Jobless Reincarnation: The King with a Mental Problem

[Charlie, a restaurant, at night]

[Izeruti's Perspective]

"Little sister~ Are you full?"

"Mmm...I'm full...Thank you, sister..."

"Can I talk to my sister now?"

"Um......"

This little guy named Norren is still so unguarded...

If I were a child trafficker, I feel like I could easily kidnap her...

These past few nights, I've been doing chivalrous deeds.

Then I found her.

The child initially sat alone on an old wooden box at the alley entrance, hunched over, hugging his face and two little legs.

At first, I thought she was a lost child from somewhere nearby who didn't know the way and was too afraid to ask for directions.

But when I got to her, she suddenly looked up. Her face was a little dirty, and her eyes were red, as if she had cried a lot and had cried all her strength out.

She looked like the shy type, but luckily I have a kind face and easily coaxed her.

She said she was an orphan and wanted me to take her to the Misri Church orphanage.

What an idiot.

She can't even lie properly. How can an orphan be dressed so well and be so stupid?

Then I took her to this small restaurant that was still lit up.

The proprietress recognized me and, seeing that I had a child with me, didn't ask any questions.

I pushed the bowl towards Noren.

She whispered "thank you," picked up the bowl with both hands, and slowly took a sip. The steam hit her face, and she shrank back like a startled little animal.

"Noren, can you tell me what happened? Why are you outside all alone?"

She looked down at the bowl in front of her, her lips moved but no sound came out.

"Did you have a conflict with your family?"

She shook her head...

"What are you trying to do? Find a friend?"

She shook her head again, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a very soft sentence: "I want to go find my dad."

Um......

Her accent didn't sound like a local's, so she probably came to Sharia with her father to visit relatives, and was temporarily staying with them.

Was she being bullied by her relatives?

"Is it because the people here are treating you badly?"

"no."

She answered very quickly this time, so she probably wasn't bullied after all.

"So, did you just arrive here recently and aren't familiar with the people here yet?"

She nodded, then shook her head.

Ugh......

It's so hard to guess what kids are thinking...

Luckily, I'm incredibly clever...

"I think I understand a little," I said softly. "When you arrive in a strange place and encounter a bunch of things you don't understand, anyone would want to run away. You'd want to find someone who can listen to you, even if it's just to hear you complain for a bit, right?"

She finally looked up at me, a glint of light flashed in her eyes, then quickly dimmed again.

She nodded.

"You're a follower of Milis too, aren't you?"

She looked down at her chest, where a small badge of Saint Milis was hanging.

He hummed in agreement.

"Then you should also remember that no one in this world can truly understand another person from the very beginning, which is why it's important to speak up properly. Do you remember what the Milis doctrine says: If you want someone to love you, perhaps you should first try to love them?"

"To get another person to understand you... you must first try to understand them..."

"You remember it quite clearly, don't you? You didn't say anything, just turned around and ran away. Those who are taking care of you must be worried, right? Did you even consider their feelings?"

"...How could that be...I just don't want to cause them any more trouble..."

She gritted her teeth and said those words, her voice trembling, so soft that it was almost drowned out by the steam from the soup bowl.

"But if you leave without a word, will they really feel at ease?"

Although I, as a fellow runaway girl, don't really have the right to say this...

She didn't say anything.

Two seconds later, tears started falling into the bowl.

His shoulders were trembling, and he kept repeating "I'm sorry."

I got up, walked around to her side, and ruffled her soft hair.

Her hair was fine and messy, with a few strands tangled in the wind. I gently tucked her sideburns behind her ears.

"The person you should apologize to isn't me," I said softly, "but those who are out looking for you right now."

She cried even harder, her whole face scrunched up.

I let her cry for a while before taking a handkerchief to wipe her face.

I waited until she had completely finished crying before I asked her where she lived.

She said it wasn't far from here, in a beautifully decorated house hidden deep in the street.

She couldn't quite remember the address, but she knew the way.

On the way back

I took her home.

The streetlights were bright, and a breeze blew from one end of the street, carrying a hint of coolness from the river. She walked beside me, small and unsteady on her feet.

"You've probably heard, haven't you? This world isn't very safe. A kid your age can easily get into trouble if he's out alone at night."

I talked to this silly girl as we walked, intending to teach her a lesson.

She turned her head to look at me, her eyes showing a hint of confusion.

Why?

All right......

"It seems your parents are taking very good care of you."

"Um... Mom and Dad are both..."

You probably wanted to praise your parents in the first place, right?

Did you have a fight with your parents?

That doesn't make sense either; she said she was going to find her father.

never mind......

This question is beyond the scope of the curriculum...

Let's get back to business.

"Your family must love you very much to have kept you from seeing those kinds of people—robbers, human traffickers, the kind who kidnap children to sell. Those scumbags are everywhere. Only Charlotte is somewhat better off."

"My parents said..."

"Then why did you run out on your own?"

"I......"

Since it hasn't happened to me personally, I'll just ignore all those words...

Most people are like this...

I know the道理 (principles/reasoning), but I still do it...

"Why is Sharia better?"

This little guy actually knows the Water God Style's topic-change technique?

That's impressive.

"A year or two ago, Lords Jax and Alucard wiped out a large number of criminal gangs. Their bodies were dismembered and dumped on the streets. It looked terrifying at the time, and it was like an urban legend. Every time they showed up, someone would kill them again. Just these past few days, another wave was cleared out."

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"Yes, that's really amazing. This city is so peaceful now."

"But... Brother Jacks hasn't been back for a long time."

"Don't worry, everything will be alright."

"Um......"

This little guy seems a bit sad for some reason.

Back to Jacks...

But that guy does seem to be quite popular with kids; Shirley often talks about him...

But after the magical calamity, those bad guys started showing signs of resurgence again...

Since he's not here right now, let me fill in for him for a bit.

It won't be long before it's all done.

After all, his family still lives in this city, and we can't let it fall into chaos again.

She didn't ask any more questions.

We slowly walked to the house deep in the street she had mentioned.

The exterior looks rather plain... no, that's not right.

This is a commercial area, but it only seems ordinary because the style is relatively uniform.

If this is considered simple, then every other place would be classified as a slum...

A warm yellow light was shining at the entrance.

She stood in front of the door, not going in immediately, but looking up at the door and taking several deep breaths.

I patted her on the shoulder: "Go on. Don't forget to explain things to your family. Don't run away alone next time."

"Thank you, sister."

After seeing her go inside, I figured I should get down to business.

but......

As I walked towards the alley entrance, the night breeze blew again, and I suddenly remembered something...

wrong!

She just said, "[Brother Jacks, it must have been a long time since he came back]."

She's a little girl who just arrived in Chariah recently, being fostered by relatives. Why would she mention Jacks in that tone?

Why did you explain it so clearly?

Nina!

You bastard, you almost lost Lord Jax's sister?!