How did it come to this?

Not long ago, we were all laughing together and eating from the same pot.

“When will you stop being so stubborn, Arsil? This place is finished!”

“No, we’re going to start anew here. We’ll transform this place once called Filthy Alley and show those who looked down on us how we’ve changed and become better.”

The joy of liberation was short-lived as Ravin and Arsil clashed fiercely.

“Look around! This place can’t even grow crops. We’re surrounded by a forest, so people rarely come here, making trade impossible. If we stay here, we’ll grow up like the adults and live just like them!”

“No matter where we go, we’ll be treated like vagabonds without a home. This place is our home.”

“How can this place be our home?!”

“It is our home! If a group with an unclear origin wanders around, even kids can be mistaken for bandits and get killed.”

“You coward! Have you even been outside? Have you?! You’re just scared. If you think it’s impossible, then you won’t accomplish anything here either.”

“And you, you’re not even thinking about changing this place.”

“Please, Arsil, look at reality! This land is flawed from the start. All it brings us is suffering.”

“This is a place we must overcome!”

Ravin couldn’t understand why Arsil was so stubborn.

Maybe even Arsil herself didn’t fully know.

Although she didn’t talk about it much, as the only child born here and one of the few who grew up here since infancy, she had a special attachment to Filthy Alley.

To her, Brak and the adults were like invaders, unauthorized rulers of this place.

Now that she had finally reclaimed it, she didn’t want to leave it behind so easily.

“And if we leave as you say? What happens next?”

“We’ll start by scouring the surrounding areas for opportunities…”

“You’ll just attract hunting squads! That’s no different from what the adults did!”

The gap between Arsil and Ravin’s opinions remained unbridgeable.

With tensions rising for hours, Ravin finally shook her head and led those who sided with her to the opposite side of the hideout.

“What are you waiting for, Lee? Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

Feigning indifference, Ravin signaled Lee to follow, but her heart was pounding.

Beyond her unspoken affection for him, she calculated that if Lee sided with her, Arsil would have no choice but to follow.

Arsil looked at Lee with desperate eyes, but Lina interjected cluelessly.

“I… I’ll stay here. You don’t know the outside world. Here, we may only have to fight with our fists, but out there, we’ll be rejected by stricter laws and rigid social hierarchies. I think it’s too early to leave.”

Though her words weren’t wrong, the other kids found Lina’s complex speech annoying.

Feeling pressured by the glares directed at her, Lina, who had fled after carelessly revealing she was the emperor’s daughter, stood her ground stubbornly.

At that moment, someone stood by her side.

“Lina is right. It’s dangerous to leave recklessly. Wherever we go, we’ll be outsiders, and though this place is rotten, it’s better to cultivate our own territory.”

Ravin bit her lip, hurt by Lee’s words.

“If you come with us, we can all keep going. We won’t have to give up.”

“We’re only fifteen. We have plenty of time.”

“Death doesn’t wait for time!”

The words burst out of Ravin before she could stop herself, startling even her.

“I’m sorry for yelling….”

And so the heated argument ended.

From that day, Ravin began attacking Arsil’s group to win Lee over.

At first, it was simple tricks.

“Lee! Ravin is looking for you!”

“For me?”

“She said she needs to discuss something urgent!”

Unaware of what was happening, Lee was being rushed to meet Ravin when Lina caught them.

Lina, annoyed that someone dared to command her self-proclaimed first servant, informed Arsil, who, along with her entire group, angrily took Lee back from Ravin.

Ravin and her group were equally furious.

They believed that if Lee joined them, Arsil would have no choice but to follow. To them, Arsil’s stubbornness was nothing more than an unhealthy attachment to Filthy Alley.

The conflict escalated, and soon they took up arms, knowing that even if there were injuries, Arsil would treat everyone without prejudice.

Resentment quickly turned into frustration, then into anger and hostility.

During this time, Lina’s attitude toward Lee also began to change.

“Lee, what are you doing?”

“Well, I’m looking through a manual to figure out how to help the plants we planted grow better.”

“Instead of that, I need flowers to decorate my room.”

“I’ll check the forest while I’m out, and if I find something suitable, I’ll bring it back.”

