The social ladder, the hierarchy in the kingdom was stringent. While the Royalty and the Nobility were closely tied, there was a wider gap between them and the rest of the citizenry. But even then, the average class citizens, the working force, was still respected somewhat. 

Below them were what they liked to refer to as "The Scum." The poor, the downtrodden, the unlucky. This layer that resided at the bottom of the social ladder was the group of people that nobody wanted to interact with.

In every city, just like in the capital, or in Higrove, there was a district that the everyday citizen usually avoided. They referred to this district as The Slums. An ugly mocking word that looked down on everyone that was forced to live there.

However, they were also the group that was usually the best for certain types of jobs. The Scum couldn't enjoy the preferential treatment that the other classes got; they received no benefits and weren't welcomed in any of the shops and facilities outside of their own area. Racism against other races was high, but it was almost just as worse against the socially challenged.

Because of this, some of the residents that spent their days in the Slums had to resort to shadier means to get by. The criminal activity was booming in these districts, gangs ran rampant, claimed their own territories, offering their protection for a little monetary contribution.

Also, there were certain services that you could only find in these areas, that garnered for wealthier customers. 

One of these peculiar services was slave-trading. It was a booming market, and while it was officially considered illegal, nobody ever stood up against it. In fact, there were benefactors from the highest places, rumors stating that even some members of the Royalty were involved, along with several noble households.

Inside the Slums, at a run-down shack, a tall shirtless bald man stood guard. Next to him, leaning against the wall, a colossal halberd was resting. Fresh blood was still dripping from its head, signaling that just a short while ago, it had seen some action. 

The bald man kicked the dismembered torso in front of him a few meters away as it loudly grumbled.

"Fucking assholes trying the same shit every damn time. Now I have to clean this mess up again! Argh!"

As he kept kicking the torso and the various body parts that lay around him in the mud, the door behind him slowly creaked open. A pompous short brown-haired man dressed in elegant silk clothing stepped out, not bothering with the gruesome scene in front of him a bit. 

Looking at the grumbling guard, he spoke with an arrogant tone. 

"Keep your misery to yourself. You are the guard, handling rats is what you are paid for, or do you want me to talk to the management about a timely replacement?"

Hearing the words of this person, the bald guard immediately shut up and knelt on the ground. Keeping his gaze down pinned to the ground, he spoke with a shaking voice.

"I'm sorry sir, please don't do that, don't talk to the management! I am completely fine with my job!"

The elegantly dressed noble looked at the guard kneeling in front of him, shaking with a satisfied grin. After about a minute, he finally gave an audible and theatrical sigh and spoke.

"Humpf! Fine, I guess I can let it go one last time. Now get up, you miserable insect, and do your job. High-profile buyers are coming tonight, and they won't appreciate this… this mess you have here. Clean it up!" 

"Yes, boss! Thank you, boss!" Quickly gathering himself, the guard got up from the ground and started to clean up the area.

---

Meanwhile, as this was going on, in another part of town, Lily arrived in front of Norton's General Store. Last time she was here, she was just a small child, but she still had fond memories of the kind old lady and her husband. 

Looking at the sign, she smiled, and opened the front door; she stepped inside as the bells that signaled a new customer rang.

"Just a minute!" The familiar voice of Mrs. Norton came from the back of the building. After a few minutes, footsteps could be heard, and shortly after, an elderly lady with rounded glasses and puffy cheeks came to the counter. 

"Hello there, how may I-" She started her practiced greeting, but as she looked at those golden locks that peeked out from under the cover of the young girl's hood, she became speechless. She couldn't explain why, but she felt some vague familiarity with this person. 

As the youngster hadn't talked, nor had she taken off her cover, the elderly woman took a breath and continued.

"Excuse me, miss. So how may I help you?" she continued with her sales pitch.

