"I think it's about time you paid me back."
The friendly atmosphere that had carried us since leaving the academy evaporated instantly. The man's voice cut through the street like a blade, dripping with hostility.
I sized him up. The dwarven mafioso reminded me of Van back on Arcadia, except this one carried himself with an aura of confidence that came from having real, dangerous muscle at his side. His two companions stood ready, their hands already brushing the hilts of their swords.
Mae, however, didn't so much as flinch. She crossed her arms, her expression calm, almost bored. "My new master bought me a few hours ago. I'm still bound by contract to him, so I don't have a single coin to my name. Maybe you can ask him. I'm sure the academy will reimburse him."
The leader turned his eyes toward me. His gaze lingered on the pistols holstered at my side. I could see the exact thought passing through his head: just another pampered academy weakling playing adventurer.
He sneered. "The debt is now thirty gold coins. Either pay up, or sign her over to me. I'll take Mae as my concubine and have her churn out magical trinkets until her debt's gone."
Mae wrinkled her nose, recoiling as though he'd shoved rotting meat beneath it. Disgust radiated from her face, but she said nothing. She only clung tighter to my arm, silently refusing the possibility.
Something didn't add up. The slave trader had mentioned Mae only borrowed ten gold coins. "I thought her debt was ten. What changed?"
"You did!" the dwarf spat, his voice rising. His scarred lip curled in a snarl. "Her 'temporary master' is some pansy with pistols. Pathetic. Either cough up thirty gold, or I'll cut you down where you stand and take what's mine."
Unlike the simmering anger I'd felt when Van and the adventurers mocked me back on Arcadia, this time I felt no heat. Instead, a cool clarity settled over me. This was an opportunity. He was underestimating me, and that was his mistake.
By now, a small crowd had gathered: merchants, passersby, curious onlookers. Perhaps twenty people in total. They didn't intervene. They only watched, whispering behind hands. Judging from their silence, this man's reputation stretched far.
I spoke evenly, keeping my voice calm. "I don't like either of your options. I don't have thirty gold after paying for her, and I won't hand her over to you. So, what happens now?"
The dwarf smirked. "You've got ten seconds to hand her over. If you don't, my associates will get… heavy-handed. And don't bother counting on witnesses. Nobody here's brave enough to snitch."
True enough, as if on cue, the crowd suddenly found fascinating things to look at: the sky, their shoes, the cracks in the cobblestones. Heads bowed, eyes averted. Not one of them would lift a finger.
I sighed and drew my mana pistol with deliberate slowness. The polished barrel glinted in the afternoon sun as I leveled it at his chest. His smirk deepened. In his mind, pistols were little more than toys.
"I'll give you ten gold if you forgive the debt and walk away. But if you draw steel..." I tightened my grip on the pistol, letting mana hum faintly through it. "...I won't hold back."
He barked a laugh, mocking, cruel. "Five seconds."
He raised his hand like a monarch dismissing a servant. His two companions reached for their swords, steel whispering against scabbard. The suited dwarf's fingers brushed his own hilt.
No escape now.
Before their blades could clear the scabbards, I pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The concussive cracks rang down the street, silencing all whispers.
The result was instant. Three dwarves collapsed like felled trees, their weapons clattering uselessly onto the stones. A chorus of gasps erupted from the onlookers, followed by chaos. The crowd scattered, fleeing into alleys and shops, leaving only blood pooling on the cobblestones.
Lira and Mae both gasped, stunned, not by the noise, but by the decisiveness.
I stepped forward, holstering my weapon. The three dwarves writhed briefly, then stilled, crimson spreading beneath them. Gaping wounds smoked faintly where the mana-infused shots had struck.
Kneeling, I inspected the damage. Three dead. No hesitation, no remorse. Back on Arcadia, with Van, my fear had always been retaliation; what might come after. Now? I had strength. I had allies. And with Lira's reputation beside me, there was nothing to fear.
I had killed not beasts, but men; thinking, speaking men. Yet my heart felt nothing. No guilt. No sorrow. No regret. They had threatened me. They had placed their hands on their swords. That made them enemies. That made them dead.
I reached into my [Pouch of Holding], withdrew ten gold coins, and one by one, dropped them into the bloody hole in the leader's chest. The metallic clink was sharp against the silence. "You should've taken the deal."
When I turned back, Lira's face was unreadable; shocked, perhaps, but not condemning. Mae, though, folded her arms and huffed. "You didn't still need to pay him, you know."
I shrugged.
The city guard arrived within minutes, drawn by the gunfire. Their uniforms were neat, but their eyes were tired, jaded. They questioned us briefly, recorded our names, then hauled the corpses onto a cart. No outrage. No suspicion. Just weary efficiency.
It seemed this wasn't unusual. Maybe street killings were common. Maybe the guards already knew the dwarf's reputation and wanted him gone. Or maybe it was Lira; her authority as an honorary noble carrying enough weight to smooth everything over.
Whatever the reason, they dismissed us with a curt, "Go home." And that was that.
We made our way back to the hotel, our footsteps quieter than usual. The weight of what had just happened lingered, though not heavily.
When we arrived, Mae discovered Lira had booked her a small single room. She protested loudly, stamping her foot like a child. "No way! I won't sleep in some miserable shoebox while my master has a suite. I refuse!"
Lira pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "Mae, it's only for tonight—"
"Not a chance. Unless my master orders me," Mae shot me a sideways glance, lips curling into a sly smile, "I won't spend a single night in that dungeon of a room."
Her defiance was as much teasing as it was serious. The three of us climbed the stairs to Mine and Lira's room.