One month had passed.
In the middle of the night, while most of the town slept, screams and furious shouts echoed through a quiet corner of Gimul.
"Run! We’re no match for him!"
"You little brat— Gyaaaah!"
"Gugh!?"
"Urgh..."
"You idiot! I told you to run! Why would you charge at him!?"
The men shouting were attackers who had come to ambush Ryoma, only to be systematically dismantled by his swift counter-attacks.
The leader of the group, realizing the battle was lost, barked orders at the three men still standing. However, his subordinates, blinded by rage, ignored him. Consequently, Ryoma moved like a blur, breaking arms and legs, shattering jaws, and knocking them into unconsciousness one by one.
"W-Wait, I surrender! We won't touch you again, I swear!"
"I'm sorry, but I’ve made it a rule not to listen to such excuses. I have applied the same treatment to everyone else so far, so please understand."
"That’s... Gah!"
Before the man could finish his plea for mercy, Ryoma closed the distance with a speed the thug couldn't even track and knocked him out with a single punch.
"And that’s that," Ryoma muttered.
He looked around at the thirteen men scattered across the ground, either unconscious or groaning in agony from broken limbs.
"It’s been a while since a group this large showed up..."
A few seconds later, four men came running from a distance. It was the Guard Force.
"What's going on— Oh, it’s you, Ryoma. These guys are tonight's culprits?"
"Yes. As usual, I’ll leave them in your care."
"Right. Tie up the ones without major injuries first! As for the wounded... you’re doing that again tonight, right?"
"Yes."
"Get to it, then."
"Understood."
Ryoma summoned a Heal Slime, and together they began applying High Heal to the men’s mangled limbs. He meticulously treated every injury he had inflicted, handing the men over to the city guards to be bound as soon as he finished.
"Seven people tonight, totaling twelve broken bones... This is going to be expensive for them again."
"High Heal is 1,000 Suut per cast. It takes six casts to properly set and mend one bone, which is 6,000 Suut. For twelve bones, that’s 72,000 Suut. I’ll give them a small discount and make it an even 70,000 Suut."
The guard’s face twitched at the figure.
"I know it's a necessity, but you’re terrifying, kid."
"...If people stopped attacking me, I wouldn't have to do this," Ryoma replied with a sigh.
"Anyway, come with us to the guard house. We need to process the payment."
"Understood."
Ever since Ryoma had first been targeted as a shop owner, the number of attacks had increased. The culprits ranged from those instigated by unknown third parties to simple robbers who thought a child would be an easy mark. As the scene tonight proved, every attempt ended in absolute failure. And each time, Ryoma treated the injured attackers with professional care—and then billed them for every copper of the exorbitant treatment fee.
Under the laws of this country, injuries inflicted in self-defense carried no criminal liability. The attacker had no legal right to complain about being hurt. Furthermore, while the defender was permitted to leave such injuries untreated, they were also granted the legal right to charge a reasonable fee if they chose to provide medical care.
Beating someone senseless and then demanding payment for the privilege of being healed sounded like a malicious shakedown, but as a result of self-defense, it was a perfectly legal loophole in this world.
Ryoma had initially been hesitant to use such a method. However, Grisiela had persuaded him that it was the most effective way to end the situation quickly. By increasing the financial risk for attackers and spreading the word about Ryoma's combat prowess and the shop’s impenetrable security, it served as a powerful deterrent. He had accepted it as a necessary evil to protect his livelihood.
After all, Ryoma's outward appearance was still that of a child. Since he couldn't look intimidating, he had to act it. It was his version of a "Surveillance Cameras in Operation" sign. Knowing that attacking Ryoma meant a world of physical pain followed by financial ruin, the number of nightly ambushes was finally starting to decline.
"This is the payment for tonight. 70,000 Suut. Please confirm it."
"I have received it. Thank you."
Ryoma accepted the treatment fee at the guard house and offered his thanks.
"Don't worry about it," the guard said, waving him off. "It’s not like the money is coming out of our pockets. We’re just temporarily covering it; we’ll make sure to squeeze every last Suut out of those guys later. Besides, occasionally someone actually tries to reform through the forced labor required to pay off the debt. It’s not all bad."
"Thank you. Hearing you say that makes me feel better."
Ryoma thanked them once more and stepped out into the night.
"Good work tonight, kid."
"Good work to you too."
After a week where getting attacked on the way home and stopping by the guard house had become part of his nightly routine, Ryoma had become a familiar face to the Guard Force. He exchanged friendly waves with the officers on duty as he finally headed home.
The next morning.
When Ryoma arrived at the shop before opening, he found Carla at the reception desk.
"Good morning, Carla. How was last night?"
"Good morning, Boss. There were no attacks on the shop last night. How was your trip home?"
"Thirteen people came after me. Here, this is the fee from yesterday. I’ll put it in the safe for now; please deposit it into the guild account along with the daily sales."
"Understood."
