༺ Cinderella of the Military State ༻

I strode through the streets. I had only strayed a bit away from the main road, but it seemed like evening had come as a dark and complex street emerged.

The buildings, like toys made of concrete being poured onto each other, had windows crammed close together. Occasionally, a grimy face would appear at a window and then quickly disappear when our eyes met.

Rope, I couldn’t tell if they were clotheslines or something else, stretched like spider webs between the buildings. It reminded me of a shoe before its laces were pulled tight. It seemed as if pulling these ropes could tilt and tighten the flimsy buildings.

Shouts could be heard from some houses. The cries of people irritated by the noise continued, and others, too, responded to these sounds. Like an endlessly circling echo, the noise grew, bouncing off the walls. And then…

Ringgggggg-.

At the sound of someone’s alarm clock, everyone tensed up, scared.

The alarm that was supposed to wake instead put all other noises to sleep.

Ahhh, how I missed this noise and fuss. It was great to hear it again.

But louder than this was the racket and cries I heard through my Mind Reading.

It truly does feel much more real now that I’m in a crowded place, huh.

“This is District 15. A land abandoned by the Military State that only exists as an administrative district with no special or relevant facilities.”

In the midst of this chaos, the Captain and I walked calmly. People glanced at our unfamiliar sight, then either ran away or hid at the sight of the Captain’s uniform.

I spoke to the slightly flinching Captain.

“Captain Bbey. Perhaps you should do something about your uniform first. Everyone either fears or…hates the mere sight of those clothes.”

“…Fear and hatred are not illegal.”

“Haha. That may be true, but it’s better to reduce unnecessary friction, right?”

I pushed through the crowd and entered the busiest street in District 15.

Numerous people were trying to trade goods for filthy coins and fragmented alchemic gold.

The building wasn’t originally made for shops. A chance incident, where the first floor’s outer wall collapsed, led to people starting to sell things here, and a market street naturally formed.

I led the Captain to an alley that was slightly dark and obscure, even for this place. She followed me without an ounce of suspicion.

Oh my? Look what we have here. Isn’t she just too naive?

“Shouldn’t you be more careful? Is it okay to so daringly follow me into such alleys?”

The Captain asked as if confused.

“I am a Captain of the Military State. Would there be any criminal who dares attack me, risking summary conviction?”

Summary conviction? Don’t say such scary things.

But it wasn’t really an incorrect statement for someone at the level of a Captain.

“Normally, no, there isn’t. But be careful.”

While smirking, I grabbed the wrist of a child passing by and swept their leg, tripping them.

Thump. The child fell comically. I whistled while holding the child’s twisted arm.

“Hey, kid.”

“Ouch! Let go!”

“I see your brain is worse than your hand habits. Didn’t you learn not to mess with someone in uniform? If you did, you shouldn’t mess with the people around them either. Are you an idiot?”

“What are you saying! I didn’t do anything!”

The child refused to admit his wrongdoings and only continued shrieking. People started to gather, glancing at us.

Oh, wow. Look at this little guy. He knows how to attract attention, huh? I smiled at the child, speaking to him.

“You didn’t learn, did you? Then you’re not from the ‘Shelter’. No ears, so not from the ‘Family’. Aha. You’re from the Market, aren’t you?”

“N-No! I-I’m not!”

“Is this what Store Manager Klin goes around teaching? Maybe I should go give him a warning.”

As the name of his organization’s head was mentioned, the child’s face turned pale with fear. The astute child changed his attitude instantly and knelt.

“I-I’m sorry. I was just so hungry. Please forgive me.”

｢Tch! To think he was acquainted with Store Manager! This is a big problem. For now, I must beg until my palms wear out. I’m still just a kid, so maybe they’ll let it slide.｣

Even the Military State didn’t punish children. It’s just that they were dragged to orphanages.

Were they implying that all children who do wrong are orphans? It really does vividly reveal the State’s educational view. Still, it’s better than being a laborer, I guess.

“I-I’ll give it back. Here….”

The child obediently offered what he stole from me. But upon seeing what was in his hand, he was shocked.

Ta-da! This is it!

“Give back what? A grimy handkerchief? You brat, how dare you hide my wallet and try to get away with this filthy thing?!”

“Huh?”

The child alternated his gaze between the handkerchief in his hand and me, utterly taken aback.

