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Chapter 65
“Security is still a complete mess.”
Rune frowned as he approached them. The girl spotted Rune over the man’s shoulder and gave a peculiar smile.
“Oh? Smiling? Saying it nicely makes it seem like I’m joking, doesn’t it?”
Thinking she was mocking him, the man suddenly flared up, raising his hand.
Thwack. Rune quickly stepped toward the man’s back and grabbed his wrist.
“What kind of behavior is this from men toward a little girl?”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“What are you doing here at this hour?”
Crap.
Daniel’s face darkened as the low voice came from behind, and he grabbed Ellen by the collar.
‘Hey, what do we do now! I should’ve followed them!’
Ellen clicked her tongue in frustration at the urgent whisper. This was bad.
By now, the black night sky was giving way to dawn. Rune, who was supposed to return at midnight, hadn’t come back.
Daniel’s patience had finally snapped after waiting at the dorm all night.
After hours of guarding the hole under the wall, Daniel’s impatience had turned into a problem.
At that point, Ellen was also wondering if she should go out to look.
“Clingy little things… and now there aren’t enough of you.”
Both turned toward the long shadow looming over them. This was really bad.
Kylian gazed down at them with his dark eyes.
“Rune, what about that one?”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“And who’s this little knight? Best move along while you can, got it?”
“Seems justice hasn’t died, brother. Hahaha.”
“Wait a moment, look at this. I won’t bother with the man, but it seems you might be capable.”
The man, grinning widely, approached Rune and ran his thick hand across her cheek.
Thwack!
Rune sharply swatted his hand away, causing him to snort angrily.
“Haha! You’ve completely lost your nerve, kid.”
Rune sighed and shook her head.
She needed to sneak back to the dorm immediately, so impatience gnawed at her. The quieter the early morning, the harder it would be to avoid other eyes.
“Haaa… I really have to go back now.”
Judging by their angry faces, things were about to get troublesome.
The man frowned at Rune’s attitude. Clenching his fists, he charged.
“You insolent brat! I’ll personally teach you manners!”
Rune lightly turned her head to dodge the punch and drew her sword from her belt.
“Ah, I’m also confident in teaching with my body.”
Clutching the scabbard tightly, she weaved between the men.
“Ugh!”
“Arrgh!”
With each dull thud, the men grabbed their sides and collapsed.
Thin rib bones are surprisingly effective targets in real combat. One man rolled on the floor, wailing as though a rib had cracked.
“Damn it! I won’t forgive you!”
Two furious men attacked Rune simultaneously. The one grabbing her from behind laughed triumphantly.
“Hahaha! Now you’re trapped, right? I’ve got you! End it now!”
“Krahaha! I’ll show you a lesson, brat!”
With her arms held, the other man rushed in with a malicious grin.
“…This is troublesome.”
Rune smirked, lifted her knee high, and kicked forcefully between the charging man’s legs.
Wham! The sound of something breaking echoed sharply.
Rune clicked her tongue at the unpleasant sensation through her boots.
“This doesn’t feel great for me either.”
The man collapsed, clutching his groin.
“Gyaaaah!!”
Even the pink-haired girl watching from the sidelines winced at the agonized scream.
Rune glanced at the man holding her and nodded.
“You asked for it to be over immediately, didn’t you?”
The man, panicked, stepped back and tripped over his own feet.
“You… you ruthless bastard…! Die!”
He drew a knife from his chest pocket and charged with rage.
“Too bad I can’t deal with you properly. Using real swords is prohibited.”
Rune gracefully avoided the attack, stepping back slowly.
Click. She loosened the suspenders on her pants. Gripping both ends, she felt the taut leather in her hands.
As she dodged the knife, she planted her boots and leaned forward, thrusting the tightened suspenders toward the man’s arm.
“Ugh! Die!”
Rune’s sudden charge confused the man, who wildly slashed the knife, grazing her cheek.
“Ah.”
A sting made her frown. She wrapped the man’s hand in suspenders and struck his side.
“Aaah!!”
In extreme pain, the knife slipped and clattered to the ground.
Kneeling, the man had his head yanked back by the suspenders around his neck.
“Gah, cough…”
Rune, gripping the suspenders, brushed her cheek and spoke softly.
“Seeing you use a knife… I guess you also kill people, huh?”
The terrified man widened his eyes and trembled.
‘Impossible. This speed…!’
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Huff, huff.”
Rune grabbed the girl’s wrist, who was breathing heavily, and ran down the alley.
‘Damn, if it were a monster, I’d have cut its neck immediately.’
Swinging a sword at a human weakened her resolve, even if they were dangerous.
All her experience with humans had been within strict sparring rules.
‘Maybe I should’ve just crippled their legs.’
She had already damaged their faces, but their limbs were intact, so they would pursue soon.
Hiding in a dark corner, she soon heard the men shouting and stomping.
“Find them! You cursed Yeon kids! We won’t forgive you if we catch you!”
The voices grew closer. Rune covered the girl’s mouth and pressed her against the wall.
The girl’s warm breath filled Rune’s palm.
“Shh, hold on a little longer.”
The girl’s violet eyes slowly relaxed. The men’s voices faded, leaving the alley silent. Rune removed her hand and carefully peeked outside.
‘Luckily, they’re gone.’
The girl exhaled and smiled faintly.
“You saved me from a tough situation.”
Her husky voice and the small mark under her left eye made her striking.
Despite what had just happened, she smiled calmly.
“Could you escort me back to my lodging?”
It wasn’t a request but an order, spoken naturally, almost casually.
She was taller than Rune but still seemed close in age. Her jeweled earrings and luxurious robe suggested noble birth.
‘Alone at this hour without guards…’
Rune sighed and nodded.
“…It’s late, so I’ll accompany you.”
“Thank you.”
The lodging was not far from the square. Rune, however, was taken aback by its unexpected location.
“…You really stay here?”
“Yep.”
The girl sniffed and smiled playfully. She pulled the door handle, letting a clear chime ring as the door opened.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
A small, flickering yellow light from an old lantern swayed in the breeze.
The alley revealed the old inn’s faint sign:
“Traveler’s Rest”
Introduced via the Gotham Guild, this was the inn Rune had been told about.
“There haven’t been guests lately. It’s rare to open the door. Welcome.”
Inside, the once-abandoned hall now felt cozy.
‘It wasn’t open a moment ago… what happened?’
Chairs were placed for guests, and the smell of warm soup wafted from the kitchen.
“My uncle runs this inn. He’s also the chef. Want something to drink?”
“No, thank you. It’s late; I should be going.”
Rune declined politely. The clock showed well past midnight.
“Too bad. Are you attending the academy?”
“Yes. But it’s not safe to be out this late. You should be careful.”
“Wow, you care about me? But you should also be careful at night.”
The girl laughed heartily, spilling tears of amusement. Rune squinted.
“What do you mean?”
“Haha, nothing serious. Just saying be careful.”
“If you’re alone, make sure the door is locked. I should go now.”
“Thanks, and return safely.”
Rune paused at the door, pondering. According to Ellen, who knew when it would reopen.
If her family ran it, perhaps the girl knew something.
“One question… do you know about ‘Traveler’?”
The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“You have a job, don’t you?”
Rune widened her eyes at the straightforward answer. The girl came close and whispered into her ear.
“You seem curious about many things.”
Startled, Rune stepped back as the girl slipped a card into her suspenders with a smile.
“Since you were helped, I’ll give you a chance to meet him. Farewell.”
“Huh?”
The girl opened the door. Rune stumbled outside as the door swung shut.
Through the closing door, the girl’s violet eyes curved gracefully as she whispered:
‘We’ll meet again soon.’
