Chapitre 7: Exemplary Warrior
Sian looked closely at the scene that was developing a few meters in front of him. Three men were intimidating a young girl who appeared to be around 15 or 16 years old.
This was the damsel in distress event mentioned in the Sacred Treasure, in the section 'How to impress a woman.' It says that the girl will have a good chance of developing feelings for her savior.
Like other events mentioned in the book, it really had a vast amount of information. It was an enormous quantity that Sian could never have imagined before reading the book.
While Sian was absorbed in thoughts, they were getting closer and closer to the place where three men were surrounding the girl.
"What do you think, little girl, that's not a bad idea, right?" The middle guy asked the girl.
"P-please, let me go," the young woman spoke with tearful eyes.
"Hey hey little girl, why refuse our boss? Do you think you're too good for him?" One of the minions said.
"I-I…" She seemed to want to say something, but just bowed her head without saying anything else.
Seeing that the young woman seemed more and more frightened, the other minion said, "In case you don't know, our boss is someone who received the title of Exemplary Warrior, you better think about it."
"Ex-Ex-Exemplary Warrior?!!" The girl started to tremble.
Also seeming to be afraid of the situation, Ophilia got closer and closer to Sian, until they stood shoulder to shoulder.
The girl in question was considerably pretty. She was slim, with red hair and green eyes, and freckles spread across her face that gave her extra charm. If she were just a little older, she would totally be in Sian's strike zone. That said, since he already had Ophilia at the moment, she was enough, and he didn't give the girl a second glance.
They were almost passing by the group, but Sian suddenly stopped. He felt that something was strange with himself. Why would he think that Ophilia alone would be enough?
The only thing that came to his mind was that someone might have enchanted him. Without thinking twice, he started chanting a spell to dispel his doubts.
Sian's sudden stop caught the attention of the three men, who noticed Ophilia standing close to him as he murmured an enchantment.
"Hey boss, look at this Beastkin, despite being one of those filthy animals, she's pretty and well-dressed," one of the minions said.
"Yeah, although they're born to be slaves, they still dare to walk around so well-dressed. We must teach her a lesson," said another minion.
"Let's take it easy, we are all civilized beings," the man referred to as boss spoke cautiously as he extended his hand to Sian. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my friend. May I know your name?"
But Sian didn't answer and continued murmuring almost inaudible words.
"Hey boss, I think this guy is scared shitless. Just look at him, he's so scared he's praying fervently," one of them said.
"It seems so, hahaha! I was a little cautious after seeing the equipment under the old mantle, but that's just for show," the boss said.
"Surely it's for show. Just see how he stopped in fear after hearing your title. I think we should teach them a lesson for getting in the way."
"We'll kick their asses, but only after we take her clothes off. Even if she's a disgusting Beastkin, the clothes are still of good quality," the boss said.
"In that case, I'll take her clothes off, so boss can give them as a present to a woman dignified enough to wear them," one of the minions said with a vulgar smile as he reached out to Ophilia.
But before the minion could touch her, a hand grabbed his forearm tightly, making him almost scream in pain.
"What do you think you're doing?" A cold voice made everyone on the spot scared.
After Sian's words, the three men froze, and suddenly, it seemed like the weather got colder as they started shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't make me repeat it!" Sian spoke again in an irritated voice, tightening his grip on the minion's forearm.
*Crack*
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
The sound of bone cracking and the man's cry echoed across the street, scaring everyone who passed by.
"My-my arm! He broke my arm! Boss, help me," the minion cried out.
"Shut up, your voice is very disagreeable," Sian spoke in an even more irritated tone.
"Boss, please save me!" The minion continued screaming, as if he hadn't heard Sian.
"That's annoying!" Sian used his other hand to grab the minion's head and slammed it against the floor.
The screams stopped immediately as the man fainted.
Sian then turned his gaze to the other two men who were still shaking.
"Take advantage that I'm in a good mood today and get out of here!" Pointing to the guy who fainted on the floor, he said, "Don't forget to take him."
"Y-yes, we will do it right now!" The boss responded hurriedly as he picked up the fallen fellow along with the other minion.
After the three men left, Sian turned around and noticed that Ophilia was scared. It made him feel a pang of anguish. After finishing the spell's enchantment, even though it seemed strange, he realized he wasn't under any magic.
"Ahem... I went a little overboard, I'm sorry for scaring you," Sian said in a calmer tone.
"Y-You don't have to worry about me. I saw you stopping out of nowhere, and I thought something had happened," Ophilia responded, trying to stay calm.
"It wasn't nothing. I felt that maybe someone was using some magic on me, so I used some detection magic, but it was just a false alarm."
"I-I see," she said, still looking scared.
Seeing Ophilia that way made Sian's heart ache. It was a feeling that was becoming stronger. Upon seeing her like that, Sian approached and embraced her.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I promise," he murmured softly in her ear.
After calming down a bit, Ophilia looked at Sian and said, "I'm feeling better now, thank you!"
Looking at her, Sian couldn't resist and kissed her forehead.
Amidst this almost romantic atmosphere, a smell of urine reached Sian's nose. He turned his head and saw the girl still standing there, looking frightened and holding onto her clothes while shaking.
She wore a yellowish hemp tunic with a long brown apron, and her hair was divided into two braids that went down her shoulders. Her old leather shoes were inside a small puddle of urine.
As she seemed scared to death, different from Ophilia, Sian didn't feel any fault.
When Sian released Ophilia from the hug and was about to call her to leave to go back to look for the inn, she went towards the girl and hugged her, pulling the girl's head to her chest.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you. He was just a little angry with those bad people," she spoke while caressing the young woman's head.
After being comforted by Ophilia, the girl managed to calm down a little.
"Are you feeling better now?" Ophilia asked kindly.
"Y-Y-Yes ma'am," the young woman responded nervously while still being hugged.
"You don't have to be so nervous. Just talk to me normally," Ophilia said and continued stroking the girl.
Thinking that he should help a bit, Sian also approached.
"Ahem!" Sian's sudden action attracted the attention of Ophilia and the girl. "My bad, little girl. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"See? He even apologized."
The girl finally came out of Ophilia's embrace and turned to Sian as she bowed.
"Th-Thank you for saving me," she said nervously.
"That was nothing. Let me clean you up as an apology," Sian said as he directed his hand at her and cast a water spell.
When she saw him using magic, the young woman shivered intensely again, even Ophilia had a worried look.
Soon, a thin layer of water surrounded the young woman and flowed quickly to the floor without leaving a single drop behind, taking all the dirt together. Even the yellowish tunic became clearer.
"There, brand new," Sian said with a satisfied smile.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone