{Around 30Kilometers from the Castletown.}
Bad taste. These idiots really had a bad taste.
Rundown area. Abandoned building. Quiet environment. Far from the main street; and of course, out of the knights' route of patrol.
Cliché.
If you're going to choose a place for a hideout, can someone in your group be more discreet and imaginative? These guys just had their originality leave their sorry organs they called brains.
"And so? Where was this little princess being kept?" I muttered as I surveyed the whole area from the roof of the storage building, connected to their not-really-hideout hideout.
Three guards at the entrance. At the backdoor, two. I assume, more of them were inside. No signs of prostitute being hired. "That's better, I don't want someone unrelated be involved in this mess." I don't really care, but that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And it's an additional trouble, so I better not want that.
"My course of action; perfect. Plan A: Waltz in then ask them where the girl was. If that one fails, then Plan B. Plan B; Charge in. Kill them all. Yep, perfect."
I blended with the darkness of the night and left the rooftop. A moment of silence is what needed, then I was in front of the three guards at the entrance.
They wore a silver breastplate, too new for the likes of them—bandits. Must be from the ones who were backing them up.
"Good evening~." I greeted in a cheery tone.
"Wha—?!"
"Who are you?!"
"Where did you came from?!"
They queried, startled. Oh, these guys sure are rude. Can't even reply to a greeting.
"I have a question for you three."
"I—I can't move!"
"Sound the alarm! Intruder! Intruder!"
"Do you know where this girl was being kept?" I showed them a handheld image of the princess but they don't seem that interested.
"Intruder! We've got intruder! We've got—ughh!"
"Zip it, you moron."
With a swish, blood spurts and the man found his head away from his body.
"Now, to you two, I have a question. Make a single unnecessary noise and you will be able to see your own body from a meter away." I made sure my eyes were smiling as I said that to them. Trembling, they both nodded repeatedly. Good. Giving example firsthand always do its job!
"Great," I hailed, "Now, where is she? The lass."
"At, at, at the basement. U-u-u-under the main living room of the building."
Living room? What the hell was that? Some kind of a code?
"I see." I don't understand.
"Is your boss here? I mean the leader of your little merry band?"
"He-he-he was on the master's bedroom. Ha-ha-having fun."
"I see." I don't understand. What master's bedroom again? Is owning a house really that complicated? When I was in the orphanage, we only had dining and a room for sleeping.
"Good work you two."
They both heaved a sigh of relief.
"You can now both die," with a single swing, no pain for them. They're dead.
"Business says to leave no one behind. Sorry, folks. Kek. Now then," I shifted my body and entered the place. I waltz in the front door, entering the place like it was my own house.
They heard the noise, eh. They've came out to return the greeting, it seems, "how many minutes will you guys last?" I asked under my breath.
"Where's the intruder?!" One of them yelled, whipping his head from left to right.
"Oh hi. That would be me. Hey, I have a question for you guys—."
"That's the brat the boss was telling us about!"
"—Do any of you guys know what a living room is?"
"Kill that that pipsqueak!"
"Pips—what?! That's it, you birdbrain! You asked for it!!!"
How dare you call me that! Die you idiotic bastards!
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"Charging blindly like that is just like asking me to cut you down!" I unsheathed the sword hanging on my hips. The man was so eager, so I'll honor his death wish. He raised his sword overhead and tried to slash vertically, I met his blade with mine. There was a slight pause before his body begun to slide down diagonally in half. Everyone following the guy was stunned.
"What? Are you feeling shy now after your first sacrifice? Aw, come on. If you're not going to come at me, then I shall do you some favor by coming at you myself!" I charged in, readying my blade for a wide swing.
Tragic voices echoed about the entrance of the place. Truly a verdict of requiem. The clanging of the metal meeting metal and the agonizing voices of men. A pause then a silence. And everything was over.
***
What was that noise? Sound of blades? Is it from upstairs?
How long has it been since I was abducted? How many hours? Or has it already been days? Or maybe over a week? Within this dark chamber, I cannot tell at all. I was brought here without being harmed in any way. Aside from being in this dark room, my treatment was far better than the stories I heard when one was being abducted.
I was feed with regular food and was left alone. I cannot tell what the people who kidnapped me, Andrea Altruist Maecenas, the second princess of the kingdom want. Are they going to ask my father for Platinum or Gold coins for ransom? Or do these people have any other use for me? I cannot tell… and that is why I am so scared. The scariest thing in the world are the things we don't know. I could feel my heart beating like crazy. "Oh, how I wish a prince would come and save me." I muttered in silence which also surprised me. What's with my own thoughts? I'm actually becoming delusional.
"Fufu… but what if? What if a prince would really come to save me? That would be… very nice." I might have gone silly. Because even within this cell, I was smiling to myself.
