Chapter 305 In A World Watched Over By Gods - Iii
"Thank you for the meal, Uncle!"
"Thanks for the food! See you later!"
"Yeah, be careful on your way home!!"
After enjoying not just cake but also lunch at the Drunken Round Table, Cliff and Licia thanked the uncles and left the shop.
By the way, it seems the uncles are still planning to drink more, showing no signs of leaving the shop.
Once outside, Cliff and Licia discussed, "So, what should we do now?"
"Hmm... Licia wants to play!"
Licia completely forgot about where they were supposed to go and was in the mood to have fun.
Cliff, feeling energetic as well, wiggled his body and said, "Okay, let's do that!"
After some discussion, they decided to head to the orphanage, which was a bit further past the "Pig Fairies' Path."
Like the uncles at the Drunken Round Table, the orphanage was run by someone who knew Cliff's parents, and they had already visited many times, becoming friends with the children there.
""Hello!""
Entering the orphanage like it was their own home, they mixed in with a lot of children and spotted a kind-looking gentleman.
"Oh? Is that Cliff and Licia? Did you come here by yourselves today?"
"Hello, Director!"
"Yes, that's right! Just me and Licia!"
"Hmm... Well, since you have Lady Lucia with you, I suppose it's fine... But be careful not to go to any dangerous places by yourselves, okay?"
""Okay!""
"Yeah. I still have some work left, so you all play together and don't leave the grounds."
"Okay!"
"Cliff, Licia, let's play tag in the garden!"
"Let's do it!"
Invited by the children at the orphanage, Cliff and Licia went out to the garden to play.
A few hours later──.
Time flies when you're having fun, and it was starting to get dark as the sky turned a reddish color.
After playing to their heart's content and using up their energy, the two decided it was time to go home.
""Director! Everyone! See you later!""
"""See you!"""
Waved off by the children, they left the orphanage.
As Cliff walked hand in hand with Licia, he said, "It's about time for Papa and the others to come back from the dungeon."
"Yeah! So let's hurry home!"
"Right. If we take too long, Papa will get mad────ah."
"Huh? What's wrong, big brother────ah."
That's when Cliff and Licia finally realized.
They had lied to their sister about going to the workshop and instead went to the explorer guild. They completely forgot to go to the workshop and ended up having lunch with the drunk uncles and playing at the orphanage until evening.
This was definitely something they would get scolded for.
"Uh-oh! Licia! We need to go to the workshop!"
"Okay, big brother!"
"Hurry, Licia! It's one thing if Mama or sister gets mad, but if Papa gets angry, it'll be the punishment of the 'Bucchuchu'!"
"I don't want the 'Bucchuchu' punishment!!"
It was already too late, but Cliff and Licia started running quickly toward the workshop.
If their parents still haven't come home yet, and if they can reach the workshop before their sister finishes school and comes to pick them up, there's a small chance they might be able to cover it up, they thought, still holding on to that faint hope.
Big Sis Ai said that no matter how hopeless the situation seems, as long as you don't give up, there's still hope.
Cliff and the others didn't give up hope and made the best selection. They pictured the map of Necronia in their heads and calculated the shortest route to the workshop from their current location. Along the way, they chose a back alley that everyone had warned them to avoid when alone and hurried through it──
"──Hey, kids, stop."
A man they didn't recognize appeared, blocking their path in the alley.
"Wah! Wh-Who are you!?"
"Uncle, we need to get through here, can you let us pass?"
The man had a suspicious appearance.
Though he was wearing a suit like anyone else you might see in the central district of Necronia, he had a wide-brimmed hat pulled low to hide his face.
He didn't answer Cliff's question and instead spoke in a low, threatening voice.
"You kids... you're the children of 'Extreme Sword' and the 'Goddess of Wrath,' aren't you? Come quietly with me."
"B-Big brother..."
Sensing the ominous air around the man, Licia anxiously moved closer to Cliff.
Cliff squeezed his sister's hand tightly. "Be careful, Licia," he said.
"He's probably a pervert...!! Papa once told us there are weirdos out there who love kids and try to kidnap them...!!"
"P-Perverts are scary...!!"
Licia shuddered in fear, thinking how different this man was from the kind principal at the orphanage.
"Wh-Which one of you called me a pervert, you brats!? Stop messing around!!"
"──!? Y-Yeah, I knew it...!! Perverts always deny it like this, just like Papa said!"
Cliff was sure. The man in front of him was a pervert.
If things kept going like this, their safety was in danger. He didn't really understand what "safety" meant, but he definitely felt that way.
"We need to run, Licia!!"
"Okay!!"
With that, Cliff and Licia turned on their heels and started running back the way they came, away from the man.
But──.
"I won't let you escape, kids. If you don't want to get hurt, you better listen to me."
Before they knew it, another pervert, dressed just like the one behind them, was waiting on the other side. Moreover, they could see several more perverts behind him, looking like they were part of the same group.
Cliff and Licia stopped in their tracks, shaken by the dire situation.
If this kept up, they would become prey for the perverts── just then, a voice called out.
'Seriously... Cliff, Licia, just pretend you can't hear anything and listen to my words.'
The voice.
But it wasn't a physical voice.
Among everyone there, it was a voice only Cliff and Licia could hear, the voice of a "God."
Cliff and Licia responded to the "God" as if it were the most natural thing in the world, thinking the same thoughts.
''Lucia-sama!''
'I've already contacted Aaron, Fiona, and Ickle, so just do what I say, Cliff. Got it?'
'Y-Yeah, understood. But what do we do?'
'First, listen to what he says and let him catch you without a fight. That way, he won't be rough with you.'
'Huh?'
'Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll come to help you.'
Despite having various doubts about the instruction to be captured quietly, Cliff and the others no longer felt anxious. This was because they knew what "Lady Lucia" truly was.
──'Wood Sword God Lucia'
She is the latest god who governs wooden swords and wooden swordsmiths, and among many gods, she is the only one allowed to act freely. After the [Evil God] was defeated, she freed the world of the sealed gods and transformed the labyrinth once known as [God's Remains Labyrinth] into the [Divine Tree Labyrinth].
In the past, during the defeat of the [Evil God], she was known for granting power to the ≪Extreme Sword≫. Because of the influence of the "Heroic Tale of the God Slayer," which spread through various media, she is now called the "Supreme God," even surpassing 'Great Mother Miriallia' in greatness.
Well, to be honest, Cliff and the others didn't fully understand all the details, but since they had known her since childhood, she was like family to them, deserving of their unconditional trust.
For that reason, Cliff followed Lucia's instructions and spoke to the perverts.
"I-I understand... I will follow you."
"Yes!"
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