Volume 3 Chapter 4 Randy's Sign Is The Mark Of A Fist
After leaving the room with Cecilia, Randy stepped outside through the same back door he had come in. The line outside was still long, but it seemed shorter than when he arrived.
Maybe it was because the sun was setting.
Or maybe the customers had finished their turn.
Anyway, looking up at the orange sky that was starting to mix with the blue, Cecilia said,
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it? What are you going to do now, Sir Randolph?"
"Hmm... What should I do?"
Like Cecilia, Randy also looked up at the sky.
"Oh, you haven't decided yet? Then should I take you back to the inn?"
Randy shook his head, saying,
"No, it's a bit too early to go back to the inn."
Cecilia nodded in agreement with Randy's smile. Unlike Cecilia, who had a dorm, Randy didn't have a curfew. Besides, even if he went back early, there wasn't much to do in his inn room. If Liz were there, they could talk or do some crafting, but with Randy's limited magical power, there wasn't much he could do.
Also, there was something that was bothering Randy a little.
"Are you sure you don't need me to take you home?"
"I have a carriage, and it's safe since I'm in town."
"Got it."
With a smile, Randy watched as Cecilia curtsied in front of her carriage.
"Well then, Sir Randolph, take care."
"Yes, take care."
As Randy waved like a schoolteacher, Cecilia slightly frowned and got into her carriage. Randy felt a bit bad about it, but he had wanted to say it at least once, so it couldn't be helped.
He watched Cecilia's carriage shrink into the distance and let out a small sigh.
"Now then──."
Randy briefly glanced at a nearby roof, sensing a presence, then returned his gaze to a nearby alley.
(If they're not following Cecilia... then are they after Liz or her brother?)
While being aware of the presence, Randy walked into the alley. Two presences began to move on the roof, following him.
He wasn't sure which one was the main target, but it seemed like they were after Randy too.
In that case, Randy decided to head deeper into the alley, trying to go where there were fewer people.
He intended to lure them out and see how they would react. It seemed the other party realized that Randy was intentionally inviting them. The two presences paused on the roof for a moment and then quickly moved away from Randy.
(Huh? They have a pretty organized group.)
Even though he had clearly invited them, he didn't expect them to back off. Randy had imagined it would be cool, like in a movie, to lure them into the alley... so he found it a bit disappointing.
"You're not getting away──hey!"
Randy accelerated to top speed in an instant, kicking off the wall and leaping onto the roof.
Landing on the roof, Randy turned around and laughed.
"Hey, you guys are my pursuers, right? Without even getting my autograph, where do you think you're going?"
In front of Randy stood 2 clearly suspicious figures. Dressed in black robes with hoods covering their heads, they looked like assassins. Under the sky still filled with blue, the sight of them all in black was quite surreal, making Randy think, "You stand out even more.".
But the men didn't respond to Randy's teasing; instead, they drew daggers and crouched down.
"So, no questions asked, huh? Then I guess I'll have to be a bit rough──."
With a powerful leap that shattered the roof tiles, Randy closed the distance between them in an instant.
"──Huh?"
The man was surprised as Randy approached, but it was too late.
Randy's right lariat struck, taking the man down.
Randy slid across the roof to slow himself down.
Right behind him, the man spun twice and crashed headfirst onto the roof.
"I don't have any paper or pen, so you'll have to deal with this with your body──wait a second."
As Randy spun his right shoulder, he hurriedly picked up the tiles that had been flipped up when he slid and used 'craft magic' to put them back in place.
"Whoa! They broke tiles over there too!"
He noticed the broken tiles from when he jumped... it was a regular citizen's house with no fault of its own. It wouldn't be good to leave it destroyed.
"Phew. That was close. I'm glad I had Craft with me."
With a satisfied nod, Randy stood before them. The remaining one slowly moved across the roof, carefully gauging the distance. They were probably measuring their preferred range. After moving cautiously for a while, they suddenly stopped... both of them now facing each other across the alley, on top of the opposite roof.
"So... who are you guys, anyway? If you're really my fans, please spare me the autograph."
Randy laughed, pointing at the motionless man. Understanding the request for an autograph──a signature carved directly into the body with a fist──the man dropped into a deeper stance before Randy.
"So you're keeping quiet, huh?"
The moment Randy narrowed his eyes, the man vanished.
He appeared behind Randy, having leaped over the alley.
Holding a dagger in his right hand, he lunged at Randy.
As Randy turned to face the dagger behind him, he simultaneously blocked the attack with his left hand and deflected it to his right side.
As the man's right arm passed through Randy's right side, Randy grabbed it with his arm and delivered an uppercut to the man's right elbow with the back of his hand.
The man, his right elbow shattered, slightly turned his body in pain.
Randy's left arm extended towards the man's jaw.
