Chapter 13: This Witch is a Savior
Over the next few days, I collected my reward for the quest with Mary and even ranked up from E to D after the guild confirmed the plate from that bandit. It felt so lovely to be free from responsibilities again as I breathed in the city's air from atop an abandoned building. I remembered the scary lecture that Mary gave me about Mythril coins when I pulled them out, causing me to shudder.
Mary forced me to divide my coins into gold, silver, and bronze denominations. At the same time, the adventurer’s guild bank held the majority of them. So, I guessed this was an actress’ passive income.
I put mana into my eyes and looked down at the city from my vantage point. The mana signatures of most were dim. Flying up higher on my broom, I got a better view. Everybody looked like ants from up there, and I could see the reckless city planning. Most things made sense, but the slums were the worst offenders—piles of rubble and stacked shacks.
Heaving a sigh, I looked down at another cliche occurring. In an alleyway, a thuggish ruffian had cornered a small girl. I noticed I had seen the girl before but couldn’t pinpoint where. She had a little creature beside her that was hissing at the guy. Looking closer, it was an ominous-looking black bat.
The man wore a black outfit and held crimson daggers as he talked to her. I put magic power into my ears to hear what he was saying.
“...after that, my promotion will be guaranteed at the assassin’s guild.”
I knew someone needed to protect this girl, but I was not a hero. As time seemed to slow, I thought about what I should do.
Quickly flying to the guild popped into my mind. There were strong adventurers there who’d be willing to help. But I shook my head. If I flew to the guild, that girl would surely be kidnapped or killed. Thinking about it, he was probably a weak ruffian who preyed on little girls, and I just ranked up. So, I might have been stronger than him.
I steeled myself and flew down on my broom, landing between the girl and the bandit. My robes flapped in the breeze with some wind magic for dramatic effect, and then I pointed at the hooded man.
“You! Preying on little girls in broad daylight. You should be ashamed of yourself!” My hero’s entrance had been completed. I’d hoped this would give me a boost to my acting career.
“H-how did you?” He asked.
I smiled at the perfect reaction. Indeed, this was how it was supposed to be. A hero shows up exactly when they mean to, and then the villain is surprised.
“Fufufu,” I laughed. “How dare your vile deeds go unpunished while I am in this city, villain! I’ll forgive you for not knowing Eerie vo—”
“N-no! Please, wait! I have money!”
His cries fell on deaf ears. The black ball sucked his entire body inside in an instant. Only his daggers remained, the one in his hand falling to the ground.
When I turned to see if the girl was okay, she ran up to me and hugged me. I smiled and gently patted her head.
“Witch,” she said, hugging me even tighter.
“There, there, it will be okay now. What’s your name?”
“I am Sine! What about witch?”
I smiled tenderly. “I am Eerie von Witchhat. Where are your parents?”
“In a different place.”
I frowned. Sine’s parents must have passed on, but I wondered if she was an orphan here if that was the case. “Where are you staying?”
“I stay in the castle.”
The royal family here must have been good people to take in such a girl. “Allow me to take you back. Or I can bring you to—”
“No! Stay with witch," she said, clinging onto me even more.
“Huh?”