The girl stared blankly at the fountain.

Water gushed vigorously from the fountain, a famous attraction in the southern plaza where people of all classes could come to see. Adorned with jewels, gold, and marble, it sparkled extravagantly.

Because of the valuable metals and stones embedded in it, there was always a guard on duty to prevent anyone from attempting to steal from it.

This made the central plaza one of the safest areas, and there was rarely any trouble.

Maybe that’s why…

“…It’s so quiet.”

It was a perfect place to sit alone and reflect. With no disruptions or troublemakers, one could sit there peacefully, feeling a sense of tranquility.

…She wished she could stay in this spot forever.

Sigh But that’s not possible, is it?

Unfortunately, if she stayed too long, she might attract the attention of the guards. Staying here for an extended period wouldn’t be wise.

The girl, possessing elegance and grace that reminded one of lush blue hydrangeas, stood up and started to walk away.

“…Oh.”

As she passed, the guards’ gazes followed her—not because they found her suspicious, but simply because of her beauty.

“Wow, she’s pretty.”

“I’ve never seen her before. Has she always been around here?”

“She’s even prettier than the flower shop girl…”

“Didn’t you say the same thing when you were infatuated with the bakery girl?”

“Well, love is like a reed in the wind.”

“You idiot. That’s not love—it’s just lust.”

The guards, mostly young men brimming with energy, tried to stay focused on their duties, but it was hard to stop their eyes from wandering.

In short, it’s only natural that young men, overflowing with vigor, would have their eyes drawn to a beautiful girl.

“Judging by her clothes, she looks like a commoner… Hey, cover my post for a bit, will you?”

“What the hell? Where are you going instead of doing your job?”

“What do you mean? I’m just going to check on a ‘suspicious person.’ It’s still part of my duties.”

“…If you’re not careful, this won’t end with just a warning. Don’t you know how tense things are in the capital right now?”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

Whether he was being reckless or thinking with a part of his body other than his brain, one of the male guards headed towards the girl without hesitation.

He planned to use his authority as a guard to strike up a conversation.

But just as the guard was about to approach her—

“Hey there, man. It’s not polite to cut in line. I have business with her first.”

“You… what…?”

The guard fell silent.

A stranger had somehow appeared right next to him, resting an arm over his shoulder. Though his expression darkened immediately, his blood ran cold as he took in the man’s appearance.

He was huge.

A man with a build three times that of an ordinary adult male.

However, the guard was intimidated not just by his massive size.

‘What… what’s up with this guy’s eyes?’

His eyes were terrifying.

Even as a guard who had faced his fair share of criminals, this man’s gaze was bone-chilling, as if he wasn’t looking at a person but rather a piece of meat in a butcher shop. The guard felt paralyzed, like a mouse before a snake.

“Be on your way, quietly now.”

“A-are you trying to threaten the guards? You’re braver than you look to be doing something so foolish—!”

Despite his fear, the guard still took pride in his position. He thought his authority would be enough to intimidate this man.

“Are you ranked higher than Mark?”

“…What?”

“I’m talking about your superior. You know, the one with the lazy eye who loves bars? Isn’t he the head guard?”

“!!!”

“By the way, what’s your name? I didn’t expect to meet such a bold subordinate of Mark’s. I should let him know he has someone so loyal under him. Hahaha.”

“……”

The guard, rendered speechless, couldn’t muster any response to the towering man who spoke so casually about his superior’s identity.

Although it sounded like nonsense, only a few people knew about the head guard’s lazy eye, as he usually wore an eye patch.

This made it hard to dismiss the man’s words as a bluff, so the guard quietly lowered his head.

“…Excuse me.”

He stepped back, bowing slightly.

The huge man grinned in satisfaction.

 

The girl, or rather, Revi, looked at the giant with a scornful expression as he approached her with an overly friendly smile. Was he here to monitor her?

Though a chill ran through her, Revi masked her feelings and spoke calmly.

“…What brings you here? The agreed time hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just came to escort you. We can’t have some creep like that bug from earlier causing trouble for you, can we? You’re a valuable ‘asset,’ after all.”

“……”

“Oh, that was a slip of the tongue. I’m just a lowlife who doesn’t know how to pick the right words! My mouth is the cause of all my problems.”

“…Just leave. I can take care of myself.”

Suppressing the disgust crawling over her, Revi exercised patience.

But the giant disregarded her efforts to stay calm.

“I can’t do that. How do I know you won’t just run off?”

“!!”

He trampled on her pride without hesitation.

“You should watch your words. I made a promise, and I gave up everything to keep it. Are you saying you don’t trust my word?”

Despite her circumstances, Revi was still a noble. And a noble’s promise carried weight and trust. For Revi, who took pride in her family’s name, such a suspicion was a severe insult.

But the man only smirked.

“You think I haven’t seen so-called noble ‘honor’ before? All those high-borns are liars. Why should I trust you, especially when you don’t even have a penny to your name?”

