Chapter: 10. The Duality of Good and Evil (5k)
Sigh, the advantage of eating at the tavern is that it’s cheap, and you can fill up as much as you want, eating as much as you desire.
But at the same time, the drawbacks are quite apparent.
— That is, you might just end up without a table while eating.
The unfortunate guy over there whose table got smashed is an example.
While he was eating, a brawl broke out, and he ended up on the receiving end.
Just as he was eating, someone flew over and smashed his table, causing the diners to shout in surprise and flee the tavern without paying for their half-eaten meal.
Thankfully, it wasn’t Princess Xue Fei’s table that was smashed, or else she would have shown them what a true powerful meal feels like.
Did that big guy just say he was a silver-level adventurer?
Oh, regarding that, Xue Fei actually knows.
The Adventurers’ Guild isn’t unique to the Aulus Kingdom; globally, in any country that allows the establishment of the Adventurers’ Guild, there is a universal adventurer rank system and commissions. Adventurers earn rewards by completing these commissions.
The ranks of adventurers range from weak to strong as follows: Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Obsidian.
Actually, the rank of an adventurer doesn’t directly reflect their strength.
After all, the method to advance in the adventurer ranking is not a test of strength, but based on how many commissions one completes.
For example, if you hunt a wyvern, you might directly advance from a copper-level adventurer to a gold-level adventurer.
If you don’t have the strength to defeat a wyvern, you could take a different route.
Hunting one million slimes could achieve the same result.
Cough… it’s just that nearly no one has the time to hunt so many low-reward magical beasts to level up.
Because of this, among those who become adventurers, there are hidden experts as well as those who only earn their rank by hunting low-level magical beasts.
As for silver-level adventurers…
By average standards, they’re about on par with the second tier of the kingdom’s formal strength classification?
Now the one getting beat up is also an adventurer.
Although he is a lot leaner than the burly adventurer, the scar on his face proves he’s not a softie.
“Fighting, huh! Come on! What’s wrong with being a silver-level adventurer? Isn’t it just some luck and getting a badge?!”
“Oh? You really don’t take it lying down? I originally thought I’d let you off if you apologized, but since you’re not backing down, maybe I should break your leg?”
“Ha, who breaks whom is still debatable! Come on, come on…! Ahhh!!”
Ugh.
The scarred man had just finished threatening.
— The next moment, he was met with a flurry of punches.
Xue Fei couldn’t understand the thought process of such people. If you encounter a wild dog barking at you, wouldn’t you just hurry to escape? Why would you try to see if that dog would bite you? That mad dog wouldn’t be courteous to you; from then on, you’d be like mad dog buddies!
But I have to say, this scarred man can take a beating.
The big man’s fists, the size of sandbags, hit him several times, and he still didn’t get knocked out. He kept saying “not convinced.” If he had an adventurer team, he’d definitely have a talent for being a shield warrior!
When Xiya heard this commotion, her appetite had nearly vanished.
Sigh…
It’s rare to take Xue Fei out to experience the nightlife of the capital city, and then they run into such a troubling issue.
“Xue Fei, if you find this chaotic, let’s leave. If you didn’t eat enough, I can make more for you when we get back…”
“Wow… Xiya! That scarred guy really can take a hit! Maybe this dude’s skin is just thicker than others? Come on, I’ll bet you a roasted duck that the scarred guy won’t be knocked down. Maybe that big guy gets worn out first, what do you think?”
“You’re really watching, huh!”
“Hmm… if he injures someone, we’ll step in. But right now, aren’t they just two dogs fighting…? Watching doesn’t hurt.”
Uh, she’s got a point?
Alright, Xiya has to admit her earlier worries seemed unnecessary.
Look at Xue Fei’s sparkling eyes…!
She treats this brawl as an impromptu show during dinner; she’s just short of clapping in approval!
Sigh… it’s okay.
Xue Fei has been cooped up at home for so long; it’s rare she can see something she deems “fun.” Look at how bored she’s become.
Considering the situation, Xue Fei is actually right. If things get out of hand, Xiya can step in to mediate.
Not just because Xue Fei likes to watch.
More importantly, fighting is generally a normal occurrence in the city streets; if Xiya rushed in to resolve it, it might expose her identity and cause a bigger disturbance.
Miss Shaya is actually a more reserved spectator.
The true spectators are the large crowd of bystanders.
