Vengeance of the Returner

Knock! Knock!

Nix knocked on the small hut-like house build with a lousy roof.

"Mom..."

He heard a voice of a kid but, barely audible.

None came for while even after hearing his knock. 

Something felt off to him, as the smell of oil reeked from the house and when he looked down on the floor a viscous liquid was flowing out of the door through the gap under it.

He touched the liquid and took it towards his nose since it smelt similar to kerosene.

"Fuck!"

He cursed and kicked open the door. He was perplexed as he laid his eyes on the ones inside the run-down house.

They were some random strangers rather than Malini, looking at him with tear-welled eyes. Two kids, on woman full drowsed by some flammable oil holding a match stick and a matchbox. Most people could be moved and feel pity towards such sight.

She ignited the match stick and looked at Nix's eyes with her tear-clogged eyes.

"Miss... Can you please stop!"

He said and immediately activated his doom prediction vision and it showed the family getting burned.

He unleashed the chains that were around his hand immediately shackled her arm that held the burning match stick.

"Why are you doing this?"

He said after snapping the stick to a far distance.

"Please I don't have any money..."

The woman began weeping and broke down on the floor.

He was agitated at the same time perplexed he didn't understand what was happening.

The kids were literally wearing blank faces. Judging from their attires they seemed to be really poor. 

As he stood with a baffled expression the woman slowly crawled towards Nix's foot like a worm and grabbed his foot.

"Please... I cannot do this anymore! I don't have anything to pay."

The woman wept and her two little girls began to cry well. They were seemingly around the age of 16 and 17. 

"Miss...Can you please stand up? I am not a money collector."

He uttered with a face that showed no expression. He was shaken, he didn't understand why this world was rotten to such a core. He was not in contact with the rotten lifestyle for a while and he literally turned a blind eye to how cruel things were.

Women getting forced into shady jobs... And some very unsettling and indescribable jobs. And this woman seemed to be one of those who got prey to such cruelty.

He opened his inventory and pulled out a pouch of gold coins, that contained about fifty coins, and crouched before her to meet her eye level.

"Miss...How much do you owe?"

"Fifty gold coins..."

The woman said hesitantly and grabbed her daughters who crawled towards her. When Nix peered at them she covered them with a frightened expression on her face.

Guess Nix's assumption was on point. Way back in the past when Malini explained the value of gold coins he was quite surprised but, he knew for a fact that the people of the slum couldn't even get their hands on such a sum.

"Miss... Once again. I am saying this. I am not a cash collector or any shady scum bag. I came here in search of a woman named Malini."

"Malini?"

She said with a shocked expression.

"Yes... Do you know anything about her or where she is?"

It seems she was someone close to Malini. The moment he mentioned her name and said that he is searching for her she grew more anxious.

'The last time I saw her title and Singularity she was a mystery... What's her secret?'

He thought and looked at the woman.

Just as he was speaking two men in armor arrived into the house. Seemingly the men of the palace as their armor contained trident symbol.

"You whore! Seducing an Outsider? Is your pussy itching for a young man that much?"

One of the men said with a smirk.

Nix did not want to get dragged into this mess he just planned on giving her some money and leave peacefully after gaining some information about Malini but, the situation had now taken a turn.

"Move out you filthy Outsider!"

One of the soldiers pushed Nix to the ground and grabbed the woman by her hair.

As Nix clutched his hand the other soldier, stomped his hand and said.

"What trying to be a hero now?"

Nix tried to endure the anger yet, he saw the other soldier grabbing the woman's daughter by her hair.

"You bitch! You haven't paid your debt due for a while. Guess we will take both you and your daughter to the Brothel slavery"

He said licking his lips like a predator.

Nix gritted his teeth and stood up from the ground and turned towards the men.

"Haha what will you do to kill me?"

The man laughed and as Nix gave a death stare.

"Don't you know killing soldiers will get you branded?"

"What if I am already branded?"

Nix asked slowly walking towards them. Upon using his truth eye he noticed that they were equal to a level three Outsider.

"Haha, are you implying that you are an outlaw?"

"Yes, I am an outlaw."

