[16] Goodwill

"Oh dear, just as I expected, huh. So you want to rob me," I said with a calm expression, facing them. My hands were clasped behind my back, giving an impression of relaxation yet full control.

It was the calm demeanour of a noble or a sage from ancient China. Earthlings might call it the stance of a cultivator, someone who masters martial arts and spiritual energy with extraordinary calm and depth.

They stared at me in momentary confusion before returning to their scowls. "Don't be arrogant. We know you have valuable items in your bag," one of them said threateningly, taking a step closer.

I just smiled slightly. "Valuable items, huh? Perhaps you should consider whether your lives are worth what you desire."

"This beast kid talks too much, let's attack him, guys!"

'No compromise, huh?' I thought, watching them move slowly from my perspective.

Since it seemed a bit dull to end this all in one move, I decided to have a little fun first. As they attacked me with punches and knives, I dodged and evaded with smooth movements.

One of them tried to stab me from the side, but I easily avoided his attack, causing him to lose balance. Another tried to hit me, but I parried his punch with my left arm, making him stagger back. I stepped forward, using trained movements to dodge each of their attacks.

"With moves like that, you should consider a career in something more profitable than robbing," I said casually.

One by one, they ran out of energy and began to retreat, breathing heavily. "Are you a mage?" one of them asked, fear evident in his voice.

"I'm not a mage, just someone trying to live in peace," I replied, still smiling. "Since it's come to this, let me throw in a punch or two," I continued, taking up a karate stance.

"Damn, you think we're that easy—"

THUD!

Without giving them a chance to respond, I delivered a straight punch that landed squarely on one of their chests.

The attack was so fast and powerful that he was thrown backward, landing with a loud thud. His friends were startled and took a few steps back, staring at me in fear. They were clearly unprepared to face someone with my abilities.

"Don't be too confident just because you're in a group," I said in a calm yet authoritative voice. "Your strength means nothing if used for the wrong purposes."

"What nonsense—"

CRASH!

With a swift movement, I spun one of the thugs around using aikido techniques, making him tumble and his head hit the ground hard. The last thug trembled in fear, seeing his two companions defeated without being able to fight back.

"Wait... I understand, please don't hit me!" he begged, his voice trembling with fear clearly visible on his face.

"Heh, I thought you'd be loyal to your comrades. Turns out you're even more cowardly than I imagined. For you, this won't end with just one punch," I said with a devilish grin on my face.

"Aaaah!" he screamed, his terrified voice echoing in the narrow alley.

-Ash-

I really overdid it. After teaching those low-level thugs a lesson, I continued on my way to the bar located not far from the adventurers' guild in the town square. Leaving their unconscious bodies in the alley, I forgot about the incident as if it were just swatting away an annoying mosquito.

The narrow, dark alleys of the city gave way to bustling, brightly lit streets as I approached the city centre. The sounds of cheering and lively laughter began to reach my ears, indicating that the bar I was looking for was near. I straightened my clothes, making sure I looked presentable despite the brief fight.

As soon as I entered the bar, the aroma of alcoholic drinks and tempting food assaulted my senses. The room was filled with adventurers sitting at wooden tables, enthusiastically talking about their adventures and spending the evening with laughter and stories.

And trying the food in this world.

Some time later, as the day began to turn into night, I stayed in the bar writing in my diary in English. The reason? It's an international language and easier to learn than Japanese. Its alphabet is also easy to memorise. Besides, I often use international languages for study purposes.

Another important reason is that English helps me understand Earth magic better. After a while, I closed my diary with a new book, made from cheap sheepskin. It turns out that paper does exist in this world, but it is very expensive. The reason behind this is the complex manufacturing process, which makes the paper costly due to its thinness and durability.

After that, I tried the city's popular food, which was a kind of stew and hard bread. How did it taste? Honestly, it wasn't to my liking. First, the taste of the stew was odd, a mix of salty and spicy with a hint of fishy. Then, the bread was really hard. Biting into it felt like eating meat. Is bread supposed to have this texture?

The answer is yes, considering this fantasy world is set in the medieval era, it's understandable that a soft-textured bread-making method hasn't been developed yet. Next time, I'll just cook it myself.

As I was heading back to the inn, right at the entrance, I bumped into someone.

"Ouch..." From the soft, calm voice, it was a woman's voice.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there," I said, helping the woman to her feet.

Oh, a woman? A girl? No, don't get it wrong, she might be older than me. I need to be polite.

"Thank you," she said, accepting my hand.

When the woman was fully standing, she was only about waist-high to me. A beautiful girl with a youthful appearance, around 15 or 16 years old. Her skin was as white as sand but paler, with long blue hair tied into two braids reaching below her waist. Her eyes were blue, matching her hair. She wore a white and grey long-sleeved button-up shirt with black trim, paired with a short black skirt that showcased her beautifully sculpted legs. Over this, she wore a large light brown coat, with white trim and black lining. A black hat rested on her head, with a gold band around the brim and two wider white lines painted on each side. The tip of her hat drooped lazily while the top stood upright. The most striking feature was the staff she carried, with a blue gem at its tip sparkling brightly.

My reaction upon seeing her, only one word crossed my mind: 'Cute'.