~2414 words
After a quick supper, a man wearing a grayish-black cap and a thick cotton coat cautiously left from the back door of Capim's villa. He walked all the way to a crossroad and got into a rental carriage.
"East Borough." He touched the dark red birthmark on his face and instructed the carriage driver.
The carriage began to move, and the man looked out of the window with a bored expression, admiring the beautiful ladies and young ladies on the streets.
"If only we could kidnap them..." The man let his imagination run wild as he revealed a regretful expression. However, before the thought could fully form in his mind, the hooves of the horse pulling the carriage suddenly pounded hard against the uneven road.
Before the man could look out, a bony hand fashioned in rags broke through the window of the carriage's door and then gripped at the hinge before suddenly tearing it off from its support.
The man was about to reach out for the revolver that was in his armpit-holster, however, the carriage driver suddenly turned back and pointed his own revolver at him. At the same time, the sounds of several guns' hammers cocking reached his ears.
In an instant, more than 10 loaded revolvers were pointed at him.
The man who had pulled the door off its hinges earlier smirked maliciously and looked up. His eyes were pale golden and his thick, crooked nose made him look especially hideous.
With a speed that fully blinded the man in the carriage, Mal punched his nose so hard that a huge splatter of blood flew everywhere and his nose turned into a mangled mess of flesh and bone.
As Mal and the other goons of Zmanger Gang saw the man lose consciousness after a single punch, they let out groans of dissatisfaction.
"Come on boss, why'd you have to kill him so quickly? Didn't Big Boss say he needed the guy alive anyways? Should've at least let us play a little with the piece of shit!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
Mal smacked the guy's —the one that spoke first — head, causing him to buckle to his knees. Stars began to appear in his eyes as his head throbbed, even after the gentle slap.
"Do not give Sir nicknames as if he's your pal. Call him Sir, yes, yes, Sir, he's our Sir. He is the reason why we are who we are." Mal spoke fervently.
"Boss has lost it again..." One of the goons whispered.
Turning back to the driver who was fuming, Mal shook his head, as if asking him what happened.
"You could've pulled him out! Why break my door!"
Not saying anything, Mal took out a single piece of bank-note, crumpled it into a ball and threw it at the driver's face. The driver caught and flattened it out and all arguments and anger suddenly died out.
Tipping his hat, he simply left after Zmanger Gang's goons dragged the man's unconscious body into a dark corner.
*****
In the boundless space above the Grey Fog, the crimson star representing Justice began to glow, as illusory murmurs carrying her prayers filled the empty space.
Her prayers were simple as they rang out, however, Klein, who was busy with something else, did not have the time to listen to them at the moment.
"Honorable Mr. Fool, I would like to send an urgent commission to any member of the Tarot Club that is willing to accept it. I wish to collect information on a man named Williams J. Holmes. He is the owner of Prometheus Motors and Janus Engines and is currently living in Backlund.
His physical descriptions are: blonde hair, blue eyes, above-average height and somewhat long-face. He is balding at his temples which he hides by parting his hair in the middle and forming bangs.
The reward for the commission would be £500 but if doing so is dangerous, it can be increased."
*****
The man that had been abducted by the Zmanger Gang suddenly woke up with a violent gasp as pain immediately shot through his face from his broken nose.
His nose had long since stopped bleeding, but even now, every breath still felt crooked and hot, burning his lungs.
He tried to move but the chains bound to his entire body rattled and held him in place.
Panicked, he looked around, only to find that he was bound to a chair in some basement, with the only source of light being a gas lamp hanging from the middle of the roof.
Sitting directly opposite him was a blonde man with his neck bent down, apparently reading some book and standing right beside him, like a grim reaper, was a hunched man with a thick, crooked nose.
As soon as the chained man saw them, he immediately began struggling. "You fucking bastards! Release me right now! Do you know who I work for?!"
Mal's hands clenched into fists but Kiyotaka looked up from his book and shook his head without looking at Mal, instantly calming him. "No. I am hoping you would enlighten me."
The man blinked. "No? You don't know? Bastard, you have no idea who you have messed with!"
"Well, I might be ignorant about your original employer, but I do know who pays you." Kiyotaka closed the book. "Truth be told, I do not particularly care who you work for."
The man spat blood onto the floor. "You are dead, you fucking bastard!"
"Not yet, but eventually yes. That's the fate of every single person, no?" Kiyotaka crossed one leg over the other. "But before that happens, I have a question."
The man let out a bloody laugh. "A question?"
"Yes."
The chained man sneered, sinking back into the uncomfortable seat. "Go to hell."
Kiyotaka nodded. "Perhaps. Later." Leaning forward, he parted his lips. "You purchased girls. Young girls, from your employer. The ones that were too young to be sold elsewhere."
The man's expression darkened, as if realizing something. "So what?"
Kiyotaka tilted his head. "That is the part I do not understand."
"What?"
"You are a reasonably wealthy man." The chained man stared at him with confusion. He could not understand the direction of the conversation. "You could purchase the services of grown women. I mean, they are physically more developed, are more experienced and are more attractive by conventional standards."
The chained man frowned. "What's your point?"