“……”

Her hand had already moved to her rapier, ready to draw it at any moment.

But the giant scoffed.

“I know you’re skilled for your age, but you’re no match for me. Put that sword away unless you’re ready to lose an arm or a leg.”

“If it means not suffering this insult, I’d gladly risk becoming disabled.”

“…Those eyes look serious.”

Clicking his tongue.

The giant finally realized that, unlike the typical nobles he dealt with, this girl had a rigid sense of honor. For a moment, he regretted provoking her.

‘She’s like some uptight knight. What do I do now? I can’t exactly break one of her limbs.’

Once again, let it be said—she was a valuable asset. Hurting her would mean…

‘…The boss would chew me out.’

Wanting to avoid that, the giant decided to take a different approach to subdue this noble lady.

“If you don’t listen, I’ll have no choice but to mess with your sister or your mother. What do you say? You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“You…!”

“So just do as you’re told. Don’t make things difficult.”

The best way to deal with high-class people was to act like a thug.

Mentioning their family, friends, or lovers usually made even the stubborn ones comply.

And sure enough…

“…Fine, no need to make threats. I’ll cooperate.”

“Haha, should’ve done that from the start.”

The giant found it fascinating. He couldn’t understand why someone would sacrifice everything just for their family, even at their own expense.

‘If it were me, I’d sell out my family in a heartbeat. She must be too sheltered.’

If she had struggled through life, she’d realize that family and lovers mean nothing.

Nobles really did live in their own world.

‘Then again, maybe it’s because of her useless father.’

Unlike this honorable young lady, her father was the kind who’d sell his daughter for the family’s gain, even if it meant throwing her into a life of hardship.

The irony was amusing.

‘She’s beautiful, too.’

The giant felt his desire grow.

Though the girl wore plain clothes to disguise herself, her elegance and beauty couldn’t be hidden. Though young, her beauty was evident, like an unbloomed flower.

The kind worth plucking.

‘Since we’ll be spending time together… Maybe I can win her over?’

He had found her weakness. By repeatedly harping on her family, he might eventually have her under his thumb.

After all, the boss only ordered him to protect her until the designated time—he hadn’t said not to touch her.

So the giant reached out to lightly place his hand on her shoulder—

“I’ll take that as a sign you don’t need that arm anymore.”

Crunch!

His overpowering desires had led to a fatal error. The giant didn’t realize the misfortune—or rather, disaster—that awaited him.

It was a lesson learned too late.

“Gaaaaaah—!”

“Shut up, you bastard.”

-Wanna die?

Bam!

The giant’s screams were abruptly cut off as an iron grip forced his mouth shut.

“-----!”

The giant wanted to writhe in agony, but the sheer force emanating from the hand holding his mouth pressed down on him with brutal strength, immobilizing his entire body.

And that was only the beginning—

Crack, crackle…!

“!?!!!”

His body began to twist in directions it was never meant to.

The sickening sound of his spine cracking filled him with the horrifying realization that there was no going back.

In a desperate struggle for survival, people often gain incredible strength.

But for the giant…

“Was that supposed to be your full strength? …What a waste of muscle.”

He faced a man who had encountered real superhuman strength. His feeble resistance was nothing more than a joke—a mere nuisance to this man.

Thud!

With cold, unfeeling eyes, Ihan slammed the giant into the ground repeatedly.

Just like a child playing a game, he kept smashing him down.

Except unlike a game, he never let go. He just kept slamming the giant into the ground, over and over.

Once, twice—

Crack!

…Ten times.

By the time Ihan finally let go, the giant was nothing more than a lump of bruised, broken flesh. He was no longer recognizable as human.

It was horrifying and gruesome.

Yet, he was alive.

Ihan had intentionally left him breathing, intending to show him just what it meant to wish for death.

This was the giant’s second stroke of misfortune.

“…Tch, now my clothes are dirty.”

Ihan brushed off his bloodstained clothes in disgust, as if dealing with this thug had soiled him.

“I-Instructor…”

Revi Folt, who had appeared at some point, looked at her teacher with both admiration and relief.

Just five days.

It had only been five days since she’d last seen him, but she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him until now.

Amidst her complex emotions, Revi tried to say something, but—

“Runaway ninja—I mean, my student, let’s have a little talk later.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m in a ‘slightly’ excited mood right now, you see?”

“……”

Yeah, he looked like it.

For the first time, she saw her instructor not only excited but genuinely furious.

A state that made even approaching him intimidating.

And then he asked—

“This thug is from a guild, isn’t he?”

“…Why do you ask?”

“I see, he is from a guild. Let’s go.”

“Wait, hold on…!”

She tried to hold him back, but he kept dragging her along, paying her no heed.

Revi, on the verge of tears, thought to herself.

‘…This is bad…!’

She was in big trouble now.

One of the many colorful curses she’d picked up from Ihan finally made sense in this moment.