Episode 04
He opened the note and rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.
“……Did you know I would meet you way back then?”
I offered a faint smile, providing an answer slightly different from what he had asked.
“I can predict the near future with great accuracy.”
“Ha……. My apologies for underestimating the value of your information. This is a losing deal for you. I can’t even maintain my dignity as a merchant this way.”
“Do you think this is a losing deal for me?”
A dry laugh escaped me before I could stop it—a sound heavy with a weariness that felt misplaced coming from a child.
“I have never lost a deal, not even once.”
In my previous life, I had gathered information as if my survival depended on it, solely to leverage it here. I had shared only a single splinter of the thousands of secrets I carried with this merchant leader.
With that alone, I could secure my escape from that hellish village and orchestrate the ruin of Cecil, the woman who had tried to kill me.
How could this possibly be a losing deal?
✦ ✦ ✦
After resting for a few days, the merchant caravan set out for the capital once again.
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Cecil latched onto the tail end of the caravan, dragging me along with her.
That was when it happened.
“You there!”
“Y-yes?”
As the merchant leader pointed directly at us, Cecil stiffened, her expression turning brittle with anxiety. Many merchants were known to extort “protection fees” from those trailing them.
“I will let the child ride the horse.”
“Ah…….”
Relieved, Cecil hesitated, glancing around before stepping forward. The merchant leader’s brows knitted into a hard line.
“You are an adult; you should walk.”
His tone was nothing short of icy. Flushing with embarrassment, Cecil snapped at him.
“W-who said I wanted to ride? I won’t even let our child ride your horse!”
“Adults may be fine, but this path is no place for a young child to walk. She will tire out and fall behind.”
The merchant leader tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in doubt.
“Any mother would naturally wish for her child to travel in comfort. To insist on making her suffer out of pure pride—something is strange here.”
Knowing full well that she and I were not mother and daughter, the merchant leader deliberately prodded the wound. Cecil had no choice but to bow her head, biting her lip until it turned white.
“……Please, take her.”
It was an unexpected windfall. I had asked for the wagon, but a horse was far superior to a rattling, haphazard carriage. Better yet, the sight of Cecil forced to march on foot was exactly what I had hoped for.
I waved my hand at Cecil, miming a cheery farewell, and walked over to the merchant leader. He picked me up with an indifferent face and sat me firmly in the saddle.
“We’re moving out!”
Mounted high, I shamelessly leaned against the merchant leader’s back. It made a perfect backrest.
Being a child came with crushing restrictions, but there were occasional privileges that made the burden bearable.
After some time had passed, the merchant leader’s low voice drifted down from above.
“……You’re smaller than I thought.”
“Because I’m still a child.”
“How old are you?”
“Seven.”
There was a hint of genuine bewilderment in his voice.
“My son didn’t seem this small when he was seven.”
“Well, I’ve spent my life barely eating, so it’s only natural.”
“…….”
Oh no. I hadn’t meant to render him speechless. My life had been so jagged that a tragic backstory spilled out like an involuntary reflex every time I opened my mouth.
A few seconds later, he spoke up in a rush, desperate to dispel the awkwardness.
“The name of our caravan is Ageratum. If you find the orphanage isn’t to your liking, come find me. Someone as clever as you will always have a place.”
“You aren’t just trying to poach an Ability User, are you?”
“Haha, that’s true as well.”
I folded my arms, playing coy.
“Well, I appreciate the offer. I’ll think about it if all my plans fall through.”
Of course, there was ‘absolutely’ no chance of that.
Do you know why Indian rain dances have a 100% success rate? Because they keep dancing until it rains. I planned to use my ability to “reset grind” until my goal was met.
✦ ✦ ✦
We passed through several villages over a fortnight and finally arrived in Cataleya, the capital of the empire.
By the time we reached our destination, I had grown quite close to the merchant leader and his men. Naturally, Cecil hadn’t just stood by and watched; every time I attempted a conversation, she would whisk me away, terrified I might align myself with the caravan.
As soon as we reached the city gates, Cecil grabbed me roughly, pulling me away from the group.
I had already coordinated my move with the merchant leader, so I followed without complaint.
“Where are you planning to go now?”
“There probably aren’t any gambling dens that would take in a child like you, so I suppose I’ll have to head to the stables and try to win some money.”
“Then where will we sleep?”
“……Fine. Let’s find an inn first.”
Seeing that I followed without resistance, her expression softened, though her grip on my wrist remained iron-tight. It was impossible to break free by force. It was time to execute the plan.
I slowly scanned our surroundings and activated my ability.
[Overwriting the current timeline onto Timeline 2.]
I spoke with feigned, casual composure.
“……It would have been nice if we could have at least thanked the merchant leader before leaving.”
“Huh? You were the one who received help. Why should I?”
I was about to retort by asking if she could have survived the monster forest on her own, but I bit my tongue.
How far had we walked?
I spotted the merchant leader approaching us from behind, flanked by members of the city watch. The lead soldier narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical of why a child was being dragged along by force.
It was going to be a tight window.
I stopped in my tracks and muttered, feigning annoyance.
“Man. So I even had to stage a tense scene? Fine, I suppose I’m quite a good actor after all.”
“Tania, what did you just say……”
Ignoring Cecil, I memorized the positions of the surrounding buildings and loaded the saved timeline.
[Loading Timeline 2.]
As I paused, momentarily disoriented by the shift, Cecil knitted her brows in irritation.
“I’m sorry. I was momentarily distracted.”
I moved naturally, gauging the timing. Just as we reached the corner of the buildings I had memorized, I welled up tears and threw myself onto the ground.
“Please save me, Auntie! I was wrong! I’ll do anything, just please don’t sell me!”
“Wh-what? What are you…!”
As a flustered Cecil scrambled to haul me up, the merchant leader arrived with the city watch and pointed directly at her.
“That’s her!”
The soldiers surrounded us in an instant. I grabbed the hem of a soldier’s trousers and sobbed, my voice cracking with calculated desperation.
“Th-that woman said she was going to sell me! She said because I’m an Ability User, I’d be worth a lot of money……! Please help me, please……”
Taken aback by the sight of a weeping child, the soldier knelt to meet my gaze, his expression grave.
“Do you know her?”
“I-I don’t know her. As soon as she found out I was an Ability User, she tried to drag me away.”
I trembled, expressing my fear, and he slowly patted my back.
“What about your parents?”
I quietly closed my eyes and shook my head. Looking at my ragged clothes and thin frame, the soldier muttered, barely audible.
“Ha, another trafficker targeting orphans……”
With a heavy expression, he asked, “Little one, do you happen to know where she was planning to take you?”
“I heard her mention a cigar shop in the alleyway near the market with the central clock tower…… I don’t know the exact location, though……”
The cigar shop I mentioned was a notorious illegal trading post for Ability Users.
She would never have imagined that a mere child would be privy to such information. Once the guards confirmed it was a black market, they would surely interrogate Cecil, convinced she was a well-connected smuggler.