ISAAC

"This is him Captain!" the girl pointed. "He's the one who looked at me!"

There were several people in the direction she was pointing, all of whom panicked and scattered. However, one of them- a teenage boy in worn clothes too big for him- was unable to escape as the girl's finger followed him. Realising this, confusion shaded his rattled features.

"M- me?" he asked with wide eyes, a finger pointed at himself. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes," the girl replied forcefully. "You looked at me savagely, undressing me with your nasty eyes. By doing so you dared to profane the dignity of a noble. For that you deserve nothing less than to be thrown in the deepest dungeon. Arrest him Captain!"

Instead of complying with the girl's request, Isaac sighed. When Traven Mason requested he accompany his daughter to the arrest a filthy criminal he had not expected much; even so, he did not expect it to be something so trivial.

The girl, Jessia Mason, stood together in her fine tapestry with another girl who was facing upwards while staring down the accused boy. He recognised her as being from a baron's family, although he could not recall her name. Flanking the two of them were three tall men draped in grey plate armour with the Mason coat of arms. Their eyes were fiercely fixed on the accused, causing him to shudder uncomfortably.

"You want me to arrest this boy for looking at you?" He asked, just to make sure.

"Yes," she responded firmly. "Hurry up and chain him!"

Again, Isaac could not help but sight. Nobles were often demanding. Occasionally he was called to capture a commoner who had "overreached." Many of those cases were nothing of note as they usually involved a commoner talking back to them or making unintended physical contact. None of these were ever serious, but he had arrested the "culprits" anyway. The reason he had complied with the nobles' requests in those cases was not to punish the accused, but the safeguard them. If he had done nothing, he was certain nobles would have gone behind his back to inflict harm upon the accused commoners.

One of the most important lessons Isaac had learned in his three decades of life was to compromise. One should learn to move with the current, or at least pretend to go along with it. If he had learned that lesson earlier he would probably still be a Paladin. When he arrests someone who got on the bad side of a noble, said noble never asks about the person afterwards. The noble probably would not even recall the person's existence; which made it easy for Isaac to let the captive go after a few days.

On the other hand, nobles had surprisingly fragile egos. If he refused to follow their orders they would not forget the person and would wait until Isaac was occupied to carry out their vengeance. After that it did not matter because, even if he could prove the noble had committed the crime, they would not be punished. That was how much the Yshian system favoured them; commoners might as well not be people. He could not touch the nobles unless he wanted to be branded a felon. Such was the privilege of the empowered.

Still though-

"This is why you want him arrested?" he repeated. "For looking at you?"

"Yes," the girl replied. A frown graced her features as her finger moved from the boy to him. "And you better do what I say Captain. Father recently expressed his dissatisfaction with your people being unable to catch the rat who robbed our store. One more fuck-up and he's pulling his funding from the City Guard!"

As much as he wanted to retort with how he could care less about the crooked noble's coin, the truth was indisputable. For a while now Count Dickmund had been slowly pulling funding from the City Guard to invest in more important ventures; meaning his dozen or so mistresses. Isaac ground his teeth every time he thought about it. If not for the fact that Tiih was his hometown and the person he admired most resided here, he would have packed up and left this corrupt place aeons ago.

"Isn't it a bit extreme?" he asked. "If we judged looking as be a crime all the dungeons across Rekke would be cramped. If he looked at you in a certain way, wouldn't an apology from him suffice?"

"If?" the Jessia looked insulted by his implication. Swinging her long black locks over her shoulder, she flashed him a fierce glare. "You dare insinuate I'm lying?"

This was the moment the other girl spoke up. Before he could say anything she chimed in.

"Insolent!" she shouted. "How dare you question Lady Jessia? You have no right; you are just a Guard! Maybe it's time for the nobility to have a chat with Lord Dickmund to discuss bringing in a new Guard Captain!"

Hearing this, Isaac felt the urge to scratch his head. All these nobles were self-entitled, even those at the bottom rung. The Mason girl's friend's threat was not something worth noting though. Although many nobles were dissatisfied with his shielding of commoners and handling of certain cases, there was no way they would sack him. Unlike their counterparts in Yshta these nobles did not have enough strength to keep the peace.

Of the five 7th Order mages in the city, only two were associated with the nobles, one with the Dickmunds and another with the Masons; the two most powerful families. As for the senior mages; one was head of the Tiih Magic Academy, another headed the local guild of alchemists and the last was a five-star Mercenary. These three had less love for the aristocracy than Isaac did. If not for his existence they would have long acted out their plots to weaken the nobles' influence. If they sacked him, the nobility would have to ready themselves to have their power gnawed away little by little unless they could get another Grade 2 warrior on their side. Unfortunately for them he was the only one within Tiih's borders.

