TOPWL 79

“What’s going on? What are they doing?”

“They say they have something important to say.”

“What kind of important thing could there be, giving us bread?”

“Isn’t there poison in the bread?”

“I’ll eat it anyway. I’ve lost track of how many days it’s been since I ate.”

The voices of the people filled Aldrich’s house. At that moment, the door opened, and Yudit walked in. The unfamiliar face made the people stop talking and look at him. Standing on the platform, Yudit gazed down at the crowd. He had attended lessons looking up at Aldrich on the platform, but standing on it himself felt strange. As he ran his fingers over the smooth wood of the lectern, Yudit spoke.

“Thank you for gathering here.”

Yudit scanned the people, one by one. They looked ragged and exhausted. After taking a deep breath, Yudit continued.

“I am… Yudit Friedrich Adanauer.”

The impact of those words on the crowd was significant.

“Adanauer? Isn’t that the royal family?”

“I know that person. He’s a prince.”

“Why is someone like him here?”

The confusion on the people’s faces quickly turned to hostility. Some even threw their bread. Eden hurriedly tried to stop them.

“He’s going to kill us and wipe out this slum!”

“How dare he think we’re easy prey…!”

“Calm down. Yudit has nothing to do with Prince Hiore. Let’s just hear him out first.”

Eden intervened, but the crowd’s anger did not subside easily. Yudit, still looking at them, began to remove his bandages and gauze. The injuries that were just starting to heal and the purple and blue bruises became visible. The sight of his serious condition caused the people to stop causing a ruckus and look at him with puzzled eyes.

“These injuries were caused by Prince Hiore a few days ago. Some of you might have seen it happen,” Yudit explained.

After speaking, Yudit picked up the bread that had fallen to the floor, dusted it off, and took a bite. As he chewed, he said with a wry smile, “It’s not that great. Now I understand why you threw it. Next time, I’ll bring better bread.”

Yudit’s joke softened the expressions of some people. Unlike Hiore, who wrapped himself up to avoid illness, Yudit ate the bread with the fresh wounds still visible.

“I know him. He used to come to the slums often. His name was different though…”

“Is that really him? Was it… Yuli?”

“That’s him, I think.”

“He’s the abandoned prince. He’s not like Prince Hiore.”

“If it’s Yuli, then that’s the one… Aldrich…”

After several murmurs, the people quieted down. The hostility in their gazes had lessened. Yudit, who had eaten half of the bread, placed it on the lectern and resumed speaking.

“As some of you know, I grew up in the slums. Aldrich especially has been a great benefactor to me.”

Yudit looked at those who recognized him. He hesitated to say Aldrich’s name, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had to tell his story.

“And I owe a great debt that I can never repay. The pain I’ve caused is too great, and I couldn’t bring myself to come here until now, but I thought it was wrong to turn a blind eye to the crisis, so I’ve come before you.”

Yudit turned toward the large chalkboard behind him and began to sketch. He drew the capital and its outer areas. He was skilled at it, having practiced several times, but when he turned around, he saw the confusion on the people’s faces. Wondering if he had drawn too carelessly, Yudit tried to make it more detailed. After 10 more seconds of drawing, he turned again and saw even more confusion.

“What’s that?”

“Is that abstract art?”

Eden, who had been among the crowd, raised his hand and spoke.

“What’s that drawing supposed to be?”

“The capital and its outskirts,” Yudit answered.

The crowd looked even more confused. Eden raised his hand again.

“If you don’t mind, may I make some adjustments?”

“Sure.”

Yudit thought it looked fine as it was, but Eden suddenly erased all of Yudit’s drawing and began to work. Before Yudit could even react, Eden quickly drew new lines.

“Which part of the outskirts should I draw?”

“Bern, Zone 3.”

Yudit quietly answered, and Eden swiftly sketched Bern 3. His speed was impressive, a result of his experience as a tattoo artist, but Yudit thought the skill was similar to his own. However, the crowd seemed less confused now.

At last, Yudit moved on to the main topic.

“As some of you might know, the princes are competing in a contest to select the next emperor. One of the tasks is to develop the area they are assigned to, with the one who generates the most profit surpassing the others. Prince Hiore has been assigned District 3 of Rio.”

Yudit drew a large circle around Rio 3 and a smaller one around the slum area.

“The slums lie in the center of this zone, so it will not be easy to have Prince Hiore give it up.”

“But we’ve managed to keep it before,” someone shouted with a deep voice. Yudit recognized him as someone he had seen before. He was looking at Yudit with a mixture of hostility and fear.

“Yes, we’ve kept it before, but it came at a great cost,” Yudit replied. The many casualties made it clear that the slums had been defended after great sacrifices.

“But now, Aldrich and the intellectuals are gone. There’s no one to lead us. In a situation like this, without cohesion, the slums could collapse at any moment.”

“Then what should we do?” someone asked.

Yudit quietly surveyed Aldrich’s house. Despite being managed continuously, it was in poor condition. Even the slightest breeze could make it creak, and many parts were broken. He then looked at the people around him—women carrying infants and old men who looked even more frail and hungry than before.

He took a deep breath before speaking again.

“I believe the best choice for all of you is to leave this place.”

The response was more intense than expected. Before Yudit could continue, the crowd erupted in anger.

“Of course, he’s one of them!”

“We wasted our time listening to him!”

“He studied under Aldrich, and yet…!”

Yudit raised his voice to calm the crowd, but it wasn’t easy. Shane moved closer, almost as if to protect Yudit. Yudit motioned for him to stand down.

“Shane, wait…”

CRACK!!

At that moment, Diego stepped forward and smashed a wine bottle against the bookshelf. The loud sound shocked both Yudit and the crowd into silence. The shards of glass had caused some cuts on Diego’s hands and forearms, leaving droplets of blood on him.

“Listen first. You can get angry later,” Diego said, his voice calm.

The crowd, now silent, stared at him. Eden muttered under his breath, “What a crazy guy…” He was grateful, but also baffled by the extremity of it all. Yudit thought the same, but the effect was undeniable. The uproar had calmed instantly.

After making sure the crowd was silent, Diego went to work with a broom, sweeping up the shards. Yudit, concerned about him getting cut, glanced at Diego, but he just shook his head, signaling Yudit to focus on his task. Yudit sighed and continued.

“Of course, I’m not telling you to leave without any plan. The place I’m suggesting you move to is this area.”

Yudit drew a circle on the map, further to the upper left of the capital.

“This area is under my control—Bern 3. It has the advantage of iron ore, but monster appearances are frequent and the soil is not suitable for farming.”

The people’s expressions grew darker at his honesty. Yudit drew a winding line connecting Bern 3 to the capital.

“Moreover, there’s a road passing through the forest, so it would take about two to three hours to travel to the capital.”

Then Yudit took a red chalk and drew a straight line on the road.

“I plan to connect this road. If that happens, it will take only about 30 minutes one way, and an hour round trip to the capital.”