Part IX Robbery in a narrow alley

The northern village was a mere three-hour journey from the Huan Kingdom's capital. Lazuro, Tristan, Paul, and James arrived and, after leaving their horses with the city guards, entered on foot. Inside the gate, Lazuro can see wooden houses, city lamps glowing with mana crystals, and people bustling about. A magnificent seven-foot statue of a spear-wielding man dominated the city center, drawing Lazuro's attention.

"Isn't that—"

"That's right, that's Flamebreaker. He's Alaire Ignis, the Savior of Mankind."

"So he's the hero you told me about." Lazuro stared solemnly at the statue.

"What are you two doing? Let's leave before it gets too late!" James ordered.

They eventually arrived at a bar and rented two rooms. Lazuro shared a room with Tristan, while Paul shared a room with James. Inside the room, Lazuro was leaning against the wall, reading a book he'd borrowed from Paul, while Tristan was asleep on the bed. After an hour of doing nothing in the room, Tristan finally lost his patience.

"Damn, we're in the capital, and we are caged like monkeys." Tristan got up from his bed. "Lazuro, how about we check out the city's night market? Don't you have some of the money Paul gave you?" Tristan grinned, raising his eyebrows.

"But…"

Before he could speak, Tristan had dragged Lazuro out of the room.

"What if Uncle Tristan and Paul catch us? You have to remember we're being punished for trying to find Flambreaker." Lazuro tried to pull his arm in the opposite direction Tristan was going.

"You're so pathetic. Why worry about something that hasn't happened yet? We'll just leave for a bit and then come back, and no one will notice. Besides, Uncle Paul and James are probably drunk. So there's no need to worry."

Before they knew it, they were already downstairs, filled with people dressed in a bar. Some of them were seen discussing, some chatting, and some singing like crazy. James seemed to be in a group singing like crazy, while Paul just sat there, enjoying the beer on the table, staring at the ceiling.

"Look, they'll never know."

Lazuro resigned himself to Tristan taking him to the weekend night market, a lively event held in a crowded high-rise, offering everything from food stalls to street performers. Upon arrival, Tristan darted between stalls, quickly accumulating food and drinks.

"Arwen't ywou winterested in uwrdering?" "Tristan asked," his mouth full of hot dogs.

Lazuro sighed and finally ordered some new food and drinks he had never seen before. Unconsciously, Lazuro was so lost in the atmosphere of the market, listening to the music, enjoying the food, and even watching the extraordinary attractions, that he lost track of Tristan, who had brought some of the coins Lazuro had obtained from Paul.

"Damn, I think I'm lost." Lazuro swallowed hard.

Realizing he was lost made Lazuro lose his appetite. Using his instincts, Lazuro tried to navigate the street and ended up lost in an empty alley. As he was about to turn a corner, he heard a loud creaking sound. Lazuro pressed himself against the wall to see what was happening. An old man had fallen between broken wooden barrels, and three adult men with broad backs surrounded him.

“Please, don’t take those food. My son has wanted them for a long time, and I’ve only just been able to buy them for him. I beg you gentlemen to—”

“Shut up, you old men. Instead of feeding your useless son, it’s better to give these noodles to us. If you still have any money left, hand it over! You don’t want your son to become an orphan, do you?”

“What is this, a robbery? There are robberies even in other worlds.”

Lazuro looked back at the three robbers and felt a sense of overwhelming fear. He hid behind the wall and started thinking. This was none of Lazuro’s business, and he didn’t want to get involved. He cautiously walked away. However, the old man’s shout stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't take that money. If you do, how will my wife and children survive tomorrow?" The old man begged.

"Come on, it's just a few shillings. You can work again tomorrow. Then we'll go first see ya." said one of the robbers.

"Stop... stop it, you scum. Give me back my money, or I..." The old man picked up a stick and made a desperate expression.

"Soo ... you really don't care about life 'huh," the scarred robber spat.

The three men each drew knives from their waistbands. Lazuro, watching this, froze. His thoughts flashed back to his first arrival in Tokyo.

"If you want money, I'll give it to you. But don't bother me. I'm an actor now. If there's any strange news about me... I don't want to hurt my family's feelings."

That was the last conversation between Lazuro and his father before his father left, leaving a stack of money on the restaurant table.

"If my father were that... idiot, I shouldn't have gotten involved. But... somehow I always get into trouble."

Lazuro picked up an empty wooden barrel usually used to hold alcohol. Despite its weight, Lazuro managed to lift the barrel and threw it at the robbers, causing the three robbers to look back.

