Forced to Perform in the City

Mia was young after all, and having never seen such a gruesome sight, she burst into tears.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

The piece of cloth Matthews had been biting down on fell from his mouth, and he panted heavily as he said, "It's nothing, I'm just treating the wound."

Although the injury hadn't reached his internal organs, a deep gash had been carved into his stomach. Matthews knew that if he didn't disinfect it, he could die. Even though he had arrived in a new world, he wasn't sure if things like bacteria existed here.

But he, Matthews, only had one life, and he certainly couldn't gamble on such an uncertainty.

Mia touched the wound that Matthews had cauterized until the skin stuck together, crying as she insisted on bandaging it for him. Matthews didn't refuse, and a moment later, he looked at the familiar bow she tied and smiled inwardly.

He could have snuck away after waking up, ignoring the life or death of this little girl who might become a burden to him, but seeing the bow she tied, Matthews couldn't bring himself to abandon the seven-year-old and let her die so young.

"Alright, be good."

Matthews pulled the little girl over and flicked her nose.

"You won't be pretty if you keep crying."

The trick worked, and Mia nodded with a childish, milky voice.

"Mm, Mia is good. Mia is strong, Mia won't cry."

Watching the little girl, Matthews patted her head. He thought to himself, I came to this world all alone, and you are one of the few bonds I have here.

"Alright, I'm hungry too. Go prepare some food for your brother!"

"Mm."

Because of his injury, Matthews walked even more cautiously than before.

Matthews truly hadn't expected that as a transmigrator—a man who possessed the strength of a Level 6 Warrior according to the mountain bandits—he would be reduced to street performing just to get something to eat.

He didn't have many silver coins left, and since this was an area of human activity, it was impossible to hunt for game. Without a team, he couldn't take on mercenary missions either.

"Brother, do we really have to shout?"

Matthews didn't want to do this either, but his stomach, which was growling with hunger, wouldn't allow it.

"Shout, otherwise we'll both starve to death."

Mia gathered her courage, beat the gong, and shouted, "Those with money, please contribute some money; those without, please contribute your presence! My brother and I have just arrived in this noble place, and we'd like to perform for everyone."

Matthews started by performing a set of martial arts moves, which won cheers from many, and then he followed up by demonstrating his swordsmanship with a blade.

The tips from the townspeople weren't much, but it was enough for them to eat for a day or two.

Just then, a voice rang out from the crowd: "Make way, Young Master Rory is here!"

"Run—"

"Sigh, sigh—"

Matthews watched as the crowd that had just gathered scattered like birds, and before he could even react, a fat man walked over, surrounded by attendants. He said to Matthews and the gong-beating Mia, "Your method is quite novel. Come, keep performing!"

"I'm sorry, young master. We have already finished our performance!"

An attendant jumped out immediately and said, "You scoundrel, are you looking down on Young Master Rory?"

This was the first time Matthews had encountered such a lackey, and he sneered inwardly.

He immediately acted terrified and said to the servant, "This commoner has eyes but failed to recognize a treasure; so this is Young Master Rory. I will perform for you right away."

Rory was only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, spoiled by his family. At this age, he was right in the middle of his rebellious and "chuunibyou" phase, the time when he cared most about his face.

How could he tolerate a peasant bumpkin mistaking his servant for himself? He immediately shouted, "You've blinded your dog eyes!"

Matthews acted even more terrified and said cautiously, "May I ask which young master you are?"

"Hmph, I am Rory Doyle, the third young master of the Doyle family!"

"Ah, so you are the famous third young master of the Doyle family. I just saw that gentleman acting so bossy and imposing, and since I haven't seen much of the world, I naturally mistook him for you. I deserve to die!"

"Hmph, men! Drag this lackey away and deal with him!"

The third young master, Rory, snorted coldly and ordered his men to drag his lackey away to be dealt with. He then glared at Matthews and added, "Hmph, don't let me see you again."

Rory was in a very bad mood; he had lost face for the Doyle family here today. The city lord was currently selecting a son-in-law, and his family was a merchant clan; naturally, they wanted to climb the social ladder and connect with the city lord, so no accidents could happen now.

He let the two peasants go; otherwise, under normal circumstances, he would have torn them apart just to vent his anger!

At the same time, on a nearby balcony, a female mage witnessed the entire process.

"Nina, this Rory Doyle is so annoying. He's actually bullying commoners; you absolutely cannot marry into his family!"

The female mage smiled and looked at her classmate, then said, "That person you call a commoner isn't simple either. He possesses the strength of a Level 6 Warrior."

"How is that possible?"

"A Level 6 Warrior could earn plenty of money doing anything; how could he be reduced to street performing?"

The female mage smiled and continued, "Look, that man's face is delicate, and the skin he's showing is smooth. That's not something an ordinary commoner would have; he might be a noble himself."

"Mm, he's really handsome."

The female mage patted her classmate on the shoulder, looked at her love-struck friend, and shook her head, saying, "You."

Kelly, who had been shaken by Nina, finally came back to her senses and asked in disbelief, "Ah, if he's a noble, why would he be performing on the street?"

Nina teased her classmate, saying, "How would I know? Why don't you call him up here and ask him yourself?"

"That sounds great, that sounds great."

Nina shook her head again. This classmate of hers came from a noble family in the Imperial Capital. Having been marked as a tool for political marriage since childhood, she had come here with Nina just to find some peace and quiet.

Now, seeing her about to be captivated by a man of unknown background, Nina immediately said, "Alright, I was just joking. You aren't actually going to call him up here, are you?"

Kelly nodded, indicating that she was quite serious.

"He really is so handsome, completely different from those playboys in the Imperial Capital."

Nina felt that her love-struck best friend was beyond saving, so she said, "Enough. Even if he happens to be a noble, your statuses are worlds apart. There is no possibility of you two being together."

"Sigh!"

Kelly let out a sigh as well. Unless she achieved the rank of a level nine or Saint Realm mage, she would have no chance of escaping her fate as a tool for her family's political marriage. Or, her lover would have to be powerful enough to force her family to abandon their marriage plans, or she would have to elope with him.