## Chapter 42 – No. 25. Butterfly Street # 1
In the blink of an eye, Hilda was gone, and No. 25 was still utterly bewildered.
He thought they were having a good time, confirming their friendship, so why did she suddenly run away?
He decided not to dwell on it. He brushed it off, thinking she must have had her reasons. Even if there was another reason, it wouldn’t be too late to ask her after returning from District 6.
Still, with his body and mind feeling more relaxed than before thanks to the kiss with Hilda, No. 25 was finally able to fall asleep.
The next morning, Aser came to No. 25’s room with a more excited expression than ever. The way she burst through the door without knocking showed how much she was looking forward to it.
“No. 25, are you ready?”
“Yes!”
No. 25 had woken up earlier than usual, finished preparing to leave, and was waiting for Aser to come. His bag was stuffed full of spare clothes and various odds and ends.
“Then let’s go.”
Her steps as she walked ahead were as light as a feather, making even those who watched her feel good. No. 25 smiled faintly and followed Aser out into the yard.
As if blessing their departure, bright sunlight poured down on the entire yard.
Before they knew it, Charlotte had appeared behind them to see them off.
“Are you leaving now?”
Aser nodded and replied briefly with a formal answer.
“I’ll be back.”
Following her, No. 25 also gave Charlotte a farewell greeting with eyes that sparkled even more than usual. It was sad that he wouldn’t be able to see Charlotte for a while, but anticipation that surpassed his sadness was driving No. 25 forward.
“I’ll be back.”
Charlotte simply waved her hand lightly.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t anxious. What woman wouldn’t be anxious when her lover goes on a trip alone with another woman?
But unlike Aser, she had no intention of binding No. 25 to prevent him from playing around with other women.
Even if Aser had a relationship in District 6, it wouldn’t particularly bother her. Aser had lived for many years and it was time for her to be rewarded for the love she had longed for, so as someone who watched over and supported her life, she had no intention of interfering that far.
In the end, with the confidence that he would return to her, the one to whom he had given his first, she was able to watch their trip with a calmly composed heart.
Charlotte jokingly said to No. 25 in a seemingly nonchalant voice.
“Don’t ever follow a strange lady even if she offers you something to eat.”
Aser answered instead of No. 25.
“I’ll be right next to him, so why are you worrying about such unnecessary things?”
“What if? Besides, District 6 is a bit of a dangerous area, so if you take your eyes off him even for a moment…”
Aser waved her hand dismissively, as if she was tired of Charlotte’s nagging, and turned her back.
“I’ll be back within a week. Take care of the castle until then.”
Aser, who had gone halfway across the yard, glanced at No. 25 next to her and occasionally twitched her fingers. Normally, she would have held his hand without any hesitation, but after saying those embarrassing things in the office three days ago, she became more conscious of it.
No. 25 walked alongside her, matching her pace. Aser, considerate of No. 25, was walking slowly with a smaller stride than usual.
Perhaps bored of just walking in silence, No. 25 occasionally asked Aser questions.
“Is District 6 far from here?”
“Not that far. It’s right next to us, so we just have to pass through one gate.”
These conversations were nice, but he just wanted to hold her hand and feel her warmth. Aser hesitated, then snatched No. 25’s small hand as if grabbing it.
Startled by the sudden loss of freedom in his hand, No. 25 widened his eyes and looked up at Aser’s face.
At first, he was flustered, but after confirming that it was Aser, No. 25 smiled bashfully. Aser, who had been anxious, also smiled after seeing No. 25 smile, and held his hand even tighter than before.
While sharing trivial conversations about their daily lives, they soon left the territory and arrived in District 7. Aser’s expression, which had been constantly smiling and talking to No. 25 within the territory, slightly hardened, but there was no need to frown on such a good day.
However, just because Aser was in a good mood, it didn’t mean that the residents were also in a good mood.
The vagrants of District 7 were staring at No. 25 and Aser with empty eyes. Their gaze contained a thick, unpleasant feeling that seethed from the bottom, as if several snakes were coiling around them from their toes to their heads. No. 25 shrank like a small animal, only watching their every move.
Aser gently wrapped her arm around No. 25’s shoulder and pulled him into her embrace.
“Ignore them. We’ll be there soon.”
The words “we’ll be there soon” were not a lie to comfort him in that situation. As they walked straight east through District 7, a huge wall began to come into view.
The gate they finally arrived at looked more like a fortress than a door. The walls that stretched high into the sky on both sides of the massive gate gave off an indescribable sense of oppression just by their presence.
It was sturdy enough to make the surrounding shabby buildings look even more pathetic, and there wasn’t a single scratch on it.
Aser left No. 25, who was staring blankly at the gate, alone for a moment and began to fill out some documents to pass through the gate.
When the soldiers who received the documents from Aser gestured to the people above, large and small gears meshed together intricately, and with the sound of a click, the bridge above slowly lowered.
With a thud! Aser stepped onto the bridge leading to the gate with familiarity. If she hadn’t reached out her hand to No. 25, who was overwhelmed by the sight and couldn’t come to his senses, he probably would have gotten lost.
