Chương 122: Chapter 114-Chosen Charity

Where to start? The day my horns grew in? Maybe the night I ate floor food for the first time? Hmm. No, I know where to start. It all started when I was born. My mother said I was the handsomest boy in the whole wide world, and she was right. But you see, being this handsome all the time can be troubling. People stare, they whisper about how good-looking I am, and sometimes they get jealous. Oh, who am I kidding? They always get jealous. I'd be jealous if someone had my looks. Now, why am I stating the obvious?

Could it be I just wanted to brag? Yes, that's exactly why… I guess I wanted to explain something, but I feel like I'm forgetting exactly what it was I was supposed to explain. Odd.

"Are ya gonna hand over the food before I starve to death?" a familiar old man says.

"Yeah, yeah, Old Timer. What's got your ass in a hurry?" I ask as I serve him a scoop of mashed potatoes.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the hunger, you asshole," he says as he limps away with his peg leg." What are we doing here?" Mateo asks in the language of the Sands as he serves the next in line some salad." The better question is, why do these people seem to know you?" Kat asks me as she puts on her best customer service smile." They don't know me." Frank, the head of the Local Food Bank, walks up with a large smile.

"Thank you again, CJ. Ever since you've started helping out with the cooking and serving, we've really been able to increase the number of people we can help. Same time next weekend," he says as he walks away." Ok, so maybe I go to the local food bank on the weekends, but that's not what's important right now," I say as I continue to serve the never-ending line of hungry people." What's important then, Horned One?" Mateo asks with a hint of annoyance." We're ingraining ourselves into the community.

People like this are more likely to be on the streets and are far more likely to notice us if we're doing a job out there," Kat explains. Mateo gives me a confused look." What in the hells did she just say?"" Have you not taught this Pipsqueak a thing?" she asks." I was easing him into it. Let me explain. So, Kid. If the people here like us, they're less likely to rat on us and more likely to help us when the time comes.

Basically, it pays to be nice to the local homeless community," I explain as I serve the next in line with a smile." So, this is insurance? Kind of feels a bit scummy," he says with a smile as he continues to serve the line. Kat rolls her eyes.

"He's just like you when I picked you up. That is to say, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed minus the anger problems," she says as her cat tail gently sways." Oh, please. I wasn't that bad," I [Lie]." You were so bad that I had to give you a list of personal rules," she says fondly." Personal rules? Are those a part of the Code?" Mateo asks. Kat gives me a subtle side eye." Yeah. There are the three core rules that we all abide by, and then there are the personal rules.

CJ here has a long list of them for a reason," she says pointedly." Why do you have a lot of them, Horned One?" he asks." Let's just say that I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger. The rules helped control my chaotic nature and… focus it," I say, carefully choosing my words." Well, then there's Rule 4, which has nothing to do with your chaotic nature," Kat says nonchalantly." Would you look at the time?

Our shift is over. It'd be best if everyone headed home for the night," I say as the next shift replaces us." What's Rule 4?"" Yeah. What is Rule 4, CJ?" Kat asks with a smile." Rule 4 doesn't apply to this situation," I [Lie]." Really? Doesn't apply, my ass. This is the exact reason Rule 4 exists," Kat reminds me with a hint of annoyance in her tone. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it." What's Rule 4?"

Mateo asks again as we exit the Local Food Bank." Rule 4. Don't get attached while on a job. CJ here has a bleeding heart. Which makes it difficult to bring him on certain jobs," Kat says." I'm not attached," I [Lie]." You seemed pretty attached to that Princess.

'Currently involved', if I remember correctly," Kat says with a fake smile." If you did remember correctly, you would also know that we aren't," I say as we walk the dark streets of the Capital." But you always talk about her," Mateo says innocently." Really? Tell me more, Pipsqueak," she says with a toothy smile." Maybe we really-" A flash of silver appears at the edge of my vision. With one swift motion, I parry with The Chosen Blade. The silver dagger clatters to the ground. Silver? Purists!

Kats bares her claws as she puts Mateo behind her.

"Who'd you piss off?" she asks in the Imperial Tongue.

"I think the better question is who haven't I pissed off," I say as my eyes dart from one dark corner to another.

