As the soldier reached for Carter, the white-haired girl suddenly stood up, slammed the porcelain tea cup in her hand and sliced the sharp edge over the soldier’s finger.

Everything happened so fast that the soldier didn’t even understand what was happening until blood was pushing out of his empty finger socket.

The soldier let out one painful scream before being kicked by the white-haired woman. He flew back and slammed on his friends, sending them all to the ground.

"You bitch!"

The soldiers got up and drew their swords.

Carter was still silent.

"She’s done for! She just messed with the town guards!"

"I can’t believe what would happen to that pretty face."

The soldiers pointed their blade at Carter, "You’re dead!"

"So this is the Enzan Kingdom." Carter spoke for the first time. His soft voice was like music to the ear.

A thick red aura wrapped around him. The pressure from his aura alone caused the soldiers to step back.

"Aw... Awaken?" A soldier gulped.

Carter bolted forward. He used open palms instead of fists.

The white-haired woman struck the soldier in the abdomen, causing him to crumble on the floor immediately.

The others circled around him and slashed at him at the same time. Carter spun and dragged his kick over to every soldier’s head, knocking them over.

The fight started suddenly and ended quickly. The Mortal soldiers writhed in pain on the floor.

"You! You will pay for this! We will tell Constable about you!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"You don’t need to. He is already here."

The man that wanted to help Carter from before spoke again. He wore civilian clothes and looked nothing special. But those veins popping in his forearms were a sign of dedicated training.

"Are you going to help them?" Carter said.

The Constable shook his head. "In the contrary, I will punish them. I can’t let them stain the name of our Lord Regent. Guards!"

The men sat with him stand up. They were his personal soldiers with much more experience than these town guards.

"Drag them away."

"What should we do with them?"

"Public execution."

The town guards paled.

"Constable, we..."

Constable’s soldiers marched at them. The guards could already see their deaths on the cold expression of the soldiers.

"It’s alright." Carter’s soft voice echoed. "I forgive them. Public execution is not needed."

The Constable raised an eyebrow. "You think it’s okay to let them go."

"No. I just said that you don’t need to kill them. Strip them of their titles and some punishment are fine. Death is too much."

Carter sat down on his table again. He looked like he didn’t even care if Constable would listen to him.

The Constable squinted his eyes. He grabbed the guard that harassed Carter first and pushed them to his knee.

"Thanks the lady for saving you."

"I am grateful for you, my lady!" The soldier slammed his head on the wooden floorboards repeatedly.

Carter nodded. Acknowledging his apology.

"You heard the lady. Strip them of their titles. Twenty whips for each. Then let them go." The Constable said to his soldiers.

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers dragged the town guards away. The Constable was still there. He approached Carter.

"Please excuse us for that ugly sight. Not all guards in Enzan are like that."

"I know." Carter nodded.

"May I sit with you?"

"Feel free, Constable."

The man sat down in the opposite side. He gestured for the waiter to bring some drink over.

"Please, everyone. Ignore us. You can continue." The Constable told the customers in the tavern.

He then turned to Carter, "My name is Nakasuji Sasuke. The Constable of this town and a few surrounding villages."

Carter nodded, "Shinko Mikoto."

’Carter had figured out a good name for this character for the last few days.’

"That... Is a very nice name." Sasuke scratched his head. He wasn’t a naive young man but for some reasons, he felt incredibly shy in front of this woman. Maybe because she was very beautiful.

Sasuke didn’t see her entire face but just from that smooth lower face and that lips of her, he was sire she was a one in a thousand flowers.

"May I ask, Lady Shinko, are you blind?"

"I am, Constable Nakasuji. Gods took my sight."

"Then how were you able to see? I saw you just finished those men off quickly."

"Gods gave me back something else. A hidden sight that is better than any sight."

Carter placed his smooth white hand on the table. He lifted it gently and a deck was now there.

"Fate has arranged us to meet. And I am obliged to give you an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Sasuke frowned.

"You may ask me of your future in exchange for money."

Sasuke frowned. The image he had for this mysterious girl went down a little bit.

"I don’t believe in Fate."

"But Fate believe in you."

Carter flicked his finger. One of the cards flipped to Sasuke on its own. The card burned and showed him an image he could never forget.

Fire everywhere. A castle burning down. And a child that managed to get away.

Sasuke widened his eyes immediately. "This is... How did you know?"

"I don’t know anything, Constable Nakasuji. The cards know. And the cards are guided by Fate. It has showed you your past."

Carter spread the deck over the table. "But do you want to know your present or future?"

"Is this some kind of scam? Why would you even use this ability for coins?"

"Everything has a price. And the most inconsequential price is the one that you can pay. Or would you like to offer me something else in exchange? Something more important? More intimate?"

Sasuke dropped his pouch of coins on the table.

"Money is fine." He said.

"You are troubled, Constable Nakasuji. By your past and by your present. Without looking at the cards, I can see within you the confusion. The clouds that blind your judgment. Tell me, Constable Nakasuji, what do you want to know?"

Sasuke’s hand trembled lightly as he reached for the card.

"I want to know the correct path Fate has arranged for me."