"Chin, we need to get out of here. This woman is bad news, we're talking about Witch Cult levels of bad news. My grandfather had told me stories about her when I was younger, and if she lives up to those legends. We don't stand a chance against her..."
The large thug had alerted his peevish comrade, with fear dripping from his voice.
The ghastly thug had raised an eyebrow at his comrade's concern, then looked back at the woman in front of him, sizing her up with incredulous disdain. His shorter friend was also surprised with the way his giant friend had seemed to be panicking, considering that he's never seen his friend act like this before. Much less to a matter concerning a woman whose flawless complexion had gave the impression that she's never even suffered a moment in her life.
Then when he mentioned the name of the Witch, there was a subtle feeling of fear that had swelled up in the pit of his stomach. He analyzed her face, seeing that she had indeed resembled the Witch that was feared throughout the whole world.
Finally understanding his larger friend's concern, the shorter friend had taken a cautious step back as the reincarnation of the Witch had slowly closed in on his group.
Subaru on the other hand, was still trying to find a means of escape, due to him not being certain whether the newest arrival would help him or not.
The thug that goes by the name of Chin still had his foot pressed against his face, making it hard for Subaru to breathe properly.
The distraction didn't help his situation either, considering that the girl had seemed to be provoking his assailants into attacking her, to which only resulted in the lanky thug taking on his anger on Subaru's face.
"Tch, I don't care if she's the literal Witch's incarnate, or the Silver Devil, or whatever. She's outnumbered three to one. No way someone as weak-looking as her would resemble this fairy-tale of yers, Ton. Not to mention that attitude of hers seriously pisses me off, I really want to wipe the smirk off of that haughty face of hers."
The lanky thug had sneered with contempt at the cowardly concern his friend was displaying.
Chin was not going to let some random wench smear the reputation of his gang's pride. To which the larger thug's skin color had drained from his face by a few shades. Ton was certain that they were not going to come out of this alive, if Chin had continued to step on the Dragon's tail any further.
Even the mysterious woman had seemed to be taken-aback by the lanky thug's assertion, a hint of amusement had creased her lips at this turn of events. She was certain that the thug was either overestimating his abilities, or has never heard of her. Not that she bothered to care either way.
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I join in as well. Seeing as how the odds are tipped in your favor."
An androgynous voice had decided reveal itself, manifesting in the form of a cat familiar, which oddly resembled an American short-hair cat.
"A spirit user?" Chin had gawked, a feeling of uncertainty had started to well up in the pit of his stomach as well.
Spirit users were generally feared magic casters who could contract multiple spirits and use their powers as a proxy gate. While the spirits themselves were known to draw mana from their environments and had typically avoided gate users with little spiritual affinity to them.
The finical gang leader was about to call out the spirit's bluff. Only to be interrupted when the mysterious woman had seemingly gotten offended by the familiar's presence.
"Puck, how many times have we gone over this? I thought that our agreement was for you to not intervene in my fights unless things get start to get bad."
The woman had chastised her contracted spirit, though the tone of her voice had implied that bickering was a common occurrence for the both of them.
She had let out a sigh of faux indignation and shook her head mulishly, wanting this fight for herself.
"You mean like that time that Lugunican strategist turned the tables on you, and how you found yourself with a dagger bearing down on your neck? Geez, ever since you acquired that battle frenzy personality from that mischievous captain, you've been been a stickler for getting involved in a world of trouble. Even if these guys pose no challenge to you. You can't go around acting like a brutish mercenary anymore, despite knowing how difficult it is for you to overcome these habits of yours."
Puck had refuted, giving his contractor a disapproving look of his own.
They've been together for over half a century, and seen things that would turn a person's stomach tenfold. But sometimes, Puck just can't help but point out some of the unladylike tendencies that Emilia has developed in order to cope with her underlying trauma over the years.
"You make it sound like I easily lost to that scalawag, not to mention that I only let my guard down after he faked that surrender. It's just that those retreating armies at the time were notorious for using underhanded tactics in order to win over the kingdom's favor. I know better than to overestimate myself, considering how hazy some fights can get. It's just that I've been itching for a fight ever since that clown beat me in that chess match. And how these petty criminals seem to be having a whale of a time robbing the good common folk of Lugunica. It's only right that I step in and defend those who can't fend for themselves."
