Feeling the mysterious presences fading, I hastily excused myself from the owner without explaining and made a beeline for the door, driven by the urgency to save Charlotte.
As I rushed out, Titania called after me, "Leon, where are you going?"
Ignoring her, I sprinted out of the establishment, but the surroundings were eerily empty. Despite the bright 4 P.M. daylight, they dared to kidnap someone? These abductors were audacious, pulling off their crime in broad daylight. Shameless, whoever they were.
Regardless, I was determined to extract every bit of information from them after rescuing Charlotte. No one messed with my prey without consequences. I swore to squeeze every detail about this kidnapping of the duke's daughter from them, including who was behind it.
Launching off the ground, I broke into a full sprint, following the lingering trace of Charlotte's presence. Even if they attempted an escape, I was confident I could catch up. Activating my wind magic, I harnessed the air to boost my speed. While this magic was typically used for offense and defense, the people of this world had no clue it could be handy in situations like this.
I could sense Charlotte's presence entwined with seven others. That meant there were seven of them, though I couldn't rule out the possibility of skills hiding additional presences. They were roughly seventy to a hundred meters away from me. If it were Daemon in this situation, I wouldn't bother breaking a sweat to rescue him. Charlotte, however, was crucial, and I had to get her back.
Her skill was a prize I couldn't afford to lose.
I pushed my pace, infusing more mana to summon winds around me, propelling myself forward. Soon enough, my eyes locked onto their figures—seven of them leaping from roof to roof.
Gathering mana at the soles of my feet, I propelled myself upward using wind magic. I ascended, gracefully landing on the rooftops. The kidnappers wore expressions of shock as they witnessed my sudden appearance. Four of them came to a halt, momentarily startled, while the other three, one of them carrying Charlotte, persisted in their escape.
Were these idiots planning to throw down? The answer became clear as they unsheathed their daggers. However, these guys were nothing more than puny flies, not even worth unleashing my full power or drawing a blade. So, armed only with my fists, I charged toward them.
The four of them lunged at me with their daggers, but I effortlessly sidestepped their feeble attempts. Even a scratch from those blades could mean instant death, thanks to the poison coating them. However, they needed to land a hit first, a feat that proved impossible as I skillfully evaded their every move.
Swiftly dodging, I unleashed a punch straight to one guy's face, followed by a kick to the stomach for another. Using that momentum, I spun in the air, delivering a powerful kick to the third guy's face. Then, using the spinning motion, I landed another forceful kick to the fourth guy's head. Since my blows weren't infused with aura, they wouldn't be fatal.
Wanting to rectify that, I ensured their demise by smashing their heads into pieces with my bare fists before they could come to their senses.
After leaving their lifeless bodies behind, I pursued the remaining three. Chasing them down wasn't much of a challenge; it took mere seconds to dispatch the first four, so I remained in close proximity. In the blink of an eye, I closed the gap on the trio. The two not carrying Charlotte immediately cast powerful spells at me, but I effortlessly deflected their magic using Guardian.
Their widened eyes betrayed their shock at witnessing me effortlessly block their top-tier magic. Despite their high-level spells, I swatted them away like annoying insects, so it was only natural for them to be shocked. Seizing the momentary advantage, I swiftly incapacitated them by coating my fists with Guardian and crushing their skulls.
Now, only one adversary remained. As I turned my attention to the last one, I noticed he was resorting to the desperate tactics of a cornered rat. His dagger pressed against Charlotte's neck.
"Don't you dare come any closer! I'll... I'll kill her!" he snarled, the dagger's edge pressing against her delicate skin.
Charlotte's gaze bore into me, on the verge of tears, silently pleading, 'Please, do as he says.' And so, I complied, refraining from making any sudden moves but keeping a vigilant eye on the man.
The moment he dropped his guard, I'd strike him down in an instant. Yet, loosening his guard would prove to be a challenge; he possessed a primal awareness, likely a result of his skill at play.
As I maintained my silent vigil, he took the initiative to break the silence, "Who sent you?"
I remained tight-lipped, deeming conversation pointless with someone destined to meet their end. However, his next words compelled me to break my silence.
"Is it the Association or the Silver Blade?"
"I beg your pardon?"
The mention of the Association resonated with me. It was an organization tasked with overseeing the Adventurers and Mercenaries Guild during national crises such as monster infestations or rogue dragon attacks. However, the second one, the Silver Blade, was a mystery to me.
