I slept like a baby last night, but when I woke up, the situation from last night had not cald down at all. I was still getting the notifications from the system and the noise was making go mad.
[Faith Points 46]]
[Faith Points 21]
[Faith Points 38]
[Faith Points 25]
’It is still going on?...not that it’s bad. It’s actually really good. But the noise is so distracting.’
I rubbed my face and sat up, trying to blink the numbers away.
"Alright, alright, I get it. I’m awake."
The notifications didn’t care.
I opened the system screen just to get a proper look at the damage.
[Current Faith Points: 20,568]
The number ticked upward right in front of my eyes, updating every couple of seconds.
Twenty thousand. It was such a high number and I had never seen such high numbers before. This gave hope that I would be able to go back ho.
But I also felt a little empty. The closer I got to going back ho, the more I doubted whether I wanted to go back or not. After all, what was even left for to go back to at this point?
"Are you happy?"
I asked the ceiling, though I already knew the answer didn’t matter.
The system’s voice chid-calm, neutral, unbothered.
[New items have been unlocked in the shop based on current faith tier.]
"Right...that was supposed to happen. I forgot all about it."
I inhaled deeply.
Right now, I needed sothing normal-breakfast, noise in the kitchen, maybe soone complaining about milk running out. Anything that didn’t involve cults, faith points, or world-shaking consequences would be preferable.
I got dressed and headed downstairs.
The sll of toast and eggs helped ground .
Leo was at the table, Luna was making tea, Nyx and Erebus were whispering about sothing in the corner, and Fenrir was happily chewing on sothing he clearly stole from the counter.
It felt like a normal day...well, as normal as it could be for soone like at this point. But that didn’t last long.
The shop door opened, and I heard a light patter of footsteps-like soone far too small to reach the handle on their own. When I looked up, a familiar face looked back at .
Emma was back, but sothing about her looked...different from her usual self. I could not put my finger on what it was, but she just....did not seem like her normal self.
"It has been a long ti, Shopkeeper."
She said.
I leaned back slightly, masking my surprise.
"It has. How have you been, Emma?"
She clasped her hands behind her back and walked closer.
"I have been fine, but trouble is brewing on the horizon. My people are in danger. That is why I ca to you. You are the only one who has the power and resources to help us."
She kept her voice neutral, but there was just....sothing that made feel like she was a stranger.
I studied her carefully, but nothing seed to be out of the ordinary at the mont.
"What do you need from ?"
I asked.
Her eyes flicked toward the door.
"I will tell you everything. But I cannot speak of it here. Please, follow ."
My first instinct was to refuse. But she was a patient I had undertaken and it had been a long ti since I last t her. Maybe things had changed from that point on?
So, I stood and followed her out.
Emma did not go fast, but she did not go slow either. She kept turning around to take a look at to make sure I was following after her.
Emma Jones was always polite to , but today, she seed anxious and a little rude. Not a lot, but just enough to make feel unsettled. It made pause walking as soon as we entered the dark alley.
Emma took a few steps before realizing I wasn’t behind her. She turned slowly, her expression tightening with irritation instead of confusion.
"What is wrong?"
She asked.
I t her gaze evenly.
"Who are you?"
Her face twitched and then she clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Tch. I almost had him."
She didn’t even pretend anymore.
She snapped her fingers.
"Grab him."
Everything shifted imdiately.
Figures stepped out of alley corners and shop doors, all moving with purpose. I was suddenly surrounded by people I knew nothing about.
"Why did you have to ask so many questions, shopkeeper? It is your fault you are in this ss now."
The girl who pretended to be Emma glared at like I had inconvenienced her morning.
"You should have just followed quietly. It would’ve been easier for all of us."
She muttered.
She was speaking far too much and it was beginning to irritate now.
Her disguise didn’t drop, but sothing behind her eyes did-an old, cold anger of soone who had lived far longer than the body she was wearing.
Whoever she was, she wasn’t Emma.
Everyone rushed at at once, but I did not panic. Sothing told that I had nothing to worry about.
I took out my staff and decided to use it to push people back. A pulse of crackling energy burst outward.
The nearest attacker seized up mid-step, eyes wide, before collapsing like a puppet with cut strings. The next two hit the pavent a second later. The electricity didn’t kill them but it did make it impossible for them to be able to move.
In less than under a minute, half the circle around was on the ground.
The others hesitated to approach once they saw what happened to their other comrades.
The false Emma-still wearing that child’s body-stared at like I had personally offended her pride.
"This wasn’t supposed to be difficult. Why won’t you just cooperate?"
She hissed.
"Because I don’t feel like being kidnapped today."
I replied.
Her expression twisted. She suddenly raised her hand in the air before she moved it in my direction. I felt sothing brushing past , but nothing happened.
[Incoming hostile magic has been neutralized.]
The girl froze.
"That’s... impossible. You-! What did you do to ? How dare you..."
She whispered and her eyes darted across the ground, then back at .
Her disbelief lasted a second too long.
I stepped forward and tapped the cane gently against her forehead and her eyes rolled back and she dropped like a stone-unconscious before she hit the ground.
The rest of her followers didn’t wait. They scattered in every direction, abandoning their fallen comrades without hesitation.
Well, that solved one problem for .
I checked to make sure she was still breathing, I wondered what I should do with her and the other unconscious people around .
"Why does this keep happening to ?"
There were bodies unconscious all across the alley. Leaving them there felt irresponsible, and dragging them ho wasn’t an option. That left only one sensible choice.
I needed to inform officer Henry about what happened before I could be charged with sothing. And thankfully, the station was not too far away from here.
"Police station. Fast as you can."
I quickly walked toward the station, only to find that Officer Henry was out at the mont.
Instead, I found his secretary-Lina Bergs...and she did not look happy to see . Her expression tightened as soon as her eyes fell on .
"Oh. It’s you."
She was as polite as she could be, but I could tell that she did not want to talk to .
I set the unconscious girl upright against a chair.
"Good morning. I’d like to report an attempted kidnapping. These criminals tried to attack ."
Lina blinked.
"You... got attacked? And where are your attackers right now?"
"They are lying in an alley not too far away. I knocked them out before I ca to inform you about the attack."
"You incapacitated them?"
"Yes."
She stared at as if trying to decide whether I was a lunatic or just extrely competent.
Then, with the stiff professionalism of soone who disliked every step of what was happening but would do it anyway, she nodded.
"Very well. Attacks on citizens fall under our jurisdiction. I’ll assist you... since this is my duty."
She said it flatly. Her tone told she did not believe but was willing to humor about this request.
Within seconds she was barking orders, signaling for officers to collect the unconscious attackers, place restraints, and docunt physical evidence.
She worked fast and though she didn’t smile even once, she handled everything with precision.
"You’re lucky that we have a lot of evidence against these people and can notice traces of their magic. Otherwise, I would have locked you up for almost killing citizens as well."
She told with confidence. Her words did not make feel better but I pretended to laugh at her words. She did not look amused and told to go back ho.
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