The place where the festival is held is always a hotbed of chaos and commotion.
Especially when it’s the grand festival that everyone has been eagerly awaiting; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was crafted specifically for such ruckus.
The loud revelry of those caught up in the festive spirit, the enticing laughter of those indulging in pleasures hidden away, the lively dance of the drunk and merry, eager merchants vying for a slice of the action, and the loud shouts of vagrants begging for coins—all contribute to a tumult that knows no boundaries.
Whether it’s the heat of excitement, the thrill of indulgence, or the drunken revelry, the people are scouring the streets day and night, and the collisions among them create quite a din.
Every guard, mercenary, and knight in the Northern Regions is on alert during the festival days, keeping their eyes peeled to prevent mishaps. But naturally, they are too few to quell every uproar and prevent every disturbance.
Thus, the clamor arises in various places.
In the outskirts of the city, between 6th and 7th Street, one particular uproar was rising dramatically.
“Damn you, you nitwit wife! Can’t you even bring back a single coin from begging? You wretch, did you pocket money without telling me? You thieving harlot—!!”
*Thud!*
“Ah-!”
Living in the slums, the bear-sized man had delivered a front kick to the belly of the woman who appeared to be his wife.
*Crash!*
A truly shabby plank, which could barely be called a front door, was smashed apart, and the woman flew backward, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
“W-ugh…!”
Curled up on the ground like a shrimp, she couldn’t even manage to exhale. Meanwhile, a little boy who looked to be her son rushed over in a panic, checking on his mother’s well-being.
The boy was just as filthy, having rolled in the muddy water, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was muck-covered.
“Mom! Are you okay?!!”
“Ugh…! Oh, darling….”
“You bastard—!! Who do you think you are to hit my mom—!!”
The little boy, looking around ten, bravely approached the man, hurling imprecations, but it was merely a feeble flailing, like a kitten hissing at a bear.
*Smack!*
“Seriously, this brat doesn’t have any respect for his esteemed father, just like his mother.”
*Gag!*
“Let go of me—!”
The child, grasped by his hair by the tyrant of a father, found himself lifted off the ground, and the world inverted as it began to sway uncontrollably.
The man, gripping the boy’s ankle, swung him around wildly—as if shaking out laundry.
“If I can shake out a single coin from you, maybe I’ll let you live. If not, you and your mother will be on the path to the heavens today.”
In one hand, the man wielded a liquor bottle, his face already flushed red from the intoxication, hands and feet surrendered to drunkenness.
*Hahaha!*
The man laughed as he carelessly toyed with his child. With great effort, the woman staggered to her feet, limped over, and clung to the man’s pant leg, pleading desperately.
“P-please! Just don’t hurt my child! I’ll find a way to pay for the drinking money!”
“Hmph, get lost! You wretched woman!”
*Thud!*
However, the brutal foot struck her abdomen again, sending her flying away to land far off.
Collapse!
Seeing his mother collapse, the boy screamed almost in agony, but the fainted woman couldn’t move a finger.
“Ugh! You worthless sort. Now it’s your turn.”
A scrawny child was unlikely to hold anything of value. The man lifted a fist the size of the child’s face, and soon, the child would feel a great shock approaching, one that would snuff out any scream before it could escape.
There was a throng of people around, and yet, even one guard could be seen among them, but no one showed any will to stand against the hulking man.
“You’re going to die today over a single coin!” The burly man laughed wickedly, his punch swinging down.
The moment that fist would connect with the child’s abdomen, it was clear that entrails would burst and bones would shatter. Yet, no one stepped forward to intervene.
*BAM—!!*
With a thunderous noise, the man was sent crashing into the wall of his shabby house. The wall crumbled and dust clouded the air. Moreover, the child, released from the man’s grip, soared upwards as if he would ascend to the heavens, just as the man had taunted.
The height was considerable; it was obvious that he would be injured if he fell from such an elevation.
But it was already too late.
The distance was far too great for the onlookers, who were merely spectators from a distance.
A scream erupted from the crowd, but it stilled just before the child hit the ground.
A brief, paralyzing silence halted time until a figure, clad in a deep hood, caught the child’s ankle and held him up high, mirroring the child’s precarious fall.
In one hand, dark magic flickered, while the child dangled from the other, only able to look up at the shadowed face beneath the hood.
“Wooooah—!!”
“Ahhhh—!!”
Moments later, the venue erupted with loud cheers.
(Elden’s past memory)
“Hey, the kid did nothing wrong! Stop hitting him—! I promised to pay back the money!”
“What’s that?! It’s his fault for having a terrible father!”
*Thud!*
“Look, see this note? Either bring back the dead father or hand over the money. Got it? Huh!?”
The loan shark must have been about that size too.
