NOVPUBDue to the sudden appearance of mysterious individuals, the situation had momentarily settled.
Thanks to that, Max, who had his life extended, slid down the tree he was leaning against and collapsed onto the ground.
His legs seemed to have given out completely, and though he struggled to get back up, his movements were nothing more than futile flailing. Even if he had the strength to run, he wouldn’t have been able to escape.
Tap, tap.
"Azie, get up. Is that him?"
“Urgh... A... Azie... I...”
“Yeah, Azie.”
So, is that guy really Max or not?
Kana tapped Azie on the back with her tiny hand as she asked again. However, Azie was too busy dry heaving into the dirt to respond properly.
'...Azie?'
Hearing the familiar name in the distance, Max barely managed to lift his head, and upon seeing the familiar faces, his eyes widened in shock.
“How... How did that bastard get here so fast?”
He had anticipated they might chase him, but never did he think they would catch up so quickly. And to make matters worse, wasn’t the guy puking by the tree the same mage who worked in the workshop next door?
“Hey, hey! What the hell’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to keep a lookout? Aren’t you managing the underlings properly? Have you gotten lazy these days?”
“...I’m sorry, boss.”
Molden, who had been watching the farcical situation unfold, scolded his subordinate. Yet both Molden and the scolded underling wore faint grins, clearly not taking the situation seriously.
Although it irritated him that no one had reported the group's passage despite being posted as lookouts, he couldn’t bring himself to get truly upset. His underlings were probably off somewhere slacking off as usual.
With a smirk plastered on his face that contrasted his emotionless eyes, Molden glanced at the uninvited guests. One magician, one swordswoman, and one man who looked irritatingly out of place. And a little girl.
Seeing the cape-clad girl, Molden smacked his lips. Perhaps his subordinates had let her pass because they knew his tastes. It made sense to him, but then he quickly shook his head. His underlings weren’t clever enough to pull off such a stunt without reporting to him first.
So the appearance of this girl, whose looks seemed to be crafted by a master artisan, was surely fate...
At least, that's what Molden told himself.
“Looks like I’m in luck today.” 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Molden flashed a grin, baring his yellowed teeth.
“I’ve got some tasty sweets. Why don’t you come here, little girl?”
Tut tut tut.
"...?"
“What’s this? Why no response?”
Clicking his tongue as if calling a stray dog, Molden gestured for the girl to come over. But narrowing his eyes in confusion, he found her simply staring at his face without any visible reaction.
Normally, people would show disgust or irritation at his behavior, but the girl just kept watching him blankly. One of his sharper subordinates crept over and whispered.
“Boss, I don’t think she understands us. She didn’t speak the same language when talking to her companions earlier.”
“Is that so? Maybe she’s from some far-off corner of the continent?”
Molden’s words, surprisingly insightful, briefly crossed his mind, but as he continued to look at the girl’s face, he couldn’t help but think, 'So what if she doesn’t understand?'
If anything, it only added to his rising lecherous thoughts, imagining he could teach her whatever words he liked.
"Weak."
“...You’re calling people weak after handling them so roughly?”
“I’m not a man, so it’s fine.”
“Well, alright then, you brat.”
“I did ask you to hurry up, though.”
“How was I supposed to know you’d just carry people off like baggage?”
Now somewhat recovered, Azie stood up shakily. Though not as pale as the still-recovering Daeun, whose face had been ghostly white, her color was slowly returning.
“Blaaaargh!”
Well, except for the ones who hadn’t recovered yet.
As Kana looked down at the still-retching mage with an expression that screamed 'typical magicians,' Azie stepped forward to face Molden.
“Leader of the Red Claw, Molden.”
“Oh-ho? Looks like I’m famous. If even a fancy guy like you recognizes me, I must be pretty well-known.”
“Congratulations, boss!”
“....”
Whether they were mercenaries or bandits, the way they carried themselves was worse than your typical group of criminals. Azie glanced at them with a mixture of complicated emotions and then spoke.
“I’ll be blunt. We’re here for the one behind you. Stand aside.”
“Oh-ho! So you’ve got business with our client, eh? Mind if I ask what that business is?”
“...He stole something from my master’s workshop.”
“Your master? A workshop? Pfft, from the way you were acting all high and mighty, I thought you were someone important. Turns out you’re just an apprentice?”
Molden, who had been quietly irritated by Azie’s good looks and tall stature, didn’t even bother hiding his disappointment.
An apprentice, daring to speak down to him.
An ugly surge of anger rooted in Molden’s inferiority complex began to rise, but he forcefully suppressed it. He couldn’t afford to get angry on such a fortunate day.
So instead, Molden feigned calmness, speaking in a deliberately measured tone.
“...You must be feeling pretty confident with a magician and swordswoman backing you. But, sorry to break it to you, we’ve been hired to protect that man.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’re doing a great job protecting him.”
“Oh, that? Just a little misunderstanding. We’re all pals here, after all, right?”
“H-Help me! If you save me, I’ll reward you generously...!”
“See? The poor guy just doesn’t understand my intentions.”
The world really was a cruel place, Molden thought, shrugging his shoulders as he twirled his sword in his hand. Sunlight shattered across the jagged blade.
“I’ll make you an offer. Hand over the women and everything you have, and I’ll let you live.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“...Hmph. Seems like you were trained by a nasty master, huh? You’re sharp.”
“He has a bit of a temper, yes.”
“Must’ve been tough serving someone like that. But don’t worry.”
