Grin curled the corners of his mouth imperceptibly and released Meli.
"Those two brats look so thin and weak. How much did you pay for them?"
Meli proudly held up two Fingers.
"Two gold coins! I spent a long time haggling with their bastard of a father!"
Grin stared at Meli with some suspicion.
"Just bribery? No coercion involved?"
"Ah... this... well..."
Seeing that things weren't looking good, Meli quickly moved her short legs and hid behind Elsa's back.
Feeling safe, Meli poked her head out and made a face at Grin.
"Bleh—that guy is even more detestable than you. I just gave him a little lesson, what's the big deal!"
Just as she finished speaking, a shrill, mean male voice rang out from not far away.
"That's her, Master Guard!"
A group of people marched over in a grand fashion.
There were about five or six Royal Capital Guards, and standing in their midst was a middle-aged man dressed in rags but reeking of alcohol.
"It's this damned little brat who snatched my children away!"
A ruthless glint appeared in Meli's eyes.
Yesterday, under the pretext of helping her get some exercise, Elsa had taken Meli for a stroll past the siblings' house.
The two little ones had been delayed by food and returned home late, only to be brutally beaten by their father.
Meli's short temper flared up instantly, and she controlled several bat-like magic beasts to chase and bite the man.
If she hadn't been worried about causing trouble and getting a beating from Grin, that man would have been 'cosplaying' as a ginseng root in the ground long ago.
Later, at Elsa's suggestion, they bought Mia and Ato and brought them home to be little followers.
Seeing that Meli was dressed nobly and didn't look like an ordinary person, the Guards' tone was much better than the drunkard's.
The leader's helmet seemed a bit too large; every two steps he took, he had to reach up and straighten it.
Walking up to Elsa, he said, "Madam, we received a report that your daughter is suspected of assault and human trafficking. Could you please explain the situation?"
Elsa turned slightly, extending her arm to shield Meli firmly behind her, her black dress outlining her tall figure.
The corners of her lips held her habitual charming smile, but there was not a hint of warmth in her eyes.
She slowly scanned the alcohol-reeking man before looking back at the lead Guard, her voice soft but carrying an unquestionable aura.
"The Guard must be joking. My child is kind-hearted and wouldn't even step on an ant. How could she do such a thing?"
She pointed at Grin, her smile reaching the corners of her eyes as she spoke lazily, "If you have any questions, you can ask the child's father."
The lead Guard looked over in the direction Elsa pointed, struggling to pull at the visor of his helmet to get a clear view.
Grin rolled his eyes at Elsa before putting on a kind smile to greet the Guard leader.
"That's right, I am that exceptionally gifted father."
"Huh?"
The lead Guard let out a bewildered "huh" after seeing Grin's face clearly.
He then quickly snapped his visor shut, turned around, and prepared to walk out of the alley.
The middle-aged man grew anxious and hurriedly pulled him back.
"Master Guard, what are you doing? Hurry up and arrest these detestable people! Also, they must compensate me ten gold coins for my loss of parental affection!"
His daughter could have been sold on the black market in a few years. The mere two gold coins Meli gave him made him feel like he had been cheated.
During the struggle, the man spotted Mia and Ato inside the house.
"Master Guard, look! My children are in their house!"
The two little ones also spotted their drunkard father and began to tremble with fear.
As the elder brother, the boy quickly propped up a bedboard to block the doorless frame.
The Guard leader's eyes darted around, looking like he didn't want to stay a moment longer.
He could tell at a glance that the drunkard before him was lying; this guy often caused trouble while drunk and had been to jail many times.
Last year, he had even beaten his own wife to death.
The poor woman was a refugee without household registration, and at the time, there were no witnesses or physical evidence.
The two children, forced by their father's violence, had been too afraid to speak.
The man insisted the woman had committed suicide by jumping from a building, claiming the beating was only a trigger, and in the end, he was only sentenced to three months in prison.
If it weren't for the requirement to respond to citizens' calls for help, the Guards wouldn't have bothered with such a person at all.
"Stop pestering us. If I remember correctly, you didn't even register those two brats just to save money for booze, did you?"
"Now they're living well, and it saves you some food. What's so bad about that? Let go already, don't interfere with our official business!"
The Guard captain increased his strength and pushed the old drunkard to the ground.
Seeing that no one was helping him, the man immediately began throwing a tantrum on the ground.
"Oh, there's no justice! Come look, the Guard is hitting people! Our loving family has been cruelly torn apart!"
His voice was very loud, and all the neighbors around heard him.
Splash!
A basin of cold water descended from the sky, soaking the drunkard through and through.
"Agh! Which son of a bitch dares to throw water on me!"
The old drunkard scrambled up from the ground in a pathetic state, pointing upstairs and cursing fiercely.
The person who threw the water was none other than the helpful Auntie from yesterday.
This time, she hit the bullseye, and it made her feel much better.
"I wondered who it was. Isn't this the scoundrel from the next street? Get lost right now, or next time I'll be throwing boiling water!"
The old drunkard sneered, "Boiling water? Can you even afford charcoal? Try throwing it on me!"
The Auntie gave a cold laugh and left him with a "Just you wait."
The mother and daughter downstairs had given her a lot of supplies today, including high-quality pine charcoal, and a kettle was currently heating on the stove.
The Auntie wouldn't go so far as to throw all the boiling water; that would probably kill someone.
She just took a drinking cup, filled it, and returned to the balcony.
"Don't hide! I'll hit you even if you hide!"
Splash!
With a precise prediction, the boiling water spread out in mid-air, and a good amount landed on the old drunkard.
"Agh! You bitch, just you wait, I'll burn your house down tonight!"
The old drunkard shrieked in pain, constantly tearing at his clothes as if ants were crawling on him.
Grin felt a bit guilty watching this and slowly leaned closer to Elsa.
The Auntie had already seen him and waved the cup in her hand.
"See that? This is what happens to anyone who abuses their family in our Iron Barrel Street! I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Having said that, the Auntie returned to her room, satisfied.
The old drunkard kept rolling around until the temperature on his body finally subsided, leaving his skin a mottled mess of white and red.
"Guard, Guard, that wretched woman tried to murder me right in front of you! Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Cough, cough. This helmet blocks my vision too much. I didn't see anything just now. How about I call her out to throw it again?"