Chapter 64

"Hmm~"

Sheria was walking through the famous shopping district of the capital city, looking very cheerful as she hummed a tune while walking down the street.

After all, she had received money from Leord as a gift for souvenirs.

"Oh! This is a new confection! It looks delicious~"

Sheria would stop to scrutinize the confections displayed in the shops. Not just Sheria, but many people were looking at the confections, which seemed to be quite famous.

"Hmm~ Which one should I choose?"

This one is good, that one is good, and Sheria was having a luxurious dilemma.

The amount of money Leord had given her was more than enough to buy souvenirs for the servants working at the Zeato mansion, including Barbarot.

Normally, wasteful spending would be forbidden, but Sheria was confident that Leord would never get angry.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Sheria indulged a little and bought more for herself.

With that, Sheria was satisfied that her errand was complete and returned to Leord and the others.

However, a problem arose. As Sheria was about to return, her path was blocked by a group of three men.

The three men, with lecherous grins, approached Sheria step by step.

"W-What do you want?"

"Huh? Isn't it that a mere servant doesn't know how to speak properly?"

"Ah!"

"I am the third son of a baron. If I tell my father, I can do whatever I want with a servant like you."

"I-I am a servant of the Harvest Duke's household!

You should think carefully about who you are dealing with!"

"Hmm~ So what?"

"So what!? Didn't you hear me?

I am a servant of the Harvest Duke's household—"

"But you're still just a servant, right?"

"..."

"It's not like we're going to eat you. We just want to play with you a bit."

The three men's lecherous gazes had been directed at Sheria's chest and legs. Sheria, aware of their gazes, was desperately trying to find a way to escape.

Despite the busy street, the passersby did not offer any help. No one wanted to get involved in trouble.

Moreover, the clothes the three men were wearing looked like those of nobles, not commoners. Getting involved might lead to unforeseen consequences.

Therefore, even though they saw, no one offered any help.

"Hey, you. It's better if you come while we're being nice. Got it?"

"Ugh..."

The three men were starting to get irritated by Sheria's attitude. Sheria looked at the passersby, hoping for help, but everyone averted their eyes.

Realizing no one would help her, Sheria began to tremble with fear.

"Hey, I'm telling you, if you scream, we'll do something you won't like."

"Ah!"

There was no way to escape. Sheria's mind went blank with despair, and she felt like crying.

Just a moment ago, she had been happily choosing souvenirs and was looking forward to eating sweets when she got back. How did it come to this?

Sheria regretted not coming with her grandfather Gilbert.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

A voice of salvation reached Sheria's ears, who had almost given up.

The three men who were harassing Sheria turned to the person who had suddenly called out to them.

"Who are you? We're in the middle of something, so don't get in the way."

"Is that so?"

The person who called out to the three men was Siegfried. The protagonist of Fate 48. With a strong sense of justice, Siegfried couldn't help but intervene when he saw Sheria, who was trembling in fear.

"N-No! These people are forcing—"

"Ah!? What are you saying!"

"Ah!?"

"Hey! She's clearly scared! Aren't you ashamed to gang up on a single girl!"

"Shut up! Even if you know I'm the third son of a baron, would you say the same thing!"

"Baron's family? So what? Your father is the important one, not you. Besides, I'm from a baron's family too."

"Wh-What!? You're just making it up! You're probably just a commoner!"

"It's not a lie. I am Siegfried Zekzia, the heir of the Zekzia baron's family."

"Eh! Zekzia!?"

The Zekzia baron was a well-known noble. After all, Siegfried had become famous for defeating Leord, the heir of the Harvest Duke's family, in a duel at the academy.

"Y-You're Siegfried...?"

"Yes, that's right."

"A-Ah... Damn it! Let's go!"

Realizing they were at a disadvantage, the three men fled from Siegfried. After confirming that the three men were gone, Siegfried approached Sheria, who was still trembling in fear.

"Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?"

"Eh, ah, no, I'm fine! Thank you so much for helping me!"

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't just leave you."

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened...

At least let me do something to thank you!

Ah, would you like to have this confection?"

Sheria, wanting to thank Siegfried for saving her, handed over the confections she had bought to eat later. Siegfried, feeling bad about refusing, accepted them.

"Ah, those guys might come back, so would you like me to stay with you?"

The words of support made Sheria, who was still in a daze from being saved, have no reason to refuse. She agreed immediately, and the two began to walk together.

Thus, their fates began to intertwine. The protagonist of Fate 48, Siegfried, and Leord, who had already disappeared from the story of Fate 48, might soon meet again.