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11.94% Arcane: Champion Witness System / Chapter 43: -43- I believe him

Kapitel 43: -43- I believe him

On Progress Day, the Last Drop tavern, unlike its usual lively self, became unusually quiet.

At this moment, the bar had only one occupant, a woman. 

Sevika pushed open the small door blocking the bar counter, entered, and bent down to search in the cabinets below. She then skillfully retrieved a bottle of liquor, placed it on the bar, and opened it. Pouring the drink into a glass, the bottle emitted a pleasant "glug, glug" sound, and finally, a smile crept onto Sevika's face.

The quality of the alcohol was visibly excellent. Moreover, the bottle had no label on it, which meant it was likely Vander's private stash, reserved for his personal enjoyment. Taste and quality were beyond question. Vander had only two hobbies: smoking and drinking.

Just as Sevika lifted an ice cube with a pair of tongs and gently dropped it into the glass, preparing to savor the fine liquor, a timid voice broke the silence.

This voice shattered the tranquility and made Sevika's heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Sevika, can you talk to me? I'm so bored all alone downstairs."

The voice belonged to the blue-haired girl of Vander's two daughters, standing quietly near the staircase leading to the basement, gazing intently at Sevika.

Her name was Powder, a rather peculiar name.

Sevika turned her gaze toward her, noticing the girl's shifting, evasive eyes.

"What do you want?" Sevika originally intended to reject her outright, but she remembered the strict order Vander had given her: protect Powder and spend time with her while ensuring her safety.

"Am I just a babysitter, huh?" Sevika, who already had a bad temper, responded impatiently to Powder, saying, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm so bored by myself; I want to chat with you," Powder replied.

Moving her feet, she was dressed thickly to cope with the winter weather. Being close to the sea and located deep underground in Zaun, the temperatures in this harsh environment were much colder than in Piltover. She wore a weathered, blue short coat and a blue little hat. Beneath that, she had on several layers of pants, making her look chubby and plump.

Powder sniffled and leaned her nose against the bar, unable to move too much due to the layers of clothing. She began by grabbing the table, then climbed onto the stool. Once she was seated, she gazed up at Sevika with her beautifully innocent blue eyes.

"Can you play with me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Sevika didn't say anything, and Powder continued, "You don't seem busy at all. Look, you didn't go out with Vander. Even Vi went out with him to do something, but you stayed here. You're useless, just like me."

"..."

Do you really have no idea why I didn't go with them..?

Sevika was at a loss for words in the face of those innocent, big eyes. There was an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

She didn't particularly like Vander's two adopted daughters. There was a time when Sevika even believed that it was because of these two kids that Vander was becoming weak. Now that Vander had truly become the boss, with even the barons having to listen to him, Sevika still held this belief.

Yet she didn't care about who was sitting in the boss's chair, and she didn't even care about her own position. What she cared about was only Zaun. Whoever could lead Zaun to independence and make the Zaunites lead a good life could be her boss.

But... Sevika didn't dare to be too harsh with this little girl.

Vi and Powder, she disliked both of them, but when it came to disliking Powder, Sevika had an even stronger feeling of not liking her. It was a sort of inexplicable aversion, a natural inclination to clash with her.

"Why aren't you talking?" Powder mumbled. "By the way, can you pour me a glass of juice?"

Sevika didn't reply but made a move. She rummaged below and brought out a bottle labeled with "Powder's special" on it.

Hah, that Vander, why is this little girl liked by so many people?

The reason Sevika didn't dare to be too harsh with Powder was her fear that she would run to complain.

Vi was different; Vi didn't seem like someone who would tattle after getting scolded. But Powder, the youngest daughter, always seemed to be the more favored one.

Likewise, the youngest sister was no different.

If Linwin knew that she had bullied Powder, there was a good chance that she wouldn't be getting up from her bed the next morning. She'd probably be sleeping on the street or hanging from somewhere.

These things had happened before.

"Why didn't they take me with them?"

"Is it because it's dangerous?"

"But Vi gets to go. Why can't I?"

"Oh, Vi is stronger than me, that's why."

Powder bit on her straw, taking slow sips from the juice Sevika had prepared for her. Her eyes were slightly squinted, and her eyelids looked heavy, as if she couldn't open her eyes fully.

Her beautiful gem-like blue eyes were squinted into slits, making her look somewhat mature.

She continued to mutter:

"Wait, do you think they find me annoying?"

"Hm, that doesn't make sense. Even Mylo and Claggor didn't go, and Little guy didn't go either. Are they annoyed with them too?"

