"It hurts so much... Can't you watch where you're going?!"

Although Brad himself was in a sorry state after the collision, the unfortunate guy he had bumped into was also in pain, lying on the ground groaning incessantly.

Having practiced martial arts, Brad quickly regained his composure. Seeing the victim lying on the ground, he couldn't help but feel guilty. With apologetic intent, he reached out his hand to help the person up.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry just now... huh?"

"Ouch, it hurts so much... If you don't give me ten or eight gold coins for medical expenses, I'll inform the guards to arrest you..." The guy on the ground continued groaning, but as Brad reached out his hand and saw the person's face clearly, he let out a short exclamation, "You, you! You are that person from before!"

"It's really you."

No mistaking him, the unfortunate guy lying on the ground was the thief who had attempted to steal his wallet earlier. Brad couldn't help but feel like laughing at the situation. He retracted the hand he had extended and crossed his arms, watching the guy perform. The ways of Heaven worked in mysterious ways; who could escape their fate?

"Didn't I already give you a few gold coins before? And besides, is a thief like you planning to use the guards to threaten people?"

"What's it to you! You're not any better, are you? Respectable people wouldn't run away like me when they see the guards." Seeing that the act was futile, the thief gave up pretending and swiftly sprang up from the ground, dusting himself off and retorting with sarcasm.

Ah, this... Brad was momentarily speechless. Although he wanted to argue back, deep down he knew he was guilty.

Wait a minute.

Just as Brad was about to retort, he suddenly remembered something important.

"I say, shouldn't we be avoiding the guards' search?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the figures of the guards appeared both behind and in front of the street corner, effectively blocking off both ends. While most people continued chasing the others fleeing in the gray area, a few noticed them and started moving closer.

"You jinx!"

The thief lost his cool as well. His eyes darted around looking for a possible escape route.

As the guards closed in from both sides, Brad had no choice but to act. In this situation, escaping would require some violence.

"Well, indeed I am a jinx. So, Mr. Thief, I'll take my leave first. Good luck to you."

"Pah, good luck... hey, wait a minute, what do you mean?" The thief immediately caught on to the meaning behind Brad's words. Indeed, this guy could use Magic, so escaping from ordinary guards shouldn't be difficult.

Realizing this, the next steps were obvious.

"My apologies! Please forgive me, sir!"

The guards who were surrounding them ready to arrest the two saw one of the short guys suddenly hugging the other's legs.

"Hey! I can't move like this!" Brad was shocked. He had never had such intimate physical contact with a stranger before, and he immediately felt uncomfortable.

"Hehe, if you don't take me with you, we'll both get caught together. I'm just a small thief with a miserable life. But you, esteemed Magic user, lurking in the gray area secretly must have a reason you can't disclose, right? If caught, the trouble won't be small."

"Are you a rogue?"

"Heh heh, that's a compliment. Well, I'm not prepared yet!"

Brad sighed and suddenly gathered magic, creating a ring of resistance to push away the approaching guards. With a swift gust of wind, aided by flight spells and agility spells, he effortlessly leaped onto the rooftop – still carrying the thief who instinctively clung to his left leg.

Of course, Brad wasn't satisfied with just escaping. Once on the rooftop, using his control over the maximum amount of wind elements he could handle, he passed over numerous houses until he finally landed on the flat roof of a building several blocks away from the gray area.

"They shouldn't be able to catch up now," Brad muttered to himself softly, well aware of the guard's setup. There were some competent knights among them, but they shouldn't be assigned to this task. Even if they did come after him, using Magic to accelerate his escape should make it difficult for them to catch up.

"—You're still holding on, huh."

Brad looked down at the girl who stubbornly clutched his left leg. Despite her hands gripping tightly, her body had gone completely limp, and the thief below chuckled dumbly.

It took the thief a good two minutes to prop herself up somewhat using her elbows, her voice trembling as she asked, "Are you... are you planning to kill me?"

"Tsk, do you need to ask? I'm the one who saved you from prison." Brad sized up the young thief mischievously.

