"Worry not! I've saved the Child!" The thundering of the giant almost made Jack's eardrums shatter.
The latter had brought him to a majestic and heavily guarded estate, pushing through the guards and ornate doors alike.
As for where they were, it was written every-fucking-where! It was as if the family living there wanted to tell the entire world who this place belonged to.
Henderson Estate! |
Property of the Henderson Estate! |
This Pond Belongs to the Henderson Estate! |
This made him feel like they were ecstatic parents who would identify every item their preschooler brought to school. But those guys here were obviously traders.
Jack could guess that much at their Trading Abacus emblem and the many caravans parked in their front yard. This place looked more like a business than a home.
In any case, the giant "kidnapper" hurriedly brought Jack toward the biggest building there was, crashing through as he happily once again exclaimed.
"Worry not! I've saved the Child!"
The room was filled with wealthy-looking merchants, their garbs as glamorous as their faces sullen. But as they heard the news, life came back to their eyes.
"You saved the Young Master?! You really did?!"
"My son! Where's my son!!" A mother hurriedly rushed forward. As she saw the bundle of cloth under the giant's arm, she seemed to turn superhuman as she accelerated.
Then she reached Jack…
"W-who the heck is this?!"
An awkward silence filled the room. If this wasn't the young master, then who was this baby?! Not only that, but Jack's clothes made it obvious he was A young master... just not the right one!
"Y-you, who did you steal that baby from?!"
But just as the hapless giant wanted to explain, a man by the side commented. "Ah?! He's carrying that picture book too?! What are the odds? Wasn't it discontinued?"
That's when Jack understood everything.
They had been searching for a baby carrying a picture book, and he had just happened to be one. Still, who was that man, and why did the foxes know him?
"Honey, we can't blame him this time. It's not like the time with Pochi when he brought back countless foxes in succession instead." He gestured toward a nearby dog.
Jack almost erupted in laughter as he pictured the scene of helpless foxes getting kidnapped one after the other, their abductor going, "Is this your missing dog" every time.
Suddenly, he was incredibly curious about the giant. He had somehow kidnapped the Flame Mansion's foxes… and lived to tell the tale? Didn't this mean that he was mighty?!
The latter had an expression of straight horror as he suddenly realized that he had kidnapped someone's kid… by mistake!
Seeing this, Jack actually rejoiced. How lucky! Anyone else would have simply brushed it off, but he instantly saw a golden opportunity! He'd exploit the man's guilt!
Now, how would he go about that? It was only a matter of time before the Flame Lord arrived and rained havoc on this place. What should he do if he wanted to affect the post-war negotiations?
But just as he was lost in thoughts, a cute gasp suddenly echoed, all eyes turning toward the source of it. "AH?!" It had come from a lavishly-dressed young lady, one he recognized.
'The world's a small place, eh?'
It was the girl from the alley, the one that had been the victim of "Improved Begging". She was at a loss for words, her face turning from peerless white to red and purple in between.
"Aisha, are you alright? What happened?" A relative asked, the girl seemingly at a loss how to reply. This was definitely that talking baby from back then!
"N-nothing…" She stammered, her eyes glued to Jack.
To her, he was an immoral and cold bully. How was she supposed to warn her family about this guy?! She didn't want them to dismiss her claims like that time either.
But to the others, it felt different. To them, it seemed like she was completely taken with the baby. One even proposed:
"Aisha, why don't you take care of him while we find his family and your stepbrother?"
Take care of him? This guy was a villain! But then she changed her mind. Their estate was protected by a magical system and was the perfect place to confront him!
"Sure, dad!" Never had a girl so enthusiastically replied. She even showed the prettiest expression as she came closer. "C'mon, let's go play!" she seemed like an angel.
Said angel brought him to her room. There was a worn-out yet splendid desk in the middle filled with paperwork and penguins plushies. A hardworking girl with a love of cute things, eh?
But as soon as the door closed, her entire aura changed. She went from cute young woman to detective as she peered at Jack as if trying to unveil his secrets.
"You, what are you doing here? Are you trying to scam my family?! Talk, or I'll tell them all about how you left me to die back then!" She cutely threatened.
Yet Jack remained utterly silent.
Inwardly, he chuckled to himself. 'Little girl, do you think your tricks will work on me? I know you're recording this conversation somehow. You're trying to expose me!'
He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but he could feel it. She had that glow he had seen on the prank videos of those Metubers trying to troll him in his previous life!
The second he said anything ridiculous, it would end up on the Internet forever! Hell no, he wasn't going to—
"KID, BE CAREFUL! She's trying to—" The Old Ghost reappeared, only for Jack to scoff. He already knew! It sure had taken him time to come back… had he been taking a nap?
But as the Ghost explained in his head, Jack began understanding. That giant from before had a special condition that simultaneously made his vision horrendous and amazing.
He had an aura vision.
It was amazing in a fight, revealing all attacks instantly… but it was questionable for daily uses. After all, things like faces were pretty much nonexistent to him.
"So that's why you hid? He would have seen through your Ghost Figure instantly. Anyway, can you do anything about whatever recording this girl's doing?" Jack whispered.
It barely took a minute for the Old Ghost to mess with the Henderson's security system. Since all he did was remove the "cameras" in one room, it wasn't too hard for him.
Just as the Aisha girl thought she had failed…
"Left you to die? You seem pretty lively for a dead girl. You should really tell me your secret!" Jack cheekily winked at her.
"Y-you! I GOT YOU! Now everyone will know your true colors! Henderson system, save the last few seconds in memories and show it to daddy!" She proudly declared, only to falter right afterward.
"Henderson System? Hello? N-no, it can't be?!" That's when she noticed the baby's grin. It wasn't that he had fallen for her trap… he had walked right into it after disarming it!
Not only that… but they were alone right now?! Fear clouded her vision as she took a few steps backward. Why did that baby seem so… intimidating?!
"Aisha, was it? Why don't you and I have a nice little chat?"
"GULP! W-what kind of chat?!"
Why did this baby seem scarier than the thugs from back then?! More importantly, why the hell had she accepted to "babysit" him?!