(Heartfelt thanks to 'Heavens~~~~ Ah~~~~', 'Wufeng Haotian', 'Xianyu Laike', and 'You Bi Ji Yue' for their rewards!)
Bang—!
When that dull thud, enough to make one's heart seize, rang out through the empty alley, Lili's delicate body shuddered violently. Yet the pain she had imagined never came, and she opened her eyes in surprise.
Then, Lili saw it.
The beastman who had been crouching before her with his fist raised had been sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall.
In his place stood a back.
A back that was not unfamiliar to Lili.
Staring at that back, Lili spoke blankly.
"Lord Noah...?"
It was Noah.
Glancing at Lili, who was sprawled on the ground behind him and staring at him in a daze, Noah lifted his gaze and looked ahead.
"Eek—!"
Swept by Noah's gaze, the Soma Familia adventurers who had been extorting Lili alongside the beastman all cried out miserably. They began backing away, their faces filled with terror. Even the beastman who had been kicked into the wall and was convulsing all over turned pale when he saw Noah.
"T-The Tyrant?!"
Seeing the fear and dread displayed by the Soma Familia adventurers, Noah's expression gradually turned cold.
"Looks like it was a mistake to let you leave yesterday just because you hadn't done anything..."
Noah had noticed them the moment they appeared, chased after Lili, and slipped into the alley.
It was precisely because he had seen them chasing Lili that Noah had held himself back from immediately catching up to her. Instead, he had followed behind her in secret.
As a result, every bit of their bullying of Lili had unfolded before Noah's eyes.
After witnessing that scene and recalling the state of the Soma Familia, how could Noah not guess what had happened?
And now, Noah