The Freeloader’s Unexpected Heroism

After that, Tang Wenxu visited Komi City several more times in search of work. However, having been accustomed to the life of a pampered young master, he simply couldn’t adapt to living like a servant.

Sweeping the streets? He wasn’t as professional as the elder women.

Washing dishes? Food residue still clung to the plates after he “cleaned” them.

Running errands? Don’t even start; he could trip and fall on flat ground.

He was a born aristocrat, and this wasn’t a compliment. It meant he couldn’t survive independently without servants attending to him. Yet, he had made some progress.

Now, whether a boss angrily yelled for him to “get lost” or politely asked him to leave, he no longer felt fear. After encountering the harsh realities of society, his fragile glass heart had become a little more resilient.

Just yesterday, his boss told him, “Mr. Tang, while your work attitude is earnest and you’re diligent, please don’t come in tomorrow.”

“Understood,” Tang Wenxu nodded, not bothering to ask where he had fallen short. He simply returned to the church. This was his eighth dismissal this month, and he had grown accustomed to it.

He hadn’t really caused any major trouble. He’d just accidentally broken a few bowls while washing dishes. A few? Perhaps seventeen or eighteen.

It was around two o’clock in the afternoon, and Tang Wenxu leaned against a tree in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Normally, the children would be playing in the courtyard by now. But ever since he’d snapped at them, they had consistently avoided him.

Nao was right. If you truly disliked someone, you wouldn’t bother to badmouth them; you’d simply ignore them. Clearly, he was disliked.

Yet, he didn’t dislike the children. He wanted to apologize, but they never gave him the chance, running far away the moment they saw him.

Suddenly, a quarrel broke his reverie.

“Aren’t you ashamed?” It was Myles’s voice.

“Less talk, hand over your wallet! I haven’t had a drink in ages!” A stranger’s voice echoed.

“Help! Someone, please save us! We’re being robbed!” a little girl shrieked.

“You brats, if you scream again, we’ll go in with a white knife and come out with a red one.”

“Waaah…” It was the cries of the little girl and two other familiar young girls from the church.

Upon hearing the commotion, Tang Wenxu immediately stood up, grabbed his wooden sword, and rushed out of the courtyard and into the alleyway.

“Stop!” Tang Wenxu emerged, roaring furiously. “What kind of skill is it to bully children?”

The children looked surprised to see him. Myles scoffed, “You freeloader, stay out of this. I’m more than enough to handle a petty thug like him on my own.”

Evidently, their cold war with him hadn’t ended; their words were still sharp. Despite this, they instinctively gathered behind Tang Wenxu, who shielded them like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

It was then that he finally got a clear look at the man demanding the wallet: a dark-skinned, muscular thug dressed in unremarkable plain clothes.

“Playing the hero, are we? I’ll finish you first,” the thug snarled, brandishing a small knife with a malevolent expression.

Tang Wenxu recalled a combat secret Father Kant had once taught him.

“I’ll give you ten seconds. If you don’t scram, I’ll make you,” Tang Wenxu declared, feigning the demeanor of a formidable warrior with a cold expression.

“Ten,” the thug sneered, watching him.

“Nine,” the thug remained unmoving.

“Eight,” the thug fiddled with his dagger.

“Seven,” the thug started to yawn.

However, before he could finish his yawn, Tang Wenxu swiftly delivered a heavy punch to his face.

Yes, Father Kant’s combat secret was to pretend to count down from ten, then strike suddenly at ‘seven.’ Most people would never react in time.

“Run!” Tang Wenxu yelled at the children.

The children reacted quickly, immediately turning and sprinting towards the main street. Tang Wenxu ran behind them.

Tragically, Tang Wenxu hadn’t even made it out of the narrow alley when his passive skill, Tripping on Flat Ground, activated.

“Hey, freeloader!” The children stopped short when they saw Tang Wenxu fall.

The thug, having recovered from the punch, angrily pursued them with his knife raised. Seeing Tang Wenxu sprawled on the ground, he flashed a cruel smile.

Murder was a capital offense, but maiming someone wasn’t.

“No!” The children cried out, rushing back towards Tang Wenxu.

“Don’t mind me, run!” Tang Wenxu shouted.

“Help! Someone, please save us!” the children shrieked. By now, Tang Wenxu was included in their ‘us.’

“Ouch!” the thug suddenly cried out, and at the same moment, his small knife clattered to the ground. A silver needle was embedded in his arm.

Behind him stood a handsome young man, his black English-style suit fluttering in the wind. The youth was Karamanda.

Seeing Karamanda, the boys gazed at him with admiration, while the girls’ eyes sparkled with affection. It seemed that not only beautiful girls but also handsome boys were popular with children.

“Tang, are you alright?” Karamanda rushed over and helped Tang Wenxu to his feet.

“I’m saved. Thank you, Karamanda.”

“Tsk.” The thug pulled out the silver needle, glaring furiously at Karamanda, who had suddenly intervened. “You good-for-nothings, I’ll cripple you all right now.”

He raised his knife and leapt forward.

“You want money?” Karamanda suddenly asked, catching him off guard.

“I want your lives right now!” the thug declared arrogantly.

“Take it.” Karamanda produced a hefty sum of over twenty gold coins. “This is all the cash I have on me.”

The thug’s eyes lit up at the sight of money. With a greedy smile, he snatched the coins. “Smart move.”

He had never seen such a large sum in his life. With the money in hand, the thug became much more magnanimous, leaving with an arrogant laugh.

“I’m sorry,” Tang Wenxu said. “After all this time, I’ve just gotten you robbed the moment we meet.”

“It’s alright, Tang,” Karamanda said, gently stroking his hand. “As long as you’re okay. And I wasn’t robbed, you know; I gave him the money out of pity.”

“That’s true,” Tang Wenxu conceded. “You are a Mithril-ranked expert, after all; how could a petty thug rob you? But you’re truly kind to pity such a hooligan.”

“No, he truly is pitiful, in the truest sense of the word…” Karamanda said meaningfully.

After all, the poison from that silver needle was potent enough to make him bleed from every pore and die tonight. But Karamanda wouldn’t reveal such a detail.

Watching Karamanda hold Tang Wenxu’s hand, the girls’ eyes grew somewhat fervent, as if a new world of BL pairings had opened up before them.

However, some of the children still hung their heads due to their cold war with Tang Wenxu, making the atmosphere a little awkward.

To break the somewhat uncomfortable silence, Myles ran over to Tang Wenxu.

“Freeloader, not bad! You even found a boyfriend!” Myles clapped Tang Wenxu on the shoulder. “I’ll take good care of Sister Kuroki for you. You should be happy too.”

“Hey, wait! You’ve misunderstood! We’re just normal friends!” Tang Wenxu explained.

“Are we just normal friends?” Karamanda asked, his gaze filled with affection. “Isn’t it a deeper relationship?”

The children chorused, “YOOOOO!”

Although the children might have misunderstood something, at least the cold war was probably, possibly, perhaps over.