First Task Failed? II

Carolyn sat down and waited for Benedict to do the same. She had been convinced that she had failed the task Benedict gave her, but she couldn't feel much relief after getting a pass instead. She knew she was close to passing, so it wasn't an unreasonable judgement, but based on his words, there seemed to be more to it.

Once Benedict sat down, he first took his time appreciating the tea before looking at Carolyn.

"Let me start by asking you, what do you think was the point of that task?"

"I thought it was to have me secure a steady source of funds while staying in the city."

"In that case, why do you think I asked you to get a job at that inn rather than anywhere else?"

"I'm not certain, but I believe it was either because of the difficulty associated with getting employed at the inn, given its bleak financial circumstances, or because there was a special benefit of having a job there."

"Good, it seems you have been thinking. Both of your guesses are technically correct, but becoming an employee was simply a means rather than the end goal. You could also say it's proof that you achieved the true objective of this task. Now, what do you think that objective was?"

"Hmm. If becoming an employee is just the proof, then... Was the objective of that task, earning the trust of Miss Margaret?"

"Correct. As you should know by now, the innkeeper has a very high reputation among the less than upstanding members of the city, so settling down here will be much simpler by having her trust."

"That's..."

Carolyn understood Benedict's perspective, but she found it hard to agree with his viewpoint.

"What? Do you feel guilty for using her goodwill?"

"Of course I do. I already owe her so much. I don't want to take advantage of the trust she placed in me."

"I see. In that case, you can return to the village."

"Pardon?"

At that statement, Carolyn looked at Benedict with utter shock in her eyes, but he calmly took a sip of tea.

"I'm not asking you to put her or her family in a bad position. Even I would think twice before messing with them. All you'll be doing is keeping yourself in her social network and becoming familiar with the residents of the city. If even this is too much for you, then you'll never be able to find the truth you seek. In fact, you might bring yourself and others in harm's way. Therefore, it would be better if you returned to the village and waited with the Chief until we uncover the truth and present it to you."

"That's..."

Carolyn saw no clear flaws in his logic, so she couldn't make a defense. She was the one who had left the village determined to find out the truth regardless of the difficulty; she should have known that less than innocent methods would be needed.

"...There's no point in continuing if you can't make up your mind. You may leave once you've finished the tea."

Carolyn lifelessly nodded in response and lifted the teacup in front of her. The tea was good, but the taste wasn't enough to put a smile on her face. Once she was finished drinking the tea, Carolyn said farewell and then left Benedict's office. She would definitely need time to consider his words, but she had another appointment to get to.

When she left the office, she spotted a few children inside the church. They watched her with wary eyes and backed away when she tried to approach, but didn't leave the building. She hadn't been able to ask Benedict about it after he questioned her resolve, but she was fairly certain that some of the slum children were now living at the church, likely due to the same reason that the slums felt more tense.

'I hope Derrick and Lety are okay.'

With an additional concern squeezing her chest, Carolyn waved at the children and then quickly made her way to the siblings' home. When she arrived, the fact that they hadn't relocated was both good news and bad news. It was good news because Carolyn could find them before the bad news turned into grim news.

"Let go of her!"

"You little brat!"

"Brother!"

The scene that Carolyn found upon arriving, was of a dirty, middle-aged man with unkept facial hair holding Lety by her arm and kicking Derrick away as he tried to fight him. Carolyn didn't know the full story, though she could make a good guess, but this sight alone was proof of the man's two crimes.

Carolyn didn't have her bow and arrows, so she had to rely on close combat. She dashed towards the man and right as he was about to say something; she grabbed the arm holding Lety and elbowed it.

"Gah!"

The man immediately let go of Lety, so Carolyn then punched him twice in the face before striking his leg with a low kick. The man was already unsteady, so the low kick swept his feet off the ground. Carolyn then stomped on his chest and pinned the man to the ground with her foot. The blood that stained both his face and her hands made her nauseous, but she tightly clenched her fists to restrain her discomfort.

"Lety, you okay?!"

"Yes. I'm fine, Brother. You need treatment much more than I do. "

"Don't worry. His hits barely hurt."

"But you have so many bruises."

"It's not as bad as it looks."

"But you're bleeding."

"I, uh..."

"I have some skill in medicine, so I'll take a look at him after this, Lety."

"I didn't ask for your help."

"Really? Thank you, Carol."

"It's fine."

"Guh! Get your damn foot off me!"

The man was about to touch Carolyn's leg, so she stomped his chest again. She didn't enjoy inflicting pain on others, but in a fight, her training overrode her guilt.

"What happened?" she asked the siblings.

Derrick grimaced and seemed reluctant to talk, so Lety gave the explanation. In summary, the man had tried to kidnap Lety while Derrick was away, but fortunately Derrick made it back in time to witness the crime. When she heard the story, the guilt in Carolyn's heart decreased as she increased the pressure applied to the man's chest. Every time he tried to move her leg, she would stomp on his chest or stomach, so he no longer had the will or strength to make another attempt.

She wished she could turn him in to the guards, but squabbles among residents of the slum district weren't taken seriously.

"How do you normally handle incidents like this in the slums?"

"It depends on the situation and the people involved, but I think it would be fair to break his arm."

"Huh?!"

"That's..."

The man's attempted crime was certainly serious, but Carolyn wasn't sure if the punishment Lety suggested was truly fair.

"If you don't wanna do it, then step off. I'll do it myself."

Derrick was more than ready to carry out the task himself, and Carolyn could tell that he wasn't bluffing. She knew that with the amount of damage she had done to the man, she could leave him to Derrick with minimum support, but she didn't like the sound of that even more.

"Wait. Could you leave him to me?"

"What? If you're too soft then-"

"It's fine, Brother. If it wasn't for Carol, we wouldn't have been able to beat him. I'm sure she won't be too lenient."

There seemed to be a hidden sharpness in Lety's words. Carolyn was reluctant to wound the man further, but the children wouldn't be able to rest easy like this and the man might very well repeat his crime in revenge.

'I don't like this. But if someone must administer his punishment then, I'll take that role.'

"His torso is bruised, so that should keep him from doing anything strenuous for a week at the very least. And this," Carolyn lifted his right hand and after a deep breath, cleanly broke his thumb and index finger.

"Ah!!!!!!"

"Quiet. If you don't want me to break another."

"You damn- Ahhh!!!!!"

Carolyn followed through on her promise and broke his middle finger next. When he saw her reach for his ring finger, the man bit his lips and stifled his cries of agony.

"Good. This should settle your punishment. However, if you spread news of what happened here or try to do anything to hurt these children, I'll break your limbs and throw your body to the wolves for supper. Understood?"

Both the man and the siblings initially thought that Carolyn was soft for not breaking his arm, but her decisiveness when breaking the man's fingers and the determination in her tone when she threatened him threw away such notions. Fearful for his life, the man frantically nodded and quickly scurried away once Carolyn allowed him to leave.

Carolyn definitely wasn't as ruthless as she acted on the outside, but she could perform well by thinking about the group that had attacked her village and stolen her parents from her. Even her soft heart wouldn't bleed for them. Still, she didn't think she would be able to sleep well this night.