I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 88

88.

Yoon Ah-jung and Song Jin-ho strolled through the village, with Seo-ah between them.

Suddenly, Yoon Ah-jung stopped.

“Ugh, it’s so hot. Wandering around like this is pointless.”

“Should we just ask someone? We have so little information. We don’t even know what they look like or how old they are,” Song Jin-ho replied.

“Should we?”

At Seo-ah’s suggestion, Song Jin-ho, who had been scanning the area, stopped a young man passing by.

“Excuse me, could I ask you something?”

The man, initially annoyed, paused and sized up Song Jin-ho and his companions.

“What is it?”

“Are you, by any chance, a fire elementalist?”

“What? Who is this crazy jerk?” The man’s face flushed red as if he’d been deeply insulted, and he began to rant.

Clearly, this wasn’t their guy.

“Call me a fire elementalist? Why would you say that out of nowhere? Who are you people, huh?”

“Ah, um, sorry, if you’re not.”

As Song Jin-ho apologized and turned to leave, the man roughly grabbed his shoulder.

“You can’t just start something and walk away!”

The man was about to throw a punch, but Song Jin-ho easily caught his wrist.

“I apologize. We’re strangers here and unaware of local customs. Please forgive us.”

His tone was polite, but his grip on the man’s wrist tightened.

“L-let go! It hurts!”

“Okay, then.” Song Jin-ho released his wrist, and the man ran off, face even redder. Song Jin-ho shrugged and turned back.

“This approach doesn’t seem very effective.”

Seo-ah stared at Song Jin-ho with a dumbfounded expression.

“I guess not.”

“What should we do now?”

Yoon Ah-jung, who hadn’t been paying much attention to Song Jin-ho, considered their next move. As they discussed their options, the surrounding area suddenly became noisy.

“What’s going on?”

Fearing the man had returned with a gang, they tensed, but that wasn’t the case.

“You good-for-nothing! I feed you and give you a place to sleep, and you dare steal things?”

An angry voice accompanied the sight of a small girl running from a shop.

However, a man, presumably the shop owner, grabbed the child by the hair.

“Hey, you should be grateful an orphan gets food and shelter! Get over here, you’re really going to get it today!”

The owner began to beat the child mercilessly. Each blow landed with a sickening thud, and the child didn’t even scream.

“I knew it from the start when I took you in! You’re a vicious little thing! You’re going to die today!”

The villagers who had gathered to watch clicked their tongues, but no one intervened.

Seo-ah’s face paled as she watched from a distance.

“The child is going to die at this rate…”

As Seo-ah started to run forward, Yoon Ah-jung firmly grabbed her arm.

“Didn’t you hear Yoo Ji-an’s warning? Don’t get attached to people inside the gate.”

“……”

Yoon Ah-jung’s words stopped Seo-ah, and she bit her lip.

She had heard those words clearly. This is inside the gate, and it has nothing to do with her.

Seo-ah sighed and tried to look away.

But when the owner moved to stomp on the fallen girl, Seo-ah shook off Ah-jung’s hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Seo-ah ran and pushed the owner away, standing protectively in front of the child.

“And who are you…?”

The owner’s angry words shifted to a subtly polite tone.

Yoon Ah-jung and Song Jin-ho joined them, blocking Seo-ah’s path. Ah-jung gritted her teeth, her voice only for Seo-ah’s ears.

“Seriously, you’re going to pay for this later.”

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand by and watch,” Seo-ah whispered, not taking her eyes off the owner.

“Are you perhaps… nobility?”

Only then did Seo-ah realize the reason for the owner’s change in attitude. It was their clothes.

Seo-ah deliberately altered her tone.

“Indeed. Isn’t this a bit harsh for a child?”

“This child is an orphan who works in my shop. I took her in out of pity, but this morning, she was secretly eating bread!”

“……”

“Step aside if you’re not going to pay for it! We can’t make much bread anymore because of the water shortage! I’ll have to vent my anger by beating her!”

As the owner tried to approach again, Seo-ah stood firm, shielding the child.

Then, Yoon Ah-jung drew her cosplay sword. It suited her well, as she was dressed as a knight.

