Arai's Perspective
I opened my eyes.
The first thing I felt was the cold that made my skin shiver.
I found myself in a pitch-dark place, unable to see anything in the dense blackness. The room was silent, and a foul stench filled the air, reminiscent of sewers. Honestly, this was ridiculous; the number of times I'd lost consciousness since arriving in this world far exceeded my previous life.
I tried to move my body, and fortunately, I wasn't bound or shackled.
Before passing out, I vaguely remember seeing a man wearing a skull mask. Somehow, this man had controlled my body before knocking me unconscious.
'What happened? Have I been kidnapped?' My thoughts raced as I considered the possibilities:
1. I was abducted by some organization demanding ransom from Verdi.
2. Prince Greed might have plotted something against me in secret.
3. The warlock that Haist mentioned could have been involved.
All these options seemed equally likely, so I needed to gather information to assess the situation properly.
I checked my body once more and sighed in relief; my tools were still with me.
I used
'Mizuki isn't here...' I sighed in relief.
Other children? This ruled out the first two possibilities, leaving the warlock as the likely culprit.
Haist did mention him into kidnapping children!
I stood up and stretched my stiff body, feeling numbness across my muscles, suggesting I had been out for quite some time.
The room had no windows, so I couldn't determine the time or get a better look at my surroundings.
"Grumble..."
'I'm hungry...' I rubbed my stomach but quickly pushed the thought aside.
I had no time to worry about food!
Through, I sensed one of the other children waking up. Almost immediately, they began making noise.
'Be quiet!' I wanted to silence the boy before he drew attention, but before I could act, his cries grew louder.
"Mommy! Daddy!" "Where am I? Where's Mommy and Daddy? Waaah, help me!!"
"Mama!!"
His crying quickly stirred the rest of the children. Out of the five, three started wailing, the fourth trembled as if on the verge of tears, and the fifth remained silent.
"Bam!"
"Shut up, you little brats!"
The door burst open, revealing a man with a hideously scarred face, his eye socket empty.
I could see his face because he carried a lantern. The flame illuminated the room, giving me a clearer view.
Hmm… his face wasn't like this before. Had someone fought him recently? Or was the mask to hide these scars? It seemed more complex than I thought.
"BOOM!"
"Ahh!"
Without an ounce of kindness, he brutally kicked one of the children in the head, sending them flying.
"SLAP!"
He slapped another across the face and punched a third in the stomach.
I pressed myself against the wall, keeping a safe distance.
'Please don't notice me...' I prayed silently. Taking a beating like that would be the end of me.
I had been spoiled in both my lives and had never been hit like this! Once, I had even bullied someone instead.
"Hehe, you little brats. Just wait a bit, and then the fun will start."
The scarred man let out a twisted laugh that matched his grotesque voice, which sounded like the buzz of insects.
"Huh? Where's the Rolan family kid?"
Damn it! He knew I was here. I decided to feign sleep; it was the wisest option.
"Wake up, you little runt!"
'Argh...'
He kicked my stomach viciously, forcing me to curl in pain.
The ache coursed through my body, but I was grateful for the physical training I'd endured over the past three months—it reduced the damage to my abdomen.
Anger welled up inside me, and I wanted to unleash a Fireball spell to retaliate, but I knew that would be reckless and ruin everything.
I wasn't that foolish.
All I could do was glare at him in secret with a sharp, hateful gaze.
Staying calm was crucial now; acting rashly would only get me killed or severely injured.
'And he knows my identity...' This meant I hadn't been kidnapped randomly but targeted deliberately.
I noticed the man staring at me as if he was barely holding himself back from devouring me on the spot.
He seemed to be fighting some internal conflict.
Eventually, he scoffed, letting out a frustrated grunt, saying
Humph!", and turned away.
"You! Do you know who I am? Release me immediately, and my father might spare your life!"
One of the kids suddenly yelled. It was a boy with brown hair and freckles scattered across his face.
He appeared to be around six years old.
The man didn't respond, so the boy, emboldened, continued arrogantly:
"Don't you know my father? He's a Viscount and a rank three sorcerer! Release me immediately, or—"
"Crunch!"
The boy's head was bitten off by a fiery red skull in an instant.
"Splat!"
His lifeless body collapsed to the ground, and a fountain of blood gushed from his neck, soaking most of the room.
"So annoying…" the warlock muttered coldly and left the room.
"..."
The room fell completely silent, and no one dared to make even the slightest sound.
I drew a cold breath to suppress the terrified pounding of my heart, which felt like it was about to leap out of my throat.
What just happened? Did he really just killed a kid?
I'd seen blood and death before… but this?
