Just as light creates shadows, even in the most brilliant cities of the Empire, shadows lurk in the back alleys.
Those who were chased from the plaza for being dirty and unwashed, the poorest of commoners forced onto the streets, or even real criminals and thugs—they all gathered in the back alleys on the outskirts of the city.
Since the city guards rarely patrolled these areas, they were perfect hiding spots for these shadowy figures. Unfortunately, I now found myself in the outskirts, face to face with some street thugs.
"Hey mister, are you deaf? I said pay the toll! Don't you know what a toll is?"
*Sigh...*
I sighed inwardly. Nothing was going right, and everything was getting complicated.
"Come on, hand over that robe first. Let's see your face."
I concluded that this couldn't be resolved through conversation. Seeing how they kept approaching while talking about tolls, they clearly intended to pressure me and take as much as possible.
Besides, I had no money. The damn System had given me only a pittance as starting funds. I'd even spent all of that on beer the first day... and I wasn't even the one who drank it. What crap.
That's why I was in the back alleys—I couldn't afford to go to the city center.
So I had absolutely nothing to give these guys.
That left only one option.
*Subdue them.*
My judgment was quick, and my actions even quicker.
I immediately swung the wooden stick I had hidden under my robe.
["Swing" has been activated!]
A large, sturdy wooden stick I'd found wandering outside the city.
Wooden sticks are quite nice. They're free and have almost no lethal power, so I could swing away without worry.
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
Swish! Swish!
Two thugs caught by my swinging technique groaned in pain.
One who took a direct hit to the face had blood gushing from his nose.
Even though I was close to failing my quest, my current level was 24, definitely higher than ordinary people.
With a bit more effort, I could even earn a knight's title at this level.
These street thugs, who probably couldn't even eat properly, would be easy to handle.
*One down for sure.*
Whack!
I made the other thug's nose bleed too.
That took care of two of them, with two remaining.
The big guy looked tough, so I'd skip him for now. I aimed for the sneaky-looking thug beside him.
I could see him widening his eyes in surprise.
I swung my stick downward and...
Thunk.
...it was blocked?
*Huh?*
What just happened? I was sure my attack was swift and accurate.
I looked up in confusion.
Glancing to the side, I saw the big guy had caught my weapon with one hand.
He had grabbed my swing with impressive reflexes.
"...Interesting."
He muttered with a deeply furrowed brow.
Before I could react, his foot flew into my stomach.
"Guhk?!"
A stinging pain shot through me as air burst from my mouth.
My body felt weightless, with no sensation of my feet touching the ground.
"Looks like you've been in a few fights, mister."
The intense pain in my abdomen was overshadowed by the confusion in my head.
How? Weren't they just common street thugs?
But that reaction speed, and the power behind that kick...
I barely had time to continue this train of thought.
Because he delivered another strike.
Wham!
His massive fist flew at me and struck my face.
This time I didn't even have the luxury to groan. Only an overwhelming pain flooded in.
"I told you, damn it. This is my territory."
Wham! Wham!
His fists repeatedly pounded my body. I desperately wanted to escape, but he had me by the collar, making it impossible to flee.
Damn... he wasn't just a common thug.
Now I realized he must be a criminal hiding out after committing crimes elsewhere in the city.
There was no other explanation for this level of strength.
Shit, my luck is terrible.
After being beaten for a while, I was thrown to the ground.
It hurt. It hurt terribly.
The pain made my mind hazy. It felt like someone had repeatedly hammered my head.
Through my swollen eyes, I could see my sticky blood dripping onto the ground.
Meanwhile, thug number four seemed to have recovered, holding his bloody nose as he spoke.
"Grr...! This bastard...! Boss! What should we do with him?"
"Strip him of everything valuable, then bury him outside the city walls. If we let him live and he reports us to the guards, it'll just be trouble for us."
"Yes sir!"
Thug number four answered energetically and began approaching me.
Through my blurry vision, I could see a small dagger in his right hand.
This is really fucked up... Both the pain I was feeling and the situation I was in were completely fucked.
I hadn't even started the tutorial yet, but here I was about to die at the hands of a third-rate villain before the tutorial even began.
What would happen if I died here?
Would I log out back to my semi-basement room in reality? Or would I just die here without anyone knowing?
Given the possibility of the latter, I couldn't just do nothing.
"..."
I needed to do something, but my head had been beaten so badly that I couldn't think straight.
Meanwhile, his dagger was getting closer and closer to my carotid artery...
*Damn, am I really going to die here...*
Just as that thought crossed my mind.
"—Yulice! Blessing!"
