No matter how terrified the duke's son was, his state of mind could not have been worse than that of his friend Theodore, who started crying loudly after somewhat recovering from the shock caused by Kara's show of force and began to realize the disastrous consequences of their plan's failure. As long as the young women in front of him weren't saints, the kind who starve themselves to feed as many orphans as possible, it was certain they would have no mercy for those who intended to kidnap and turn them into their slaves.
"Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!... Daddy!!!", echoed through every corner of the store, annoying not only Kara and Ophelia, who had no sympathy for someone involved in kidnapping girls, but also the duke's son and the four guards, who couldn't focus on finding a way to convince Kara to spare them. Besides, it was ridiculous for a well-built young man like Theodore to behave like a 5-year-old child.
However, the duke's son, who wouldn't have minded if Kara had silenced Theodore by any means, even an extreme one like smashing his head into the ceiling to knock him unconscious, suddenly remembered Theodore's secret identity after hearing him cry for his father to come and save him multiple times. Theodore wasn't just the son of a woman from a noble family in the capital but also the son of a high priest holding an important position in the leadership of the Church of the Sun God.
"My friend, Theodore... is the son of one of the seven high priests who make up the council of the Church of the Sun God...", the duke's son said, coming up with a new idea to convince Kara to release them.
Maybe threats or money hadn't made Kara change her mind, but the duke's son was convinced she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to become more powerful. He knew that many people grow strong to achieve a goal, but those who become extremely powerful, like the young woman who had captured him, only do so if their goal is to gain even greater power. For them, the desire to become stronger is similar to an addiction to a drug: they are willing to take any risk or make any sacrifice to satisfy it. The best proof of this was that most S-rank adventurers lost their lives in the lower levels of dungeons, where they voluntarily went in search of opportunities or simply to massacre powerful creatures to level up faster.
Kara didn't understand why the duke's son had suddenly become so confident. If she didn't care about his background, why would she care about his friend's background, especially since it didn't even sound as impressive as being the son of a duke from the capital?
But before Kara could tell the duke's son to finish his idea, Ophelia, who knew more than Kara about the structure of the Church of the Sun God, found something odd about the duke's revelation regarding his friend.
"The son of a high priest? Isn't it required for someone in such a position to take a vow from a young age that they will never touch a woman for the rest of their life?", Ophelia voiced her confusion. She knew it didn't matter whether the duke's son was telling the truth because Kara had already decided to kill the six of them, but the fact that a high priest had a son was information that might be useful one day, or at least make for good gossip.
"He, he's an illegitimate son!", the duke's son hastily added, knowing his plan would fail if Kara thought he was lying.
As for the trouble he might cause by revealing such delicate information, which he had learned from his father when he was encouraged to associate with Theodore, the duke's son didn't care. At that moment, all that mattered to him was surviving.
"And why should I care if he's the son of a high priest? Can the offspring of a high priest lay golden eggs or something? Maybe that's why they aren't allowed to marry, because they'd ruin the economy...", Kara mocked the duke's son, expecting his proposal to be as fantastical as her sarcastic assumption.
However, the duke's son was not discouraged by Kara's attitude, as he was certain that she would find his offer irresistible.
"His father values him greatly and even wants to make him his successor, so as long as you keep him hostage, it's almost certain he will agree to any demand you make. Are you wondering why you'd need the favors of a high priest? Perhaps you haven't heard, but there are rumors that soon the leadership of the Church of the Sun God plans to choose someone to help obtain the Hero class in response to the increasing activity of demons. You're aware of the power difference between someone who holds the Hero class and everyone else, right? So, you might be tempted to aim for that position. But do you think being very strong will be enough to be selected for the Hero class? If so, you're wrong, because without the support of an influential person, your name won't even make it to the discussion table. But what if you had someone within the council responsible for selecting the next Hero, who would fight tooth and nail to ensure that you would be the one chosen? Your victory would be almost guaranteed, wouldn't it? So here's my proposal: you continue to hold Theodore hostage, and let me go so I can head to the capital to negotiate on your behalf with Theodore's father. This way, you take no risks, and it will be much easier to get him to agree to your terms since you'll be sending someone familiar with him to represent you. Plus, I can guarantee him that you are truly a capable fighter, which will make him not see your selection as a breach of his duties...", said the duke's son, his excitement at finding a way to save himself elevating his oratory skills to their peak.
Hearing the duke's proposal, both Kara and Ophelia had to acknowledge his talent for politics. Making such unrealistic promises with such seriousness was not something just anyone could pull off.
"...So, do you think I'm stupid or desperate for power?" Kara asked the duke's son after taking a few moments to go over his proposal. Given his confidence, she had expected him to present an offer he thought would be highly tempting, but the fact that he proposed making her a hero in exchange for his life caught her off guard. Did he really believe she would take something so unrealistic seriously?
As for the plan described by the duke's son, Kara didn't even bother to dismantle it; it was too full of illogical elements, like the idea that he was someone she could trust to send in her place to negotiate.
Though the duke's son was momentarily stunned by Kara's question, he wasn't ready to give up and immediately started explaining his plan in more detail.
"Why do you say that? It's a perfect plan. As long as... mmmhhhmm..."
"It seems you do think I'm stupid. Well, it doesn't matter what you think, because soon you won't exist anymore...", Kara said, silencing the duke's son by making him unable to move his lips. She felt he had put on enough of a spectacle. Besides, all the talking had begun to dissolve the tense atmosphere of impending death in which she had kept the six captives, so there was no longer any reason to delay their execution.
***Author's Thoughts:
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