A Strange Encounter in the Outer City

Unlike the inner city, Havenlight's outer city was still quite lively even after night fell.

Although this world had no electric lights yet, plenty of residents still wandered the streets by lamplight. Most of the shops were still open, bustling with customers and showing no signs of closing. And that went without saying for the places of ill repute; even ordinary taverns sent the din of their patrons' voices more than ten meters down the street.

Then again, it made sense. The Church's curfew only applied to the inner city. The outer city was so vast that enforcing it would require a huge amount of manpower. The Church wasn't willing to spend the resources, so it simply let things be.

The Fool Family, for instance, relied on the outer city's entertainment industry for most of its income. With ties like that, the outer city's nights were even less likely to be quiet and devout. Faithful worshippers who preferred peace and quiet had to either become priests and move into the inner city or gather in the outer city's Divine Blessing District. That was an area set aside by the Church. Though it was packed with residents, it was even quieter than the inner city.

Aside from the Divine Blessing District, the outer city had no other deliberately designated districts. It was too big. If they set up separate entertainment and residential districts, residents would have to travel a long way just to go out and have fun. For convenience's sake, everything in the outer city, apart from religion, was mixed together.

At that moment, Benjamin was walking along the main road on the western side of the outer city.

He watched the people coming and going, warily making his way toward the place Jeremy had mentioned.

With its complex layout and diverse population, the result was naturally poor public safety, especially in this western area. The country had invested plenty of manpower and resources in security, but the results were still mediocre. People generally managed to live in peace, though the locals had a rather "rough" streak.

Benjamin was carrying quite a few things: the pocket money he'd saved up for a long time, the cross the bishop had given him, and the gun he'd stolen from Claude's study. If a pickpocket happened to swipe them, where would he go to cry?

He had to be careful. Very, very careful. At any moment, some inconspicuous little brat might dart out from the side of the street and steal everything he owned without him noticing.

Just as Benjamin thought this, a timid-looking child came walking toward him from up ahead.

Oh?

He felt like a real prophet.

See? Here he was.

Look at the little brat's shifty-eyed expression. He was bound to "accidentally" bump into him, take a tumble, then run off in a flash. By the time Benjamin realized what had happened and checked his pockets, anything valuable would already be gone. That was how it always went on TV.

Did this brat really think he was some gullible mark? He'd seen this trick plenty of times.

Come on, let's see who gets hurt! I'd like to see you try stealing from me!

And so Benjamin went on high alert as he watched the child slowly approach... closer and closer...

Was he about to make his move?

"What's wrong with you? Why do you keep glaring at my kid?"

Benjamin froze.

Standing beside the child was a burly, middle-aged woman. She quickly wrapped her arms around the child and eyed Benjamin warily, as if he were some perverted kidnapper.

"..."

Awkward.

He'd been so focused that he hadn't noticed the person beside the child.

"Ha ha ha ha—!" The system burst into laughter in Benjamin's mind.

"...Sorry."

Benjamin tried to keep his face expressionless as he said that to the middle-aged woman.

"Creep." Still holding the child, the woman moved away from Benjamin. Her voice drifted back from a distance. "It's okay, sweetie. That man's not right in the head. Let's keep our distance..."

Benjamin wanted to die.

This was the price of having too much imagination.

Overthinking was a disease. He needed treatment.

Just as Benjamin wished he could bang his head against a wall, another filthy child suddenly darted out from the side of the street. The instant he appeared, he made a beeline for Benjamin and slammed into him before Benjamin could react. By the time Benjamin realized what was happening, the child had already run off.

"..."

Benjamin felt his pocket. The money he'd brought to buy the gun was gone.

Damn it.

The system's laughter rang even louder in his mind.

Benjamin's anger flared. He turned furiously and sprinted after the child. The people on the street were so startled by the sudden commotion that their jaws dropped. They looked up in a daze, watching the two chase each other as chaos erupted around them.

"You little shit, stop right there!" Benjamin roared.

That was half a year's worth of pocket money. Sure, it had been saved up by the previous Benjamin, but it was still his money! And after what had just happened, he was at his breaking point.

The child was clearly an old hand at this. He ignored Benjamin's shouts and darted around a corner into a narrow alley.

"Damn, he's fast."

Benjamin immediately chased after him.

As he ran, he drew the gun tucked behind his lower back.

His anger didn't cloud his judgment. If anything, it made his thoughts move faster: the kid was an experienced thief, running fast and more familiar with the area. On top of that, his legs were still aching from the morning's training. If he kept chasing, he was bound to lose him.

And if he did, where would he go to cry?

At that thought, Benjamin steeled himself.

If the kid was going to act like a brat, then he couldn't complain about Benjamin breaking the law protecting minors!

After chasing him past another alley junction, Benjamin didn't dare hesitate. He disengaged the safety, raised his gun as he ran, and the shooting interface appeared before his eyes once again.

He quickly aimed at the child's knee.

Shooting while moving, and at a moving target, would probably be the most difficult training exercise at Gunfire Camp. But Benjamin had the shooting system. He could do it with ease.

Bang!

He fired.

The child let out a scream and fell to the ground. He struggled a few times but couldn't get back up and run.

Seeing that, Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief.

At least his money was safe.

Before long, though, he was on edge again.

Three oddly dressed people suddenly appeared around the corner of the alley. Their robes looked a bit like Michelle's, but they weren't wearing hoods, so Benjamin could see their faces. They were three adult men: one old, one tall, and one short. All three had an unsettling air about them.

They had obviously heard the gunshot. They glanced strangely at the child lying on the ground, then looked at Benjamin in the distance and stopped.

A sudden sense of foreboding welled up inside Benjamin.

If he remembered correctly, those robes looked a lot like the ones Michelle wore as a mage.

