Buk, buk, buk
The sound of blows echoed loudly in a dungeon beneath General Yumi's mansion.
It was early morning, but the darkness in General Yumi's heart revealed that morning was not a time of tranquility; rather, it was a light devoured by darkness.
The dungeon was filled with human skulls in the corners of the walls, and the sound of iron bars depicted a terrifying atmosphere. The girl being beaten by General Yumi had blood flowing from her head, saturating the floor.
"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to disturb your husband…"
The young girl's face looked helpless, and her vision began to blur.
General Yumi remained silent, showing no expression, her demeanor as cold as ice, impervious to the heat of fire.
"Why are you disturbing my husband Saito?"
General Yumi tugged at the girl's hair and bent down so her body was level with the girl's.
"Do you know what it feels like to have your neck broken?"
The girl shivered in fear, tears streaming down her face.
"Please help me, I beg you… I… I have no intentions…" The girl trembled in fear, her heart racing.
The person in front of her was not human; one could say she was a wild beast, mad with authority and eager to be at the top of the hierarchy above all other creatures.
General Yumi chuckled before she violently snapped the girl's neck with her hand, causing the girl's head to come off. She then pulled the girl's ribcage from her body.
"Feel that... how dare you disturb her..." General Yumi laughed before throwing the girl's ribcage onto the floor and walking out of the dungeon, leaving behind the inhumane scene with blood splattered everywhere.
"Servant! Clean up the body in the dungeon!" General Yumi ascended the stairs and walked through the mansion's hall.
One of the servants who heard this immediately headed to the dungeon area; the servant's name was Evelin.
It had become their habit to clean up bodies, as General Yumi was a crazy psychopath who couldn't control her jealousy when her husband was disturbed.
Evelin sighed. "I'm feeling quite nauseous, but I have to..."
Evelin cleaned up the body of the girl.
"Why do those in power always act so tyrannically... don't they have any morals? This world is insane..." Evelin said in a low tone. She was sickened by human nature; power truly destroys a person's conscience.
[9:20 AM]
The two men who often stalk Harith and Himzed were walking towards Himzed's house, both of them appearing to be far from AriseIV Street, the road that is close to the one leading to Himzed's house.
"At 9:30, we can launch our plan to kidnap those two."
"Why is the boss so curious about them?"
"It's not about both of them, but only one— the boy named Harith."
"Hehe, it's quite strange; he defeated Hector and made Hector look like a loser in front of everyone. No wonder the boss is curious about his true abilities."
They were both in a dark alley, ensuring that no one knew of their presence.
Harith walked towards a boy who was playing in front of his house, which was near Himzed's house. There, flower pots were neatly arranged, and the house, adjacent to another, looked tidy because the ground here was level.
"Boy, can you tell the two men who will come here later that Himzed and I have moved?" Harith asked gently.
The boy replied in a polite and soft tone, "I can, but I want a reward."
Harith chuckled and handed over 2 of his gold chlorines to the boy.
"I'm leaving now, don't forget to tell," Harith walked away.
Harith had predicted everything; he knew that the two men would come here at 9:30 and would carry out their plan, considering this area was somewhat deserted and had 3 houses that were still unoccupied.
[9:30 AM]
The two men approached the area and immediately looked towards Himzed's house.
"Looks like there's no one home?"
"Maybe they haven't come back yet?"
"Let's ask that boy over there."
They both approached the boy who was playing marbles.
"Boy, where are the people who live in this house?"
The boy replied innocently, "They've moved to another house."
The two men were confused before saying, "How can that be...?"
"I think he knows our plan? But that's impossible; we've never seen him stalking us, or has he been stalking us all along?"
"I think this is a scam; let's try to find the whereabouts of both of them."
The two men walked away from the area, exiting the AriseIV street.
Harith was at the post office, delivering a threat letter to the mail carrier. This threat letter would later be sent to the mansion of the mysterious noble, serving to instill fear and paranoia. Harith had predicted that he would win at 5:30 PM, and the mysterious noble would not let him go easily.
"You can deliver this letter at 5:30 PM on Markburg Street to a large mansion. Tell them this letter is from an unknown sender," Harith said in a serious tone.
The man raised an eyebrow and replied, "Is this letter dangerous? If it is dangerous, I refuse to deliver it."
Harith stared deeply into the man's eyes with a cold gaze, piercing to the very core of the man's essence. He simultaneously observed the man's entire outfit and details.
"Do you want me to say that last night you went to a brothel?"
Harith could tell just by seeing the faint red lipstick stain on the man's neck. He noticed the nearly erased mark in detail; it was impossible for an ordinary person to see it from a distance. Additionally, Harith detected the scent of jasmine perfume on the man's clothing, as brothels often have an exotic atmosphere with specific scents like jasmine. Coincidentally, Harith had passed by a brothel when he wanted to go to a bar with Himzed.
The man was shocked; he tried to suppress his shock.
"Eh... don't slander me," the man said, feeling annoyed, but he sighed.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it; don't tell anyone," he took the letter.
"Heh heh," Harith chuckled slyly before walking away.
He quickly headed to the street where the two men would pass. Harith planned to get caught so he could be confronted by the two men; he would try to resist and let himself get hit. Harith knew exactly how his plan would be executed well in detail.
Harith leaned against the wall; the clock now read 9:35 AM, and he was eating candy while waiting for their arrival.
The sound of footsteps from the two men could be heard, a soft swish from each step as they touched the stone surface.
The two men immediately stopped when they saw Harith.
"Hey, kid."
Harith looked at them, pretending to be innocent.
"Yup, why?"
"Follow us."
Harith raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped back as the two men exchanged glances.
"Listen to our directions, or we will be forced to use violence."
Harith remained silent. "Get lost, you bastard!" He took a step back.
But the two men quickly grabbed Harith's arms and pulled him.
"Let go of me!" Harith struggled, trying to free himself from the brutal grip of the man.
"Ah, this kid is really a pain."
The man quickly struck Harith's head with a piece of wood, causing him to faint, with a bit of blood trickling from his head. Harith was still conscious, his head tilted downward as blood flowed from his wound.
"Hurry, take him to the boss before he bleeds out and dies."
What the two of them were thinking as they struck Harith's head was beyond reason; they did not consider the consequences if Harith were to die.
Harith smirked slyly as he faced downward, closing his eyes and waiting to be taken by the two men to the mysterious noble's mansion.