VII
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Arc VII Chapter 19
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19th Aqua Solar XI AAC 753
Dietrich sneered at her openly. “Ya thar ... Tha fuck ya starin’ at, brat? Don’t ya got anythin’ betta ta do than throwin’ yar stupid pebbles, girlie?”
Johann swallowed, his throat dry. His heart raced, and his pulse rose. He wanted to shout at her. To tell her to run. To tell her to leave him and save herself. He should. He had to. And yet he did not. No matter how stupid it might sound, somehow, deep inside him, he was still clinging to hope. He sincerely prayed that she would be fine ...
The girl tilted her head, in an overly cute manner, no less, one that might be considered ill suited considering her current situation. “Well, I would say, it depends~.” The girl beamed at them. “Strictly speaking, I have indeed better things to do~. Practically speaking, however, I would deem my pebble a worthwhile investment in terms of time and effort~. I saw what you were doing to the boy. Know that I do not approve of such brutish methods. At least, not in my presence. I wish for him not to be bothered any further. I thus recommend that you release him and leave him in peace. It would be an agreeable outcome for all of us involved, would it not~?”
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“...” Johann blinked incredulously, hardly believing his ears. The way she spoke. The way she conducted herself. Was he hearing right? Was what was happening? Was he not dreaming? Was this not just part of some pain induced delirium caused by being struck by a fist to the head?
Did the girl ... Did the girl really just essentially tell them to fuck off after throwing a pebble at them? A little girl not even his age, barely ten, eleven, maybe twelve years old, judging by her petite appearance. All cute and fluffy. And yet, she defied Dietrich and his men. Openly, no less. Without a single hint of doubt or fear. With a sense of unshakeable confidence, absolutely sure of herself. The girl did not ask them to leave. She ordered them. She commanded them. All this was ... truly surreal ...
Dietrich clenched his fists, his blood boiling, and the veins on his face popping out. Her words had only served to aggravate him further. “Listen, girlie, ya’re walking on fuckin’ thin ice hyar. All ’cause ya got sum big fancy words thar. Who do ya think ya fuckin’ are, damn little bitch, ta order us ’round like dat? Tha frickin’ Duchess of Schwarzwalt, or wot?”
The girl merely tilted her head, slowly, sweetly, and cutely, her finger resting on her chin, all while beaming innocently. “Well, I appreciate the flattery, but such a proposition seems rather unlikely, considering that Duke Aurelius is still alive and healthy. Would you not agree?” She was pouring even more oil on the fire.
Dietrich ground his teeth, fuming. He did not like being toyed with. “Listen carefully, ya damn wretch, stop frackin’ messin’ wit’ us, if ya know wot’s betta fer ya ...”
A giggle interrupted him. The girl giggled, highly amused. “Hehehe~, I? Messing around with you? I would hardly call this messing around with you.” Her attention turned to the doll cradled against her chest, her hand gently patting her doll’s hair. The doll looked eerily like a miniature of her, now that Johann got a better look at it.
Her voice murmured softly, courteously, “What do you think, Dolly~, these people appear to be under the misguided impression that I am deliberately ‘messing around with them’. Do you think that they are right? Hmm, ... what do you say, Dolly~?”
“Hmm, I see ... Hmm ... Hmm ... Right.” The girl raised her doll closer to her ear, almost as if talking with her. She nodded along in between. It was a strange sight to behold. A girl talking with her doll, unfazed by the fact that she was standing in front of a bunch of seriously irritated ruffians.
“...” Johann began sweating profusely, the sweat already running down his forehead. Usually, this was a sure recipe for disaster. How desperately he wanted to cry out to her. The girl had to run before it was too late!
The girl turned back to them and clasped her hands, happily beaming at Dietrich and his men. “Dolly appears to agree with me on the matter~. So, no need to be presumptuous, my friends, I would deem lowlifes such as you not even remotely worthy of my attention or consideration, not to mention the effort of messing around with you. You are hardly worth it~.”
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Johann paled considerably, all blood draining from his face. Despite her cute and innocent appearance, her words cut sharp. Did she ... Did she really say what she just heard? What had she done? Had the girl gone insane? Was she tired of living? They would kill her.
Dietrich’s brow twitched, the foam already forming around his mouth. He was craving revenge. “Ulrich, Hans, forget the boy. Get tha damn midget! Now!”
His henchmen looked at him confused. “Are ya sure, Chief? Shouldn’t we ...”
Dietrich was boiling, absolutely furious. “Have ya got wax in yar ears, or wot? Aren’t ya listenin’? Ai told ya ta fuckin’ get ’er! We’ll teach ’er wot happens ta bitches who can’t keep der frickin’ mouths shut!”
His underlings finally released Johann, dropping him to the ground. They were distracted. This was his chance.
Johann gathered all of his courage and shouted from the top of his lungs. “Run! RUN! GET OUT HERE! What’re you waiting for! RUN!” Yet his words went unheard. Everyone simply ignored him as if he did not exist at this point.
Johann’s heart lurched. Much to his horror, the girl paid no attention whatsoever to his shout, staying absolutely calm. Did she not realise the danger that she was in? He had to do something ... He had to save her somehow ...
