White Spring Street was located on the southern edge of the "Wooden House District," not far from the shantytown.
Lynn remembered Mrs. Carter mentioning that she usually walked down White Spring Street into the shantytown, then took the shortest route home.
Following that route, Lynn began searching.
He passed one low shack after another, slipped through narrow alleys, and eventually reached White Spring Street.
Along the way, apart from a few working children and wary women, he encountered no one else and certainly no sign of Mrs. Carter.
Turning back, he searched the shantytown again before finally stepping into White Spring Street.
Being part of the Wooden House District, White Spring Street was noticeably cleaner and better organized than the shantytown.
Here, the pedestrians carried less wariness in their eyes and a touch more liveliness in their expressions. Gone was the uniform dullness of the shantytown's faces.
Now and then, Lynn even spotted armored patrol teams passing by.
The security here was leagues better than in the shantytown, which was precisely why he had checked there first.
White Spring Street, No. 178… this should be it.
Turning into a side lane, he stopped before a wooden house, hesitated briefly, and knocked gently.
"Mrs. Carter…? Oh, you mean the old lady? She left about half an hour ago. Sorry, we had a few extra spots that needed cleaning today, so I kept her a little longer," a young lady answered politely when she opened the door.
Half an hour ago… did I just miss her?
"Thank you for letting me know, Mrs. Veller," Lynn said, frowning inwardly as he continued his search along White Spring Street.
When he reached an intersection, a passerby's irritated voice caught his ear:
"Who dumped horse dung here…?"
Lynn's heart tightened. He quickly followed the sound.
In a corner, he spotted several pieces of dry horse manure scattered on the ground.
Not far away, a familiar voice rang out:
"Boss, remember how we dealt with Viri back then? You know, the widow whose husband died?"
It was Kiddie's voice!
"Who remembers that? All I recall is that she ended up dead. Shame she had a kid too…" That was Bartoli speaking.
"Hahaha," Kiddie laughed loudly.
Thud.
"Keep it down! This isn't the shantytown!" Bartoli snapped, smacking Kiddie on the head.
Then, with a cruel grin, he turned to Mrs. Carter.
"So, old hag… do you understand now just how serious the consequences are for ruining our business?"
Lynn's face darkened. The voices were coming from somewhere ahead and to the right.
But… glancing at the narrow, winding alleys to either side, then back at the wooden house before him, an idea flashed through his mind.
Swish!
He took a few steps back, broke into a run, and leapt upward, his hand catching the edge of the roof in a solid grip.
The White Crow Sword Technique was already showing results; though his arm looked lean, it was packed with strength. With a single powerful pull, Lynn vaulted onto the roof like a hunting hawk.
Keeping low, he crossed several connected rooftops before spotting the source of the voices.
It was a fairly wide alley. Bartoli and Kiddie stood in the middle, while Mrs. Carter sat slumped against the wall. Something had been stuffed into her mouth, and she could only make muffled sounds.
The rooftops ended here. Lynn leapt down.
Bang.
The two men whipped around at the noise.
They saw a thin figure approaching in the sunlight, pulling a gleaming short sword from under his shirt.
Their faces instantly shifted to fear.
"S–Sir, have we… done something wrong?" Bartoli stammered.
"B–Boss… I think it's that kid!" Kiddie said suddenly, recognition flashing in his eyes.
While the two men were still stunned, Mrs. Carter, who had been sitting on the ground, slowly pushed herself up, then turned and bolted.
Bartoli and Kiddie noticed and tried to stop her, but Lynn stepped forward, blocking their way.
"Lynn, run! Split up! Once you get outside, there'll be a patrol!" Mrs. Carter yanked the rag from her mouth and tugged at his sleeve anxiously.
Her face was mottled with bruises, one eye so swollen it was nearly shut. Blood still stained the corners of her mouth and nose.
Lynn's expression grew even colder. He shook his head slightly, motioning for her to stay behind him, then tightened his grip on his short sword and stepped forward.
He truly hadn't expected these two thugs to have the audacity to come looking for trouble again.
Ellison had been right; vermin like this were like mold growing in the damp corners of the shantytown. If you didn't tear it out completely, it would always come creeping back.
