It had been a week since the dragon had descended from the sky. I’d somehow survived—though just barely—but I’d seriously underestimated the level of crime in this town. It had never been a safe area to begin with, but with the flood of refugees after the dragon attack, the streets had become a breeding ground for chaos.
Hunger had gnawed at me relentlessly, forcing me to swallow my pride and beg for scraps. Nobody had even spared me a glance, though. I was lucky if they’d ignored me—some had yelled at me, while others had resorted to violence to drive me away. Money and food had been scarce for everyone. Occasionally, I’d get a look of pity from someone, but nothing more.
In the past seven days, I’d been attacked eight times. That’s an average of more than one encounter with a kidnapper per day. What kind of lawless town is this?!
I couldn’t be sold to a slave trader since I hadn’t turned five yet, but I guess you couldn’t tell how old I was just by looks alone. I’d managed to avoid trouble by taking advantage of my small size to slip into narrow alleys and patches of grass. Thanks to that, I’d gotten surprisingly good at using wind magic to muffle sounds and mask my presence.
“I could use magic to fend off attackers...but word of a magic-wielding baby would just draw even more unwanted attention—especially from thugs who deal with slave traders.”
I had no idea what price I’d fetch, but I knew I wouldn’t come for cheap. After all, my magic was top-tier and I was as calm as an adult.
“Well, I’ve got some food now. I guess I’ll head back to my hideout.”
Keeping low and careful, I navigated through the grass, and after a few minutes, I found myself at my current refuge: the entrance to the sewer.
This town—or rather, the urban areas of this world—seemed to be fully equipped with water and sewage systems. Magic had made it possible to carry out large-scale construction with ease, weaving countless pipes and tunnels beneath the ground.
There was a sewage treatment facility as well, where wastewater was carefully treated before being released into the river. A wide canal had been built to channel the clean water, which flowed steadily from an outlet along the riverbank. The entrance to the facility had been solidly built from a strange material resembling brick and concrete. It almost looked too modern for a fantasy realm.
My new home was inside an underground ruin accessible through the sewer system on foot via a narrow inspection path that ran alongside the waterway. As it turned out, the sewer wasn’t just a maze of water channels in the ground; the remnants of an ancient kingdom existed too. The ruins had already been surveyed, revealing that they’d been a simple residential area, devoid of any treasures.
At first, I’d fled into the sewer itself. Truthfully, I’d never planned to stay for long—it was meant to be just a temporary refuge. The sewage that flowed through had been treated, but it was still foul and filled the air with a stench. The humidity was horrible too, making it impossible for a child to live there in good health.
Then, something changed. One day, I’d felt that something was off about a section of the sewer wall through sheer luck. When I nearly slipped on the slick walkway and instinctively grabbed the wall, a peculiar sound echoed beneath my palm. I tried knocking on the walls elsewhere, but only that one spot answered back with a different resonance. There was clearly an opening there.
I used earth magic to bore a hole into the wall and discovered a small room. It seemed to be part of the ancient ruins. The walls were solid stone—probably a storage room of some sorts. There was nothing inside but dust, but it was more than enough for a hiding place.
Since then, I’d remodeled the interior using earth magic. I’d created a cookstove with three separate openings—one each for a large pot, a small pot, and a frying pan. I’d also made myself a table, chair, bed, and even a bathroom, which was easy enough to use since I could purify my waste with magic and send it down the sewer. As for lighting, I’d been using the magic candlestick the god had given me.
The original entrance had collapsed long ago, which meant no one else could wander in—a huge bonus. Plus, the entrance to the sewage system itself was blocked off by iron grates too narrow for anyone but a child to slip through. The only real drawback was having to use earth magic every time I wanted to open or seal the passage. Still, it doubled as good training, and I hadn’t had any trouble with it for the time being.
“Got my hands on some mushrooms today,” I said to myself. “Dinner’s gonna be a little fancy.”
I’d managed to gather four ingredients. First, there were three types of wild plants that were borderline edible after some toxin removal with holy magic. They didn’t have names because, unlike Earth, there’d been little in the way of scholarly research in this world. As a result, these plants, which had low toxicity and no medicinal value, had gone nameless.
So, I’d decided to name them myself. All three had presented a striking resemblance to garlic chives, but differences in taste and scent had set them apart. I’d dubbed them mustard green look-alike, water dropwort look-alike, and watercress look-alike.
Then there was the mushroom that just screamed poisonous. Its cap was a murky blue, dappled with gray spots. When I gave it a light shake, it sloshed; there was liquid inside. It was a little-known fact that this fungus was edible, as most people were deceived by its appearance. The mushroom itself had no flavor to speak of, but the liquid could be used as a vinegar substitute. Of course, that sour taste was the reason everyone had assumed it was toxic in the first place. For me, it was a blessing that no one had bothered to pick it. I’d decided to call it vinegar mushroom.
I started humming. “Tonight I’m having sour-stewed wild grass and roots.”