Raizen watched as the girl walked straight toward him.
Her blue eyes locked onto him with intensity.
Is she… coming toward me?
Does she know me too?
She stopped right in front of the table where Raizen and the old man were sitting, their conversation still hanging in the air.
Her expression changed instantly—
Her face twisted in anger.
Her eyes overflowed with hatred and disgust the moment she saw Raizen.
Then she shouted loud enough for the entire tavern to hear:
"Father, what are you doing here with him!?
With this fool—
the person who made our life hell!?"
Before Raizen could react, the girl grabbed the old man's arm protectively.
"Let's go, Dad.
It's your medicine time."
Her grip wasn't rough—
It was tight because she cared for him.
She hated Raizen but loved her father too much to let him sit with someone she despised.
Raizen didn't respond to her insults.
He simply watched quietly.
I got that people didn't like me…
But this girl's hatred is… different.
More personal.
And what did she mean by 'the one who destroyed our life'?
Did the original Raizen do something terrible?
The old man tried to speak—
"Wait—just a moment—"
But his daughter didn't let him.
She gently but firmly pulled him away, refusing to let him stay near Raizen.
Raizen's shoulders slumped slightly.
He watched them leave, disappointment showing clearly in his posture.
Damn…
I still had so much to ask him.
Just before fully stepping outside, the old man looked back at Raizen and said:
"Go to the left side after leaving the tavern…
You'll find where you live.
Your room is the smallest one at the back."
His daughter froze for a second—
Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion and anger mixing in her expression.
She whispered sharply:
"Why are you telling him where he lives…?"
But she didn't argue further.
The girl tightened her grip on her father's hand, turned away, and led him out of the tavern.
The door closed behind them.
Leaving Raizen alone with more questions than answers.
Raizen slowly stood up from his seat, stretching his back.
"Ah… this is making me tired."
His body language showed exhaustion—and irritation.
He turned to his knights.
"Let's go."
"Yes, my lord."
The knights followed close behind as Raizen stepped out of the tavern.
He went left, exactly as the old man instructed.
After a few minutes of walking through quiet streets, Raizen stopped in front of a worn-out wooden building.
A sign hung loosely above the entrance:
"STAYING AREA FOR WARRIORS"
As he stared at the signboard, the building's main door swung open.
A skinny man walked out.
The moment he saw Raizen, his expression instantly twisted into a cocky, mocking smirk.
"Oh, you finally came.
Now go clean the whole building—every room.
And scrub the toilets too before the vice commander and his subordinate arrive."
He looked around.
"And where's that lazy fat bastard I sent to call you!?"
Raizen kept his posture calm.
"…You know me?"
The skinny guy looked confused for a second.
"What!?"
Then his face twisted like a goblin—sharp, ugly grin spreading across his lips.
"Of course I know you.
The most useless bastard in the world.
The weakest piece of trash I've ever seen."
Raizen's face twitched—anger rising but held back.
His knights behind him all tensed, their expressions changing instantly.
They looked ready to cut the skinny man into a thousand pieces…
But they didn't move.
Because Raizen had ordered them earlier:
Bear it.
Raizen forced himself to remain calm.
"Do I live here?"
The skinny bastard's face twisted in annoyance.
Veins bulged on his neck as he raised his fist.
He swung at Raizen's face—
—but he never made contact.
Because David moved.
Fast.
He caught the man's wrist midair—
—and SNAP!
The skinny man's hand broke instantly.
He didn't even have time to scream before Raizen spoke, his voice cold:
"David. Cover his mouth. Drag him inside."
David clamped a hand over the man's mouth and hauled him into the building like a sack of trash.
Raizen turned to the other knights.
"Three of you—close the main door. Don't let anyone enter.
The other two—come with me."
"Yes, my lord!"
Once inside, a narrow hallway stretched into the building.
Raizen motioned.
"Let go of his mouth."
The moment David removed his hand—
AAAAAAAAHHHH—!!
The man's scream exploded down the hallway, echoing everywhere.
But Raizen's expression didn't change.
"You bastard—!"
Before he could finish, Raizen gave another command:
"David. Break the other hand."
CRACK!
The skinny man collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down both cheeks, sweat dripping from his chin.
Raizen's voice was sharp as a blade:
"If you scream again… your legs are next."
The man froze.
He clamped his mouth shut so hard his lips started bleeding.
He trembled violently, biting down to hold the scream inside.
His blurred eyes slowly lifted…
Raizen stood before him—
cold, expressionless, towering above him like a different being entirely.
This didn't feel like the Raizen he knew.
This felt like someone else.
Someone dangerous.
The skinny man's voice shook uncontrollably.
"A-are… are you really… Raizen…?"
Raizen stared down at the trembling man.
"Yes, I am Raizen… but a better one."
He stepped closer, his shadow falling over the skinny man's broken body.
"But that's not important right now."
"Let me ask you something…
If you screamed that loudly, why did no one come?
Is there no one else in this building?"
The skinny man's body stiffened.
His eyes darted left and right.
His lips trembled.
He didn't answer.
He didn't want to answer.
Raizen's irritation showed clearly—
his jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed, and he clicked his tongue sharply.
"Tsk."
He crouched slightly, voice dropping into a cold threat.
"Listen carefully."
"If you don't answer within ten seconds… you die."
"And if you lie… you die."
"Do you understand?"
The skinny man swallowed hard.
Then in a tiny, broken voice—
"Y-yes…"
Raizen tilted his head mockingly.
"Hm? What did you say?
I didn't hear anything."
The man trembled harder, his voice shaking as he forced himself to speak louder:
"Y-yes…"
Raizen snapped his fingers.
"No, no… say it louder."
"Say it like you mean it."
"Say it from your heart."
Then he gave a gesture.
David stepped forward, pressing the flat of his sword against the skinny man's neck.
The blade touched skin.
"If I don't feel sincerity in his 'yes,'"
Raizen said calmly,
"cut his head off."
David nodded.
"Yes, my lord."
Raizen smirked slightly.
"Alright.
Try again."
The skinny man felt everything collapse around him.
He could barely breathe.
His entire body shook violently—
shoulders jerking, fingers twitching, knees knocking together.
Tears streamed down his dirty cheeks.
He looked toward the hallway, praying someone would come.
Someone.
Anyone.
But he knew the truth now.
No one was here.
No one was coming.
He had messed up.
Completely.
He was staring death in the face.
Raizen leaned forward, eyes sharp and cruel.
A devil's grin crept onto his lips.
"Hurry up.
I don't have much patience."
The skinny man gathered the last of his strength—
the last of his will—
and from the deepest part of his fear-filled chest…
He screamed:
"YES!!!"
The word echoed through the building—
filled with fear, desperation, and complete surrender.