"Pardon me." Hedin spoke, his deep voice reverberating in the alley. He closed his eyes and softly groaned as he got up– a habit he had developed– then, he opened his eyes.
His red eyes, piercing and deep were on full display. His hat rested in his hands still, leaving his features open to see.
Seeing their supposed prey towering at such heights, the three thugs became a bit uneasy.
"But I do not have the time to indulge your act of petty thievery." He said tersly.
As his words landed, the light in the air seemed to shift, though it went unnoticed by the three thugs.
There was silence in the alley for a moment. Until there wasn't.
"What the hell'd you say?!"
"We'll just have to rough you up a bit!"
"Cough up all your valuables! You look like a fairly wealthy man!"
Hedin couldn't help but shake his head.
Truth be told, it was the first time this had happened to him.
Sure, he encountered a lot of danger in his work, but never... this. Any thief or ruffian would simply never bother a hunter. The moment their eyes landed on his attire, they would excuse themselves out of his sight.
And so, this was, in essence, a novel experience.
I'll just smack them a little. It should take care of it all.
Hedin thought with a light grimace.
Just then, as he was about to move, a shrill sound of wind breaking impacted their ears.
Something moved with frightening velocity, jumped over the thugs. It was a blur of yellow and covered in scant clothing. The large patch of yellow on the figures head was particularly striking.
"Coming through!" Hedin's eyes widened as his pupils dilated. He took in the figure of the blur. A small girl, seemingly 10 in age, moving at inhumane speeds.
In the split second that the girl entered the alley and Hedin took in her appearance, he almost reached for his weapon to tear her apart– thinking she was corrupted.
But instantly, he paused.
There was no blasphemy here.
No corruption.
The girl locked eyes with him as she passed his towering figure. The shadow lengthened on her face as she gave him a smile.
"Seems rough! Live strong!" With that said, the girl escaped further into the alley. And in less than a second, she was already gone.
What in the name of the Miracle? Hedin turned to look back. The girl had leapt onto the rooftop and ran away just like that. It was truly a surreal power.
There's no trace of glory or even the Miracle on the inhabitants of this place. But then how was she able to do that? Hedin paused. Is it because of this strange substance I keep sensing?
Without anything to confirm his guess, he turned back to the thugs.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat.
"So... shall we proceed?"
The muggers nodded absentmindedly.
Just then, they all collectively shook their heads and came to their senses.
"Listen her-"
"Stop!"
"Oh come on!"
As the one in front, the lanky man with the knife began to speak, a feminine voice interrupted him again.
Everyone collectively turned around, where, at the entrance of the alley stood a beautiful young woman.
She had purple eyes like the finest of amethyst. Her hair was silvery white, reflecting the light of the sun and her skin was white as snow. Her face was slightly rounded and she had a cute nose.
Her attire consisted of white and purple garments that combined to form a mix between a skirt and a robe. And in her hair rested a small flower– white as snow. Her cute and rounded eyes were held downwards in an expression of stern anger and her forehead was furrowed.
Hedin narrowed his eyes seeing her attire.
A noble? Or perhaps one of the knights?
"Kindly return what you stole! I won't ask you why you did that, but only if you cooperate. I can forgive anything else, but that is very important to me." Her sweet and stern voice rang in the air, echoing in the alley.
A pregnant silence hung in the area for a moment, broken only by the bustling street outside.
The burly man spoke with an awkward tone, followed by his companions.
"Uh.. do we know you?"
"We have no idea what you're talking about. We haven't stolen anything from you."
"If you're looking for a thief, it might've been the girl who zoomed past here just a couple of seconds ago."
Hedin, of course, didn't say anything.
He waited for the entire thing to end so he could go on his merry way. He could just escape, but he figured when he was already here, he might as well do some charity work and 'educate' some of the troublemakers here.
The girl continued to stare at them for some time. Her expression was hard to decipher, but after the time frame ended, suddenly, her stern facade crumbled.
"Eh?! Does that mean you haven't stolen anything?!" She asked, flustered.
