Chapter 78

Patrolling itself wasn’t a hassle. Just walking around and checking for anything suspicious was all it took. But the streets were always full of weird vibes. Guys selling shady stuff in back alleys, people rigging scales when selling goods, scammers running shell games, and even kids trying to snatch wallets from adults right in front of me.

“Let go! I won’t let go! Hey, there’s a kidnapper here! Help!”

“Give me back my wallet, you little brat.”

“What are you talking about? This is mine!”

Even though I knew there were orphans in this world who survived by pickpocketing or begging, I didn’t expect to see it right in front of me. I don’t particularly like kids, but I don’t hate them either, so I was willing to let it go if they just returned the wallet.

“Sigh… This is why kids…”

Airi, noticing I wasn’t in a good mood, started trying to calm the kid down.

“Hey, kid… This person isn’t in a good mood right now, so just give it back… If they get angry, it’ll be scary…”

“It’s my wallet! Get lost! I’ll stab you!”

The pickpocket kid stuffed the wallet into his pocket and pulled out a knife, pointing it at me.

“You think you can scare me with that? Do you know how many people I’ve killed?”

It was almost funny how confident he looked with that blade. It reminded me of when I used to carry one as a kid, but instead of being scared, I just felt annoyed.

“Kid, if you’d just put the wallet back and pulled out a pigeon, I might’ve let it slide… But you pulled out a blade. I don’t like that kind of magic.”

“Shut up! I’ll really stab you! Have you ever been stabbed? Do you know how many people I’ve stabbed?”

I’ve been stabbed plenty of times, but I doubt this kid has stabbed many people. Holding a knife like that, he wouldn’t even be able to cut through tofu.

“Kid…”

“What?!”

“Go ahead, stab me.”

I told him to stab me since he seemed so eager. I’d never seen someone hold a knife with their thumb tucked inside their fingers. Maybe it was some new knife-fighting technique? I wanted to see how effective it was.

“I’ll really stab you! Don’t regret it when you die!”

“Kid, are you swinging that knife with your tongue?”

The kid, driven by anger, swung the knife at my stomach. Swinging it like that, he’d probably hurt himself. I caught the blade between my index and middle fingers and took the knife away.

“Ah…!”

In an instant, the pickpocket kid was left stunned, his weapon gone. Was that his only tool for his “business”?

“Kid, this is how you swing a knife.”

I slammed the knife into the wall. It was a brick wall, so it should hold up fine.

“Kid… I could’ve forgiven you for stealing the wallet. But the moment you pulled a weapon on me, you were threatening my life. If you threaten someone’s life, you shouldn’t complain if yours is taken, right?”

I raised my right hand, forming a fist.

“Master… There are a lot of people watching…”

“I’ll handle it, Airi.”

The kid, terrified, fell backward. I stomped the ground right next to his ear. In Chinese martial arts, it’s called a “Zhen Jiao” (震脚). It’s not really a technique, just a way to intimidate, create space, and prepare your stance. It doesn’t have any real striking power.

But like I said, it’s an intimidation technique.

“Don’t play with blades like that again. If you get caught next time, it won’t be the ground I stomp, but your head.”

The kid started crying and ran away.

“Ah, my wallet.”

In the heat of the moment, I forgot the most important thing.

“Should I run and catch him? I’m pretty fast.”

Airi, who was known for her speed in the original story, could easily catch a kid like that.

“No, let it go.”

“Why?”

I pulled the knife out of the wall, wrapped it in a cloth, and put it in my pocket.

“Consider it buying a knife.”

That knife was probably the kid’s only tool for his “business,” so taking it felt like fair compensation.

“Besides, I carry two wallets.”

Gold coins were too valuable and would attract thieves, so I didn’t carry them. Instead, I carried silver and copper coins. To avoid the hassle of sorting them, I had separate wallets for each. The kid had taken the copper coin wallet, which only had about 120 coppers in it.

It was a shame to lose the small change wallet, though.

“Let’s go. The attention is getting annoying.”

“Yes, Master!”

As we walked, I noticed it was market day. Stalls were lined up, and people were bustling about. Getting swept up in this crowd would definitely separate us, and without phones like in modern Earth, it would be a disaster if we got separated.

“Airi.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Hold my hand.”

I reached out my hand. Airi’s face turned red. Seriously, just holding hands and she’s blushing? What’s the big deal?

“Is it really okay to hold your hand?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

I grabbed her hand out of annoyance. People are so troublesome.

As expected, the market was crowded. Being the capital’s market, it had all sorts of goods—food, clothes, weapons, accessories, monster materials, horses, toys, cosmetics, and even decorative items like pottery.

What caught my eye was a simple hair tie. I handed the vendor a silver coin and bought a few hair ties. My long hair had been bothering me lately, and cutting it seemed like too much hassle, so I decided to tie it up.

“Oh, hair ties?”

“Yeah, I didn’t realize it back in Bekem, but my long hair’s been a bit annoying lately. Cutting it is too much trouble, so I’ll just tie it up.”

I put a hair tie in my mouth, gathered my hair, and tied it up. It felt a bit tight, but at least my hair wasn’t poking my neck anymore.

“You’re pretty good at tying your hair, Master?”

Her voice had a hint of suspicion. Why would she be suspicious over something like tying hair?

“A friend taught me. Just a friend.”

“Oh, just a friend?”

“Yeah… just a friend.”

“Where is that friend now? They must be amazing to teach someone as clumsy as you how to tie hair.”

I chuckled at Airi’s joke. I like that kind of humor, the kind where comedians make fun of each other’s looks.

“Can’t see them. They’re dead.”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. And you remind me of them.”

That was part of why I bought <Draghinty Fantasy 2>. The hair and eye color were different, but the vibe was similar. Or maybe it was the overall appearance, excluding the hair and eye color.

I initially thought sequels were just trash riding on the fame of the original, so I didn’t plan to buy it. But when I saw Airi’s face, I ended up buying the game without thinking. Her face, smiling at me from the cover, looked just like Yibai’s.

And the adult Werner standing next to her somehow reminded me of myself. If that guy and I had grown up, maybe we’d look like that. The game itself was decent. The problem was the VR device that suddenly exploded. It provided incredibly realistic sensations, which was great. It allowed me to bring my precise magic senses here.

But the company must not have tested it for explosions, because I died and ended up here.

“Ah… headache.”

Whenever I tried to remember the moment I died, my head would hurt. Maybe my brain was warning me not to recall the intense pain I felt at that time.

“Ugh, my head…”

“Are you okay, Master? Did you get too much sun?”

Airi led me to a bench and sat me down. The headache persisted, so I leaned my head on her shoulder. It felt a little more comfortable.

“Feeling a bit better?”

“Yeah, just a little…”

Just a little, but Airi’s shoulder felt like hers. Firm, yet somehow warm and comforting.

“You can rest like this if you want.”

“No, since we’re on a date, we should look around a bit more…”

I tried to get up, but across from the bench, in an alley, I saw the kid who had stolen my wallet. Or rather, I saw him being dragged away by some burly guys.

“Airi.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Sorry, but the date will have to wait. I’m really sorry. I’ll take you to a nice restaurant next time.”

It seemed like I’d stumbled upon the kidnappers’ trail.