That night…
On the way home, through the bustling market street.
After an afternoon spent practicing basic magic at the Mage Association, Leya had finally mastered spells capable of conjuring small flames and freezing tiny shards of ice.
Her only current hurdle was her unfamiliarity with the practical application of these newfound abilities.
The connection to magic was established, and the finesse would develop with time.
She possessed countless resources, not to mention Emilia, who stood steadfastly behind her.
Even if Emilia originated from a low-level character transformation card, a [Lv2] Mage was certainly not to be trifled with!
“Host, just ahead lies the s*ave market…” the System’s voice announced, tinged with an unnatural hesitancy.
“Yes,” Leya retorted. “And what of it?”
“Ah… While this System should not overstep its bounds, for your safety, Host, I cannot help but urge you to reconsider.”
“To brazenly declare war on human society with our current strength would be utter foolishness…”
“Heh heh…”
Hearing the System’s words, Leya merely chuckled instead of growing angry. She shook her head, unwilling to elaborate further.
‘What did it mean to declare war on human society?’
‘Wasn’t that a colossal overreaction, an absurd leap in logic?’
‘She simply intended to rescue Erica. How did that escalate into enmity with all of humanity?’
‘Impossible. Utterly impossible.’
‘Besides, what kind of deity would she be if she possessed no right to freedom or a touch of capriciousness?’
‘She might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes!’
****
Meanwhile, outside the Thunder Tavern.
An elderly man, dressed in tattered, ragged clothes and with dishevelled hair, stood outside the tavern.
He led two children, both under ten years old, as they peered left and right, bowing obsequiously to passersby, adopting an exceedingly humble posture.
The old man, Bert, had been a beggar in Valantis City for over a decade.
He was intimately familiar with the city’s varying wealth, knowing precisely where affluent individuals might offer enough for a meal, and where sympathetic souls would increase his chances of receiving alms.
Of course, if begging failed, there was always theft.
Bert was a seasoned veteran in this line of work, navigating its currents with remarkable ease.
Today, Bert was accompanied by two children with particularly pitiable backgrounds, taking them out to beg.
It was six in the evening, the sky already dimming, as people, having completed their day’s work, began to head home.
If luck held, their earnings for dinner would be substantial. If not, it would be an opportune moment to teach the children how to become accomplished pickpockets. Yes, that was the plan.
“Miss, miss, this young lady!” Bert quickly fixated on a new target.
‘Oh, my heavens!’
‘Though he had never before witnessed such an exquisite girl, emmm.’
‘Her snow-white silver hair, in particular, was utterly unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression!’
For a fleeting moment, Bert actually considered finding a different target, fearing he wouldn’t receive anything…
“Hey, sister, sister!”
“Sister, I’m so hungry, could you give me something to eat?”
‘…’
‘What… what a nuisance…’
‘Those two rascals, truly…’
“Come back! Adelaide, Samson!”
“…”
“Oh…”
‘Thankfully…’
In the end, the two little rascals didn’t get too close to the young lady. Otherwise, Bert truly worried they might have started pickpocketing the moment they approached, emmm…
****
Did the girl witness this scene?
Of course, she did.
She even smiled, then, as if conjuring it from thin air, tossed a gold coin in a perfect arc.
It wasn’t that the girl didn’t want to walk over.
She simply saw a small boy extend his hand and wished to flick the coin to him.
However, to her utter embarrassment…
The small boy failed to catch the gold coin cleanly. Instead, he misjudged his strength, accidentally deflecting the coin to the side.
Well, despite it being merely a minor, insignificant mishap, unfortunately…
“Oh dear…”
The gold coin…
By an unfortunate twist of fate, struck a person…
And it was a woman, elegantly and lavishly dressed.
Her heavily applied makeup still allowed a hint of beauty to show, but more importantly, she was adorned from head to toe in dazzling, expensive jewelry that could blind any onlooker!
‘Emmmm…’
‘Of course, that wasn’t even the most crucial detail…’
The most significant fact was the young man accompanying her, also clad in distinguished noble attire.
On his finger, he conspicuously wore a Mithril Magic Ring—a legendary artifact said to be unobtainable even with immense wealth, its value immeasurable!
Moreover, while typical Mithril Magic Rings were measured in carats, the one on this young man’s hand was the size of a thumb!
Even the Lord of Valantis City, the Duke, didn’t possess a single carat of such a substance.
