"Come to think of it, ever since arriving in this city, I haven't really taken the time to look at it properly."
Walking along the streets of Orario, Elise occasionally expanded her senses, quietly memorizing everything around her.
At first glance, everything appeared perfectly normal. In fact, that was what Elise had thought at the beginning as well.
But now that she looked more closely, the problems clinging to these people became painfully obvious.
Although everyone seemed to be living their lives and running their businesses as usual, it was only a surface illusion.
In their eyes lingered a trace of worry and fear. They nervously observed their surroundings, as if dreading something unseen.
What exactly was going on?
Elise felt puzzled. She knew this era marked the rise of the Evilus factions, but the major incidents she remembered were only a few.
The Seven Days of Death.
The Nightmare on the 27th Floor.
The annihilation of the Astraea Familia.
And the artificial labyrinth.
Those were the only significant events she could recall. Anything beyond that was a blur.
But…
Those were merely the so-called "major incidents." As for the smaller ones… she knew almost nothing.
Judging from the current situation, however, there seemed to be far more "small incidents" than she had expected.
"Ah—!"
Just as Elise was deep in thought, a woman's scream rang out nearby.
"Help! Someone's robbing me! Please, someone help!"
An elderly woman's coin purse had been snatched from her waist by a masked man. The force of his pull sent her tumbling to the ground, leaving her shouting helplessly.
No one was going to help her?
Elise scanned the surroundings. The bystanders all wore expressions of indifference. Even those who had clearly witnessed the scene quickly averted their gazes, as though afraid of getting involved.
Even the nearby patrol guards were making their way over at an agonizingly slow pace.
At this point in the timeline—twelve years ago—the Ganesha Familia had not yet begun its development.
City patrols were technically handled by the Guild.
But how could a single Guild possibly manage everything?
"This won't do…"
If things continued like this, the future of this city would sink into darkness.
"A saintess would never allow something like this to happen!"
"And besides…"
"I hate tragedies more than anything."
With that, Elise vanished from where she stood.
"Out of my way!"
The masked robber sprinted down the road at full speed. Whenever he encountered pedestrians, he made no effort to avoid them. Instead, he relied on his powerful physique to ram straight through the crowd.
His level didn't seem low.
Seeing this, people scrambled aside, terrified of being knocked over.
Medical expenses were no small matter.
"Heh heh! Perfect!"
Behind his mask, the robber grinned.
This wasn't his first robbery.
To increase his chances of success, he had thoroughly surveyed escape routes in advance. Even Guild patrols had failed to catch him.
To prevent his victims from chasing him, he deliberately targeted the elderly, the weak, and women—people unlikely to resist or pursue him.
Today's haul was quite substantial.
Feeling the weight of the coin purse in his arms, his smile widened.
"You're the one who robbed that old lady, aren't you?"
A clear female voice sounded beside his ear, causing him to freeze.
What?
He was running at full speed—how could someone be speaking so clearly right next to him?
He turned his head.
A flash of gold entered his vision.
"You—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain exploded from his knee, as though he had tripped over something.
The next instant, weightlessness overtook him.
Due to his previous high-speed sprint, his entire body spun uncontrollably, hurtling toward a shop at the end of the street.
Even the coin purse in his arms flew free from the violent motion.
"Eh—?!"
Inside the shop, a female clerk stared in shock at the robber flying toward her, completely frozen in place.
But the next second, her view was filled by another figure.
The golden-haired saintess raised her leg high and swept it sideways toward the robber's face.
Elise had come out today to exchange magic stones, so she was wearing a white short-length dress. A high kick like this might reveal certain things…
And Elise had no habit of wearing safety shorts.
"Ooooooh—!"
The surrounding onlookers, especially the men, widened their eyes, hoping to glimpse beneath her skirt.
But—
"What is that…?"
The next scene left them utterly stunned.
What was that light?
Why was there light under her skirt?
And why did it just so perfectly block that exact area?
Damn it!
Wasn't that the same as seeing nothing at all?
A few older gentlemen even began pounding the ground in frustration.
At this rate, this city might as well be destroyed…
But the gazes of the crowd had no effect on Elise. Her attack on the robber wasn't finished yet.
"Ahhh—!"
Though his face had taken a heavy blow, the robber was still conscious.
How could such a young girl possess this kind of strength?
He tried to grab at Elise's clothing to retaliate—but…
A faint smile curved at Elise's lips, as though she had anticipated this.
Her movement shifted instantly.
Using the foot planted against his face as a pivot, she twisted her body and drove his head straight into the ground.
Boom!
The tremendous impact echoed through the entire alley. Dust billowed upward from the ground, causing the surrounding spectators to cough.
When the dust began to settle, they finally took in the scene before them.
The girl in the white short dress stood calmly on one foot.
Her other foot was pressing down on the robber's head, crushing it firmly into the pavement.
The sight made everyone nearby inhale sharply, staring at her in astonishment.
"Hey… isn't that a bit excessive?"
"How strong is she exactly?"
But something even more shocking followed.
The girl slowly extended her right hand, palm facing upward, as if holding something aloft.
What was she doing?
Confusion spread through the crowd.
However, a few quick-witted individuals lifted their heads in disbelief, staring at the sky.
A dark shape was falling from above.
It descended perfectly into the girl's outstretched hand.
That was—
The elderly woman's coin purse?!
"In that case, everything is settled."
The golden-haired girl spoke lightly.
But the storm raging in the onlookers' minds had yet to subside.
They were all thinking the same thing.
How did she do that?