It was supposed to be just another normal day, and Vanda, one of the magical guards hired by the Shopping Mall, was boredly observing the movement in the stores.
Then, suddenly, she saw a blur approaching her. Naturally, she used mana to reinforce her body, but before she could even try to react, her enemy had already hit her stomach.
Her pupils dilated in shock as she noticed how powerful her enemy was. And Vanda honestly had no idea why someone so strong would be trying to rob a shopping mall.
Still, she was someone who knew how to survive and when to get into trouble or not. So she just pretended to have fainted, wanting to avoid continuing the confrontation.
And, as she expected, the blur left her behind and went to an electronics store.
But what could be so valuable in that place that someone would risk so much to steal? The answer was absolutely nothing.
The problem was that the criminal in question didn't believe she was putting herself in any danger. And she was just doing it for fun, considering herself untouchable because of her unique gift.
In this world, all women could use mana to reinforce their bodies. Additionally, with the aid of special wands or other technologies, they could convert mana into electricity and fire.
It was also possible to control water, as was the case for many toys for little girls. It was also used sometimes by the fire department.
However, only a select few mages possessed truly special abilities, known as 'gifts'.
Eliza, for instance, had a gift that perfectly matched her personality: the Gift of Chains. This magic allowed her to create mana chains and control them at will. Furthermore, these chains could drain mana and weaken enemies, making her highly valuable, particularly to the police force, which frequently called on her for emergencies.
By the way, knowing how valuable his own power would be if discovered, Nolan was determined to keep it secret. He simply wanted to live peacefully, uninvolved in political disputes.
And, our young criminal, on the other hand, possessed a gift seemingly perfect for her illicit activities: teleportation. Although still young and lacking perfect control over her power, she undoubtedly believed she could easily escape any trouble using this ability.
The criminal slid stealthily into the electronics store, then, in the blink of an eye, she materialized in front of the counter, where Rachel barely had time to react before being brutally pushed to the ground.
"Hand over all your money!" demanded the girl, her voice loaded with arrogance.
Rachel, still stunned from the fall, raised trembling hands. Her gaze swept the room, desperately searching for an exit or some way to protect herself.
And seeing the knife her opponent carried, she felt dread take over her body. She didn't even know how she should react, so she froze in terror.
But before she could even shed a tear, a sharp sound echoed through the place, as Nolan landed a strong kick on the little thief.
The small girl was thrown far away, crashing against a shelf of headphone boxes. The impact sent objects falling around the girl, who quickly got up, glaring at him with furious eyes.
"Who the hell are you?!" she snarled, dusting off her clothes. As she noticed her opponent was a man, the girl smirked arrogantly. But her face was hidden by a mask, so Nolan couldn't see it.
The criminal growled, and in an instant, she vanished and reappeared beside him, trying to kick him. Nolan, however, anticipated the move and dodged, grabbing her ankle and throwing her backward.
She spun in the air and repositioned herself, clenching her fists. However, when she moved to attack the man again, she noticed how weak her body felt. It was almost as if her magic wasn't working. Fearing what might happen, she decided to simply teleport away from that place, but her power wasn't working anymore.
"What's wrong, can't escape?" Nolan taunted, approaching the girl and forcefully removing her mask.
What Nolan found was a childish face and tear-filled eyes that soon overflowed. The criminal's aggressive and confident posture crumbled in seconds, replaced by choked sobs and the trembling breath of someone who no longer knew what to do.
The little criminal cried like a lost child. Or rather, she didn't just cry like a child; she was, in fact, a child.
Nolan had no interest in such young girls, and he didn't like being cruel to children. So, before punishing her, he turned to Rachel and asked:
"Are you hurt?"
"No," the girl replied with a slight smile. It was clear that the way she looked at Nolan had changed a bit.
Considering the little troublemaker hadn't actually harmed anyone, and had even helped him score points with that cute cashier, Nolan decided her punishment would be just ten spanks on the ass.
And so, he delivered firm, stinging slaps, ordering her to stop crying, because if she made a scene, things would get much worse.
The tiny brat endured it, though her eyes brimmed with tears. Then, under Nolan's command, she confessed the reason behind her actions.
That was when he discovered she was just a Little Spoiled Brat. She was a 14-year-old rich girl who'd been acting out just to look cool.
Of course, after being caught and humiliated so easily, the weight of her actions finally hit her. That's why she'd started wailing like a toddler.
Losing patience, Nolan spoke in a tone that brooked no argument: "Go to the police and confess what you did. And don't you dare mention me."
Terrified of the towering man, the brat scrambled to a mall guard and blubbered a confession, admitting she'd attacked Vand and planned to rob a store but "regretted it."
The guard found the story suspicious, but with Vand still sprawled on the floor, she had no choice but to believe it.
In the end, the brat's parents had to pay Vanda compensation, but the girl herself walked away unscathed. Except for one thing: the lesson Nolan taught her would be burned into her soul forever.
After wrapping things up, Nolan said goodbye to Rachel, who thanked him profusely, even remarking, impressed, "That was amazing how you handled her!"
But he brushed it off, insisting she keep quiet about it. "She was just a kid. I only won because I caught her off-guard."
Luckily, barely anyone had witnessed the fight, so the incident faded quickly.
With time to kill before his date with Eliza's younger sister, Linda, Nolan headed to the gym, where he spotted a peculiar blonde.