Don't move, it's a robbery!

Rewind to the day before, Leos stared blankly at the candy beans on the table.

"Little one, what are you giving me, candy beans?"

"Don't let its small size fool you, just one will fill you up right away. Eve checked it, it's not poisonous and is very nutritious, so it's safe to eat!"

"Where did you buy it?"

"I didn't buy it, someone gave it to me. You know, I often hang out with homeless kids to gather information, right? Today I met a strange guy who bought a whole sack of candy from a vendor! Candy! That stuff is as expensive as gold. I was planning to steal some money from him to spend."

"And then you stole the candy?"

"Uh, no, I got caught. He's amazing, so agile he's not like a normal person. I thought I was going to die, but he didn't do anything to me, and he even gave me some candy."

"ha?"

"It wasn't just me; several kids who went with me received some too. He even went to a place where homeless children gathered and handed out two sacks of candy beans. I don't know how he turned candy into candy beans, but these things are definitely edible. They just expand when soaked in water, so you can't eat too many."

The little guy's mouth was bulging, clearly stuffed with a lot of "candy".

"Speaking of which, how did you manage to catch a wanted criminal in the time it takes to go out? Isn't that the three Kelly brothers? You've really got some skills, Leos. You actually managed to take care of all three of them by yourself."

Leos blushed slightly, a rare occurrence, before explaining that he had actually paid for the wanted criminal.

The little one's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but the candy choked him, and he had to knock on his throat a few times before he could swallow it.

"Cough cough cough! What did you say? Someone's selling wanted criminals? Wait, you just said that guy was carrying a short stick with three stars on it, isn't that the guy who gave me candy? So it turns out you're the one who paid for his candy!"

"However, something was very wrong with that guy. I didn't sense anything before he got close, but when he looked at me, I realized the danger, and the feeling was really bad. That guy was incredibly strong!"

"Leos, it's amazing you dare to stand with him."

The little one looked at the female warrior next to Leos in surprise. The female warrior nodded, indicating that the person was indeed dressed like that.

Leos shrugged, expressing his helplessness.

"There was no other way. I recognized the wanted criminal as soon as I saw him. That kid was able to take down two of the three Kelly brothers and tame the last one. He was obviously not someone to be trifled with. If I hadn't pretended to be stupid, he might have attacked me."

"I originally wanted to wait for you all to come together so it would be safer, but it turned out that only March came. I had to pay quickly so he wouldn't change his mind."

"This guy's weapon is so distinctive. It looks like we've run into an old friend of Eve's. Eve, you've fought him before, haven't you? What happened then?"

With no response, Leos turned his head in surprise and looked at the elf girl who had been sitting there like a ghost for a long time.

"Eve?"

Eve didn't speak, and remained silent for a while before saying that she couldn't remember.

"It looks like he got beaten up pretty badly." (whispering)

"Of course, otherwise she wouldn't refuse to tell us every time we ask." (whispering)

Eve's ears twitched, ignoring her companions, but her mind was filled with memories of the scene.

At that time, Eve was still traveling alone, wanting to visit every city and borrow from every library.

While passing through the Falter region, she encountered some trouble. Several robbers blocked her path, intending to rob the seemingly delicate Miss Eve. From their lewd eyes and foul words, it was clear that they also planned to take turns doing some shameful things with Miss Eve.

If it were an unconventional elf, she might have reluctantly agreed, but Miss Eve was very proper and immediately refused.

The bandits weren't surprised, since they had originally planned to use force, as it would be more exciting that way.

For Miss Eve, this matter was merely a nuisance, not a danger. She dared to travel because she had her own strengths; a few bandits posed no real threat.

But then the accident happened.

Just as the two sides were about to start fighting, a young man suddenly jumped down from a tree by the roadside. He was agile and his head-smashing stick technique was superb. The process of knocking out the robber was smooth and effortless. It was clear at a glance that he was a master of this skill.

Moreover, he launched a surprise attack first, and the bandits didn't even have a chance to react before he knocked them unconscious one by one.

Eve was surprised because she hadn't noticed the boy before he made his move, and she didn't even realize there was another person on the scene until the first robber who had been knocked unconscious fell down.

If she were the one being ambushed, she wouldn't have had a chance to react.

However, Eve was still very happy because the other party had come to rescue her. After traveling for so long, she had finally encountered something interesting.

Honestly, the other person might only be average-looking, but the timing and movements of their attack were incredibly cool. This scene is practically a scene from a legendary tale of a boy and girl meeting!

Although she wasn't actually that scared, pretending to be weak might be the right choice right now.

That's what the book says anyway.

Seeing that several bandits had fallen, Eve pretended to be weak and skipped towards the boy.

"Did you come here specifically to rescue me? I'm so happy~" (in a sweet, coquettish voice)

"You're celebrating too soon."

