A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“I don’t like violence,” Jonathan said quietly, slowly putting his cane away.

"However, please do not casually use other people's masks, sir."

After he finished speaking, he touched the railing that he had pierced.

“Then the intelligence has been delivered to you. Have a pleasant journey, Mr. Ringholder.” Jonathan gave Bray a gentlemanly bow.

Then Jonathan clapped his hands, and a huge shark leaped out from near the ship, dragging him directly into the sea.

“…” Bray took a few steps forward and bent down to look at the ripples on the sea.

Jonathan got eaten by a shark? Bray certainly wasn't that naive.

However, Jonathan always manages to exit in a strange way, which makes one wonder how much effort he puts into coming up with all those creative ideas.

Bray glanced at the broken railing and left the place without a word.

He didn't want to stay here for too long.

The railing is broken, and the floor is cracked. If someone sees me here, I'll definitely have to pay compensation.

"Tsk..." He only pried open the mast; he would never take the blame for something unrelated.

Bray turned and left, and then the two pieces of blade he had thrown away reattached to the broadsword like birds returning to their nests.

---

After Bray and Jonathan left, the previously deserted deck was once again filled with people coming and going.

It seems that what happened just now was only a short intermission.

Of course, several people who went up to the deck noticed the damage; it was all too obvious.

The damage alarmed the captain and sailors.

However, these busy scenes no longer have much to do with Bray.

Bray returned to his room, his eyes softening considerably, no longer as listless as they had been on deck.

Levy hugged Nia, leaned against the transparent window, and together they made 0A0 expressions as they looked at the sea.

Naruko lay quietly beside the two women, not looking out the window, but simply watching Levy and Nia.

"Dead Fish Eyes, you're back?" Naruko noticed Bray standing at the door even before Levy did.

"Is there anything fun to do on the ship?" Naruko lay on her side, her slightly messy hair casually brushing against her cheek.

“There’s nothing fun to do,” Bray said bluntly. Not only was there nothing fun to do, but he also encountered annoying guys.

This trip was truly awful.

"Huh... is the rating really that low?" Naruko was a little skeptical of what Bray said.

"Tsk, if you don't believe me, then don't believe me." Bray could tell at a glance that Naruko doubted him.

Bree walked up to Nia and ran her fingers through her short hair.

"Ah~ Ah~" Nia struggled in Levy's arms, looking like she wanted to be held by Bray.

"Nia wants a hug from Levy." Levy stretched out her hand and handed Nia directly to Bray.

“…” Bray looked at Nia, whose face was full of expectation, and felt a little lost.

After a long while, he took Nia and held her as gently as possible.

"Phew~" Nia closed her eyes and fell asleep as soon as she was in Bre's arms.

Dahaka, the city closest to the holy mountain, is also the destination of Brae.

To get to Hakka, I had to change modes of transportation quite a bit.

Every time I changed trains, for some reason my eyelids would twitch uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the train arrived at its destination safely in the end, although it broke down once along the way.

After getting off the bus, Naruko kept taking pictures with her camera.

The housing area in Dahaka isn't particularly attractive because this small city is far less prosperous than the core cities of the Western Continent.

Most of the houses are built with yellow bricks, which are mainly composed of sand and have a peculiar texture.

However, without any extra embellishments, a house built simply with yellow bricks would look very rudimentary.

There are no proper roads on the ground, just small paths that have been walked on. On both sides of the paths, you can see some desert plants that are growing tenaciously.

In addition to the yellow brick buildings, there are also a few wooden houses.

Thanks to these wooden houses, the whole of Dahaka doesn't look too shabby, but rather has a touch of "Western" style.

What exactly is Western style? Hmm, does anyone know?

In short, this is why Naruko is so enthusiastic about taking photos of Dahaka.

After all, she herself wears denim, so it's not surprising that she likes this style.

"Brave, do you think someone might suddenly fly out of that wooden tavern?!" Naruko said excitedly.

“…” Bray glanced at Naruko, thinking she was starting to ramble.

The place seems so safe and peaceful, so how could someone be kicked out of the tavern for no reason?

Could it be that Naruko thinks something strange is about to happen here?

Something like a fight breaking out in a tavern, and then someone gets kicked out of the partition door.

"Don't even think about it, that kind of thing won't happen," Bray said casually.

Levy is still the best girl. Lately, Levy has been holding Nia and hasn't been talking nonsense. She just eats.

Nia has always been very clingy to Levy, and recently the two have even started to be completely in sync.

