Sara walked faster and faster to get away from Keith. At any other given time, she would be happy to take advantage of his curiosity and milk him dry. But not right now.

Right now, she needed to reach her destination as soon as possible. And preferably alone because taking someone with her could pose a great risk to her safety.

"Would you stop following me for a minute? I did not permit you to follow me. This is a crime."

Sara turned around, finally facing Keith with an annoyed expression. 

Keith looked as calm as ever which pissed off Sara even more. She wanted to tug her hair out in frustration as she watched Keith's lips tug up in a small smile. 

That bastard was enjoying watching Sara suffer and he was not going to back down either.

"Hmm, I do not know what you are talking about. I am not following you, but just going in the same direction you are. I do not think there is any law that prohibits this."

Sara gritted her teeth once more. She wanted to run around until she lost Keith but the time was not on her side. She was already late for her side of the deal.

"Ugh, forget it. If you want to come with me, then do so at your discretion. Do not let it be known that you are following me."

Sara finally accepted that she would not be able to get away from Keith. So, she decided to hurry up and reach her destination. She could not afford to be late.

On the other hand, Keith had no intention of putting himself in danger and he was not going to follow Sara to her destination. His job of making the younger uncomfortable was already done.

'Hmm, it is time to head out before I get caught up in something annoying once more. Knowing the kind of luck, I have; this is highly likely.'

Keith nodded to himself and decided to turn around. Sara's relief-filled eyes looked at Keith turned back with a satisfied expression.

Keith was almost out of the alley when a force tried to push him back. 

As soon as Keith had felt that force, he had put up a barrier to save himself. So, the force was rather harmless to him.

But the pressure was real and it left Keith gasping for breath.

"Where do you think you are going, pretty boy? You have already reached our lair, so you might as well be considered a part of the plan now."

A man walked out of the shadows and he blocked Keith's exit. The force pushing Keith back also increased in strength, almost causing Keith to be blown away.

[Lvl 70 resistance force. The user is asked not to engage in combat.]

Keith gritted his teeth as he forced himself to adapt to the pressure. It was uncomfortable but not harmful to his being.

"Hmm, and what if I do not want to be a part of your 'plan'? I want to go out of here soon so you better give me space."

Keith warned the man in return. His mouth worked faster than his brain, but Keith was sure he would be able to find a solution to his problem soon.

"Hah, as if you would be able to defy me. You see, this domain is my space, and anything I say here becomes law. If you want to live, then you better follow my words."

The man snapped his fingers and the alley took a reddish glow. Threads forced a barrier-like thing around the pair but Keith could not touch these threads.

"Nigel, let the kid go. He does not have anything to do with us or our final goal. He accidentally followed me here."

Sara requested this for Keith's sake and he was surprised to see her asking someone for a favor. After all, Sara did not like to owe someone and her attitude was far from polite.

But you see, Sara had a plan for Keith and she was going to use her favor to secure the mother's pearl in the future.

For that, Sara needed Keith alive and able to fight.

"Huh, sorry honey but I cannot do that. Lune would kill me if she finds out I let a man walk out after knowing our secret. And I have no intention of losing my life when I am so young."

Nigel shivered in mock fright as he faced Sara. his eyes said it all - he had no intention of letting Keith go.

"Nigel, look at his face. Do you think Lune would care how much he knows once she sees him? We would only be causing more trouble for ourselves."

Sara was pained to speak those words. But she still needed Nigel to let Keith go out of this alley.

"Hmm, you know what? Now that I look at this man, you might be right. He is far too pretty for Lune to use. She would just end up keeping him around as a toy. Kid, you are lucky that I am so generous. You can go now."

Nigel snapped his fingers and the threats around him fell in a single swoop. Keith had no idea what happened but the pair in front of him disappeared.

Sara's eyes said that 'you owe me for this' even during her last moments.

"Sara is so greedy. I never asked you to help me out, but you took the initiative to do so anyway. You cannot ask me for a return favor for this."

Keith spoke to the empty alley but the actual person he was speaking to was gone.

With no one left to follow, Keith decided to go back to what he was doing before- thinking of what to do next.

"Excuse me, bother. Will you help me out? I am lost and I am trying to find my family."

That was weird.

Keith felt a small tug at his pants and he looked down. A six-year-old girl was looking up at him with a desperate expression on her face. There was a doll in the child's hand.

But that was not weird.

What was weird was that the child had appeared in an alley like this one and Keith had not noticed until now.

Keith's senses had sharpened considerably ever since he had received divine power. So, he should have seen the kid coming from a mile away. 

This made Keith suspicious of this kid's real identity and his guard was up instantly.

"Kid, I do not think I am the right person for you to ask this favor. If you are lost, then go and find the police. I am sure your parents are looking for you as well."

The kid looked disappointed at Keith's words. But somehow, the disappointment in the kid's eyes looked unnatural. 

"But I want big brother to help me out. I am sure you will not regret helping me out. My guardian will give you a huge prize for helping me out."

The child continued to try and entice Keith.

Had he been a normal human, he might have fallen for this trap and given in to the temptation of winning a prize.

But Keith was not only loaded but also sensing the danger he was in. This girl in front of him did not feel like an ordinary six-years-old.

"Sorry kid, but I cannot help. Now, I would like to go out alone and…"

"Tsk, I was so sure I had you with this appearance. Did someone warn you about me, dear older brother? Please cooperate before you get hurt. I do not want your face to go to waste."

The child changed her tone suddenly. Her childishness was gone as well and her eyes sparkled with annoyance.

Keith knew that this child was not normal. But the sudden shift in personality took him back as well.

"You! What are you? You are not a child."

The six years old looked at Keith with a blank expression. 

"Did I damage your head? I swear you were a lot more intelligent just a second before. Of course, I am not a child. But that does not matter now."

The child dropped her doll on the ground. The doll twitched before it began to grow until it was as big as a horse. Then the doll charged toward Keith and he opened the screen.

[Mud puppet. Lvl?? Class?? Owner: Lune. Special properties: cannot be destroyed by magic]

'Cannot be destroyed by magic? Then all the tools I have on me are useless. How do I deal with this thing?'

Keith could have used divine magic but wanted to save it until he needed to use his powers. Who knew what disaster could strike next since his life was unpredictable.

"This is getting boring. Let me up the staked of this fight a little." 

The little girl raised her hand and another doll appeared. Now things were getting annoying.