The Calamity Sword

We sat there a little longer because Sirien had burst into tears after I gave her the bracelet. At first, I wondered if I had done something wrong. I was so flustered that I even worried if she saw the gift as an insult rather than a present. In that split second, the clerk who sold me the bracelet almost became my sworn enemy. Fortunately, Sirien reassured me by saying she was crying out of joy. In my mind, the clerk instantly transformed back into a highly competent and friendly salesman.

"If you like it so much, why are you crying?"

"I didn't mean to cry either... They just started falling all of a sudden. What was I supposed to do?"

"You went through all the trouble of doing your hair, and now your face is a mess."

"Be quiet. Just lend me your arm a bit longer. If you tease me for crying, I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resent you for the rest of my life."

"I won't tease you."

It didn't take long for Sirien to calm down. By the time her soft cheek pulled away from my collar, her expression had already shifted, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. It was a slightly silly, yet incredibly pure laugh. Just seeing her show such a bright smile made the bracelet worth every single copper, and then some.

Sirien hugged my arm close. Her whispering voice carried clearly to my ears.

"Thank you. I'll cherish it forever."

"If I'd known you'd love it this much, I would have bought you one a long time ago."

"We never really had the chance before. I'm just so happy right now."

She looked breathtakingly beautiful as she cradled my arm gently against her chest. Sirien stretched her hand toward the sky, watching the bracelet catch the light and sparkle, then giggled as she toyed with the metal links. After she had fully basked in the joy of her gift, I pushed myself up, figuring it was time to head back. Sirien covered her face with her usual veil, murmuring that she didn't want anyone to see her tear-stained face.

"They must have been waiting inside for a while. Let's head back."

"Okay."

On our way back, the streets felt different from when we had first arrived. Women in revealing outfits and men with fierce countenances were starting to show themselves. Among them were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thugs who clearly belonged to the Sewer Rats. And there were quite a few of them. We hadn't even walked that far, yet I had already spotted at least four. Though they tried their best to hide in the shadows, they couldn't escape my gaze. It looked like they were monitoring every single passerby. Seeing this, their intentions became glaringly obvious. They were looking for Isha. In particular, I noticed them flinch whenever they looked at Sirien. Sirien had a similar build to Isha, and young girls were an incredibly rare sight in Requitas. Naturally, she drew their attention. They weren't recklessly tearing the streets apart just yet, but this changed things. Sure enough, it didn't take long before four members of the Sewer Rats blocked our path. Their objective was clear as day. A filthy finger pointed directly at Sirien.

"Hey, pal. Sorry, but let us take a quick look at the lady's face."

"I'd rather not."

"Just once is enough. It's not like looking at her is gonna wear her out, right?"

"I'm not in the mood. I don't care what you're looking for, so get lost."

At my words, the Sewer Rat's face contorted in anger. Once again, the fishy stench of stagnant water wafted off them. The smell was even stronger than the ones I had encountered a few days ago. Back then, I could only smell it when I got close, but these guys reeked of it just by standing nearby. I really detested this smell. It kept dragging up unpleasant memories. About two of them seemed to possess decent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skills. Nothing extraordinary, but it meant they had some actual combat experience. Then again, even the current Isha had her basics down perfectly. They wouldn't have sent out mere small fry alone. Besides, didn't I kill three of their men yesterday? It was only natural for their guard to be up.

'If I provoke these guys, will their higher-ups crawl out?'

These guys were deployed to search for someone. They must have a communication system in place to report any incidents. If I caused a scene, their heavy hitters would undoubtedly show up. Through that, I might encounter someone useful. I didn't need to draw too much attention to myself just yet, so I had to keep things within reasonable limits. I glanced at Sirien, but she gave no reaction. Her silence was a form of consent. If she had wanted to avoid trouble, she could have simply removed her veil. Our Saintess wasn't particularly difficult in that regard.

"Come on, how great could her face possibly be? She's just some street—"

There was no need to hesitate any longer. I didn't want to let him speak another word. It was obvious he was about to say something I didn't want Sirien to hear. I grabbed his face—which looked just as unruly as his mouth—in my palm and slammed it straight into the ground. I didn't kill him, but I didn't hold back much either. I applied enough force to ensure he would be bedridden for at least a few days. At a glance, a pool of blood began to spread across the cobblestones. Was there a sharp rock there? I couldn't guarantee he would wake up in one piece. Not that it was my problem. He should have kept his tongue in check.

The guy standing next to him drew his weapon without hesitation. It was a dagger hidden beneath his clothes. As if I hadn't already seen it. I snatched it from his grip and sliced off his finger. The very finger he had dared to point at Sirien.

"Aaaaargh!"

"You crazy bastard! Do you have any idea who we are?!"

"Sure. Why don't you tell me who you are? I've been dying to know."

It took about ten minutes. That was the time it took for me to toss the four lackeys into a corner, for Sirien to play her 'little trick,' and for the other Sewer Rats to arrive. Even though we had sat down nearby to make it easy for them to find us, it still took quite a while. Ten minutes was more than enough time for me to think, 'I think this game is ruined,' during a chess match with Sirien. Though I had never actually lost a game in ten minutes... Well, maybe once or twice.

Still, the group that arrived this time showed a decent level of effort. Their numbers had grown, and their overall quality had improved. The most eye-catching among them were two beastmen of the predatory class. Did they inherit the blood of a lion and a bear? Beastmen were highly sought after as mercenaries due to their physical capabilities, which far surpassed those of humans. Among them, those with the traits of beasts of prey were practically born for it. Since beastmen inherited the characteristics of their animal counterparts, predatory beastmen were essentially living weapons. Just looking at them, both were larger than me. Even without considering my age, I was already quite heavily built, but these guys were massive. I had seen beasts of that size grinding down enemies on the battlefield plenty of times.

When a crowd of fierce-looking thugs gathered, an intimidating atmosphere naturally formed. The people on the street hurriedly scrambled to make way for them. If they walked up to me now and said something like, 'I heard you took care of our boys,' they would look like textbook gangsters. I was actually looking forward to what their opening line would be.

"I heard you took care of our boys."

"Well, look at that."

"You laughing?"

The lion beastman was the first to pick a fight. I had heard rumors that feline beastmen had terrible tempers. Whether that was true or not, he certainly seemed more aggressive than the bear beastman. The lion looked absolutely furious. The bear, on the other hand, wore a strange expression upon seeing us. Was it a strange expression? It was hard to read the faces of beastmen, but that was the impression I got. The lion grabbed my shoulder.

"No one defies us in Requitas and walks away in one piece."

"No one messes with me and walks away in one piece either. Well, actually, there is one, but I'm going to kill him soon. He's just a bit far away right now."

"This bastard still hasn't learned his lesson, has he?"

My only dilemma was whether I should use a weapon against these beastmen. If I drew my sword, it would turn into a bloodbath, but if I didn't, they were incredibly resilient bastards. Yes, I didn't want to kill them. My goal was simply to help Sirien play her 'little trick,' not to make sworn enemies out of them just yet. Right then, something caught my eye. It was the club hanging from the bear beastman's waist. Beating the two of them with that would probably feel quite satisfying. I could save the talking for whoever they sent next. Just as I was about to reach out, a terrified gasp escaped the bear beastman's mouth.

"Wait... the Calamity Sword? Why is the guy who's supposed to be at the Aktania Gate here?!"

He had recognized me.