The loan shark who came day after day to beat up my mother and me for the interest was exactly that huge.
Back then, he looked like a mountain, and standing before him felt like being swallowed by a towering tsunami of despair; I could do nothing but suffer.
The thought of rebellion was far from a child’s mind.
It was indeed a cruel twist of fate.
To wander the streets searching for a monster chef only to encounter someone who looked just like that brute.
To witness that brute beating a woman and a child.
To stumble across a piece of garbage that embodied everything I deeply despised.
It was funny how, back then, that man seemed so enormous, but now he looked utterly pathetic.
“If he’s causing trouble, I’ll take him out.”
Rachel, standing behind me, offered that chilling remark as she blocked the path. I nodded lightly in response.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind; I wanted to try out what I had learned from my mentor.
With that kind of stature, he surely had faced off with someone before, so the real-life experience shouldn’t be bad.
Of course, I was aware from Elden’s memories in the original work that he had fought someone of that size, but that was merely a memory of a protagonist, not my own experience.
“What are you… planning to do?”
Upon my reaction, Rendler voiced his concern, but my path had already been determined.
To save that version of Junwoo who could do nothing but succumb to the absurdity of that day.
The best outcome would be for a coin to tumble out of the boy’s pocket, wrapping things up neatly, but the situation was already spiraling to an end.
At the moment the man swung his fist toward the child’s abdomen,
*CRACK!*
I ignited magic in my right hand and leg, applying just the right amount of force as I launched myself forward.
*BAM—!!*
The shock transferred completely through my fist.
His unguarded face took a direct hit, and in that moment, the magic I had gathered in my punch exploded, amplifying the impact.
Without even a sound, the man slammed into the wall, and as I watched the wall begin to crumble, I nearly raised the flag for, “Did I take him out?”
It was a hit that was undeniably strong and assured.
*Boom…*
The wall crumbled completely, and amid the rising dust, I felt no trace of life.
Although I didn’t put my maximum effort into it, the support from my magic significantly boosted both my speed and destructive power.
First, I caught the child, who had soared into the sky.
A clean finish is a must!
“Wooooah—!!”
“Ahhhh—!!”
As cheers erupted throughout the venue, I set the child upright. The kid, whose face was smeared with grime, looked up at me in shock, then quickly bent down.
“T-Thank you!”
And that was that.
The child hurried off to his fallen mother. After all, the most important thing for him right now was whether his mother was alive.
I wished I could have saved her sooner, but I had witnessed the last powerful blow land on her just moments before.
“Mom! Are you okay?! Are you alright?!”
“Ugh…”
Thankfully, the child’s mother let out a labored breath and opened her eyes. She then patted her wailing child’s back with her wounded hands.
As I approached them, both the child and the mother quickly knelt before me.
…There was really no need for that.
“T-Thank you. I’m really grateful for your help…!”
“Thank you for saving my child…!”
Looking down at them, I crouched down and fished two silver coins out of my pocket, handing them to the mother while making sure no one was watching.
In an age of savagery, looting was par for the course.
The woman stared at me with wide eyes.
“Take this.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“With this amount, you could escape from that brute’s grasp and start anew in the light.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“Just make sure to hide it well.”
With that said, I tried to step away in the direction I intended to go, but the child called out to me.
“Um, excuse me!”
“?”
I merely tilted my head slightly in response to his call.
“Please tell me your name and your honor! I’ll be sure to repay you!”
Oh, how interesting.
I expected a child to have learned more curses than rhymes, but the vocabulary he was using was rather impressive.
For a place lacking educational opportunities, to hear such eloquence from a young child was refreshing.
Perhaps I had stumbled upon a future bard of great renown.
Willingly, I took off my hood and turned around.
There was no real reason to hide anymore.
The hood had just served to mask my infamous reputation.
With the current commotion, perhaps I could alleviate some of the recruitment issues that came with the notoriety of Elden the Monster Chef, even in a small way.
Of course, it was a hopeful wish.
And I wanted to reveal something now.
I wasn’t just a drunkard or a miscreant causing mayhem.
Instilling fear in someone with just my presence was certainly not a pleasant experience.
Thus, looking down at the child and mother, I bestowed a warm, kind, and genuine smile upon them.
“I’m Elden Raphelion.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m Elden Raphelion of the Raphelion Count’s family.”
In response, astonishment washed over the faces of the child and his mother.
Shock then cascaded through the faces of the onlookers.
Among them, the only ones showing different expressions were Rendler with a handkerchief wiping his tears and my master, who wore a blissful smile.
“It’s not me.”
“I apologize, but I ask for your cooperation for just a moment.”
Of course, the newly arrived imperial guards saw the child and the mother kneeling before me, and I had to clarify several times that I was not the actual protagonist of this commotion.
“I told you, It’s not!”
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