However, once again, she became speechless as the hooded young woman suddenly erupted in a peal of loud laughter. For nearly a minute, she kept giggling when she finally grabbed the edges of the linen cloth and pulled the hood that covered her face to the back, revealing her long golden hair, and beautiful blue eyes.

"I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Norton; it's just, it has been so many years since I saw you, and I just couldn't resist. I hope you and your husband are doing well."

Mrs. Norton observed the woman, and spoke absentmindedly.

"Yes, dear, we are both fine." Finally, as the wheels started churning, she recognized the youngster in front of him. "Oh my… Lily?!" 

Lily smiled at this as she gingerly replied.

"Yes, Mrs. Norton, it's me, Lily! I haven't been able to come in the last couple of years, as my brother and I were away training. We just got back, and since I was here in the city, I wanted to see how you and your husband are doing. Is everything all right?"

Now, as she finally connected the dots, Camille smiled at the not-so-small girl.

"Lily, my dear, you have grown so much since I last saw you! Come, don't stand there, come to the back, and join us for lunch! I'm sure Henry will also be stunned to see you change so much!" 

Turning around, she started walking towards the back, but she stopped after a few steps. Looking at Lily, she waved at the door.

"Sorry, dearie, could you flip the sign and close the door? It's best if we close up for now and enjoy some peace and quiet! This whole neighborhood is so noisy! You wouldn't believe it, I tell you!" 

Then, resuming her steps, she shouted towards the back of the house. 

"HENRY! COME BACK HERE! WE HAVE A GUEST! YOU CAN FIX THAT HOLE LATER!"

A short while later, as Lily and Mrs. Norton were sitting at the dining table waiting for Mr. Norton to come back, Lily suddenly spoke up.

"You mentioned a hole? Is there a problem, Mrs. Norton? What happened?"

"Ah dearie don't worry yourself over such trifles, it's something we will have to deal with. Let's talk about where you were in all these years instead. Every time Granny came, she just said that you and your brother are away training. Where did you guys go, and why? Did something happen?" Mrs. Norton said, changing the subject.

Lily was silent a bit, thinking about how best she could answer this question. Since she promised, she can't mention anything about her master. After a while, with her eyebrows creased, she spoke.

"Well, it is quite hard to explain actually. We were in a distant place, in closed training for the last several years. This was a decision we made ourselves, and Granny agreed. I was tired of being helpless and always the protected one; I wanted to show that I can change, that I can become someone whom my family could rely upon!"

Listening to her, and seeing the determination sparkling in her aquamarine eyes, Mrs. Norton could only smile. She could see how strong her will was on this subject, how deeply she cared about becoming strong.

"I admire your will dearie. I can only hope that you will never be in such a situation. I know this world is a cruel and nasty place, but angels such as yourself shouldn't be tainted by it."

Although she had more to say on the matter, she stopped talking as the door to the dining room opened up, and the dust-covered old man, Mr. Norton walked in, loudly grumbling at his wife, not noticing Lily sitting next to others.

"Why did you call me back, Camille?! We have to fix up the storage room after those thugs broke in! You know that the City Guards are completely useless!"

Standing up, Mrs. Norton looked at her husband angrily.

"Henry! Stop it, you buffoon! I said we have guests!"

Just noticing the blonde girl, he looked at her, trying to connect where did she last met her.

Seeing the obvious confusion on his face, Mrs. Norton sighed as she introduced their guest.

"Honestly, as the years are passing over you, you become senile, Henry!"

****

(AN: I debated for a while to post this, but in the end, I decided to do it as it will also give you great rewards. This novel is also a part of this month's Win-Win event. If any of you want and wish to win 300 Credits to your account, you can buy Privilege for this novel. The first tier was designed with this in mind (and that it's an easy way to get a feel of how it works). It costs 1 credit, and it will help out the novel, the author, and actually you as well. I can't post links to the novel nor to the comments, but if you are interested in more details, check out the news about the event

Thanks, and sorry for the long note!)