Neith looked at the young man, soma, as he left the shop under the angry gaze of the store owner.
The shopkeeper turned to Neith and forced a smile onto his face.
"Sorry about that… so, have you chosen what you want?"
"….."
***
Neith left the shop while placing his purchases into a magical storage bracelet — the most expensive thing he had bought.
The bracelet was a magical item used to store objects inside it, and it had cost him 120 gold coins.
In addition, the magic potions had cost him 15 gold coins, and a black dagger made from a solid metal had cost him 60 gold coins. These were expensive purchases.
Neith now had only around 100 coins left from the 300 he originally had. After storing his belongings inside the bracelet, Neith walked into the alleys behind the shops, searching for the young man named Soma.
'Thinking that I saw Soma here just now… this is truly unexpected…'
When Neith turned into one of the alleys, he saw Soma lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of men.
They were kicking him and hurling insults at him, while he tried to protect himself with his arms. Yet his eyes had not lost their sharpness.
Neith watched without expression for a moment, then began to approach with slow steps.
The men noticed him coming closer. There were about nine or ten of them, and their levels ranged roughly between 10 and 15.
One of the men spoke.
"Hey, man, don't get the wrong idea. It's not what it looks like. This guy stole our goods…"
"….."
"What? Are you deaf? Do you need something from him too?"
Neith kept walking toward Soma without expression and did not respond to the one speaking.
"Hey… are you just going to stay on the ground like that? …I can guess this isn't the first time you've been beaten like this…"
"…."
Soma and the men present all looked at Neith in confusion as he continued speaking.
"…Tell me, what's your excuse for lying there so pitifully on the ground and getting beaten? Even a bee will sting before it dies. No one would blame you if you lost against a group that ganged up on you like this… but are you really going to stay lying there without even trying to throw a single punch?"
Soma, sprawled on the ground, stared at Neith intently as if trying to process his words.
Then one of the men stepped between them. He was tall, blocking Neith from Soma's view.
"So you're his friend, huh? …Are you mocking us, you bastard?"
"….."
Neith's cold, dull expression — almost foolishly indifferent — had not changed since he arrived. He continued speaking as if nothing around him mattered.
The man grew furious when Neith did not answer him.
"You're ignoring me again!? You bastard—"
Drops of blood fell before Soma's eyes on the ground.
Neith's dagger had already pierced the man's chest.
The man coughed blood, trying to speak in a broken voice as he raised his hand to attack Neith.
"Y… you… mother fu…!!"
"….."
Neith twisted his dagger and split the man's chest open, dropping him to the ground as some of the blood splashed onto Neith's face.
Neith's eyes met Soma's once more.
"…..What was I saying?"