"Hey, baldy!"

The bandit leader swiftly turned his attention to me, his brows furrowing as he observed my grin. Alicia, too, seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst.

"Athan, what are—" Alicia began to speak, but I raised my hand, silencing her.

"Don't worry," I reassured her, glancing in her direction. "I promise I'll get you back home safely."

Alicia opened her mouth to respond, but no words emerged. Eventually, she nodded in agreement.

"Huhu, do you want me to teach you a lesson, brat?" The bandit leader's expression grew more serious.

Before I could reply, one of the bandit behind him chimed in, "Boss, maybe we should educate this kid on the importance of good manners."

...Is this guy serious?

Hearing his comment, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Good manners? How can you teach me that when you lot can't even grasp the concept yourselves? Besides, isn't it a bit ironic coming from the mouth of a bandit?"

As I opened my eyes slightly, I noticed the bandit gritting his teeth out of frustration. Before their leader could even speak, the bandit marched toward our cage after I taunted him for the one last time.

"I'll show you!"

He confidently approached us to open the cage, not realizing the impending danger. I seized the opportunity, dashing forward as I slightly raised my foot, preparing for a strategic move.

Without waiting for his reaction, I quickly bent over and aimed my foot at the universal weak spot: 'the family jewels.'

-Plap!

Upon landing the precise kick, the bandit crumpled to the ground in agony. Alicia, along with everyone who witnessed the spectacle, couldn't help but look at the poor guy with sympathy. Except, of course, their leader.

"Hahaha!"

The bandit leader continued to laugh at the unfortunate man, but after about a minute, he abruptly stopped as his gaze turned toward me, his amusement replaced by anger and curiosity.

"Just because you've bested one of my men, do you believe you can escape?" He taunted.

"I don't really need to, but I'll do it... My only mission is to ensure my fiancée's escape," I replied nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders.

He chuckled again and sauntered in our direction. "How about this? I promise to let that girl go, but only if you join me... It's quite a tempting offer, don't you think?"

I couldn't help but wonder if this world had a bizarre norm for adults to make such propositions to children.

Suppressing my irritation, I let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline your proposition for now... Let's cut to the chase. Aren't you guys supposed to try and beat me up?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the other bandits prepared and raised their weapons toward me. This situation had grown increasingly troublesome.

I glanced at Alicia, who had also managed to exit the cage, and whispered to her, "I'll distract them so you can run as far away as possible."

"But what about-" Alicia began.

Before she could finish her sentence, one of the bandits charged at us with a fierce battle cry, sword raised high.

"Haa!"

The bandit slowly swung his sword down from above, targeting me.

Swiftly, I evaded his attack by sidestepping to the left and pulling Alicia with me.

...That was a close call.

If I hadn't reacted quickly, Alicia would've been struck.

After I recovered my stance, the bandit resumed his attack, slashing his sword diagonally towards me. Thanks to my small body's agility, I managed to easily evade his strikes. However, I was aware that dodging would become increasingly challenging if the bandit's speed increased, especially since I was still adapting to this petite body. Even a minor injury could complicate things significantly.

With that in mind, I patiently waited for the right moment to strike.

"Haa!"

As he swung his sword downward once more, I dodged to the side, capitalizing on his momentum to close the distance between us.

After his sword struck the ground, the bandit struggled to lift it, but the blade was stuck, hindering his movements.

Seeing this opportunity, a sly grin spread across my face as I swiftly dashed toward the bewildered bandit.

Similar to my previous move, I targeted his groin, but this time, I used a headbutt instead of a kick. The sensation of contact with his sensitive area was quite unpleasant, but I had no better option; my punches were too weak to make a difference.

The bandit leader, looking far too pleased with himself, whistled and gestured for his men to attack me all at once. The other bandits nodded in agreement and began rushing toward me, brandishing their weapons menacingly.

As they swung their weapons in my direction, I relied on my agility to dodge their attacks, moving quickly to the sides and tilting my body to avoid their strikes. It was becoming increasingly difficult to evade their coordinated efforts, and I could feel myself getting worn down. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

Glancing at Alicia, I saw her face twisted with distress as she watched me dodge their relentless attacks. Time was running out, and I desperately hoped that her awakening would come soon.

...It won't be long.

*****

Alicia, filled with worry and confusion, stared at Athan with tears in her eyes as he continued to fend off the bandits, risking himself to protect her.

