Chapter 19 : Fighting with Bare Hands looks cool

At first, Serena thought she might have misheard.

But after hearing the faint sound of curses, she realized she hadn’t been mistaken, and she turned around.

The voice she had just heard probably came from the alleyway behind her.

Concerned and curious about what was going on, she discreetly glanced at Ershi to see if she was paying attention.

Fortunately, Ershi was distracted by the guards. 

Seizing the opportunity, Serena quickly and quietly ran toward the alley.

It wasn’t too far, so it should be fine.

Just as she made that judgment, the curses from earlier echoed in her ears, followed by a groan filled with pain.

“Why can’t you just hand it over when I ask nicely?! 

You damn pest, stop resisting!”

“Ah, no… 

I haven’t eaten anything for days.”

“Shut up and give it to me! 

You want to die, huh?!”

In the dark, damp alley that barely saw the sunlight, a violent scene was unfolding. 

A young boy lay on the ground, while a large adult man towered over him, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted.

“Hey. 

What’s this kid doing, watching us?”

“Huh? 

What’s this? 

Is she a noble lady or something?”

The two men who were with the man committing the violence glanced at Serena and immediately turned their eyes away, sensing her gaze.

With a slight wariness in their eyes, they saw her outfit and then smirked.

“Ugh…”

Feeling a deep sense of disgust, Serena grimaced as she looked at the fallen boy. 

Her mind wandered back to the past.

Before she was kidnapped by the slave traders, she had often been subjected to random violence on the streets. 

It was just for fun or as a way to vent frustration.

The pain of violence, which she had experienced at a time when she didn’t even understand herself.

Because she knew that feeling of helplessness and misery, she couldn’t just ignore the boy, who reminded her of her past.

“Ha, don’t!”

“What?”

“Don’t hit him. 

If you keep this up, I won’t just stand by.”

Her voice trembled, and her body shook. 

Anyone could tell she was just bluffing. 

The bullies, who had been watching, burst into laughter.

“Oh my. 

This lady’s got some guts, huh? 

Who do you think will protect you?”

“You have no idea how bad we are, do you? 

Well, let me show you the harsh reality, little girl.”

One of the bullies, who had been stomping on the boy, approached Serena with large strides and reached out his hand.

Her mind screamed to run, but her legs refused to move. 

In the end, the large hand gripped Serena’s delicate wrist.

In a split second, Ershi’s fist slammed into his face with tremendous force.

“Ugh?!”

The bully collapsed backwards from the unexpected punch.

“What, what’s going on?!”

“What is this girl doing?!”

With just one punch, the bully’s much larger companion couldn’t believe his friend had been taken down so easily.

But before they could even think of fighting back, Ershi continued the assault, hitting the other bully hard in the face or punching him in the stomach, ending the situation with ease.

Serena and the boy stood there, staring blankly at the scene, as though caught in a whirlwind.

“How dare you touch her with those filthy hands…”

Although she was a magician, Ershi had of course learned basic martial arts as a lady. 

Plus, the harsh training from Ord had made her more than capable of handling a few thugs.

Now that the situation had settled, Ershi approached Serena.

“Serena. 

You’re the one who needs to be scolded, so don’t try to act innocent. 

Got it?”

“Uh, huh?”

Before Serena could understand what was happening, Ershi gave her a light smack on the back of the head.

It wasn’t hard, but the pain was enough to sting. 

More than that, Serena never expected Ershi would actually hit her, and the mental shock added to the discomfort.

“I was worried about you! 

What if something had happened to you?!”

“But…!”

She had just wanted to help someone in danger. 

Why was she being scolded for that?

But seeing the expression on Ershi’s face, looking even more hurt than Serena herself, she swallowed her words.

Realizing how wrong it was to make others worry, Serena whispered an apology.

“…Please don’t do that again.

Understand?”

Ershi gently rubbed the spot she had slapped, and it seemed to ease the pain a little.

“Uh… 

I mean, could you help him?”

For a moment, Serena had forgotten about the boy, but then she pointed at him, who was slumped against the wall.

Blood was flowing from his split lip, and there were visible bruises all over his body. 

Moreover, he had just been kicked by an adult man, so it was clear that the boy had broken several bones.

