The Beast Within
Getting accosted by thugs in the Capital isn't exactly a rare occurrence. Unlike in some warmer countries where a bag left carelessly in a shop might still be sitting there untouched the next morning, the average sense of security in this world doesn't allow you to take the safety of any bag in your hands for granted. Of course, in a nation's capital, the main streets usually receive some level of attention to public safety, but the dark, shadowy back alleys that the public eye rarely reaches are naturally an exception. That's why, for those living in the Capital, having some means to protect one's own body from the thugs who might appear at any time and place could be called an absolute necessity.
For reference, my favorite method was simply never going to places where they might be, or, if I did happen to run into them, just handing over all the valuables I was carrying and going on my way. I was already exhausted to death from my miserable workload, and dealing with those petty criminals one by one felt incredibly bothersome. There were also plenty of times when half-heartedly driving them off only led to annoying retaliation not long after. It wasn't that I was scared—it was just annoying and troublesome. So, with my inherently lazy nature, I had lived my life avoiding any choices that might entangle me with them. Honestly, I was a little scared too.
My comrades seemed quite frustrated by my lukewarm approach, and even I occasionally found my own spinelessness stifling. But once I got somewhat used to it, later on, every time I handed over valuables to thugs, I felt a slight sense of pride, like a grandmother distributing candy to children who could be her grandchildren. That's why situations like this awkward predicament were extremely rare for me. A situation with no proper escape route and where persuasion clearly wouldn't work. It was exactly then.
A choice I wouldn't normally even glance at suddenly flickered across my mind.
····
"Oh! What the—? You wanna go?"
I shielded the Saintess behind me and the petrified robber with my body as I confronted the group of thugs ahead. Having faced demonic beasts that tore and shredded people with my bare hands, driving off these hothouse flowers who had probably never even witnessed such hellscapes was an easy enough task. The problem was that right now, I needed to avoid anything that could cause a major commotion, and close-quarters combat was a field I was particularly bad at.
It was certainly a boon that my body had been naturally tempered from being roasted and stir-fried in the living hell of the dungeon, but for someone like me—with neither the skill nor talent to properly control that power—quietly subduing a group of thugs this size was as difficult as picking up cold tofu with chopsticks. Right now, they looked like walking blocks of tofu to me. Hairy tofu. Tattooed tofu. Black-skinned tofu. Wait, was that one acorn jelly?
"When someone talks to you, shouldn't you at least say something back? Or is it that you're too busy listening to God's holy words to even bother mixing with the likes of us? Is that it?"
It was right then. The tattooed tofu, who seemed to be the group's de facto leader, suddenly closed the distance toward me. I instinctively realized it. This was the moment.
After years of working as an adventurer—the representative job for those who rely on physical strength—I had encountered countless instances of quarrels breaking out in large and small gatherings. By the time our party had reached mid-tier status, we had even established proper procedures for nipping such seeds of conflict in the bud, much like a fire alarm manual. Among them, the most representative method was threat.
The tactic of loudly smashing a relatively solid object from the surroundings or emitting killing intent to crush the opponent's will before they could act. In our party, Victim and Apis usually took on that role. As for the Hero, her innate charisma meant that no matter how imposing someone was, they wouldn't dare pick a fight with her lightly. In Dawna's case, the fierce desire to test her newly developed magic glittered so clearly in her dim eyes that not only people but even demonic beasts rarely approached her.
But even in our party's seemingly perfect defenses, there was a flaw. Yes, it was me. I had an inherently gentle face and a slender build that looked like it couldn't even kill a fly. And when such an obviously easy target was wearing priestly robes, it was only natural that the eyes of hyenas looking for a fight would all converge on me. Apis had occasionally tried to teach me how to threaten enemies when she couldn't stand it anymore, but we soon realized something. I had a catastrophically lacking talent for threatening others.
It was common for fragments from objects I smashed with all my might to end up embedded in my own face. And when I gathered all the strength in my core and let out a roar, the Hero's innocent, cutting remark that it sounded like a dying lamb crying had honestly hurt quite a bit. "Even a three-year-old could do better than that!" was what Apis had said when she couldn't take it anymore. So I cleanly gave up.
If someone picked a fight, I just let them. If a brawl seemed imminent, I would throw away all dignity and run away first. There were occasional times when the Hero would suddenly disappear with the ones who had picked fights with me into some dark place, but in most cases, things resolved peacefully like that. However, I instinctively knew. This was the moment I had to unleash the beast I had sealed away inside me once again.
"Hey? You deaf or something?"
It was just as the menacing man, who had now come right up to my nose, twisted his face and suddenly swung his hand. The Saintess, seeing his aggressive behavior, began approaching him with her neck cracking like a doll with dislocated joints. I hurriedly blocked her rampage with one arm while grabbing the man's violently swinging wrist with the other.