“Hmph! How rude! Do you know who this person is!”

“A sword, a sword… Seeing that they even have a knight, they must be high-ranking nobility.”

The surrounding people buzzed, and Song Jin-ho chimed in. Song Jin-ho, dressed as a butler from a noble family, fit the situation perfectly.

“Our kind-hearted lady cannot overlook such situations. Step away from the child.”

“…Cough.”

Seo-ah barely suppressed her reaction to his cheesy lines and helped the fallen child up.

“Geez, why is nobility coming all the way here to cause trouble?”

Perhaps he genuinely believed Seo-ah was nobility, because the owner surprisingly retreated into his shop.

“Are you okay?”

The child, with red hair and red eyes, had tears and bruises on her face.

Seo-ah took the child’s hand and led her away from the crowd to a more secluded spot. Then, she immediately used a healing skill on the wounds on her face and hands.

Only then did the child’s eyes flicker with emotion.

“Why did you steal the bread? Were you hungry?”

“Oh my, miss! I told you not to wander around alone.”

Yoon Ah-jung rushed to Seo-ah’s side, while Song Jin-ho dispersed the onlookers.

Seeing the three adults, the child suddenly jumped up and ran away.

“Ah, wait a minute…!”

“Let her go. Our presence might be harmful to her.”

Seo-ah tried to stop her, but the child was too fast, and the situation didn’t allow it.

The real knights and soldiers were approaching them.

“Miss, hide that.”

At Yoon Ah-jung’s words, Seo-ah put the red gem into her inventory. *By the way, how long will they keep calling her ‘Miss’?*

“Looks like some real big shot is looking for us.”

Song Jin-ho stared at the knight at the front, who wore noticeably finer clothes than the others.

The knight, leading the soldiers, glanced at Seo-ah’s group and spoke.

“Are you people from the capital, Keras?”

The three exchanged glances. Then, Yoon Ah-jung boldly replied.

“Ahem, yes, that’s right. We’re from Keras.”

The knight’s face lit up.

“Excellent! The master of this place invites you to the castle. Please follow us.”

The knight’s tone was polite, but the invitation was practically an order.

“The master probably means the lord, right?”

“Probably, since it’s the Middle Ages…”

“What should we do?”

“I think it’s best to accept for now. We might find a clue about the fire elementalist,” Yoon Ah-jung whispered, looking back. The knight waited patiently, assuming she was seeking permission from her master.

Song Jin-ho nodded, making eye contact with Yoon Ah-jung.

“Hmm, our lady accepts the invitation. Lead the way.”

“Thank you! This way, please!”

As the knight turned, the soldiers aligned themselves to the left and right.

Seo-ah’s group passed through the ranks with the knight.

*To think they’d believe we’re nobility just because of our clothes. Are they really that gullible?*

But it was understandable, given the villagers’ terrible condition. Everyone was emaciated and wore filthy clothes they couldn’t wash.

In this situation, good complexion and nice clothes were enough to prove one’s status.

“Well, it’s a gate anyway. Let’s just play along. Our priority is to solve the mission and get out quickly. Got it, Miss?”

Yoon Ah-jung emphasized the last word, and Seo-ah nodded slightly.

The group arrived at the lord’s castle, following the knight.

“Hmm, the situation here doesn’t seem much better.”

Seo-ah looked around as she entered. The garden was barren, with only dry soil.

“That’s right. There’s not enough water to drink, let alone grow plants,” the knight replied gloomily to Seo-ah’s observation.

They were led to a reception room inside the castle. The interior was luxurious, a welcome change from the outside.

“Phew, it’s nice to be out of the sun,” Yoon Ah-jung said, fanning herself and looking around the room.

Seo-ah examined the red gem she’d received from the child.

*It’s not just a simple gem. It feels similar to what I received in the desert… What is it? Back then, it immediately identified the item.*

*Since no message is appearing, maybe it’s nothing? Could she have stolen this too?*

After a moment, the door to the reception room opened, and the lord entered.

“Are you the people from Keras!”

Just then, the system, which had been silent, displayed a message.

[Main Mission: Save the village from the ‘Enraged Ignis’.]