The diners from other tables, now, aren’t even thinking about continuing their meals. They’ve surrounded the two fighters in a wide circle, maintaining a safe distance while occasionally gasping in surprise.
“Oh oh…! I know him, isn’t that ‘Bloodthirsty Hank’?! Tsk tsk tsk, to encounter a silver-level adventurer here, that scarred guy is in deep trouble… Buddy, stand back, it’s easy to get hurt.”
“Fight! The scarred guy isn’t bad either! Did you see the badge that fell out… copper-level adventurer! Wait, isn’t the Adventurers’ Guild not allowed to have adventurers fight each other?”
“Are you stupid?! This isn’t the Adventurers’ Guild; who knows about fighting here?!”
The two trapped in the middle seem to be enjoying the accolades.
Especially that silver-level adventurer, getting fiercer as he fights, completely disregarding that their brawl has damaged the tavern’s chairs and tables and affected its business.
Some diners who were too scared to continue their meals have quietly slipped away amidst the chaos.
Hearing the commotion, the tavern owner rushed out from the kitchen; seeing the situation, she thought this is unacceptable?!
Hastily, she placed the food she was holding on a wooden table, pushed through the crowd, and sternly scolded them for such violent behavior!
“Stop it immediately!! This is a place to eat, not a place to fight! This lawlessness… it’s simply outrageous! Prepare to compensate! If you don’t stop, I’ll contact the Knight Corps!”
“Huh?”
The burly man, the so-called “Bloodthirsty Hank,” having drunk, was clearly already tipsy.
He shakes his fists, ignoring the scarred man who’s been beaten into a pulp and stumbles forward, glaring fiercely at the tavern owner urging them to stop.
At this point, some people were quietly urging Hank not to be impulsive and not to lay hands on a woman too harshly.
Unfortunately, Hank’s brain was buzzing, only thinking about fighting; he didn’t care about whether the person before him was a man or a woman!
“Compensate…? You’re asking me to compensate? Do you know who I am?! I’m an adventurer from the Church State… hiccup, I came here to complete commissions hunting magical beasts! And you’re calling the Knight Corps? Look at those knights; do they dare lay a hand on someone from the Church State?! Okay, okay, you want compensation, I… I’ll make you compensate?!”
“…!!”
“?”
Hank swung his fist toward the tavern owner, whose face went pale with fright.
Just as his punch was about to hit her in the face,
It suddenly became immobilized in mid-air as if gripped by something strange and invisible.
Hank panicked, trying to use his other hand to hit his arm, but his sturdy arm felt as weak as a stick under this unseen grip, completely stuck and unable to move a bit.
[Perception Isolation Barrier] within.
Xue Fei manipulated a blue magic light point with one hand, silently reciting the true name of the spell.
[Beginner Confinement.]
At Xue Fei’s level, even without continuously casting the magic, the confinement would remain effective.
Once Hank’s arm was tightly locked in place, causing him to panic on his own, Xue Fei began to enjoy her food again~
Xiya held out a napkin to help her wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth and smiled teasingly.
“Xue Fei clearly said she likes to watch a commotion, but when ‘a commotion’ actually happens, Xue Fei is always the first to look away.”
“Otherwise?” Shaya took a sip from a large bucket of drink to swallow her food and laughed, “I just like to watch some excitement, not watch the weak being bullied. If dogs bite dogs, that’s one thing, but if a dog bites a person, then it deserves to be beaten!”
“Hmm, you eat. I’ll take care of the rest; I’ll handle this.”
“No, no~ You eat; it’s such a waste to leave this table full of good food.”
“Ah? But if I don’t go… will the Knight Corps come?”
“Isn’t there a capable employee in this tavern? Xiya, remember, no copper coin’s salary is without effort; you have to contribute when it’s time to do so.”
With Xue Fei’s straightforward reminder, Xiya recalled who this “capable employee” was.
Heavy footsteps crushed the fragmented wooden planks on the ground as they approached the shouting Hank.
Dressed in a brown robe, looking rather strange.
But because of that strangeness, the surrounding crowd automatically gave way.
Or rather… it was only natural for them to do so.
Because anyone with even a slight bit of physical training or magical ability could feel an intense pressure coming closer.
They didn’t notice as the wooden shavings where the brown robe passed by began to smolder into tiny sparks, dissipating in the low air.