Powder mumbled to herself, "Well, if that's the case, it's not because I'm annoying."

"But why didn't they take me with them?"

"Hey, why didn't they take me with them?"

Sevika, who was listening to Powder's rambling:

"...."

I've had enough. Babysitting is really not my work.

"Where are you going?!"

Sevika walked toward the tavern's entrance, cup in hand, but Powder immediately widened her eyes and asked her.

"I'm going outside for a smoke. Is that okay?"

"Of course, but you can smoke in front of me. I don't mind the smell of smoke; Vander always smokes in front of me."

"That's enough! You brat, stop talking to me!" Sevika turned around, pointing her finger at her and raising her voice. "I don't like you, is that clear?"

"Oh well, it's your choice. I don't like you either."

Holding her cup, Powder shrugged and watched Sevika with an indifferent expression.

She knew very well that Sevika disliked her and Vi. 

They all knew.

Even though she was very young, she was clever. 

You don't like me, so I won't like you. 

And she's not afraid of her either. 

Sevika looks very fierce and terrifying. When Mylo and Claggor see her, they would avoid her. But not me, because Linwin would protect me.

With Linwin here, I'm not afraid of Sevika.

"Is Linwin coming back today?" Powder asked again. "He said he'd be back on Progress Day, I miss him."

Sevika impatiently exclaimed, "He's not coming back!"

"I know you're lying to me."

"He will be back."

Powder turned around, biting her straw as the juice in the cup reached its bottom.

"Well, I know he'll be back, but how long do I have to wait?"

"It's been a month."

"That's okay, though. Vi said he'd come back on Progress Day."

"I believe Vi, and I also believe him."


Kapitel 44: -44- Silco and Powder

"Are you here to watch over Vander's place?" 

Standing outside, leaning against the wall, holding a glass and puffing on a cigar, Sevika was startled when she heard the voice. She looked at the person approaching and rolled her eyes dramatically.

Sevika spat out her cigarette on the ground and crushed it with her boot. She spoke, "Silco, you're here too early. Vander went to the mining district and hasn't returned yet. If you have business with him, come back tonight, or find another time."

"It's okay, I can wait until tonight."

Silco brushed past Sevika, pushing open the doors of the Last Drop Tavern. He walked in directly.

Then, he saw a girl with a hopeful expression on her face. But her expression immediately changed, as if she were disappointed.

"Little girl, I remember you. You're Vander's second daughter, right?"

Silco walked up to Powder and stared at her.

To his surprise, his disfigured and terrifying face didn't seem to frighten her. But then again, in a place like Zaun, where gruesome appearances were common, his unique looks might even pass as "handsome."

"I'm Powder."

"Powder."

"Hmm." Silco examined Powder from head to toe and formed a faint smile. "That's a very nice name."

He looked at her and asked, "Powder, would you be willing to pour a drink for your current guest? As the daughter of the bar owner, I assume you've done this before."

"Um..," Powder scratched her head and replied, "You guessed wrong. Vander has never let me pour drinks. He doesn't allow me to touch alcohol, not even a bit."

"Look, I can only drink juice." Powder lifted her cup to show Silco, and it still had some undrunk residue inside.

Silco moved closer to Powder's side and sat in the neighboring seat. He turned to look at her and said, "Well, you can try now. After all, Vander isn't here at the moment, and I won't report you to him."

"No, I promised Vander. He said it's a rule."

Powder sniffled, "Vander doesn't care about the other children in Zaun, but he insists that his own children follow his rules. If you're not old enough, you're not allowed to drink. Vi got a harsh scolding for sneaking some."

"Rules are meant to be broken, child."

Silco gave a faint smile, rose from his seat, and walked behind the bar, where Powder didn't attempt to stop him. Although she had seen him many times, this was the first time Powder had spoken to him because Vander wasn't present.

Bending down to search beneath the bar counter, Silco soon retrieved an unlabeled bottle of alcohol. 

He commented, "After all these years, he still clings to this habit, thinking that an unmarked bottle will go unnoticed, just like how he turns a blind eye and deaf ear to Piltover's oppression and insults towards us."

Silco placed the bottle on the table and, with his hand extended, gently pushed it toward Powder, who was now face to face with the bottle. In a calm tone, he continued, "One day, when you grow up, you'll realize how absurd Vander's rules for you are."

"Zaun's children can't go without alcohol, child. This is one of our few joys."

Hearing Silco's words, Powder shook her head and retorted, "You're lying. Isn't juice also a source of happiness?"

"You just like to drink alcohol, so you assume everyone should."

Emulating Vi's tone, Powder spoke like a little adult, saying, "But I like juice, so I won't listen to you."

