After thinking about it for a while, Cyrus dismissed my proposal. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut why?! It\u2019s not like being stuffed together inside a carriage! I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be fine!\u201d I countered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is true, but it would still be only the two of us. When I\u2019m working, I can focus on that and ignore the rest, but this is a personal errand. Being all alone with such a cute girl would be…unbearable,\u201d he insisted, frowning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had invited Maria here so that Cyrus could spend time with her, but he had refused to sit with her inside the carriage and he\u2019d had almost no opportunity to talk to her while helping out at the orphanage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My proposal was that the two of them go shopping together. Since he came here every year, Cyrus was as comfortable with this town as he was uncomfortable with girls, and as a department director at the Ministry, he was talented enough to take on any kind of mission. He was the perfect man to accompany Maria. Maria also said that having him come along would make her feel safer, but he wasn\u2019t having any of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sighed and looked him straight in the eye. \u201cAt this rate, you will grow old without ever managing to speak to a girl. Are you really okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI-I\u2019m not, but…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou think that Maria is lovely, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do, but being alone with her would be…\u201d he mumbled, unable to find the right words. After thinking silently for a while, his face lit up. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come along too then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat? But then you wouldn\u2019t be alone with her…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly. I couldn\u2019t take it if it were just the two of us. But if you were there, I think I could manage it, like when we are working on the fields,\u201d he continued, his eyes sparkling with determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the three of us worked together on the fields, that\u2019s true, but I would be the only one chatting with Maria, while Cyrus smiled and looked at us like a quiet grandpa watching over his two granddaughters. If that was his definition of \u201cmanaging it,\u201d then he really had a long way to go before he got comfortable around girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wonder how he and Maria grow closer in the game. Finishing his route must be a pain.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After he insisted so much, I couldn\u2019t refuse. I ended up tagging along with him and Maria. I was disappointed that Cyrus had spoiled a perfectly good chance to be alone with her, but Maria told me, \u201cI\u2019m very happy that you will be coming with us too,\u201d so I figured that it wasn\u2019t that bad of a trade-off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We took note of how much of each ingredient we would need to cook for everyone, got the money to buy everything from an orphanage employee, and set out. I was told that it would only take a little more than ten minutes to reach the center of the town on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All my other friends, probably thinking that going to shop in this little town sounded like fun, started saying that they wanted to come too, but Maggie sternly declared that three people was more than enough for such a simple errand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing able to go shopping with you again so soon is a very nice surprise,\u201d Maria exclaimed, giggling happily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, yeah, we did it back in that port town too. That was fun!\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was a nice memory\u2014the two of us had managed to find some free time for a walk during our undercover mission at Ocean Harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd I also saw the sea for the first time. It was marvelous,\u201d Maria added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, it really was. We should go there again, but for pleasure this time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReally?! That would be wonderful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next time I want to go there with all my friends, and actually play at the beach, swim, and have lots of fun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I turned around to check on Cyrus, and he had his grandpa-looking-at-his-granddaughters face on. I knew that I had to involve him in the conversation, or this whole outing would be wasted and he would make no progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave you ever been to the sea, Mister Cyrus?\u201d I asked, and he looked surprised that I had addressed him at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He tersely replied, \u201cYes. For work.\u201d And that was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come on, you can\u2019t cut it short like that!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He was way more talkative when it was just the two of us, but right now he sounded like he was on a very strict word budget. Just having Maria around made him too nervous to speak properly. I really wondered how he was supposed to establish a romantic relationship with Maria within the game. At this point, even Dewey, who was just a kid, had managed more meaningful conversations with her\u2014and he was in love with her just as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem, however, was that when I was chatting with Cyrus, the topic was always farming, vegetables, or something like that. It wasn\u2019t easy to bring up a topic like that under these circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of a sudden, Maria asked Cyrus a question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you went there for work, does that mean that your hometown was not on the sea?