Night fell.

  Langard was once again shrouded in a starless night, covered by dark clouds.

  "Ugh, finally done. Seriously, why does the academy have to make us do this extracurricular research? It’s totally cutting into my money-making time!"

  Arthur complained as he pushed open the orphanage’s door.

  "Alice, I’m back!"

  No one responded in the orphanage.

  "Alice!"

  Arthur called out again.

  "Alice?"

  Arthur sensed something was wrong.

  "Aunt Clea?"

  Still no answer.

  At that moment, there was movement behind a tattered door.

  "I-Is that...... Brother Arthur?"

  "It’s me!"

  "Great, Brother Arthur is back!"

  As the words fell, a group of children rushed out from behind the tattered door and surrounded Arthur.

  "Brother Arthur, we’re so scared!""Brother Arthur, please save Sister Alice and Aunt Clea!"

  "What?! What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Alice!?! What happened to Alice and Aunt Clea?"

  Arthur asked anxiously.

  The children immediately turned their eyes to the shortest one among them.

  Stared at by so many eyes, the child quickly lowered his head awkwardly.

  Arthur squatted down and patted his head.

  "Xiao Jie, what exactly happened? Take your time."

  Comforted by Arthur, Xiao Jie couldn’t hold back his fear any longer. He cried and hugged Arthur.

  "B-Brother Arthur! I’m so scared! I saw Sister Alice, Aunt Clea, and a strange cat-eared sister being kidnapped by a group of bad guys!"

  Next, through Xiao Jie’s intermittent sobs, Arthur learned what had happened.

  It turned out the child had been restless and ran out while Clea was away. Unexpectedly, he happened to see Alice and the others being taken away by a group of robed men on a street. Terrified, he immediately ran back to the orphanage. After telling the other children what had happened, they all became scared too.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Before the previous director died and Clea arrived, this orphanage had been through nothing but trouble. Older children left as soon as they could survive on their own, but the younger ones had nowhere else to go. In the end, Arthur and Alice became the oldest here.

  If Clea hadn’t come, Arthur and Alice might not be the oldest now. How many of these children would still be standing here......

  "B-Brother Arthur, will Sister Alice and Aunt Clea never come back? Will we have to go back to the way things were before......"

  Xiao Jie sniffled.

  The other children’s eyes were filled with unease.

  Arthur clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, then slowly released them.

  He patted each of the young children’s heads in turn, forcing a smile and saying: "No, I promise you, that will never happen again!"

  "Oh right, look!"

  Arthur stood up and showed his arm.

  "I’m really strong now! Those guys who dared to kidnap Alice and Aunt Clea—I can knock them flying in a few moves!"

  "R-Really?! "

  A flickering glimmer of hope appeared in the young children’s eyes.

  "Of course! So...... you have to stay here in the orphanage and not go anywhere, okay? I’ll rescue them soon!"

  "Okay!""Brother Arthur, we’ll wait here for you to come back!""Brother Arthur, you must save Sister Alice and Aunt Clea!"

  "I will......"

  After settling the young children, Arthur walked out of the orphanage in silence.

  He stopped at the door, staring into the dark night ahead.

  "Alice...... wait for me......"

  In the next moment, he stepped into the night without hesitation.

  ......

  In the Lower District, a figure clad in a mage’s black robe—almost blending into the night—darted quickly through the streets.

  Before long, she arrived at a street in the slums.

  "Hmm? Traces of a fight?"

  She stopped and examined the scene carefully. There were still some bloodstains on the ground, as well as traces of Fire Attribute Magic.

  "Such a strong aura of Fire Attribute Magic......"

  Hulim frowned. It was precisely this lingering powerful magic aura that had caught her attention.

  Such great power wouldn’t appear out of nowhere.

  Suddenly, something with a different light intensity from other objects on the street caught Hulim’s eye.

  Hulim walked over and picked it up.

  "This is——!!!"

  Hulim’s eyes darkened.

  In her hand was one of the two short knives Miko usually used.

  ......

  Thud——!

  "Ugh!"

  Another gang member was sent flying, crashing into a wooden wall. The wall cracked as he fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

  By now, quite a few men like him were lying motionless in the room.

  "Still not willing to talk?"

  The unknown figure in the mage’s black robe grabbed the bruised and swollen gang leader by the collar and asked calmly.

  Seeing all his subordinates defeated, the gang leader knew he’d messed with someone powerful.

  "I’ll talk, I’ll talk...... You’re a generous person, please stop beating me......"

  "The guys you’re looking for are now at......"

  The gang leader spilled everything he knew in one go.

  "......We didn’t know you were a master earlier—we meant no offense! We’re a legitimate gang, we haven’t done that many bad things! The guys you’re after have nothing to do with us! Please don’t hold us accountable!"

  "Boss......"

  "To be honest, I’ve always thought those guys were no good!"

  "Boss...... They’re gone......"

  "You’re doing the people a favor by dealing with them!"

  "Boss! The person’s already left!"

  "Huh——??? "

  The gang leader looked up in confusion, only to see his subordinates staring at him in surprise—as if wondering why his groveling was so skilled. As for the mysterious person who’d suddenly burst in, they were completely gone.

  "......"

  "You idiots! Why didn’t you tell me they left earlier!"

  One subordinate immediately said grievedly: "We’ve been calling you, but you didn’t hear us......"

  Slap——!

  A loud slap stunned the subordinate.

  "Dare to talk back?! "

  "You losers! What did I teach you?! Can’t you tell when someone’s a master! Is getting beaten up for no reason fun for you?! "

  "But...... Boss...... Wasn’t it you who first told that person they were asking for death......"

  "Hmm? My ears have been acting up lately—what did you say?"

  "N-Nothing! I said nothing! Spare me, Boss——! Ah——!!!"

  PS：Thank you for the support from Aiacos666! In gratitude, I'm adding an extra chapter for everyone in honor of Aiacos666. Thank you all!!