In fact, Jared and Caroline had only taken "Guardian" literally, but after the girl's explanation, they realized that in this world, "Guardian" was not such a common word. This title could only be held by a true warrior who guarded magic. And, according to the girl, those who can become Guardians are not ordinary warriors. Either they possessed some kind of racial talent, or they possessed strength beyond the ordinary. After all, the guardian's mission is to protect the magician's safety, and since it's the magician's turn to play, it's definitely not just to go to a rat hole in the countryside to kill a wild boar. In that case, a normal warrior would not be able to defend or counter the attacks of a magic user, and would not be able to do so if he did not have a pair of brushes.
Originally, Jared didn't think it would go so well. After all, this wasn't a game where you go to an NPC, tell her you're here to protect her, and that her father just died, and the NPC will readily agree to your terms. In fact, he had thought that the girl would at least be wary of herself and Caroline. After all, Florence's body had been completely destroyed by Jared for consideration. And no one would nod their head and say, "Okay, I get it, stay." to two strangers who came to their door with empty promises.
But the girl was strange, perhaps because her father's death had hit her too hard, perhaps for some other reason. Anyway, she didn't particularly reject them, but since then, the girl rarely came out of her room. It was always Jared or Caroline who made dinner and brought it to her door. And the two of them, as a matter of course, stayed in the house. Florence's house was a typical two-story structure, not very big, but more than enough room for three people.
"... Do you think, she will kill herself?"
Jared asked in a bored voice, leaning back in his chair and staring at the closed door. Caroline was obviously concerned.
(It's hard to say, but ... I don't think so ... she needs a time, a process of acceptance.)
"... We just have to wait..."
Jared said lightly, then picked up his teacup and took a small sip of tea. After the girl had explained the meaning of the Guardian's name to them at the beginning, the only thing they had gotten out of it was that the girl's name was Tawana.
Nightfall.
The bedroom door opened gently a crack, from which little Tawana peered out, and, after making sure that there was no one in the parlor, stepped out gingerly, and then she slowly opened the door and slipped out.
It was dark outside, and even in the glow of the jeweled lamps, the streets were still dark, and little Tawana walked hurriedly down them. She seemed to know the area well, and after a few turns, she was already walking down the street in a way that no one could possibly know. After a few turns, she arrived at the center of the square from an alley that no one would have known about. Then, little Tawana stopped hesitantly. She looked uneasily at the way back, and then at the street in front of her. After hesitating for a while, Tawana clenched her teeth and ran towards the bottom of Glory City.
The road was so silent that not even half of the soldiers on watch could be seen. At the same time, the originally clean and tidy environment has become dirty, sewage flows through the cracks of the stone tiles, emitting an unpleasant stench, and rats walk in groups, scurrying blatantly across the street without being shouted down by everyone. After all, the people in this place are not so different from them.
Tavana ran along, not even daring to look at the dark, silent houses on either side of her, and then she came to one so dilapidated as to be almost useless as a shelter from the wind and rain, and knocked gently on the door. After a few moments, the door opened. A thin, dry-looking boy appeared in front of Tawana. He was visibly surprised to see Tawana.
"Tawana, it's late, you ..."
"Hollis, please, let me in, I need to talk to you!"
A hint of distress was evident on the teenager's face, but he nodded, then let Tawana inside, then glanced out and around for a few moments, then carefully closed the door.
"What happened? Tawana?"
The boy asked sharply, his face reddening slightly in the light of the woodstove. Tawana bit her lip and hesitated before stuttering.
"I,my father ... seems to be dead."
"Eh?"
The teenager's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as he stared at Tawana.
"You mean Mr. Florence? Dead?"
"Yes, that's what I was told, and he brought me my father's ring, but ... Hollis, I don't believe it. I don't believe my father is dead! I don't believe it. Please, look into it for me, okay?"
"... this, no problem, no problem ..."
The teenager's voice became much smaller as he nodded his head uncontrollably while looking at Tawana.
"I think, I can find some doorway, but ... you have to ask for their help in person to do so."
"Please! Take me to them. I don't believe my father is dead. But when I went to my father's old friends, they wouldn't help me! I ... don't know what to do with myself ..." Tawana had tears in her eyes and was clutching the corner of her coat. After thinking about it, the boy nodded heavily and grabbed Tawana's hand.
"Follow me."
Though it made Tavana frown a bit tohave her hand suddenly grabbed by a boy, she followed the teenager through the complicated alleyways, down paths that were not even clear to her, and so into the heart of this seedy area.
Just as every city has its boom and bust sides, the slums in front of us are a haven for the filthy and depraved. In fact, there is no need to sympathize with these people. Those who are confident and hopeful will go out on their own. Those who have spent their lives in laziness, degradation, and self-destruction are naturally suited to rolling around in the mud. The poor aren't poor for no reason. Maybe they want to make a name for themselves, maybe they want to honor their ancestors. But they lack something, luck, strength, confidence or dignity.
That's why some people get out, and others spend their lives begging.