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She made a thoughtful remark<\/em> and gave him the chance to talk more! This girl is smart!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, since it\u2019s way in the country. Nothing but mountains all around,\u201d he confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a slightly longer answer than before, huh. Maybe he likes talking about his hometown.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou were born near the border with Xiarmah, correct? I did not know that it was a mountainous region,\u201d Maria replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He only mentioned that once when we were working together on the fields, and she still remembers it… Wow. I just barely remembered that his hometown was close to <\/em>some border.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you remembered where my hometown is?\u201d Cyrus marveled, sounding surprised but looking pleased. \u201cThere is a big mountain that lies exactly on the border, and several smaller ones on our side. We were always playing in the mountains when I was a child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That must be why I feel this weird connection with him! I also always played on the mountains back in my previous life!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat kind of activities can children do for play there?\u201d Maria asked, her eyes widened with curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll kinds of things! Fishing in the rivers, climbing on trees, picking fruit…\u201d he elaborated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked like he was having fun reminiscing about his childhood, and I got lost in my memories as well. I used to fashion fishing rods out of branches, march around the forest looking for fruit and mushrooms, and sometimes I would race with one of my older brothers, the one who was closest in age to me, to see who could climb a tree faster. Those were the days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sounds like a wonderful place to grow up in,\u201d Maria concluded with a smile, making Cyrus both happy and embarrassed. I was also happy, since it felt like Maria was praising my past-world hometown too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right after Maria and Cyrus had finished their most personal conversation to date, we reached the center of the city, where the store we were supposed to shop at was located. The place, which was the most developed area in the vicinity of the orphanage, was bustling with activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s way more crowded than I expected,\u201d I murmured, seeing people going around in numbers that rivaled the capital\u2019s downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt really is. Usually there are fewer people around though…\u201d Cyrus, who had been there several times, remarked. He cocked his head to the side, confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We walked all the way to the store, staying close together so as not to lose sight of each other. Once inside, we asked the store clerk why there were so many people around, and he told us, \u201cA troupe of traveling entertainers came into town today, and everyone\u2019s been flocking in from other towns and villages to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTraveling entertainers?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had heard of such people, but I had never seen them in person, because just like romance novels, they were not considered a suitable pastime for nobles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to go back to the orphanage and prepare dinner. We don\u2019t have time to go see them,\u201d Cyrus stated before I could even ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bummer… I guess I knew we were busy to begin with, but still…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We bought the ingredients we needed and we were on the way out when the store clerk stopped us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019d better be careful out there. With all these people around, there\u2019s bound to be an ill-intentioned criminal or two, and you people really stand out,\u201d he cautioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you,\u201d we answered, grateful for his warning, and we left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That guy had a point. We don\u2019t know what kind of people could be lurking around the corner, and we have a beautiful girl like Maria with us. We must keep our eyes peeled.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, neither Maria nor I had to carry anything back to the orphanage. Cyrus did all the work, saying that he didn\u2019t need any help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGood luck, Sarah,\u201d he called, sending me on my way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The town was full of people who had come here to see the traveling entertainers. I had thought that this would mean that I had more potential experimental subjects, but things weren\u2019t quite that easy. Maybe it was because of the festive atmosphere, but I couldn\u2019t find anyone who looked like a fitting vessel for darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main street won\u2019t do,<\/em> I realized, and I headed for a minor back alley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The kid I saw walking into the alley by himself was exactly what I needed. The fact that he was alone was already promising, and his eyes didn\u2019t have much life in them either. And of course, the younger the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started running after him, but I felt something hit my shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOuch! Whatcha think yer doin\u2019?!\u201d I heard someone say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a man. I could easily tell that he was the rude type, and he had obviously had too much to drink on this festive day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have found the perfect subject… I can\u2019t let anybody stop me before I\u2019ve even tried capturing him.