"Hey, why are you suddenly looking at me like that, you're giving me the creeps." The thief rolled over, distancing herself a bit from Brad, now eyeing him warily.

"Come on, I'm not into men... Huh?"

Looking back at the messy journey, he hadn't really paid attention to it before. Although the thief was dressed in tattered robes and had a dirty face, upon closer inspection, her features were unexpectedly delicate.

Masaka...

"A girl?" Brad was dumbfounded.

"No, no, I'm a boy!" The thief quickly rolled over, wiping some soot off her face, the attempt to conceal her identity rather obvious.

“No, what kind of beast do you see me as, huh?”

When the girl claimed she was fifteen years old, Brad was genuinely surprised. In his knowledge, being fifteen was considered the legal age of adulthood according to both kingdom customs and laws. Typically, young men and women at that age would still have relatively youthful features, but this girl with her unkempt hair and loose robe seemed as if she could be around ten years old. The frail, slender body underneath the loose garment was somewhat pitiful. It was because of this that Brad had refrained from taking action during the robbery in the alley.

"Stop—idling!"

Despite her aggressive stance, under Brad's soft tone, the girl's emotions gradually calmed down.

"Anyway... Thanks." Reluctantly, the girl murmured.

"If you're so unwilling, just don't say it at all," Brad smirked and waved his hand. "Well, I didn't help you for the sake of your gratitude... By the way, why didn't you just go with the guards? For a child like you, at most, they would only detain you for a few days, right?"

"Tsk, it's easier said than done," the girl dismissed. "I'm not like you, a grand Mage living an easy life. I have family to take care of, so there's no way I'd just let myself get caught."

"Family to take care of?" Brad was puzzled. No, no, judging from appearances, she seemed like the one who needed care.

Bringing up her family seemed to bolster the girl's resolve as she straightened and, despite a slightly unsteady gait, began moving toward the rooftop's edge.

"I need to get back quickly..."

"Hey! You can't even get off this roof in your current state, can you?" Brad called out to her. "And if you have family to take care of, why don't you seek help from the Citizens Welfare Commission?"

Brad vividly remembered setting up this department himself, tasked with improving the living conditions of struggling residents in the city.

"Huh? You mean that stupid thing they came up with?"

The girl stopped in her tracks, turned back to glance at Brad with a look of disdain. "Besides a few free loaves of bread to feed beggars every day, what's the use of that Commission?"

"Stupid... you mean me... Brad?" Brad was taken aback. Although he had heard his share of badmouthing, this was the first time it was said to his face.

"Isn't it?" The girl retorted, her words dripping with disdain. "If it weren't for that guy causing trouble at the New Year celebration, my brother and I wouldn't be stuck in the city–Let's be clear, we're not vagrants. We used to live in a nearby town."

Seeing Brad's lack of response, the girl didn't bother engaging further. Finding a water pipe at the edge of the rooftop, she skillfully slid down it and, setting her sights towards the gray area, began to run off.

"...It really is... useless."

Watching the girl's figure vanish in the distance, Brad sat on the ground feeling somewhat desolate.

He believed the girl's words. If he thought about it carefully, the Citizens Welfare Commission indeed seemed ineffective to her—restructuring houses and streets did not benefit her, and the Commission most likely focused on hiring young laborers. As for the free food... a significant portion of the city's resources went to the city guards and governmental employment. To manage to allocate a portion for the elderly and children without labor ability was already quite difficult.

"Resource shortages, huh?" Brad placed his left hand on his forehead, covering his eyes.

Indeed, much of the city's hardships stemmed from resource scarcities. If only he could control the whole country... no, just having a piece of self-sufficient land should be enough...

"Ahem, please continue. I'm listening."

Suddenly, a gentle male voice interrupted him.

"?!?"

Brad removed his left hand, opening his eyes to meet the gaze of the young man with an Eastern visage standing beside him. He had a vague recollection of this face; it belonged to the person who had helped him when his father's old friend came to arrest him about a month ago... was it for the free meal?

"Could we not bring up the free meal?"

The young man frowned and tapped the ground twice with his toe, "Risking my life to help you, and all you remember is the free meal?!"