Chapter 22
Extra Story: Girl Dyed in Darkness
The crowded first city of Platinum country was prospering. The country had a harbor and trade was flourishing. On the avenue leading up to the king’s castle everyone seemed to be busy. Those who work obtained gold, and so though they were busy, everyone was smiling. As the rumor spread that the platinum first city might rank up to mithril, in recent years the more people had gathered.
However, it is not only the honest businesses prospering. In this first city where compet.i.tion is fierce, many who tried to start a business found the proportion of failure to success too great and so fell. Walking just outside from the main avenue, the streets become back alleys and the slums.
For the city, even in the slum money could easily be made. The country had authorized turning debtors into slaves, and allowed not only the person who failed to repay to be enslaved as collateral, but their families as well. Thus, the Platinum first city was also called “slave manufacturing city.”
In the city of both light and shadow there was a girl in the slums. Her name was Ray. Later she would be known as one of the sublime avatars cause the world to tremble.
When her parents failed in business, she was taken with them to become a slave in the slums. She was still 10 years old. As for her appearance, no one would think she was merely a child of 10 years. With shiny silver hair inherited from her mother that hung down to her waist, and being tall from her father, she was an outstanding empress.
Of course, a pretty girl was nothing in the slums. The day after her parents became slaves and were separated from her, Ray forgot her grief. In the time of waiting, her beautiful body had been stained by dirty men.
But Ray did not give up on survival. Ray earned money in any way, determined to buy back her parents by her own hand. In the slums, she surrendered her body to a place of prost.i.tution.
Even though her body was polluted by men, with her determination she endured.
After spending years as a prost.i.tute in the slums, a certain day arrived. Ray had turned 15 years old and had become more beautiful. Even though she was in the slums, a fragment of Ray remained clean. As she matured, the gloss of her figure captivated every man around.
A man visited her for the first time with an invitation to become a dancer for a theatrical company. Speaking honestly, Ray was annoyed. Though a business invitation would be received well, most men had used it to propose (商売の誘いは良く受けていたし、なかにはプロポーズしてくる男までいた。).
All had been gently refused. But he persevered in inviting her to his troupe. Many times he visited Ray’s residence and pleaded with her to become a dancer. It is not that she was weak under pressure, but eventually Ray promised to visit the man’s theater company only once.
Ray was taken in by the splendid performances of the theater company, It was the kind of performance that attracts many people and strikes at their hearts.
Ray decided to accept the man’s invitation. He wanted her to attract customers as a dancer, so they became helpless with pleasure. It was certainly more interesting than being a prost.i.tute, but above all was the salary. Perhaps with this amount of money she could buy back her parents.
Although she did not stand on stage as a dancer immediately, on the day of her 17th birthday she debuted as a lady dancer of matchless beauty, fascinating all the inhabitants of the Platinum first city.