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I ignored the man to chase after the kid, but he blocked me by walking in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre ya ignorin\u2019 me, huh?! Look how much I\u2019m hurt after ya bumped inta me!\u201d the man shouted into my face. A gust of disgusting alcohol stench came out of his mouth along with the words. \u201cHuh? I hadn\u2019t noticed, \u2019cause of yer hood, but yer a girl! I thought I was gonna ask ya to pay me, but instead I\u2019ll just have y\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before he could finish speaking, I had already cast a Dark Magic spell on him. He silently dropped on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou made me lose such a fine subject…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wish he had chosen someplace else to be drunk.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, now that I knew who to look for, I just had to find him again. I dragged the man\u2019s body where it wouldn\u2019t be seen, to avoid any trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we left the store, it looked like there were even more people in the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThose entertainers must be all the rage,\u201d I observed, surprised by the crowd that they\u2019d drawn into town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey came near my hometown once, but I do not remember them being quite this popular…\u201d Maria replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd did you go see them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI only saw them in passing; I did not see their show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh. We should go together then, when we have the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would love to,\u201d she agreed with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I now had one more promise with Maria that I was looking forward to keeping. The sea, the traveling entertainers… It all sounded like fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wonder why so many people want to see them though, especially since that wasn\u2019t the case when they came near Maria\u2019s town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost likely,\u201d Cyrus replied, \u201ccoming here is very easy for the people living in neighboring villages, given the geography in this area. And it\u2019s possible that this specific troupe is a very popular one to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are more and less popular troupes? I didn\u2019t even know that there were that many traveling entertainers in the first place…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. There are large troupes and small ones, great ones and mediocre ones. Some of them are just a few people going around Sorci\u00e9, while others have many more members and travel all around the world. When one of the latter is visiting, people just naturally rush to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see…!\u201d I was very interested in that explanation, and Maria, who probably didn\u2019t know much about traveling entertainers either, was also listening intently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traveling the world as an entertainer… That must be so cool. I really want to watch one of their shows one day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, let\u2019s go through this crowd and back to the orphanage already,\u201d Cyrus instructed, persuading us to work up our courage and plunge into the sea of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m scared that this time, even staying close together won\u2019t cut it. We\u2019re definitely going to lose each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Cyrus concurred. \u201cShould we tie ourselves to each other with a piece of string or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That sounded like a very bad idea. In the first place, we didn\u2019t have any string, and even if we did, I didn\u2019t want to be tied on a leash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan\u2019t we just hold hands?\u201d I suggested, and I saw him immediately freeze in shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, right. Holding hands with a girl would probably make him too nervous. But…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must do it. But don\u2019t worry, holding hands is no big deal. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve had to escort a noblewoman or two before,\u201d I whispered to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All nobles had to be accompanied by a member of the opposite sex during their debut in high society, and that definitely involved holding hands. I figured that this wouldn\u2019t be his first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhenever I\u2019ve had to escort a woman…\u201d he whispered back, looking down at the ground, \u201cI\u2019ve always asked my mother or my aunt to be my partner…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So he\u2019s only escorted relatives so far… Well, Keith escorts me all the time, and he\u2019s my brother. Cyrus really goes out of his way to avoid young women though… I guess that\u2019s in character for him.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you want to live the rest of your life without having ever held hands with a girl? This is your chance. Just go and take Maria\u2019s hand. It\u2019d be perfectly natural to do so now. Go! I\u2019m sure you can do it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHng…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He thought for a bit, then he finally reached his hand out to Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI-I, um… I am by no means trying to force this on you, but, if you wouldn\u2019t mind, I suggest that holding hands would materially aid in our strivings to avert unintended dissolution of our party as we traverse the crowd…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve seen tables less wooden than that…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe another girl would have been put back by Cyrus\u2019s stiffness, but Maria was too kind to be bothered, and she also knew how nervous he was around girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would not mind that at all. Thank you,\u201d she responded, taking Cyrus\u2019s hand and leaving him astounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it would be wise for Lady Katarina to hold my other hand, would it not?