“I-It was a wallet, though….”

“Are you trying to make excuses? Evade the consequences? Even though I clearly saw you take my wallet from my pocket?!”

I immediately grabbed the child by his collar, his face filling with fear.

“Give it back right now, you hear me?”

“I-I swear! I-I’m telling the truth!”

“How dare you raise your voice? That’s it. I’m taking you straight to the Market’s main branch. I should confront Klin by shoving you right in his face. Ah, I should also take the soldier next to me. That way, Klin will definitely feel threatened.”

“P-Please! Anything but that!”

“Keuhaha. No chance! You need to be taught a severe lesson! Kids like you need a good beating!”

I was smiling wickedly when the Captain behind me tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned around, she pointed to my pocket and asked.

“…Excuse me. What is that in your pocket right now?”

“This? It’s my wallet.”

“Why is that there?”

What an obvious question.

“It’s my wallet, so obviously it’s in my pocket. Where else would it be?”

“Didn’t you say you clearly saw it being taken from your pocket?”

“Of course, it was a lie to get this kid in trouble. Do you really think I would get pickpocketed by a kid who is still wet behind the ears?”

Only then did the kid realize he was tricked, as he spat and shook off my hand.

“Tch! Shit, what rotten luck!”

Where did he pick up such language? Should I really go and confront them?

As the child began to run away, I immediately shouted.

“AH! The pickpocket is escaping! Captain, what are you doing? Catch him quickly!”

“…Negative. I am not a member of the Military Police. Moreover, since the boy actually stole nothing, it would be difficult to accuse him of any crime.”

“Aw man. What a missed opportunity to teach that brat a lesson.”

The crowd that had gathered had disappeared by then. They were deliberately avoiding eye contact. Most likely, they were scared of getting in trouble with the Captain.

I grumbled and tossed the wallet I had taken from the child’s pocket into the air. The Captain, who was about to walk away, suddenly stopped and asked.

“…What is that?”

“It’s that brat’s wallet.”

“Why is it in your hands?’

“Because I pickpocketed it?”

How dare he have the audacity to pickpocket in front of me? In your dreams, buddy. As a senior in pickpocketing, I should teach him a harsh lesson he would never forget.

“No matter how much I think about it, you seem to be the most dangerous person on this street.”

“Whaaaat? Ridiculous. I’m a harmless existence. Like a snake without venom!”

The kid’s wallet was empty. To be fair, who would even get pickpocketed in an era where wallet packets were quite popularized?

Still, I’ll keep it as a trophy. I advised the Captain as I pocketed the kid’s wallet.

“Anyway. Look. Even in front of a Captain in uniform, they aimed for my wallet, right? That’s the type of place this is. A place prone to frequent crimes.”

“Pickpocketing is a crime, but it’s not heavily penalized. One either pays fifty times the loss or works off the debt.”

“You’re right. It’s a minor offense. But such minor offenses are everyday occurrences here. And because they are taken so lightly, it is even more so the case.”

This place was governed by a strange logic of public order.

People could die without anyone noticing. But, at the same time, no matter how abandoned this area was, it was impossible for a sadistic killer to roam the streets freely. If anything went wrong, the Military Police would come and catch them all, stuffing them into forced labor.

Let us not forget. This is the Military State.

An existence of darkness who ruled the back alleys? What a joke. Such a thing didn’t exist. As soon as such a being entered the Military State’s radar, a general officer would turn this area upside down.

What if, on the off chance, someone stronger than a general officer appeared? Then an army that included a Star General would turn this place into a wasteland. Though there hasn’t been such an enemy yet.

It was a land where the strong and weak were clearly divided. There could be no ruler behind the scenes here. Perhaps in the dark side of the country, there could be. But in these filthy back alleys….it was a wilderness where the weak, fitting of such a place, fought to survive without any help.

“This place is a paradise for petty criminals. All kinds of outrageous situations can occur. Moreover…if you wear a Captain’s uniform, you become a target for the truly dangerous ones hidden among the petty criminals. So…”

As I turned the corner, stairs leading down came into view. I guided the Captain there, as she followed me down the dark stairs.

At the end of the stairs leading underground, I opened an antique door.

“Let’s change clothes.”

Entering the door, a warm and cozy scent greeted me. The smell of black tea brewing from a boiling kettle filled the air softly.

