Hearing Tsukasa's words, Rem immediately looked in the direction he was pointing. But the street corner was bustling with people, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Nothing at all..."
Before she could finish, Tsukasa was already stroking his chin, analyzing to himself, his eyes gleaming with interest, "To dare do something like this near Knights Castle... Their background must be significant. Could it be some arrogant noble?"
After a brief analysis, he shoved his hands into his trench coat pockets and started walking towards the area.
"Tsukasa!"
Rem hurriedly grabbed his sleeve again.
Tsukasa turned his head, a brilliant smile on his face, and said, "It's fine. I promise you, I won't cause any trouble. Or rather..."
He winked. "Wouldn't it be better if you came with me to supervise me? Anyway, just waiting here is simply too boring."
With that, without waiting for Rem to object again, he took long strides and walked straight towards the narrow alley.
Of course, he knew in his heart that this went against Subaru and Emilia's instruction for him to "obediently follow Rem."
'But then again, who asked me to be a warm-hearted citizen?'
This reason made him walk even more righteously.
Watching his retreating figure, Rem sighed softly, a helpless smile flashing across her face, but her steps didn't hesitate, and she immediately followed. She couldn't feel at ease letting Tsukasa go alone.
The two, one in front and one behind, quickly approached the dimly lit alley.
Before they even reached the alley entrance, a crude roar of anger suddenly erupted from within, breaking the superficial calm of the street.
"You damn bitch!!! Don't you dare act all high and mighty!"
The voice was full of malice, echoing in the narrow alley.
Tsukasa's steps halted and his eyebrows shot up, a "just as I thought" expression on his face, and he turned to look at Rem beside him.
Rem also heard the curse. She frowned slightly, met Tsukasa's gaze, and finally could only nod somewhat helplessly, confirming that an incident was indeed happening inside the alley.
"You stinking woman! Watch me smash your face in!"
The rough male voice echoed in the narrow alley.
Immediately after, a clear but distinctly impatient female voice rang out, full of disdain. "Don't keep shouting so loudly, you fool. To even cause trouble with such poor taste, your style is laughably low-class."
The source of the argument became clear. A young girl was cornered deep within the alley by three shabbily dressed men.
This was a common scene of hooligans extorting people in the market streets, but what caught Tsukasa's attention was the girl herself, surrounded in the middle.
Her vibrant orange hair was pinned up with an exquisite hairpin, flowing down her back, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight that slanted into the alley entrance.
The pure red gown she wore, like fresh blood, was not only well-tailored but also added a nearly dangerous, alluring beauty to her.
The numerous accessories she wore on her neck, ears, and fingers were clearly valuable even to an amateur—her entire outfit was probably worth dozens of properties in the capital's core district.
But all this external luxury paled in comparison to the impact of her own appearance. Her slightly upturned eyes, full of challenge, had flame-red pupils. Her light pink lips contrasted sharply with her flawless, snow-white skin.
This was an ultimate beauty that could make anyone who pursued aesthetics marvel, even dedicate their entire lives to depicting it.
Tsukasa's gaze quickly swept over the scene, finally settling on the girl's face, and he concluded, "Hoh... She's a beauty comparable to Subaru and Emilia."
Despite being surrounded by three ill-intentioned men, the orange-haired girl stood at ease, arms crossed, her chin slightly raised. There was no trace of fear on her face. Instead, it was filled with annoyance, as if to say, "What a bother."
Her condescending attitude enraged the hooligans in front of her.
One of the short, stocky men was clearly provoked and raised his fist to strike.
"Stop!"
It was Rem who spoke first, stepping forward, her voice clear and firm.
At the same time, Tsukasa, who had finished admiring the girl's appearance, leisurely stretched, then stepped forward, blocking Rem's path.
With his hands in his trench coat pockets, he spoke in a casual tone, "I'm in a good mood today. I'll give you a chance, how about you obediently go to the Knights and receive your punishment?"
This sudden intervention caused the three men and one woman in the alley to turn their heads simultaneously.
The hooligans' faces were filled with surprise and annoyance at being disturbed, while the orange-haired girl slightly narrowed her red eyes, scrutinizing the unusually handsome and charismatic man and woman who had suddenly appeared.
Tsukasa's gaze swept over the faces of the three hooligans. He vaguely felt he had seen them somewhere before but couldn't recall.
He tilted his head and asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"
No sooner had he spoken than the shortest man, who had raised his fist first, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Stop trying to get chummy! Who are you? How dare you ruin my business!"
The moment the short man's curses fell, the playful smile that had been on Tsukasa's face disappeared at a visible speed. He twitched his lips, his eyes revealing clear displeasure.
"I originally wanted to make things easier but now, I've changed my mind."
Noticing the change in his expression, Rem immediately reached out and tugged at the hem of his trench coat, but after a moment of hesitation, she finally let go, merely lowering her voice and quickly instructing, "Don't use magic and don't go too far."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the three hooligans in the alley were about to continue yelling at the two.
"Uh?"
A short, confused sound squeezed out of the short man's throat.
They hadn't even seen what happened, only a blur before their eyes, and the white-haired man who had been standing at the alley entrance was now before them.
Even more shocking to them was that Tsukasa was holding the shortest man, who had been cursing the loudest, by the scruff of his neck. The latter's face was covered in blood, his eyes rolled back, completely unconscious, and he was being casually held like a rag doll.
Too fast!
No one present saw how he moved or how he attacked. Only at this moment did the remaining fat and thin men realize, chillingly—they had provoked a monster they absolutely should not have.
"S-sir We... we'll go to the Knights right now! We'll go immediately! Is it still not too late?!"
The fat man, who had previously scoffed at Tsukasa's suggestion, his voice trembling uncontrollably, his legs gave out, and then he trembled all over and fell to his knees with a "thump."
(End of Chapter)
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