"Why...? Why aren't you escaping? Why are you desperately trying to save me instead of yourself...?" she questioned, her voice trembling with emotion.

In that moment, her father's words echoed in her mind, the final words he had spoken to her before his tragic death.

"Alicia, never plant hatred and revenge within your heart, It'll only come back once again to destroy you."

Her father had touched her cheek gently, wiping away her tears as he imparted his wisdom.

"Why...?"

Her father had known that one of his former companions would betray him for the sake of someone's life, yet he harbored no anger or hatred towards that individual. 

"It's just the way of life."

"...!!"

As she looked at Athan, risking his safety for her, Alicia couldn't help but reflect on her father's teachings. She felt a sense of guilt for having harbored hatred and revenge in her heart for so long.

Even though her father knew that it would would be the last time he'll see her daughter, he had smiled faintly and passed away peacefully in her arms.

Out of the sudden, Alicia noticed that she was wide open. For a moment, she had no choice but to believe.

Believe that he'll...

***

(Athan POV)

-Slash!

I deftly sidestepped, my small form making it easier to evade the bandit's slashing attack. As he lunged towards me, aiming for my chest, arm, and neck, I twisted my body mid-air and threw a roundhouse kick in response.

The bandit raised his arm to block, but despite taking a direct hit, he showed no signs of pain or discomfort. Frustration coursed through me as I realized the limitations of my childlike body.

"How annoying..."

Gritting my teeth, I quickly retreated, pulling my foot back from his arm. Despite my past experience fighting gangs in my previous life, this new, smaller body made it challenging to execute my usual fighting moves.

While I dodged and weaved, avoiding the sword attacks from the bandits, I noticed some of them closing in on Alicia.

"Alicia!"

I called out, but it was clear that I might not reach her in time. The bandits were closing in, and our situation was growing dire. I forced my body to move faster, enduring scratches from arrows flying in my direction.

"Just run!"

I urged Alicia, praying that I could reach her in time to help.

.....

Belief...

It was a power that religions often sent to their gods. Regardless of the specifics, belief could lead to miracles.

This was the first time I had tapped into that power, and it manifested as small black particles appearing beneath my feet. 

...One thing leads to another.

Before I knew it, I had leaped to Alicia's side.

"Eh?!"

I glanced back and saw a medium-sized crater on the ground where I had been standing moments ago.

 ...what the heck!

The bandit leader also wore a surprised expression, clearly taken aback by my sudden appearance.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I focused on Alicia. Without waiting for her reaction, I pulled her close and hoisted her onto my shoulder, my body feeling strangely light.

Alicia's eyes widened in surprise as I easily picked her up, and we fled from the bandits.

I don't know why, but my body is feeling lighter than usual.

...

..

.

"Damn..."

After running for some time, I noticed that we were both surrounded.

Turning my head to the side, I gently placed Alicia on the ground.

Looking at me with worried eyes, Alicia grabbed my arms tightly, and she wouldn't let go when I tried to move. This was troublesome.

"Hey, kid! If you don't decide now, I might end up selling both you and the little girl," the bandit leader said with a hint of interest on his face.

I turned my head and replied, "Sorry, but I've already said no."

"...You really are stubborn, aren't you?" The bandit sighed, casting a pitiful look at both of us before turning to leave.

"I hope we meet again, boy..."

I immediately retorted, "No worries, I'm sure we'll meet again. Say hi to Arthur for me, will you?"

"You—" The bandit leader started to say but was interrupted when the other bandits began running toward us.

The bandits were only five meters away from us when they suddenly stopped, sensing a drop in temperature in their surroundings.

Looking around, I finally realized why.

Alicia, who was gripping my arms tightly, started to glow and emit a soft blue light.

"Finally... it's time," I muttered, turning my head to face their leader.

"I guess we'll meet again in a couple of years."

The bandit leader looked at both of us in confusion when he noticed that the temperature around us had dropped significantly.

"This is an awakening..."

Ignoring his comment, I returned my attention to Alicia.

The light she emitted transformed into an aura and quickly became a blue mist that covered everyone's lower half.

This continued for about a minute until Alicia finally opened her eyes. The cold mist abruptly solidified into ice, freezing the lower halves of everyone except for Alicia and me.

[Glacial Epoch]