~2222 words
Unit 17, Sørlund Street, Cherwood Borough, Backlund
Neatly arranging the books that he had bought earlier in his new study room, Kiyotaka kept himself busy.
After the tiring inauguration of Prometheus Motors, he had decided not to appear inside the showroom too much.
While the costs and profits were something that he needed to take care of himself, things around him were developing at a fast pace, which meant that in the future he would not have enough time to deal with menial things.
There was also the matter of expanding operations and making other models and improving the previous ones which would target the middle-class as well.
'I really need an Accountant and a head of operations. While Leppard is a good mechanic and has a good head over his shoulders, he doesn't have a mind for innovation. I have to focus on other things so I can't always be busy with improving the engine. Hmm... Maybe I should have Leppard put up job posters.'
As he pushed the last book in the bookshelf that extended from the floor to the roof, he took a few steps back and looked at his study room.
It was bigger than the bedroom he had in the previous home he had rented out with a leather chair behind a giant, mahogany table and two other chairs in front of it. There were two brown leather couches as well, facing each other and separated by a glass table that was decorated with gems.
Of course, the gems were all fake, however, it did give a lavish look.
As he settled down in his seat behind the mahogany table, his eyes fell on the hunchback who was sitting excitedly in the seat opposite to him and was swiping his hand over the smooth surface of the table.
Picking up the newspaper, Kiyotaka looked at it. The headlines and a lot of other sub-sections were filled with his and Leppard's face. There were also pictures of him and Count Hall going into a private room, followed by a beautiful girl.
—!CROWN JEWEL OF BACKLUND VISITS PROMETHEUS MOTORS!—
'Victorian paparazzi huh? I am surprised Count Hall did not interfere before it got released. But then again, I suppose he does want to appear superior to a lot of his peers.'
Looking over the newspaper, Kiyotaka gestured towards the bottle.
"Pour yourself a drink."
"Thank you... yes, thank you so much." Mal scrambled up and began to pour some whiskey in a glass and then respectfully pushed it towards Kiyotaka before doing it for himself as well.
Once he was done reading the newspaper, Kiyotaka put it down and folded it neatly.
"Do you have anything new?"
Mal took a sip and suppressed a delighted moan. Wiping his lips, he replied: "For the past 2 days, we have been following the people who simply visited and frequented in Capim's villa. There are many low-ranking nobles and even renowned ones as well. The reason, well, heh-heh, you can guess, is to engage in activities with the girls—immoral ones."
"That much is already clear."
"Yes, of course, yes... However, there are some other troubling discoveries that I made as well."
Kiyotaka took a sip from the glass and nodded. "Continue."
"The abducted girls are not just from Backlund, but they come from all over the Loen Kingdom. Not just Loen Kingdom but also the colonial islands. It seems like one of the Pirate Admirals is involved in this whole fiasco. He or she is the main source and then they hand over the abducted to Crazy Captain Connors Victor.
Then, with him, they complete the last mile. Once they are in Loen, they are transferred via different intermediaries before finally arriving at Capim. However, there is something even more strange."
"Which is?"
"The members of MI9 who are protecting Capim, they don't have involvement in the disappearance of people and turning them into slaves. It would appear as if they are doing it on someone else's behalf."
"As in?"
"The only ones above MI9 are the Royal Family or... The churches."
Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes. "It's not the work of churches."
Mal seemed to say something but went silent. "Of course, Sir. You know better."
'This does align with ritual. Of course he needs a lot of slaves to secretly build 'those' things. This means that the emperor of Loen is already a Sequence 1. Everything makes sense. But if he really is successful, then the empty spot would be captured.
This is not good. Hmm... I really need to make some preparations.
After all, this much has been cleared to me—peaceful life is impossible.
Peace is an illusion. It's a struggle against our very own nature.
Peace, is akin to skin, that we stretch over the bone, muscle and sinew of our own innate savagery.
Instinct of violence curls inside us all, to varying degrees, curling like a parasite, waiting to feed on our own innate desires and multiply and burst out of us.
In a world where once is surrounded by savagery, the only salvation one can gain is by being one.
And hence, I can absolutely not allow anyone to take what's mine.'
*****
After Mal debriefed Kiyotaka about Capim's helpers and left in the same inscrutable manner as always, he began to make a mental map.
According to Mal, Capim did not seem to be a Beyonder himself, but had around 4 Beyonders at his service, or for his protection. There were other Beyonders who came and went, but four of them were always consistent.
The first one was called Parker and he was a Sequence 8: Sheriff of the Arbiter Pathway.
The second and third ones were called Belize and Katy, both of which were Sequence 7: Interrogator from the Arbiter Pathway.
The last one of them, and the most powerful and troublesome one was Harras, who was a Sequence 6: Judge of the Arbiter Pathway.
Mal also provided varying degrees of information on their abilities, however, it wasn't enough for Kiyotaka to make a concrete plan.
If the cohort did not consist of Harras, Kiyotaka was quite confident that he could take out the others once he was done preparing for it.
However, with the presence of a Sequence 6: Judge who was able to "Prohibit" certain actions, it was going to be a problem.
That was because of one simple reason. Kiyotaka relied heavily on using Mystical Items to stand on equal footing with Beyonders who were above him in Sequence levels. A simple prohibition on Mystical Items would instantly strip him naked.
And given how physically strong the Arbiter Pathway was, Kiyotaka was unsure if he could do anything at all. Besides, his current abilities, excluding the Mystical Items, were sweet talking and hard punching—if we reduced them down to simpler terms.