Tawana looked around at the ragged people with a sense of dread. The way they looked at her, although Tawana didn't know what it meant, made her feel disgusted. So Tawana couldn't help but quicken her pace, hoping that the young man would be able to take her out of here sooner. But what she didn't expect was that the boy would take her even deeper.
A dark house.
Tawana's face turned completely red as she watched these scantily clad, powdered women gently rubbing their bodies around the well-built men in front of her. But she still did as the teenager told her, and bowed to the strongest of the men with trepidation." Hello, hello ..."
"... Hollis."
The man obviously didn't give a damn.
"What does this little girl do? What's she doing here?"
"My lord, this young lady has come to ask for your help in finding her father, a merchant, Mr. Florence. Moreover, this young lady is his daughter. ..."
"Florence's daughter?"
The man's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he pushed the woman who was holding him away from him, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Tavana.
"What happened to Florence?"
"I, my father he ... seems to be dead, I don't know ... I beg you, to be able to help me find out ... I, I'm willing to pay any price ..."
"Dead? That asshole is finally dead? Yes! Good!!!"
Suddenly, the man burst out laughing, staring at the timid Tawana with joy in his voice.
"You're Florence's daughter, well ... very well, I've agreed to help you determine whether your father is alive or dead, but before that ... you say you're willing to pay any price?"
"You, who the hell are you?"
Even Tawana sensed something was wrong.
"You don't need to worry about that ... Hollis! Get her! Give her the medicine! I'd like to see the look on Florence's face when he realizes that his daughter is screaming for pleasure underneath me!!!"
"You ...!!!"
Tawana instinctively turned around, trying to get away from the place, but Hollis grabbed her, twisted her wrists in a backhand, and held Tawana tightly in his arms.
"Hollis, what are you doing?! Let go of me! Aren't we friends?"
"Da, Da."
But Hollis paid no attention at all to Tawana's cries, instead gasping for breath and looking excitedly at the man in front of him.
"When you're done, can you let me too ... I've had my eye on this girl for a long time ..."
"Yes! Together!!!"
The man laughed out loud in triumph, nodding his head in delight, and then, not knowing whether he had exerted himself too hard, the round thing, which looked no different from an upside-down egg, fell from his neck and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Eh?"
Everyone froze, staring blankly at the man who was bleeding and slowly falling to the ground, as if they were dreaming. But they soon met the same fate, and in a matter of minutes, there was no one left alive. Only Tawana and Hollis, who had taken control of her, were staring at the scene, Hollis was the quickest to react, he took out his dagger and put it on Tawana's neck.
"Come out! Who is it?!!!"
The air in front of them began to distort, and gradually, a humanoid figure emerged from it. Jared stepped out of it, dragging his black blades backwards, and looked at the two panicked men with a bitter smile on his face.
"You shouldn't threaten a woman."
He glanced at Tawana, then turned to Hollis.
"Only weak men do that, and l don't like those kind of men. Obviously, you're the kind I really don't like."
"No, don't come here! Come here and I'll kill her!!!"
Hollis cried out in near madness, waving his dagger and pressing it against Tavana's neck. Jared, on the other hand, looked at her, then shook his head and sighed, then Jared suddenly reached out with his right hand and pulled back.
Tavana only felt a cold blade pass by her face, and Hollis' head bounced lightly on her shoulder before rolling to the ground, and then his body fell limply to the ground. At that moment, Jared had already put away his weapon, and no one could even see what it was or how he started his attack.
"I ..."
"..."
Faced with the gruesome sight of corpses strewn across the ground in front of her, Tawana couldn't help but take a step back as she looked at the man in front of her, unsure of what to say.
"I must say, you're very sympathetic."
Jared gazed at Hollis's head on the ground, still wizened and terrified.
"There is nothing worse than making the wrong friend ..."
"You, you killed them ..."
"That's right."
Jared opened the door and looked out. Then he made a gesture of invitation to Tawana.
"I know you don't trust us, you think we're lying, that's good, really. I'm very glad that you're not a fool, although I don't know what you've learned in the wizard school, but it's obvious that these are not enough to protect you ... I'm only able to tell you that we're telling the truth. Even if you don't accept it, it's fine, but I hope, you won't come back to such a dangerous place in the future."
"You've been following me all this time?"
"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't been running out in the middle of the night every day."
Jared shook his head.
"A girl shouldn't be out in the middle of the night. If you go out in the daytime, at least I can get Caroline to stay with you. Like I said, we promised Mr. Florence we'd protect you. We promised Mr. Florence we'd protect you, not let you get hurt. We promised Mr. Florence, and that's not going to change."
"..."
Tavana bowed her head, half-silent, then, with sad eyes, she looked over Hollis's body, and finally raised her head and walked over to Jared's side.
"So, then, what should I do now?"
She asked hesitantly .
"You can get out of here, and then anyone who makes a move on you will be killed by me, simple as that."
Jared shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands at Tawana.
"Caroline has prepared a rather nice tasting black tea that I think you'll like."