### Chapter 18: Chaotic Tranquility
Smack!
That brawny arm barely made it halfway before I lightning-fast clamped down on his wrist like a vice, holding on tight.
The drunkard froze for a moment.
It seemed he didn’t expect a poor, pint-sized kid to dare stand up to him. His rosy face showed a flicker of mockery and sarcasm.
He glanced over at his buddy, and they shared a chuckle. When he turned back, those hazy eyes had already acquired a nasty glint.
“You motherf—”
But just as he was about to unleash a stream of curses, he abruptly cut himself off—yanking his arm back hard, expecting to pull me in front of him. To his surprise, my grip didn’t budge an inch; he suddenly realized that those five delicate fingers wrapped around his wrist felt like ironclad pincers.
“…Huh?”
The grin on his face slowly froze. With disbelief written all over him, he hissed out a breath reeking of booze and yanked again, this time with more force. Again, he got nowhere; instead, he stumbled forward, nearly crashing right into me.
“Man, you stink…”
The pungent stench of alcohol hit me like a wall, reminiscent of the aftermath of a vomiting session—nauseatingly foul. I scrunched my nose in distaste and tilted my head back, then tightened my grip on his hand.
“You uh… ah, ahhh! Let go, let go—”
He howled in pain, and his face twisted in an expression of disbelief. He shouted to his buddy, “What the hell, come help me!”
“Hahahahaha—”
But his friend, clearly also drunk, was too busy laughing to help. He pointed at him and turned to the nervous-looking woman nearby, saying, “Look, look, he always likes to pull these lame tricks… Hey, Largas! What’s wrong with you? Hahaha, you claim you’re the toughest guy in the Second Knights Order, and you can’t even take on a kid? Aahaha—”
His friend gasped for breath between cackles. Meanwhile, the guy I was holding had a look of pure rage now; his teeth were gritted in pain and he had lost any fight left in him, now awkwardly leaning backward as his knees buckled to the ground.
“Stop, stop… d*mn it, do you know who I am? Do you know who I am! Ah…”
“The Church Second Knights Order.”
I said lightly, easing my grip just enough not to snap his arm, revealing a single eye from beneath my hood. It glimmered ominously: “You’re a bit different from the knights I’ve seen before… While I’ve never dealt with anyone from the Second Knights, I do know a thing or two about the beliefs and spirit of knights.”
“…Who are you…”
He seemed to be connecting some dots.
But I ignored his gradually wary expression: “Sure, they can brawl and drink… but they’d never shout at a passing lady and threaten her, asking ‘Do you know who I am?’ That’s something only little thugs do… Oh, but it’s no surprise coming from someone like you.”
“Hahahaha, Largas, did you hear that? She called you a little thug! Ahahaha—”
His companion was still wheezing with laughter, but the woman beside him had sensed the change in atmosphere; her expression was anxious as she looked around, seemingly plotting her escape.
“Who—who are you…”
The strongman’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me with gritted teeth.
Of course, I wasn’t going to answer him.
Frankly, if he hadn’t stumbled into trouble, I wouldn’t have wasted my time on a loser like him. I had plenty of questions, but it’s doubtful I’d get any answers from a drunken fool, and I was already over his scent.
“Buzz off, before I change my mind.”
I released his wrist, pulling my hood back slightly so that my crimson gaze shot like daggers at him. The big guy shivered suddenly, as if a snake had set its sights on him, mouth agape, making a ‘huh-huh’ sound, too terrified to move.
Time to leave…
I turned and walked away.
After a few steps, I could still hear his buddy’s guffaws: “Hahaha, Largas, you’re such a coward! You just let her go? When did you get so softhearted… hey! You there, come back!”
He seemed to be calling out to me from behind.
“Who said I’m letting you go…”
“Wait, let her go! Don’t make a scene! Just listen to me—”
“What’s there to say? She’s just a kid, what are you scared of!”
“Come back! You drunken idiot…”
“Why don’t we make a bet? I can tell she’s just a little girl; she came running here probably because she’s starving. I’ll wager a silver coin that she won’t follow me…”
Smack.
Footsteps raced up from behind, a hand clapped on my shoulder.
“I say…”
The brawny guy’s friend leaned in, his tone deep and slurred. But the next moment, I spun around and punched him square in the gut.
Thud!
A dull thud followed.
His figure flew backward.
Maybe it was because they weren’t on duty, but both of them were just in regular clothes and not armor today. I didn’t even exert myself; however, the wind pressure from that punch surged as it hit his abdomen, lifting him off the ground. His entire body bent like a shrimp, and with a whoosh, he shot off into the distance like a cannon.
“Ah!”
“Yaaaaaaah—”
Gasps and screams erupted all around. While my punch didn’t hit the innocent bystanders, the loud commotion startled them greatly.
Nearby, some guys who had been wrestling immediately stopped, a war chariot meandering by nearly swerved off the path. Curious onlookers, especially the women, ran away shrieking, including a freckled lady from earlier, who bolted, leaving the brawny man in a daze, likely much more sober now. His companion crashed sideways into a garbage alley, sending baskets flying as he tumbled face-first into the mud, legs straight up, no longer moving.
“By the heavens…”
“What did I just see…”
“The Power of Order, it must be the Power of Order…”
“Is that guy dead…?”
Amidst the chaos, excited chatter erupted. The timid ones had already fled far away, while the brave ones leaned in closer to get a better view. The beefy guy stood among the crowd, eyes wide in terror, staring at me, unable to utter another word.
“Keep standing there like a statue, and he’ll really be dead.”
I tossed this remark over my shoulder before turning to leave. The crowd automatically parted for me. Not far down the road, I heard the man shouting behind me: “You dare injure a Church Knight! I’ll issue a warrant for your arrest! I’ll find you! You won’t escape this city—”
Though his voice was furious, there was a distinct lack of conviction behind it, wavering at the end.
Good grief…
Just a bunch of boring people, doing boring things.
The Church Knights Order, huh…
I figured someone would soon—guards or someone—confront me about what just happened. After all, I’d just decked a guy in public, making it look like I knocked him out cold.
I prepared myself for dealing with those annoyingly dull issues, yet after strolling nonchalantly down the street for quite a while, not a single person approached to question me. Even the initial spectators had cleared out quickly. Within five minutes, it was as if nothing had happened—those who wanted to fight resumed fighting, those who wanted to drink kept drinking, and those looking for company continued their pursuits.
The street returned to its former chaotic tranquility.
Soon after, I reached the front of a tavern, tilted my head in thought, and stopped in my tracks.
