Desak Street.
Nora, wearing a tattered robe, came out of an alley, glanced around, and headed east.
After finishing the delicious roast meat, she tossed the greaseproof paper into a trash can, left the cup by the flower shop's entrance, and then walked away through the alley.
Yes, "she."
She had actually received alms from others before.
There was an old woman in the east who often handed out bread to the homeless children nearby. Nora used to go there all the time.
Unfortunately, the old woman had died last winter.
Nora had gone up the mountain to pick some little white flowers to lay in tribute to her, but there wasn't much else she could do.
The Church of the Goddess of Harvest to the south had also occasionally helped orphans in years past, but its income had dwindled in recent years, leaving it increasingly destitute. It had been a long time since it had offered aid.
Although Nora often went there to pray, she had nothing she could donate.
The restaurants all over Chaos City were now the turf of small gangs of homeless people. They had laid claim to the trash cans there. Nora used to have the strength and energy to fight them for scraps, but lately she'd eaten so little that she was growing weak.
The last time she'd fought a few thugs, she hadn't managed to get any food and had only been injured. It took several days of rest before she finally recovered.
That was why Nora was always grateful to anyone kind enough to give her a meal.
Especially one as delicious as this.
And piping hot, too.
Nora patted her unusually full stomach, and a smile tugged at her dirty little face.
Just then, she heard several people whispering in a dim corner at the end of the street.
"Which flower shop?"
"It's called Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop. Head that way. You'll know it by the renovated gate and the two oil lamps."
At the words "flower shop," Nora's expression shifted, but she kept walking.
She passed by as if nothing were amiss, then, when they weren't looking, ducked behind a nearby trash can, her small frame hidden from view.
"So we just have to steal that Nether Orchid, right? The purple flower?"
"Right. It's the only kind in the shop, so you can't miss it."
"You said before it was ten silver coins a flower. You weren't lying, were you? If you short us, we won't go easy on you!"
"Don't worry. I can afford however many you steal."
With her back against the trash can, Nora silently listened to the four people talking.
One of them wore a luxurious mage's robe. He seemed to be a mage, but from his young face, he was probably only an apprentice.
The other three wore simple hemp clothes. They were all local thugs.
Their leader had once spent some time as a trainee warrior. But when he failed to form a Battle Qi Vortex, the person training him abandoned him. He'd taken up with the local thugs after that.
Using the reflection in the window of a roadside bakery, Nora got a good look at the four of them, and her heart sank.
Clearly, someone was targeting the flower shop's owner and wanted to steal the flowers.
To be honest, Nora would usually have turned and walked away at the first sign of trouble.
First, she didn't want to get involved.
Second, she simply didn't have the strength for it.
She thought she was pretty good at fighting, but unless she was fighting for food, she would never meddle in something like this.
But today was different.
Nora clenched her fists. Having just eaten roast meat, she wasn't as weak as usual. Even against three people, she could give it a try.
She could repay his kindness this way.
She'd eaten that old woman's bread before, but never had the chance to do anything for her.
Now another kind person had given her food. Nora couldn't just walk away.
Besides, the shop owner didn't look particularly strong.
So when the mage apprentice hurried off and the three thugs began creeping toward the flower shop, Nora got to her feet and quietly followed them.
She couldn't be reckless yet.
She had to wait for the right moment.
Nora steadied herself, her little face tense as she fixed her gaze on the three sneaking figures ahead.
Meanwhile, Ron was leisurely reading in his study when a system task suddenly appeared.
System: "Temporary task triggered."
[Temporary Task]—[Drive Off the Flower Thieves]:
"Requirements: Personally defeat the three flower thieves."
"Reward: None."
"Hm?" Ron raised an eyebrow, stood up, and went to the window.
Outside the wall of his back courtyard, three suspicious-looking fellows were creeping toward his yard.
"Three flower thieves... Then I guess that's them," Ron muttered, then rolled his eyes. "This task doesn't even have a reward?"
System: "Temporary tasks are triggered at random in response to unexpected circumstances. Rewards are set according to the task's difficulty."
"..." Ron was speechless.
So those three weren't strong at all, then?
At least, they should be easy for him to handle.
He hadn't formed a Battle Qi Vortex yet, but he'd been cultivating the Bright Sword Canon for half a month, and he'd made quite a bit of progress.
Dealing with a few thugs who weren't even First-Order Warriors should be a piece of cake, right?
But what happened next left Ron dumbfounded.
The three thugs reached the courtyard wall and glanced toward his house.
Ron stayed behind the window, keeping out of sight.
Seeing no one around, the thugs started climbing the wall.
Two of them climbed faster and jumped into the yard first.
The last man was still on the wall.
Just then, a figure darted out from the side of the street, raced over, grabbed the man's clothes, and yanked hard!
The man on the wall let out a startled cry. The moment he hit the ground, he took a punch to the face. Blood streamed from his nostrils, and he passed out.
"What's going on!?"
"Who's there!?"
The two thugs inside the wall were alarmed. They rushed to the courtyard gate, opened it from the inside, and hurried out to see what was happening.
But as soon as the gate opened, a figure sprang out from the corner and kicked one of them in the stomach. Then, leaning forward, the figure threw a punch at the other man.
The one in back had a little more time to react. He barely managed to catch the punch, but still staggered back several steps.
The man who'd been kicked scrambled to his feet, clutching his stomach, and joined the other to surround their attacker.
Only then did Ron realize that the person in the tattered robe was the homeless child who had just eaten his roast meat.
Seeing one against two, Ron immediately left the study and headed downstairs to help.
But by the time he reached the backyard, the fight was already over.
The small figure was on one knee, panting, while the two thugs lay on the ground. One had been knocked unconscious; the other was groaning in pain.
[Temporary Task]—[Drive Off the Flower Thieves] (Failed)
Ron was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
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