As I watched Faevyre's hidden, bloodthirsty face, I turned to the five clueless approaching thugs and could only look at them in pity. Yes, pity. Even though I knew they were after my money and possibly my life, I couldn't help but slightly pity them. In particular, I pitied their families since I knew they would lose a pillar of support today. For not a moment did I doubt that Faevyre, a C-rank rogue in her prime, could utterly decimate these bunch of lowly thugs, for anyone above E-rank would never stoop to mugging.

I was certain of this because it is common knowledge that becoming a C-ranker of the warrior-branch required being roughly 20 times stronger than the average man at the minimum, and rogues were a side branch of the warrior class just like berserkers. It was also the minimum strength to become a full Centurian in the army. Only one in a few thousand is at such a level.

Such existences were extremely rare and rarely stayed in the slums. Even if one such person remained in the slums, he would make sure to inform everyone so that he would not be bothered. Such existences were the boogymen of the slums, and anyone sensible would never bother them. My father did the same thing to avoid being bothered by thugs and thieves.

Also, it was worth noting that most C-rankers were middle-aged, looking like they were in their forties, unlike Faevyre that looked like she was in her twenties. That they mistook her for easy picking was unfortunate yet understandable for them.

All I could do was lament these thugs' bad luck in finding such an existence in the middle of the slums.

While I was staring at the thugs, Faevyre motioned me and said with an excited tone, like that of a child waiting for a new toy, "Kid, go run a bit further away. You will get in my if you stay here."

I didn't say anything and ran as instructed.

"Shit! The brat is running away with the money! Get him!" I heard one of the thugs yelling behind me.

"Ignore the brat! The woman next to him is a better target. She should be just as wealthy as him since they are together. Also, she looks better than all those whores back in the brothel. Hehehe, been a while since I last slept with such a beauty." Another voice said, which I believed belongs to the leader of this rabble.

At those words, I couldn't help but stop running and turn around and stare at the fool who said such brave words. The thug looked short but was broad and buff and probably had the fitness of a stronger vigil. Most likely an E-ranker, I assumed.

You, a little slum thug, want to rape a C-rank rogue?! Rest in pieces, oh brave fool. - I thought to myself in derision and decided I was far enough. The man won't live for long, and I wanted to see him get butchered, all sympathy thrown out of the window. Such scum did not deserve any.

Faevyre already turned to face them, and I could hear her voice, full of cynicism and mockery.

"Oh? So you want to rape me now, is it? Robbing money from some kid in broad daylight isn't bad enough, so you decided to rob and rape little old me?"

The five thugs didn't notice her mocking tone and confident pose as they continued to advance towards her menacingly, laughing lewdly.

"Wow, boys, this one is a fighter!" - One of the thugs commented, drawing out a crudely made iron dagger.

"Hehe, a fighter is also good. It makes it more fun." - said another, drawing a rusty dagger - nay, a shiv¹ A sharpened piece of metal strapped to something, a makeshift weapon that isn't even a qualified dagger from his belt. Getting cut by it is a sure way to get tetanus -- or so I heard from my father. Curable through a priest's magic, but a costly treatment nonetheless.²Ancient times, no vaccines. I hear that untreated tetanus has a high mortality rate, over 10%

"Don't resist if you know what's good for you! Don't worry, we won't hurt you, much, gehehe." A third one laughed as he rubbed his crotch with one hand while pulling out a wooden club from his waist. It was a low-cost but effective weapon against ordinary people like me, though it was insufficient against well-equipped opponents or those with a high rank like Faevyre. Father once demonstrated it to me by having some thug swing a thick baton at full force on his head. The baton barely left a red mark as it bounced off his head.

"Oh my, you guys seem so eager~ Come get it then," Faevyre said in a mocking yet sensual voice, making a come hither gesture while leaning forward. Perhaps to the thugs, it would seem like a honeyed invitation, to me, it looked like a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

"Alright, boys, you heard the lady! The one who catches her first gets first dibs! The other will get sloppy seconds!" The leader pointed at Faevyre as he pulled out a military-grade pugio, although one that looked inferior to the one I have.

The fools then cheered and charged at the seemingly defenseless Faevyre, who they perceived as easy picking. In my eyes, it was the most glorious suicidal charge I have ever seen in my life. It was so boorish and stupid that it was the epitome of suicidal glory, like a moth to the flame, like a horned rabbit into a snake den. I was seriously tempted to spill the beans and tell them that she is a C-ranker, just to see the look on their faces. However, I held myself back. It would be more interesting to let them discover this themselves.

As the thugs approached, Faevyre did not attempt to dodge or move, seemingly too scared to move. The fools were even more ecstatic because it meant less work for them, but I could tell Faevyre was probably just too lazy to move, and I didn't blame her. If I had her prowess, I would do the same thing.

Soon, the thug with the shiv managed to reach her first.