The tavern owner, seeing it was the temporary employee she had just hired last night, was still in shock and quickly banged on the stone wall, shouting.
“Timani! I’ll handle this… you go find the Knight Corps! There are troublemaking adventurers from the Church State here… they won’t ignore it!”
“No need.”
“Timani?”
In the brief exchange, the hooded Timani had already stepped into the center of the conflict.
The scarred man could indeed take a beating, but he had reached his limit, circles spinning in his eyes as he fell into unconsciousness.
Only “Bloodthirsty Hank” remained, wildly attempting to strike against the invisible confinement, completely unable to understand what was happening.
“Damn…! Damn it! Which despicable coward dared to show themselves and fight me head-on?! Tsk, who are you anyway?”
The brown-robed figure stood still in front, and Hank, drunk, didn’t even bother to open his eyes and see.
However… something in his gut was instinctively screaming for him to run away, almost as if he encountered some fearsome high-tier magical beast during adventurer tasks.
After all, alcohol emboldens the coward.
Just a moment ago, Hank was being praised; he couldn’t stand such a sudden shift.
As a result, this almost irrational, reckless adventurer began to shout again.
“Hey! If you can hear me, let go of this strange thing! I want to teach this weird thing a proper lesson! Once I take this robe-wearing thing down, I’ll deal with you, you despicable coward hiding in the back! Uh…?!”
Hank suddenly exerted himself and nearly stumbled to the ground.
He desperately adjusted his posture to avoid embarrassing himself.
What he didn’t expect… was that after shouting just now, the restraints on his arm actually disappeared!
Waving his wrist, Hank twisted his neck, making cracking sounds, and shot a fierce grin at the brown-robed figure, who was several sizes smaller than him, and assumed a fighting stance.
“Ha, you thought you could come in while I was being held by a trick, to show off? But unfortunately, looks like your luck isn’t very good.”
“Your luck isn’t very good.”
“Ah?”
This line wasn’t directed at Hank at all.
Her gaze drifted toward the area where the sight was blocked by tables and chairs, the room in disarray, but that area was merely tranquil.
Didn’t expect this little girl to have quite a sense of justice…
When she said luck wasn’t on his side, she was referring to the adventurer and this strange little girl that Hank always ran into.
Timani didn’t have a great impression of the human race; in her opinion, humans were greedy and had no bottom line.
But this girl… didn’t seem to fit that mold entirely.
No matter.
This wouldn’t shake Timani’s overall view of humanity.
However…
More than disliking humans.
She despised something else.
“Indeed… coincidentally, I also prefer to solve problems with my fists. I hate garbage that bullies the weak, so you attack first.”
“Oh? A woman? Perfect! I’m hitting both men and women today! Brace yourself…! Wah?!”
The surrounding spectators were stunned…
Had the “Bloodthirsty Hank” just let out a scream inferior to that of a woman?
It’s no wonder he would produce such a heart-wrenching cry.
Because Hank was no longer in place.
In just a blink, the brown-robed figure’s fist, engulfed in flames, seemed to float lightly but was approaching Hank’s face at an unbelievable speed.
The fist hadn’t even touched Hank’s face yet; the mere instant the flames reached him, the two-meter-tall muscular man was sent flying backward as if made of flimsy paper in a hurricane!
The stone wall was smashed open, creating a human-shaped dent, while “Bloodthirsty Hank” was left smoldering on the other side of the street in another shop, motionless.
The stone wall of the other shop bore a human-shaped dent contrasting with this one, creating a kind of symmetrical beauty.
Not just Hank, but even the scarred man, who had fallen here, was swept out by the fiery wind, lying in the street.
Timani clapped her delicate hands, still smoking after extinguishing the flames, and muttered disdainfully to herself.
“Well… they shouldn’t die from that, right? Probably…”
Earlier, when Hank and the scarred man were fighting, the onlookers had not fled.
However, upon witnessing this overly exaggerated scene, one of them let out a terrified shout, prompting everyone to scatter!
“A monster…!!”
“Run! I can’t stay in this tavern for another second!”
“Ahhh! One punch knocked Hank down! Am I dreaming… am I dreaming?!!”
I really liked something Xue Fei once said to Livra when catching thieves.
— Just look at what you’ve been protecting~
Initially, the tavern had only a few tables and chairs smashed that could be repaired with a hammer; now, it was opening a side door anew!