“Let’s go.”
No. 25, who finally came to his senses at the sound, took Aser’s hand and carefully crossed the bridge with trembling steps.
After passing the long bridge and crossing another gate that looked like a fortress, they were finally able to arrive in District 6, which he had so desired.
Upon arriving in District 6, No. 25 unknowingly opened his mouth and muttered to himself.
“This is District 6?”
They had only crossed two massive gates, but the scenery changed in an instant, as if they had come to another world.
The sky, which had been strongly lit by the sun until just now, was instantly painted with a hazy, foggy purple sky.
It was like a scene from a dream.
Wooden buildings with various colorful lights blooming wildly, and bustling streets filled with the scent of people.
If you turned your gaze just a little to the side, a completely different landscape unfolded than before.
Men wearing fluttering clothes, chatting happily among themselves. A woman persistently wooing such a man, asking him to have a drink.
Everything looked good, but No. 25 was unaware of the ugliness hidden behind it.
District 6, which seemed carefree and glamorous on the surface. But most of the men who lived here had been sold for the purpose of paying off debts. They dealt with countless women and carried countless sorrows on their bodies.
To No. 25, who didn’t know the truth, they only seemed like admirable beings who lived their lives diligently and freely every day.
On the other hand, Aser, who knew the other side of District 6 better than anyone else, didn’t pay much attention to them and said to No. 25.
“Let’s get a place to stay first.”
Aser took out the paper Orca had given her from her pants pocket. The location of the accommodation was written on the back of the voucher, which had Orca’s roughly scribbled signature.
She was a little reluctant to go to the accommodation that Orca had prepared himself, but he was a guy who didn’t skimp on hospitality.
Unless she ran into Orca there, there was no way she would lose out.
Aser held No. 25’s hand tightly, worried that she might lose him in the crowd, and looked around.
District 6 was made up of a total of four streets. Butterfly, Swallow, Magnolia, and Wolf.
Among them, the street that accounted for the most sales and represented District 6 was the one where No. 25 and Aser were, Butterfly Street. A street lined with luxurious shops, tea houses, and attractive men, so much so that the word “brothel” didn’t suit it. Aser didn’t particularly dislike this street either. It was a seductive and delicate street that didn’t remind her of Orca’s vulgar and power-hungry image at all.
At the innermost part of Butterfly Street, among the magnificent buildings, there was a five-story building that stood out with overwhelming majesty.
Orca looked back and forth between the paper and the building before saying briefly.
“This is it.”
Without hesitation, she opened the door and went straight in, and as if she had been waiting, the landlady herself came out to greet them.
She was a woman with an impressive elegant face that didn’t match the flamboyant floral oriental-style clothes, and overall, she had a classic atmosphere.
The landlady bowed to Aser and greeted her.
“You must be Aser-nim? We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?”
“Yes, Orca-nim told us that his friend would be coming soon, so we should treat you with the utmost respect.”
Aser scoffed at the word “friend.”
“Friend, my foot… Just show us to our room.”
“This way, please.”
The landlady went up the stairs and led them to the room at the very end of the 5th floor of the accommodation.
“I hope you have a pleasant night…”
Aser, who had arrived at the room she had been shown to, stretched out. After turning on the lights, she looked around the room.
As it was located on the top floor, the 5th floor, the view from the window was quite decent. The lights flickering throughout the streets spread out brightly, creating a dreamy atmosphere.
It was a scene she had seen so many times that she was tired of it, but not for No. 25. He had his face pressed against the window, his mouth open, and was admiring the view.
Aser stroked No. 25’s head and smiled contentedly.
“Let’s unpack first. There’s somewhere we need to go right away.”
Only then did No. 25 come to his senses, startled, and put down the bag he had been carrying.
“Oh, I’m sorry… The outside was so beautiful…”
“No, it’s okay. We’re going to see it up close, so it would be a waste to see it all now, right?”
After finishing speaking, Aser began to take off the suit she was wearing. No. 25, seeing Aser suddenly naked, raised his voice.
“M-Maou-nim!?”
He had seen Aser’s naked body many times before, but he didn’t expect her to suddenly strip in this situation.
Aser looked at him questioningly at No. 25’s raised voice.
“Why? I was just going to change my clothes.”
No. 25 smiled awkwardly and avoided her gaze. Now, whenever a woman took off her clothes, it only came across as an image of her lusting after his body. That’s right, there was no way he would feel lust just from something as common as changing clothes.
However, Aser’s dormant lust had been awakened by No. 25’s previous remark.
Seeing Aser getting closer and closer, No. 25 sensed it. It would take quite a while to go outside.
Aser held No. 25 in her arms and looked down at him with a hot gaze filled with lust.
“We still have plenty of time, so just a little…”
No. 25 closed his eyes and completely entrusted himself to her.
They didn’t know it until then.
That a darkness mixed with a terrible malice was coiling in the cracks of District 6, aiming for its prey.