"What do we do, boss?" Kiddie asked nervously, rubbing his rear as he instinctively took half a step back.
But Bartoli wasn't as cowed as before. His eyes flashed with anger.
"So it's you, you thick-headed idiot!
"You think that just because you got a lucky shot last time and injured Kiddie, you're hot stuff now?"
Clang!
Bartoli drew the dagger from his waist and shot Kiddie a vicious look.
"These past two days, we've been hiding like rats all because of him! And your injury, don't you want payback?
"Don't be afraid, he's just some scrawny kid. Let's take him together!
"And you can finally see if that new longsword of yours is sharp enough!"
Fueled by Bartoli's words, Kiddie felt a surge of resentment.
After that failed shakedown of Lynn, they'd ended up losing money instead, and the Iron Claw Gang had marked them.
If Bartoli hadn't been quick enough to move them to a new hideout, they might already be lying dead in some dark alley.
Of course, neither of them blamed themselves. In their minds, it was all Lynn's fault.
If he'd just paid up like he was supposed to, they wouldn't have panicked, wouldn't have lost money, and wouldn't be skulking around in fear.
So when they saw Mrs. Carter today, they didn't hesitate to tail her and strike.
"Boss, I'm gonna kill this brat!"
Kiddie roared, face red, drawing the longsword from his back as he and Bartoli charged at Lynn.
Bartoli had started a step ahead, but when he caught sight of Lynn's calm expression, his pace unconsciously slowed, and he ended up trailing behind Kiddie.
Mrs. Carter, standing beside Lynn, actually felt a little relieved.
After spending time with him these past days, she could tell he wasn't the impulsive type. If he dared to stand here, it meant he had some kind of confidence.
"Lynn, this is White Spring Street, not the shantytown. Killing someone here will be a problem…"
With that single warning, she took two steps back far enough to give him space to fight, but close enough to avoid being completely out of the picture.
That way, she wouldn't hinder him, nor would she be too exposed to Bartoli and Kiddie's attacks, becoming a liability.
Still, she didn't go too far.
Because if Lynn was acting on impulse… she could at least buy him a moment to escape, even if it cost her life.
The boy had a future ahead of him; he couldn't die here. She, on the other hand, was just an old woman at the end of her years…
"Ahhh!!"
Kiddie roared, gripping the longsword in his right hand and slashing toward Lynn, his face twisted in a snarl.
It looked fierce, but there was no technique in it whatsoever.
Lynn simply shifted his body slightly, letting the blade pass, then used the momentum of Kiddie's swing, his left hand forming a blade shape, and struck hard at the man's wrist.
Thud!
The blow landed with a dull crack. Kiddie screamed, certain his wrist had been shattered. His fingers went slack, and the longsword slipped from his grip.
The White Crow Sword Technique emphasized agility and explosive bursts of force.
Lynn's time training had been short, but its traits were already beginning to show in him.
The sword clattered onto the cobblestones at their feet.
Lynn moved to press the attack, but Bartoli's eyes went wide. He stumbled back two steps, then threw back his head and screamed:
"Help! Murder!
"Help! There's been a murder!!"
The cry was so sharp it startled a stray cat nearby. Its fur bristled, and with a couple of bounds, it vanished from sight.
Lynn's face remained calm. He stooped, picked up Kiddie's fallen longsword, and straightened.
The area was growing noisier now. Faces were peeking from nearby wooden houses and alley mouths. If one listened closely, the sound of heavy boots could be heard approaching fast.
Lynn glanced once at the two men, then turned and led Mrs. Carter quickly out of the alley.
A short distance away, he stopped, handed her his short sword, and said quietly:
"Mrs. Carter, head home. I'll be back later."
"Lynn…" Her face was full of worry, but she didn't try to stop him; she only squeezed his hand and urged, "Be careful."
"I will."
With a nod, he turned and walked away.
When he reached a wooden house not far off, he paused briefly, then took a running start and vaulted onto its roof with ease, heading back toward the alley they'd just left.
In the sunlight, his pale gray eyes were steady and cold.
As Mrs. Carter had said, that alley, so close to the main street, wasn't a good place.
He had never intended to finish things there anyway.
So if Bartoli and Kiddie thought they could escape with such a petty trick, Lynn could only say
They were wrong.