A Modest Reputation

Riding his broom high above Queens, Jerry touched the two hundred USD in his pocket and smiled in satisfaction.

Earning Little Red Stars while making some USD too—what could be more enjoyable than that?

Although he would not use magic to steal or rob, he felt that accepting payment through an equal exchange was perfectly acceptable.

Besides, he never took much each time—sometimes only a few dollars. If the person he saved was poor, he would simply take money directly from the criminals instead.

In this society, money was not everything, but having no money at all was absolutely not an option.

When he watched Maguire's Spider-Man in his previous life, he had always found it unbelievable that Spider-Man could be so powerful yet still so poor.

And his side job had actually been swinging around on webs every day to deliver food.

Using your strength to fight illegally in underground boxing matches might violate your principles, but surely you could work at a construction site carrying bricks, right? Carrying bricks had to pay better than food delivery!

But honestly, he still admired people like Spider-Man, because they truly did good deeds without asking for anything in return. They genuinely helped and protected others from the bottom of their hearts, even at the cost of their time, love, lives, and even their lives.

Jerry knew he could not do that.

Although he did good deeds every day, in the end, it was only to make himself stronger so he could protect himself and the family members he cared about.

"Ah, help!"

Hearing a cry for help from an alley below, Jerry put away the USD, turned his flying broom, and flew toward the sound.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"USD, come to me!"

Less than a minute later, Jerry took off again.

Now that he had learned the Full Body-Bind Curse, ordinary robbers were as fragile as babies in his eyes, and his efficiency in handling problems had greatly improved.

He no longer had to endure the awkward situation of being chased all over the place by patrolling police afterward.

Three in the morning.

Jerry returned to the Warehouse once more, changed out of his Wizard Robe, and carried his flying broom and belongings back to the residential complex where he lived.

Now that he had a flying broom, he could have simply left directly through his bedroom window and returned home through it as well.

But that was not safe.

If someone could access satellite surveillance and carefully search the residential complexes near him, his identity could easily be exposed.

Taking off and landing at the abandoned factory every time could not guarantee complete safety either, but at least it added another layer of protection.

It was just a little troublesome to enter and leave the residential complex with a flying broom hidden beneath his clothes.

Once he learned any one of the Disillusionment Charm, Apparition, or the Undetectable Extension Charm, this problem would be easy to solve.

Meanwhile, at the Queens Police Station,

in the captain's office, Hass looked at the several statements in his hand and stared at the Police Officer before him with a strange expression.

"Are you sure this isn't a joke?"

The Police Officer helplessly shrugged.

"I thought they were joking with me too, but the statements from the three victims and the two robbers matched perfectly. They all said a Little Wizard riding a broom saved them with magic!"

"A Wizard? Magic? How old are you to still believe in that stuff? I thought only my daughter did that!"

Hass shook his head and tossed the statements onto the desk.

He suspected that the family of three and the two robbers had some secret they could not reveal, which was why they were using such an absurd excuse to fool him.

Then the Police Officer seemed to suddenly remember something and reminded Hass,

"Captain, do you think this could be related to that kid from a while ago who liked wearing a Wizard Robe and performing Acts of Bravery?"

"Him? Now that you mention it, it really does sound similar. Both are kids, both like dressing up as Wizards, and both like operating at night. But I never heard that he had a broom that could fly!"

At that moment, Hass suddenly remembered that for the past month, there seemed to have been a kid who liked wearing a Wizard Robe and coming out at night to subdue bad guys.

And he was quite skilled too. Hass had run into him once and chased him for ages without catching him.

"Maybe that broom is some kind of flying device that just looks like a broom. And that magic is actually high-tech weaponry, like Iron Man's!"

The Police Officer rubbed his chin, wearing an expression that said this had to be the truth.

Hass nodded in agreement.

"Leave him alone. He's helping ease our workload anyway, so there's nothing bad about it. Still, are kids these days really this capable?"

As he spoke, he thought of his own son, Jerry, who was also no ordinary child. His academic performance and ability to do housework made even him, an adult and his father, feel ashamed of himself.

"But Captain, Director George previously ordered us to do everything we could to find this kid called the 'Wizard.' His actions may be good, but they're still illegal!"

The Police Officer reminded him again.

"I think those leaders are probably just worried that if this keeps up, it'll make our Police Station look incompetent.

Still, it is indeed dangerous for a kid to go out every night and do this sort of thing. Go pull the surveillance footage and see if you can find where that kid lives. Then we'll pay him a visit!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Time flew by, and a week quickly passed.

During that week, Jerry rode his broom around the skies above Queens every night. Whenever he discovered a crime, he would always appear immediately and flick his wand, firing spells at the criminals.

Because of that, the rate at which he gained Little Red Stars had increased several times over compared with before.

And his title of "Wizard" was no longer limited to the area around his residential complex. He gradually gained some fame throughout all of Queens.

So it was not only the police looking for him. Some media workers desperate to find news stories and boost their performance had also heard the rumors and begun using every possible method to search for clues about him.

However, Jerry acted extremely quickly every time. Once he had dealt with the situation, he never lingered, simply riding away on his broom.

Those resourceful media reporters and patrolling police could only learn what had happened from the victims and robbers.

To the citizens of Queens, there were only rumors of a child who liked wearing a Wizard Robe and appeared on a broom after midnight.

They did not know the exact details, and aside from those who had witnessed it firsthand, many citizens did not really believe it.

At noon that day, while his younger sister Elsa was taking a nap in her room, Jerry quietly practiced Sectumsempra by himself in the living room.

During the week since his return, his Little Red Star earnings had been quite substantial, so every day he had generously spent Little Red Stars to study and comprehend the several difficult spells he had obtained from the Half-Blood Prince's notes.

Hard work paid off. By now, he could barely cast those spells correctly.

All he needed to do next was practice more and become more proficient with those spells so he could use their power and effects more effectively.