'I seriously don't know what to think,' Othello thought to himself as he looked down from his position in the crown of one of the short trees in the forest.
Below him was a fairly long caravan consisting of six carriages. Several armed, able-bodied men dressed in red uniforms guarded each side of the carriage, ensuring that no alien movement would be able to hide from their vision.
Of course, no one would have thought of any spying from above.
At the moment, the caravan was on a temporary halt. A couple of 'guards' were forcing a young lady into the caravan, and the sharp scream he heard was probably from her.
'Hm?' Othello's eyes narrowed. 'The crest on the left chest of those uniforms looks familiar...
The memory he was trying to search for promptly appeared, clear and vivid as day.
'Isn't that the crest of the Ashbound Barony? What are such high-profile guards doing here?'
There wasn't anything particularly interesting to him so he planned on taking his leave, but he was a bit curious about what they wanted to do with the girl.
His gaze shifted to the caravan, waiting for the guards to finish capturing the girl. It didn't take long before the unfortunate girl was gagged and taken to one of the carriages.
When the carriage door was open, Othello was presented with a sight that made the coldness in his eyes deepen.
Rows of bound children lay in the carriage, their faces pale and their bodies trembling from fear. His sharp senses could pick up the incoherent muttering coming from the carriage and could feel a particularly gloomy aura coming out of it.
He frowned slightly.
'Could it be that the Baron is involved in human trafficking? What a stain.'
He turned around and left the tree. He had the desire to save the children, but his rational side knew he would die if he took action. The swords on the waists of the men were not simply decorations.
Othello left silently, his actions soundless and seamless like those of an experienced thief. It had to be said that no matter the corruption and side effects the power he had now brought him, there was a slight sense of satisfaction in him.
After creating a reasonable distance from the caravan, he landed and started to walk towards the slums in his memory. He didn't want to enter civilization naked, so he decided to slow down his pace and walk leisurely.
He emptied his thoughts and closed his eyes, observing the world through his other senses.
It was an indescribable feeling.
He couldn't see with his eyes, but his sense of direction wasn't lost. He could feel the movement of the wind and his resistance against it, his ears did more than simply keep him balanced; they even confirmed his direction through constant subtle pulses that erupted from fixed points.
In that moment, Othello felt superhuman.
It was also in this state that he felt his surroundings' peace get disturbed. Two pairs of heavy footsteps sent pulses that his ears picked up.
'Heavy and spaced apart. Which means they are both men... quite able-bodied ones.' He was about to avoid them when the two footsteps suddenly hastened in his direction.
'They seem to have noticed me. Well then, I'll just wait for them. They should have clothes I can use.'
His nakedness made him uncomfortable, but it was something he couldn't find enough emotional strength to fuss over. So, he calmly opened his eyes.
Then his gaze became a little strange.
"Boy, are you lost?" A big, bald man with a scarred face, bulging muscles, and rough palms asked Othello with a voice so gentle that it could pass as a lullaby.
He would have come across as a gentle soul if he hadn't sneaked too many glances at his crotch.
Othello gave him a weird look and remained silent, pondering how to get out of the strange situation he found himself in. The second guy was already standing behind him, ogling his behind with a perverted smirk.
A plan formed in his mind rapidly.
'Meeting a pair like this has to be some luck. There's nothing I can do now, so I guess I'll have to wait for one of them to get closer to me before I implement it...'
The words of the man before him had long been filtered as background noise.
He could see that they thought nothing of him. He was the picture-perfect dainty young noble who got robbed clean by marauders.
'In short, fat meat for people with their sexual orientation.'
Othello's thoughts ran mildly as he looked at the smiling bald man before him who was reaching out to touch his shoulder.
The moment the rough palm touched his shoulder, his body twisted unnaturally, sliding under the palm and delivering a devastating kick to the other's groin.
His plan was quite simple:
He would first incapacitate the man in front of him while running away. His new body would enable his plan to work without any mishaps but...
He might have looked over the fact that his body was by no means normal. The moment his shin hit the bald man, he felt it go through a particularly soft material before a hard one, followed by a crazed scream.
Othello's eyes flashed with surprise, but it didn't hinder his movement in the slightest. The moment his foot touched the ground, he shot out towards the nearest tree, scaling it with unprecedented agility.
In a moment, he disappeared, leaving only the wailing man and his counterpart.
---
In another part of the forest, the guards accompanying a caravan suddenly turned their heads towards the sudden scream.
Without a word, one of them suddenly shot towards the sound.