Seriously? He could run around at random and bump into mages in the Royal Capital? What kind of luck was that? Bishop, you're not doing a very good job of cracking down on vice!

Benjamin wasn't relieved at the possibility that they were mages, thinking he might get to talk magic with them. Quite the opposite: he couldn't sense any goodwill from the three men. His instincts told him they were bad news.

More importantly, he seemed to have wandered into an unfamiliar part of town during the chase. He stood in a dark, narrow alley, made all the gloomier by the dim moonlight. There wasn't another soul around.

This had gone too far...

"This has nothing to do with you. That kid's a thief. He stole my money. I just want it back," he shouted at the three men after thinking it over.

He still didn't want to cause trouble.

The three exchanged glances. Then the oldest-looking one spoke up:

"He's figured out who we are. We can't let the two of them get in our way. Kill them all."

Benjamin's heart sank.

Just as he was rapidly trying to figure out how to deal with this, a voice suddenly came from behind him:

"They're Fallen! Move in! Don't let them get away!"

A couple dressed as ordinary civilians suddenly rushed out of the alley behind Benjamin and charged at the three men. Their movements were so quick that everyone present was taken aback.

Benjamin froze for a moment, then immediately understood:

They were people the Church had sent to keep an eye on him, just in disguise.

Right, what was he worried about? The Church's people had been there the whole time!

Looking closely, he saw that the "wife" in the couple was actually a man in a wig and a dress. He tossed off the wig and pulled two long swords from under his flared skirt. He threw one to his "husband," gripped the other himself, then charged at the three men in high heels with a loud battle cry.

Benjamin stared, dumbfounded.

That's impressive, sis—no, bro?

The two younger men among the three seemed stunned by the sight as well. They gaped, unable to react. Only the oldest man's expression changed. Without hesitation, he began chanting a spell.

Benjamin suddenly sensed a disturbance in the water element.

A layer of pale blue water enveloped the three men.

"Water Barrier!" Benjamin silently exclaimed.

The two disguised knights quickly reached the three men and swung their swords. The blades met the water bubble, and Holy Light flashed along the swords as the barrier trembled violently. But in the end, the bubble withstood the blow and didn't break.

Not only were the two knights surprised; Benjamin was too.

A Water Barrier that strong?

If Benjamin hadn't seen wrong, those two long swords had been blessed. Even with an entrance as dramatic as a sword drawn from beneath a skirt, their edges would be no less sharp. Yet this thin layer of water had stopped both swords at once. It was truly impressive.

He couldn't help wondering when he'd be able to reach that level.

On the other side, the older mage let out a cold laugh when he saw the water bubble block the attack.

"Just two Paladins. If you were wearing Holy Light Armor, you might have a chance of saving your lives, but now..."

As he spoke, he patted the other two on the shoulders.

Prompted by his reminder, the other two snapped out of their daze and began chanting spells of their own, preparing to attack.

A fireball and a wind blade took shape in their hands, then shot toward the two knights.

The knights didn't panic. Faced with the magic, they moved in perfect unison: each leaped backward, then slashed across. Their swords shone with Holy Light as they cut the fireball and wind blade apart.

The older mage, who had been looking smug just a moment earlier, immediately darkened.

"Are you two idiots? Why are you attacking separately? Focus on one person! They can't possibly cut two spells apart with one swing! Where did everything I taught you go?" He didn't seem surprised by the knights' skill so much as infuriated by his two idiots, and he couldn't help scolding them.

As he spoke, the knights charged forward and struck together, finally breaking the water bubble.

Unfortunately, the older mage hadn't let his guard down while lecturing them. Before the knights could strike a second time, he immediately cast another Water Barrier, stopping them from continuing their attack.

Benjamin was a little impressed. This man was strong—not only was his magic powerful, but he also had plenty of combat experience. He seemed completely at ease against two Paladins. His timing with the Water Barrier was flawless.

Where had such a powerful mage come from?

For some reason, Benjamin sensed in them a distinctly organized air that ordinary, independent mages wouldn't have.

While Benjamin was marveling at them, the two younger mages reacted much faster this time. They immediately began casting spells, forming another fireball and wind blade.

Interestingly, they both chose the "wife" as their target.

Maybe they thought the outfit was too much of an eyesore and wanted to take him out quickly.

But the "wife" was unbelievably nimble. He leaped back and slashed across again, and the incoming fireball and wind blade were both wiped out. Meanwhile, the "husband" seized the opportunity to launch a relentless assault on the water bubble.

"..."

The older mage's face darkened further.

"I'm going to lose my mind! Who concentrates all their fire on one target like that? Can't you attack from two different angles? One of you in front and the other behind—can he really block both with one sword? Didn't I teach you that? Are you two idiots? Their swords haven't even hit me yet, and you're going to drive me to an early grave!"

The two mages looked a little lost. The shorter one hesitated, then timidly spoke up:

"But, Teacher, how do we control the magic to attack from two different angles? We don't know how."

"..."

Fortunately, the knights broke through the water bubble again, cutting the awkward moment short.

The older mage also had to cast another Water Barrier, which stopped him from getting so angry that he fainted.

Even Benjamin, watching from the sidelines, felt exhausted on their behalf.

It was supposed to be a proper fight, a clash between mages and Paladins. How had it turned out like this?

The older mage wasn't the only one suffering. The knights clearly weren't enjoying themselves either. When the water bubble appeared for the third time, a look of utter despair flashed in their eyes. Especially the one still wearing a skirt and high heels—Benjamin thought he could see tears glimmering beneath the man's thick eyeshadow.

Life was hard...

To make a living, even Paladins had to work this hard these days.

Thanks to Princess Was Startled for the tip!