The heavy scent of blood filled the air, making me want to vomit. I suppressed the urge and covered my nose with my hand.
Had I been taking this too lightly all along?
'This is just some cliché mess; Haist will come save me soon.' That kind of thinking was naive and utterly foolish.
Someone was killed! Just a kid!
It seemed help wouldn't arrive anytime soon. I could only rely on myself now.
Who knows? I might be the next to be eaten.
"huh..."
I exhaled deeply, recalling the man's image in my memory.
It was time to start making a plan to escape.
The spells I had were:
Fire Bullet, Fireball, Light Bombs, and Fire Sword
They were all level-zero spells. However, with the amplification of my Ring, their strength could be boosted to that of a level-one spell, equivalent to a basic attack like a firearm shot at best.
The room was small and narrow, unsuitable for any large-scale combat. Not that I could directly fight him, but precaution was necessary. Considering he was likely a rank three warlock, I needed to tread carefully.
Alright, let's recall what the sorcerer had.
First, his spells: Body Control Fiery Red Skull
He had controlled my body to knock me unconscious earlier. I wasn't sure how, but to be safe, I'd maintain a distance and avoid making eye contact. As for the fiery skull, it reeked of blood and had bitten off the boy's head in a single bite.
That was a level-three spell!
Second, his injuries: A missing eye A gash in his abdomen
Through my previous analysis, I'd noted these injuries. They offered a chance to take him down by exploiting his weaknesses. I would set a trap, aim for his blind spot (his missing eye), and attack his stomach along with another critical point.
Next, I turned to the other children and muttered:
I needed to see if they could be of any use in my plan. Honestly, I had no confidence in defeating him on my own, even with all the information I had. If those level-three skulls bit me once, I'd die a pitiful death.
Thus, I would involve the children in my strategy. If it didn't work, they'd serve as distractions for my escape. I didn't consider myself a good person at all—I valued my life too much to hesitate over this decision.
Still, a slight sense of guilt lingered, and I knew it would stay with me for a while.
The scan I used detected the mana output of their bodies. Unfortunately, my ability wasn't comprehensive, so I couldn't determine anyone's rank unless they revealed it openly. Maybe in the future, the scan will develop.
Even this scanning wasn't completely reliable. Anyone skilled at controlling their aura and mana output could easily slip past my detection.
The two crying children were out of the question. Their mana levels were extremely low, close to that of ordinary humans, which meant they hadn't reached rank one yet, much like I hadn't fully reached it either.
"Hmm?"
I raised my head in surprise and looked at the boy who had been shielding a girl earlier. His mana levels were incredibly high.
The aura surrounding him was vast and alive, pulsing with energy.
He might even be rank two!
He appeared to be about nine or ten years old.
I shifted my gaze to the girl he was protecting. Her mana wasn't as strong as his, but it was still far above average.
She was likely rank one.
I think their hair was purple? I hadn't taken a good look at them earlier when the sorcerer entered with his lantern, as I was focused on staying hidden.
I couldn't recall any nobles with purple hair in this kingdom. They might be from another region or even from across the sea.
But this was promising. With their help, my chances of taking down the sorcerer increased significantly!
"You two—can you fight?" I approached them and asked gently.
The boy with purple hair, still shielding his younger sister, remained silent for a while before responding in broken Zadakian:
"I... can mak smal heat explsion. Can kill... rank one."
Hmm? He doesn't speak Zadakian fluently? That confirmed my suspicion—they weren't from any nearby region. They must be from the western continent.
Zadakian was the common language across the three islands of Artemis. Anyone who couldn't speak it was most likely from the West.
If he'd used a regional accent or dialect, I could've pinpointed where they were from. But his clumsy pronunciation marked him as a complete outsider.
'But what brought them here? And how were they even captured?' I pondered briefly, shaking my head to dismiss the thoughts. This wasn't the time to dive into such mysteries.
"That's good. I have a plan. Are you two willing to help?"
He hesitated, then shook his head.
"I do not advice to fight. My father find us soon. Until then... we wait."
'Coward!' I stifled the urge to spit the word out. Turning to the girl, I asked, "What about you?"
The girl, still hiding behind her brother, responded in a small, childish voice:
"Yes! Father very strong. Just wait... a little while."
"Don't worry, father will find us in a few minutes. He'll defeat the bad man easily."
Her Zadakian was much better than her brother's.
Still...this was disappointing.
"So, you're going to leave your fate in someone else's hands? Sorry, I can't do that."
With those words, I turned and walked away. I didn't have time to waste on children, even if they had some potential.
I wasn't going to beg or plead with them. If push came to shove, I had my ways of forcing that boy to join the fight.