\u201d Maria then offered, extending me her free hand. I didn\u2019t mind, since by doing so I could avoid getting lost without interfering with those two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks, Maria!\u201d I took her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus, still as nervous as could be, led us through and out of the crowd. We got far enough from the city\u2019s center that there weren\u2019t too many people around, and Cyrus quickly let go of Maria\u2019s hand, saying that we would be fine now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you very much, Mister Cyrus,\u201d she said, making him blush once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus got one step closer to being a grown-up! Good for him!<\/em> I thought before remembering that he was actually older than me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was busy watching my friend and my superior awkwardly interacting with each other, but I still noticed a familiar face out of the corner of my eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the kid I saw earlier while playing hide-and-seek at the orphanage, isn\u2019t it? I wonder if he\u2019s on an errand. Looks a bit too young for that though.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I had time to make heads or tails of it, the kid disappeared into a small back alley. During my mission at Ocean Harbor, I was taught that leaving the large, open streets for small, hidden ones was dangerous, as all kinds of bad people lurked there. This probably also applied to this town, and I started fearing for that kid. That being said, if I went after him by myself, far from being able to help, I would only make things worse, so I decided to get some help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me,\u201d I addressed Cyrus, who could probably manage to do something about it, \u201cI just saw a child from the orphanage walk by himself into that dark alley.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Are you sure it was one of the orphanage\u2019s kids?\u201d he asked, surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could be wrong, but I saw him back at the orphanage just earlier, so I\u2019m pretty sure…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see. But whatever the case, it\u2019s too dangerous for a kid to wander in a place like that by himself. I\u2019ll go check on him. You two wait here,\u201d he ordered, and ran toward the alley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He can really be cool when he wants to… If only he wasn\u2019t so awkward with girls…<\/em> I thought, looking at his back as he sped away from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope everything is fine…\u201d Maria spoke, sounding concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, I hope so too,\u201d I replied, and I started wondering what Maria actually thought of Cyrus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that he was in love with her, but did that feeling go both ways? The problem with Maria was that she was so kind to everyone that you couldn\u2019t tell who she actually liked. After all, she didn\u2019t even fall in love with any of the romanceable characters at the academy from FL1, reaching a friendship-only ending instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between her kindness, her beauty, and her strength, she was a perfect girl. Any man would fall for her. On the other hand, I never heard about her falling for anyone. Strangely, that also went for my other girl friends, Mary and Sophia. They liked talking about romance novels, but they almost never talked about any romance of their own. Even if I asked them if they liked anyone, they would just dodge the question by saying that they liked me a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could it be that they actually are in love with someone, but they don\u2019t want to tell me because I\u2019m too naive to understand love?! I want to think that they would never do something like that… They probably wouldn\u2019t, but if they did, that\u2019d make me so sad. M-Maria would never… Would she?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSay, Maria…\u201d I started to ask her, but then I felt someone run into me. \u201cOuch!\u201d I shouted in surprise, and Maria immediately approached me to ask me if I was all right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took a look at the man who had just run into me. Judging by how burly he was, he was probably a manual laborer of some kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, s-sorry. I…didn\u2019t see you,\u201d he grunted, not sounding sorry in the slightest. From his red face, slurred speech, and alcohol stench, I could tell that he\u2019d been enjoying some daytime drinking. A lot<\/em> of daytime drinking, probably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought that it was probably better to get away from this clearly drunk man, but four other men, equally burly and probably equally drunk, joined him. We were quickly surrounded by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the deal? Huh? What\u2019s the problem? Hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t look good. We need to find a way out of this…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me, but we have to go,\u201d I stated, trying to sneak in between two of them, but they quickly blocked my path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the hurry? Won\u2019t you two have a little chat with us?\u201d one of them drawled. The smell of liquor got worse as soon as he opened his mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why I can\u2019t stand drunks…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow that I look at them, huh… These two are pretty, aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, you\u2019re right! Pretty, yeah. Real pretty. Come and have some fun with us!