Chapter 86
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!! Fraaaaaaaaaaan─!!!”
I fled down the alley, screaming my girlfriend’s name!!
Fran was the only one who could save me from those lunatics!!
I dashed in the direction indicated by the rune’s mana. But there were even more guards blocking the way ahead than the ones chasing me!
“You scoundreeeeel!!! You’re not getting anywhere near the children─!!!”
“Protect the child─!!! Don’t let him take her hostageee─!!!”
“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!”
Why the hell were these empty-headed idiots so damn competent!! With no confidence I could break through a formation of guards, I took a sharp turn into a side alley!!
Fran!! Fran would explain that it was all a misunderstanding!! I just had to keep running without getting hurt until then!!
“Kiyooooooooooooooooo!!!”
“Take this!!! The Haysvent Guards’ Secret Technique: Three Men, One Spear!!!”
“Why the hell are you guys here!!!!”
Had I been transferred because I’d complained, or what? Even the bastards I’d seen at the Mage Guild last time were leaping off a building and coming after me!! These assholes had even changed the name of their technique just because they’d been reassigned!!!!
Todododo─!
I rolled across the ground and dodged the spear! I’d become a criminal (innocent) being chased through the alleys by guards under the moonlight!!
“Haaah! Haaah! Haaah!!”
After about thirty minutes of fleeing at a full sprint, I was gasping for breath. It wouldn’t have been like this if I’d activated Beast Regression, but the green mana coating would stand out.
[WANTED: CHILD KIDNAPPER.]
[Name: Arthur Wayne.]
[Description: Vector Man Green.]
If this shit happened, I’d really be screwed! Until this mess was sorted out, I’d probably have to keep Beast Regression sealed in front of other people!!
“Hey!! Over here!!”
That was when I spotted a man calling out from an alley. I’d been about to activate Beast Regression, thinking that being wanted couldn’t be worse than dying.
“Get over here before the guards catch you!!”
He looked like one hell of a thug. But whoever the hell he was, as long as he wasn’t a guard, I could activate Beast Regression and fight him!
I squeezed out the air in my lungs and ran toward him.
“Walk with pride! Anywhere!”
─Dadatatat!
I dashed into the building with every last bit of strength I had. ─BAM! As soon as I got inside, the man shut and locked the door.
“Haaah. Haaah. Haaaaaaaaah……”
“You’ve had a rough time. Told you to be careful.”
The man clicked his tongue. I stared at him, unable to figure out who the hell he was, and he sat down in a chair.
“Don’t know who you are, but you’re behind the news. Haven’t you heard the thieves in Haysvent stopped selling brats? Why are you still chasing after kids?”
“Huff… Hah… What did you just say?”
Hadn’t this guy just said something I couldn’t ignore? I forgot all about catching my breath and glared at him. The man raised both hands.
“Whoa, don’t look at me like that. You don’t know how to show gratitude to someone who saved you.”
“Gratitude, my ass… Huff…”
“Heh heh heh heh!! Ha ha ha ha!! That’s right!! That’s how a thief should act!! You’re a shining example of a thief!! So you won’t mind if we do this, right?”
─Snap!
At the man’s snap, the door opened and men armed with swords flooded into the room. The man who’d let me in grinned.
“Well, who told you to rile up the guards? Don’t know what outfit you belong to, but you’re in for a rough time today.”
“Outfit? Huff, huff… The Adventurers Guild. Why?”
“Huh?”
I ignored the man’s dumbfounded question and straightened up. I’d caught my breath now.
The rune I’d inscribed on Fran had worn off because we’d gotten too far apart. Still, I decided to trust her. She was probably explaining the situation to the guards right now. And she had a cat with her, so I could trust that she’d find my location and come here.
There was no way I could let this lead slip through my fingers after finally catching it.
─Thud!
I slammed my fists together and activated Beast Regression. Shwaaaaaa! As green mana billowed up around me, the thieves stared in shock.
“W-what the hell?”
“What the hell do you think? You assholes just drew the short straw.”
I bared the claws of Beast Regression and growled.
