Chapter 158 The Power of Protection (1)
Robbery, theft, extortion, pickpocketing, almost every kind of crime related to money was something very normal in slums and areas where poor people lived.
Of course, Spada was no exception.
Even now, in an unpopulated alleyway, a pitiful victim was currently present.
“Kyaa! Help!——-“
Young, probably around the age of 10, the girl raised a scream asking for help but her scream was soon stopped.
Before she realized, in front of him 3 men were standing. All of them were humans including the girl herself. It wasn’t really rare in Spada where the population was vast and high.
Each of those men had large bodies and their arms seemed to have strong muscles. Also, the numerous scars made them look even more villainous.
“auu, st, stop, please……”
As the men approached with dreadful expressions, she felt that the men looked even bigger.
The words spoken by the girl were truly weak but the fact that she was even able to say that was praise worthy.
“Shut up! It’ll be fine as long as you give it to us?”
“Hurry up and pay, little brat!”
Of course, the men wouldn’t stop just because she said so. The men had no guilt even when commiting such crimes.
“C’mon! Hurry it up I said!!”
“Ah, noo—–“
As the man in the middle got impatient, he violently grabbed the collar of the girl.
She was also wearing the same simple and shabby clothes that the children in this area wore.
Let alone magical effects, one could tell that it was an inferior product just by looking at its material quality.
Due to the force of the man, the cloth tore open with a ripping sound.
The girls bare skin was exposed.
Even if one didn’t have a young girl fetish, a man would get captivated on seeing that fresh white skin from the neck to the shoulders.
And, though she had a boyish, short hairstyle, her silky black hair, her red shining eyes and her cute face would definitely qualify as a beauty.
And if such a girl would be in a condition when her clothes were in disorder; it was obvious what those violent, beast-like men who lived by their greed and l.u.s.t would think.
“Kyaaaa!”
As the girl screamed once again, the men, driven by a greed other than that of money, rudely stretched their arms.
“Oi, stop there.”
A single man appeared.
Just like the girl, he had black hair but his right eye that didn’t have an eyepatch was of a colour of deep black darkness.
He had an uncommon combination of black hair and black eyes, but what was more unusual was the sharp glint in his eye that the man was releasing.
Due to the voice that suddenly appeared, the men stopped their arms that were moving towards the girl.
But, obviously they wouldn’t reform themselves now.
Becoming vigilant of the sudden intruder, two of them entered into battle stances. The remaining one was grasping the girl tightly so that she doesn’t run away.
“aa, who the f.u.c.k are you?”
The question was very normal but it possessed an immense amount of threat and intimidation in it.
As he threatened, he observed the man who had appeared.
His body was as big as theirs. A white shirt and a pretty damaged black leather pants. His look was shabby, similar to those living here.
But, his toned muscular body even better than theirs, and his posture that left no openings, showed that he was not a civilian who didn’t know how to fight.
The plate hanging around his neck was the proof of that.
A true guild card, there’s no way they’d mistake it.
“Haven’t seen your face here. If you’re a newbie then we’ll let you live. This happens here ‘all the time’. Even an adventurer would be sorry if he c.o.c.kily tried to b.u.t.t his head in our matters.”
The man who restrained the girl, even after knowing that the man in front was an adventurer, said that with a composed smile. His tone expressed that he knew that they still were superior here.
That’s because, the man’s steel plate showed that he was the lowest, rank 1 adventurer.
A mere beginner. No, considering his look, he might be a bit more experienced but not really much.
Also, they had not heard any rumours about some black haired black eye adventurer with an eyepatch that had done some great deed either.
That means, he was a normal rank 1 adventurer, at max he might be strong enough as a new rank 2 adventurer.
On top of that, he was unarmed no matter how you look at it. He didn’t seem to have hidden even a single knife on his body.
The 3 men, after evaluating the intruder, came to the conclusion that he wasn’t much a threat.
“C’mon, hurry up and get out of here sonny.”(T/N: he says an-chan, and I couldn’t think of a better TL than sonny for it.)
“nn, or could it be, that you’ve got something to do with this brat? Hehehe, you’ve got a pretty good hobby. Alright, I’ll give this as present to you sonny. No need to hold back though she’ll be second hand goods by the time you get her back hiyahahaha!”
The three men laughed in a loud vulgar voice.
And the rank 1 adventurer, with no change in expression, took one step forward.
“I said stop, didn’t I? Obediently let that girl go.”
The men who heard that calm voice quickly changed their atmosphere to a violent one.
“Are you going to fight us? Not a really good decision.”
The man tightened his fist and released a distinct killing intent.
“You should keep your adventures to those quests of yours.”
The other man also released killing intent.
A normal person would have been affected by that overwhelming presence and would have been overcome by fear.
“I’m telling you to let her go. Please, can’t you listen to what I say?”
As if ignoring those two men who were releasing killing intent, he spoke that towards the third one who was holding the girl.
“Hah, a fool trying to act as a hero eh? Oi, kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
With that voice as a signal, the two men began to move together.
“I see—–[Magic Bullet Arts]”
The adventurer who muttered that, that sound didn’t reach the ears of the three men.
That’s because those men were too far away to hear the adventurer’s mutterings.
And, the 2 men who had been rushing towards him were,
“Gahh!”
“Guhaa!!”
Fainted after getting hit by a black lump that was fired from the adventurer’s hand.
They didn’t understand what had hit them, no, even if they had seen it, they simply wouldn’t have realized what that black object was.
In any case, the 2 men had already been blown in the air due to the impact.
And soon their bodies struck the stone walls on the side of the alley with a dull sound and fell limply like corpses.
“Tch, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What the f.u.c.k did he do!?”
Due to the dact that the 2 men had suddenly fallen, the third man didn’t have the composure to focus on the girl and let go of her hand.
At that moment, the adventurer crossed over the two fallen men who were either dead or had simply fainted and had started running towards the third man.
But, maybe because he was used to such situations, the man didn’t panic and drew the dagger from his back.
“Dieee!!!”
Although he said that, the man’s aim was not really one that could kill in a single strike.
Although the man was in an advantage with a knife, the situation would reverse if it was taken away from him. So there was no need to uselessly go close to the adventurer and enter his range. He could simply slowly cut him little by little and take away his stamina.
Not to mention that killing someone inside the city would bring more trouble. If possible, the man wanted to leave that man in a half-killed state.
Thus, his aim wasn’t the heart or neck but the adventurer’s limbs.
The man decided to first aim for his arms.
“riyah—-“
The man’s knife shot out towards his opponents arm.
The adventurer’s fist would be cut by his knife, no, he was sure of it.
*pakiiin!*
But, it was blocked by a black shield that appeared suddenly.
It was completely black plate, a 20cm small square.
But still, the man soon understood that it had been created by magic.
“Defensive magic!?!”
As words of surprise left his mouth, the other arm of the adventurer punched into his face.
“higiyaa——“
Letting out a pathetic sound, the man blew away to the other side of the alley.
His body finally fell and rolled and crashed spectacularly into something but the adventurer had already lost interest in him and didn’t even look towards him.
Those sharp eyes that had been glaring at the man were now filled with gentleness and looked towards the girl.
“Are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine.”
The girl, unhesitatingly gave an answer towards the man who had saved her.
And spoke, as she looked into his dark abyss like eyes while gazing at him with her deep crimson burning eyes.
“Thank you very much, for saving me.”
Honest words of grat.i.tude.
The adventurer also, answered with a wide smile.
“You’re welcome.”