Nix said coldly using his mana emission that strongly gave an impression of a beast and made them get devoured by fright and agitation.

Their legs trembled as they looked at the slight red glint in his eyes.

"You bastard! We are the private force of the economical minister!" The soldier scowled gritting his teeth.

"That explains," Nix uttered as the other one tried to sewer Nix's head with his sword.

Nix didn't do anything, he just kitted his moves with his hands at the back and momentarily kicked him as a counter.

"You dare try to assault a Patrol soldier!" 

He did not utter a word and severed their limbs in a blink of an eye. 

"Ahhh! AHHH!"

The men screamed as blood sprayed throughout the room mixing with the flammable oil.

"I am sorry that you people had to see that."

Nix said turning to the girls wearing no expression on his face. He knew damn well that they might be frightened of him more than the soldiers.

"AHh! Ahh!"

The men continued screaming.

He pulled out a healing potion from his inventory that he had brought and sprinkled on them.

Healing potions rejuvenate energy and heal the wounds in an effective manner but that does take time but, growing the limbs was impossible plus the immense pain accompanied by the healing potion when they are sprayed or poured on wounds can be inexplicable.

Their screams gathered audiences in the slum.

In slums, something like a huge commotion was a day-to-day event, the hottest and the newest thing was a man cutting off the cash collectors' limbs in the broad daylight. It was something unheard of. All though people protest they don't blatantly fight or try to kill the soldiers.

"What's the commotion there?"

Cinzia asked looking straight through the window.

"Probably some street rumble. These people don't learn."

Rebecca shrugged.

What she meant were the local street fights that occur often between some drunk men which were something she used to see when she was patrolling through the city.  But, this time it certainly was different.

When she was the knight, she was the captain but she also had her eyes on internal affairs. People weren't this poorly treated nor she did not let the officials of the Royal council do it? But, things should have been changed. Moreover, she didn't have power even during her days as a knight captain so, this was something happening a long time ago. 

Debt collectors, slave poachers, human trafficking, everything was happening though they have turned a blind eye to the royal council since they gain commissions for the stuff that happens in the dark.

What do the gods do? If such a question about the gods arises. There are few answers. The poor folk prays deliberately to the gods when they suffer which in turn, when they are forced into such situations.

In return, they gain divinity, Devotion, power. Though they intervene using their pawns they only have small power over controlling every small thing. They cannot place their eyes on every single thing. Though when they hear the deliberate calls they try to answer. But for the gods to notice such calls. It should be a big occurrence to grab their attention.

"Sir Thank you! Thank you very much!"

The woman began weeping again.

He placed the gold pouch in front of her and said.

"Use this to clear your debt."

"I cannot accept this... Why are you helping us? And no one would want to help others without anything in return." The woman replied looking straight into his eyes. 

"In return?..."

He uttered and gazed at the three of them for a few seconds which sent a shiver down their spines. Then, he turned towards the soldiers who were still screaming and the people that were still spectating the scene.

He just used his dagger as a sign looking at the slum people to leave and they all left immediately.

"Hmm... What can you give me in return?"

He asked looking at the woman who was covering her daughters.

"I can share my..." She said and slightly showed some signs by lowering her gown that covered her upper body.

"Miss, I don't have intentions in slavery and such things. How about you and your daughters have some dinner with me and my colleagues and I'll speak with the economy minister about your debt Or loan later?"

Nix said looking at her daughters with a smile.

The three of them were surprised and hesitant to reply.

"No... I can't you've already done us some good deeds."

The woman replied.

"You know what? Do whatever you want."

Nix shrugged and tied the men with his chain and when he was about to step out of the house dragging them a timid voice struck him.

"Sir, Please I want to come..."

One of the girls said grabbing Nix's jacket.

He turned and smiled at her.

"Fine, tag along."

He said after glancing at the other two.

Slowly the other girl also approached him and then the mother. 

"Why did you help us?"

She uttered leaving the lane.

In the distance was his girlfriends peering at the four of them that were approaching the restaurant.

As soon as he entered they quietly gazed at the girls and their mom. At the moment Rebecca's eyes met with the woman they both were quite shocked.