The thugs shook their heads. And when the girl's gaze turned to Hedin, he too had to do so.
As she recieved the cold truth, some clarity returned to her mind.
She turned again to them and said, "You mentioned something about a girl?"
"Oh? Yeah, she jumped over us. She ran away further into the alley."
"Yeah, she jumped onto the rooftop."
For a moment, Hedin felt as if he was sidelined– which too, was a completely new feeling for him.
As a hunter, every time he was present in a room or an area, everyone was aware of his presence at all times. Whether it be from fear or genuine respect, it didn't change the fact that he was- if not the center of attention- at most an object of surveillance.
But here, he found himself entirely sidelined, as if he simply did not exist.
Strangely, he didn't find himself disliking such a feeling.
Mumbling something to herself, the girl ran further into the alley, passing by the three muggers and Hedin who simply stood silently all this time.
As she passed him, Hedin caught a small glance thrown his way.
Finally. I can deal with these thieves. He thought.
But then, his expectations were again crumbled into dust.
"But I cannot just ignore what is happening here."
Hedin felt the hair on his neck stand as he turned around instantly.
And his eyes met blue.
Blue crystals, cold and made out of pure ice floated around the girl. More quickly began to form as her gaze locked onto the three muggers.
And then, they fired.
Whooosh!
Each icicle launched itself forward like an arrow released from a bow. It tore through the air, landing squarely on the three men!
They groaned in pain as they were thrown away by the attack. As damaging as the attack looked to be from a normal perspective, it seemed to lack a lethal intent.
Hedin turned around to look at the girl again.
His expression was unreadable as he observed the girl before him.
What was that? I sensed a shift in the amorphous substance around me. Can this world's inhabitants all do that? Control this substance?
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but then a voice interrupted them again.
"Damn it! You think just because you're a magic user you're strong!?"
"We'll mess you up!"
The muggers seemed unwilling to back off.
It was at this moment that Hedin finally had enough.
Dun!
Suddenly, the entire alley was enveloped by an air of dread. The darkness lengthened and the light escaped back, away from the alley. A strange light began to emanate from Hedin's form, one that wasn't seen easily.
His red eyes shone balefully in the intensifying darkness as he looked on at the three muggers.
The men in question froze in their tracks, as did the girl behind him. An unquestionable intent, one that originated from the most primal instincts of the human psyche emerged from deep within their hearts.
Run.
Flee.
This was a predator, born to hunt. You aren't meant to compete.
"Go away..." Hedin's deep voice broke their momentary distraction. The three muggers came to their senses, blinking stupidly.
Then, they collectively clenched their teeth and ran out of the alley.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of their footsteps rang in their ears as both the remaining figures stood silent. The previous dreadful air seemed to have vanished as if it was all but an illusion.
Hedin turned around to smile at the girl. His hat was still in his left hand.
He extended his hand up and presses the hat to his chest. Then, he bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, fine lady. I must thank you for spending your valuable time in trying help me, even though it would've brought you no benefit." He said. He had interacted with noble women in his life. And although he wasn't completely sure that the women in front of him was one, it didn't hurt to show some respect.
She stopped to help even when she has something she needs to retrieve. Perhaps, if I play my cards right, I can help her locate her stolen belonging and get some money in return. Maybe even in depth knowledge about this place.
That was his reasoning. Of course, the main reason was Hedin's own philosophy– he was a kind man at heart. He returned kindness with kindness. Getting something out of it was simply a bonus. And although he wasn't very smart, he should be able to negotiate his way through this. Experience in dealing with nobles had to count here as well right?
"Ah! Um.. it's alright!" The girl smiled sweetly as she shook her hands, trying to play it cool.
Hedin smiled slightly.
Just then, a voice came from the ether. It was high pitched and seemed to hold power that made a frightening chill travelled down Hedin's spine.
"Well well, aren't you a peculiar one~" Hedin turned his head upwards, his expression barely controlled.
He felt the same sensation he had been feeling all this time. The amorphous substance twisted in upon itself at the girl's shoulder. And out came a figure clad in white.