\u201d one of them leered, after taking a very good look at Maria\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019s pretty, yeah, and kind too. She is totally out of your league,<\/em> I thought, taking Maria\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re really in a hurry right now,\u201d I insisted, trying to get away once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t run away like that. We\u2019re gentlemen, the whole lot of us. We wouldn\u2019t do anything bad to you, y\u2019know?\u201d one of them answered, grinning as he grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you doing?!\u201d Maria shouted, even though I was the one who\u2019d been grabbed. I could tell that she was trying to look angry, but no amount of frowning could make that beautiful face of hers scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, would you look at that! She\u2019s even cute when she\u2019s mad! I\u2019ve never seen a girl this stinkin\u2019 cute!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only had Maria\u2019s bluff not worked on them, but now one of the men had gone ahead and grabbed Maria\u2019s arm too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, be nice and spend some time with us,\u201d he smirked, getting uncomfortably close to her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t stand it. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare touch Mar\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before I could tell him off, I saw Cyrus approaching the man from behind with a deadly cold stare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d he asked, loud enough to be heard over the five noisy men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre these girls with you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of them looked at him with contempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, they are. So take those filthy hands off of them,\u201d he commanded, his voice just as icy as his expressionless face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? You think you can take all the girls to yourself and tell people what to do just because you\u2019re kinda handsome?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way the drunk man had said \u201chandsome\u201d made it clear that he hated Cyrus for it. However, even though he was handsome, he probably didn\u2019t look very strong to people who didn\u2019t know him. One of the men grabbed him by the lapel. The drunk probably thought that he could easily win in a fight against Cyrus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had been relieved to see Cyrus come to our rescue, but I wondered whether he could use magic in a place like this. For the most part, only nobles could use magic, and I\u2019d been taught that we weren\u2019t supposed to use it against commoners. But before I was done wondering about what to do, I noticed that the man that had grabbed Cyrus was lying on the ground facedown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wh-What happened?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was confused, but the other men had clearly seen what Cyrus had done to their friend, and they all started shouting at him and running toward him, just for him to throw them to the ground one by one as if they were little kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is this magic? It didn\u2019t look like he was using magic though…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Four of the men were already on the pavement, and only one was still standing. Cyrus, who hadn\u2019t even broken a sweat, fixed his gaze on the last drunkard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre we done yet?\u201d he inquired politely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cE-Eek!\u201d the man squeaked before taking a step backward. He clearly had no intention of challenging Cyrus anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou, take care of them,\u201d Cyrus ordered him, pointing at the four drunks on the ground. He then checked whether Maria and I were okay, and, since we were, he quickly dragged us away, as staying there would make us stand out too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat just now wasn\u2019t magic, was it?\u201d I casually inquired while we walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean that just now<\/em>?\u201d he asked back, confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe way you beat up those drunks, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that? I guess you could call it a self-defense art. If you hit someone in the right spots, they won\u2019t be able to move for a while. It works on most people, even if they\u2019re very strong,\u201d he nonchalantly replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cR-Really? I never learned anything like this…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had learned the basics of sparring to protect myself from Fortune Lover<\/em>\u2019s bad ends, but I\u2019d never even heard of this technique that Cyrus was talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm, I learned how to use it back in my hometown. Maybe it\u2019s not common around these parts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou mean they taught that to you at home?\u201d I gasped, surprised. Some noblemen learn how to use the sword as a fancy pastime, but street fighting like this was unheard of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After thinking about it for a while, Cyrus dismissed my proposal. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d \u201cBut why?! It\u2019s not like being stuffed together inside a carriage! I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be fine!\u201d I countered. \u201cThat is true, but it would still be only the two of us. When I\u2019m working, I can focus on that and ignore the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3668,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3667\/revisions\/3668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}