Escape! Thats My Fight!

***

Though I tried to sound cool with my declaration, objectively speaking, do I stand a chance against these guys?

<Its impossible, isnt it?>

Yeah, I thought so.

<Directly confronting and defeating them, that is.>

Yeah, I thought so.

<However,>

Escaping from this situation and surviving, how about that?

<Thats possible.>

Right!

Lets calm down and reassess the situation.

Im sitting on the ground, having been kicked down, trying to sit up. Two pieces of trash are approaching me from the front, and the Trash Head is standing imposingly behind them.

I focus my eyes. Magic Perceptionactivated. The bodies of the trash are covered in a red-black mist of magical power, especially the Trash Head, who has a lot of it. I cant win against that.

Even though Ive been trained under the guidance of Extra-sama, Im not a reincarnated being with divine protection. Im just a well-trained 5-year-old girl, not strong enough to beat these thieves whove lived through rough experiences.

Ah, Magic Perceptionis, as always, the technique to see and understand magical power with ones eyes, something Extra-sama saw in <A Different World Reincarnation Stream by the God of Magic>. Its quite difficult to master, but Extra-sama praised me quite a bit when I managed to use it relatively easily, saying things like <As expected of Emi!> or <You might be a genius!>. When I got carried away and asked, So, do I have a talent for magic? I was immediately shut down with a <No, thats not the case>. Whats with that!

Well, at that time, I was a 3-year-old. Its important to flatter and make a child feel good, but its also troubling if they get carried away and do something dangerous. Its probably Extra-samas way of handling a child.

The reason I panicked more than necessary when we were discovered by the trash earlier is probably because I sensed their magical power. All creatures in this world have magical power to some extent, but if youre not conscious of it, some of that power leaks out. Its possible to gauge an opponents strength by the amount of leakage, although its only effective against untrained low-level thieves and wild monsters, as professionals tend to control their leakage better as they become more trained.

So, whos gonna go first?

Trash A asks Trash B while clapping his fists together, making a thumping sound.

You go ahead. But hey, Tappa, dont kill her too quickly, alright?

Trash B steps back after saying that. Hearing this, Trash A approaches me with an even more disgustingly leering grin.

The match will be decided in an instant. Ill end it in a moment and escape like a startled rabbit. My hand, secretly slipped into the right pocket of my pants without them noticing, starts to feel damp.

Hehehe Do you know whats going to happen to you now? No? Is that why youre looking so spaced out? Hehehe.

Trash A takes another step closer. I make an extra effort to appear expressionless, pretending to be dazed.

Trash A takes another step closer. In their eyes, Im just a little girl whos been kicked so hard that I cant move properly, completely dazed and confused.

Trash A takes another step closer. I continue to feign. To maintain their underestimation.

Hehehe Hehehehehe!

Trash A, smirking, reaches out to grab my hair.

Now!!

I instantly concentrate Body Strengthening into my right arm! Grabbing a pebble always hidden in my pocket, I hurl it towards Trash As face with a Stone Throw! The pebble whistles through the air, followed by a sickening squelch upon impact.

GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!

Trash A reels back, clutching his right eye, blood gushing profusely. The thrown pebble hit its mark right in Trash As right eye!

Tappa! Tappa!!?

Trash Bs eyes widen in shock. The targets bigger now, making my job easier! I leap back to create distance and launch another Stone Throw.

GUUAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!

This time blood spurts from Trash Bs right eye. Now theyre matching. How nice for them!

You BRATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!

Shoving aside the suffering underlings, Trash Head charges at me. I hop back, maintaining distance, and keep throwing stones, Stone Throw, Stone Throw, Stone Throw! But its no use. As expected of Trash Head. He guards his eyes with his arms, perfectly blocking the pebbles! Probably his arms, strengthened by Body Strengthening, are unscathed by my pebbles, which bounce off with a satisfying pop.

Trash Head closes in with furious speed. Id probably lose in a chase. Stone Throwis ineffective, hes faster.

No way out?

Not a chance!

I plunge my hand into my left pocket, pulling out a small bag and fling its contents towards Trash Heads face!

Guuh What is this!? It hurts like HELL?!

The powder dances in the air, entering Trash Heads eyes and causing intense pain. This is it! My trump card for today! The powder from the Shoma fruit I just gathered! My precious find, a spicy, high-grade seasoning! Used as a weapon against Trash Head without even getting to taste it!

Damn it! Damn it! I wanted to try tasting it!

<We can find more Shoma fruit later! Emi, now is the time>

Right, Extra-sama! The underlings are cowering, and Trash Head has stopped in his tracks, clutching his eyes.

This is my chance!

I run!!!!

Familiar with Naso Forest, once Ive got some distance, Im home free!

Waahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaha!!

***

By the time the pain in Megzams eyes subsided enough for him to move, the expressionless black-haired vagrant child was nowhere to be found.

Hed been done in. Outsmarted. By such a child.

In the thickly overgrown Naso bushes, under the dimming light of the setting sun, finding her now would be difficult. All that could be heard were the chirping of insects and the groans of his two underlings. The smell of burning meat wafted from the fire.

Megzam just stood there, utterly stunned.

***

And there you have it! Emi-chan successfully made her escape!

After that, I mixed in Presence Concealment as I ran toward the trashy village.

<However, Emi. Even if its a temporary refuge from the thieves, isnt it dangerous for you to flee into that village?>

Yeah, well, thats true. If the villagers find me, I might end up in a worse situation than just getting hurt.

But now that those guys have taken over my base in the Naso Forest, I dont have a safe place to stay in the forest anymore. I figured sneaking into the attic of my so-called home and staying there would be much safer. That drunken trash of a man is usually just drinking and sleeping, so he probably wont notice me in the attic. Its really frustrating to have to rely on the village I wanted to sever ties with!

If the thieves do attack the village, Torch-kun will probably take care of them easily. Well, getting involved in an incident related to him is really scary, too. Its like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea

But, seriously, Torch-kun! Whats with him? Those trashy thieves attacked the village, right?

Why let them live? Because he didnt finish them off properly, I ended up losing my base!

Ah, its so infuriating. Why do I always have to suffer because of him?

<Now, now. Complaining wont help, will it? Were nearing the village. Please conceal your presence.>

Yeah, youre right. The villages security must be tighter after the attack by the thieves. For now, Ill use Presence Concealment and observe from a distance, planning to sneak in when the night gets darker.

***

Dusk.

The sun continued to sink. Purple spread across the blue sky.

I made my way out of the forest, crossed a small meadow, and hid in the shadow of a tree on a hill to watch the village. It was probably time for dinner preparations. Smoke should be rising from the chimneys of the houses, glowing orange in the sunset that was the expectation.

But, that wasnt the case.

I was dumbfounded.

Why?

To put it simply

The village was destroyed.