It was small, the size of Hedin's fist and was covered with fur.
It was... a cat?
"A cat?" Hedin asked, dumbfounded.
"Hmph! That's right! It is I! The great god of cats!" The cat which was somehow floating in the air placed it's paw onto it's small and fluffy chest, then, it held it's chin up and exclaimed in a confident tone.
Hedin felt a bit speechless. It was the first time he had found a floating cat. Although felines were known to be blessed with the Miracle of Claws, it was hardly suitable to be used for flight.
And there was something about this particular being that was all too weird. It was made out of the same amorphous substance that permeated the air, as if the energy had been given a tangible shape.
"If I may be so bold to ask, you're not really a cat are you?"
"What are you talking about~ I'm a cat! Can't you see!? Nyaa~~" The cat dud a back flip in the air and winked at him.
"I see." Hedin nodded.
Just then, the silver haired girl came to the rescue. She pointed at the cat as if displaying a product and said, "Puck isn't a normal cat. He's a spirit that I've formed a contract with."
"Spirit?" The word made the gears in Hedin's mind churn. His thoughts drifted to the various pieces folklore and fairy tales. Spirits were indeed intangible beings capable of magical things.
Many scholars associated with the Order of the Hunt theorized that spirits were a genuine lifeform, imbued with the Miracle of Magic– though such assumptions held no factual basis.
"That's right!" Puck puffed out his chest even more.
To not appear terribly uninformed as he was, Hedin merely nodded, an enlightened expression appearing on his face.
"Then let me introduce myself as well. I am Hedin Haverill." Hedin proclaimed, bowing a bit as he introduced himself.
The girl also bowed a little and said, "Myself Emilia."
"Ah, weren't you looking for something, fair lady? You were chasing after a thief right?" Hedin asked, a smile appearing on his face.
Emilia stood at the top of the short flight of stairs, whole Hedin stood at the bottom.
Still, because if his height, their heads were perfectly level.
At that moment, Hedin got a mental message from the Raven he had left with the two kids he had come across. Turns out, the kids weren't there for no reason. They had actually been accomplices of the thief who had stolen the object Emilia was looking for.
Simultaneously, her expression underwent a change.
Emilia's face exploded into a mess of shock and alarm– as if coming to a profound realization.
"That's right! I'm sorry but I'll have to leave now!" Instantly, she turned around and began to dash out
"Wait!" Hedin called out from behind her. She stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. Her face now appeared stern and serious as her brows furrowed.
"What is it? I can't stick around any further you know? You already expressed your gratitude, so let's leave it at that." She said.
Shaking his head, Hedin spoke with a measured tone.
As he spoke, the light around him seemed to phase in and out of the alley.
"I am aware that you are pressed on time. But let me help you find the insignia. It is the least I can do in return for your earlier help."
"I already told you!" Emilia turned around fully, her hands resting on her hip in a show of protest. But seeing her non serious face devoid of any anger, the scene looked quite cute than anything else. "I don't need any help!"
"You are a noble, are you not? Or at least someone from an opulent background?" Hedin suddenly asked.
The girl, taken aback, looked down at her clothes.
"Um..."
"Truth be told, my desire to help also has some selfish motives. I come from a far away place and find myself deeply troubled by the situation I find myself in." Hedin gestured all around him.
"You see, I am quite unaware of the customs and the written language of this land. Furthermore, I have no money on me." He chuckled lightly and scratched the back his head. "So, with lending you some hand, I was hoping for some payment as well."
Of course, he would use this opportunity for himself. He would have lent a hand anyways, since it wasn't too much of a hassle to track down a thief. His raven had already found the thief in question meeting up with the two kids and giving them some spare coins.
If that were not the case, he would only need to use the Miracle and wish to be led to the thief.
All in all, it was simply profit for Hedin.
As he finished, Emilia shook her head.
"But I have no money as well."
An awkward silence followed.
...
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(Image Here)
A/N: Read up to 10 advanced chapters on my patreon.
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