Emilia had contested, receiving an odd look from Puck. He was completely aware that Emilia was only trying to find light of her special circumstances, yet he could not help but to wave off her eccentricities.
On the other hand, the thugs had given her a venomous glare that rivaled the Great Serpent.
Even Subaru was at a loss from the bickering that these latest arrivals were having with each other, despite still having his head pressed into the stone-cold alleyway.
"Ya bastards, don't just ignore us!"
Chin had yelled out, seething in anger from the mockery that this woman and spirit had made out his gang's usual extortion routine.
"Yes yes, just give us a moment..."
Emilia had dismissively remarked, before redirecting her inquisitive gaze towards Puck.
"So what do I have to give you in order for you to keep quiet for just this one fight?"
"Hmmm, I'd say a big fluffy strownberry tart and a large choco milkshake for me and my little sister. Also, make sure to add a lot of cream on top as well!"
Puck had mirthfully replied, as Emilia had winded out a peevish sigh at how easy it was to win the over the grand favor of a supposed great spirit.
After a curt exchange of looks, and an approving nod from Emilia. The cat spirit had then drifted further back towards the entrance of the alley, as if to guard it.
It was at that very moment that the temperature within the alley had dropped by a few degrees, as Emilia had shifted her focus towards her back-alley guests of honor. Making the thieves take a brief step back as if they were peering into the abyss itself.
"I hope you find it within yourselves to forgive that rude interruption, but let's continue where we left off, shall we?"
Emilia had postured in a formal curtsy, before redirecting her focus towards the leader of the group who was appraised to be a possible Fire magic user.
Drawing a scoff from the emaciated thug, as he pointed the tips of his daggers as the woman in question.
"Hmph, ya sure love t' talk a lot with that pretty face of yers. How about this then, let's square off against each other, just without any of that magic of yers... Are ya sure that you want to let go of yer lifeline like that? One wrong move, and it could very well spell out the end of yer life.. Even with all that armor decked out around ya."
The thug had suggested, earning a questionable gaze from the woman at the thug's sudden concern for her well-being.
"That would suit me just fine. I appreciate the concern though."
Emilia had promptly responded, directing her sword toward the thug.
"You certainly have more grit than most, everyone else always seems to run in fear when they see my face. So this is kind of a nice change of pace from the usual song and dance that seems to occur with every encounter."
Emilia had blithely praised her opponent, adopting a combative stance.
The sickly thug had responded with a wicked grin of his own, bearing this daggers across each other. "
I just hope that your bite is as impressive as your bark."
"Right back at ya! And after I rearrange that cocky face of yers, I'll take everything ya have!"
The thug had announced with a wry grin, before promptly closing the gap between his opposition with an incredible burst of energy.
Spontaneously giving Subaru a moment of much needed reprieve as the thieves were distracted by his saving grace.
Chin had decided to initiate the confrontation with his signature twin-bladed downwards thrust that would create an opening any almost any opponent's defensive stance, which would involve an opening parry that would guide his blade towards his opponent's jugular.
Normally, his intimidating appearance and demeanor were his key advantages to his successful picking. However, it seemed that his opponent was not only unfazed by his warnings, but had even accepted an impromptu death battle that was seemingly physically tipped in his favor.
Her apparent physical strength had not only disadvantaged her, but the length of her blade had also hindered her attack radius in the narrow alleyway. Chin had flashed a leering grin at his suppositions.
Despite her apparent physical prowess and her select choice of weapons, Chin knew that the armor that she had wore, would not allow him to get a vital strike on anything but her head.
But he would be damned if he was going let his pride falter in the face of some wench who had practically begged for her early death. He needed to aim for the woman's weakness, quickly and efficiently as his mind concocted a plan.
A shrill clang had echoed through the alley.
The move in itself had only allowed a brief window of opportunity to promptly dispatch of his opponents, considering he had extensively practiced this scenario in his head through his countless other near death experiences.
Emilia had almost instinctively intercepted his blade through a diagonal glancing block, side stepping her opponent as the twin daggers were directed towards the ground.
For a novice, this would easily put a chink in their poise, but Emilia had noted that the thief had seemingly been adept with the blade.
