Heavenly Castle

Chapter 86 – Leticia’s Breakout Drama

Translator: Pink Tea
Editor: Ryunakama

Hearing Leticia’s heavy speech, Ayla hung her head with a sad expression. Her straightforward words should have aroused a lot of various questions, but no one could ask anything.

I also couldn’t say「Why?」

No matter how you think of it, Leticia’s choice wouldn’t lead to any good future. It’s the choice that won’t save anyone.

But perhaps, that was the only possible choice.

As I kept silent, going through those thoughts, Yuri spoke.

「So you sold yourself to temporarily feed the starving kids… While those actions and determination struck me as admirable, I can’t help but wonder. Why couldn’t you make another choice? Earning wages from work, recruiting new contributors, I think there is a lot of other options. And above all, if it’s Callistoism that views as a virtue giving to the less fortunate, then wouldn’t the outcome differ if you were to ask the other churches to help as well.」

Casually inquired Yuri on such a difficult topic. Certainly, all of it is important, but what kind of face should we make if this will bring out the story of how Leticia kept selling her body all this time?

But with a grim face, Leticia answered Yuri’s question.

「……In Calistoism you generally cannot work on a side. There were countless attempts to plea to the priests and ask for help from churches in other towns, but this did not produce any results. Increasing the amount of donation also did not go well, probably because of the high value of money in this country…」

Leticia murmured without properly finishing her sentence and cast her eyes down. My heart grew even heavier as I saw tears shining in the corners of her eyes.

Leticia desperately tried various ideas, but she couldn’t stand the children dying in the meantime, is how it went I guess.

After spending such hellish days there, you, of course, wouldn’t want to go back to that town.

Suddenly, another question arises. It’s what happened Leticia after.

「……if you were sold off as a slave, then why are you here? How did you get away?」

「Yes, yes……Eh, Aifa?! The way you put it……」

Aifa bluntly voiced a question that was on my mind. However, I involuntarily retorted as the way Aifa asked about it sounded too direct.

What a straightforwardness.

However, Leticia didn’t seem to care and nodded while wiping her eyes.

「Ah, y-yes. I became a slave and was sold at a slave store. Probably due to the rarity of being a former nun, the next day a buyer from among the nobles was found and I was prepared. For some reason, my clothes remained the same nun robes…… I was inspected, cleaned, and put on a carriage. Apparently, a very high ranked aristocrat bought me, as the destination was in the depth of the aristocratic district, so it took a while to pass through the inner gates.」

「And you made your escape?」

Leticia gave a vague confirmation.

「……That, the slave merchant was killed…… And I took advantage of that chaos…」

「Killed? By the slaves?」

「N-no… A mercenary whose family was enslaved, came for revenge. It seems that the merchant was a nefarious one, if he found a person who could be sold for a hefty sum, he would use borderline illegal methods to drive them into slavery…」

Listening to a heavy story about Leticia’s past, my regrets about coming to this country grew bigger.

I should have picked a nicer and more enjoyable country. No, by the view from the far sight camera alone, the cityscape looked very interesting.

「I was a debt slave, so I only had a temporary contract with the slave merchant. Since it was a rare occurrence and I was dressed as a nun, I was able to escape outside the city, I can’t call it anything other than a stroke of luck.」

Silently looking at the speaking Leticia, I nod, showing that I follow.

「So those children are the orphans that you were looking after?」

「I brought only five orphans. There were eight more children, but the church should be able to cope if it’s only that many, and I also thought that it would be safer than outside the city, so I decided against taking them. The rest of the other children were wandering outside the city, without a place to go.」

「Eh, outside the city?」

Surprised I look at the children. There is clearly more than fifteen of them, subtracting the initial five, it means that she already sheltered more than a dozen of them?

「……Could it be that several years have already passed since you started living here?」

When asked so, Leticia bitterly smiled, perhaps knowing what I was trying to say, and shook her head while gently brushing the head of the child that was sleeping beside her.

The child that fell without senses had wounds all over the body. Still asleep, but since the pulse was stable there shouldn’t be any problem.

Looking sidelong at the child sleeping next to her, Leticia opened her mouth.

「No, it hasn’t been a year yet… An unbelievable number of people come and go from this city, but in turn, a great number of people also end up on the streets. Lamentable, but rather than starving to death, some people choose to throw away children that would become a burden, and then leave on a new journey. Parents who sell their children into slavery are not that rare as well…」

「Their own children…」

「It’s a sad story, but other countries also have plenty of parents who give up their children for adoption or sell them to slave merchants.」

As I was listening, dumbfounded, Leticia bitterly laughed. As I looked at her with a puzzled face, she donned a gentle smile.

「You are a kind person. To get that emotional over slavery and thrown away children, you are probably a very upper class noble, far removed from the common folk? But you see us, slaves and orphans, as the same human beings… If everyone was just like you, then this country surely…」

Leticia said, sorrowfully, and looked down.

Leaving Leticia’s house, I deeply sighed.

Since I have money it would be easy to aid them. But that doesn’t provide a fundamental solution.

「……For now, let’s return back to the city. I want to know more about this country.」

When I looked back after saying that, everyone nodded in agreement with serious expressions on their faces.