To be honest, over the last couple of months there had been times when he had come close to quitting, but if he did so the three senior mages would launch their debilitating campaign against the nobles; something he would have wholehearted welcomed if not for the fact that they too did not seem to hold much concern for the commoners.

"Very well then," he responded in surrender, walking up to the young man.

By the time he got to him the others had put as much distance as they could between them and the unfortunate fellow while still being able to spectate. When he arrived in front of the young man he was shot a pleading gaze, which he feigned not to notice. He grabbed the youth by the elbow and steered him away. It was then that said youth seemed to realise what was happening. He tried to struggle out of Isaac's grip, however, being a normal human the youth could not make him move an inch. Seeing his attempts were fruitless, the youth- still wearing his pleading face- tried a verbal appeal.

"Please Captain," he begged. "I didn't do anything!"

Isaac's eyes wandered from his face to the Mason girl and saw she now wore a satisfied smirk. Her companion still wore a sneer that seemed to be directed at the world while their guards had retracted their hostile gazes from the boy.

"Stop fussing and come with me," he tugged on the boy's shoulder. Then he lowered his voice so only the youth could hear him. "Trust me, it's better this way for everyone."

Seeing that her will was being followed Jessia, her companion and the bodyguards entered their coach and road away.

With the spectacle ended the spectators dispersed.

Isaac looked at the western sky, noting that the sun had already sunk below the city walls. It would soon be night, a time when the City Guard had to be twice as vigilant. Today was the day he was supposed to put up the new patrol list, but with this unnecessary situation calling him away he doubted he would be able to make it back in time to hang the new list so the Guard could immediately carry out their new appointment.

They're smart, he reasoned. They should be able to improvise.

Isaac had made sure that his subordinates were adequately trained in not only combat but flexible thinking as well. It was a flaw he had glimpsed in his guards when he had first taken up the post as captain; they had lacked the ability to adjust when various situations worsened or lacked basic knowledge about the law, which had made it easy for criminals to slip through the cracks. Corruption among the City Guard had also been rampant back then as they had accepted bribes from anyone with a silver coin to offer. Suffice to say, it had been a struggle to rehabilitate them. Now, he can could proudly say that they were the best trained City Guard in all of Ysh.

"Captain?" after walking in silence for a while the youth spoke up in an uncertain tone. "Why are we heading to the slums? The barracks are not that way. Or-" a fearful expression crossed his face. "Is there a secret dungeon there that no one knows about, the kind people who go there are never heard from again?"

"Nothing of the sort," Isaac responded with a laugh. It seemed the child had an imagination. "I am just taking a detour on our way back to the barracks."

"So," the boy's tone was hesitant. "I'm still going to be locked up?"

Isaac looked at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Zahn."

"Okay Zahn, listen up," Isaac lowered his voice, making it more serious to ensure the boy takes his next words to heart. "You are right. I am going to lock you up, but you'll be free in a few days. That said, you would do well to avoid the attention of nobles in the future. If I wasn't there today things could have ended badly for you."

"But I really didn't do a thing!" Zahn complained.

"It doesn't matter," Isaac said. "Nobles care less about right and wrong and more on whether their ego is being fed or squashed. In the latter case it could end badly for the culprit. Not only your life would be forfeit, but that of your family as well. You do have family right?"

The boy nodded timidly. "My mother and older sister, they're seamstresses."

"I see," he said, coming to a halt. "After we get back to the barracks give me their information so I can assuage the worries. And do your best to avoid catching a noble's eye from now on."

"Yes sir!" Zahn responded excitedly. It was clear how relieved he was.

Isaac turned from him and looked around. They might not have been that deep in the slums, but the deplorable state of the place was already visible. If Lord Dickmund continued to neglect the place it would become unliveable in a less than a decade and the wear and tear would probably spread to the middle-class districts. That would not be good for anyone, especially the slum dwellers. If he was not so certain Dickmund would reject any proposal that did not involve spending money in a way that benefited him, he would have long drafted a request. Asking help from the Church and Guild were a better option. The only problem with that was the mercenaries would ask for payment while the acting leader of the Church in Tiih cared more about raising her status than doing her job.

He stopped walking when he spotted an old man in rags lying on the ground. The man was clearly visible, yet everyone who walked past acted like he did not exist. Seeing this, Isaac could only sigh. Such was one of the problems with humans, they did not care about each other. It was not exclusive to nobles.

