Charlotte looked utterly uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the man guiding us. Rather, it was the way he conducted himself that seemed to make her uneasy—something about it felt... off.
For example:
“Ladies, behold! This man here lost his left hand in a tragic factory accident not too long ago. Isn’t it pitiful? Doesn’t it break your heart? Without help, he’ll surely struggle to put food on the table. Hey, John, show them your arm.”
At his prompting, the man named John displayed his left wrist, which ended in a smooth stump with a few stitched scars.
“See for yourselves.”
Charlotte would stare at the man with a deeply conflicted expression, while I silently placed a few silver shillings into the tin can in front of him. John’s face lit up immediately, his gratitude beaming through his smile.
As we walked further, it felt like we were moving through a twisted amusement park. At every corner, we encountered new “attractions.” Children with soot-smeared faces rushed toward us with outstretched hands, an old woman with a crooked back stood clutching an empty basket, and so on.
Each time, our guide would introduce these people as though they were exhibits, telling their stories of misfortune. And each time, I would quietly drop a few shillings into their hands or cans.
This strange cycle repeated itself multiple times.
“Um, Sylvia?”
Charlotte finally spoke, her voice laced with discomfort.
“Doesn’t this feel like... watching animals in a zoo?”
“But this is how they survive,” I replied matter-of-factly.
“...Like this?”
“They’re selling happiness.”
“Happiness?”
Everyone feels that their life is lacking in some way. No matter how wealthy someone is, there’s always someone richer, a noble above them, or a duke and royalty higher still.
Even royalty, like myself, often find themselves envious of others within their own circles. This world wasn’t much different from the one I came from.
For these people, their "business" is selling a fleeting sense of relief. For a small price, they allow the wealthy to feel gratitude for their own lives by providing a moment to think, *At least I’m better off than they are.*
Of course, that “small price” is a significant sum to those in the slums, enough to eat well for an entire day.
“...”
Charlotte didn’t seem entirely convinced, judging by her expression.
“Ah, ladies! You’re in luck today!”
Our guide, perhaps invigorated by the coins I’d handed out so far, suddenly pointed ahead with great enthusiasm.
“The Saint of the Backstreets is right over there!”
“...”
Charlotte immediately pulled her hat low over her face. It seemed she hadn’t expected the guide to lead us straight to Leo.
*The Saint of the Backstreets*, huh?
That nickname wasn’t one Leo had in the original work.
Of course, it made sense. In the game, while you could interact with street NPCs, those interactions were limited to preset dialogue. Beggars might exist, but unless the developers added a donation option, you couldn’t do much beyond hearing their pre-written lines.
But this world wasn’t bound by game mechanics. People reacted to any stimulus, given the chance.
“Thank you,” I said, pulling my wallet out again.
I took out the rest of the cash I had on hand and handed it to the man.
“This will do. We’ll find our way out from here.”
“Are you sure? This is a dangerous area, with no police patrols...”
The man hesitated, looking surprised by the wad of pound notes I’d handed over.
“We’ll be fine,” I assured him.
At my insistence, he nodded, bowing deeply before accepting the money.
“In that case, I’ll make sure everyone in this alley knows not to bother you. We can’t afford to lose customers like you. Please, do visit again.”
I nodded in acknowledgment, and he quickly left.
“...Really?”
Charlotte muttered, clearly holding back a multitude of thoughts. Ultimately, she sighed deeply instead of voicing them.
She understood well enough that orphans, the disabled, and the elderly in this area needed money to survive.
From what I knew, our guide wasn’t a completely irredeemable man by the standards of this era. As the de facto leader of this alley, he ensured his people’s survival—a sort of “noble thug” archetype commonly seen in Japanese games and manga. He didn’t appear in the main story, nor in any related side quests, but his background was clear from his interactions.
With the amount of money I’d given him, I was certain he’d share it with the people we’d seen.
“Well then, Charlotte. Shall we?”
At my words, Charlotte nodded, and we continued down the alley.
Leo was still some distance away. Sophia, however, had drawn much closer to him.
We walked as quietly as possible, positioning ourselves where we could observe without being seen.
---
“That's amazing...”
Sophia’s voice carried a note of awe, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, unmistakably the expression of a girl in love.
Sophia wasn’t exactly the most subtle character in the original work either. Her psychopathic tendencies stemmed from her unfiltered impulses. I had no idea what had happened to her in the one year gap before her behavior became so extreme.
Or perhaps meeting Leo earlier had prevented her from developing those traits.
In any case, with his objectively handsome features, it wasn’t hard to see why she was drawn to him. In the original story, Sophia’s change of heart had also been triggered by Leo.
“It’s not that amazing. These are just old clothes, and the bread is from the cheapest bakery I could find,” Leo replied modestly, scratching his head.
Sophia shook her head fervently.
“No, it is amazing. How many people would spend all their allowance helping others? Even the wealthiest nobles don’t do that...”
No argument there.
What truly stood out was that Leo didn’t brag about his actions. It made sense that Sophia had fallen for him so quickly.
Despite her claims of loving violence and being a devoted knight of the Goddess, she would become enraged if anyone spoke ill of her faith. Seeing Leo embody the compassion the Goddess preached must have made him seem extraordinary to her.
And, of course, he was handsome.
He likely had a great physique too—if his gratuitous bath scenes in the game were any indication. Female characters were always modestly covered, but Leo? He only wore a towel around his waist, showing off his lean, toned muscles.
It was a game with a sizable female fanbase, after all.
“Can I help you with this?”
Sophia leaned closer to Leo, her earnestness evident. If she had followed him initially out of interest, she now seemed genuinely motivated to assist in his efforts. While I couldn’t read minds, her intentions appeared sincere.
“...”
Watching the scene from the corner of the alley, Charlotte had an indescribable look on her face.
“This is... pathetic.”
“...”
“Ah, not you, Leo, or Sophia. I mean me.”
With a sigh, Charlotte crouched down, her long skirt pooling on the dusty ground. She didn’t seem to care about the dirt clinging to the fabric.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“I’m just aimlessly following them for fun, thinking about teasing them... while they’re doing such noble work.”
It seemed that her recent reflections on her royal responsibilities were taking a toll on her.
Understandable. She hadn’t accomplished anything significant at her age yet—nor should she have to.
“You couldn’t have known. It’s not your fault,” I said.
“A princess can’t use ignorance as an excuse,” Charlotte muttered bitterly.
“A single overlooked detail can lead to the fall of a kingdom.”
“That depends on the context,” I said firmly.
“Not knowing what was for breakfast and not knowing the results of a battle are vastly different. No one can know everything.”
If they could, I wouldn’t have to keep rewinding time and suffering through this mess.
“...”
Though my words were logical, they didn’t seem to console Charlotte.
After a moment’s thought, I reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Sylvia?”
“If it bothers you so much, let’s help them.”
“W-Wait, if we do that, won’t Leo find out we were following him?”
Sophia was tailing him too, wasn’t she?
But instead of saying that, I couldn’t resist teasing Charlotte.
“Then I’ll call you Charlotte instead of Charlotte.”
“Like that’s going to fix anything!”