I'll take on three

"Come on," Rhode said calmly.

He wanted to test how his magic worked in actual combat, too.

Fireball was out of the question, of course. It was too powerful, too lethal, and he wasn't confident he could fully control it yet.

Besides, these drunks weren't wicked villains. They were just upset and drunk. A light lesson would do.

So Mage Hand it was.

This utility spell wasn't particularly lethal, making it perfect for Rhode to test in combat.

Although none of the specific examples in the book used it in battle, Rhode felt he could develop more flexible ways to use Mage Hand.

Now was the perfect chance to test it.

Hearing Rhode's words, the drunks exchanged glances.

The burly miner, Hackett, was the first to act again. With a chuckle, he raised his fist and charged at Rhode.

But he felt as though he'd hit a wall.

His head struck it hard, and he toppled backward.

Rhode simply held out his right hand, his palm open.

Less than a meter in front of him, a larger white hand was also open, its five fingers pointing straight up as it faced his opponent.

It was this enormous palm, three meters long and wide, that had stopped the miner.

Mage Hand!

A chorus of astonished "Whoa!"s rose from the crowd.

Among the townsfolk, only a few elderly people might have seen a spell like this before. For most, it was their first time seeing a mage conjure such a huge hand.

The children clapped delightedly. What a wonderful magic trick!

"Rhode is amazing! Hic!" Lilia cheered too. It looked as though she'd already eaten her fill.

The two drunks still standing turned pale, then flushed, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

They would attack together.

They exchanged a glance and immediately rushed forward.

One from the left, one from the right.

They wanted to get around Mage Hand and hit Rhode behind it.

Rhode swept his hand sideways. Mage Hand immediately turned horizontal and swept across, sending the drunk on the left flying several meters away. He landed on the ground with a cry of pain.

The drunk on the right-the foreman, Bondes-hastily stopped and stepped back.

He knew that if he went any farther, another sweep to the right from that enormous hand would send him flying too.

His eyes darted around, and he spotted Lilia watching from the sidelines. He actually grabbed her arm and hauled her up.

With her in the way, Rhode would surely be too afraid of hurting her to sweep the hand at him again.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Rhode froze, then drew Mage Hand behind him.

He hadn't expected the drunken Bondes to target Lilia.

It had all happened so suddenly that Lilia only now reacted and struggled a little.

"Don't move," Bondes growled.

Then Lilia said, "Um... please don't hurt me."

Bondes looked down. He hadn't expected the little girl to dare speak. "Don't talk."

"If I don't talk, will you put me down?" Lilia asked, staring at him with her big, watery eyes.

For a moment, Bondes had no idea what to say. For some reason, he felt rather powerless.

Hey, don't you understand what's happening? I'm holding you hostage!

"What do you want?" Rhode asked.

"Well..." Bondes thought for a moment.

He really didn't seem to know what he wanted.

Maybe he just felt embarrassed about losing the fight and wanted to save face?

"Put her down." Rhode took a step forward.

"Don't move!" Bondes shouted. "Come any closer, and I really will hurt your daughter!"

"She's not my daughter," Rhode said.

Bondes looked down, and Lilia looked up. "Really, I'm not his daughter... Rhode only adopted me because he thought I was pitiful... no, cute."

"Oh." That sound came from the crowd.

In fact, most of the townsfolk had assumed Lilia was Rhode's daughter.

Look at how close they were. They were obviously father and daughter!

As for why Lilia had only recently appeared at Rhode's side... well, who hadn't done a foolish thing or two in their youth?

And Rhode had only arrived in Southshore a few years ago. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

So they weren't father and daughter after all? Or rather, she was only his adopted daughter.

This juicy revelation made the onlookers nod thoughtfully.

Monica, the tavern owner, had come outside too. Her expression was a little more subtle, as though she was... rather pleased?

"Enough, Bondes," Monica said. "Stop picking on the little girl."

"Yeah, don't do this."

"Put her down already."

The townsfolk spoke up one after another, telling Bondes to put Lilia down.

No one could stand seeing a grown man bully such an adorable little girl.

Rhode also walked toward Bondes.

"I don't care..." Seeing Rhode approach step by step, Bondes backed away with Lilia in his arms, tightening his grip on her a little. "Stop. Don't move. Just try taking another step."

"Ah!" Lilia felt the pain too. "Rhode..."

Although she knew a little magic, she had to stand still to cast it. Now that a strong man had her in his grip, she couldn't move, let alone cast a spell.

"What kind of man picks on a little girl... all right, all right, I won't move." Hearing Lilia cry out in pain made Rhode's heart ache.

Although it probably wasn't serious, he didn't dare provoke Bondes any further.

Just then, a deep voice rang out from the crowd. "Bondes, you're getting bolder by the day. How dare you abduct a girl in broad daylight!"

Everyone turned to look as a man in his thirties approached, wearing a set of standard-issue blue-and-white armor. A greatsword was strapped to his back.

The crowd parted to let him through.

It was Sheriff Redpath!

Bondes also saw the sheriff approaching. He couldn't help panicking a little, and his grip loosened.

Here's my chance!

Seeing that Bondes was distracted, Rhode clenched his fist.

Mage Hand, already behind him, curled into a fist as well, then shot straight toward Bondes.

The punch was fast.

Bondes felt a gust of wind coming from ahead. By the time he looked up, an enormous fist was already right in front of him.

Thud!

"Aah!"

With a heavy impact and a scream from Bondes, his entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

At the same time, Lilia, whom he had been gripping tightly, was flung into the air.

Mage Hand opened once more, extending flat beneath her. It gently caught Lilia in its palm, slowly lowered her to the ground, then opened to let her step off.

The whole sequence left the townsfolk staring in amazement.

Once they came to their senses, some ran over to check the fallen drunks for injuries, while others gathered around Rhode and Lilia to ask after them. More still broke into chatter:

"Bondes is a real brute, bullying a little girl like that."

"Good thing Sheriff Redpath arrived."

"I'd say it's a good thing Rhode is so powerful. He sent Bondes flying in one hit."

"The mayor wasn't lying to us. Rhode really is a mage."

"Mage Rhode is amazing. He can take on three men by himself!"

"..."

Rhode gently stroked Lilia's head and asked softly, "Were you scared, Lilia?"

"Lilia wasn't scared." Lilia shook her head. "With Rhode here, Lilia isn't afraid of anything."