The behavior is double the number of emojis.

Levy, perhaps sensing that Bray was praising her, wagged her tail rapidly.

Everything else can be synchronized, but Nia will never be able to wag her tail.

Nia stared blankly at Levy wagging her tail.

“Life should have something to look forward to,” Naruko retorted, then pointed the camera lens at the bar’s partition door.

“That’s wishful thinking, not an expectation,” Bray said to Naruko with utter disdain.

Whether they were married or not, their way of getting along never changed.

However, this is also the most comfortable way for the two of them to get along.

It's hard for anyone to get used to someone suddenly becoming gentle.

"Bang!" In the next second, a man was sent flying out of the wooden tavern in front of him.

The barrier door couldn't stop the man's retreating figure at all; after being bounced away, he let out a hoarse groan.

“…” Bray fell silent.

"Click." Naruko's hand moved incredibly fast, and she pressed the shutter button in time to capture the scene.

"Look, it was this girl who kicked that guy out, so cool!" Naruko pointed to the scene in the camera and said excitedly.

The scene shows more than just the man who was kicked away.

Another girl kept her kicking motion with a cold expression.

“White,” Bray said expressionlessly.

"What are you looking at?!" Naruko roared in fury.

"Clothes." Bray glanced at Naruko, wondering why she was so furious.

While Bray was talking to Naruko, the man who had been kicked away got up and started to get back up.

The man was wearing a white cloth robe, a traditional outfit in Dahaka.

However, the man's cloth robe must have been worn for quite a long time, as it had turned yellow, suggesting he wasn't very wealthy.

"What are you doing all of a sudden, you woman?" The man got up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and glared angrily at the girl in the tavern.

The girl had long, golden hair, which, like the yellow sand, exuded a unique beauty.

Her eyes held a subtle tenderness, and a longing for something unknown.

A girl like this must not come from an ordinary family. I wonder why she's in this place.

She looks like a delicate girl, but this kick proves that she is not delicate at all.

"Please don't touch me with your dirty hands." The girl walked up to the barrier door, her tone not cold, but very unfriendly.

She was clearly furious with the man.

Naruko stroked her beardless chin.

Naruko didn't let Bray help the girl; instead, she planned to watch.

After spending a long time with Bray, Naruko has become quite neutral.

Helping the girl may be an option, but neutrality is also an option.

As things stand, it's impossible to determine who's in the wrong here.

Of course, it's also possible that neither side is at fault.

“I thought you would help that woman.” Bray glanced at Naruko.

Naruko has a much stronger sense of justice than Bree; I never expected her to be a gossip.

"Hey...why should we help her?"

"Because you would generally think she is the weaker party."

"That girl can kick someone flying with one kick, how could she be weak?" Naruko gave Bree a disdainful look.

"Maybe it's just the girl bullying the man?"

"..." After realizing that Naruko was looking down on him, Bray was speechless for a long time.

While Bray and his group were eating melon seeds, the man had already gotten up and taken several steps.

He stood in front of the girl, squinting his eyes.

The girl clearly wasn't a local, so the man felt a little more confident.

"Hey, you kicked me so hard I almost vomited blood." The man pointed to his blood-stained clothes and looked at the girl's... long, white legs with ill intent.

"I..." The girl was speechless.

"I've already held back," she replied stiffly after a long pause.

"Hold back? You call that holding back? I feel like I'm about to die." The man's tone was somewhat aggressive.

The girl, who had initially been indifferent, began to seem a little flustered.

No one around spoke up for her, and the area around her was left empty.

Many people, like Bray, don't intend to do anything.

Of course, they are not exactly the same as Bray; they would never help anyone unless there is a benefit to it.

It doesn't matter who is right or wrong; without the drive of self-interest, bystanders won't make a move.

This is completely different from Bray's idea of ​​judging facts with his own eyes.

However, the outcome was the same: the girl ultimately received no help.

"She's really troublesome..." the girl murmured in a barely audible voice.

Magic quietly gathered in her palm.

Countless pale golden specks of light danced in her hand like fireflies.

Almost no one noticed this hidden magic; even the adventurers in the tavern couldn't detect it.

Unfortunately, this couldn't escape Bray's perception.

"..." Bray's lips twitched, and a bad feeling crept into his mind. Bray had dealt with angels before, literally "dealt with" them.

Although I can't say I know angels very well, they have one characteristic: their magic is mixed with divine magic, and their divine magic is also mixed with magic.

In other words, angels mostly use a mixture of magic and divine power.