The moment he stepped in, he saw Eris with her mouth covered by a burly kidnapper, her face flushed red, and a large swollen bruise on her originally fair cheek.
Before Ash could say anything, the broad-shouldered butler leisurely emerged from behind the kidnapper, wearing a meaningful expression as he grinned at Ash, "What's this, kid? Have a sudden change of heart and want to be a good guy? Or did you forget that we're your partners?"
"Where's your mind going? I just suddenly realized that, regardless of how things actually are, as long as people perceive you as a good person, they'll always have a favorable impression of you from the start, no matter what problems come up later."
"What's the point?"
"No point. I just think it's more interesting," Ash shrugged and explained calmly.
"Interesting?", The butler was a bit baffled, but quickly shook his head, putting aside his dissatisfaction with Ash for the moment, and asked in a low, serious tone, "Enough digression... What the hell is going on? Why did you bring this brat back? You having second thoughts now? Do you think you'll survive if you back out now? Will this girl's family let you go? Or are you some kind of masochist who actually wants to be some damned tutor for this mad dog, get beaten half to death by her and enjoy it?"
"Come to think of it, that does make sense. Either way, siding with this girl is unwise."
Ash nodded seriously, agreeing with that point. But the moment he finished speaking, he noticed Eris's face had turned ashen.
Though her mouth was covered and she couldn't speak, she probably felt betrayed yet again, and the fury in her eyes as she looked at him was immense.
"Don't look at me like that. Your personality flaws are too severe, you can't blame me entirely," He shook his head helplessly.
The butler walked over and patted his shoulder, speaking earnestly, "That's right. Turn back now and I'll still split some of the money with you. As long as you behave and don't cause trouble, I'll give you a hundred gold coins."
"That's wonderful, except..."
"What? Not satisfied with a hundred?", The butler, who had already walked past Ash, paused, quietly pulling a dagger from his sleeve. The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his arm and slashed the dagger fiercely toward Ash's neck.
But before the dagger could fall, in this pitch-dark night, several silent slashes flashed out of nowhere, striking the butler's body with lightning speed.
In an instant, all of the butler's movements ceased. He froze in place.
And Ash, as if nothing had happened, continued walking at his unhurried pace toward the two kidnappers.
As he walked forward, he answered without looking back, ,"A hundred gold coins is certainly not enough. Rather than cooperating with wolves, I actually prefer to take it all for myself~"
The moment his words landed, a "plop" sounded.
The butler's arm, still raised high, fell off on its own.
Then his entire body, like a dismantled broken toy, crumbled into chunks of flesh, splattering blood as it crashed heavily to the ground.
The bloody, horrifying scene made the already dark alley even more sinister.
And Eris, whose heart felt like it might stop, could even hear the kidnapper behind her swallow nervously in the dead silence.
"Wh-what's going on? Wind magic?", The kidnapper holding Eris stepped back nervously, while the other pressed a sword against Eris's throat, warning sharply, "Don't come closer! If you try anything, you won't get a single copper coin!"
"A threat? Good plan. However..."
"Don't underestimate us! I've seen through your magic! If you make any move, I'll immediately!"
"I hate threats the most."
Eris, with her mouth covered and a sword at her throat, heard his words and then suddenly couldn't hear anything at all.
The two kidnappers behind her seemed to vanish into thin air, no sound, no movement. Even the sword in front of her crumbled into dust, drifting down to the ground with the evening breeze.
And Ash's figure disappeared from the front and appeared behind her without warning. He casually patted her shoulder and, as she looked back in confusion, smiled, "Let's go."
"Eek!"
More than anything, it was the shock, Eris's body jolted reflexively, and she instinctively tried to bolt.
But before she could take a single step, Ash grabbed the back of her collar and lifted her up with practiced ease.
Her legs pedaled in midair for a while without moving an inch. When she finally snapped out of it, she forced herself to suppress her resistance, tightened her little face, and glared back, declaring with the resolve of preferring death over submission, "I'd rather bite my tongue off than go with you! You... you big liar!"
"What are you thinking? Biting your tongue off just causes heavy bleeding, you won't die right away. Bite once, and I'll heal you each time. I'm curious how many times you can bite."
"I-I...", Terrified by his words, her little body trembled, and she looked like she might wet herself.
This made him clear his throat and change his tone with a smile, "Ahem... I'm not scaring you. I was going to say, didn't you see me saving you?"
"But you just said you wanted to take it all—"
"That's just a little eccentricity of mine. I never actually planned to cooperate with them. Besides, I'm kind-hearted, I can't bear to see children suffer."
As he spoke, he set her back down on the ground, wearing a gentle smile, even reached out and patted her head, guiding her gently, "Look at me, see? Doesn't it just scream 'good person'?"
"Re-really?", Still shaken, Eris didn't even dare push his hand away.
"Of course. Anyone who's been a parent basically feels the same way."
"But on that street just now, no one saved me..."
"Then they just weren't kind enough."
"But..."
"What?"
"You're that strong, when I was getting beaten, you should have been able to get there faster, right?", Remembering his incredible speed, and calming down enough to realize he wasn't an enemy and didn't plan to sell her off, Eris couldn't help but look suspicious.
Ash, however, maintained a polite smile and silently looked up at the sky, "Come to think of it, the weather's pretty nice today. Tomorrow's sure to be sunny."
"You're definitely lying! That excuse to change the subject is so lame!"
"Alright, time to go drink~", Ignoring Eris, who was stomping her feet furiously on the spot, Ash patted her head, rose quietly, and walked toward the alley exit.
Though she was furious at his attitude, Eris hesitated, then quickly chased after him, "W-wait! Aren't you going to say anything to me?"
"Say what? Haven't I said everything I needed to?"
"Can't you even apologize?"
"You're so annoying. Quiet down, or I'll leave you behind."
"Ugh...", Eris whimpered, looking around nervously before quietly following behind him. But then she snorted and turned her head away, muttering under her breath, "Who needs you to take me home? I can get back myself."
Even as she said that, her feet didn't lag a single step behind. Watching this tsundere act, Ash smiled, reached back, and patted her head again.
A healing glow instantly restored her swollen cheek, and though Eris was still puffed up with anger, her feelings had become a bit complicated.
———
When they returned to the castle, Eris finally relaxed completely at being home and collapsed limply to the ground. A group of people immediately swarmed around her, fussing over her.
But before Eris could enjoy the attention, she struggled to stand up on her own, pointed at him, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Apologize to me now!"
"Apologize for what? Did you forget what you said earlier?"
"Since when did I promise to keep our agreement? Hmph!", Eris crossed her arms, standing proud and openly going back on her word.
"Oh, really? Then...", Ash nodded silently, pushed through the crowd without another word, and as Eris turned in fear to flee, he expertly grabbed the back of her collar.
He dragged her away from the scene and, under everyone's bewildered gaze, brought her to the nearby stable. He pressed her down onto the haystack and gave her a solid slap.
"I should never have wasted all that time. I should have just started with a spanking from the beginning, much simpler and more straightforward."