In a narrow alley where the sunlight barely reached, a small group of children huddled together.
The boy who had bumped into me earlier sat proudly against the cold brick wall, an expensive-looking wallet gleaming in his hand.
"Wow… amazing!" one of the younger kids breathed, eyes sparkling at the sight.
The others crowded around him, whispering in awe.
"I told you," the boy said with a smug grin. "This is nothing if I put my mind to it!"
"Brother, you're so cool!" another piped up, their voice full of admiration.
The boy puffed up his chest, clearly enjoying the attention. With a dramatic flourish, he started to open the wallet.
"Huh? Why won't this open…?"
"Of course it won't," I said, my voice cutting through the alley like a knife. "It's protected with magic."
"Eh—?!"
The boy jerked around, eyes wide.
"Got you, you little rat."
"Ahhh!"
He hadn't even noticed me walking up behind him. While he'd been too busy showing off, I reached down and grabbed the scruff of his neck.
"H-how…?!"
Only now did he realize I was standing right there, towering over him.
Did this kid really think a count's son would carry a wallet without any protection?
Of course it would have anti-theft wards and a basic tracking spell. Any thief with common sense would know that. Touching a noble's property without caution could cost you a hand—or worse.
But this boy… clearly didn't know that.
"Would you like to return my wallet now?" I asked evenly.
"No!"
He hugged the wallet to his chest, face tightening with stubborn defiance.
I sighed. "That's not going to work."
Reaching forward, I applied just enough force to pry it from his grip.
"Eek—! I said I'm not giving it back!"
"Don't bully our brother!"
"Yeah, leave him alone!"
Before I could react, the other children—no older than seven or eight—swarmed my legs, tiny fists thumping uselessly against me.
"What the—hey!"
They clung to my coat and hit me with all the strength their small bodies could muster. But no matter how many of them there were, they were still children. Their efforts were more heartbreaking than threatening.
I tightened my hold on the boy and finally managed to pull the wallet free.
Got it.
The boy's eyes filled with frustrated tears as I straightened, my breathing steady but my heart uneasy.
Then—
"What do you think you're doing?"
A sharp, commanding voice sliced through the alley.
I turned.
A woman with striking red hair stood at the entrance, her green eyes narrowed like sharpened blades. She wore a long, travel-worn coat and carried herself with the confidence of someone who'd seen more than her share of trouble.
For a heartbeat, the entire alley went silent.
The kids froze. Even I found myself pausing under the weight of her stare.
Great.
Just what I needed.
Another complication.
She stood at the mouth of the alley, a wooden sword gripped tight in her hands, eyes blazing.
Great. Just what I needed.
She must've heard the commotion and rushed in, but from where she was standing… yeah, this probably looked bad.
A grown man cornering a kid in a dead-end alley? Perfect.
I raised my hands quickly. "It's not what it looks like. These kids—wait, huh?"
Empty space.
The boy I'd been holding onto—gone.
I blinked and turned. Somehow, all of them were already huddled behind the red-haired woman like ducklings.
"When did—"
"Help us!" one of them cried.
"That man was bullying us!" another shouted, voice trembling with fake terror.
…Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
When did they even move? I didn't see a thing.
Pickpockets really are built different.
I opened my mouth to explain before things could spiral. "Listen, it's not like—"
"You're a bad person," she said flatly.
"…What?"
Where did that come from?
"Wait, hold on. There's a misunderstanding—"
"No need for explanations!" she snapped, stepping forward.
"Wha—HEY!"
I barely ducked as her wooden sword whistled through the air, missing my head by inches.
"Are you crazy?!" I yelped, stumbling back.
"The crazy one is you!" she shot back, swinging again with frightening precision. "Picking on children? And you dare call yourself an adult!"
"What are you talking about?! I wasn't—will you just LISTEN for one second?!"
"I don't listen to the excuses of villains."
Unbelievable.
She was one of those people.
The type who makes up their mind in the first five seconds and refuses to budge, no matter what reality has to say about it.
Charitably speaking? Strong convictions.
Less charitably? Stubborn as a brick wall.
And apparently, brick walls come with swords.
"Look," I said, trying to keep my voice calm as I backed away, "swinging that thing around is dangerous. Someone could get hurt. Maybe put it down before you regret—"
"I don't swing at innocent people," she cut in, eyes narrowing. "So there's no problem."
I stared at her, half exasperated, half impressed.
"…You realize how terrifying that sounds, right? You're swinging it at an innocent person right now…"
The woman gripped her wooden sword tighter, clearly unaware of the truth—truth only she didn't know. Her eyes flashed with misplaced determination as she raised the blade higher.
I sighed inwardly.
I guess there's no helping this.
Drawing mana up from deep within my body, I moved before she could even react.
In a blink, I closed the distance and caught her wrist. With a sharp twist—
Thud.
The wooden sword slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground, the sound cutting through the tense air like a bell.
Silence followed.
"…Huh?"
She blinked, eyes darting around as confusion took hold. Her bravado faltered, and for a second, she just stood there, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.
Well? What now?
"Y-you'll regret this!" she finally blurted, her voice trembling as she tried to sound threatening.
It didn't quite land.
Before I could reply, she spun on her heel and bolted, tossing out that cheap villain line as if it could salvage her pride. She didn't even glance back as she disappeared around the corner.
And just like that, the courtyard went quiet again.
All that remained were a few scattered leaves, a fallen wooden sword, and the culprits themselves—the group of mischievous kids behind her.
"Hehe…" one of them giggled nervously.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "Come here, you little brats."
Their faces paled instantly.
"We're sorry!!" they cried in unison, bowing their heads so fast I thought they might topple over.
Nice try, but it was way too late for quick apologies.
I crouched slightly, letting a small smile tug at my lips.
"Sorry won't cut it this time. If you've got the guts to pull stunts like that, you'd better be ready to learn why it's a bad idea."
Their wide eyes trembled as I stepped forward.
Time for a proper lesson—one they'd remember well enough not to try anything like this again.