I was a noble who was just passing through the streets of Yura Town. The weather looked great for a walk, and a new chocolate shop just opened nearby, so I felt it was a great time to stop by.
My day would have gone perfectly. It should have, as always.
Until an insolent brat tried knocking me over!
"Who do you think you are, trying to get in my way?!", I bellowed to the brat, "Do you know who I am?!"
It was clearly a staged act, this girl had attempted to bump into me to gain my sympathy! How dare she? Luckily, I'm not even near stupid enough to fall for it!
I need to put her in her place.
I grabbed a whip from my inner pocket and swung it at her, "This will teach you!"
Crack!
"Ah!", the girl yelped.
I smiled at the crisp sound. She deserved it.
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I punished someone using this whip. At least I gained something out of this experience. Ha!
"Ah! AaaAah!", only terrified and incoherent noises came out of the girl's mouth. What? Is she a halfwit? Take some more!
"Haha! Hahahaha!", I laughed joyously as I raised my whip once again.
However, before I could continue, a calm voice hummed from behind me.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"!", flinching, I turned around, "What?!"
There, politely bowing in greeting, a man with eyecatching crimson-red hair, narrow eyes to the point of being shut, and an upturned face reminiscent of a fox, smiled eerily at me.
I looked him up and down; he was donning decent embroidered clothing, although mildly torn at his arm. I raised one eyebrow. Finally, someone sensible is talking to me.
The man stepped closer, "Haha, exacting punishment on those peasants must be quite satisfying."
I smirked, "It seems you know your stuff. State your purpose."
"Very well, let me get to the point.", he used one hand to gesture towards the crowd of civilians that had formed, "With utmost respect for a demon of your stature, I believe it would be in our best interests if we refrained from excessive force. See, those dirty commoners have been paralyzed from fear!"
"And so?", I scoffed, "The more fear the better! Those idiots would know how to properly make way for a noble the next time they see me."
"Hahaha! What a brilliant plan. As expected of a nobleman like you.", he laughed, clapping, and then placed a hand on my back, leaning in closer, "However, it would be better if that fear was replaced with dread, no?"
Of course, this young man is only speaking the obvious. But what is he spouting about refraining fro-
He continued to whisper, "Instead of simply hitting, why not try...killing her in one go?"
"A nobleman that is unable to knock out a peasant despite having struck them many, many times. Just think of what those lowly commoners may be speculating?"
My eyes immediately widened. I see... My blood boiled from thinking that they may be mocking me as someone weak. I clenched my fist.
The crimson-haired man removed his hand from my back and laughed, "Haha, I never said refrain from excessive violence, only excessive force. Think of how much more fear would be in their eyes if they saw such a sight? One can only use their imagination. Unless..."
At that moment, a clear image formed in my mind; someone who dared to try to wrong me and having their life taken away in a single strike of the whip, and the surrounding peasants gasping and cowering in dread that they might be next. Calling out my name and begging to appease my anger!
...However, this young man, in the end, is a stranger that I have never met before. There is no need to be friendly with him.
I lightly shoved him back, and looked at the smiling man nonchalantly, "You must be the son of a high-ranking noble. Your spirit and sense of tact are commendable. However, why should I believe that you don't have any ulterior motives? Thinking you can approach me so easily..."
I glared at him, "How laughable."
He flinched, and immediately stepped back in unease, one of his hands following his body and retreating behind him, the other being raised up by reflex, "Ah, I had no intention of causing you offense, lord demon. I was simply giving a suggestion."
He bowed his head slightly, "Seeing as how I am unwanted here, I will quickly leave so as not to dissatisfy your intentions. May you have a good day, and we see each other again."
Afterward, he scurried away like a terrified mouse.
"..."
Hm... Although it was slightly strange that he would refer to me as 'lord demon', at least he had some dignity and didn't overextend his stay.
But his idea was exceedingly within my interests. My heart pumped with excitement at the thought of knocking out a demon in a single strike.
I stroked my gray beard, and looked back toward where the girl was-
"!"
I froze.
The girl wasn't there.
Impossible. How dare that girl run away?! My head turned to scan the surroundings. I spent too much time talking! Argh, if I meet that girl again...
But as I moved around, I noticed that my body was lighter than usual. Immediately, I ran to check the inner pockets of my blazer.
"This is..."
I realized.
MY MONEY IS GONE!!!!
The pouch that held all my change for the day, it had vanished!
"That man..!!"
Did he steal it?!
I looked in the direction the smiling man went but he had already blended within the crowd, not even a patch of red hair to be seen.
"Right! The town guard!", with an idea twinkling in my eye, I called over the town guard that was about to pass this way.
However, the guard only looked at me coldly and said, "Do you have any evidence?"
I felt a nerve pop in my skull.
"No, my money is gone! Find that man at once! He has crimson hair, pale skin-"
"Do you have any evidence?", the guard reiterated in exasperation.
I was at a loss for words, "What, no, that-"
"Then I'm afraid I can't do anything for you.", the guard then left without further investigation.
