Stigma Effect

Translator: Skye  Editor: thursdays  PR: sj_myself

The two had eventually been able to come to an agreement.

Helio would guide her to Raphlet, and in exchange, Yuriel would share some stories relating to her time at the Mogris duchy.

“I think I drew the short end of the stick in this deal, no?” Helio commented with a languid smile. But Yuriel didn’t hear him, too busy taking in the sights of the city for the first time.

Numerous buildings that didn’t exist in the duchy, a large fountain, stone paths, and trolleys. There were people casually getting on and off the slowly-moving trolley, and there were even four-wheeled cars going to and fro on the stone path-they weren’t relying on horses!

It felt like a whole new world.

Yuriel knew the capital city was advanced, but she didn’t think it’d be this different from Mogris. The main type of transportation in Mogris was still horse-drawn carriages. The four-wheeled cars and trolleys here were things she was witnessing for the first time.

Due to its short summers and long, harsh winters, Mogris was always full of tension. It was Yuriel’s first time experiencing such a lively place.

On the surface, the capital looked to be quite peaceful. She had heard that there were many terrorist attacks and monster appearances, but the faces of the passersby didn’t show any semblance of fear.

“Miss Yuriel, you should look forward while walking,” Helio said, grabbing her arm when she bumped into someone.

“Do you want to explore a little first? It’s your first time coming out to these streets.”

Yuriel pressed her lips, face flushed. She did want to look around, but she also wanted to find Raphlet.

“Commander Raphlet won’t be going anywhere, so it’ll be fine even if we go a little later. So how about it?”

“Then, can we…look around for just a little bit?” she asked.

“Of course,” Helio said gladly, causing Yuriel’s face to brighten instantly.

Helio scanned their surroundings and began to explain, “The street we’re on now is a street near the temple. Its atmosphere is a bit different from the streets near the palace or the alchemists’ tower… Wait for me, Miss Yuriel.”

“Sir Helio, what is that tower way over there?”

“That’s the alchemists’ tower. It’s where many skilled alchemists are gathered, doing research. That’s also where Commander Raphlet should be right now.”

“Alchemists…” Yuriel mumbled as she stared at the high tower.

“They research and conduct a variety of experiments on the cores we retrieve.”

Yuriel felt uneasy. Just hearing that they had thought of embedding a core of a monster into the body of a human being, alerted Yuriel that those alchemists definitely weren’t sane.

When he saw her slanted lips, Helio spoke in an understanding tone. “I can’t really say they’re good people, but they do occasionally make decent inventions here and there. Like the guns,” he said with a shrug.

“I don’t think you can really say those guns are that great of an invention either,” Yuriel commented.

“Why not?”

“You can’t guarantee that there aren’t other people like you, Sir Helio, who use it to threaten people. But maybe if you’re like me and only use it to face monsters,” Yuriel teased, eyes crinkling.

She smiled as she mimicked the way he had threatened her with a gun on the train to the capital.

Helio laughed and countered, “You should know that humans are more frightening than monsters. When you face a scary opponent, you should use a scary weapon.”

“Ah, I just remembered something when you said ‘scary weapon.’”

“Hm?”

“The torture room,” she said, blinking as if the memories had suddenly come to mind.

Helio lightly corrected her words. “You mean interrogation room, not torture room.”

She ignored him as she continued, “I wasn’t questioned, but tortured, so it was essentially a torture room. What was that glove you wore when you came back in at the end? Was that a torture device as well?”

A troubled look washed over Helio’s features.

“Yes. It’s something that inflicts pain if the palm of the glove makes contact with someone’s skin. It’s made out of the skin of a monster.”

“I see. I now completely understand what you meant when you said humans are scarier than monsters.”

Yuriel shot him a petulant stare, while Helio furtively avoided her gaze and mumbled, “I had no choice back then. It was clear that you had some kind of ability, Miss Yuriel, but you weren’t revealing anything at all.”

It was hard for Helio to deny that he had crossed a line back then. He had pressed her too hard despite knowing that she was just an innocent civilian, not a terrorist.

“But I’m still thankful that you didn’t tell Commander Raphlet about that incident.”

Yuriel shook her head and let out a sigh. She relaxed her scrunched brows before pointing to the store in front of them. It was a boutique with lines of mannequins dressed in feminine attire.

“What kind of store is that?”

“Looks like they sell clothes for women.”

