Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

-Step. Step. Step.

Just a moment ago, the faint footsteps behind me had ceased, leading me to believe my pursuers were reassessing their strategy. However, with a stronger presence now approaching—likely their leader—my senses sharpened.

I wasn’t one to shy away from a fight or passively accept any threats.

Having grown up admiring some of the best knights and mages, even while not being a formally trained warrior, facing the boss of a backstreet thug group was hardly intimidating.

So…

“Miss?”

There was a magic device on me that could stun and paralyse any humans around, except the user activating the device.

-Tak!

-Strrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!

I used the device, and a wave of current spread all around the surrounding area, hitting the individual behind me and doing exactly what it was supposed to.

-Thud.

“You should have chosen your target carefully,” I advised the fool, turning around with a triumphant smirk on my face, looking down at the man in mage’s robes.

“Dumb people.”

As I observed the man kneeling before me, his body rendered motionless by the magic spell of the device, I couldn’t help but admire his physical strength despite his subdued state.

He was certainly strong.

Despite wearing the outfit of a mage, the rugged features he had hinted at a life of hardship and struggle, yet the device had effortlessly subdued him, confirming its effectiveness.

Just the fact that he was still conscious and well was a compliment to his strengths, and this I found even more impressive.

“Miss…”

His unusually sweet voice interrupted my thoughts, but I quickly refocused my attention, acknowledging his presence with a nod before diverting my gaze elsewhere.

Scanning the area for the other pursuers, I noticed a cluster of individuals lying sprawled on the ground some distance away.

“What the…?” But unlike the fun I was expecting, my brow furrowed in confusion as I observed them.

They appeared to be ordinary people—well, perhaps ‘normal thugs’ would be a more accurate description. Yet, their beaten up states added an unexpected layer of complexity to the situation, leaving me to ponder the true nature of their involvement in this entire situation.

They had the common ugly kind of faces, old looking weapons that they must have used for a long time, and a certain magic device that blocked sound with the help of Mana, lay on the ground next to them.

It was a costly device that smugglers with cheap standards were nowadays using to capture individuals to sell them off as slaves.

And knowing these facts sparked a new idea in my mind.

“Miss… I think there’s a… a misunderstanding… here.”

I knew about these bastards but I didn’t think I would come across them in a place like this, certainly not in that banged up state…

Some of them were even bleeding out badly and needed immediate treatment.

“There sure seems to be a misunderstanding here, mister.”

(She looked down at the one who caught these bastards and ‘saved’ them from her— her savior that she electrocuted— with a sudden realisation struck expression.)

“Looks like I made a mistake…”

The magic device that I had used was supposed to paralyse any normal human for a little more than ten minutes, and it would be the same for even a big, muscular man.

As long as they weren’t a knight or a mage that had trained their bodies and mind to extreme or possessed strong Mana, this device would have had the same effects on them.

But the one that fell for my little tricks got back on his feet only after a few seconds.

(Still, the effects of being shocked had remained.)

“You sure did.” Getting back up and confirming his condition, he jerked his hands, moved his head around, and since it was necessary, he had no choice but to remove his hood as well.

“But it was funny.” His robes, now that I was looking at them closely, weren’t made of some low-quality material like those thugs.

This was a proper fabric that was made with threads of high quality mana. It was a proper clothing that only the proper mages who knew the importance of clothing in magic casting opted for.

They were of pretty high quality so I knew they were pretty costly as well and if he was wearing something like this… just like me, he also certainly did not belong in these back streets.

“Oh my…”

And there was one more interesting thing about this Man.

“Miss?”

“Hey handsome…”

Standing a little over six and a half feet from the holy ground that blessed the mother who gave birth to him, with his long black hair shining as a star filled night sky, with a face devoid of any impurities… with eyes as red as blood flowing through my very veins, he looked at me with a confused, perhaps worried expression.

“…are you alright, Miss?”

“Hmm? Yes, I’m fine. More than fine, actually.”

I had lowered my hood as well so he could see my long brown hair that indicated a common origin, and along with the hair and a rather simple outfit for a back alley like this one, he could also see the deep brown eyes I possessed.

“Thanks for asking though.” I thanked him with a little smile.

“Ah, yes. It was nothing.” And he shook his head and hands as he said that.

“Then, can I kiss you?” It was a cute reaction. I couldn’t help myself.

“Hmm? Pardon…?” I knew it was wrong to ask something like that out of the blue, but thankfully I wasn’t loud enough.

“I was asking if it still hurts or not.”

I could tell he was confused. His transparent expression pretty much said everything that was going on in that innocent head of his.

“Ahem, yes. I mean no. I’m… alright now.”

But he was a gentle man.

(The look she had in her eyes, the way she was looking at him, that unique kind of expression he had seen a number of times on women that had seen his face… it was familiar to him, but for some reason, the light reflecting from her eyes was… he couldn’t understand it, but for some reason, this was different.)