Chapter 51: Mines
Mountains of corpses and piles of rotting garbage were all Mines associated with the word “home.”
Born in the infamous Cabaliga slums, a forsaken concentration of poverty, Mines struggled to survive with her twelve younger siblings.
Food was scarce; they caught rats to eat. Without clean water, they filtered sewage for drinking. The most difficult time was the annual summer plague. Once infected, there was no cure…
Mines couldn’t afford treatment. She had knelt before the Holy Knights of the church countless times, begging them to save her sister, but the cure came with a devastating price.
Her siblings were left blind, crippled, while she remained unscathed, for some unknown reason…
It was as if her siblings had shielded her from misfortune, but Mines couldn’t bear to see her family suffer, it was worse than death.
“If you can’t afford them, don’t take them in. You can’t even feed yourself, and you’re taking care of twelve mouths? Look how thin you are! With your kind heart, you would have died a thousand times over in Cabaliga. You’re just lucky!”
“They were abandoned by their families, I can’t just ignore them…”
“They don’t have a home, so you have to give them one?! What kind of logic is that?!”
“Precisely because they don’t have a home, they can’t lose another one…”
“You stubborn fool, you’ll be the death of me one day.”
Her friend’s advice was harsh, but well-intentioned.
They argued almost every time they met, always about Mines’s younger siblings, but in the end, Mines always managed to convince her friend, who would then storm off, leaving behind some “clean” money before boarding her magic carriage.
It was indeed difficult to support twelve dependents.
Her friend was right.
But Mines found solace in hardship. Seeing her siblings’ innocent eyes, she couldn’t bear to abandon them, especially with their disabilities. Asking her to give them up was like asking her to send them to their deaths, too cruel.
Her conscience wouldn’t allow it.
And when her friend suggested they serve the rich man who kept her, Mines politely refused.
She had considered it, but experiencing it firsthand, she realized that being kept was like living in hell.
She watched as her friend, dressed in finery, was driven away in a luxurious magic carriage, her eyes losing their light upon her return.
Her friend gave her some money, assuring her it was clean, telling her to buy something for her family, then disappearing without a trace.
The world seemed determined to punish those around her for her kindness.
Mines couldn’t bear it, but she was powerless.
Watching her friend being taken away and returned broken, her body thinner than Mines’s own, she finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Next time, I’ll go in your place… I’ll serve that Master…”
“No way!”
Her friend was even more stubborn in this regard. “What are you, a pure young girl, doing getting involved in this? What about your siblings?!”
“I’m an adult, as of yesterday. You can’t keep doing this, you’ll die…”
“Who says I can’t? Mines, say that again!!”
Her friend suddenly yelled at her, hysterical. It was the angriest Mines had ever seen her.
But her memory stopped there. Mines never saw her friend again.
That same month, the Second Empire attacked. Ten Flame Mages of rank four and above surrounded the Cabaliga slums, a fiery storm engulfing the innocent, the lowly lives.
Burning figures ran everywhere, emerging from houses, tents, sewers…
Mines desperately fled with her siblings, the flames scorching her skin, leaving behind permanent scars.
She had lost her value as a woman, just as her friend had said:
“A woman’s most valuable assets are her youth and her virginity. Once that’s gone, your value plummets. Although you can spend a fortune to maintain your youth, can you guarantee that your rich benefactor will always love you?”
“People always crave novelty, creatures driven by desire… Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Hah! True love is no match for a bull.”
Mines couldn’t refute it, even agreeing.
She only knew the excruciating pain of changing her bandages at night, the injustice of society towards those at the bottom.
She mourned for her friend, praying for her future.
…
“You’re dressed so finely, you must be a wealthy ‘Master’… I won the match, I’ve proven my ability to protect you…”
Mines embraced Lena, whispering,
“I’m clean, Master…”
Fragile yet resilient, Mines had single-handedly supported twelve children, yet now she was like a prostitute selling herself for her family, using her remaining dignity to exchange for hope.
“You want me to take you away? Why?”
Lena’s gaze was fixed on Mines.
She wasn’t so foolish as to be overcome with compassion, taking in every wounded bird she saw. She was fundamentally different from Angel and Mines.
“I need a reason.”
“You came alone, Master… cough, cough… I didn’t see any guards…” Mines’s voice was weak, as if she might collapse at any moment, her coughs wracking her body, an unnatural flush on her pale cheeks.
Lena frowned, handing her a lavender-scented handkerchief. “I usually don’t like people following me, so I don’t have guards.”
“Thank you.” Mines clutched the handkerchief, her eyes downcast, evoking pity. “Your strength is undeniable, Master, but sometimes, concealing one’s abilities is more valuable. And for that, you need someone to do the dirty work, the dangerous work, the tiring work…”
As an unregistered citizen, Mines couldn’t settle in the First Empire. She had to find a powerful patron before her siblings suffered further.
And the gray-haired beauty before her seemed like a worthy “Master” to offer her first time to. She had learned a bit about Lena from the Imperial Evening News, a young lady with a preference for women, which slightly eased her fear of men.
“Master, look…”
She showed Lena the weapon on her wrist.
“Aren’t you curious how I killed that man?”
Lena’s expression remained unchanged. “What is this?”
“This is a hidden blade, one of the most popular weapons in Cabaliga…” Mines materialized a three-edged blade from magic, placing it in Lena’s hand. “I just used it to kill Mister Taylan, while I was adjusting my clothes.”
Lena examined it carefully. “An imaginative design… what else can you do?”
“Guns.”
Mines answered without hesitation, then realizing her boldness, her voice softened. “I’m quite familiar with magic firearms. Back in the slums, my friend brought me many magic firearm designs. Thanks to her, I can now create and use various magic weapons…”
Gun Kata?
The term flashed through Lena’s mind.
“Yes, Master.” Mines seemed to read her mind, a sickly smile appearing on her face. “Just as you thought, Master, Mines can help you eliminate anyone who poses a threat, silently…”
…
Life slipped through her fingers like sand, taking with it many precious things.
Only Mines understood the delicate click of the trigger, how beautiful it was. She couldn’t hold onto the flowing sand of life, but she could guide its flow.
Killing was as easy as blinking. To protect her family, she would kill anyone, even a god.
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