Passing by Carla as she continued her morning routine, Ryoma headed toward the back of the building. He greeted the employees busy with opening preparations and slipped into the breakroom to stay out of their way. Inside, the security team was finishing their shift report.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Boss."
"Hey, morning."
"Morning, Ryoma-kun."
"Mornin'!"
"Were you in the middle of something?"
"We were just finishing up," Gordon replied. "No problems during the night shift."
The shop’s security currently consisted of five specialists. In addition to the father-daughter pair, Fei and Li Ling, there were the veteran adventurers Gordon and Cher. Finally, there was Dolce, a young man recommended by Jeff who had previously served in a slum self-defense group.
Fei and Li Ling had been handling unruly thugs since before the attacks began, but once the nightly raids started, they had truly begun to show their worth as former assassins.
Gordon and Cher had come highly recommended by Wogan, and their skills were beyond reproach. More importantly, they were well-liked by the community. Gordon was widely known among adventurers and commoners alike—his presence alone was enough to settle a rowdy argument. Cher, with his pleasant personality and polite manners, was a particular favorite among the middle-aged and elderly female customers.
Dolce was a man of few words with a somewhat rough exterior, but he was incredibly diligent and took his work seriously.
Thanks to this team, every attempt to break into the shop had been thwarted. The only damage so far had been a few cracks in the doors or windows, which cost Ryoma nothing but a little mana to fix. In fact, Ryoma felt the attacks had provided an unexpected benefit: an "opportunity for interaction."
"Alright! I'm a rogue adventurer! I'm starting a fight!"
In a vacant corner of the premises, Ryoma—now dressed in his coveralls—gave a shout to start the drill. In response, three of the young shop assistants held up transparent shields behind a magic-formed counter.
"Dolce-san!" they shouted in unison.
"!"
"Whoa there, this ain't good! Yo! Hup!"
The girls quickly retreated while Dolce stepped in, wielding a sasumata. Ryoma let out a mock shout of terror and fled. Spheres flew through the air at his back, but he skillfully dodged them as he put distance between himself and the "counter."
"Alright... I think that was a good run."
It looked like a comedy skit due to Ryoma’s exaggerated acting, but it was a vital security drill.
The training focused on non-combat staff using shields to create a barrier while calling for help and escaping. It also tested the security team's response time and the staff's ability to use color balls to mark fleeing culprits. Ryoma had designed these drills using his knowledge of security goods from Earth, tailoring them to the specific needs of his shop.
"Dolce-san, how was the timing?"
"...No interference. Sir."
"He says it was perfect! Everyone, keep that feeling in mind—"
"Boss, lunch is ready."
"Thank you, Caulm. Alright, everyone, let's clean up and eat."
"Yes!"
Since the attacks had intensified, Ryoma had been spending more time at the shop during the day to oversee defenses. He arrived early and stayed until midnight. While he had work to do, it didn't occupy every waking hour. He spent the surplus time interacting with his employees and customers.
Aside from Fei and Li Ling, his civilian employees were naturally anxious about the violence. By creating and training them with self-defense items, he sought to give them peace of mind. His efforts had paid off; the shop remained orderly, and not a single staff member had resigned.
Furthermore, these shared experiences had brought Ryoma and his team closer as colleagues. In the breakroom, the fruits of this bond were visible on the table.
"Good work on the drill, everyone."
"We've already started, Boss."
Sitting down next to Gordon and Cher, Ryoma reached for a piece of bread.
"Oh? This bread seems fluffier than usual."
"Hehe," Sherma smiled. "Fina and the others used that natural yeast you taught us about. They made it with glenberries. It rose beautifully and tastes wonderful."
"The little red berries? Ah, the inside is slightly pink."
"It’s amazing how yeast changes the flavor," Fina added. "And it’s so easy to use."
"It takes time to ferment, but the actual baking is much easier," another girl chimed in.
"Shelling those seeds is a nightmare, though. They get everywhere."
"But if you don't clean them properly, the taste is ruined."
"You have to be careful with the temperature, too," Ryoma noted. "Otherwise, it won't ferment properly."
"I guess it's too much for us to make at home, then," Gordon grunted.
"The process isn't that hard, but you have to be meticulous about sanitizing the jars. Besides, Gordon-san, you don't even cook."
"Well, that's true... but the trouble is dying down, isn't it? Our contract will be up soon. I’m going to miss these lunches."
"Sherma-san’s cooking is the best," Cher agreed. "I never have to worry about what to eat."
"It’s pure bliss."
"My, my," Sherma said, beaming as she stood up. "Just you wait. Today’s meat was grilled over that special charcoal the Boss gave me. It’s exceptionally juicy."
She headed back toward the kitchen, clearly motivated by the praise. She would likely return with a mountain of meat for the hungry guards.
In the warmth of the breakroom, Ryoma and his team enjoyed their hard-earned peace, far removed from the dangers that had once threatened them.