Through the exchange of blades, the thief had sported a look of exhilaration on his face, as if to convey that he had a scheme cooking up. The thief had pivoted the grip of his right blade and once again went on the offensive as his dagger had aimed for Emilia's throat.
In that moment had momentarily caught a glance of a set of pointed ears hidden behind a veil of silver hair. Chin was already in the midst of his decisive blow, a certain thought had crossed his mind over the fact he would be doing the world a favor by getting rid of this woman.
Only to catch an insanely powerful thrust in his center mass as the blunt guard of her gauntlet had buried itself into his abdomen with surprising ferocity and technique.
Chin didn't have any time to react to the riposte as he nearly retched from the severity of the impact, nearly putting him out of commission.
His light attire had done nothing to absorb the majority of that impact, which had sent him skidding back towards his companions. While simultaneously being disarmed of his daggers that dropped like pin needles in front of Emilia.
The other thieves had rushed their downed comrade with fear in their voices, who's consciousness was fading after the disappointingly brief exchange.
Even the woman had seemed to be surprised with her display of strength that she had unleashed on this unfortunate soul.
"Chin!" Both thieves had cried out towards their subjugated companion, in hopes that they could retrieve him from the clutches of this devil incarnate.
"Darn it all, I think I might have ruined this for myself."
Emilia had embarrassingly exclaimed, forgetting to consider the aptitude of her monstrous elven strength that she had intrinsically used when she had spared with the Oni Twins at a certain jester's mansion.
Throughout the course of her past, Emilia had always battled fierce opponents that could certainly push her strength to its limits. Which had included the former Sword Saint herself.
Her experience was honed to the point where she had nearly forgotten the roots of her warrior past as an involuntarily conscript in the demi-human war. Reflecting back on those distant memories, she had offered to extend an olive branch to the other frightened thieves who had seemed to blench when she took a step forward in order to apologize.
Wanting to amend the supercilious impression that they seemingly had associated with her, despite knowing how sly bandits and thieves could be. However, for the thieves, all they could make out of the woman was an insatiable monster that could devour them any time she wanted.
"P-Please spare us, we promise we won't rob anyone again. We're just trying to survive like everyone else in the slums!"
The large thug had pleaded with the reincarnation of the Witch herself, clenching his teeth in his desperation, and hoping that his lie could sway the fickle monster in front of him.
The smaller thief had repeated his bigger companion's pleads. If they can make it through this with their heads. Then they would persuade Chin to move their base of operations to Priestella, despite their looted supplies running low.
All they cared about was to get away from this monster. However, their friend had stirred out of his daze. Chin had picked himself back up, despite the wrenching blow to his abdomen, and looked towards his companions with a flair of rage gleaming in his eyes. Before turning towards his nemesis in question.
"I'll fucking kill ya bitch. I'm gonna tear out that fucking throat of yers wide open with my knife and wring out every last drop of blood until yer not even fit to be a corpse. Then I'll fucking boil yer remains in mabeast tallow, and feed ya to those psychos in the slums where they won't even leave a scrap of ya left to bury."
The thief was overcome with impulsive rage, to the point where even his companions were starting to question the sanity of their thief-in-arms.
While the gang weren't past the concept of murder when it came to their occupation, even they were caught off guard by Chin's sudden mad raving. They clearly needed to step in for the sake of preservation, lest Chin had decided to get them all killed.
"I see, then it would be better for you to redirect that rage at me and not at the innocent who clearly cannot fight back."
Emilia had replied intermediately, gesturing towards the extorted foreigner lying on the ground in agony, who was on the verge of passing out himself.
She then had held her hands out skyward, as if propositioning a suitable agreement for a difficult client.
"I'll even grant you the opportunity to come after my head in the future. But you must agree to leave that young man be for the time being."
"What's stopping me from killing ya both now?"
The seething thief had spat out with venom in his voice, clutching his abdomen in efforts to stand up straight.
Emilia had narrowed her eyes inquisitively, looking for a suitable answer to satisfy the lowlife's question.
"Normally, I would rule out specific circumstances. But considering that you're not up to par with your blade skills, I'm giving you an opportunity to grow.
From that curt exchange earlier, you have more talent for the blade than what you give yourself credit for. I'm eagerly awaiting to see what talent can arise from this exchange. Because there's certainly a lot of qualities that you can improve on.