Rolled up fabrics of various colors filled the room.

After the commercialization of packets, alchemic fabric had become popular, pushing out all other cloth.

In such a place, an elderly man in a neat suit, looking through a monocle, gazed at the customers.

“Welcome, S-… Ah, it’s Mr. Hughes. You’ve arrived.”

Despite his emaciated frame, his clothes stood out all the more because of it. It was as if he maintained his lean physique to accentuate his attire.

I greeted him in return.

“It’s been a while, Smen.”

“Has it been a while? Hoho. This old man has aged too much. It feels like just yesterday when I was making clothes for Mr. Hughes.”

Smen poured black tea into a cup and elegantly placed it on the table. I sat down comfortably and sipped it. The Captain hesitantly sat in front of me.

Smen also served tea in front of the Captain.

“Please, have some. This old man can at least brew a decent cup of black tea. It’s one of my few talents.”

“A-Accept.”

Was this how a ball from the old kingdom era felt like? It was probably similar. After all, Smen was one of those who led such events back then.

The Captain, swept up in the atmosphere, timidly sipped the tea. She seemed to have liked it, her eyes sparkling as she continuously moistened her lips.

Leaning back in my chair, I spoke.

“I just returned from a trip. Please tailor us just one set of clothes each.”

“One set each? Do you mean clothes for this beautiful young lady?”

“Yes.”

The Captain, who was sparingly drinking her tea, immediately waved her hand.

“Reject. I, as a soldier of the Military State, cannot accept any monetary consideration from you.”

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I glanced at the Captain and discussed with Smen.

“I’ll leave the color to you. Something with a free-spirited vibe, if possible.”

“I shall roughly pick it out. But the customer’s taste cannot be ignored. Now then, Miss, do you have any favorite colors?”

“I will…! Reject! That would be bribery! Accepting bribes is a serious crime! It’s a given for the receiver to get sentenced, but the giver can also be punished by forced labor!”

Tsk-tsk, how uncompromising.

“Captain Bbey.”

｢Not calling me by my name is appreciated, but the nickname ‘Captain Bbey’ might have a negative influence on my dignity as a captain….｣

“…Speak.”

“Do I seem like I’m trying to bribe Captain Bbey to get on your good side?”

Bang. I deliberately hit the table just hard enough to not spill the tea and yelled at the Captain.

“Captain Bbey. Are you kidding me? You’re the one who said you wanted to spend a week with me!”

“N-Negative…I…never…said such a thing.”

“Regardless, whether you’re here to enjoy a short vacation or watch over me! Can you really do your job in that uniform?!”

I gestured at the Captain’s stiff uniform. The uniform, which was thoroughly cleaned every three days, still looked impeccably neat despite undoubtedly being well-worn.

“You should at least make an effort to dress appropriately for the situation!”

“….A-An effort?”

“That’s right! Whether it’s for holiday or for surveillance! Wearing a uniform won’t do you any good! Why don’t you just advertise to everyone that a Captain is here on a secret mission?! Should I do it for you? Look, world-! Captain Bbey is here-!”

“Stop!”

｢I am a signaller… There is nothing good about being recognized!｣

Nice. She’s almost convinced. I shouted more assertively, as if driving a wedge.

“If you don’t want to be noticed, wear casual clothes!”

“B-But I am a soldier of the Military State. If I don’t wear my uniform…”

“You said it’s allowed during secret missions!”

“Eugh, B-But I already have everyday wea-”

“One shirt is your everyday wear? Smen. Does that make sense to you? She’s calling a shirt that someone would wear to bed her daily clothes!”

Smen shook his head and spewed out a lamentation.

“Dear me. That is completely absurd. Clothes have their specific purposes, so how can someone live with just one outfit? It is an insult as well as an abuse to clothes. If clothes had hands and feet, they would have stood up and walked away by now.”

“Did you hear that? Here is Smen, a master tailor who even worked as a garment cutter in the old kingdom. Though he fell a bit out of favor after the development of clothing packets, he is an expert who persevered and even mastered packet technology, staying relevant with the times! Are you going to ignore even his advice?!”

The Captain couldn’t even say ‘Negative’ anymore and just shook her head.

“Alright. Then wear some casual clothes! Okay?”

“…Accept.”

In the end, the Captain, finally accepting my persuasion, took the packet Smen handed her and entered the fitting room.