“Thanks, dumbass. Why don’t we have a little chat?”
“K-kill him!”
At the man’s shout, the armed thugs charged. I focused, watching as their crude swords came flying at me. My dynamic vision gauged the quality and speed of the blades, as well as the force behind them.
Cheap. Slow. Weak.
In other words, they were exactly the dumbasses I’d expected.
─Clang!
I swung both arms. The arm guards and Beast Regression’s mana coating deflected every one of their swords and smashed them to pieces.
“Huuuuuh!!”
“F-fuck!! Theodore, you bastard!! That guy’s a monster!!”
Their weapons shattered without me even drawing my sword, and the thieves lost their minds.
“Idiots.”
I whispered. A cheap sword like that didn’t even cost ten copper. It was basically a kitchen knife stretched out to sword length. You could easily break one by giving it a few good whacks with a hammer.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
I knocked the men down with punches that held back just enough. All except the guy who’d let me into the building.
I could have killed them, but they were harmless idiots even alive, so I’d decided to hold off on killing them for now.
“Hiiiiiiik!!”
─Thump!
The idiot fell to the floor when he saw me knock out four men in three seconds. I stomped on the chest of the guy who’d fallen over and pinned him down.
“Guh!”
“From now on, answer the questions I ask you.”
“Ugh…!! You think you’re going to get away with this in one piece after pulling this kind of shit──”
“Answer!! The question!! You son of a bitch!!”
I kicked the side of the man who was spouting a cliché line. I’d held back, but to him it must’ve felt like being struck with a hammer.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Shh! You little shit. You said the guards showing up would be a pain. Let’s say what we need to and go our separate ways.”
─Crack! Wham! Crunch! Smack!
Over the next three minutes, I made sure this bastard understood his place. It was Vector-Super Discipline, a one-on-one crowd-control move.
“Ask me anything, sir!!”
The man shouted. He’d lost some teeth, so his pronunciation was completely fucked, but I could tell he was eager to cooperate. I sat down in a nearby chair.
“All right. I heard you were kidnapping kids and all that. Are you the main culprits?”
“N-no, sir! We’re middlemen!”
“So there are other guys buying the kids? What are they like?”
“They were men wearing robes!”
“What are you saying? You son of a bitch, speak properly!”
“R-robe! Robes, sir! There were two of them, a big guy and a skinny guy, both wearing robes!”
The man spat blood onto the floor as he spoke. I knew the sort he meant. No, I still didn’t know who they were, but their appearance matched that of the people who’d dealt with the bandits last time.
“So you sold the kids to those guys?”
“N-no, sir! When we went to meet them, the guards were making their rounds, so we gave up!”
“Shit, I told you to speak properly. You gave up because the guards were on patrol?”
“Yes, sir!!”
“What about the other thieves besides you? You said earlier that you’d quit kidnapping. Can I assume the others have, too?”
“That’s right! We were lying low so the guards wouldn’t catch us!!”
“Good. Then──”
I was about to knock this guy out with a punch to the jaw, too, when I frowned and jerked my head aside. ─Thwack! A knife thrown at my head embedded itself in the wall behind me.
“Is that a housewarming gift? You could’ve thrown it a little more gently.”
“I didn’t think you’d dodge it.”
The man who’d thrown the knife at me wore a black robe.
Shit, now I understood why the guards had attacked me without a second thought. This guy looked suspicious from head to toe. It made me think it might be fine to hit him first and talk afterward.
‘Do I look that suspicious, too?’
As I shuddered at the thought, the man I’d been beating spat out a mouthful of teeth and shouted,
“Alton!! Kill him!! Kill this bastard!!”
“Quiet at night, and go night-night, you little shit.”
I gave the bastard a rough smack on the head and knocked him out, then drew my sword. The man in the black robe just watched.
“And who might you be, sticking your nose into this? If you’re the one who bought the kidnapped kids, I’d be damn grateful.”
“Heh heh heh. A moment ago, they were ‘brats,’ and now they’re ‘kids’? You’re not very good at hiding your identity.”