I'm sure you're more than willing to accept these terms, considering that I put a stop to your villainous schemes before you have much room to act on it. And now you want exact revenge against me."
Emilia had methodically appeased her opponent's whims with a hint of conviction in her voice.
"Tch, as if I need yer flattery, I could care less about it. Why should I believe anything that you puffed-up noblemen say?"
"Because Honor means more to me than Prestige ever will. I live by my convictions, and I am resolved to die by them as well. It was a promise I swore to a comrade of mine, and I swore to uphold it until I drew my last breath.
Promises for me carry an absolute weight that even the Pact of the Dragon could never hope to sway."
Emilia had declared, striking her arm into a salute across her chest, with rigidness in her voice.
Before her voice had waned from a distant memory that surfaced to her mind.
"And besides, you remind me of a time where I also had to kill and steal just to survive. It was a time where even the hardened warriors would blench from those terrible conditions that I was exposed to."
She had murmured to herself, as her gaze fell towards the cobblestone staircase in the alleyway.
"Speak in a tongue that I can understand, Half-devil."
The thief had responded, agitation still present in his voice.
Emilia had let out a sigh of discontent at the nickname, before digging into her pocket and throwing the ungrateful trio a bag of coins complete with an ornamented design.
The large thief had caught it in his massive hands before unveiling it for the others to see. The others had gawked at the contents of the bag, not believing their eyes.
"Those are 10 Holy Coins, you can use them in whichever way you see fit. But I will also need a location where I can ask for you once you agree to that proposition of ours.
Unfortunately, I am pretty busy at the moment right now, so I cannot arrange a time for our duel in the foreseeable future. But know that I will not forget this sparing moment either."
Emilia had certified, with burning passion in her words as well.
The thieves were at a loss for words at this turn of events, not knowing whether they should be grateful or hold the woman in contempt for her pity. Finally they decided to accept the terms of the agreement and glared at her.
"I fucking hate ya, ya know. But if ye'r really wantin to die that much, then there's that Loot-house in the slums if ye'r so insistent on it.
Ask for Old Man Rom, and if ya butter him up with a few extra Holy Coins, then he'll arrange this fight with me."
Chin had affirmed, with a mixed expression. His eyes were twitching, yet he had a slightly amused expression as well.
A small smile had creased Emilia's lips, with a hint of excitement in her eyes. She saw serious potential in this thief's combat skills.
Then a foreboding feeling had come down upon the trio as a certain cat spirit had decided to intervene in the conversation. The thieves had turned to look at what could only be described as death itself.
"A little bird had told me that you wanted to do unspeakable things to my daughter, is that correct? I suppose you wouldn't have a problem if I inflicted that same amount of suffering to all of your closest kin too, right?"
Puck had spoken with a threatening tone, his voice had been magically amplified to convey his message.
The trio had shrunk back in terror at the spirit's passive threat, the short one had nearly defecated his pants at the sight of the spirit.
Then his voice had veritably changed towards one with a deadly tone of cheerfulness.
"But I suppose that you guys don't have the balls to do that anymore. Since my dear daughter has offered a gladiator's gift to all you degenerates that you just can't refuse. I suppose I can't hold it against her, since she always likes to have a little too much fun in fighting. Especially when it comes to bandits."
His voice had switched back to his malice ridden tone once again.
"Now that she spoke to you in a tongue that you can understand. GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I MAKE YOU REGRET EVER BEING BORN!"
His voice had resonated throughout the alleyway, to which the thieves had gathered up their injured friend and bolted down the exit at a speed that would give the current Sword Saint a run for his money. Fading out of sight from the proverbial bloodbath that would have been made news across the entire kingdom.
Subaru was still having a hard time keeping his head up at the development that had occurred in front of him. His head was pounding from an obvious concussion, and his whole body was busted up.
The only person he could turn to know was the mysterious armored female in front of him. As she had crouched down right next to him.
"They sure roughed you up pretty good there, any second later and you would have met the angels."
The woman had commented on him, with a voice akin to that of a silver bell.
The last thing that he remembered was the warmth of an almost familiar hand gently resting on his head. As he faded out of consciousness and into a blissful sleep.
'I remember her voice, but from where?'