"what?"

"What I mean is, now it's my turn."

Eve didn't understand what the other person meant, and then she saw the other person extend a stick towards her.

"Stand still, don't move, this is a robbery!"

Eve heard the sound of something shattering. It was her girlish heart. The ugly reality shattered her innocent fantasies. Fairy tales are all lies. There is no such thing as a hero saving a damsel in distress.

However, despite her anger, Eve wasn't particularly afraid.

She admitted that the boy in front of her was skilled in stealth and knocking people out, but these methods were only good for ambushes and not so great in direct combat.

And Eve is no mere pretty face; she's an elf!

The kind of innocent, naive female elf who knows nothing, who only knows how to hop and skip in the forest all day, and who is helpless and at the mercy of evil humans, only exists in the fantasies of those country bumpkins who have never seen the world.

True elves, regardless of gender, have all undergone military-style training, learning everything from longswords and sabers to archery and horseback riding.

Even an ordinary elf can easily defeat an untrained human, let alone an elite like her.

In her more than 60 years of life, Eve spent 30 years learning how to use weapons, how to fight others, and even mastered magic that very few people could learn.

Let alone one-on-one, even if there are more than 10 people on the other side, Eve can take them down without a scratch.

"I'll just teach you a lesson because your eyes are pure and you have no dirty thoughts."

Eve was full of confidence and ready to teach him a lesson: be polite when you meet a lady.

Before she could finish speaking, the other person charged straight at her.

"Fool, what's the difference between this and suicide?"

Eve immediately prepared to retaliate, but hesitated for a moment before striking, then slightly reduced her strength before launching her counterattack. But the instant she made her move, the boy suddenly scattered a large amount of powder, and Eve's vision was instantly filled with white mist, causing her to lose sight of her enemy.

Because Eve had received specialized training and had extensive combat experience, she instinctively activated defensive spells and tried to roll away to dodge. However, the boy's stick still landed on her head. Fortunately, the spell worked, and she was not injured.

"Holy crap! What is that? And why is it flashing?"

The boy seemed to be encountering this situation for the first time and was also startled, but he did not give up and prepared to launch another attack.

Eve was already drenched in sweat. If she hadn't instinctively activated her magic, she would have been defeated just now. The enemy in front of her was not to be underestimated. If she let her guard down again, she would be finished today.

"Phew, sorry, I won't hold back from now on."

Eve cleared her mind of all distractions, and her eyes calmed down.

This is the best state for casting spells; only with perfect composure can one control magical power. No spellcaster should allow emotions to cloud their judgment; this is the most basic skill. Once emotions are out of control, it means that the spellcaster has stepped onto the edge of failure.

The boy charged again, scattering powder as before. But this time, Eve didn't panic. Her magic flowed much faster than before, completing the spell almost instantly. An invisible shield immediately unfolded, enveloping her.

As she activated the protective spell, she also began chanting a new incantation, "Crushing Spell."

It was a wide-range shockwave, because it didn't require aiming; even if she couldn't see it, she could still hit the target.

Eve could have activated the spell immediately, but she hesitated for a moment as she cast it.

The magic is too powerful. If used directly, it might crush a person to pieces. Should I reduce the power a little?

Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of something rolling, and her body turned around uncontrollably.

Huh? A coin?

Wait, why did I turn my head?!

"Thump!!"

She didn't know what happened after that. When she woke up again, she found herself on a tree with her luggage in disarray. However, after checking, she found that nothing was missing.

Even the money was only half gone.

Looking back, Eve realized that she had probably let her guard down subconsciously because of the shield spell, and because the opponent hadn't been able to break through the defense the first time, she had overlooked the possibility that the defense might be broken.

There are actually many ways to break through shield spells, and brute force is one of them.

So-called magic is not as magical as legend suggests. So-called magic is nothing more than a simplified formula for the operation of magical power. What really works is the user's ability to control the magic and the magical power itself.

This is why many monsters can use spells even though they have never learned them.

Since it is made of magic, it naturally has ways to destroy it. For example, the shield spell uses magic to form a transparent shield around the user, just like a warrior raising his shield.

If you're strong enough, you can break a shield; if the angle of your attack is tricky enough, you can even get around the edge of the shield.

"Hey Eve, Leos just asked you if you want to take on the mission to investigate the suburban villa."

Eve's thoughts were interrupted by her teammates' voices. She looked up in surprise and then realized that the others were all looking at her.

"Huh? You guys can decide for yourselves."

"We just can't decide! It's a 2-2 tie, half in favor and half against. We're just waiting for your opinion. By the way, did you hear what we just said?"

Eve twitched her ears, widened her eyes, and then nodded.

"I heard you, I heard you, I agree to go. It's all the same, it's all about taking on missions, there's no difference."

"You didn't hear anything, did you?"