This son of a bitch was quick on the uptake. I clicked my tongue.
“Whatever. Let’s trade questions. We’re both more than willing to kill each other anyway, so we might as well be honest.”
“I’ll have to decline. In my line of work, people who talk too much don’t live long!”
─Whish! Whish!!
As he spoke, knives suddenly came flying at me. Two knives thrown with a slight delay aimed for my stomach and head.
I knocked aside the knife aimed at my stomach with my sword and turned my head to dodge the one aimed at it. Thanks to the acrobatics, my limbs were now precise enough to make even that reckless move look easy.
“Hm?!”
I charged at the startled man.
Was his name Alton? Whatever. I’d subdue him if I could, and kill him if I couldn’t.
I was about to swing my sword, but then I changed my mind. My sharpened senses told me I was still too far away. Even if I attacked now, he’d dodge or I’d miss.
‘Then…’
─Wham!
I kicked the man lying on the floor. I’d sent his body flying with a well-aimed kick, and Alton, who’d been watching only for an attack from me, reacted too slowly.
“Ugh?!”
Alton collided with the unconscious thug and lost his balance.
He wouldn’t be able to dodge an attack in that state. ─Whoosh! My fist, seizing the opening, slammed into his solar plexus.
“Guh…! How can you be so…”
With my fist buried in his solar plexus, Alton dropped to his knees.
I immediately moved to drive a blow into his shoulder and break one of his arms, but then I pulled my head back again. ─Whish! A knife Alton had flicked with only the strength of his wrist passed right in front of my nose.
‘This guy’s pretty good.’
Alton had pretended to be hurt by my attack so he could catch me off guard in the one-on-one fight. He’d been saying villainous things like he was in a play, so that had probably been a feint, too.
─Snatch!
My hand caught the dagger as it flew past my face. Then I drove the knife I’d caught straight into Alton’s shoulder with all my strength.
“Sir! You dropped this!”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!”
With his solar plexus and shoulder under control, Alton had no choice but to kneel. This guy wasn’t much, either. I shook out my hand and looked at him.
“Still not ready to talk?”
“Ugh, gah… I think we can talk now.”
“Look at you changing your tune so fast. I like it.”
The guy who’d been ordering him around so confidently was unconscious now, so there was no need for Alton to maintain his loyalty.
Gangsters, yakuza, and mafiosi are the sort to pretend they care about loyalty, only to stab you in the back when the time comes.
They preach loyalty and brotherhood because that’s the only kind of idealism they can use to control their underlings. But when there’s a chance to profit, they’re the first to betray you!
That’s the nature of the underworld, no matter what world you’re in.
Alton grinned and said,
“It’s not like they’ll hunt me down for betraying these nobodies. But contrary to what you’re hoping, I’m not the buyer of the kidnapped children, nor am I one of their associates.”
“Ha. Another dead end? Fuck, this is annoying.”
It was good that he’d quickly figured out what I was doing here and answered me, but the information was worthless, so there was no point listening.
I raised my sword in irritation, and Alton hurriedly shouted,
“B-but I can tell you about those guys!”
“What do you know? I’ve already heard what they look like.”
“They’ve left Haysvent!”
─Freeze!
My sword, which I’d been about to bring down, stopped. I’d been planning to smash his head with the pommel, but he must’ve thought I was going to kill him and hastily started talking.
I raised my sword again and asked. The blade, lifted as a warning that he’d die if he mouthed off, gleamed like a guillotine.
“What’s your evidence?”
“I-it’s a reasonable conclusion. If they’re slave traders, there’s no reason for them to be so attached to Haysvent. They’ve already snatched five people, and security has gotten this tight. Why would they stay here?”
“So it’s just your guess, then?”
“I’m a thief who makes a living as a bodyguard and assassin in the underworld. I’ve been in this line of work for over ten years. I have a decent information network in Haysvent, if nowhere else.”
Alton spoke, trembling as the knife stuck in his arm shook with him.
“Most of the merchants who could afford to pay the high prices for illegal slaves had either left Haysvent or had no reason to hire thieves.”
