A heavy thud echoed across the Skybridge, cutting through the quiet night and shattering the peaceful atmosphere in an instant.
The Skybridge was renowned as one of the most scenic spots in Lumeris. Suspended high above the city, its translucent stone walkway glowed with flowing veins of blue and gold mana, making it seem as though they were walking over liquid starlight.
This breathtaking scene made it famous throughout Lumeris as a date spot for couples. A sacred little path suspended between heaven and city.
Tonight, several people were enjoying the view, but the sudden disturbance caused the romantic mood to evaporate.
A group of five rough-looking men stood blocked the path. Dressed in mismatched leather armor and carrying various enchanted trinkets, they exuded an air of practiced intimidation. The other visitors on the bridge quickly retreated, whispering in hushed, worried tones as they hurried toward the exits to avoid a confrontation.
"Let's go."
"Don't get involved…"
"Those are the Crescent Alley thugs…"
"Hurry…"
One by one, the surrounding couples quickly left the bridge, unwilling to invite trouble upon themselves.
Only one unfortunate young couple remained trapped. A man and a woman. Likely in their early twenties.
The leader of the group, a tall and imposing man, stood over them with a cold, vulgar grin. He had cornered them against the railing, his shadow looming over the woman as she paled in fear.
"This bridge is restricted tonight," the leader stated, his voice harsh. "Unless, of course, you're willing to pay the crossing fee."
He reached out—and seized her chin. Forcing her face upward. "Aren't you quite a pretty one."
The woman flinched. "P-please…"
He tilted her face upward with indecent eyes. "Now, now, sweetheart." His breath reeked. "…Why waste your pretty little face on a weakling like him?"
The woman begged. "P-Please let go—!"
Beside her, her boyfriend struggled desperately. "Get your hands off her!" His face was filled with panic and fury. But two other thugs had restrained him from behind, pinning both arms. He thrashed against them.
"…L-Lia!" His voice broke.
The leader's hand slid from the woman's chin to the side of her neck.
Then lower and lower.
His grin widened.
The other hooligans leered openly. Eyes crawling over her with indecent hunger.
"Boss really hit the jackpot tonight."
"Look at that figure…"
"What a waste on that coward."
The woman's eyes glistened with tears. Her hands pushed weakly against the leader's chest. "Stop… please…"
Her boyfriend nearly tore himself apart trying to break free. "…DON'T TOUCH HER!"
"R-Ren…" Tears slipped down her face.
Both of them looked utterly helpless.
-
Null watched the scene for a moment before closing his eyes.
'Seriously?'
'Of all the absurd clichés to run into on our first date—it had to be this. A moonlit bridge. A frightened couple. A group of cartoonishly disgusting thugs.'
Beside him, Sora's demeanor shifted. The warmth in her expression was replaced by a sharp, focused intensity. Pure disgust flickered in her eyes as she watched the assault unfold. Without saying a word, she raised her hand, and a shimmering, rainbow-colored orb appeared in her palm.
The orb was striking—a sphere of layered crystalline glass no larger than a plum, its interior swirling with shifting prismatic light.
She tapped the surface of the sphere, and a thin thread of mana pulsed from her fingers.
Click.
A translucent display unfolded in the air before her, filled with scrolling runes, geometric charts, and data arrays. It looked like a complex lattice of magical code to a casual observer, but it immediately drew Null's attention.
'What is that?' he wondered.
[Answer: Identified object — Arcane Communication Sphere,]
[Primary functions include long-range voice communication, text-based rune messaging, emergency dispatch requests, and localized mapping, mana-wallet transactions]
Null's eyes widened slightly. …So basically a smartphone?
[Affirmative. Functional similarity to Earth-based mobile devices is 81.4 percent. Differences include mana-core signal transmission, rune-coded data compression, soul-authenticated identity locks, and thaumic resonance networking.]
[Unlike electromagnetic cellular systems, Arcane Communication Spheres rely on leyline nodes distributed across major cities and mana-wave harmonic routing. Signal propagation occurs through magical frequency stabilization rather than electromagnetic transmission. Primary engineering principle: scientific engineering principles merged with thaumaturgic rune architecture.]
'A phone. A literal magical phone.' Null's mouth almost gaped.
He wasn't surprised by the communication technology itself. Fantasy worlds often had something similar. Mana crystals. Telepathy devices. Messenger mirrors. He'd seen enough novels to accept that.
Null steadied the user interface. The layout was incredibly systematic, featuring organized menus and intuitive navigation that felt far more modern than the typical mystical artifacts of this world. It suggested that the creator utilized rigorous design logic rather than just magical intuition.
'Who designed this?' Null asked.
[Creator identified. Primary architect: The same mortal pioneer responsible for the modern academy system in Elpis.]
Before he could process the implications further, the situation at the center of the bridge grew more tense.
Sora's fingers moved across the floating interface, re-arranging the glowing runes with practiced efficiency until a series of light sigils rippled outward. The display dissolved into motes of light that sank back into the crystalline depths of the orb, and with a flick of her wrist, she slipped the device into her storage.
Turning back to Null, the cold fury that had masked her features vanished, replaced by an impossibly gentle smile.
"Please give me a moment, Null-san," she said, her voice warm.
"Right," Null managed, blinking.
The smile faded like moonlight slipping behind clouds, her expression cooling into a sharp, terrifying perfection. She turned and walked toward the disturbance, her heels clicking softly against the translucent stone floor.
At the far end of the bridge, the hooligans were still laughing, entirely wrapped up in their own ugliness. Sora stopped a few paces away, her displeasure quiet, absolute, and carrying the weight of a saint's judgment.
"Let them go."
Her voice cut through the air like a freezing bell. Every head snapped toward her. The laughter died instantly as the thugs stared openly, their mouths slack.
"What the hell..." one muttered, rubbing his eyes as if doubting reality.
The drunken stupor in their gaze quickly turned into a mocking, unashamed fascination. They gasped at her features, trading whispers about her unreal appearance.
"Boss, I can't believe our luck," one snorted drunkenly, a greasy grin spreading across his face. "Forget the other girl. This one is on a whole different level. Looks like an angel dropped from the heavens."
Null's gaze darkened slightly from the background.
The leader finally paused his harassment, his hand slid away from the frightened woman's chin. His arrogant smile widened as he stepped away from the couple, his eyes dragging over Sora in a predatory leer that made the air on the bridge feel instantly colder.
"Well now," the boss laughed, his breath reeking of fermented mana liquor. "Look at that. A brave little lady coming to play hero. You here to save them?"
Sora didn't flinch or blink, entirely undisturbed by the malice in his eyes. "How dare a group of hooligans like you desecrate a sacred place like this," The words cut through the air, extremely indifferent.
She glanced once at the crying woman and the boyfriend still struggling desperately against his captors. "Release them. Cease these disrespectful actions and leave before this escalates further."
It wasn't an angry threat; it was a calm statement of de-escalation. A final mercy before irreversible judgement.
The boss laughed loudly, and his crew joined in.
"Disrespectful? Did you hear that, boss?" one wheezed. "She talks like she's the one in charge here. That's cute."
The leader took a step forward, his grin turning uglier as his eyes roamed over her white dress and silver hair. "Now why would we leave when things just got interesting? Tell you what—you should stay and entertain us instead. We'll make sure you don't regret it."
The hooligans erupted into filthy laughter.
The frightened woman behind them whimpered. Her boyfriend's fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened.
Null, slowly exhaled. His expression remained entirely calm, but his dark-white iris had gone completely devoid.
[Conclusion: Peaceful resolution probability has fallen below 3.2%,]
Yeah, Null thought flatly. I figured.