The city tour continued with Max gaining more knowledge about the state of things when something unexpected caused them to deviate.
Crash
It was the sound of things being destroyed that permeated the area they had walked into.
In a market square with several people gathered, something was happening that they did not dare to involve themselves in.
As Max and Laura stood on the periphery, the latter got curious. "Let's check it out."
Max groaned. "Do we have to?... I bet it's just some fool that got himself in trouble."
"Oh come on, let's just check it out." Laura pleaded but unfortunately, Max was not interested in the slightest.
"You go, I'll stay here and wait for you." Picking out a barrel, he made himself comfortable and showed no signs of getting back on his feet.
"Hmmph, such a spoilsport," Laura remarked before rushing toward the gathering.
As Max watched her go, he could only sigh as he thought about mediating for the time she would be gone.
If he had learned anything from his time in Golden Clover, it was to mind his business as long as it did not affect him.
He was not about to be a busybody or some kind of hero that would get himself involved in just about any situation just because.
Such an attitude would be prone to issues thus he aimed for a more relaxed life. It was peaceful after all.
Thus, he closed his eyes and in his seated position, began to meditate, sensing the flow of Ordena about him.
Meanwhile, Laura rushed over to the crowd. Apart from the sound of things getting destroyed, she could also make out the muffled sobs of someone while another begged for mercy.
Coupled with that, another group seemed to be mocking the first two and were most likely having their way with them as they swore profanities at them.
Laura's curiosity turned to worry as she quickly rushed forward. Pushing her way through the crowd caused a few disgruntled comments but once they saw her, they would immediately revert to a more mellow tone.
She couldn't be bothered with these bootlickers though as she kept on moving, inwardly she had already thought of a possibility but she was sincerely hoping that was not the case.
Just as she got past the last line to reach the center of the gathering, a body was tossed in her direction, skidding to a stop a few meters away from where she stood.
Laura frowned at the sight of the body on the floor.
The person was still alive but based on how he was badly bruised, it was clear what he had experienced.
"Haha, trying to act like a hero, yet can't take a beating, pathetic fool. That would show you."
Laura looked up and the sight she was met with was enough to prove her suspicions correct.
Vegetables were strewed on the ground, some crushed while the others were thrown aside like they were junk.
A display table… or at least what was left of it as it was broken apart as well.
Apart from that, there were two individuals wallowing on the ground.
One was a small red-haired girl, that looked to be no more than six wearing strange clothes with a blank look on her face, making it seem as though she was oblivious to what was happening around her.
The other individual was a scrawny middle-aged man with grey hairs and a beard that looked quite starved, dressed in what one would term rags when compared to normal attire.
The small girl had a few cuts on her body but she was relatively fine while the middle-aged man had it worse as his body was covered in wounds of various degrees.
Laura could tell that the man was trying to protect the girl as he covered her with his body while incessantly begging for mercy.
"Please forgive my child. She isn't well which was why she made the mistake to offend you, please forgive her… ah!"
The man screamed in pain as a whip came lashing at his back. His body shuddered but he held on tightly to his daughter, ensuring that no harm came to her.
"You stupid old man, your mad daughter dared to mess with me, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Laura turned to the origin to find a girl dressed in a beautiful gown embroidered with eye-catching gems and docked in expensive jewelry, holding onto a whip with thorns.
Beside her stood three males that were as well dressed as her, all of them looking like young princes.
Behind them, a few grown adults dressed in knightly attire stood guard as they watched over them.
It was clear that those four were the children of nobles and for some reason, they had decided to come out today and mingle amongst the commoners in the outer district.
Based on what was happening now, they were using their status to misbehave with the scrawny man and the little girl with no one having the courage to step forth.
As Laura was still trying to figure out what was going on, the boy that slid close to her, groaned slightly as he staggered back to his feet.
"Stop this!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, drawing the attention of the noble teens.
One of them replied, a blonde boy with blue eyes and a sinister look about him, dressed in a white top and red jacket as well as leather pants and heeled boots.
The blond boy sneered. "Even after getting a proper beat down, you still dare to get back up. You commoners are truly thick-skinned."
The boy endured the pains he felt as he shot back. "Let the little girl go, she did nothing wrong, harm me if you want but just let her go."
At this point, the girl with the whip turned to him. "Do you think you have the right to tell me what to do?... Look here as I show you that your worthless life means nothing to me and I can do whatever I want!"
The girl swung her whip, aiming for the little girl's eye as the whip snapped, moving through the air like a snake.
Just as the tip moved to blind the little girl, the latter still with a blank expression, there was a caught.
Whoosh
"Sorry to interfere but I just couldn't sit back and watch you harm an innocent little girl," Laura remarked with a calm expression as she held the whip in her palm.