Amid the bickering of the two nearby, the idiot's face remained blank, devoid of any emotion. He gently soothed the infant girl in his arms, holding her close until her cries subsided into sobs, her tiny hands clutching tightly at his clothes. Only then did he slowly rise to his feet.
"What did you do… just now, in that moment?"
The voice belonged to Annihilation. Its blood-red eyes remained shut, speaking only within the idiot's mind.
The idiot shook his head faintly, unable to explain. A fleeting image had surged through his mind—a puppet walking. He hadn't time to think, merely imitated the movement. By the time he realized, the infant had already returned to his embrace.
Lifting his head, eyes like frozen steel swept beneath his unkempt hair, casting a cold glance at the two who encircled him. Without a word, he turned to leave.
"Hey! We're talking to you! Who are you? With that filthy, ragged look, how could someone like you be here? I get it now—you must be a spy sent by the enemy!"
A ten-year-old in rags—a spy? The logic was absurd. But the reason didn't matter. What mattered was having an excuse—a justification to strike.
The idiot understood this well. When someone wants you dead, they don't need a reason. That's why he made no attempt to explain. But he also understood something else—when you're at a disadvantage, provoking the other side recklessly is a death wish. Sometimes, letting your enemy vent their rage is the only way to survive.
He lowered his head, curling into himself like he used to in the alleys of Sainager, showing only his weakness.
Dailao's lips twitched as he looked at the beggar before him, but he held his hand. As a noble—one of great and illustrious stature—stooping to brawl with a vagrant was beneath him. Yet the shame of his earlier humiliation burned inside, repressed only by his pride. Lost in anger, he forgot a crucial fact—
If someone could steal prey from his hands—hands skilled in the art of flame without him even noticing—then who, truly, held the greater strength?
"You worthless scum! How dare you make a scene in the Holy Sanctuary? Don't you know this is no place for your kind?"
Freckles drew his sword and carelessly sliced across the idiot's arm. The idiot didn't flinch, shielding only the baby girl in his arms, allowing them to release their fury.
A mere cut, it seemed, wasn't enough. Seeing him so defenseless, Freckles and the fat one stepped forward, raining fists on his face and back. Each blow landed with force, and midway through, the fat one proudly tripped the idiot, slamming him to the ground and placing his foot on his head.
"Big Brother Dailao, this guy really is an idiot. He must've just gotten lucky before. Should we finish him off?"
As he spoke, the fat one delivered a cruel kick to the idiot's side, flipping him over.
Freckles sneered. "That won't do. He's not a child—killing him would make the body harder to deal with. Let's just beat him a bit more for Big Brother Dailao's sake!"
"Right!"
With a cheer, the two intensified their assault. Dailao, meanwhile, sat by the fountain, sheathing his sword as he watched the spectacle with satisfaction. To snatch anything from Dailao Goodsay's hand—such insolence deserved punishment fit for treason.
Curled on the ground, the idiot bore every strike, shielding the baby girl as fists and feet rained down. He said nothing. He merely endured.
"Why don't you fight back?"
Annihilation's voice echoed again.
"You know how powerful I am. Draw me, as you did before—I'll give you strength, give you dignity."
The idiot remained silent. Like a lifeless heap of mud, he endured the beating in silence.
"Hah. I almost forgot—you've no sense of dignity at all."
As the idiot still didn't react, Annihilation mocked him again. "But doesn't it hurt? All you have to do is fight back. Draw me. Kill them. The pain will end. Wouldn't that be better?"
The fists continued to fall. The idiot held the baby close, trembling, teeth clenched, and murmured—
"No trouble… If I cause trouble… her future…"
"All right, fine! I get it! Killing them would be easy—but once they're dead, trouble will follow. And not just for you, right? That brat too, she'll be dragged into it. Very well then, let them keep hitting you! Another hundred punches or so should suffice!"
With a snort, Annihilation fell silent. The irritating voice vanished from his mind. The idiot curled in tighter, enduring in silence.
A sewer rat learns early how to survive a beating. From childhood to now, the idiot had lost count of how many times he'd been beaten—for food, or simply because someone stronger was in a foul mood. In that world, resistance meant death. To endure and survive—that had always been his creed.
And so he endured. Protecting the baby girl. Bleeding from his scalp, his lips split open, yet making no sound. He waited for them to grow bored—only then could he finish his task and quietly disappear.
But then—
"This guy really is pathetic. Still hasn't run. Kinda boring, don't you think?"
"Hmm? Hey, look at what he's holding. That idiot's been clinging to that baby since the start. Hah… maybe hitting the girl would make him really react?"
As the two exchanged wicked grins, Dailao began to approach. A flicker of panic crossed the idiot's eyes, but before he could tighten his hold, Freckles and the fat one seized him, yanking him away. Dailao reached forward—and tore the baby from his arms.
"Waaah—waaah—waaah!"
Her cry rang out as she was wrenched from her haven. Like a fragile bird cast from its nest, she screamed anew. The scorn in Dailao's eyes deepened as he cradled the bundle in one arm, stepping toward the nearby pool—and lowering it into the water.
The idiot flinched violently. His sudden struggle nearly threw the two off him—but alas, he was too weak. Too young. Too frail. His resistance was easily crushed.
"Haha! Now that got a reaction! Look—he's finally reacting!"
Freckles, thrilled, kicked the idiot down again and pinned him. The fat one, moved by the idiot's outburst, sat heavily on his head, restraining his right arm while nonchalantly snacking.
"Guess he's got a death wish, huh? Boss Dailao, your move was genius. Pure genius!"
Dailao held the bundle just above the surface, careful not to submerge her completely. But the fabric soaked through, and slowly, the cold crept through the cotton to the baby's skin.
Her cries grew sharper. The freezing water had touched her.
Below her was the fountain's deep basin. The only thing keeping her from sinking was the proud, smiling Dailao.
"Now that was a reaction," he said, pressing lower. "So—what will you do next? Can you break free and save this mongrel? Or…"
His hand plunged downward.
"Will you just watch her… drown?"
The bundle vanished beneath the clear water. The fountain still flowed. The maiden's statue continued to pour water, catching the sun in a delicate rainbow.
As Dailao's hand pressed down, Freckles and the fat one watched with gleaming eyes, exhilarated by the spectacle. Their gaze turned toward the pool, admiring Dailao with reverence.
But did the fat one notice? Notice the snowflakes drifting through the air the moment that hand pressed down? Notice how the sweltering air turned to winter's chill, how the splashed water on the ground had frozen into a sheet of rime?
The tightly bound right arm tensed. The fist clenched. Without warning, a jet-black chain burst forth from Annihilation and pierced the idiot's arm.
And the boy beneath the fat man…
His eyes turned the color of blood.