Shwing—
Before Molden even finished speaking, his mercenaries had surrounded them, drawing their weapons.
“You won’t have to worry about that for much longer. You guys know the drill, right?”
“Leave the women, right?”
“Oh, come on, boss. This ain’t our first job. You know us.”
“So you’re taking the hard way, huh?”
“Huh?”
Scratching his head, Molden dismissed Azie’s calm demeanor as the ramblings of a fool on the verge of madness. That peaceful expression had to be a front.
“Heh, heh heh... It’s over now...”
Max, his mind fraying at the edges, let out a twisted laugh. Facing a swordswoman, a magician, and a mere apprentice, Molden’s mercenaries far outnumbered them, and each one was a seasoned killer.
“What will you do?”
“What do you think? Kill them all.”
“K-Kill them?”
“They’re garbage. Trash like them doesn’t deserve to live.”
“But I’m not a janitor.”
With a sigh, Kana drew her sword. It was only then that Molden and his mercenaries noticed the weapon she held, but it still didn’t faze them.
A small girl with a longsword nearly as big as her body.
No one was foolish enough to think she could wield such a weapon effectively, and any man frightened by it would hardly have made a living as a mercenary.
Her short arms dragged the sword along the ground, leaving a trace behind.
‘Adorable.’
Molden grinned. He couldn’t wait to take the dangerous toy away and “cherish” the girl properly.
His mercenaries began to close in slowly.
“Hey, little girl, be a good kid. Put that down and come here.”
“Don’t hurt yourself by resisting, okay?”
“...What are they even saying?”
“Don’t mind it. They’re just spouting nonsense.”
“Figured as much.”
“K-Kana, you can do it...!”
“Mm-hm.”
Is this really something that requires cheering?
Kana tilted her head, accepting Daeun’s encouragement with a hint of gratitude. Her reaction left the mercenaries feeling uneasy.
‘...What’s going on?’
Why were they all so calm?
The sight of a little girl walking straight into what should be her doom was disconcerting.
‘Whatever. It’s not my problem.’
If anything, Molden thought, letting this girl get hurt would just make things more of a hassle.
He relaxed, waiting for his men to bring her over. But seconds passed, then ten, and still, his men hadn’t moved.
“What the hell...?”
Could it be that the girl was even more beautiful up close, mesmerizing them?
Understanding their feelings, yet unable to tolerate their hesitation, Molden yelled furiously.
“You idiots! What are you doing?! Move!”
But still, his men didn’t budge.
Finally, enraged, Molden took a step forward, only to witness a shocking sight.
As if on cue, fine diagonal lines appeared across the bodies of the men who had approached the girl.
Shh-shh-shing!
Thud!
Like puppets with their strings cut, his men collapsed. Their bodies, once whole, now split into halves—upper and lower—lying separately on the ground.
Roll...
“...!”
Molden's breath caught in his throat as he locked eyes with one of the dismembered bodies. The face wore a sickening grin, as if it had never even realized it had died.
Surely, it wasn’t dead yet.
Molden tried to deny reality, but his body took cautious steps backward on its own.
“What... what did you do?!”
His outburst held no trace of the confidence from earlier.
“Magic! That damn magician used some kind of spell, didn’t he?!”
“W-What are you talking about... blegh...!”
Molden couldn’t fathom that the small girl before him had caused this carnage. Of course, that was to be expected. Even players like Daeun, familiar with countless fictions, were astonished by Kana’s power.
But in a world of logic and reason, Molden could not begin to accept such a thing.
As Molden’s mind scrambled for an explanation, Kana simply tilted her head.
‘An Expert, huh?’
Just as she thought, Molden was nothing more than a petty thug.
His underlings were stronger than the grunts, but they weren’t particularly impressive either. It puzzled Kana why they even followed someone like him.
‘Hmm, I don’t get it.’
In any case, there must have been some reason. Shrugging, Kana scanned the remaining foes.
Including Molden, seven still stood. They were stronger than the ones she had just slain, but none were a threat.
None to Kana, at least.
“Daeun.”
“H-Huh?”
Startled, Daeun turned towards Kana, who had called her name unexpectedly. Why me? she thought nervously.
“I believe in you,” Kana said, a hint of mischief in her voice.
“...!”
Kana’s words shattered Daeun’s hopes of a peaceful solution.
“Didn’t we already train today?”
“The more you train, the better.”
“Well, you’re not wrong, but... this is way too dangerous! You said they wouldn’t hesitate to kill us!”
Daeun’s rational argument left her momentarily speechless, but then she took a deep breath and calmed herself.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die.”
“...Touching, but should I be thankful for that?”
“Up to you. Now hurry up.”
Realizing she couldn’t change Kana’s mind, Daeun dragged her feet and approached.
Azie watched her with a sympathetic gaze as she reluctantly unsheathed her sword. There wasn’t an ounce of enthusiasm in her movements.
“Kana’s not as nice as I thought...”
“...Why?”
“...Do you even need to ask?”
Kana tilted her head in confusion, genuinely unsure of what Daeun meant.
Daeun’s mind raced with thoughts of pinching those soft, cheeky cheeks of Kana's.
“How could this possibly be considered kind?!”
“...Hmm.”
Helping someone improve their skills without putting their life at risk was kind, wasn’t it?
At Kana’s offhand remark, Daeun couldn’t resist grabbing Kana’s cheeks and stretching them out in frustration.