***
"Ugh. I hate this feeling. No matter how many times I've done this, I just really can't have myself adapt to this… Is this all they have?" I was standing over a million lives—or not, that's a joke. I was in the middle of tens of corpses. Blood dyeing the floor red. I have a talent for killing and killing is my job. I don't have any complaints. But still…
"If she saw me like this… would she still be able to say that God would forgive me?" I muttered to myself.
Ah… not good, not good. I'm in the middle of a mission. Unnecessary thoughts were just nothing but a hindrance.
"Now then, time to get myself to visit the boss."
I removed myself from the first floor, trailing the wide reception.
What a pretentious building. Outside, this looks like an abandoned storehouse. But inside, everything was new. To the floor to the stairs, to the walls. Even the doors are in their best shape. The backer of this idiotic group is a big fish. A big fat fish.
Living room—living room… where could it be? Hey, what's a living room anyway? A room where you live? Isn't it supposed to be house? A living house, not a living room? Oh, well. Let's just ask the owner of this place.
I tailed the stairs heading the second floor. Just how many rooms does this place even have?
"Ohhh, ahhh… Ughh… More! Harder!"
Moans? That sounds like a male voice. I melted with the shadows of the narrow corridor, tracking where the debouched voice came from. At the corner of the hallway, there was a room more beautiful than any other rooms here. This place is quite far from the entrance, so I'm guessing that the noise I've made was not able to reach here.
"Ohh! Hmmm! More!"
Strange. I'm only hearing a single type of voice. I stealth myself and peeked at the ajar door of the room.
Shit.
No wonder there's no prostitutes in this area. Their leader was a homosexual piece of trash! They were going at it; one man at the top and another man at the bottom. The top guy was thrusting his hips to the other. Disgusting maniacs. Is this what Grizaldo calls 'sword fighting in a sense?'
I entered the room and they didn't even give time to look my direction. They've drowned themselves in their twisted pleasure. Panting and sweating and catching their breath.
"Mind if I interrupt?"
"Ohh! Haaa, sure—hah?! Who?!—ahh!"
I sliced the arm of the man on top and kicked him to the floor. His blood spewed to the white sheet of the bed, dyeing it crimson red, but surely, he will not die just from that.
"I have a question for you, you disgusting animals. Who between the two of you is the boss?"
"Who—who are you!? Ah! You must be that brat the employer was talking about! Men! Men! The brat is here!"
Ahh, I guess the bottom guy is the boss, eh. I swung my blade and took the boss man's left arm.
"Arrrrgghhhh!" He let out a painful yelp.
"Brat this, brat that. I'm asking a question, so answer me. You want to die that badly?"
He shook his head violently.
"Good. And you… behave!"
"Guhak!!!" The top guy from earlier was squirming to take his sword at the corner of the bed, so I made sure he won't be able to. I cut his leg this time.
"Back to where we were. You are the boss of this merry-band kidnappers? Correct?" The man did not even hesitate and nodded a few times as if banging his head.
"Good. Next question. Where did you hide the princess?"
"At, at, at the basement. Right under the living room. There was a hidden passage under the carpet of the living room. You'll find her there."
There it is again… the living room. "Scratch that question and answer this instead. What is that living room?"
"Huh?!"
"Just answer the damn question!"
"A, a, a living room is a place where you receive guest and offer them tea and delicacy…?" why the questioning tone? Is he not sure with his answer too?
"Isn't that the guest room? Isn't the living room a room where you live?"
"Huh?!"
Oh, duke it, never mind.
"Next question. Who is this employer that you are talking about?"
"Ah, I… I…" Can't tell, eh. Let's leave it. My contract only ranges from saving the princess to bringing her back safely. The rest is up to the royal guards and to Grizaldo.
"Forget it. Just dress up, you damn animal and show me where the girl is. And next time, don't be so lax in hiring more men. Fifty people is too few and you didn't even think of hiring a mage. Well, assuming as there will be next time." I stepped closer to the top homo guy, "and you? I have no need for you." I swung my blade once. It was enough to behead the man. The boss who was heading to the door paled. He knew that if he displeases me even a single time, it would be his head that'll go flying next.
***
"Here… here it is."
I followed the man and headed down the first floor. And then… What the hell?
"This? This is it? The legendary living room?!"
"I don't really get what you're saying but at least allow me to explain. A living room is not actually a room, technically, but a place where you receive your guests. And the guest room is a room where the guest stays while visiting…"
Huh?
"Ohh… I see…" For now, let's just use the default "agree" reaction. This guy's disgusting but he actually is smart.
"Here is the switch for the hidden door to open." He pressed the button under the table and a door to a stair heading downward opened abruptly.
"Give me the keys. Wait here. I'll never want the princess have the wrong idea that I was working with a disgusting pig like you."
"Ughh…" He handed me the keys.
"It's good that you have it in you. And also, try to scape or run away and I will make sure to cut you into pieces without killing you. That goes without saying if this place under here is empty." He went insipid and nodded continually.
Good. Now let's see how our lass was doing.