During Brak’s time, Lee would linger around, hoping to catch Lina’s attention. But since the liberation, he was more focused on his work, which for some reason annoyed Lina, who now found herself seeking him out.

Though Lee humored her, there was still a sense of distance, which led Lina to spend more time lingering around him.

“Alright! This time we’ll follow my strategy!”

In the battles against Ravin’s group, Lina tried her best to devise a plan, but half of it failed, and the rest only succeeded because of Lee’s quick thinking or Arsil’s strength.

Even her charm, which had previously swayed others, had its limits.

It wasn’t for nothing that Arsil often called Lina a fool.

As Lina instinctively tried to stay close to Lee, feeling her influence waning, it irritated Arsil.

The breaking point came when Arsil found herself cornered one day.

That day when Lina sent Lee on a roundabout path toward Ravin’s base.

The same day Lee made sandwiches with potatoes and jam to reconcile the two girls.

That night, Lee packed extra sandwiches and headed to Ravin’s hideout.

“Wow—!”

The kids cheered with excitement.

Letting them steal bread, hoping Lee would make something with it, had been the right move.

Some kids devoured it instantly, while others savored it slowly.

Ravin was among the former.

“It’s because of you that we can’t leave this place easily.”

“Me?”

“You and Arsil—because we want to take you both with us.”

“It feels like we’ve come too far for that.”

Ravin sighed deeply at Lee’s remark.

She was already aware of this.

“The kids are getting rougher.”

The sweet taste of the sandwich turned bitter.

“Lee, you may not know since you were mostly in the hideout, but we’ve been tasting blood since we were toddlers. We grew up holding weapons, attacking peddlers and merchants on the outskirts to survive.”

This was why Ravin was skeptical about Arsil’s plan to change things from within.

She didn’t believe people’s nature could change so easily.

“This land is cursed. It corrupts people with evil, and the crops can’t grow properly unless they’re wild.”

“Ravin?”

“Arsil is just like us. She talks about hope, but she only knows force. You’re the only one who shows us warmth and teaches us that there’s more to life than violence. That’s why we want to leave here with your warmth and Arsil’s hope.”

The playful Ravin was gone.

As a leader of her group, she knew her followers well.

“Things are getting out of control. Even though you secretly provide food, it’s not enough to fill everyone’s stomachs. Most of them want to go out raiding.”

When Lee brought the sandwiches, he just wanted to see everyone happy.

He hadn’t expected to hear such heavy confessions.

“Lee, come with us.”

Ravin pleaded.

“I feel like we can make it anywhere if you’re with us. Even though it’s vague, we start dreaming of a normal life. A life where we work hard during the day and return home, not wealthy, but sharing laughter with family.”

Ravin’s earnestness was clear.

And because of that, Lee was seriously considering it.

“Ravin, I….”

“Boss! We’ve got trouble!”

“Is it Arsil?!”

“No! At the outskirts! There’s an army radiating white light coming straight for us!”

“An army…? Tell Arsil too!”

With Jack’s urgent shout and the unexpected arrival of the army, Ravin and Lee hurried to the outskirts.

Perched on the rubble of a collapsed wall, the children watched in fear as the glowing army approached in the night.

“Ravin! Lee!”

“Arsil.”

Before long, Arsil’s group arrived too.

Arsil and Lina narrowed their eyes at seeing Lee with Ravin, but the situation was too pressing to worry about that now.

“Stop! This is Filthy Alley. Our territory! What business do you have in this worthless place?”

Arsil naturally took the highest vantage point on the ruins.

As everyone gripped their weapons and braced themselves, the approaching army shone even brighter.

“So, you want to fight? You’re not the only one who can emit that light!”

Clad in leather gloves, Arsil clenched her fist, causing a burst of holy power.

Though intended to intimidate, the army responded with admiration and cheers.

“Incredible! A girl truly wielding holy power!”

“This is all thanks to the goddess’s guidance!”

“Yes! Let us pray at once.”

Confused by the army’s unexpected goodwill, the children hesitated.

“What… what’s going on?”

Even Arsil, caught off guard, relaxed her fist, causing the holy power to dissipate.

Then, a booming voice echoed from the leader of the army.

His voice was strong but gentle, soothing even.

“Please, do not extinguish that beautiful light of yours.”

