Abduction

The crash of shattering glass came from the third floor, followed by the sound of someone causing a commotion. A woman's scream rang through the mansion.

(C-Cecil!)

Allen tossed aside the silverware he’d been polishing and raced for the third floor.

It had all happened so suddenly that he didn't know what was going on. He knew the scream wasn't Cecil's; it sounded like a maid. Even so, Allen raced up the stairs. There were servants and the butler in front of him, but he rushed right past them.

First, Allen saw a maid standing frozen in the hallway leading to Cecil's room, trembling. Then he saw an attendant lying on the floor, flung out of the room and into the hall. The attendant had been hurled with such force that they were embedded in the wall, blood pouring from their abdomen as they lay on the verge of death.

He dodged the maid and entered the room.

(Are you kidding me? They came in through the window!!!)

The window in Cecil's third-floor room had been smashed to pieces, leaving a hole even larger than the window itself. It seemed they'd forced their way in through it.

Three men were inside. They weren't dressed like knights. They wore light gear that looked like leather armor, but they had the air of thugs or bandits more than adventurers.

One of the three men was holding Cecil in his arms...