As Daelun retorted, the old woman chuckled. Between her thin lips, her even teeth gleamed. They were excessively healthy and dazzling, quite contrary to the frail and elderly appearance of the old woman.

Is it possible at that age? Daelun thought, but asking such a question seemed strange, so he just blinked his eyes.

“My legs hurt, so I need to go home now. I can’t carry these anyway. So, take them all.”

The old woman waved her hand as if annoyed and, trembling, quickly distanced herself from the two.

It felt like being possessed by a ghost.

“What could she be, that old woman?”

Daelun, looking at the now even smaller old woman, asked in a dazed voice. However, Stella remained silent.

Because she was busy gathering the seeds left behind by the old woman.
“Is it really that good?”

Daelun asked, looking at Stella, who couldn’t wipe off the happy smile since earlier.

“Yeah. Feels like I’ve become rich.”

A princess who is this happy with just a few seeds. Daelun thought it was strange but couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like strange things were contagious.

Just as the two were about to leave the street:

“Hey, carrot sellers, can you wait a moment?”

At the sound of someone calling from behind, they stopped and turned around. Three men in their early twenties or so were calling them.

Daelun instinctively stepped forward, thinking he needed to protect the princess.

“What is it?”

Being taller and bulkier than them, Daelun’s voice exuded confidence. He was confident he could fight and win against three of them.

“For the crooked legs, we don’t need anything from you. Come here, girl.”

The man standing in the middle among the three gestured towards Stella, his fingers snapping arrogantly. Daelun, angered, stepped forward.

“Daelun, wait a moment.”

However, Stella didn’t want Daelun to fight with them. If Daelun got hurt, she felt she wouldn’t be able to bear the guilt.

“Why are you telling people to come and go?”

Although she expected someone scared to come running, the woman surprisingly had a strong demeanor.
The man now smiled more charmingly than before and approached Stella’s location with a swagger. Seeing the guys on either side following him, it seemed like the skinny man in the middle was their leader.

The man had approached Stella right in front of where she was standing.

“I’m not a strange person.”

“That’s for me to judge.”

In response to Stella’s answer, the man’s lips curled slightly. Since they were within breathing distance, there was a faint smell of alcohol coming from the man.

Though he didn’t seem to have drunk much, Stella, who had many bad memories associated with alcohol, felt repulsed and involuntarily turned her head away.

“Shy is even prettier. I’m Ryo. The future owner of Pine Top.”

“If Ryo’s father is the owner of Pine Top.”

“He’s the richest on this street.”

As Ryo spoke, the beggar who followed him immediately chimed in. Ryo smiled proudly, crossed his arms over his chest, and shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like he was saying, “I’m this kind of person.”

“Congratulations. Then, I’ll be going.”

Suddenly extending a congratulatory greeting, Ryo turned to leave, but he forcefully grabbed Stella’s arm as he did.

As Stella’s body swayed off balance for a moment, Daelun quickly stepped forward, blocking Ryo’s arm and forcefully pulling it away.

“Aaah!”
Daelun’s grip was so strong that Ryo’s hand seemed to crumple under the pressure. Unintentionally, I let out a startled cry, and Ryo, who regretted it too late, glared at Daelun and swung a punch.

“You! Do you know who I am? I want to quit doing business here!”

“Daelun, let’s go. It’s not worth dealing with.”

The man barked orders, and Stella, pulling an excited Daelun along, hurried away. They didn’t want to get involved with these people who seemed more dangerous than intimidating.

I shouldn’t have followed them in the first place.

If things went wrong, it felt like it would be all my fault. The good mood I had finally found sank to an all-time low.

“Where are you going! You hurt my hand like this!”

Ryo, running from behind, shouted loudly and grabbed Stella’s hair.

“Ugh!”

“You thought this was pretty, and now you treat me like this?”

“How dare you!”

Daelun firmly grasped Ryo’s wrist and quickly turned him to the side. With a cracking sound, Ryo clutched his hand and slumped to the ground.

“Ryo!”

Two friends of Ryo who were behind rushed at Daelun simultaneously, but they were no match. Daelun struggled to free his arms from the two men holding them and gathered strength, clapping his hands together.

With a thud sound, both men collapsed to the ground.

Stella, who had no idea that Daelun had this level of skill, was shocked and couldn’t close her mouth.

At that moment, Ryo, who had been clutching Daelun’s wrist, pulled out a dagger from his embrace and lunged at Daelun.
“This punk!”

However, Ryo couldn’t take a step, and Stella tripped over the extended foot, falling down.