42 Chapter 042: I'm Not Important Anyway 01

In the middle of the street Maou spun around looking for Shelly with beads of sweat piling on his forehead. Somewhere between Maou's people gazing and Shelly trying to complete deliveries, the two got separated. Thirty minutes later and Shelly still hadn't realised Maou wasn't by her side. Even if she did, she was too frustrated trying to decipher the complicated parts of the map to care. In any case, she'd ultimately brush it off, expecting him to just pop up out of nowhere, but sadly, Maou couldn't tell his left from his right, up from down.

Just then, Maou felt himself ripped off the ground as horned bulls brushed past him, nearly trampling his little baby body.

"Do you have a death wish boy!? Daydreaming in the middle of the road, are you stupid?"

Takahashi, a city guard of the seventh division knights set Maou back on the ground with a stern expression but instantly she was thrown for a loop. Maou hugged her armour clad leg and looked up at her with puffy eyes and trembling lips. Unable to handle children, she tried politely shaking Maou off her leg to escape, but his grasp was stronger than she expected. Also, Maou getting closer to crying only made things worse. Nothing annoyed her more than children crying and sobbing.

"Am I growing weak or is this boy stronger than he looks. He's like a tree rooted to my leg." Takahashi thought. "Get off already you silver eyed brat! You're drawing attention towards me."

In the same moment Maou was about to release sobbing noises, Taka swiftly grabbed his face, covering his mouth.

"Tell me what's wrong so I can help you, but cut out the crying. Understood?" She whispered.

Maou nodded and she removed her hand, dragging a long chord of Maou's snot on her palm. She stared at her hand with disgust as Maou inhaled the remaining snot back in his nose and wiping his eyes.

"Good… boy." Taka rubbed her snot covered palm on Maou's hair. "Hurry up and tell me what's wrong with you. You're wasting my time."

"I can't find Shelly." Maou answered.

"Haaaa…. Just my luck, a lost kid." Taka stood up. "Any clues where she is?"

"Uhmm… she's going to places that put pretty colours on your face."

"Huh? Is she a clown or something?"

"A clown? What's that?"

"You don't know what a–. Forget it, I can't be bothered to explain. Just follow me."

Walking ahead, her cape flailed as she spun. Maou then stopped her.

"Can I sit on your shoulders?" He asked.

"Do I look like a horse? Walk!" Taka sternly snapped.

"But you're so tall. Please, just for a little bit." Maou pleaded, tugging her leg.

"Tsk! Don't annoy me any further boy." She glared.

"I'm not heavy I promise." Maou begged more. "Please Please Please! Pretty please with honey on top! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee–!"

"Fine! Just shut up!" Taka yelled, caving in finally.

Maou celebrated with giggles, as he mounted her armoured shoulders. As Taka walked forward, her ever militant face was slight red with embarrassment. Her mind swirled with frightening thoughts of the other guards seeing her being used like a child's plaything. Hell week of military training was less stressful than this predicament.

"I hate kids. I hate kids. I hate kids." She whispered.

"Hey, where are we going?" Maou questioned.

"To the closest artist I can find." She replied.

In quick time they arrived at a small art shop filled with paintings, portraits, paint and other art tools. Taka asked questions while Maou wowed at everything inside.

"Do you put colour on people's face?" She asked.

"No, I've never heard that phrase before." The artsman answered. "What do you mean exactly?"

Taka pointed at an open pan of paint on the ground.

"That! Do you put it on the face of others?" She explained.

"Paint? On someone's face?" The man ogled at her, curious at her odd question. "Is that a new art style? Which country did you learn it from? How is it done there?"

"Tsk! I don't have time for this." She walked out the store.

Further up was a stall selling masks, and once again Taka's questioning began as soon as she approached the lady standing by while Maou just spectated from above.

"Do you know anywhere that puts colour on people's face?" She interrogated.

"Uhmm… I… I've never heard of that before." The lady was intimidated by Taka's towering physique. "Bu-But you can try the art shop closeby–."

"Already went!" Taka interrupted, glaring into her soul. "Where else?"

"I–I–I don't know. Ple-Please don't hurt me."

The lady cowered beneath her stall, trembling in fear. Kissing her teeth, Taka walked away more annoyed than before.

"Are you always this angry? Because you look like you're always this angry." Maou asked.

"I'm not angry, I'm annoyed." Taka replied.

"Why?"

"Because everyone around me is incompetent. And I hate incompetence." She answered.

"Your face looks scary and you sound mean." Maou shaped Taka's scowl into a smile. "There, that's better."

"Stop that! I don't do smiling." She pulled his hands off her face.

"But people will like you more if you smile." Maou argued.

"I don't need them to like me, I need them to be competent." Taka countered.

Spotting a carriage further up, Maou abruptly pointed at a lady dressed in pretty feminine clothing and a face full of make-up.

"Her!" He yelled. "She has pretty colours on her face."

"Where!?" Taka shouted.

"She's inside that carriage going around the corner." Maou directed.