"Hah, hah, this...", I could feel my blood pressure rising as my eye twitched uncontrollably.
The young man's image vividly stuck in my mind. I gritted my teeth, "THAT BASTARD!!!!"
An inhumanly large grin stretched across my face as I held a medium-sized pouch in my hand.
What a blessing. I giggled quietly, feeling a vague sense of epiphany and seeing my status screen updated.
Traits: [Killing Intent] [???] [Visualization] [Immersion] [Elemental Embodiment]
Traits: [Killing Intent] [???] [Visualization] [Immersion] [Elemental Embodiment] [Pickpocket]
Finally, after half a day of failed attempts, I had succeeded at the last moment--the sun nearly having exited the sky's view.
My smile died down into a smirk of disdain. Looks like that girl was able to use the distraction I gave her and was able to escape too. What a horrible noble that guy is.
Ting, ting! Some pieces of metal collided inside the pouch while I walked.
I exhaled. I was a little nervous back there when he shoved me back. I thought I was going to be caught, but he didn't seem to question my hiding of my arm.
"Nepo baby.", I muttered.
Now, what I should see in this pouch... I nervously touched the string to open it. The demon currency-
Zwip
The opening of the pouch became bigger, and I peered inside to a mix of yellow and gray colors.
"Coins.", I murmured.
I reached my hand in it and counted how many there were.
The demon currency was in the form of coins. Just like bills on Earth, there were multiple types that represented different values. They were gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, and kebbles.
1 gold coin would be 10 silver coins, 1 silver coin 10 copper coins, and 1 copper coin is 100 kebbles.
And it looks like in this pouch, there were 1, 2, 3...
"Not bad.", I smiled and held my chin, "This will last me for a long while."
6 gold coins and 4 silver coins. I'm not sure if those gold coins would be a little extravagant and perceived strangely in a town though. I'll have to find a way to convert them into copper or silver.
But anyway, now that I have money, I need a change of clothes, and an inn. I'm dying to get some sleep.
I clenched my fists in anticipation.
I skimmed the area for clothing shops and inns, and entered a shop that had a somewhat clean and sophisticated exterior.
Bloody Weavings
"Hello, welcome customer. How can I help you today at Bloody Weavings?", a soulless receptionist said in a cheerful tone.
"Is this a clothes or a tailor shop?", I asked, looking around.
The interior of this shop was more ornate than the exterior. With several extravagantly decorated dresses on display on one side and men's clothing with carefully embroidered patterns on the other.
"Both.", the receptionist picked up and placed a large, thick book on the counter, "We have several hundred ready made outfits for dear customer to choose from. Outfits specially tailored in our shop are guaranteed to arrive within a week's time."
The receptionist opened and turned the book to face me, "Would dear customer like to browse the gallery of designs we offer?"
I nodded, appreciative of the politeness of the receptionist, "Sure. Is there any men's clothing? I'd like something rather minimalist, not much different than what I'm currently wearing."
The receptionist looked me up and down, and turned the book to a specific page, "What excellent taste, dear customer seems to know what suits them. Please, have a look."
On each page of the book, there was a detailed illustration of a piece of clothing, a set or not, with descriptions of their available sizes, materials, strengths, and some information on the designer. Moreover, the most expensive prices I saw did not exceed 2 gold coins.
I raised my eyebrows. Wow, these look high-quality.
I quickly chose a few that caught my eye, and the receptionist brought me to the fitting room to take my measurements.
Looking in the mirror at my topless body, I sighed.
No muscles at all... It looks like I've never lifted a finger in my life. There's bruises all over me too. It's excessive to the point of being alarming. I discreetly peeked at the receptionist, but they didn't bat an eye at my chest dyed purple. Right, fights are normal here.
I shook my head, grimacing silently at the pain I was in, and finished up quickly. In the end, I chose something simple and formal, something that didn't make me look like an ordinary commoner demon, but also didn't scream 'noble' either. It was the perfect middleground.
I paid 2 silvers from the coin pouch, the receptionist accepting the payment swiftly, "We are pleased dear customer found something to their liking. Come again soon!"
Exiting the Bloody Weavings shop, I flinched at how dark it has already become. It's almost nighttime.
Subtly hiding the coin pouch with my hands, I hurriedly ran around the streets in search of an inn.
"I'd like to stay for 2 nights, please."
"That will be 3 copper.", the Silver inn's receptionist said.
I handed them a silver coin from the pouch.
Pausing upon seeing the silver coin, the inn receptionist received it and returned 7 copper coins with a worn-out key to me.
I nodded in thanks, and made my way up the stairs to my room. Opening the door and making my way in, I nearly collapsed when I closed the door.
"Ahh!! I'm tired!", I cried out.
The room had a single window, and it had already become night outside. The room also had a single bed in the corner and a wooden desk with a chair next to it. Empty but good enough.
I made my way over to the window and closed the curtains. Afterward, I walked to the desk and chair. It had a single brown papyrus paper and ink feather on it. I looked at it for a moment before collapsing sideways on the bed.
Thump
"Zzz...zz...", I snored lightly through the night.