I didn't sleep properly because I was thinking about the battle that happened last night. I wake up so early that even the sun hasn't risen yet. My father is sleeping soundly beside me, so I get out of bed quietly so I won't wake him up.
When I exit my father's room, I immediately go to the next room where Chris is sleeping, so when she wakes up, she will see me. I opened the door and was prepared to lay on the bed. When I entered the room, I looked at where Chris was supposed to be sleeping, but she wasn't there.
"Maybe she's using the toilet," I mumbled and started to lay on my bed, then closed my eyes to go to sleep.
But suddenly, a bad feeling urged me to stand up and go check on Chris. I went to the toilet, and I knocked, but no one answered; when I opened the door, no one was there. After that, I immediately headed downstairs and saw the innkeeper, who still looked troubled about something. When she saw me, she looked away from me as if she were guilty of something.
"Miss innkeeper, did you happen to see the girl that I'm sharing the room with?" I asked.
"T-the girl your sharing the room with?" "N-no, I haven't seen her; is she not in your room?" She answered nervously.
From her actions, I can already tell that she's hiding something, but what I fear is that it has something to do with why I can't find Chris.
"Miss innkeeper, I'm sorry for saying it rudely, but can you just spit out what you're hiding?" "I can see through your lies because you're not a great actor, so just tell me, where is Chris?" I said.
"As I said, I haven't seen that girl, and what's with that way of talking?" "Is that how your parents raised you?" She replied.
I don't have the time to argue with this innkeeper. Chris might be in danger right now. When that thought came to me, I suddenly felt angry and cast a spell.
"Water ball!" I shouted, then a ball of water appeared and headed towards where the innkeeper is standing, but when it was about to hit her, I cancelled it.
The innkeeper fell backward, and surprise and fear are the emotions you can see in her face.
"Y-you, you can use magic?" She asked with a scared voice.
"The next attack wouldn't be cancelled and will surely hit you, so would you tell me where Chris is?" I threatened her.
"I'm sorry, I will tell you everything; just don't use magic on me," she said, looking so scared.
"Yesterday night, maybe an hour before you came back, the snakes came here and threatened me to tell them about the room that your father rents." "I want to refuse them, but they say they would kill me if I refused, and not only me but all of the other guests in the inn too, so I don't have a choice but to tell them where yours and your father's rooms are." "When they learn where the room is, they quickly head there, and when they come back, the girl that is with you is in one of their arms sleeping; maybe they used a sleeping drug so she won't wake up." "After that, they threatened me that if I told you or your father, they would come back here to kill me," she explained, after which she cried while she was sitting on the ground.
"Snakes, where did I hear it?" I mumbled, thinking about where I heard it, then suddenly the voice of the man in the casino came into my mind: "Hey, isn't that Carson, the leader of the snakes?"
It's Carson; he kidnapped Chris so he could take the money he lost in gambling. I thought that he was a respectable person, but it seems like I'm wrong. I'm disappointed at myself for even thinking that he was a good man.
While I'm thinking about that, I head to the room where Father is sleeping and wake him up.
"Father, there's a problem," I said while shaking his body.
"Will?" "What's the problem?" He asked after he opened his eyes.
"Father, Chris was kidnapped by Carson," I said.
"What?" Father said he was surprised at what he just heard.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"Yeah, I talked to the innkeeper, and she said that Chris was taken by the snakes yesterday night before we came home," I said.
"That bastard, I thought he was a good person, but it was all an act?" "How dare he kidnap Chris?" "I won't forgive him." "Let's go to the knights' quarter and report it," he said.
"Okay," I replied.
After that, we headed to the knights' quarter and reported the kidnapping, but it seemed as if they didn't care.
"We'll send knights to find your child, so don't worry," the knight in the reception said, then sent two knights outside.
Those two knights were just playing a card game before they got sent, so they leave with an annoyed look.
"Just like I said, it's Carson, the leader of the snakes, who did it," Father said.
"Do you have any proof?" "If you don't have any, then we can't just barge into his house and accuse him that he kidnapped your child."
Said the knight
"Then at least tell me where he lives," Father requested.
"No, I can't do that; we'll let you know when we find her, so just put the name of the inn where you're staying and you can take your leave after that," said the knight, looking so bored as if he doesn't really have intentions of finding Chris.
After we left the knights' quarter, my father said something to me.
"Tsk, these bastard knights aren't taking it seriously." "There's no other choice; let's find her ourselves," Father said.
After that, we asked the pedestrians that we passed, but some answered that they didn't know, some ignored us, and others said that we must not get involved in the snakes.
It seems that the snakes in this city are a well-known criminal organization, which explains why everyone we asked didn't want to get involved.
While my father and I were walking to the inn to ask the innkeeper if she knew where Carson lives, someone called out to me.
"Big brother!" Shouted by a child heading in my direction, it was Rena, the girl that Chris and I helped when she was lost.
When Rena finally got in front of me, her mother, shouting "Rena!" came up behind her.
"Rena, why did you suddenly run out of nowhere?" Rena's mother asked.
"Mama, I saw big brother," Rena answered while pointing at me.
Rena's mother suddenly realized that I was the one who helped her daughter.
"I'm sorry I didn't notice you; it's nice to see you again," Rena's mother said.
"Where is big sister?" Rena asked.
When Rena asked that, my mind suddenly went blank, and I didn't know how to answer her question.
"You must be Rena, right?" "Big brother, tell me about how they helped you." "Big sister stayed at the inn because she has something to do," said the father.
"Are you perchance the mother of Rena?" Father asked Rena's mother.
"Yes, I'm Rena's mother," she replied.
"There's something that I want to ask, do you know where mister Carson is living?" Father asked.
"Mister Carson?" "Yes,why?" She answered.
"I'm his old friend that moved to the capital, and I just want to say hello because it's been so long since we saw each other, but I don't know where his house is, and when I asked other people, they wouldn't answer me." Father lied normally, as if he were breathing.
"Ah, so that's it." "Mister Carson doesn't have a good image here in this city, so they don't want to get involved, but my husband is working for him," Rena's mother said.
"He's living at the center of the slums; when you enter the slums, you can see a huge house at the center, and that's it," she added.
"Oh, is that so?" "Thank you for your help." father thanked her for the information.
When we were about to leave and head towards Carson's house, Rena's mother said something.
"Ah, my husband's name is Conrad, so if you see him, tell him that we're waiting for him," she said.
"I understand; I will deliver it," Father said.
"Bye bye, big brother," Rena said.
"Bye bye, Rena," I replied.
After that, Father and I quickly headed towards the slums to go to Carson's house.