“You checked your contacts and couldn’t find anyone who fit the bill?”
“Exactly. Theodore, lying over there, hired me in case he got thrown away once I’d outlived my usefulness. But the people who said they wanted to buy slaves were foreigners.”
I’d heard that from the bandit leader, too. He’d said the man who’d negotiated on their behalf spoke like a foreigner.
“The foreign illegal traders, or wealthy merchants, all left around the time security tightened. I investigated to protect my own life, so I’m certain of it.”
When he saw I was waiting for him to continue, Alton wrapped up his explanation with those words.
I lowered my sword after hearing him out.
It wasn’t that I believed the bastard, but hadn’t Robert also said the kidnappings had died down? Whether he was lying or not, I didn’t see any more information I could get out of him by threatening him.
I let out a small sigh and smacked Alton on the head.
“Guh.”
─Thump!
Alton, struck on the temple, lost consciousness. I left him there and sheathed my sword.
There was only one useful thing I’d learned tonight.
‘Either the culprit has already left the city… or they aren’t a merchant.’
That might be fairly important information.
‘Because now I’ve narrowed down the suspects in my head.’
In any case, there probably wouldn’t be much point in threatening street thugs or having Fran wander around as bait anymore.
I’d found out by sheer luck, but that was all I’d learned after making a racket in the back alleys for thirty minutes.
‘More importantly, I’m sick of being chased by guards.’
Just then, ─tatatat! I jumped at the sound of footsteps running toward the building.
Shit! Was that the guard squad? But where could I hide?! It was a tiny building, and like any good thug hideout, it didn’t even have windows!
─Bang!
The door opened, and someone rushed inside. It was Fran.
“Wayne!!”
Fran was clever enough to call me by my alias. She smiled in relief when she saw I was unharmed. But I couldn’t smile at the sight of the guards behind her.
I hurriedly deactivated Beast Regression, looking damn startled, and Fran said,
“Ah, it’s okay! I explained the situation to them! I also told them where this guy is!”
“Nyaah! (You should be grateful!)”
The one speaking so smugly was the damn cat that had abandoned me.
That little furball had run off and left me, but it seemed to have tracked me down and brought Fran here. Maybe otherworld cats had strong wild instincts, because they were good at tracking scents, too.
“W-what on earth is going on?! Who are these people?!”
A guard shouted. Shit. They’d found the scene.
“These men were trying to kidnap children from the city. They’re not the main culprits, but they seem to be accomplices.”
“What? Whaaaaat?!”
Seeing how startled the guard was, I decided this was my chance. He was too flustered to think straight, so I quickly asked him,
“I’m truly sorry for causing trouble again. Will you have to come interrogate us later because of this? I’d feel bad if you did……”
“What? N-no. We were the ones who misunderstood, so we should be the ones apologizing. We won’t interrogate you or come looking for you.”
Okay. I’d gotten a clear answer. I casually slung Fran onto my back.
“Understood. Then I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”
“What? N-no, wait! We don’t need to interrogate you, but you should at least explain who these men are……!”
“As I said, you can arrest them! Sorry, but we weren’t trying to make a bigger mess on purpose, so please let it slide! Sorry for all the trouble!”
─Tat-tat-tat!
I carried Fran and ran away. It was obvious that getting caught and questioned would only make things more of a hassle.
The damn cat? It could fend for itself. I’d pay it when I saw it again.
I found a convenient alley, activated Beast Regression in my legs alone, and chanted a spell.
“<Summon Cloud>.”
─Fwoooooosh!!
I jumped and conjured clouds beneath my feet. Beast Regression’s jump, combined with the pressure of a compressed steam jet, let me reach the roof of a nearby two-story building and land there.
─Tap!
I landed on the roof and set Fran down.
“Phew, that was a close one.”
“Nord. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Yeah. I’m totally fine.”
I stroked Fran’s head to reassure her, and we waited until the guards had calmed down.
Maybe it was thanks to the acrobatics practice, but I’d moved with a fair bit of agility and precision in today’s fight.
But to escape this cordon, we had to hide on the roof and spend the whole night there.