“I see,” Yuriel said, staring at Helio intently.

“...Do you need clothes?” he asked, catching on when he sensed her gaze.

“Well, it’s true that I didn’t bring many clothes with me from Mogris. I left in a hurry, so I only brought a few light summer clothes, which are inappropriate for the current weather,” she commented cryptically.

Helio let out a sigh and nodded. “I understand. All right then, look around as much as you want and if you see anything you’d like, feel free to get it. I’ll pay for everything.”

“As much as I want?”

“Yes. However much it takes to make up for my wrongdoing back then.”

“I think you’d have to buy this whole store for me then,” Yuriel said gravely.

Recalling her experience back then, her body had been fine, but it felt like she almost died. That was how painful it had been. And if she hadn’t responded, wouldn’t she have been tortured in another way?

At her troubled expression, Helio replied, “All right.”

“Huh?” Yuriel tilted her head, arms crossed. Helio smiled before pulling her arm, leading her to the store she had pointed to earlier.

“...Sir Helio, do you have a lot of money?”

“Enough to be able to buy you a couple of stores, Miss Yuriel.”

“Raphlet was the same… Are commanders paid that well?” Yuriel asked with a dazed look, stepping out of the boutique she had gone into with Helio.

When they had first walked into the store, Helio had called for the owner and casually told them that he wanted to take over the store. Yuriel couldn’t help but say her thoughts out loud.

‘Are you crazy?’

Helio had given up on buying the store when he had to steady Yuriel, who looked like she was on the verge of collapsing then and there. Instead, he arranged it so that she could come and stop by whenever and buy whatever she wanted while she was employed in Albraca.

Finding even that to be excessive, Yuriel wondered if maybe she had provoked Helio a little too far.

“What else? Is there anything else you need?” Helio asked her.

“I’m not sure…”

“You’re quite frugal, Miss Yuriel.”

Yuriel received quite a shock from how Helio spent money in ways she never could have imagined.

The people she had been acquainted with in the past were all those of similar status: all commoners. To them, money was something they saved in order to endure the cruel winters. If they didn’t have money, they couldn’t buy firewood, and without firewood, they would freeze to death.

When Yuriel saw Helio spending all that money-something the commoners in Mogris treated as preciously as life-it felt like she was watching it burn up in flames.

With Yuriel shaking her head in front of him, Helio rubbed his chin with his hand. He let out a sigh as he commented, “I think you’ll need some new shoes and hats, as well as accessories… Miss Yuriel, do you have an interest in rings or necklaces? I think they’d look good on you.”

“Not really, since they would get in the way during work…”

“But you don’t even do maid work. Though you’re right, it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear a ring when using a gun. Then, how about you look around for some necklaces or hats?” Helio said, staring at her lifeless form. His tone wasn’t really asking her, but rather deciding for her.

Helio grabbed her hand, not giving her any time to turn it down. It seemed he was fully intent on making up for his past transgressions with money.

“Do you have any thoughts of piercing your ears? It’s quick and simple.”

Yuriel quickly shook her head, letting herself be dragged away. Create a hole in the body Raphlet had saved? Absolutely not.

Maybe if Raphlet pierced the hole himself.

“No, at least not until I receive Raphlet’s permission.”

“You need permission for that? You may have entered as his personal maid, but that’s something you can decide for yourself.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then again, it’s none of my business. Do as you’d like,” Helio muttered with disinterest.

When a store suddenly caught her eye, she pointed and asked, “What’s in there?”

“Which store-ah, that place…”

Helio furrowed his brows when he identified the store she was pointing to.

Unlike the stores with fancy signs or lights, it was a store with black curtains covering the windows. Though it looked like an empty store at first glance, if one looked closely, they could see the long curtains shifting slightly-as if there was someone inside, moving.

With the curtains fully drawn, it seemed the store was aiming to attract the least bit of attention, when in fact, it seemed to stand out even more for that very reason.

Helio glanced at the store that lacked a single sign, lights, or any kind of decoration with a troubled look before pulling on Yuriel’s arm, leading her past the store.

Yuriel looked back at it several more times, but Helio guided her interest elsewhere. He told her how there was nothing good to come out of showing interest in that place.

She wondered what kind of store it could be.

T/N: I was told I'd be a coward if I didn't title this chapter as coughSugarDaddycough

Discord Link: /Q3dStguJoin our discord for the latest updates & chat with fellow readers!