Seeing this, Ershi didn’t ask any questions and immediately used healing magic to treat the boy.

A faint light began to surround him.

As the injuries seemed to disappear as if they had never existed, the boy looked at his body in disbelief.

“Th-thank you so much for helping me!”

“It’s fine. 

By the way, it seems like you were really beaten by those guys. 

Can you tell me what happened?”

“…It’s nothing. 

They just tried to steal my bread. 

It’s a common thing in the alley.”

Upon closer inspection, there was a broken baguette in his arms, barely recognizable in its original shape.

To think they beat up a child just to take that one piece of bread. 

Though he was unconscious, Ershi had thought about beating them up a few more times, but she decided to stop, as it wouldn’t look good, especially with the boy watching.

“…I see. 

So this kind of thing happens often, huh?”

“Thanks to you, I’m… all right now.”

Ershi then took out five gold coins from her pocket and handed them to the boy.

“Uh, w-why are you giving me this?!”

Five gold coins could buy a small house.

For a boy who could barely earn a few coins after begging all day, this amount was a fortune.

He couldn’t easily accept it, and it felt hard to believe someone would just hand it over without a second thought.

Honestly, Ershi herself also wondered if she needed to give him that much, but she felt sorry for him—living a difficult life at such a young age—and wanted to help.

Besides…

“Don’t worry. 

I may look like this, but I have plenty of money.”

Thanks to her magical patents, Ershi had quite a bit of wealth, so this amount wasn’t even a significant expenditure for her.

Still, when the boy refused to take it, Ershi eventually forced his hand open and pressed the coins into it.

“Don’t go around boasting to others about this, okay? 

If you do, you’ll get into big trouble.”

“Y-yes! 

I’ll never forget your kindness! 

Thank you so much!”

The boy, trembling as he held the gold coins, eventually teared up and bowed his head repeatedly.

Now that the situation was over, Ershi decided it was time to return to the mansion.

She didn’t want to be out too long because of Serena’s collar.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Well… 

I was just wondering if you were really the person I know.”

While walking with their hands held, Serena’s gaze seemed to shine with something as she looked at her.

“Teach me how to fight too.”

What’s with this kid? 

The moment she came back, she started saying things like that.

I couldn’t help but be caught off guard by her sudden request.

Was the way I fought in the alley that impressive?

Seeing her shaking her little fist with determination, I wasn’t sure if I should feel pleased or worried.

“Well, if you learn magic, you can fight more impressively than with just punches. 

Do you really want to learn?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s cool.”

Well, that’s a perfectly valid reason for a kid, isn’t it? 

I almost wanted to pat her soft cheek, but I held back.

I had planned to teach her one day anyway, so there was no harm in her showing interest, but seeing her take such an interest in fighting reminded me of someone I knew.

I hope she doesn’t get too absorbed in it and end up like a princess who only knows how to fight. 

If that happens, I’ll really cry.

“Hmm. 

So, Serena, you’re interested in that kind of thing?”

“Ugh!”

That’s right. 

Ord was also right next to me.

I quickly checked his expression, and I could see a spark in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

If I left things like this, Serena would end up going through the same harsh training I did. 

I couldn’t let that happen to her.

She was still young, and it was a shame to put her through such things when she had the whole beautiful world ahead of her.

“Well, fighting is something you can learn later. 

For now, let’s focus on learning magic, okay?”

“Fine. 

I get it.”

“If you exercise while learning, it’ll clear your mind too.”

“Shut up!”

Serena puffed her cheeks in annoyance, but in the end, she would thank me later.

She wouldn’t know what it was like to deal with someone like Ord, who kept pressuring her.

“Oh, I almost forgot. 

A letter came for the master while you were gone.”

Just as I thought I could finally take a rest, Ord handed me a letter that had arrived while I was out.

It had the royal seal, and I already had a good idea of who it was from. 

A smile spread across my face, happy that it had finally arrived.

I had been waiting for this.

Opening the letter, I found the content and the sender were exactly as I had expected.

[Sorry for the delay in contacting you. It might be a bit late, but as promised, I will come to see you in three days. Until then. – Reisen Leonhart]

Three days, huh? 

That gives me plenty of time.

Well then, shall I start preparing? 

To make the first meeting with the prince and our princess unforgettable.