Silco was taken aback.

'You just like to drink alcohol, so you assume everyone should.'

Silco squinted his eyes at Powder.

This is just a offhand comment of a ten year old child.

A ten year old child.

"If you want, you can try some juice," Powder suggested, pushing the bottle of alcohol away. She also slid her empty glass toward him, looking at Silco and saying loudly, "By the way, pour me another glass."

In Zaun, a loaf of bread with good appearance cost a family several days' wages. Similarly, high-quality juice was quite expensive in Zaun. 

Most of the time, juice was even more costly than alcohol. Therefore, Vander only occasionally let Powder have half a glass of juice. 

Today, she had already drunk a full glass, and it was Sevika who had poured it for her. If this uncle named Silco in front of her could pour her another glass, she would have had two glasses today.

Her little face beamed with a smile, and her big eyes narrowed slightly, which left Silco somewhat baffled. 

Suddenly, he felt like this little girl was setting a trap for him, a suspicion that turned out to be quite accurate.

Powder wanted to smoothly shift the blame for this situation onto him!

"Fruit juice?" Silco asked.

"Yeah, let's drink it together."

Silco fell silent for a moment, not entirely sure what he was thinking. Over the years of leaving the Undercity to build his own power and hiding in the shadows, he hadn't had a chance to relax, enjoy a quiet drink, or get a peaceful night's sleep. However, after meeting Vander that day with Linwin, Silco went back and had a very sound sleep.

The future of Zaun didn't solely depend on him anymore. He had considered Linwin a fool who only got in his way, but now he had become a valuable ally. 

As Linwin had said, for Zaun to rise, it needed military strength, wealth, and technology. The main reason Zaun was so far behind Piltover was due to a lack of productive capacity.

Now, Linwin was earning money in the Upper City, Vander was building Zaun's strength, and Silco's main focus was with Singed. While both Shimmer and Hextech were being researched, those Hextech crystals were yet to be studied properly by Singed.

His time had started to flow again, but he remained the same old Silco, entirely devoted to fighting for Zaun. However, he also realized that he needed some time to rest. At the very least, he deserved a moment to enjoy a drink.

With these thoughts in mind, Silco put the alcohol bottle aside, bent down to rummage through the bar counter, and found a bottle of juice, still half full. He uncapped it and poured a full glass for Powder. Then he closed the lid, reached for the bottle of alcohol.

"Aren't you going to drink with me?" Powder first held her juice happily, but when she saw Silco's next move, she immediately looked puzzled and asked him.

"Of course, I won't drink it," Silco said with a slight smile. "Just like you said, I like to drink alcohol, so I choose to drink it. And you like fruit juice, so you're enjoying your juice now. Soon, other people will also want different drinks, and I hope we can all have our own choices and do what we like, rather than having preferences forced upon us, just like how I tried to make you drink alcohol earlier."

Powder bit on her straw but didn't drink. She was just playing with it, looking at Silco in confusion. "I'm sorry; I don't understand what you're saying."

"That's normal, Powder. It doesn't matter. You'll understand when you're a bit older," Silco replied.

Silco poured himself a drink and opened a square box emitting a chill with many ice beads inside. He elegantly picked up two and placed them into his glass. Then he asked Powder, "Would you like some ice?"

"No way, it's winter now," Powder replied, shaking her head vigorously.

Silco enjoyed his drink and took a glance at Powder, who was propped up on the table, holding the glass with a long straw. She took a sip and then spat some of it back into the glass, making it somewhat unpleasant. But to Silco, it was interesting. These were things only children did, things that Piltover children did.

However, soon Powder lifted her head and looked at Silco, asking, "By the way, can you cook? I'm hungry."

Silco was taken aback and immediately shook his head. "I can't cook, and I can't cook for anyone."

Powder stared at Silco silently. 

Silco turned his head away from her. 

Then, Powder obediently propped herself down again.

Twenty minutes passed. Silco had consumed two glasses of alcohol and felt a bit tipsy. Powder had already finished her third glass of fruit juice.

She seemed to be trying to fill her stomach with fruit juice, but water was just water, and it couldn't satisfy her hunger.

Then, a faint rumble emerged from the little girl's belly.

Rumble....

Silco: ...

Rumble....

The child's stomach growled again.

Silco did his best not to meet Powder's gaze, but the space was small, and they were sitting face to face.

Silco reluctantly stood up, placing his hands on the table and looking at Powder. He asked with resignation, "Alright... Tell me."

Powder blinked her eyes and raised her small hand, pointing towards the basement...


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