The cool wind from outside blew into the empty and chaotic tavern, and some passersby peeked in but dared not approach.
The tavern owner, terrified, shrank against the wall watching the “ordinary employee” who revealed her identity by beating away the troublemaking adventurers, unsure of what to say now.
Timani gazed at the large hole knocked in the wall for a while, her arms slowly retracting into her robe.
Though her face was unseen, one could probably sense her emotions becoming slightly disheartened.
She turned towards the tavern owner’s direction, letting out a slow sigh.
“Timani…?”
“Is there something else?”
“Just… about your salary…”
“Are you still planning to pay me?”
“No, your salary isn’t enough to cover the damages… you’ve only worked for two days…”
“……”
Ugh!
Not enough money! What else do you want from me?!
If not, can you find somewhere that uses fire, so I can breathe fire and earn some money?!
But suddenly, the tavern owner, cautiously smiling, said something that left Timani stunned.
“No… it’s not that; it’s true that there isn’t enough money for damages, but I also never intended for you to compensate! You helped the tavern chase away the bad guys; I’m grateful, not expecting you to pay…! You should know that with a brawler like you in the tavern, those rogues probably won’t dare come here to cause trouble again!”
“Is… is that so?”
This was… an unexpected result for Timani?
I broke her wall, and she’s not making me pay?
The tavern owner, over fifty, shook her head, with a sincere tone devoid of dishonesty.
“I don’t know why you always hide yourself under a hood, but it must be because of some difficulties… Hey, I think a kid like you, who has a sense of justice, can’t be a bad person. As for the damages… it’s the troublemakers who should bear responsibility, there’s no reason for you to take on any of that. They not only have to pay to fix the building, but they also owe me for the meals of the customers who fled!”
“Oh, really…”
“Are you planning to leave now…? If you want to come back to work at Auntie’s place, you can come again anytime… Today’s incident… Auntie will keep it a secret! Just say those adventurers had a scuffle among themselves; I won’t tell anyone!”
“……”
So this is how it is…
As she prepares to leave Aulus.
Timani seemed to slightly understand the reason why this race could survive despite being so terrible.
It’s akin to the space between heaven and hell separating the entire world.
Humanity’s goodness and evil also reflect like a mirror, with no absolutes in existence.
She still couldn’t thoroughly understand it all.
In fact, she didn’t quite get it.
If there’s a chance… it might be better to let her guard down and ask that little girl how she interprets it?
She’s quite strange; perhaps she has some unique insights as well.
Uh… little girl?
Just as this thought crossed her mind.
Timani suddenly startled, her eyes widening.
The sensation of terror she had never experienced from birth to now left her frozen in place!
She felt that around her… some inexplicable magical power was in operation, akin to an abyss.
And in the next moment…
A green healing light swirled like a tide, washing over every corner of the tavern.
Those scattered wooden planks and shattered stone walls seemed to come alive, crawling back to their original positions, reassembling into complete wooden chairs.
Even the breached stone walls appeared as if nothing had ever happened, becoming solid again.
In just a few blinks, the dilapidated tavern seemed to have returned to its original state, as if nothing had occurred.
This incomprehensible scene left the tavern owner in awe once again.
She could hardly believe her eyes!
“This… This…! Timani? Was this also you? Who on earth are you?!”
“Not me… tsk.”
………………………………….
[High-Level Restoration Magic]
Xiya discovered that Xue Fei had quietly unleashed a miraculous spell; although she recognized Xue Fei for doing good deeds, this… this…
“Shaya… isn’t this a bit too much? Is it possible it’ll be noticed?!”
“Hmm…! But, but! Remember that story from last life… ‘Three bowls and you’re over the mountain!’ So just let it be!”
“Shaya… what are you drinking?”
“Drinking… what? Butterflies! Definitely drank butterflies! So many little lucky butterflies… hee hee, Xiya, hug me…”
“?!”
Seeing Xue Fei’s suddenly tipsy face wanting a hug, Xiya’s heart was overjoyed.
But now isn’t the time for that…?!
Quickly, Xiya grabbed the bucket that Xue Fei had just drunk from and sniffed the contents.
Then, she furrowed her brows.
This isn’t a drink…
Isn’t this wine?!
Timani… you brought out the wrong dish just now.
At this moment, even the gentle Xiya wanted to berate that Fire Lizard!
