We were leaving the plaza, trying to blend into the crowd, when something moved at the edge of my sight.

  A hand.

  Not my grandfather’s.

  And it was reaching for his belt.

  Not the coin purse.

  The bell.

  The small iron bell he always carries.

  It doesn’t ring. Looks like a useless trinket.

  But he never takes it off. Not once.

  I never asked why.

  But I’ve always known it means more to him than most things.

  Maybe more than me.

  「Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!」

  I grabbed the thief’s wrist on instinct.

  He slipped free immediately and bolted.

  I went after him.

  「Ren! Leave it! Don’t get involved!」

  Too late.

  My body had already decided.

  I wasn’t doing it for justice.

  Not for the kingdom.

  Not for anyone else.

  It was for him.

  For the bell.

  I don’t know if it has real value.

  But to him, it does.

  And that was enough.

  The thief turned down a side street—

  a narrow, dirty alleyway with no clean exit.

  I followed.

  And the moment I stepped inside, I felt it.

  The air tightened.

  A charge.

  Magic.

  A glowing circle snapped into existence in the air.

  「…Ah, crap—」

  Something invisible slammed into my chest.

  Like a bull ramming straight through me.

  I hit the ground hard. The breath left me in one burst.

  「What… the hell…?」

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  When I lifted my head, two men were standing there.

  The thief.

  And another one—taller, confident, smiling like he ran the place.

  「Well, look who stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong.」

  「I don’t like sticking my nose anywhere.

  But you touched the one thing you shouldn’t have touched.」

  The thief stepped forward to kick me while I was still down.

  My body reacted before my mind did.

  I grabbed his leg, twisted hard, and threw him to the ground.

  「Damn you…!」

  The bell rolled across the stones.

  I lunged for it and grabbed it.

  Which left me open.

  The tall one punched me across the face.

  My vision shook sideways.

  Blood hit my tongue.

  My head rang from the impact.

  But I was still conscious.

  The tall one started forming another spell.

  I felt it in the air—the vibration, the pressure.

  The thief grabbed me from behind, trying to pin my arms.

  「Now, boss! Do it!」

  The spell completed—

  …and collapsed.

  The magic circle crumpled in on itself, the lines dimming as if someone had wiped them off the air.

  Sparks flickered out and vanished.

  「Wh— What?! My magic— It won’t—!」

  He wasn’t acting.

  His voice shook for real.

  I reacted.

  Drove my elbow backward, hitting the thief hard enough to break free, and ran.

  Didn’t look back.

  「What did you do to the boss?!」

  Nothing.

  I did nothing.

  And that was the weirdest part.

  My legs burned.

  My eyebrow was split.

  My chest felt like it had been stomped.

  But I kept running.

  I reached a street with people again.

  Dropped my head.

  No one looked at me.

  No one said a word.

  The bell was still in my hand, clenched tight.

  —What was that?

  The spell had formed.

  It lit up.

  And then… just died.

  Like a candle with no air.

  That wasn’t normal.

  And they weren’t afraid of me.

  They were afraid of what happened.

  Same as I was.

  Not knowing. Not understanding.

  Watching something happen right in front of you and having no name for it.

  I exhaled.

  Felt the dried blood on my face.

  It didn’t hurt as much as it should have.

  But I wasn’t fine.

  Maybe he just botched the spell.

  Maybe it was bad luck.

  Or… good luck for me.

  I shrugged without meaning to.

  I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

  I just wanted to go home.

  Back to the farm.

  The only place where nothing ever changes.