"Heh. The Association and the Silver Blade have been breathing down our necks lately. Judging by how young you look, I'd bet you're from the Silver Blade. Am I right?"
I smirked inwardly but maintained a poker face. Sorry to disappoint, but you're wrong. Besides, I have no clue what this Silver Blade is. First time I'm hearing about it. But hey, you can think whatever you want; it works for me. Right now, I'm more interested in getting some information. I want to know who's pulling the strings behind this kidnapping. So, I'm going to use the chance you've given me.
"The Silver Blade always stays three steps ahead of whatever your boss is scheming, you know?" I bluffed, playing the role of a Silver Blade member. "Our leader sent me here because they anticipated your fishy moves."
"It seems the boss failed to account for someone like you. Well, I guess I did too. I figured only small fry Silver Blade members would be keeping an eye on us. Never thought they'd send someone as powerful as you."
"Bad luck for you, huh?"
"Yeah, no kidding."
The man kept a watchful eye on me, searching for an escape route in this precarious situation. He used our conversation as a ploy, attempting to lull me into a false sense of security and catch me off guard. Little did he grasp that I had allowed him to survive solely for the sake of extracting information. I could end him right now and rescue Charlotte without breaking a sweat. However, in the world of intelligence, juicy intel was as good as gold—it often led to hidden treasures.
That's the only reason I bothered talking to him.
"Why the hell is someone like you working for the Silver Blade? You're not naive enough to believe a bunch of rebels can overthrow the current monarch of Milham, are you? You do realize they're protected by the magic knights, right?"
"I'm aware," I replied nonchalantly, though I took note of the revelation that the Silver Blade was formed by rebels. This aligned with Amon's earlier mention of a group forming in the country—an unfolding mystery that piqued my interest and excitement.
"So, why then? Is it because you don't like how the monarch runs his kingdom? Or are you just sick of monarchies altogether? Hah! That's a dumb perspective. You'll never get rich playing the justice card. Why the fuck do you even care about how monarchs run their cities? It's not like the commoners are treated well. Well, they are, but do you really think you have the power to change it? To stop the privileged ones from trampling on the underprivileged? You're fucking stupid if you think so!"
It irked me when he threw the "stupid" label my way, but I bit back my anger, plastering a smile on my face. Suppressing the urge to end him right then and there, I focused on unraveling the mystery at hand. I couldn't afford to let trivial matters cloud my judgment.
"Honestly, thinking about it now, you might be onto something," I admitted.
"Well, if you're on board with that, how about joining Eclipse? They'll take excellent care of someone as powerful as you. Anything you desire—money, power, women—they can make it happen. Just name your price!"
Bingo. Finally, I had the information I sought. So, this kidnapping was orchestrated by an organization named Eclipse. This revelation was news to me, but I welcomed the intel.
"That sounds like a tempting offer. However..." I paused, then swiftly pointed my two fingers at him like a gun. A beam of light shot out from my fingertips like a bullet, piercing through his skull. "I'm pretty loyal to my organization, you see." I wasn't referring to the Silver Blade; I didn't even know it. My loyalty lay with an organization I had yet to name.
"Eek!"
As the man crumpled under my light beam attack, I rushed toward him, swiftly taking Charlotte from his grasp. He tumbled alone from the rooftop, his eyes still wide, seemingly caught off guard to the point of not realizing he was dead. A thud echoed as his body hit the alley below, devoid of any witnesses. Blood seeped out, forming a pool of red beneath him. I kept my gaze fixed on the lifeless eyes, and after a while, I shifted my attention to the person now in my arms, her purple eyes meeting mine. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?" I asked, flashing her a smile. It felt like a move pulled straight from the playbook of someone I despised in my world, but in this situation, it served its purpose.
"...Uh. I-I'm fine. T-Thank you," she stammered.
The moment those words escaped her lips, a metallic chime rang in my head. I immediately checked the notification to see the requirements for conquering her.
--
You've captured the interest of Charlotte Sierra. You can now proceed to dominate her.
Name: Charlotte Sierra
Race: Human
Requirements to dominate Charlotte:
1. Go On A Date With Her For Three Times (0/3)
2. Unlock
3. Unlock
4. Unlock
....
--