He squatted down and examined the man. A minute into his examination he surmised the man had been assaulted. His bony frame was littered with multiple wounds, raw cuts that invited the flies to come and nest in them. Isaac shooed the annoying insects away before casting [Heal Major Wounds] and followed it up with [Cure Ailments] to be on the safe side. The first spell was of the 5th Order while the second was of the 4th; both did their jobs excellently. The unconscious man, who had looked to be breathing with difficulty earlier, now did so with ease.

Isaac scooped him onto his shoulder and walked off, with the boy Zahn trailing. Several minutes later, darkness fell and he stopped in front of certain building. It was fairly sized and had been adequately maintained. He took a deep breath and opened the door to enter.

"Isaac?" upon entering he saw a plump woman with a broom in her hands, sweeping the place. When she saw him she stopped what she was doing and joyfully called. "I didn't think you'd be visiting us since it's so late!"

"Sorry about that," he replied with a smile of his own. "I was caught up with something so I couldn't come until now."

"Oh," the woman responded. Then, in livelier tone, she continued. "The children were quite disappointed when you didn't show. Should I go tell them you're here? That would really cheer them up."

He shook his head. "Not today unfortunately. It's late and I have to get back to the barracks. Before that…" he went into his shirt and came out with a small coin pouch. "Five gold. Make sure they're well fed and clothed Neela."

"Of course!" the woman exclaimed as she accepted the pouch. "Leave it to me."

"Thank you," he said. Then, unslinging the unconscious man from his shoulder, he added, "and can you take care of him for me?"

"Who is he?" the woman inquired with narrowed eyes.

"Someone I found beaten and lying on the streets," he said sternly. "When he wakes up ask him what happened. When I return I want to have a talk with the one responsible."

"As you will," Neela replied.

"I'll be off then,' he said with a nod in her direction.

Several minutes of silence after they left the building Zahn decided to break it.

"Was that an orphanage?"

"Yes," he answered with a heavy sigh.

It was founded by him and Neela. The two of them had been acquaintances back when they lived as slum rats. In the end he got lucky; she, not so much.

"You gave your money to them?" Zahn said, admiration crawling into his eyes. "I now understand why my ma and sis are fans of yours. You are amazing!"

Hearing him, Isaac scoffed. "Not amazing enough to make a real change."

The building housed thirty-two children aged from four to fifteen. The number was way less than the sum of homeless children roaming around the city, but that was unfortunately all he could afford with his salary. If only the aristocrats did their duty.

Honestly, it was not like there were no benefits to taking care of the children. After all, high mana aptitude was not exclusive to the nobility. For all they knew the next Ultra Order sorcerer could be among the homeless children. Such a discovery would be good for the city in the long run.

Sometime in the near future he planned to either learn the spell [Mystic Eyes] or purchase a Talent Gauging Orb to see if there were any talents among the children he had taken in. If it turned out so he would do his best to ensure they were nurtured properly. Within him a hope emerged that one day the children who will be nurtured would come back to the slums and help other kids like he had done for them; like the old hand that had reached out to him so many years ago.

With Zahn on his heels the trip back to the barracks lasted longer than it usually would have, almost half an hour. The place was almost deserted when he entered. It seemed his men really did not need him to take out the new duty list for them to go about their job. That was how a true guardsman should be!

A bulky guard named Sal and a recent recruit named Reynold were the only ones he found in the barracks. He called them over and handed Zahn to them.

"Lock him up in the usual place and release him after three days. Ask and note down everything about his family and place of residence," he ordered. To the boy, who now showed an upset expression, he said, "try to behave for the next few days okay? If you do that you won't have to worry about the Mason girl ever again; as long as she never sees you."

Being ensured by the boy's nod, he turned his back to the three and made his way to his office. After the whole situation that had been blown out of proportion he needed a break before he carried on to his next duties.

Unfortunately, when he entered his office he found it occupied.

A woman sat at in his seat. Her features were obscured by black hat and what looked like the neck sleeve of her dress. The woman wore black all round as she rested her legs on his table while a gloved hand held a book in front of her.

The moment he saw her his hand went to the sword on his back.

He recognised her, Sage Maverick. Weeks ago posters of her were distributed all across Ysh promising a generous reward for anyone who could provide information related to her. The noble whose son she had killed even sent his goons here to look for her. However, to this date not a single trace of her had been found.

Yet here she was in his office… Why?

As if only noticing his presence now, the woman put down the book and drilled into him with obsidian eyes. For some reason, Isaac found them familiar. Where had he seen them before?

The answer came only a moment later when the woman's hand went to her face and lowered the makeshift mask.

"It's been a while Captain."

Hearing that voice, seeing that face; his blood went cold.