"What is this, you brat?" One of the bald robbers approached Lazuro.

“Give that man his food back. If you want, I can replace it.”

Lazuro took the money bag James had given him.

“What’s this? There’s a rich man who wants to hand over his money.”

One of the robbers, with a scar on his face, took the box containing the money from Lazuro. Although trembling and on the verge of peeing, Lazuro tried to keep his expression as brave as possible.

“Then it looks like we’ll have to return the money and food we took from that old man, guys,” said the scarred man.

“Really,” the other two robbers laughed.

“Kid, I think you should learn about life after this. It’s a shame there’s no life after this for you.”

A punch landed in Lazuro’s stomach, sending the young man kneeling on the ground.

“What are you doing? Didn’t I give you my money? Are you going to break your promise?”

“Breaking a promise? Are you stupid, kid? In these difficult times, you still want us to be generous and let that old man go. Just dream on.”

Two robbers lifted Lazuro and held him down. The robber with the scarred smile drew a knife from his hip and tried to stab Lazuro. Suddenly, a hooded man deflected one of the robbers' knives by stabbing the blade with the tip of his rapier. The scarred robber spun to the ground, and when he raised his head, the tip of his rapier was already at his forehead.

"Aren't you ashamed to rob the weak? This kingdom was founded to protect humans from powerful beasts. It's not a place for humans to oppress one another," said the hooded girl in a soft but firm voice.

The two robbers who were still free, irritated, drew their knives at the mysterious hooded man. The hooded man leaped backward, avoiding the two robbers. The hooded girl swung her rapier and advanced toward the three robbers. The three robbers met the hooded man with a flurry of attacks, attempting to slash the girl. However, the girl moved swiftly, twisting and weaving like a snake to avoid all the slashes aimed at her. The girl even managed to knock down two robbers with kicks aimed at the stomach and chest.

"This bastard!"

The robber with the scar moved stealthily behind the hooded man and managed to catch the hooded man's hood. The hooded man fell backward, revealing his true form. It turned out that the person under the hood was a girl with long, braided hair. As soon as the girl fell, the scarred man immediately stepped on the hand holding the rapier. The girl screamed in pain but still tried to hold on to her rapier.

"What are you doing? Quickly grab this girl!"

The two robbers got up and grabbed the hooded girl.

"Let her go!"

Upon seeing the hooded girl caught, Lazuro swallowed hard, looking for the old man, who had already left. In a panic, Lazuro saw the thick stick the old man had intended to use to fight him.

"No, Lazuro, don't do that. You should just run!" Lazuro tried to convince himself.

"What are we going to do with this girl?" One of the robbers slapped the hooded girl.

"We're going to have fun."

Infuriated by the robbers' words, Lazuro grabbed the old man's discarded stick and struck the scarred robber a blow to the head. The force of the impact felled the robber, blood gushing from the wound.

“You!” One of the robbers stood up, intending to retaliate against Lazuro. 

However, thanks to Lazuro, the hooded girl managed to move and stab one of the robbers holding her. The hooded girl jumped back, stood up, and aimed her rapier at the remaining robber. From a distance, the voices of an old man and several other people could be heard. 

“This is bad!” The hooded girl quickly left, leaping over the building like a cat and disappearing.

 Meanwhile, the old man managed to bring several guards, who immediately apprehended the robbers.

 “Thank goodness I was still in time.” The old man wiped his forehead. “Thank you for saving me.”

 “No, that wasn’t necessary.” Lazuro smiled awkwardly.

After thanking him, the old man approached the shattered package. He stared at it with a sad expression. Lazuro looked at the old man sadly. After picking up his dropped money pouch, Lazuro approached the old man. 

“Take it, Uncle!” Lazuro gave him a bag containing his gold coins.

 “But this…” The old man tried to push away the bag of gold that Lazuro had handed him. 

"It's okay, Uncle. I still have some at the inn. This way, you won't have to worry about food tomorrow. Maybe you can buy something your son wants." Lazuro smiled. 

The old man sobbed as he hugged Lazuro. Lazuro was confused by such a hug. However, there was an incredible warmth in his heart that made Lazuro unconsciously shed tears and hug the old man back. 

"Father..." 

"Are you okay, son? Why are you crying?" asked the old man, who had released him. "

No, I just got some dust in my eye. Then, uncle, hurry up and meet your son. He must be worried waiting for you." 

The old man finally escorted Lazuro to the inn. On the way, Lazuro met Tristan. Running out of money, they quietly returned to their room without James and Paul noticing.