"There!" Mateo yells as a silver-tipped arrow flies past me and towards Kat. Kat catches the arrow and snaps it in her hands.

"I hear five of them. Two on the roof, two in the left alley, and one in the right," she says as her cat ears twitch.

"Great. Just what we needed to end the weekend. Hey, Assholes! Any chance you can come out here so that I don't have to waste my time walking over there?" I ask as I scratch my cheek. Silence answers. By which I mean nobody says a fucking thing. Typical. They're smart. Not smart enough to not attack us, but smart enough not to give up their cover. Now, how am I going to handle this? Kat is a competent fighter, but if these chucklefucks are high enough [Level], she won't be able to keep up.

Hells, the same goes for me. I'm just luckier. Then there's Mateo. He's not really a fighter, and I doubt these guys have a problem with hurting a kid. Which leaves me with two plans. Lets try the less destructive one. Plan A. Taking a deep breath, I yell as loud as I can, "HELP! GUARDS! HELP!" Kat rubs her ears in annoyance.

"You could've given me a warning," she says. An arrow flies at me from the darkness. Guess that didn't work. With a slash of my sword, I cut it out of the air. At the same time, a dagger is thrown from my blind spot. Paying it no mind, I focus on the next barrage of arrows. Kat catches the dagger out of the air and throws it back into the darkness. A pained yelp echoes from the alley as a man collapses to the ground. Following the path of the arrows, I get a general vibe of where the archers are.

At the same time, two cloaked individuals walk out of the left alleyway with silver swords drawn. Time to switch to Plan B.

"I'll take care of these guys. Deal with the archers," I whisper under my breath. Kat nods wordlessly as she jumps up to the roof. At the same time, I use [Disguise] to change my appearance. Five me's overlap on top of each other, forming what some might call an afterimage. This is a move I've been working on since I realized that my lackluster swordsmanship would only get me so far. What I can't reach with ability, I'll make up for in trickery.

The cloaked swordsmen block the illusory swords, leaving an opening that I happily take. With The Chosen Blade, I stab through one of the Purists' shoulders. Before the other one can regain his senses, I clasp his face with my hand.

"Have a taste of [Clean]," I say as he starts to scream. Turns out [Cleaning] your eyes is really painful. Don't ask me why I know this. I definitely didn't find it out the hard way one lazy morning. I shudder from the memory. Pulling the blade out of the Purist, I slash through the other one's hand, cutting it clean off.

"Oh, sorry. Do you need a hand?" I [Taunt].

"Damned Devil!" the handless Purist yells as he charges me.

"Wait, don't!" the other Purist yells far too late. With a devilish smile, I take the pommel of the sword and slam it hard into the bottom of the Purist's jaw. He immediately goes limp and falls to the ground. Turning my attention to the remaining Purists, I watch as two archers fall from the roof, quickly followed by a pissed Kat.

"Now, don't get me wrong. I have no qualms in killing monsters like you, but dead men don't talk. So, better start talking before I change my mind," I say as the Purist nurses his wound.

"I… I-" Suddenly, his eyes fill with pride where there was once fear. Something's not right. That look… it's…

"Kat, stop them!" I yell far too late. The Purists, even the unconscious ones, suddenly say in unison, " For Purity." A small dark magic crackle appears on their foreheads that promptly explodes. Blood and brain matter go flying as their heads pop off in unison. A curse?! Damn it! Wiping the blood from my face, I look at the carnage around me, and then my gaze lands on the frightened Mateo.

"It's all good, Kid. They can't hurt you. Isn't that right?" I ask Kat.

"Yeah. You're fine, Pipsqueak. Let's go shake it off over here," Kat says as she leads Mateo away from the carnage. Fuck. To think they would attack me here. They're bold. I'll give them that, but this isn't smart. They must have seen my fight against Tyranus. So, why would they send these 'weaklings' after me? Unless… I search the rooftops until I finally land on a distant bell tower. I can't see them, but I know they're there. This was some sort of test. Do they suspect that I'm not The Chosen One? Either way.

They've crossed a line. Sheathing my blade, I keep my eyes on the bell tower. It's time I went over that package from Ilota. +1 INT Skill <Disguise> has Leveled Up Skill <Clean> has Leveled Up