“Nobles? No, these are the words of priests from the Goddess’s Church.”

Lina, the most educated among the group, quickly identified the strangers.

Hearing this, Arsil, now more uneasy, reignited her holy power.

Seeing the light enveloping Arsil, the man smiled and dimmed his own light.

The light of the army came from this man.

As his light, even brighter than Arsil’s, faded, the alley kids and the army could finally see each other clearly.

“Oh my! How pitiful!”

“Pitiful? Us?”

Ravin bristled at the man’s pitying tone, but Lina quickly pulled her back.

“Stop it. Priests are even more dramatic than nobles. If you interfere with their performance, they’ll hiss like cats.”

“Such thin and gaunt faces! Yet, they’re clearly in their prime, still growing boys and girls!”

The man raised his arms to the sky.

“I am but a humble servant of the goddess, Agraeus! Temporarily entrusted with the role of shepherding the young lambs. A few months ago, we witnessed a pillar of light rising to the heavens! We took it as a sign from the goddess and came here with our comrades. And now, we are graced with the presence of the saintess chosen by the goddess herself!”

“A saintess? Me?”

Arsil frowned at the man’s overly saccharine words, but he continued to smile even more broadly, like a doll.

“Holy power is granted only to those chosen by the goddess. Their number can be counted on one hand! Since the time of the Second Hero, only saintesses among women have been able to wield holy power! And you, as befits a saintess, have taken in and protected these poor and pitiable souls!”

“No, we were just born and raised here….”

“I, Agraeus, am already moved to tears by your grace, Saintess! How much suffering you must have endured! How much pain you must have borne! But fear not! I, and the priests who serve the goddess, will save you all!”

The strangest thing was that despite his passionate speech, his tone remained gentle and calm, almost soothing.

Even as he spoke with a fervor that bordered on madness, his voice never lost its softness.

“Isn’t that right, my comrades?”

“Yes, it is!”

“We greet the saintess!”

“We can die without regret now…!”

Even Arsil stepped back.

The suddenness and confusion were overwhelming.

The children felt uneasy watching these people arrive without any clear reason, making such a fuss.

But that didn’t last long.

“Now, receive the goddess’s salvation!”

Under Agraeus’s outstretched arm, piles of bread and meat appeared, causing the kids to erupt in excitement.

As endless food and supplies poured from a large leather pouch, even Lina couldn’t help but gulp.

“Though it’s a bit late, shall we start a feast?”

“Yes!!!”

Before long, fires were lit, and meat skewers sizzled over them.

Wow! The kids, who hadn’t eaten well in ages, rushed forward eagerly.

“The juices are oozing, aren’t they?”

Even Arsil, who had been wary, took a bite of the skewer offered with a friendly smile and sat cross-legged by the fire.

But Lee couldn’t bring himself to join in.

For some reason, he felt as if his place had been taken.

Before he knew it, he had returned to the hideout.

But he wasn’t alone.

“Let’s go, Lee!”

“Really, leaving your master behind like this?”

Ravin and Lina had followed him.

“Why don’t you two go back and enjoy the food? I have some things to take care of.”

“No, I still haven’t finished the sandwich you gave me.”

Ravin pulled out a sandwich soaked in jam from her pocket and took a bite.

Lina frowned at the sight.

“Ugh, there’s no such thing as kindness without a price.”

“Wow, coming from you, that just sounds like something a pessimist would say.”

“You little…!”

Watching the two bicker, Lee chuckled.

He was grateful they had followed him.

But it took less than a day and a half for Lee, Ravin, and Lina to open up to Agraeus, who had stayed for three days and nights, generously giving food.

The priests were kind and didn’t hit the children.

That alone was enough to win over the entire alley.

“What? To the Holy Nation?”

“Yes. Arsil, you are a saintess. Of course, you must go to the Holy Nation.”

“But I must protect the alley….”

“Don’t worry. Would we leave this place, cared for by the saintess, to rot? We’ll support you in every way until you return after defeating the Demon King.”

“Really?!”

Arsil beamed with excitement, and Agraeus nodded deeply.

His long, dark blue hair swayed.

“Of course, we will.”

And so, within just three days, Filthy Alley lost one of its few remaining focal points.