I let the cultist's leader's corpse fall and returned to my contractee. She was still unconscious on the floor. Her blood had stopped flowing out, as the circle which had brought me here had powered down after we had reached an agreement.

For the next few months I would stay by her side and guard her as her protector, ensuring her safety. In return, at the end of my service, I would be given resources of any kind with an aggregate value equal to my weight in gold per day; that's how the system worked.

Although the payment itself was useless to me, it was a necessary step. An appropriate price had to be paid to justify to the Veil my presence in a different world. Nevertheless, it was still odd that the payment could be a literal financial transaction.

The girl was in critical condition. She had lost most of her blood and her body was tattered with cuts. As my eyes were weakened I scrutinised her attentively to identify possible hidden wounds and broken bones but found none.

She needed first aid and she needed it soon. I made as if to take her in my arms, but a sudden noise of falling metal drew my attention. The door to the basement we were in had been broken open and had fallen down the stairs.

A team of more than twenty men and women, some of which were in tactical gear while others donned a peculiar mix of mediaeval and modern clothing and weaponry, ran down the stairs and filled the area.

“Entering inside,” one spoke to his earphone.

“Targets identified… they are all dead,” another one said in an uneasy voice.

“Correction. One individual still standing, naked. He is covered in blood, and next to him…”

“Young miss!” a burly bald man donning a black suit sprinted from behind the crowd.

“Captain”

His body was shrouded in a pale shimmer and he moved more quickly than the cultists I had just fought. He looked at me. Then he looked at the girl next to me. His face hardened and his eyes shivered. Soon, anger took the best of him.

“Get away from the young miss!” he shouted furiously, running at me while wildly, swinging his arms.

“Captain, wait!” - “Hold your fire!” - “F**k, secure the perimeter!” the others shouted as they brandished their weapons and surrounded me.

He aimed his brass knuckled covered fists at my face. I slightly adjusted the position of my head, ready to intercept his hands with my forehead. I also prepared my hands to deliver my counter. Just before the hit made contact, a weak voice was heard.

“N-no! Don’t!” the girl shouted in a whisper.

“Young miss!” the man immediately stopped, a mixture of relief and concern in his voice.

I relaxed my hands. From his demeanour he seemed to be on the side of the girl, so there was no reason to dispose of him. Nevertheless, as my deductions were not perfect, I still grabbed his shoulder when he tried to reach for the girl with his outstretched arms.

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“What do you think you are doing?” he asked me, almost barking while glaring at me.

“Step back,” I answered.

“What did you say?” he furrowed his brows.

“Step back,” I repeated in a monotone voice. There was no need to speak different to something like him.

He closed his fists and trembled in anger, glaring at me. He was about to do something unwise, but just as before, the girl’s voice saved him.

“Marcus…” she said weakly.

“Yes, young miss,” he turned his attention to her, speaking in a soft tone. His demeanour made a complete one-eighty, from an anger-prone animal to a docile fatherly figure.

“He… is my saviour. Listen to him…”

He looked at me with a hate-filled gaze.

“... I understand young miss. He will be rewarded handsomely, but now you must come with us…”

“No! You don’t understand! Listen to him!” she shouted with strength, before going unconscious.

Marcus was apparently taken aback by the sudden shift in the tone of the girl. He tried to grab her before the head could hit the ground, but I had already taken care of that before he could move. His eyes became two thin slits as he saw me holding his precious “young miss” in my arms.

He didn’t try to hide his hostility, but he also didn’t jump at me. I could see caution in his eyes. The high degree of alarm present in the voice of the girl must have made him reflect. He looked around, his expression hardening more and more with each passing second.

He finally seemed to have become cognizant of his surroundings.

“You… did you do all this?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. There was no need to do so, as he already knew the answer.

“Rest,” he ordered his men.

“Yes sir!”

While the other individuals who had accompanied him ran around the basement inspecting the corpses and taking notes, Marcus remained near me and the girl. He was gazing at us both with a puzzled look on his face.

I suddenly started walking towards the stairs, drawing the attention of everyone present.

“What are you doing?” Marcus cut my way.

I immediately planted my foot in his abdomen and sent him flying right through the wall. Before anyone else could move, I opened my mouth. Although I didn’t really feel the need to do so, I decided to speak with them. They were clearly a rescue team, so our goals were aligned. Nevertheless, they were still animals.

“I am here to ensure her safety. She needs a doctor. Do not stand in the way,” I explained in a low but resonant voice.

No one said anything. Their gaze was on their commander, Marcus, who was currently striving to get himself out of the wall. Their gazes turned to me. Something seemed to finally click in their heads and some of them even let their weapon fall to the ground.

I walked towards Marcus, who had managed to free himself from the wall. He was on all fours, trying to get his breath back as I had kicked the wind out of him. He raised his eyes and met mine.

“Y-young miss,” he said trying to reach for her.

“First aid?” I asked him.

He looked at me puzzled but ultimately nodded. He got up, rummaged through the pockets of his peculiarly resistant suit and showed me a few glass flasks containing a deep crimson fluid.

“These are healing potions,” he added as I continued to look at him.

I gently set the girl on the ground, took one of the flasks and broke it in half. I tasted and smelled it and I didn’t identify any potentially dangerous component. I nevertheless felt the presence of power quite similar to mana, although it was extremely gentle and completely devoid of any corrosive tendency.

“Apply them,” I gave him permission to proceed.

He nodded, opened up the other flasks and sprayed them on the girl. The surface wounds touched by the liquid healed in real time and her skin regained colour as the lost blood was partially replenished.

“These are low-class potions, they won’t be enough,” Marcus went on explaining.

Although I could still perceive deep hatred in his gaze, he was finally behaving like a person and being polite. And that was all I could ask for.

“Make way,” I told him, following him out of the basement.