"And out comes the flowers~!" An old man wearing a wizard's robes stood by a stage holding several flowers that he had just caused to appear from a cane.
It was a wonderful performance near nightfall in the middle of a not-so-busy street, surrounded by tall, colorful buildings that were lit up by bright lights that spelled out the names of various establishments.
The old man doing his parlor tricks had a weary smile on his face and was currently entertaining a crowd of people on the street with his performance.
"Hah… classic."
Many of the older folk just had a chuckle or two while checking their wristwatches for the time. None of them can be late for dinner after all.
With a wave of his cane, the flowers then produced a small spray of sparkling air all around it, eliciting more 'oohs' and 'awws'.
Magick was very common in today's world, but seeing it used for something as small as giving people a smile was nice.
"Oooo that looks so cool! How'd you do it ,mister?"
"Haha… a magician never reveals his secrets!" The old man then tapped one of the children with his cane, causing them all to laugh.
The children quite enjoyed it; many of them clamored around and even gave out some coins to the old man. They didn't really have much exposure to Magick at all, making them very curious about it.
However, it seemed to be the end of the performance as the old man took a bow.
"And that's all for today. I must take my leave now. Until we meet again, always remember to keep up with your studies!"
With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Unbeknownst to many, the old man really just ran backward into an alleyway where a few hooded figures stood with a grins on their faces.
"Hah, another score for us. You really know your stuff old man." One of the figures laughed as they held up several pieces of jewelry, such as necklaces, rings, and even a few watches.
All of them were stolen when they were in the crowd, distracted by the old man's performance.
"With age comes wisdom of course, how much did you get?" The old man had a coy smile on his lips as he said so.
"Well, good news and bad news gramps. Good news is that we got enough to pawn off for at least five hundred nummens, we'll be living like kings for months!" Many of them laughed as they grabbed a few of the jewels, treating them like coins as they flipped them into the air.
"The bad news is… we gonna have to cut you out."
Without a moment's hesitation, the men all armed themselves with knives, brass knuckles, wands, and even bats.
The sound of silence echoed throughout the alleyway as they surrounded him from all sides, the air thick with danger and treachery.
"No hard feelings, old man."
One of them laughed, cleaning his blade with a napkin. It was just the way of life in this world at this point. Those who can't eat are eaten themselves.
And it was time for this old man to be devoured.
However, instead of looking afraid, the geezer simply smiled, a sparkle in his eyes that caused the men to flinch a little.
"Ahh, what a shame. I was hoping this would go on for a bit longer. It was enjoyable for the most part."
Then, without any more words, an explosion of smoke and sparkles emerged from the old man's cloak.
"You damned gutter swiper! Boys, make 'em croak!"
The thugs all swung their blades and punched the air, however they were unable to even land a blow on anybody but themselves, nearly cutting each other down.
The old man, meanwhile, grabbed hold of the jewels and riches before sprinting away from the men with the speed of a younger man.
"Bah! Get back here Paul!" The leader of the men yelled out as he began to chase after the old man, only to activate a tripwire that caused several darts to be shot into his body.
"W-what the-…"
All of the darts were filled with a powerful knockout agent that instantly incapacitated the brute.
The old man Named Paul grinned as he hopped away into a secluded room of a building he had prepared for days in advance just in case this happened.
"Works every time~."
He then took off his mask, makeup, and robes, revealing himself to be a rather young and handsome man with short black hair and piercing red eyes.
Paul threw all of the jewels and riches into a suitcase before quickly dressing up as an aristocrat with the help of a dark suit and polo.
"And we are all set." He looked at a mirror, winking at himself as he made sure that he seemed presentable before grabbing a cane and walking out the door and back onto the streets like nothing ever happened.
"Where is that bastard! Come back here o,ld man!"
The voices of his previous victims echoed throughout the alleyways as he chuckled to himself.
"Good luck with that ,boys. Maybe run it by the paper if you're that desperate."
Those idiots were never going to catch him; they still think he's just an old man wizard named Paul.
In reality, his Name was Simon, and if anything, was more magician than wizard thanks to his lack of Magick.
He was a con man who was on his way to pawn off his riches to some black market dealer who would accept it.
Simon had been quite a menace in the City of Alexandra. Numerous crimes include fraud, bribery, theft, burglary, tax evasion, and more. Of course, all are under different names, aliases, looks, and appearances.
Wanted by the police, criminal gangs, and more. There was nothing to worry about with a few more punks after him. This was just another day in his life.
That's what he thought until he walked into the alleyway and was hit with a bright light and an immense force that knocked him off his feet, scattering the suitcase he was carrying and spilling its contents.
"Oh no no no no!" He cursed himself for a little bit as he stared at the light.
For a few seconds, Simon thought he was done for, that somehow he was finally found out to be the criminal he was.
"Ahh it finally happened!" A voice of a lady emerged from the light as it dimmed down to reveal the speaker.
"I've finally been isekaid! Ahaha!" It was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and glowing red eyes.
She wore a simple black dress that clung to her body tightly, showing off her goddess-like beauty for all to see.
Simon had prepared for many things: betrayals, low pay cuts, and tax evasion.
However, the one thing he couldn't ever prepare for would be that his life was going to change forever more.