Meanwhile.
In the carriage, Hajime had begun to move his whole body on command. However, he still couldn't see clearly. And the moment he pushed himself to stand, he felt the chain tied to him.
...Huh, am I tied to a chain? He wondered with curiosity.
To confirm the situation, he slowly grabbed the chain and pulled it, but the moment he did so, he heard a small moan coming from in front of him.
"Hm? What was that?"
Is somebody else in here? No, that can't be the case, if there were, I could feel or sense them, at least, but it's so quiet, too quiet in fact.
Anyhow, I got to untie myself.
Though his hands were still numb, he wrapped them around the chain even more tightly and pulled it again with some muscle. As soon as that happened, it was as if he were dragging something heavy towards himself.
"What?"
He stopped and wondered if the chain was also tied to something else, like a big rock, but why would he be tied to a rock?
"Damn it, if I could only see."
Suddenly, he heard a faint voice coming from the other side of the chain. "...Please... Stop. It..."
He dropped the chain, confused.
In front of him were four people sitting side by side. Though they were bound to the same chain that was tied to him.
They wore dirty clothes, and their hair was a mess.
"Who's there?" Hajime asked, hoping for an answer, but they all kept quiet.
Huh, did I imagine the voice? No, there gotta be someone else here... But how am I going to make them show themselves?
...That's it!
"Who are you?" He asked softly, trying to sound friendly.
One of them just glanced at him with a scared expression, but then, a second later, turned her face away without uttering a word.
The silence continued, and Hajime tired of waiting for a reply he wasn't going to get; he grabbed the chain again and pulled it with most of the strength he had left.
"Ugh..." The girl who was glancing at him a moment ago gasped, startled, tumbling back-first towards Hajime and fell on his chest, unbalanced. The others were surprised; their faces paled with confusion and disbelief.
Hajime, equally surprised, let the chain slip from his fingers and froze, his eyes locked forward, as if he was now able to see clearly.
In that instant, the numbness in his hands went on a vacation. Replaced by a jolt of electricity surging through his body. Mist began to rise from his skin as his wounds and scratches immediately began sealing themselves. His vision sharpened slightly, though flickers of distortion still lingered at the edges.
"Huh?" He breathed, the word escaping his lips at the same time as the girl.
The girl still placed against his chest, he glanced down, staring at her, her eyes wide and locked onto his, as if trying to make sense of what had just happened. Though, a second later, she looked away, avoiding his gaze. Hajime backed away until his hand brushed against the cold wall of the carriage. This was the first time something like that had ever happened to him.
"So, sorry," he said quietly, glancing at the girl. "I didn't know that you were on the other side of the chain."
The girl said nothing. Silent and shivering, she turned slightly away. One by one, the others shifted their gaze to Hajime and then down to the chain still fastened around his leg. And then, without warning, the carriage came to a halt.
"Good day, sir." A man's voice came from the other side of the carriage. It sounded like the same guard who'd been holding onto the necklace of the archer who blew up into oblivion.
"Good day to you, too," Gorthok responded.
"You are leaving already?"
"Yes," Gorthok said, then paused. His gaze shifted to the blood smeared on the gate wall. "But may I ask... What exactly happened here?" His eyes narrowed as he spotted a bag he handed to the archer earlier.
"Oh... About that." The guard said, then added, "It's a long story."
"Is that so?" Gorthok replied, his voice unreadable.
"Yes. But you needed worry, it wasn't anyone from a noble household."
Gorthok's gaze didn't waver. "Oh, but that bag look similar to mine that went missing an hour ago. Pass it to me." He said, his eyes fixed on it.
The guard turned, following Gorthok's gaze. His eyes landed on the bag. He looked back at Gorthok, confusion etched across his face. But he kept his lips sealed.
"Your bag? Now that I think of it, that symbol on it, looks like your family crest." The guard muttered.
"Anything wrong?" Gorthok asked, his voice calm but firm.
"No, sir."
The guard turned toward the bag. "How problematic this is?" Gorthok muttered under his breath.
◊◊◊◊
Moments later, the guard returned with the bag. Without another word, immediately, Gorthok was on his way out of the town, and all the guards who were on the gate saluted, giving way to his carriage, without inspection.
After they had left the town, they started heading west of it, where it looked like there was a big city in the distance that they were traveling toward. But they weren't going that way, because that city was located southwest of the town.
"Does any of you know where we're headed?" Inside the carriage, Hajime asked as they were carried by the motion of the carriage. But still, no one replied to him; they all looked like they were on their way to die.
...Again, what, and where are we even going? He let out a deep breath as he wondered, while looking at everyone with his crimson eyes... But even though he was able to tell that there was this and that in front of him, he wasn't fully able to see the details.
***
Later, the carriage stopped again. But the moment it came to a stop, everything had become silent. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard.
Strange? I wonder why we're stopping? Hajime wondered, facing the front of the carriage.
Suddenly, the rear exit of the carriage opened. And the one who appeared upon it was Gorthok and seven maids. But what was strange was that they were all wearing blind folds.
"Evening, everyone. Welcome to your new home." With a smile, Gorthok showed Hajime and the others the exit.
"Huh?" Surprised, Hajime uttered under his breath.
Everyone else looked at Gorthok. With slight hesitation, they started to move out of the carriage one by one. Except for Hajime and the girl he was tied to.
Hajime glanced at the girl, and the girl glanced back at him. He knew that if he didn't move, then the girl and he would be stuck together in the carriage until they were forced out.
This should be fun.
Hajime slowly stood up straight as he began to head toward the exit, and the girl followed his step. The moment they got out, Hajime couldn't believe what he was looking at. From the right side of the carriage, there stood a huge mansion, the size of a battle arena, and its face was covered by different colored flowers. Gorthok suddenly vanished without anyone noticing him.
Some of the maids started walking together with the people who were with Hajime in the carriage. Two maids were still behind, waiting for them to start moving.
Hajime turned, looking at one of the maids still behind. The moment his eyes landed on her, she smiled. Her friend's expression remained blank, but then she said, "Let us be on our way." Her voice was also emotionless.
On our way, where?