The Slums

"Pfft…." I snorted… I was trying so hard not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. Did this little girl think she was hiding her feelings?

"Bella, what is so funny!?" Mimi's face turned bright red. She was about to storm out of the room, but I stopped her.

"Calm down, Mimi. I just found it funny because you were not hiding it." I said as I pulled her back. But the look on her face at this time was priceless. I guess she thought she was trying her best to keep it a secret.

"You…. You knew!?" Mimi cried out in surprise.

I could only roll my eyes. "The whole family knows. The only one who hasn't noticed is my stupid dense brother, Ray!"

Mimi's face grew a shade of red I had never seen before on a person as she stared at me in shock. "So…. They knew, but no one said anything…."

"Mimi, I will not help push you two together. You should let things happen naturally. As you two grow older and grow up together, you will just need to attract his attention. But do not push too hard, or you might scare him off. Just act like you always have, and I am sure that one day if you still like him in the future, the two of you will become a happy couple." I was not trying to not help them get together. I planned to stick a few words into my brother's ears as well, but I did not want them rushing either. Their current growth was not bad. With a few sneaky pushes here and there, I am sure they will eventually get together. And if something happens down the road, that would mean they were not meant for each other. I may not be someone who should be giving love advice, but even I know that slow and steady is the best way to nurture a real relationship. At least a think anyway.

It could be different for other people, but I wanted Mimi to stay the good girl she is and not worry about too much as time goes by. I mean, Ray only seems to have eyes for Mimi, so I do not think she needs to worry about it any time soon. I should talk to Mother about it and maybe get her to help out as well. She seems to like Mimi a lot. I am sure she would love to have the girl be her daughter in law.

"Mmm…" Mimi lowered her head. She seemed a bit sad, but there was nothing I could do about it. Forced relationships might not work too well.

"Come on, sleep here tonight and tell me all about it." I didn't even wait for her to answer as I pulled her onto the bed. She quickly gave up once we began talking about her love.

The next morning I woke up and got dressed in a set of leather armor that my mother had prepared for me. We were heading out this morning to get a weapon. I did not plan to go for anything like a sword or whatnot. I had another weapon in mind this time around, well, two. A bow. I was always better at marksmanship than at melee, but I still wanted a dagger at my side.

While I would prefer a sniper rifle, I can only substitute it with a bow for the time being. I may one day figure out how to create a sniper rifle that runs on magic in this world, but that is far into the future.

Now dressed and ready to go, my mother and I left the house to head out to the blacksmith. Our carriage rolled down the streets with scaled horses pulling us along. The people outside the carriage window paid us no mind as they went about their business.

"The place I am taking you is on the east side of the city inside the slums. It might seem weird to go to such a place for a weapon, but you said you wanted a dagger and a bow. This person was a bit strange and hates nobles, so we will need to be careful not to offend him. But he is the best craftsman out there. Even if you wanted a sword, I would still bring you this man and force him to make it." My mother explained as the carriage slowly made its way to a dark alley. We stopped at the entrance, where my mother opened the door. "I am glad you talked Mimi out of coming here. She probably would have been very scared."

My mother was right. This area was by no means pretty. It was dark, damp, and smelly. The alley was in between two run down buildings that led deeper into the main slums area. We had to leave our carriage here and walk the rest of the way. We would be risking the driver getting hurt if we had asked him to take us to our destination. But if he parked here, he would be safe because there was a knights station right across the street, which my mother had already notified them that we would be coming. This was to ensure the driver's safety while he waited.

"Madam Rinehart!" A knight came running over to us and bowed. "I will be here to stand guard, so please feel assured that you can do your business and nothing will happen here."

"Thank you. If things are fine when I get back, I will talk to my husband about moving your post." So my mother was bribing the knights. Not very knightly of them.

"Thank you very much!" The young knight seemed very happy about this. But I can only shake my head at how gullible this knight is. My mother is no saint. She wouldn't actually do what she said. She only said she would talk to her husband about moving his post. She never said to where or if it would even happen. Hell, she didn't even say if she would talk to him about it when he was awake or paying attention.

"Let's go, Mother." I said as I pulled on her sleeve. She turned and nodded as she looked up at the sky.

"We should just make it before he starts drinking, otherwise, we might have to knock some sense into him." I was unsure what to say to my mother's words. I am not sure how well she knew this man, but if I were to take everything I have seen and heard so far, she must know him pretty well.

As soon as we entered the alleyway, I had already felt many sets of eyes on me. There was no malice but more of watching to see who we were. I have always been sensitive to those around me. And these people were not trying to hide the fact they were staring at us, which meant they were nothing to be concerned about. There was only one set of eyes that I felt that made me nudge my mother. "Don't worry, I noticed it too. This is normal. They will probably send about four to five goons towards us after we turn the corner to make our way deeper into the slums. You will be the one to take care of them. This will be good practice for the outside."

My mother was speaking in a low whisper so that only I could hear her. I nodded and tapped her side two times to show her I understood. I then began looking around like a frightened child. I mean, I should act the part, right? I even thought I heard a soft chuckle escape my mother's lips. But one thing I noticed was that my mother went from saying I shouldn't have to dirty my hands to wanting me to fight people alone. It seems she is taking my situation more seriously and changing plans. Not that I was complaining.

I was fine with this. Killing was nothing to me, so taking out a few scumbags was no sweat off my back. I could easily take them out without needing to transform or use a weapon. Swift kill…. Snap the neck and then move to the next. With lesser teleport, I could easily move between my targets like it was nothing, and this was exactly what I planned to do.

Just as my mother said, as soon as we turned the corner and walked a few steps, we were quickly surrounded. My mother tapped my shoulder, and I disappeared from where I stood. Not even a second later, a thud was heard as the first man dropped to the ground. My eyes grew excited as I teleported to the next man. I mean, this was so much better than trying to sneak behind someone! It was only when the second man dropped dead on the ground did the other three suddenly become scared.

"A monster! That is no kid but a human shaped monster! Ru….." One man yelled out but did not even get to finish his words before I snapped his neck. The other two took off running, though, even without the warning. They seemed to value their life, but I was not going to let them go.

The whole ordeal ended in less than a minute. Five men lay dead in the alley. My mother sent out a fireball at each body, burning them up instantly so they would not rot and infect the people living here with diseases. "Your abilities still surprise me…." My mother said with a sigh.

"Well, I did do it for a living in my past life from an early age."