"Yes!"
Two female voices came from somewhere in the alley.
At the same time, a silver flash passed over my head.
Slash!
A razor-sharp sword cut through thug number four's chest, as if slicing through the darkness of the back alley.
With a spray of blood in the air, I could see a woman with blue hair standing in front of me.
I couldn't help but be shocked.
"...Huh?"
Camilla de Duke Bright.
The heroine of this game and the vanguard of the Hero's Party.
She was standing in front of me, just four days before the expedition to the Demon Realm.
And that wasn't all.
"Camilla, duck."
"Got it."
A huge fireball and an arrow flew over her head.
The attacks hit thugs two and three, and the big guy.
"Arrrgh!"
I could hear the screams of thugs two and three as they were engulfed by the fireball.
Startled, I turned my head while still lying down.
There stood the mage and rogue of the Hero's Party.
Lily Spencer Beatrice and Adel.
A girl with red hair and a woman with silver-blue hair stood glaring at the enemies.
Both were members of the Hero's Party.
"Ugh! What crazy bitches!"
"Are you the leader of this area? Surrender quietly. We'll escort you directly to the city guards."
Once they appeared, the situation ended very quickly.
The big guy tried his best to resist, blocking an arrow with one arm. But in the end, he was just a back-alley criminal.
He was no match for members of the Hero's Party.
"...Phew, that's done. Now we just need to take them away."
The thugs, appropriately cut and broken, were tied up and collapsed on the ground together.
The ones who had nearly killed me were only this much of a threat.
Was it really this easy to handle them... As I stared in bewilderment, someone approached me.
"Are you alright?"
Yulice von Yugrasia.
A member of the Hero's Party and the only Saintess chosen by the Goddess of this land.
With her golden hair flowing magnificently, she looked at me with a benevolent smile.
She was exactly as I had seen her in the game.
Although she was a Saintess with somewhat questionable aspects, she was always someone who smiled kindly at the weak and helped them.
"Oh my... you're hurt. Please wait a moment. I'll heal you right away."
She approached me and began infusing me with holy power.
Brilliant golden energy rose from the air and was absorbed into my body.
The pain in my abdomen and face gradually disappeared.
By the time the sticky blood flowing from my head stopped and the bruises began to fade, her treatment was complete.
"Phew... that's done. The basic treatment is finished. There's still some swelling, but it should be completely healed by evening."
I just stared at her without saying anything.
I couldn't react at all. Not because I was surprised to see the Hero's Party members before completing the quest, or because I was amazed to see them in person after only seeing them on a monitor.
"..."
It was simply because I was ashamed.
Ashamed of myself for nearly being killed by third-rate villains. Ashamed at the contrast between my pathetic state and how easily they handled the situation while extending a helping hand to me.
Whether they noticed my stiffness or not, they began talking among themselves.
"—Indeed, the darkness runs deep in these back alleys. To think such people would try to harm someone so casually..."
"It's because the continent is in chaos. With security broken down due to monsters, evil people are running rampant."
"The treatment of this person is urgent."
After saying that, they began whispering something among themselves.
It seemed like they were trying to keep me from hearing.
But soon, the Saintess looked at me and handed me a small pouch.
It was a heavy pouch that seemed like it would make a jingling sound.
In other words, money.
"Huh?"
"Please take it. We just finished our journey so we don't have much, but... this should be enough to buy a set of clothes and a meal."
It seemed I had already been established as a pitiful vagrant in their minds.
Well, I hadn't bathed for days and my face was a mess after the beating.
It was understandable they'd mistake me for a vagrant.
Only then could I properly examine their attire.
It wasn't simply splendid and luxurious clothing. Rather, it was quite shabby.
There were many worn, tattered, and dirty spots on their clothes.
As she said, they bore the marks of a tiring journey.
Yet I found beauty in their appearance.
Despite being tired and exhausted themselves, despite probably having almost no money left from their travel expenses,
they rushed without hesitation to help a single person in a back alley, generously offering assistance.
It was truly worthy of being called goodness.
But.
"I know these are difficult times because of the Demon King's army. But please have hope. Someday, there will be light."
That's why I had to stop them.
I had to stop them from going to the Demon Realm.
Because there was nothing hopeful waiting for them there.
"May the Goddess's blessing be with you."
With that, she made the sign of the holy cross and began to leave.
Without thinking, I reached out toward them.
"Um..."
And then I uttered somewhat weak words.
"Do you have to go to the Demon Realm?"
At these unexpected words from someone they thought was a vagrant, their eyes suddenly turned toward me.