

Unlike Ravin, this girl had come here deliberately, not by chance.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m not telling someone like you my name.”

“I’m Lee. I don’t have a first name, just a family name.”

The girl was extremely rude, but Lee was just happy to be talking to someone.

Wanting to win over the prickly girl, Lee brought out the fried egg he had saved.

Even though it was cold and just sitting on a plate, the girl, who had been gnawing on raw food in the storage, couldn’t help but salivate.

“Do you want some? It’s cold, but I just made it not long ago.”

“You eat it. What do you think I am?”

“This is a real treat. Normally, only the Boss gets to eat this, but I’m giving it to you.”

“Boss?”

“Yeah, the highest-ranking person here.”

“Hmm. So, this is your local delicacy?”

Reluctantly, the girl accepted the plate.

“Oh, I’ll get a fork…”

But before he could finish, she buried her face in the plate and started slurping up the fried egg.

Her behavior was comical and completely unlike the dignified manner she had tried to present, but Lee found even that endearing.

“You’ve got some grease on your face.”

He gently wiped her mouth with a soft, clean cloth, and the girl tilted her chin up as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Not bad. I’ll praise you for that.”

“Thank you.”

“What should I call you?”

“Lee. I don’t have a first name, so just call me Lee.”

“Alright, Lee. I appoint you as my first servant here.”

“Thank you.”

“Good. It’s a ruler’s duty to tell their servant their name. My name is Linasien… Linasien. Call me Lina.”

“Lina! That’s such a beautiful name.”

“Of course it is. My mother was proud of it too.”

“Rightfully so…”

Booooom!

The sound of the horn echoed again.

“What’s that sound?”

“It’s the signal that the battle is over. It means the soldiers that were coming have been defeated.”

“What’s the result? What happened?”

“Only we blow the horn, so if you can hear it, it means we won.”

“Thank goodness…”

Lina sighed in relief and sat down.

But soon after, the group returned to the hideout.

Drunk on victory, Brak entered with Arsil, his arm slung around her shoulder.

Arsil, who usually seemed displeased, looked happy for a change.

“Lee, who’s this little lady?”

Brak’s eyes widened as he noticed the white, pretty young girl.

“How dare you…”

Lina started to retort, but Lee quickly grabbed her wrist in panic.

Seeing this, both Arsil and Ravin’s expressions instantly hardened.

“He’s the Boss. The leader of this place. We’re all under his rule.”

Shocked by Lee’s explanation, Lina straightened herself, lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Lina. I happened upon this place by chance. Please be generous…”

“You’re the illegitimate child of the noblewoman those soldiers were chasing, aren’t you?”

“…!”

“I don’t know which noble family she belonged to, but here, I’m the king. Did you hear what he said? Yeah, everyone here is under my rule.”

Though his words were insulting, Lina held back.

Finding her amusing, Brak chuckled and then kicked Arsil in the butt.

Though she got up quickly after falling ungracefully, Brak didn’t even glance at her.

“You’re dismissed.”

Brak beckoned Lina closer.

“You should stay by my side from now on.”

“What?”

“If you’re by my side, no one else will dare touch you.”

Everyone in the hideout understood.

This white, pretty young girl.

Brak intended to claim her as his own.

The smart girl understood this immediately too.

She didn’t like it.

Lina wanted to be a power in her own right, not someone who relied on others' authority.

But for now, she had no foundation.

Though still young, the ambitious illegitimate daughter nodded.

“Okay.”

Lee, on the other hand, lowered his head.

That night, as they lay down, Ravin asked Arsil a question.

“Hey, was sitting next to Brak always like that?”

“How would I know?”

“You were sitting there, so if you don’t know, who does?”

This time, even Lee pricked up his ears, focusing on their conversation.

“I don’t know. I just responded to his jokes, laughed, chatted, and then he taught me boxing. That’s it.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well, I just thought, from what I saw today, sitting next to Brak means… you’re always on standby or something…?”

For someone like Ravin, who was usually direct, this was an unusually roundabout way of speaking, but Arsil understood.

And naturally, she was furious.

“You crazy…! If that were the case, would he let me sleep separately every night?”

“Maybe it’s because we’re still kids? Look, I’m just now starting to grow breasts.”

“Huh…? You’re growing breasts?”

“Yeah, right here.”

“Wow, you’re right. They’ve gotten a little bigger.”

“Hey! Don’t touch them! It hurts a lot, like I’ve got little lumps.”

“Sorry.”

Amazed, Arsil apologized sincerely, looking dazed.

“I’m jealous, you’re starting to grow breasts.”

“Heh, just wait. Someday I’ll have a super curvy, nice body.”

At this point, we need to take a moment to wipe away our tears.

Meanwhile, Lee, now beet red, was squeezing his eyes shut, pretending to sleep.

But then a voice called out, making him jump up.

“Hey, Lee, are you there?”

“Lina!”

Both Arsil and Ravin were immediately irritated by the difference in Lee’s tone when calling Lina compared to them.

Especially Ravin, who openly growled at Lina.

“What are you doing here?”

“Brak told me to sleep here.”

“There’s no place for you here. Go sleep somewhere else.”

Arsil snapped at Lina, but Lina just stared at Lee.

Lee hurriedly gathered some straw and made a soft bed for her.

When he finished by placing a blanket over it, Lina nodded in satisfaction.

“Well done, Servant Number One.”

“Thank you.”

Arsil glared at Lina’s casual tone.

“Who are you calling Servant Number One? Don’t talk to Lee like that.”

“He’s the first servant I gained here. Do you want to be my servant too? No. You’re too uncouth. Didn’t Brak just kick you in the butt earlier?”

“You little…!”

“Enough, Arsil. Let’s just sleep.”

Surprisingly, it was Ravin who stopped Arsil.

The quick-witted girl knew that getting into a fight with Lina wouldn’t win her any points with Lee.

“Damn it, as if Ravin wasn’t annoying enough already!”

“Why did someone from a different world come here and start bossing around our guy? Should I stab her in her sleep?”

“Lina’s skin is so white even at night.”

“Damn it, why am I stuck in this place…!”

Lying in a row—Arsil, Ravin, Lee, and Lina—they each got lost in their thoughts before eventually falling asleep.

Morning

“…”

“…”

Arsil and Ravin stood, looking down at Lina, who was curled up behind Lee.

“Do we have to put up with this again?”

“No, not at all.”

From that day on, every morning in the Filthy Alley began with a brawl between Arsil, Ravin, and Lina.