-Janvas’s POV-

As we take the next turn for a shortcut, we meet with a bunch of hooligans. Haruru turns around to leave, but their prorogating words enrage me.

I dash forward to the hooligan near to me before he could do anything my palm grabs his head, concentrating my mana on the palm, I create the hottest fire layer I could, resulting in the hooligan's face-melting.

Seeing one of their own having such an effect on such a short note the other take a step back. They all were pure breeds, probably from the south-souther plaza. Two of them were wolves, one cat and the last one was a tiger. They probably weren’t so proficient in magic; unsheathing their swords or daggers they point it towards me.

The wolves block the escape path of Haruru, the tiger lunges at me, the cat stays back maybe for surprisal attack.

I dodge his sword by stepping aside, as his blade passes me, I grab his arm then throw him towards the wolf. Just then the cat jumps on me, the dagger had some cracks on it probably due to intensive use. I bend back and make an arc to escape the blow, but the cat twists its body in mid-air, bringing its other blade forward he goes for my head. As his daggers reach near my head, I somersault and get behind him, he looks behind but till then my fire mana enfolds hand stabs his heart.

“Jann..”

Haruru’s scream takes me off from the cat’s body, the tiger and his group chase after Haruru, maybe to have leverage against me. I quickly pick up the cat’s daggers and throw it towards them, one dagger hits the wolf on his back making him drop on the ground and agonize in pain, while I miss the chasing tiger.

“Ru, run towards me!”

Haruru ducks the tiger paws before he could get hold of her. She bends down, then dashes towards the left but jumps right making the tiger fall due to quick change in direction. I head towards the fallen tiger, but his companion comes in between both of us. I form a fireball on my hand and throw it towards him. He quickly ducks it and the sword in his hand-thrown at me. The sudden sword makes my foot slip resulting in the blade barely passing by my chest. Seeing that I wasn’t injured by the sword the wolf runs away, while the tiger decides to come after me.

I would have really loved if Marine was here, but she wasn’t, Haruru, on the other hand, wasn’t a fighter. As Haruru gets behind me, I concentrate to collect the mana inside me and mix the fire and wind.

Before the tiger could do anything, I cast flame cyclone. He and his lackey get sucked inside it and anguish cries resound. The footsteps of the people tell me, I and Ru need to run away from there as soon as possible.

Getting away from the crowd, we change streets until we reach the library. Haruru pushed me aside to one empty alley beside the library.

“Jan,..”

I hug her with one arm while I keep the blood-stained hand away from her. We keep on hugging for some time.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ru, you don’t have to apologize. Those hooligans didn’t attack me only because of you, they would have attacked me if I was alone.”

“Jan, No-no-no, I'm asking forgiveness for not being able to help you fight them like how Mari would.”

“*Sigh* Ru, you don’t have to worry about such things. Mari is a fighter, while you aren’t. Both of you have your own flaws and strengths.”

“Look if I would ask Mari to help me in selecting clothes for a party, then she would pick whatever clothes she finds in black color and give it to me, whereas you would ask me where I’m going, who I’m meeting, when’s the party, if you can or would be joining and more and then only would you select the clothes. If she is my sword then you are my pride and Safrine would be my home. You all are significant in my life.”

“I-I-I....”

I chin her up then look into her eyes.

“Never think that you are useless to me. Ru, we have been together for so many years, and have you ever found me looking at you like you mean nothing to me?”

“No.”

Pecking on her lips, I say,

“Your eye’s aren’t meant to have tears or regret in them. You are my princess after all. You are my pride, you define who I’m to the world if you cry then-”

“I wasn’t crying, dust got inside them.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Waah! What are you laughing for?”

She softly hits my chest like she was whining. Kissing her once on the cheeks I separate from her and see if she was hurt in the brawl. Seeing not even a single mark on her dress I take a sigh of relief.

“Jan, wait a minute.”

She leaves after saying that. I stay in the alley and look at myself to see if I had any blood on me or was bleeding. Luckily, I wasn’t. I didn’t have to wait much as Haruru comes rather quickly.

“Where did you go?”

“To get this. Bring out your hands.”

As I show my hands, Haruru casts a spell and a black rectangular space appears in front of her. Putting her hands inside, she pulls out a small bucket and a towel form it.

“So, now you can fit a bucket too.”

“Yes, it’s still not as good as the merchant’s, but I have improved a lot from back then.”

“Well, I can see.”

Smilingly she washes off the blood.

“Ru, weren’t you scared when the hooligans surrounded us?”

“Hmm.., I wasn’t. I knew you would save me.”

“Isn’t that blind fate?”

“It’s not. You’re my Jan and you won’t let anything happen to me.”

“Ru, your thinking is right, I won’t let anything happen to you, but you’re forgetting something, I'm not strong. If for some reason I fight with a Captain then I would only win by a small margin.”

“Jan, everyone's not born with a silver spoon, and even if they are it doesn’t mean they will have the spoon for lifetime. Even a beggar can have a silver no maybe a gold or diamond spoon one day.”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“Mother always used to say to me ‘Improve than the last’, but Mari told me what it meant. It means I need to just improve from the previous day. If I could lift 10 Kgs yesterday, then I need to lift more than 10 today it maybe 10.1 Kg or 11 kgs but it needs to be higher than yesterday.”

“Improve than the last. Huh.”

“Jan, it doesn’t mean like yesterday. It just means keep on improving no matter what time, place or situation it is just improve.”

Getting closer to her, I kiss her, my hand around her waist to pull her closer. Her saliva tastes like strawberry, Ru puts her hands around my head; messes my hair up. Her breast squeezing between us. I really wanted to eat her up, but this wasn’t the right place or time...Time.

“Ru.”

“Hmm...”

“WE don’t have time for this. We need to reach the shop and hurry back to the palace .”

“Ahhh... Yes, Jan look again because of you we are going to get late.”

Saying that she separates from me and gets out of the alley.

[Because of me??]