"Oho~!"
Thud.
The man suddenly let out an exclamation full of admiration, as if finding my bold action quite impressive.
"Boss! This, this! Looks like we've really stepped in it this time!"
"Kahaha!"
Taking the hearty laughter of the giant called "Boss" as their cue, the several grown men behind him all burst into laughter. I wondered if these guys even knew that one of their comrades had nearly died just moments ago. In the narrow alley echoing with their mocking laughter, the emotions I felt were self-mockery at my own treatment and pity toward them.
"This bastard's gone crazy wanting to di—!"
It was right after that. Whether to shake off my hand that was holding his arm, the man who suddenly shouted raised his knee toward my abdomen. At that exact moment—
Whoosh—!
"Huh?"
My arm, which had been holding his, drew a circle in the air in an instant, and the man realized that the lightning-fast trajectory ended at the hard, cold ground.
Thud!
After he was flung helplessly to the floor like a wet tissue.
"Kuh, kuhuk!"
"What?!"
While the man struggled to catch his dried-up breath like a fish freshly pulled from the water, the thugs who had frozen like statues stared at me with faces filled with shock as they watched his miserable state. Then, I gently placed my foot on the body of the man lying face-up toward the sky and boldly met their bewildered gazes. The way they occasionally swallowed dryly. Their increasingly retreating steps, clearly terrified. It was better than I had expected.
I let out a small mental sigh of admiration and briefly examined the man under my foot. I had been worried sick that he might have hit his head wrong and died instantly, but there was no blood coming from his mouth, and judging by the straight shape of his limbs, though a few bones might be cracked, there were no fractures. His internal organs seemed fine too. Whew.
It was fortunate that the first button had been fastened elegantly, but while I felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment, a slight feeling of discomfort also stirred. It was good that the trick Apis had once taught me—loudly beating up one suitable opponent to serve as an example and breaking the will of the rest—had worked successfully. But no matter how much I told myself there was no other way, throwing out a person rather than a monster always left me feeling terrible.
The unpleasant sensation settling in my grip. The sticky sense of elation clinging to my consciousness. All of it was unpleasant and disgusting. I realized once again. It seemed I really had no aptitude for hitting people.
"Y-you bastard! What the hell are you—!"
"This guy, don't tell me he's an Awakened?!"
"W-what do we do?! Boss?!"
Pushed forward by his panicked subordinates, the boss made eye contact with me. I thought about giving a light greeting, but that wouldn't do. After all, a threat relies on atmosphere and a certain flow. Threatening with words could be an effective method, but it wasn't something that applied to someone as smooth and slippery as me in every action.
'Once you knock one down, don't open your mouth after that. Just stand there until they leave on their own. The moment you open your mouth, you'll turn into complete dogshit.'
Every word of it was correct. Since it came from Apis, who had no equal when it came to harsh language, there was no way I—who trembled at even a single curse—could dare raise an objection. In fact, there had been a previous similar situation where my weak "P-please don't do that next time····!" had instantly reversed the icy atmosphere.
To maintain the current bleak mood, keeping my mouth shut was the best option. But since I couldn't convey my intentions to them without speaking, I decided to communicate my will through action instead of words.
Swish.
I raised my index finger, carefully brought it to my lips, and smiled faintly.
"H-hiiik!"
It was obvious how they would interpret this meaningful yet thoroughly cringeworthy gesture. After all, the emotion of fear is specialized in inflating the opponent's capabilities beyond their actual size. This should be enough. No, it might have been a bit too much.
Just as I judged that the situation had been roughly resolved and was about to pick up the wriggling man from the floor to throw him at them—
"Huh?"
In the process of bending down to pick up the man on the floor, I accidentally brushed against something behind me.
Tap.
I realized that the source of that dull sound was the nameless robber who had been briefly petrified by the Saintess.
Crunch!
Right after the one who had once been human was slammed to the floor, the horrific sight of him shattering into several pieces unfolded.
"Hey, th-that····. D-Diroy. No···· Hey? That was definitely the new recruit who just joined this time···· wasn't it····."
The man who pointed at the pile of human fragments that had collapsed on the floor suddenly stopped the mouth that had been moving normally just moments ago, as if realizing something was terribly wrong.
"Huh? H-huh? Huhhh?"
The shift in their gazes—from being tinged with dim fear to clear terror toward something inhuman—was incredibly swift.
"W-wait a moment. No, no. This is a m-misunderstanding····"
"Uwaaaaaaaaagh—!!!"
Before any words could even escape my mouth as I belatedly tried to smooth things over, their desperate sprint—as if their very lives depended on it—had already vanished beyond where my insignificant voice could reach.