Using his left arm to push the man back, Randy suppressed him.
The man's spine, arched backward, was shattered by Randy's left knee.
As the man collapsed, powerless, Randy grabbed him and pulled him up.
"I doubt they'll talk... but maybe I should ask the rest of them."
Muttering to himself, Randy left the scene, carrying the other man who was still lying on the roof.
The wind blowing on the roof was as gentle as always, and the scenery seemed unchanged, as if two men had not just been nearly killed there.
* * *
"──Have you returned? How did it go?"
Without turning around, the men watched as Randy roughly dropped the two men he was carrying onto the rooftop. The loud thud startled the three men, who turned around, seemingly noticing the anomaly for the first time.
"Since they wouldn't talk, I had to come here."
Randy grinned, and the three men immediately assumed a battle-ready stance, lowering their waists and gripping their weapons.
"What's your purpose? Why are you watching us?"
The men remained silent, showing no signs of answering Randy's question.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine... but I think it would be easier for you to spill the beans."
Sighing, Randy pointed to the building they had just left.
"It's better than dealing with that scary lady, right?"
At Randy's words, one of the men turned around, saying, "What a fool..." There, indeed, was the woman──the one who had guided Randy and his companions──gazing at them through the window.
"Well, goodbye."
As the man turned around, it was too late; Randy's fist came crashing down from above.
It was a simple hammer punch, but it was heavy, enough to silence the man as he crashed onto the rooftop.
With the situation now two against one, the two men separated, one in front and the other behind Randy, creating some distance.
It seemed they intended for one to act as a decoy while the other tried to finish off or escape from Randy. They were prepared to sacrifice one life to ensure the completion of their mission. Randy cracked his neck, sensing their determination.
(They're professionals... it would be a hassle if I let them go.)
While he could handle multiple opponents of this caliber and even catch them if they escaped, it would be troublesome if they took hostages from the general public.
(I should keep them here.)
As Randy exhaled, the man in front of him charged.
In response, Randy kicked the man lying at his feet.
The man rushing at high speed was likely unprepared for his ally flying towards him.
Ignoring the dull sound of their collision, Randy turned around and closed in on the other man, who had his back to him.
"Let's be friends."
Randy laughed from behind the man and grabbed the back of his collar.
"Kuhh..."
Before the man could deliver a backfist to Randy, Randy pulled him down and stomped on his face.
After confirming that the man was convulsing on the rooftop, with his head embedded in the ground, Randy made his way to the remaining man.
"Who the hell are you?"
The man, having recovered from the shock and finally pushed his ally aside, glared at Randy.
"That's your job to find out."
Randy laughed derisively and slammed the man's head to the ground. He rolled the man over, his front teeth broken, and blood gushing from his nose. Randy then surveyed the rooftop, the scene of the carnage. While there were cracks here and there, it could be easily fixed later. Thanks to Craft.
"Well, I didn't kill anyone... but..."
Randy looked out the window and saw a woman watching him...
"Can I leave this to you?"
Randy smiled awkwardly and gestured to the woman. She seemed to understand and nodded slightly before disappearing from the window's edge.
"That means it's okay, right..."
Just as Randy was smiling, he noticed a thin wisp of smoke rising from behind the store. A small puff of smoke appeared once, then again... the faint smoke quickly settled down after that.
(Is that a signal...?)
Almost at the same moment Randy thought that, he sensed multiple presences approaching quickly...
several men and women appeared on the rooftop. They all looked like regular people, but they seemed more capable than the suspicious ones from earlier.
"Sir Randolph, right?"
"Yes, that's me."
"We received a message from Miranda──."
It seemed that the woman was named Miranda. The men said they rushed here because of her signal. Randy figured they would take care of the assassins, so he briefly explained the situation to them.
"Sorry for the trouble..."
The men and women bowed their heads in unison. They had been aware of the suspicious people but, since they were in the town, it seemed they were instructed by Miranda to keep watch from a distance. Indeed, against Miranda and Cedric, those suspicious people wouldn't stand a chance.
"Thank you for your help."
Maybe Miranda and her team had a plan. They might have wanted to follow or capture those suspicious people after nightfall. If they had a chance to stop that, Randy bowed his head to them as well.
"No, it's true that you helped us."
"No, no. It's also true that we didn't need to come out."
Their back-and-forth apologies felt pointless, like a never-ending argument. Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, both sides decided to stop, and Randy decided to leave the suspicious people in their hands.
"Well then, see you later──."
As they disappeared with the suspicious person on their shoulders, Randy muttered, "It's better if there isn't a next time..." but his words didn't reach them.
Looking up at the sky, which was completely dyed in crimson, Randy said, "Oh, I need to fix the rooftop," and his voice faded into the lively town.
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