"I have to stay focused. I can't let moments like this seduce me," Alphonse slapped his face twice, trying to concentrate.
He was going to seduce his mother gradually. However, he was the one being seduced by her beauty, almost to the point of risking his plan.
Leaving the baroness's room, he still didn't know how to find the soldiers or the coachman. However, there was one person who could help with that.
'I can't go to sleep before I finish this business,' the boy thought as he walked toward his target.
Due to the late hour, few servants were left in the house. The sun was already setting, and most had returned to their homes, leaving only a few soldiers patrolling outside the mansion.
However, there was one person who remained during the night. Lilian was cleaning one of the tables used by the servants when the boy entered the room.
"Lilian, Lilian, always so organized," Alphonse approached the maid while she was still focused on her work.
"Ah!" She let out a light gasp of surprise. "Young master."
"Still dreaming that my father will send some letter?" Alphonse commented. "He won't."
"Sir, please," the servant said. "Please forgive my mistakes. I pro—"
Before she could continue, the boy interrupted her.
"Don't worry, that's not why I'm here," Alphonse explained. "I need to know the name and where the coachman who took us yesterday lives."
"Is he okay? N-no problems, right?" Lilian asked, fearing what the young boy might do to the coachman.
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I'll just ask him to fix the carriage," the boy reassured her.
"Oh! Of course," Lilian understood the reason. "He lives in the mansion's expansion houses."
The servant explained the way to the coachman's house. Alphonse thanked her and walked toward the exit.
"I haven't forgotten that you still owe me an answer," he commented before passing through the door.
Julian had been caring for the Hohenberg horses for the last ten years and serving as a coachman when needed. Even so, he didn't feel loyal to the house; ultimately, he needed more gold to buy a home in the village and better support his family.
That's why he was so happy, returning with ten gold coins. It was something he would never have seen in his entire life.
"Felicia? Felicia?" Julian called as he entered the house. "You won't believe what happened."
The house was small but made of brick. There was a dining room and a few small bedrooms for the couple and their children, a privilege offered by working for the Hohenbergs.
"Felicia?" Julian called again as he opened the door. He was already worried; it was customary to light a lamp before bed at nightfall, but the house was completely dark.
"Hm hm hm..."
Julian could hear some noises coming from the kitchen. Worried about his family, he drew a dagger and walked silently to the living room.
The living room was even darker than the entrance, and the man tried to open his eyes wider to see better in the dark. However, before he could adjust, a flame appeared before him.
"Hello, Julian," Alphonse said.
Julian felt his heart stop at the scene in front of him. First, the young master, who was supposed to be dead, was alive. Second, he was in his living room with his wife tied to one of their chairs.
"You know, Julian, when plotting something, you should inform your wife. Otherwise, it's too easy to break into your house," Alphonse explained, dripping with venom.
In one hand, the boy held a flame, while in the other, a dagger pointed at Felicia's throat.
"Hmhmhm," Felicia tried to speak through the gag, but it was impossible to understand her.
Julian could only see the small tears forming in his wife's eyes.
"Come on, Julian. Tell me, who ordered you to abandon your post?" Alphonse asked, the man still in a state of shock. "Unless you want me to set the house on fire. Oh, and just a reminder, your children are asleep, so try not to make too much noise."
Alphonse pointed the hand holding the flame toward one of the walls. Julian, who had been frozen until that moment, finally decided to speak.
"N-no. Please, no. Mercy," Julian cried as he answered. "I-I made a mistake, but not my family."
"Fair, but they will pay if you don't tell me something useful," Alphonse replied, impassive. Inside, though, he was fighting himself. He needed to be strong and cruel to protect those he loved.
"Of course, of course. I don't know who sent us, but I know who the soldiers are," Julian said. "And I can return the money."
As he dropped the gold coins to the floor, Alphonse saw they were minted in the empire.
"Let's start with the names," the boy said.
Julian explained in detail that the four soldiers had offered the ten coins as soon as they left the mansion. He explained that it would be quick and safe, but they never revealed who had ordered the hit.
"Good," Alphonse commented. "Your punishment will be simple."
Hearing about a punishment, Julian began to tremble again.
The boy removed the dagger from Felicia's throat and walked over to Julian.
"You can keep the money. However, I'll want something of equal value. That will remind you never to bite the hand that feeds you," Alphonse said.
With a swift movement, he slashed the dagger at Julian, severing the man's left hand.
"Ahhhhhh!" Julian screamed as he felt the pain of his hand being removed.
As blood spurted, Alphonse took the flame in his other hand and cauterized the wound. They could still take the hand to a priestess to reattach it, but it would require reopening the wound, which the boy felt was punishment enough.
"Disappear from my territory. If I see you or your family in Hohenberg, I promise it will be a hundred times worse than what I did today," Alphonse said before leaving the house.
The boy pulled up his hood and disappeared into the night. Inside the house, the sounds of Julian and Felicia's sobs could be heard. But the night was not over yet.
"I still have four more targets to find."
"Embezzlement. Dereliction of duty. Attempted murder. Conspiracy and high treason with the empire. Is that it, or is there more?" Alphonse commented aloud as he sat in the Chief of the Guard's chair.
Hector was stunned by the boy in his office, even more so by his boldness in speaking to him like that. Though he was the Chief of the Guard, he had served as a [Lower Knight] for much of his life and had the power to cut the boy in half if he wished.
"What are you talking about?" Hector asked.
"That's what your subordinates told me. You see, once I entered the fortress, it was easy to find the four thugs you sent to kill us," the boy said as he stood up and pointed to one of the walls in the office.
On the far side of the office, four men were hanging by their hands, their ropes tied to the ceiling. Each one was in worse condition than the other, some showing signs of beating, others with cuts, and all with parts of their bodies singed.
"Hector, you should train your boys better. They were quite easy to drag here and extract the truth from each of them," Alphonse said.
"Do you think anyone will believe you? A boy who is nothing more than a useless fool, incapable of wielding a sword?" Hector replied.
"Hector, you're mistaken. No one needs to believe me," Alphonse answered. "In this room, I am the judge, jury, and executioner."
Alphonse pointed a finger at Hector. "Guilty."