Dietrich drew his dagger, and so did his men. Obviously, they were armed. And obviously they would put them to use. “Now! Get tha little twit!”
The girl merely tilted her head and smiled. “How unfortunate~. I genuinely hoped that we could resolve this situation peacefully.”
“Peacefully?” Dietrich sneered. “Sure! After we’re finished wit’ pissin’ on yar fuckin’ grave ...”
A single moment passed. A flash. A cry. Pain.
“FUCK! MY FACE!” Dietrich howled, screaming, blood pouring all over his face. He staggered backwards, clawing at his wounded cheek. Everyone else froze on the spot.
Johann’s eyes widened. What ... What just happened? It happened quick, and it happened fast, barely in a blink of an eye, barely long enough for him to understand or comprehend. The girl, her hand, had moved with a speed that he had never witnessed before, instantly reaching for her hip, reaching for something. Whatever it was, it was sharp. It grazed Dietrich’s face, cutting right through his cheek.
Dietrich immediately glared at the one responsible, the girl in front of him. “Wot tha fuck was dis? Dammit, wot’ve ya done?”
The girl retracted her hand, nonchalantly as ever. “Did I not warn you before? Did I not tell you that it would be in your best interest to leave? That being said, I will give you one last opportunity to do so.” Her hand produced a dagger between her index finger and her thumb, its polished steel glistening in the sun. “Because I assure you that the next time will be a much more painful experience~.” Her implicit threat was clear.
“Ya ...” Dietrich ground his teeth, the hatred in his eyes blazing. His pride was injured like that of a wounded wolf. “Curse it ... ... ...” And yet, for the first time, the man hesitated. For the first time, there was a sense of caution in his voice.
The girl continued smiling at him. “...”
“...” Dietrich, meanwhile, continued glaring at the girl. “Ulrich, Hans!”
Both men listened up immediately. “Yes, Chief?”
“Let’s get out of hyar. Tha damn bitch isn’t worth tha trouble”, Dietrich grumbled, clearly disgruntled. He turned to the girl for one last time. “Take yar victory, girl. No wonder ya were runnin’ yar fuckin’ mouth like dat. To think ya’d a damn aura user. Frickin’ magic cheats, ya’ll. But trust me, tha next time ya gonna pay fer yar shit.”
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“... ... ...” Johann could not believe it. The girl had truly won. Against all odds, Dietrich and his men had decisively defeated. Much to the former’s apparent satisfaction.
The girl puffed out her chest with a certain sense of pride before turning to her doll. “See, I told you that we would be fine. Seriously, sometimes, you should just worry less.
“...” Her doll remained silent, her figure unmoving.
The girl shook her head in open disagreement, dismissing her arguments. “As said, you should worry less. You can trust me on this matter, a bunch of runabout ruffians hardly constitute a threat to us.”
“...” Once again, her doll remained silent.
“...” Johann blinked in utter disbelief, completely at a loss. The girl ... Was she ... Was she really talking with her doll? Again? Apparently, which only served to confirm his opinion that the girl might have more than just a few screws loose.
“Which reminds me.” The little girl switched her attention to him. The black haired girl and her doll approached him, hopping in his direction with a series of playful steps. The mysterious girl came to a halt directly in front of him, a wide smile on her lips.
Johann studied her from up close. Her gentle smile ... Her rosy cheeks ... Her stubby little nose ... The lovely doll in her arms ... The girl looked even cuter and more innocent now that she was standing right in front of him, which only made what he had witnessed even more absurd. How could such a sweet, little girl be so threatening at the same time? It made no sense.
“Salutations, friend”, the girl greeted him, her big purple eyes gazing at him. Her eyes ...They were beautiful, mesmerising, stunning. How easy it was to lose yourself deep in them. “Are you perchance acquainted ... Ehm, I mean, do you know a certain Magister Severin?”
Johann blinked, confused. It took him a moment to process her question. “Magister ... Ah, you mean Master Severin.” Realisation finally hit him, and he nodded. “Yes, yes, of course, I’d know him. In fact, I know him well.” He finally introduced himself. “My name is Johann, I’m his trusted apprentice.” His answer pleased her.
“Excellent~.” The girl clapped her hands together, overjoyed. “So, that means that you also must know where his shop is located, right?”
Once more, Johann nodded. “Yes, obviously. If you want, I can lead you there. I was just on my way back before I got ambushed by you know whom. But why? Do you need something from him?”
The girl nodded. “In a certain sense~.” Her hand produced a pair of letters from her satchel. “I’m working for the adventurer’s guild~. I’ve got some mail to deliver to Magister Severin~.”
“Ah.” Johann studied the envelopes and realisation finally struck him. So, the girl was part of the adventurer’s guild postal service, which explained a few things. No wonder that she knew how to fight ... Though, he strongly doubted that her level of capability would be considered normal even among adventurers.
The girl extended her hand, expectant, hopeful, all while being armed with a big radiant smile. “That’ll be four coppers for delivery, and an additional six taler for protective services rendered.”
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“WHAT???” Johann nearly choked upon hearing her price. Six taler? That was open daylight robbery! That was more than he was earning in an entire month!
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