'Sherlock is definitely going to help too. One of the methods we can adopt is attack by using our spirit bodies. However, the "Punishment" that a Judge can inflict would affect even spirit bodies. So that is not a good idea.
Hmm... Although I might be able to use my identity as a new "rich person" to pretend to indulge in strange things and get close to Capim. However, for that, I need to be at least a Sequence 7. And for that, I would need at least one more performance as a Barbarian.'
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard a knock on the door of his study.
"Come in." Kiyotaka called out as a girl walked inside.
She had light hair, sitting somewhere between brown and blonde and had long, double-lidded brown eyes.
The girl was wearing a plain charcoal-grey dress with a starched white apron tied neatly around her waist. The high collar concealed her neck while the long skirt brushed against her ankles with each step she took inside.
Her dirty-blonde hair had been gathered into a tight and tidy bun, leaving not a single loose strand visible.
The girl—Freya, Liv's elder daughter and Daisy's older sister—was standing in the door frame, holding a tray full of fruits and milk. She took wary steps in Kiyotaka's direction, as wary as ever, and then hurriedly stepped back.
Kiyotaka watched her with a somewhat amused look. It was always interesting for Kiyotaka to watch people act in strange ways. Little mannerisms were a tell-tale of a lot of other things.
From what he could tell, it seemed like her mother and to a degree, herself, had been taken advantage of before, and that too, by someone that was close to them.
And while her mother seemed to have let go of it, the experience had definitely scarred her.
Kiyotaka adjusted the tray in front of himself and picked up his knife. Slowly working his knife through the flesh of the apple, he kept his eyes at her.
Freya's long eyes glanced nervously at him and then down at her feet, as if fully ready to hear a strange demand from the man who had been overly generous to her mother and her little sister.
"Where is your mother?"
Freya did not let her voice falter, and no matter how shaken she was, there was strange vigor in her voice. "She is cleaning your room... Sir."
"And Ada?"
"Watering the plants in the lawn..."
"I see." Kiyotaka nodded his head and then looked down. The sharp knife was pressed hard against his thumb, however, instead of a cut, there was nothing. His Barbarian physique was more or less safe from most slashing moves.
Looking at the girl from head to toe, he added. "Is the dress comfortable?"
Freya looked up and answered confidently. "Yes. Thank you for the dress."
"Did you and your mother eat?"
"No, Sir."
"Alright. You can do dinner after you make it. Just leave out a portion for me in the dining room and cover it. I might come home late tonight."
Freya glanced at him and tightened her arms in front of her. "As you say, Sir...umm..."
Before she could say anything, Kiyotaka placed the naked, peeled apple down and picked up the ribboned, apple-flesh before eating it at once. The act made Freya frown a little, however, she was sure to not let it show for more than a beat.
"The detective will definitely find Daisy, so do not worry so much." Kiyotaka answered Freya's unasked question.
Pursing her lips, Freya bowed her head and left, closing the door behind herself.
As soon as she was gone, Kiyotaka began eating the naked apple and then ate all of the other fruits before gulping down an entire liter of milk.
"Hmm. This city needs some good chocolates." He murmured to himself before putting on his cap and long-jacket and left his new house.
He had a certain destination already in mind.
*****
Watching the blonde man leave, Freya stood beside the table for a while.
The entire house was quiet, save for the only sound of crackling fireplace, the occasional pop of burning wood, and the sound of Liv and Ada chattering outside in the lawn, praising the blonde man in high regards.
Her eyes drifted over the table.
There was bread—fresh bread, jars of jam, butter, cuts of beef and mutton, and even a bottle of alcohol sitting near the center.
For a moment, Freya simply stared at everything. Then she slowly pulled out a chair and sat down.
She picked up a piece of bread and took a bite.
The bread was soft enough that it almost fell apart in her mouth.
Freya chewed mechanically with her eyes plastered over, her eyes seemingly devoid of any thought.
Somewhere along the way, her throat tightened. She quickly reached for a glass and poured herself some water before washing the bread down.
Lowering the glass, she looked at her own reflection in the clear surface of the water.
The fireplace was warm. The room was warm. There was food on the table and nobody was shouting at her nor was anybody threatening her.
For the first time in forever... Nobody was trying to throw her out into the street or pass vile remarks to her.
It should have made her happy, however, instead, her vision gradually blurred. How could she stay normal when Daisy had not eaten at this table, not sat in front of this fireplace.
She didn't even know where Daisy was... if she even was alive at this point.
Perhaps she was cold or hungry.
Perhaps Daisy was crying for her and their mother right now.
Freya lowered her head and pressed a hand against her mouth.
Her shoulders began to shake as the trembling started to spread through her entire body.
She slid off the chair and onto the floor before hugging her knees to her chest. The warmth around her only made it worse, because every small comfort she felt was another reminder that Daisy was somewhere else, all alone and scared to death.
"Please..."Her voice cracked. "Please... Save Daisy..." She sniffled. "...I'd do anything."
Freya squeezed her eyes shut. The last memory she had of Daisy surfaced in her mind once more where the little girl had been smiling at her.
Smiling.
She had tagged along with her because Daisy trusted her older sister, believing that her older sister would always protect her.
Another sob escaped Freya.
"It's all my fault..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"It's all my fault..."
She lowered her forehead onto her knees and wept.
"I'm sorry, Daisy..."