"Hehehe! The first dibs are mine!" He laughed lewdly as he stretched out his unarmed hand to grab her. It was then that Faevyre finally moved.

At an incredible speed, Faevyre made a side-step to the right and raised her right foot before kicking the man's left sheen.

Crack* Crunch* "AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

The thug's left leg was bent in an unnatural angle with a sickening crunch, and he screamed in absolute agony. I could even see bone jutting out from the wound. The man would be crippled for the rest of his life unless he received expensive treatment from a high-level priest or an expensive potion... If he survived, that is -- Crack* -- Never mind. She had high-heeled his temple, and he now had a visible indent on his head. He bled from his seven orifices, and I doubted that he would survive this.

In response to what just happened to this thug, the other thugs stopped in their tracks. They stared in a daze at their previously alive comrade, now dead on the floor.

The one with the club stammered, "S-Sean? S-Sean is D-Dead?"

"Yeah, and your next." Faevyre let out a sadistic smile and kicked the thug's weapon hand, making the club fly into the air. She then proceeded to kick the man's jaw, dislocating it completely and sending half his teeth shooting like bullets at the other thugs with a spray of blood. As the thug's knees gave in and collapsed on them, the club heeded the call of gravity and fell right into Faevyre's hand, which she then swung at the thug's head, splitting it open with a sickening splat, sending blood, grey matter and skull pieces flying, painting the walls and floor. When I looked at the man's corpse on the floor, half of what was above his nose-bridge went missing.

As sickening as it may be, I have to admit, that was cool.

"Ah... Nothing like a good old club. Always get's the job done." She grinned while examining the club in her hand in satisfaction.

The thugs, on the other hand, stared in mute horror at what just happened.

"H-High ranker..." One of the thugs finally managed to utter.

"W-Why is someone like h-her here?!" Another shrieked, taking a step back.

The leader didn't say anything. He just quietly stepped back and started running silently in the opposite direction.

Faevyre noticed this and grinned, like a cat looking at a mouse, "You are not going anyware~."

She made a kicking gesture and kicked the shiv on the ground towards the fleeing thug leader, hitting him accurately on his left leg tendon, making him cry in pain, stumble and fall as his left leg lost its ability to move anymore.

The two remaining thugs only now realized that their leader abandoned them as bait. However, even then, he was still caught with little effort.

The two thugs looked at each other in dismay and then at Faevyre. They both dropped their weapons, knelt on their knees, and begged.

"P-Please spare me! I have little siblings to feed! What will they do without me?!" Cried one of them.

"Y-Yes! I also have a pregnant wife and two children to feed! Please spare my life! I shall do whatever you want!" The other begged.

Hearing their pleas, Faevyre let out a gentle smile and asked, "If I let you go now, what would you do then? Hm?"

The two thugs looked at each other, and one said, "W-We will get a manual labor job and work legally from now on, right?"

The other nodded, "Yeah, yeah! We will go legit! We will stop mugging people!"

Faevyre looked calmly at the two and said with narrowed eyes, "Perhaps, for a time. However, you have already tasted the sweet taste of easy money. I doubt that you will stop for long. Besides, what about the people you have mugged, raped, or killed? How many heinous crimes have you already committed? Hm?"

The two thugs remained silent, the look of despair in their eyes growing deeper.

Faevyre continued in a serious tone, "You know, my mother and two of my siblings died at the hands of pieces of shit like you two. My mother was a prostitute and was raped to death by assholes like you two. My sister enjoyed the same fate. My younger brother attempted to defend them, but was mauled to death with a wooden club similar to this one."

Faevyre made a swinging motion with the club, spraying some blood and leftover brain matter on the two thugs. It made one of the thug's piss himself, a trickle flowing to the ground. The other closed his eyes while chanting please repeatedly as if it would save him.

Faevyre declared righteously, "If you think that you can sin, and then by cries avert the consequences of sin, you insult the gods above. Remember this in your next life, you may choose your sin, but you cannot choose the consequences of it."

The moment she finished saying that, with two swift swings of the club, two familiar sickening sounds rang out, and two more hapless souls were sent to the afterlife.

Somehow, as I looked at these bodies, I didn't feel even a bit of pity towards them. Instead, I felt a desire in me. I felt the want to grow stronger. I didn't want to end up like these guys. I wanted to be like Faevyre, the one who held the club over others' heads, and not the other way.

I did not notice that Faevyre looked at me staring at the corpses. Her eyes glinted as she looked at me, her thoughts unknown. She then turned to the thug leader who was limping away in a panic on his remaining leg.

She turned to me and said, "I will be right back."

She ran to the thug, caught him by his tunic, and dragged him like a puppet towards me. She threw him to the ground and then asked the thug, "Do you want to live?"

The thug leader didn't answer, but the determined look he sent to Faevyre conveyed more than enough.

Faevyre nodded, took away his pugio, and pointed to me, "Kill the kid and I will let you live."