"This time the experiment failed again."
A middle-aged man with blond hair furrowed his brows. He tossed a report file onto his desk.
The man sat down and massaged his temples. His face looked angry as he looked at the pile of files on his desk.
'Knock' 'knock' There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Someone opened the door.
"Excuse me, sir. I would like to report that Mr. Ethan Reiss and Ms. Zoya Bryan have arrived at Doasen Street." A man who looked slightly younger and had a slightly hoarse voice gave the report.
"Is that so? So, who's interfering this time?" The blond man asked.
"According to the report, Louis Wallson and Clara Hein are most likely the ones giving the orders. It's also possible that Evan Dante is assisting them." The man replied.
"So they're pretending to be ignorant and unconcerned, but in reality they're also watching." The blond man, Jeff Harion clenched his fist and slammed his fist on the table.
"They... Why do they all keep obstructing me?!" Jeff furrowed his brows even more. His face looked very upset.
"Go back. Order them all to remain still until I give new orders." Jeff said to the man in front of him, Claude.
"Okay. Understood." Claude bowed and left.
...
"Even if you no longer care about others... at least help those who need help."
"Even if you don't know them and they don't know you. Maybe you're the answer to a prayer and maybe you're the last hope to help them."
"But you don't have to help everyone either."
"Follow your heart. And do what you want."
"Even if they blame you and death is certain."
"I'm on your side."
"Don't be afraid."
Zain opened his eyes and looked up at the star-filled sky.
...
The next morning, Zidane returned to see Zain.
On his way to Zain's place, Zidane saw a woman and a young girl crying in front of a newly built grave.
Zidane felt saddened by the sight. Because he knew what it felt like to be abandoned by a loved one. Zidane continued his journey.
He eventually arrived at Zain's usual sitting spot.
"Big brother." Zidane sat down beside him.
"Oh brother, there's something I want to ask you."
"What?"
"Do you know Evan Dante?"
"Yes."
"How do you know him?" That question crossed Zidane's mind. Considering Evan's position as Minister of Justice, he was curious.
"I just know him." Zain replied casually.
"You know him too?" Zain asked.
"Well, actually I only know him because he's a minister. As a soldier, I should at least recognize the faces of high-ranking officials, right?" Zidane replied with a hint of mockery and joking.
"I see."
"So brother Zain, what are you going to tell me?"
"Ah, that? You want to know?"
"Yes." Zidane nodded.
...
"A knight in silver armor defeated the dragon." Evan who was having breakfast with Rian spoke up.
The meat stopped in front of Rian's open mouth. Rian glanced sharply at Evan.
"At least please start the story from the beginning, my dear Mr. Evan Dante." Rian forced a smile.
Evan laughed at the sight.
"Yes, yes okay. Wait, I'll put my sentence together first." Evan ate his breakfast.
A vegetable stew with a brownish spice sauce entered Evan's mouth.
"Hmm, this is very delicious." Evan praised the food.
Rian nodded in agreement.
...
In a different world, a kingdom called Serenia stood prosperous.
Many of its people lived in peace and prosperity. Its king was renowned for his wisdom. The king established a peace alliance with other kingdoms.
With this alliance, war was minimal and each kingdom helped each other economically for the prosperity of its people.
But were all its people truly secure? Of course not.
In that large kingdom, there were marginalized people living in small corners of the city.
They had no homes. No jobs. Nothing.
Some of them might still have families, but most of them lived alone. No one cared for them. Many of them fell ill and couldn't get treatment because they lacked money.
How could such a thing happen when the kingdom seemed so magnificent and luxurious? Even a powerful and wealthy kingdom, region, or country inevitably has people who are not prosperous.
Is life so unfair that it discriminates against them?
Why can even the most evil and corrupted have a decent life while the kind and sincere cannot?
Is life not on their side? No one knows.
But if there's a word to describe it, it might be fate.
A boy about seven years old was running fast. He was running with all his might to escape the man chasing him. In his hand was a loaf of bread.
"Hey, thief!!" A man chasing him shouted at him, calling him a thief.
Perhaps if he had run a little longer, he might have been able to avoid being caught. But unfortunately, he fell and was caught. The man didn't hold back in beating him. The boy's body was covered in cuts and bruises. No one was there to help him.
"Damn it, this bread is dirty!" The man threw the bread at him. It fell to the ground, but the boy still picked it up.
The boy didn't cry. His life was already too hard for him to cry. But he got up anyway. They continued to struggle to survive.
Although the kingdom sometimes provided aid in the form of food for the lower classes, it wasn't enough. They didn't even provide it every day. Not even every Sunday. The marginalized had to struggle on their own.
They even stole, even for just a piece of bread. Was that permissible? Of course not.
So, why didn't they just work to earn money and food? They wanted to. But many employers didn't want to employ people like them.
In their eyes, such people would definitely not be able to work properly. Maybe even steal money from them.
So, many of them were captured and enslaved without pay. They were sometimes even given leftover, almost rotten food by those more powerful.
One night, it rained heavily. Several children ran in panic towards an alley. They covered their mouths and hid silently. So they wouldn't be caught.