Yet, this young man wore such a large piece, openly displaying it in public. It was clear the power behind him was far from ordinary!
Indeed.
Bert and the two children might not have noticed, but the silver-haired girl behind them immediately observed the moment the gold coin struck the woman.
In some dark corners, figures stirred restlessly…
She furrowed her brow slightly. Then, picking up her pace, she too began to move towards a secluded corner.
No one paid much attention to this scene.
No one, that is, except for Bert, who had been about to offer thanks but was forced to deal with the children’s situation first.
****
“Debbie, are you alright?”
Meanwhile, the young man appeared concerned about the woman’s injury.
“Ugh—how unlucky! My head’s been grazed. If it had been just a little lower, it would’ve hit my eye…”
‘…’
‘How could that be?’
Perhaps due to a short temper, or simply enraged that his companion had been ‘assaulted’ in front of him, the young man quickly bellowed:
“Who? Who threw that gold coin? Step forward!”
“Ugh—”
Well, with such a shout, the two children who had just wanted to approach naturally lost their nerve.
They lowered their heads, unsure whether to advance or retreat, clearly intimidated by the angry young man.
Such strange behavior was, of course, noticed by the young man.
Perceiving the two boys’ unusual actions and the old man rushing frantically behind them, he quickly pieced together the general situation.
‘Tsk…’
‘What is this nonsense? Just some beggars.’
‘How utterly disruptive to my mood.’
Immediately, he waved his hand, speaking in a harsh tone: “Pick up your gold coin and get lost, quickly! Honestly…”
Indeed…
The matter, for now, seemed largely resolved.
The young man had no intention of escalating the situation; after all, given his status, bickering with beggars was beneath him and utterly pointless.
‘Regardless of whether he won, or… well, won…’
“Ah, thank you, thank you… Thank you, sir…”
Hearing that the matter was resolved so simply, Bert spoke with considerable excitement.
After all, the other party truly seemed like someone not to be trifled with!
As the saying went, it was better to avoid trouble.
Moreover, the disparity in their statuses was immense; if anything truly went awry, he would have no means to cope, wouldn’t he?
But…
Had the matter truly concluded so perfectly?
Evidently… no!
“You… Harvey, Young Master Harvey, how could you let them off so easily?”
“…”
He blinked in confusion, a questioning ‘Hmm?’ seeming to echo his thoughts.
It was as if he were asking, ‘What else?’
“Do I hold so little importance in your heart? Honestly, fine then, I’ll just go home. You can go shopping alone tonight!”
‘…’
‘Tsk tsk…’
‘How utterly absurd!’
‘Whether you’re important to me or not, don’t you have the slightest clue in your damn heart?’
‘You, a woman from a mere middle-class merchant family, possessing only a modicum of beauty, truly have no inkling how important you are, or if you hold any place, in the heart of *me*—a second-generation official from a ducal family, the sole heir, and one who commands nearly a hundred thousand troops!?’
But…
Alright, alright…
After all, as he’d already acknowledged, she did possess *some* charm. Moreover, they had already planned to ‘go shopping’ tonight and then ‘flirt’ at the hotel, emmm…
If he truly let her leave now, it would be quite difficult to find another woman of similar allure to amuse himself with in such a short time…
‘Emmmmm…’
‘There was no other way.’
“Very well, then. *Cough, cough*… What’s your name? No matter, it’s irrelevant. You, now… immediately seize that brat who flicked the coin and send them to prison. Tell them my name.”
“Hmm, such a dangerous game shouldn’t be played on the streets, should it? Yes, they need to be punished. Detain them for a day as a warning to others!”
“Uh…”
Bert, singled out by Harvey, froze in stunned disbelief.
However, before he could even process the command, the woman named Debbie couldn’t restrain herself.
She nearly burst into a full-blown tantrum, rolling up her sleeves as if to storm off.
‘Sigh…’
‘Harvey couldn’t tolerate this.’
‘What was all this about, forcing him to confront beggars so publicly?’
‘You might be shameless, but I still have my dignity!’
‘Tsk tsk…’
‘Fine, fine. After today, he would never see this woman again.’
‘But for now…’
“Alright, alright, Debbie, don’t leave yet. I understand, it’s about punishing them, isn’t it? Heh heh…”
“Guards! Seize them! For publicly assaulting a citizen and endangering public safety, tie them up and give them twenty lashes!”