Spotting her target a few yards ahead, Taka took off, one arm securing Maou to her. Bending the corner, she was met with a narrower lane with more of a crowd.

"Which one is it?"

Taka questioned, seeing a total of five carriages ahead of her.

"Uhmm… I don't know. They all look the same." Maou replied.

In Taka's analysis, she noted that merely jogging through the crowd would only make things unnecessarily longer.

"Hey boy, hold on tight."

Taka cautioned before lowering into a running stance.

"Wait–!"

A sudden gust of wind slapped Maou's face as Taka speedily zipped between people. Her speed was enough to ruffle skirts and move hair. Not before long, she'd already caught up to the first carriage.

"Is it this one?" Taka asked.

"No, it's empty." Maou answered, his hair a little frayed.

And just like that, she zipped between people and came up onto the next carriage. But inside was some affluent looking bald man. With a click of the tongue Taka zoomed off again. Further up, a group of men carrying across the lane long lengths of lumber blocked Taka's path, much to her annoyance of course. Without slowing down, she made a quick decision and leapt several metres of the ground. Carefully she landed atop a carriage, although shaking it enough to alarm everyone inside and frighten the driver.

Taka held Maou by the collar and held him to the side of the carriage.

"Is this the one?" She asked.

Maou pressed his face up against the glass, peeping in on two people, a woman wearing make-up and the other an older looking gentleman.

"Ah! Her, it's her." Maou called out.

Sitting Maou on the roof of the carriage, she glared at the driver and instructed him to pull over immediately. Fearing conflict, he did as he was told and Taka jumped off the carriage roof. She knocked on the door twice before the passengers opened.

"Ho-How can I help you?" The gentleman asked.

Taka ignored him, peering at the woman. Her piercing gaze frightening the woman. Stepping inside the carriage, Taka took a good look at her.

"You! Where'd you get the pretty colours on your face?!" She interrogated.

The poor woman was too stunned with shock to answer Taka, who stared down at her.

"Is your fucking tongue gone or something?! Answer me clown-face!" Taka shouted.

"Hey! You're scaring her. Remember you have to be polite and smile." Maou poked his head inside, still atop the carriage.

"That's dumb!" Taka refused.

"You look too scary. She won't answer you." Maou added.

"Never." Taka refuted.

"If you do it, this will be less annoying." Maou struck the magic words.

"Tsk! This better work." Taka mumbled. "Can you tell me where you got your face painted…. Pl...ease."

A dread-inducing, monstrous grin slowly crept across Taka's face, her fingers slightly crushing the wooden interior. The pressure went to the woman's head and she fainted while the man peeped himself a little.

"Oop…. Did you kill her?" Maou asked.

"No, she just fainted." She sighed. "And my face hurts."

Stepping out the carriage,Taka put Maou on the ground.

"This is a waste of my time. Kid, your mom or whatever abandoned you. You're an orphan now, accept it."

"Eh!? Abandon?"

Maou's jaw dropped and eyes widen with worry, but immediately, he gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows out of denial.

"Liar! Shelly promised she wouldn't abandon me." Maou glared at her.

"Tsk! Well good luck finding her yourself." Taka walked away.

"Huh? Wait! Aren't you going to help me?" Maou chased behind her.

"Nope, you're on your own. I wasted enough time already." She replied.

"But you said you'd help me find Shelly."

"I did, and it was a waste of my time. Go find her yourself kid." She answered.

Maou ran before her, blocking her path.

"Are you really gonna abandon a helpless child?" Maou guilted, staring into her eyes innocently.

"Yes!" Taka stepped over him.

Once again, Maou blocked her path.

"Well, what if I go missing? Or get stolen? What will you do then?" Maou guilted again.

This time she paused, looking down on Maou with fierce expression.

"You really want to know what I'd do if you went missing?"

"Ye… es." Maou doubted.

"I'd do absolutely nothing." Taka crouched down. "Kids more important than you have actually gone missing, yet no one went looking for them. So why would I look for a nobody like you?"

Finishing her harsh statement, Taka walked away, leaving Maou stunned with a growing mix of saddening emotions.

Back at Vanessa's workshop, Shelly returned after completing all the deliveries. Vanessa signed Shelly's proof paper, showing the job was completed.

"Thank you for your service Shelly." Vanessa gave a polite bow.

"I got to know the city a little better, so the pleasure is all mine." Shelly said.

"Oh, where's the little one? Wasn't he with you?" Vanessa asked.

Shelly quickly looked behind her and grabbed her head, slight freaking out.

"What! I could've sworn he was behind me this entire time." Shelly exclaimed. "I'm sorry Vanessa but I have to go now. Please take care of yourself, everyone's worried for you."

Shelly put the Bamboo backpack on the ground and turned to leave, but then Maou appeared into sight walking up the stairs while rubbing his eyes. A wave of relief engulf Shelly as she rushed to Maou with a hug.

"Did you miss me?" Shelly lifted Maou into her arms and wiped away his tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize we got separated."

Maou planted his face onto Shelly's chest then whispered inaudibly.

"It's okay…. I'm not important anyway."