PTMH 06

Chapter 06

“……Baron?”
As soon as I recognized him, he tilted his chin slightly and met my gaze.
In the darkness, his gem-like red eyes flashed.

“You remember me.”
“Of course. I remember every customer who comes to my general store. But what brings you here?”
“I just went out for a walk. Thought I’d take a look around the village as well.”
“I see.”

I’ve never met anyone who goes sightseeing in a village quite like that.
Baron truly is a peculiar person.
Who would think a simple “I’m out for a walk” could sound so suspicious?

I slowly stepped back, putting some distance between him and myself.
He stood in place, staring intently at my feet, as if measuring how far I would go.
What’s with him? Why act like that? It’s… awkward.

Fidgeting with the worn edges of my shoes, I quietly turned my back.
If I went straight, I’d end up back at my house, but I didn’t have the courage to pass by Baron blocking the narrow path.

“Well then, enjoy your walk. I’ll be going now.”
Click-clack, click-clack—my footsteps quickened, leaving the path he shared.

Yet, strangely, another shadow began to creep over mine in the moonlight. Light footsteps sounded behind me.
Could it be… Baron following me?
No, it must just be a coincidence that our paths overlap.

Though I was uneasy, asking him outright wasn’t an option.
I carefully turned toward the alley leading back to the general store. If necessary, I’d dash inside.

But then, from deeper in the alley where the store was, suspicious noises reached me.
Click-clack, click-clack!
“Hey, hurry up and open it! Why are you taking so long?”
“Ha, damn. I thought picking the lock on this shabby general store would be easy, but why won’t it open?”
“Step aside. I’ll try.”
“Should we just break in? Seems faster.”

They were Axel and his friends.
Even if I forgot their faces, I’d never forget those insolent voices.

“Spawn of the devil, you’ve made it big.”
“Wasn’t he the kid who stole rotten apples from the street?”

Their mocking words overlapped, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
I thought the days of being hurt by meaningless words were long gone.
Some wounds, though, never dull with time.

But I had to put my feelings aside for now.
This was an emergency. It seemed those thugs were breaking into the store to steal money.

Why?
If they wanted to steal, wouldn’t it make more sense to target some other shop rather than ours, the poorest in the village?
Could it be… they’re doing this so I can’t pay the taxes due tomorrow?
Axel wants to torment me that badly?
He came to our village early just for this?

My head throbbed. I knew he had a strange obsession with me, but I never imagined he’d stoop this low.

What should I do?
If this is under Axel’s lead, making a fuss won’t solve anything.
I’m just a lowly commoner, powerless against the son of the noble lord.

While I was thinking of a way to quietly handle this before my brother found out, a massive shadow loomed over me.

“Shall I help you?”
“…Huh? Baron?”
Baron nodded as if it were obvious.

In front of me were Axel’s friends.
Behind me, a suspicious stranger wandering the village in the moonlight.
Why is everything happening today?
Situations where I’m caught between both seem to occur too often.

When I looked at Baron warily, he opened his eyes wide, as if to prove his innocence.
Like a tamed puppy, his gaze held no malice.
It was suspicious, yet strangely reassuring. Beautiful faces really are dangerous—no matter how bizarre the situation, they make it believable.

“There are petty thieves in the store, right?”
“Yes. But there’s nothing of real value. I never keep money in the store.”
The purse is always hidden in my skirt.
If I left it anywhere else, my brother would take it.

“And the goods?”
“They’re things that won’t sell anyway, so it doesn’t matter if they’re stolen. I just hope they don’t break the purified water bottles…”
“Ah.”

Baron didn’t say anything, but I felt a pang of guilt for attempting to sell him stock.
I didn’t plan to gouge anyone; if anything, I’d offer a discount.

“Um, Baron.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“I want to avoid trouble if I run into the thieves. Could you chase them quietly? I’ll give you this calculator in exchange.”
“Calculator?”
“The one you saw this morning.”

After mustering the courage to offer, Baron widened his eyes as if hearing something impossible, then let out a sudden, deflated laugh.

“Krhh.”
“…If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll manage on my own, so please continue on your way.”
“A lady in distress cannot be left alone. Wait here a moment.”

I’m not a lady…
His soft, city-like tone felt oddly embarrassing.

“Thank you. I’ll owe you one.”
Baron tilted his eyebrows confidently.
I felt a bad premonition. That was exactly the expression my brother wore right before causing trouble.

Baron picked up two pebbles from the ground and hurled them into the darkness without hesitation.
Swish—The stones arced powerfully.
Thunk! A dull impact, followed by shrieks. The sound of breaking glass was just a bonus.

“Ugh.”
“Gah.”

Finally, the men hit by the stones collapsed. Judging by the precision, the stones struck their heads.
Baron’s aim rivaled that of professional hunters. If they noticed his skill, we’d be in trouble.
And he handled it incredibly quietly.
What now?

While I stood dumbfounded, Baron looked almost proud.
He walked ahead, speaking to calm me.
“Do not worry. They are likely unharmed.”

As Baron promised, the petty thieves were not dead.
…but my plant, Ssukssuk, nearly was.

“Ssukssuk!”
A stone that bounced off a thief’s head had pierced the glass window and lodged in Ssukssuk’s leaf.
Had the trajectory shifted slightly, it would have pierced the stem instead.

Baron, noticing Ssukssuk, paused while gathering the fallen thieves and apologized.
“Oh, I didn’t realize Ssukssuk was here…”
“It’s fine. The leaf will regrow.”

I removed the damaged leaf, chopped it up, and buried it in the soil—at least some nutrients would return.

From behind came soft laughter. Baron had been quietly amused all along.
Though his attitude was irritating, I was grateful.

I picked up the calculator from the counter and slid it into Baron’s pocket.
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”

“Could you leave the thieves outside the village? As if they passed out drunk.”
“No problem.”

He neatly stacked the thieves and carried them lightly, as if lifting a sack of potatoes.
He truly was strong for his size.

“I’ll leave first. Make it home safely, Hazel.”
“Thanks again, Baron.”
“You’re welcome. One should never ignore someone in need. That is the proper mindset for a resident of Luden Village.”
“That’s true… I guess.”

Hearing him say it made the words feel slightly awkward.
Like a lion suddenly claiming it will eat only grass—something about it didn’t quite match.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Baron lightly nodded and exited smoothly, having truly just helped and left.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding…”
Baron might actually be a good person.

Thunk!
The thugs’ bodies hit the ground. Black boots stamped down on them.
Baron looked down at them as if inspecting filth.

A black shadow dropped behind him.
“Have you finished the inspection?”

Baron fiddled with a ring embedded with a yellow pumpkin in his pocket.
“Yes. Finally found it.”

His lips curled in a bitter smile.
His silver hair shone brighter than moonlight, his golden eyes gleamed like jewels—but she did not recognize him.

Yet…
“So cute.”

The shadow flinched at the casually spoken words. Not something one would expect from a man more monstrous than the monsters themselves.

Suppressing confusion, the shadow asked the unusually erratic master.
“What do you intend to do?”

The master’s red eyes gleamed coldly. He smudged dirt on his hand across his face.
“How’s this? Like a dirt potato?”
“Why say that all of a sudden?”

Even smeared in blood, his beauty remained undiminished. Not a trace of dirt showed on his cheeks.

Baron wiped the dirt off and instructed the shadow:
“I will remain in the village until we retrieve that item. Convey that.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”