Could this be about the adventurers who harassed us the other day? Rio scared them off with Earth Needles, but they were the ones yelling "Die!" while attacking us.

"Do you have any proof?" I asked.

There couldn’t have been any witnesses at the time. And theft? That didn’t make any sense—I couldn’t think of anything we’d stolen.

"The proof is something you supposedly have. You’ll show it to us later," one of the guards said.

"Wait, what? Proof we have? Are you talking about evidence for the attempted murder charge?"

"The attempted murder is secondary. The real issue is the stolen goods you’re carrying," he replied.

What on earth were they talking about? If attempted murder was "secondary," then maybe this wasn’t related to those adventurers after all?

"I have no memory of stealing anything. Could you tell us what exactly we’re accused of stealing?"

"This isn’t something to discuss in the open. You’ll find out at the station. Now, come quietly," the guard said, glaring at us.

"Shu, what do we do?" Rio whispered.

"They won’t even tell us what’s supposedly stolen. It makes no sense to just go with them," I replied, trying to keep calm.

"If you resist, you’ll regret it," the guard warned, unsheathing a metal baton. It wasn’t a blade, but it looked sturdy enough to do serious damage as a club.

"Guess we’re running," I said.

I had no idea how strong the city guards were, but I doubted they were anywhere near Master’s level.

"Got it," Rio agreed.

We were on a side street, broad enough for a crowd of onlookers to gather. The bystanders were already blocking potential escape routes.

"There’s no way out now. Once the guards mark you as fugitives, you’re done in this city," the lead guard sneered.

"And what happens if we just let you take us? Probably nothing good," I retorted.

Seriously, what a mess. First, we get kidnapped through summoning, then nearly assassinated by those black-clad guys, and now the city guards are after us. This kingdom was the worst.

"Fine. Let’s scatter the crowd first. A hundred floating fireballs should do the trick," I whispered to Rio.

"Okay," she replied, her voice low but determined.

I stepped forward, and Rio’s magical energy surged behind me. In an instant, a hundred Fireballs mateRiolized, floating ominously around her.

The guards tensed, their composure faltering as they took in the sheer number of fireballs. The crowd, too, began to stir—some even fled outright.

Before they could react, I poured magic into my legs and dashed forward, aiming for the two guards in the center.

"Take this!"

With a swift strike, I sent both guards flying with palm strikes to their stomachs.

"Guhhh!"

The two on the edges finally moved, raising their batons to strike. Their movements were slow, almost laughably so compared to Master’s. I easily caught both batons with my hands, then shoved them backward, sending the guards stumbling to the ground.

"Four guards? Did you really think that would be enough?" I said, disdain clear in my voice.

I dropped the batons to the ground and turned to leave, Rio following close behind with the fireballs still hovering around her. The onlookers scattered, shouting in fear as they fled.

"W-wait!"

One of the guards struggled to sit up, calling out to us. I paused and glanced back.

"What is it now?"

The guard, trembling, pointed a shaky finger at the floating fireballs.

"What… what are you planning to do with those?" he stammered.

"Oh, these?" I turned to Rio. "You can drop them now."

She nodded, letting the magic dissolve. The fireballs dissipated into the air like mist.

"Wh-what!?"

Realizing the fireballs were gone, the guards’ expressions shifted from terror to confusion.

"Goodbye," I said nonchalantly, waving a hand.

"Bye-bye," Rio added with a smirk.

"Damn it!"

The guards tried to stand, but they were too slow.

"Let’s get out of here before reinforcements arrive," I said, nudging Rio.

"Right."

We took off, heading toward the city’s west gate. It seemed like the quickest way out.

"Where are we going now?" Rio asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"Good question," I admitted with a nervous laugh.

Master had told us to explore the world, but being chased out of the first city we visited wasn’t exactly ideal.

"It’s frustrating, having to run like this," I said.

"Yeah… I want to get back at them," Rio agreed, her eyes narrowing.

"Then maybe we should start by figuring out what’s really going on."

"Huh?"

Rio tilted her head quizzically as we ran.

"If we head to the capital or some other big city, we might find answers. Let’s see what people really think about the ‘summoned heroes.’"

"That makes sense," she said.

"Plus, big cities probably have temples, right?"

"Oh…! Yeah!"

Her expression brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically. At least one part of this plan was making her happy.