The skinny man's breathing turned ragged.
Tears smeared across his dirty cheeks as he wiped his face with his broken arms—each movement making him wince harder.
Raizen stayed silent.
Cold.
Still.
Waiting.
"Continue," he said softly.
The softness made it more terrifying than a shout.
The skinny man flinched.
His head dropped lower, voice trembling like a dying candle.
"W-we… we tormented you every day…"
Raizen didn't blink.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even breathe heavily.
Just waited.
The man continued, voice shaking:
"W-we were at the market that day…
A-and when you tried to stop us from harassing her…
the vice commander beat you in front of her…"
Raizen's eyes sharpened.
The man swallowed and kept going.
"T-then he tried to… do improper things to her…"
Raizen's jaw tightened.
"You… begged him.
Y-you grabbed his leg and begged him to leave her alone.
He dragged you across the ground while you clung to him… and again… you begged…"
The man stopped, shaking.
Raizen didn't react emotionally, only asked:
"Did the vice commander stop?"
The man hesitated.
"Y-yes… when y-you bite his leg…"
Raizen's voice dropped.
"Her dad was there too?"
The skinny man nodded quickly.
"Y-yes…"
For a moment, Raizen's anger exploded so fast his body trembled.
His shoulders tensed, veins popping along his arm.
His eyes burned.
But he forced himself to stop.
He lowered his head slightly, breathing out slowly.
Inside, Dev whispered:
I don't know how much you suffered, Raizen…
But don't worry.
I will take revenge.
David, behind him, clenched his jaw so hard veins stood out across his neck.
If Raizen had given even one order, David would've gladly turned the skinny man into minced meat.
Raizen continued:
"Does she… love me back?"
The skinny man paused.
Then answered honestly:
"I-I think so.
B-because even when everyone looked down on you…
she didn't.
She's the only one who treated you like a human…"
Raizen slowly lifted his gaze.
Clouds had drifted over the sun, darkening the sky.
A drop of rain hit his hand.
He raised his palm, letting another fall into it.
At least… he had someone who loved him before he died.
It was bittersweet.
He looked back at the man.
"Did you do anything to her dad?"
This time the answer came fast.
"N-no! We didn't! We never touched him!"
Raizen nodded slightly.
"Then next question…
Did you harass her every day because I loved her?
Or was there more to it?"
The skinny man froze.
His body language screamed he didn't want to answer.
Raizen sighed.
"I didn't want to be cruel…
but you're not a good person anyway."
He looked to David.
"Break his leg."
The skinny man's soul left his body.
"N-no, p-please— I—"
He couldn't finish.
David moved instantly—almost happily.
CRACK!!
The man screamed as his leg twisted at a sickening angle, bone nearly piercing the skin.
He collapsed to the dirt like trash.
Raizen didn't even need to ask again.
The skinny man answered immediately, voice dying:
"Y-yes… t-there was more…
I-I think the vice commander… had his eyes on her…"
Raizen's expression changed completely.
His face twisted with real anger.
His teeth clenched.
Hands trembling slightly.
"That bastard…"
His voice dripped with venom.
"Did he… or anyone… do something to her?"
Everyone already knew what "something" meant.
The skinny man shook his head violently.
"N-no! He didn't!
The vice commander said…
'there is no fun in forcing.'
S-so we only harassed her… we didn't—"
"Only harassed her?" Raizen growled.
His face twisted and he kicked the man in the stomach.
THUD!!
"UGH—!!"
Pain shot through Raizen's leg.
He winced, grabbing his thigh.
Ah… what a weak body… damn.
He breathed through the pain.
Just then, the two knights he had sent earlier returned.
They carried items in both hands.
One held an old-style iron safe.
The other held three swords and a bow — worn but far better than the cheap equipment the knights currently had.
They placed everything in front of Raizen.
"My lord, this is everything we found."
One knight handed over a small leather pouch.
"This is all the money we recovered, my lord."
Raizen opened it.
Inside were 100 silver coins
and something far more interesting—
A spatial ring.
Raizen blinked.
100 silver? I don't know the value here…
but this ring…but I do know spatial rings are rare and valuable.
Before he could think further—
A panel appeared.
[ Touch the item you want to store and think of storing it.
To retrieve it, think of pulling it out. ]
Raizen exhaled sharply.
"Oh… it's you."
He did as the system instructed.
He touched the bow and thought about storing it—
—The bow vanished instantly.
He thought of pulling it out—
It appeared in his hand again.
Raizen's eyes widened.
He admired the ring, turning his hand slowly, a fascinated smile on his lips.
The knights watched in awe.
Raizen put the pouch away and pointed at the swords.
"Take the new swords."
David and the knights looked excited — their faces brightening slightly as they gripped the better weapons.
Raizen pointed at the bow.
"You guys know how to use bows?"
They instantly bowed, voices shaking:
"N-no, my lord! We are incompetent! We failed to even—"
"Okay, okay," Raizen waved his hand. "Stop. It's fine."
Finally, he looked at the safe.
The knights said:
"My lord, this one is locked.
We tried to break it… but couldn't even scratch it."
Raizen glanced at the skinny man—
But he was unconscious.
"Tch. I wanted to ask him how to open it."
Then—
A panel flashed before his eyes.
[1 hour 30 minutes left until Fifth Wave]
Raizen's expression hardened.
Time was running out.
Raizen's eyes hardened as he looked at the unconscious skinny man.
"David," Raizen said sharply, "tie him up.
Or if he resists—even a little—break his last limb."
He added coldly:
"And lock him inside my room.
Tie his mouth too.
I still have many things I want to ask him later."
David didn't hesitate.
"Yes, my lord."
He dragged the skinny man by the collar like he was dragging garbage.
The man briefly regained consciousness and tried to struggle—
CRACK.
David broke the last limb without emotion.
The scream never escaped—the cloth tied around the man's mouth muffled it.
They threw him inside Raizen's tiny room and locked the door.
David returned, fists still clenched from anger.
He touched the bow and the safe and thought of storing it.
The bow and the safe vanished into the spatial ring.
His eyes then shifted to the sword he had taken from his tiny room earlier—
the one he had carefully placed against the stone wall beside the well.
He picked it up again, feeling the familiar weight in his hand.
"Let's store this too."
The sword shimmered—
—and disappeared into the spatial ring.
Raizen's fingers curled slightly, impressed despite himself.
Now with his weapons secured, he turned toward the hallway.
"Let's go," Raizen said.
"We only have one hour and thirty minutes.
I need to look around the town…
find anything that might be useful for the battle."
David and the two knights followed immediately.