"My, my… returning stolen money isn't nearly enough."
The man performing the tap dance was over three meters tall, with pale skin, a black top hat perched neatly on his head, round earrings glinting beneath the brim, and a cane held casually in his left hand. He wore the uniform of a local security officer, yet there was something unsettling about the elegance in his movements.
As he approached, Lafayette looked down at the punk kneeling on the ground, begging desperately for mercy. A strange smile curved his lips. While speaking in a soft, almost amused tone, he mercilessly kicked the man in the head.
Boom!!
With a dull, heavy impact, the thug was sent flying before he even had the chance to scream. His body crashed into a fruit stall along the street, overturning it instantly.
Apples, oranges, and various fruits scattered across the ground, rolling in every direction. The fallen produce buried most of the thug's body.
Even so, the dent in his skull was clearly visible.
He lay motionless.
Like a corpse.
"D-Dead…?"
"It's Lafayette again! He killed that guy!"
"This is too much! He just stole something. That's not a crime worthy of death! How can he just kill him like that?"
The street was not empty. Vendors and townspeople had been shopping nearby. When they saw Lafayette kick the thug to death, panic spread immediately.
Some hurriedly retreated in fear.
Others pointed at Lafayette angrily, voices rising in protest.
A rush of hurried footsteps echoed down the street.
Another group of men wearing the same security officer uniforms ran over.
"Lafayette! You've gone too far! This is already the third person you've killed this week. Even if he committed a crime, it wasn't worthy of execution. And even if it were, you have no authority to carry it out!"
The leading security officer checked the thug's condition briefly. After confirming he was dead, his expression darkened. He turned and shouted angrily at Lafayette.
"That's right, Lafayette! You're too violent!"
"As security officers, it's our duty to maintain order, but we can't act like you do!"
"Someone as violent as you isn't fit to remain a security officer!"
The other security officers voiced their accusations as well, anger evident in their faces.
"Not only is he unfit to serve as a security officer—he is no longer welcome as a citizen of our San Lorenzo Kingdom!"
Before the shouting could subside, yet another group arrived, moving aggressively down the street.
This time, there were more of them. They wore armor, carried sabers at their waists, and held rifles in hand.
"It's the Kingdom Guard!"
"Why are the Kingdom Guard here?"
"Isn't that Lord Clifford?"
"What did he mean just now?"
"Something's not right…"
The onlookers were startled.
This second group was clearly the Kingdom Guard of San Lorenzo, and at their head stood their captain—Clifford.
Clifford strode forward, flanked by his subordinates, and pointed directly at Lafayette with a cold sneer.
"Lord Clifford, what do you mean by this…?" the leading security officer asked hesitantly.
"It's simple," Clifford announced loudly. "By order of His Majesty the King, Lafayette is hereby expelled from our kingdom."
"Expelled?!"
This time, not only the security officers but even the surrounding civilians were stunned.
"If he's being expelled, good! That bastard Lafayette should've been thrown out long ago!"
"That's right! He's far too violent! We're not safe living in the same country as him!"
"It's about time! Lord Clifford, drive him out!"
After a brief moment of shock, the crowd erupted into noise.
Their words were filled with excitement and relief. Many no longer bothered to conceal their disgust or hostility as they stared openly at Lafayette.
"How surprising," Lafayette said lightly, twirling his cane with effortless grace. "Since when did His Majesty begin caring about a mere security officer like me?"
He continued tap dancing as he spoke, the rhythmic sound of his polished shoes striking the stone street echoing faintly beneath the rising voices of the crowd.
"Oh, I remember now," he added with a smile. "Two days ago, the man I killed claimed that his sister had caught the king's eye and would soon become a princess."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So, it seems she succeeded. And now His Majesty is avenging his future brother-in-law."
His tone remained calm and almost playful.
But his words caused the expressions of the other security officers to shift.
They all knew about the incident two days earlier.
The man Lafayette had killed had been a local gang leader. He had assaulted a young woman in the street—no, more precisely, he had attempted to rape her.
"Nonsense!" Clifford snapped loudly. "Lafayette, don't try to cover up your crimes with fabricated stories! The king expelled you because your excessive violence has severely damaged the reputation of this kingdom!"
He gestured sharply to the guards behind him.
"Seize him!"
Then, with visible vigilance in his eyes, he added, "Lafayette, I advise you not to resist. If you dare resist, this won't just be an expulsion. You'll be declared a criminal and a bounty will be issued for your capture."
"A criminal?" Lafayette's smile widened into something even more unsettling. "How frightening."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But… I don't believe I care."
Suddenly—
"Ahhh!"
With a swift sweep of his leg, Lafayette kicked a member of the Kingdom Guard and sent him flying violently through the air.
The man crashed into the ground several meters away.
"Shoot him!" Clifford shouted, retreating quickly.
The guards did not hesitate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets flew like rain, tearing through the air toward Lafayette.
But in the instant the guards pulled their triggers, Lafayette had already moved.
His body shifted fluidly, almost like a dancer gliding across a stage. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot where he had stood.
The bullets struck only empty air.
One after another, they missed.
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