This Clueless Hero

My head slowly turned around to meet the pursuers.

My vision was blurry while my lungs were desperately taking in breaths.

"Haha... Hi there."

Three boys in relatively fancy outfits stared at me. They were not pleased.

"Hey, you can talk to Erin, right? Can't you arrange a meeting for me?"

Another boy stepped up.

"And for me too. I am a refined gentleman, she would regret missing out on that chance."

The last boy stood in front of the other boy.

"Don't listen to them! They are nothing compared to me. If Erin knew she missed the chance to meet me, she would be distraught! If you don't want to upset Erin, you must arrange a meeting for me."

I took a few seconds to catch my breath. My eyes scanned over them.

Despite running for a decent amount of time, they were only sweating a little. Their breathing was normal, unlike mine.

...That meant there was no way for me to outrun them. As such, my only choice was to try and talk my way out of this.

My hand scratched the side of my head as an awkward laugh escaped me.

"...To be honest, Erin doesn't like me that much."

My mind recalled all the times Erin stared at me angrily. 

A sigh seeped through my lips.

"So... I won't be able to arrange a meeting."

The boys furrowed their brows.

One of them scoffed.

"As if! You are just saying that because you want to keep her for yourself!"

Another nodded.

"Exactly! How could you be so inconsiderate? Someone like you wouldn't be able to gain her favor anyway!"

The last boy opened his mouth but closed it soon after. He furrowed his brows.

"Wait..."

The other two boys turned to him, listening to what he had to say.

"I think... he's telling the truth. While that group ran ahead, he was quite far behind. He pathetically chased them like a beggar that thought he could strike gold."

...Say what now?

Part of me was relieved when he said I was telling the truth, but after he said that...

Was this the legendary hypocrite?

...I should just go along with it.

A bitter smile spread out on my face.

"Haha, yeah. That's why I can't really do anything."

The boy nodded.

"So that means if we beat him up, we can earn Erin's favor!"

My eyelid twitched.

"Wait, what?"

The other two boys nodded.

"Haha, you're right! Quickly, hold him down so that he doesn't get away!"

...It seems I misjudged the situation.

Both my left and right arm were grabbed by the two boys. They forced me onto the ground, shoving my face into the pavement.

My body was weak to begin with, not to mention the fact I was exhausted. As such, there was little I could do about the situation.

Part of me considered teleporting away, but that would probably bring even more problems.

My mind recalled the vision where I was in a cave with the four-horned demon.

'It's like magic, but not really.'

From the four-horned demon's expression, it seemed like teleportation was not a very normal thing.

Suddenly, my vision went blurry as a strong pain came from my head.

The last boy stepped on my head.

"Haha, this is such an easy way to gain Erin's favor! All we have to do is beat up this defenseless kid!"

If I wanted to, my mind could gather mana and directly cast spells that would kill all three of them.

The boys who were holding me down by my arms kicked me as well. They did not hold back.

But I wasn't supposed to be a person that could cast magic.

The boy with the foot on my head pressed down hard, then dragged my face across the pavement.

My skin tore open. It was painful, especially for my eyelids that did all they could to defend my eyes.

It was a strange feeling. To be so helpless despite having the power to fight back.

One of the boys sighed.

"He doesn't look beaten up this way! We have to do more to get the message across."

Another boy hummed.

"But what should we do?"

One of the boys chuckled.

"We need to make him look bruised and bloodied! Get that rock over there!"

While two of the boys held me down, the other went over to pick up a rock.

...This is probably going to be painful. Not that it wasn't already.

The boy with the rock looked at it awkwardly.

"Um... where should I hit him?"

Another boy clicked his tongue.

"Do it on the arm! It will be very obvious if he can't move his arm!"

The boy with the rocked laughed.

"Ah, of course!"

There was a snap.

My eyes frantically moved around as my mind tried to endure the pain. The rock landed on my elbow, directly snapping my arm.

One of the boys seemed panicked.

"What are you doing! Oh god, why is his arm bending like that?"

The boy with the rock seemed to feel wronged.

"You were the one that said to hit the arm!"

The other boy clicked his tongue.

"Not break it! Are you crazy?"

One of the boys sighed.

"Let's just give him a few bruises on his face and call it a day."

The other two nodded.

"Alright, that sounds good."

They let go of my arms and flipped me over. When the wind brushed by my face, countless needles of pain pierced me.

The boys seemed afraid.

"What the hell?"

"What did you do? Why is his face like that?"

"Damn, all I did was step on him a little. How is this my fault?"

The boy clicked his tongue.

"We have to run away."

The three boys hurried off. My ears caught part of a sentence before they left.

"Say, how do we prove..."

I laid there silently for a few moments.

A sigh escaped me. With a groan, my body pulled itself off the ground.

A grimace immediately appeared on my face.

My snapped arm swung around lifelessly, bending in ways it shouldn't. Both my flesh and bones moved around uncontrollably, sending lightning bolts of pain to my mind.

...I have to cast the healing spell.

My eyes scanned my surroundings. There were a few people looking at me.

...I can't cast the spell while others are looking.

My body dragged itself towards the nearest alleyway. The entire time, my pupils were shaking while a ragged groan escaped me. The bones had pierced through my flesh, making it extra painful.

It felt like an eternity passed, but my body was out of sight, in the alleyway.

My body slowly gathered mana, only to suddenly stop.

The pain in my arm had flared up, nearly getting rid of my consciousness. My teeth grit before my mind continued to gather mana.

Only to stop once again.

I was panting heavily, it really just hurt too much. At this rate, it may be hours before the healing spell was cast.

A sigh escaped me.

An ambitious idea formed in my mind. Perhaps regret would come soon after...

Large gales of wind whipped around me while my skin tore apart.

An uncontrollable groan of pain escaped me, and my consciousness was becoming faint.

My eyes became bloodshot, while my wound bled faster.

However, my mind didn't stop drawing in mana.

My consciousness continued to flicker like a dying flame, however, it didn't disappear.

A roar of anger seeped past my teeth.

Did they really think beating me up would help them?

For what reason did they have to snap my arm?

Then rip off the skin of my face?

My thoughts were cut off short. The healing spell finished, mending my body with a gentle and caring touch.

The skin on my face grew back while my bones realigned.

My lungs forced in a deep breath. Then, I walked back to the palace.

...

Ned, Alyx, and Erin were outside the entrance, waiting for me.

Erin ran over to me with a small pout.

"Sorry! I didn't realize you were left behind!"

A smile spread out on my face before I knew it.

"Haha, that's my fault, not yours."

Ned scratched the back of his head.

"Are you ok?"

I spun around in a circle.

"I'm fine. See? No injuries."

Alyx let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that is good."

My hand scratched the back of my head.

"Why are you guys out here? There really is no reason to wait for me."

If I didn't force myself to cast the healing spell... it might've taken many hours to finish.

Would they have waited outside for hours?

Ned smiled awkwardly.

"Well, we did leave you behind. If you didn't make it back..."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"We would have to find you."

A tiny bit of warmth spread in my heart.

My hand waved dismissively. I wanted to change the topic out of embarrassment.

"So.... what should we do about Erin's new fame?"