Cecil finally let me into the house.
And that wasn’t all. She even let me sleep on the rug in front of the fireplace and gave me stew.
It was a luxury I couldn’t have imagined at this point in the previous timeline.
Cecil opened her mouth, her voice sugary, a smile plastered across her face.
“A merchant caravan that visits the village regularly will be here in a few days. We’ll follow them to a big city.”
“Yes.”
The land beyond the village teemed with monsters. Usually, one would have to hire mercenaries or…
For those who couldn’t afford the protection, trailing behind a merchant caravan was the safest way to travel.
In my previous life, I had barely managed to escape the village with the help of Aiden.
It was a pity I couldn’t replicate our first meeting here. But he wouldn’t save me for at least another half-year.
To get out of here quickly, I had no choice but to carve a different path.
I let her words drift by as I sipped the stew—a thin, watery concoction, so lacking in substance it felt more like broth than a meal.
She must have made it this way because she found it a waste to provide me with anything resembling real food.
However, for me, my system weakened by long-term starvation, it was actually appropriate.
Whether it tasted like absolutely nothing was a different matter.
‘The food police… no, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office might not even be enough to handle this.’
It felt like a lie that only a few hours ago, I had eaten breakfast prepared by a first-class chef.
This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to return to this moment in time.
I let out a small sigh and licked the bowl clean.
To survive.
✦ ✦ ✦
Just as Cecil said, a reasonably large merchant caravan reached the village a few days later.
Perhaps because they had navigated a forest crawling with monsters, everyone looked like they were heaving a sigh of relief.
Amidst the commotion, I approached a man who looked like the leader. I pointed to the mountain of piled-up cargo and asked,
“Mister, where are you heading with all these goods?”
He paused, mid-way through tying his shoelace, and glanced at me with indifference.
“I’m heading to the capital to sell these off.”
“The capital… you mean Cataleya?”
“That’s right.”
Fortunately, it was my destination. I wouldn’t have to take a detour.
If they were passing through this village on their way to a major city, the probability of the capital, Cataleya, being their endpoint was high.
Having decided to follow them, I finished my mental calculations and addressed him again.
“Pardon me, but are you the caravan master?”
His gaze lingered on me, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
“You’ve got a sharp eye—even the adults didn’t realize, perhaps because I’m dressed so shabbily.”
“Then, Master, would you like to make a deal with me?”
The caravan master chuckled, amused, and ruffled my hair.
“Sorry, kid, but a merchant doesn’t do work that doesn’t turn a profit.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t particularly like one-sided deals, either. Anything that isn’t a win-win isn’t a trade; it’s a shakedown.”
“What? Hahaha!”
He stood up, looking down at me with an intrigued expression. He probably thought I was just a bit of entertainment to recount over drinks with his colleagues later.
“A win-win deal, huh? I’m curious. What could a child like you possibly give me?”
“Information so tempting it’s agonizingly sweet.”
“My goodness, ‘tempting’!”
He burst into laughter again. Wiping away a tear, he looked at me with a spark of newfound favor.
“I like your audacity. Very well. Let’s hear what kind of deal you’re proposing.”
“You don’t have to do much.”
I held up my fingers, one by one, maintaining that audacious expression.
“One, let me ride in a wagon to the capital. Two, once we arrive, help me send the woman I’m accompanying to prison.”
“……What?”
The caravan master’s expression stiffened. These were words unimaginable from the mouth of a child.
Only then did his gaze shift to my skeletal frame.
I felt his eyes on me and nonchalantly pulled up my sleeves, revealing the wounds and bruises blooming across my skin.
“Do you see? This is how an orphan like me is treated here.”
“…….”
The caravan master squeezed his eyes shut and wiped his face, clearly troubled.
“Little one, I understand your plight, but you can’t just put someone in prison so easily.”
“I know.”
This wasn’t exactly Earth, where children’s rights were prioritized. I had never expected him to take action just on the word of a street child without a guardian.
“A few days ago, I overheard that they plan to take me to the capital and sell me. I’ve awakened an ability.”
“…….”
“They said I’d sell for a high price. Is that true?”
It is easy to make a person a criminal, but proving innocence is difficult. Even if the evidence of Cecil’s crimes was thin, I could manufacture it. Slave trading was a felony in the Empire; with a charge like this, she wouldn’t be able to escape easily.
He stared at me for a long time, then let out a weary sigh.
“Let’s say I put the person who tried to sell you in prison after we reach the capital. What do you intend to do then, without a guardian?”
“There are plenty of orphanages that accept Abiliters.”
“Ah.”
At the thoroughly sensible answer, the caravan master blinked, letting out a short, surprised gasp. He must have been caught off guard, having heard so many nonsense stories until now.
With the air of a man making a decision, he placed his large hand on my head.
“Fine. I’ll take responsibility and bring you to the capital.”
“Without even hearing the information I prepared?”
“This isn’t a trade. I have no intention of squeezing anything out of a child. I don’t know what you’ve prepared, but keep it.”
I rolled my eyes. *Where do you think you’re going? You need to get your money’s worth, don’t you?*
“……Hmm. Fine! I’m usually not the type to give things away before the service, but I’ll grant you that this time.”
Acting as if I were doing him a favor, I put my hands behind my back and cleared my throat.
“However, there are two pieces of information in total, and I’ll tell you the other one only after you fulfill my request.”
“Ha, I feel like I’m dealing with an old fox who’s seen it all. Are you really just a child?”
It was a question I had fully expected. I had no intention of acting like a child unnecessarily, though I would certainly utilize my age whenever it was advantageous.
I stared at him steadily and replied coolly.
“I have the ability of precognition. Being able to see the future is similar to living in the present and the future at the same time.”
“What?”
“Since I’m living several times more than others, it’s only natural that I’d be mentally mature.”
“I see—now it makes sense. I did wonder why you spoke so maturely…!”
“Hahaha, just kidding!”
“What?”
When I stuck my tongue out, he stared at me, dumbfounded.
“W-what kind of kid are you?”
“An old soul, I suppose… let’s just say I grew up early because I had no one to lean on.”
Unable to find a response, the man clamped his mouth shut.
I smiled casually and whispered.
“There will be a major famine next year. So, buy up as much grain as you can this year.”
The man’s face crumpled.
“How can you guarantee that…”
“Didn’t I just tell you? My ability is precognition.”
He rubbed his temples, clearly fighting a headache.
“That you did. I suppose you can see the distant future, too.”
“That’s right.”
“Assuming, of course, that you truly possess the ability of ‘precognition’.”
“Would this… be enough proof?”
I held out a crumpled note I had kept in my pocket.
It was a record of the conversation he and I had just finished having, from start to finish.
In truth, this wasn’t the first time I had spoken to the caravan master.
It only appeared that way because I had turned back the timeline.