In the depths of an alley, there was a girl with a familiar appearance. She had beautiful silver hair and crimson eyes. With tears in her eyes, she desperately reached out to me from the arms of a man. And, with a hoarse voice, she said, “Help me…”
“Leave it to me.”
Was my immediate response. It couldn’t be any other way. Isn’t rescuing a beautiful girl in distress the romance of a man?
I pushed myself against the ground. My AGI, which exceeded 50 due to my level up, closed the distance between the girl and the men holding her in an instant. Another man beside me drew a sword from its sheath.
“This guy!”
And made a swift slash. However, I blocked the blow with my steel sword. The blade drawn from the sheath halted the opponent’s attack midway.
“Hmm, I see…”
Through the impact received, I estimated the opponent’s STR approximately. He seemed to be slightly stronger than me. He definitely surpasses me in sword skills. So…
“[Malice]”
While holding my sword in a cutting position, I immediately recited a spell. Low-level dark magic <Malice>.
“The effect of that is <Sight Obstruction>. In a game, it would be a debilitation that reduces the target’s accuracy. Something akin to black mist envelops the man”s vision.
“Oh no! What is this? My eyes…!”
“One down.”
The man was bewildered, and the strength behind his sword weakened.
I didn”t let that opportunity slip by. I took a step forward, forcefully pushed his sword inward, and struck the hilt of my sword into the void left by his panic.
Although his STR might be higher than mine, the difference in VTI was not that great. If one takes a hit while completely defenseless, the damage would be significant.
“Gah!”
With a pitiful sound resembling that of a frog, one of the men easily fell to the ground. In a game, he would quickly get back up, but in reality, without an HP bar, things like fainting become a debilitation.
I looked at the motionless girl with her mouth agape, and then shouted loudly.
“Close your eyes!”
“What?!”
Before she could cast a spell, she obediently shut her eyelids without hesitation. In this situation, it should have been quite terrifying to blind her own vision. But luckily she was safe. Thanks to that, I was able to cast the spell without faltering.
“[Radiance]”
Low-level holy magic <Radiance>.
“A lesser version of the <Artifact> I used to defeat the skeleton. It transforms magical energy into light and emits it, but simply illuminating is enough. A flash of pure light illuminated the surroundings.
“Darn!”
The light was so intense that the man reflexively closed his eyes. He wasn’t able to open them, but that was fine. I had the perfect distance, posture, and location both ingrained in my mind. The flash lasted only a moment.
When the light vanished, I was already in front of him.
“If you don’t want to die, release her hand calmly. If you move even a bit, I’ll cut your neck.”
Without blinking, I stared at the man. I had the sword pointed at his neck. Any sudden movement would make his head separate from his body.
With sweat dripping slowly, the man, as if surrendering, moved his arms away from the girl and raised them.
“I-I surrender. I don”t want to die. Please, hel— Ugh!”
I lightly struck the back of the man’s neck with my knee.
Although I could have killed him at that moment, beheading someone in front of a girl didn’t feel right. I felt extremely uncomfortable. Regardless of whether I could or couldn’t decapitate him…
“That’s all… Are you alright?” I quickly directed my voice towards the girl hiding behind me.
Though still trembling, she replied.
“Y-Yes. Thank you… Thanks to Hermes-dono’s help, I’m safe.”
“Eh? How do you know my name?”
“Don’t you remember my face? We’ve met several times at parties.”
“Parties… Meeting…?”
That meant she was the daughter of a noble… Ah, now I remember. I vaguely recalled her elegant face, but the information about her was in Hermes’s memory, not mine.
“…Are you Duchess Victoria von Lanacuras?”
Upon hearing my improvised question, still with a tense expression, she nodded slowly.
Oh, wow. She’s a true noble lady. And furthermore, of the same caliber as the Duke of Lunaseria House.
“I’m so sorry… I couldn’t see well in the darkness. It was very rude of me…”
Excusing myself vaguely for the darkness, I tried to alleviate the situation. Fortunately, Victoria seemed to understand or at least it seemed so, as she didn”t inquire further about it.
“Don’t worry. It was an emergency. And, even though we belong to the same noble family, we’ve hardly seen each other. I could only recall your face, Hermes-dono.”
“Haha… I appreciate your kindness. Well then, let”s set aside the chatter, and I’ll escort you to a safe place, Victoria-sama. Please be careful while walking.”
What a relief. This girl is truly understanding.
Although she recognized me upon seeing me, she hinted that I wasn’t rude. I was touched by her attitude, but it wasn’t the time for that. I needed to ensure Victoria”s safe escort to the other side quickly instead of lingering in conversation.
Pretending not to notice her gaze fixed on me, I turned around with Victoria and headed back the way we came.
***
I stepped out onto the street with Victoria.
We quickly located a patrolling knight. We immediately informed him about the attack on Victoria and returned to the alley with the knight.”
“After turning several corners and reaching the dead-end alley where the men should have been lying, we encountered…
“Eh? Nothing here?”
We found no trace of what should have been there. The tracks of the men had suddenly vanished.
“Did they really get attacked here by two men?”
“Yes. I left them unconscious and tied up with rope, but…”
“Then, it’s possible there were more accomplices. We will send knights to this area immediately. For now, the most important thing is Victoria-sama’s safety. I will ask you to return to the street and cooperate in the investigation.”
“Understood…”
Although there were doubts remaining, there was no point in arguing at this moment. Despite the uncertainty, I accompanied Victoria and the knight back to their post.
***
When I returned from the alley, Victoria lit up with a smile. She seemed to trust me more than the knights escorting her, perhaps because I was her savior.
“Welcome back! How did it go?”
“Unfortunately, we found nothing. It seems there were more accomplices. The men who were there have vanished without a trace.”
“What a mess…”
“Well, at least we can be glad you are safe. Have you contacted your family?”
“Yes, the knights have already sent a message and are awaiting a prompt response.”
“That’s good. Then I”ll leave first. Although the interrogation is still pending.”
“Oh…”
“Hmm?”
After bidding farewell, I turned my gaze towards the knights when suddenly Victoria grabbed my arm. Was there something bothering her?
Upon turning back to look at her, she let go of my arm without saying anything and lowered her gaze.
Did she still retain the fear from the attack? In that case, I will cast a small protection spell on her. It has no real meaning, just an empty promise.
“It’s okay. If anything comes up, I will come to help you without fail. I will defeat those wrongdoers and protect you, Victoria-sama. So, don’t worry.”
“…”
Huh? Is she ignoring me?
Victoria looked up with a bewildered expression towards my face.
That was all. She said nothing more.
In an awkward silence, time passed, and just as one of the knights interjected, saying “Excuse me, we need to interrogate her”, ultimately, our conversation ended without a clear conclusion.
Honestly, I am curious about what Victoria was feeling.
As her expression remained unchanged, I couldn”t decipher any emotion beyond bewilderment.
Well, it doesn’t matter. We’re not that close anyway.
Setting aside the doubt that arose, I quickly informed the knights about the matter.
But it’s strange. This kind of event didn’t happen in the game. Could it be that Victoria is a side character?