"My point is that I do not understand the preference." The captive looked at him as though he were insane as Kiyotaka continued. "If the objective is purely sexual gratification, your choices appear irrational. The pleasure that a grown woman can provide cannot be compared to young ones. Then why?"
Kiyotaka looked genuinely intrigued, having had experience in the field with two different age groups that spanned over two lifetimes.
The man barked out a laugh. "You kidnapped me to ask that?"
"No." Kiyotaka's voice remained calm. "I kidnapped you because I require information on the girls that you and your friends kidnapped for Capim." His pale blue eyes settled on the captive. "The current question is merely a personal curiosity."
The man stared as slowly a grin appeared. "You're sick."
Kiyotaka pondered over it. "Possibly."
The grin widened. "You want to know why?"
"Yes, that is why we are having this conversation."
The man leaned back. "Because I can."
Kiyotaka remained silent as the captive gave a delirious laugh. "They're weak and their cries, oh, they're so delightful. They beg too, you know. It's just so beautiful!"
A long pause followed as Kiyotaka finally nodded. "I see."
The man smirked once more. "You thought it was something complicated?"
"No." Kiyotaka stood, gently putting the book down. "I was hoping it would be, but alas."
The captive's smile suddenly faltered. For the first time since waking up, Kiyotaka looked disappointed. "As it turns out, you're simply pathetic."
The man's face twisted. "What did you say?"
Kiyotaka ignored him, as he was repeating the same set of words over and over again, like an NPC. "You possess money, status and freedom and yet the only people you can dominate are children."
The hush suddenly enveloped the room.
"Interesting."
The captive's eyes turned red as he suddenly lunged forward against his restraints. "You son of a—"
The chair crashed sideways since the chains that bound him were quite tight. Kiyotaka watched him struggle on the floor like an insignificant worm and sighed. "I suppose we can begin discussing Daisy now."
The chained captive's eyes suddenly widened as he saw flames appear on Kiyotaka's hand.
*****
Walking out of the basement, Mal handed Kiyotaka a clean cloth as he wiped his hands.
There was dried blood all over a wooden table which still had the lifeless body of the captive. There were tiny cut marks all over his body which seemed to have been forcefully widened with some kind of surgical tool.
The bones underneath the cuts were totally absent and were instead impaled in the man's half-burnt face. Ten bones that looked like fingers were stabbed inside his eyes, carrying five each, and the other were inserted into other openings of the body.
As Kiyotaka left the basement, he saw Klein leaning against a door. He had a serious look on his face and appeared very solemn.
"All of that was unnecessary. I could've possessed him."
"He had a seal over his spirit body. Any disruptions would've alerted Capim."
Klein huffed. "I could've summoned his spirit in that space. All of this was so unnecessary."
Kiyotaka stared at Klein for a brief moment. "I know."
A beat or two of silence later, he added. "If it makes you feel less remorseful about his death, he loved to prey to underage girls."
Klein stared at him in a dumbfounded manner. 'Since when did he have a sense of righteousness!!?'
Instead of replying, Klein sighed and followed after him. "So, what now? We have the information on all of them. I have cross-verified it via divination. Do you have any plans?"
Instead of replying to his question, Kiyotaka posed a question of his own. "What Sequence are you now?"
Klein felt a little uneasy. "6. You?"
"Congratulations." Kiyotaka nodded before clearing his throat. "Still 8."
"Hmm. Do you have intel on the members inside?"
"I do."
"Right. I have a plan, if you're willing to hear me out." Klein suggested.
"Not here. Let us go somewhere else. Besides, I believe the window of opportunity for us to attack has already disappeared."
Klein looked up where the giant red ball was glowing intensely. "It most definitely has..."
Feeling dejected, Klein and Kiyotaka walked together through the dead of the night, their faces painted red by the crimson moon. Their destination was Kiyotaka's new house.
As they were walking, Klein's eyes fell on Kiyotaka's hand.
"Has your hand still not healed?"
Looking down at his pinky finger that still had a puncture wound in it, Kiyotaka held it up. "No, its fully healed, as you can see."
Klein clicked his tongue. "Damn brat, being so rude to your elders!"
"This body is older than your body."
"But I am older than you."
The two bantered for no reason about their ages until they arrived at their destination.
*****
Cherwood Borough
An illusory door appeared on the side of the actual door as a woman stepped in. She had long brown hair and blue eyes.
"Huh... Fors! Use the normal door!" Currently fully naked, Xio reprimanded her friend who had gotten more bold in her usage of powers.
Fors looked up and down at Xio and a light red color bloomed over her cheeks. Looking away, she cleared her throat multiple times before speaking.
"It was urgent, something really urgent has come up!"
Slipping on her pajamas, Xio shook her head and plopped on her bed. "What is it? I was about to sleep."
"Someone is looking for Williams. Someone rich and powerful and from a dangerous organization. His life might be in danger... maybe Since he is your friend, I thought I would inform you about it." Fors debriefed as Xio's ears perked up.
Turning around, Fors saw Xio wearing velvety black pajamas. She had a complicated look on her face and seemed to be in deep thought.
Fors walked over to her and sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders were touching.
"What happened?" Fors asked, turning her head around. Xio smelled nice, given she had just taken a bath after a long day of chasing criminals.
"Truth be told, I have been suspicious of him for quite a while now. I should've questioned him when he became an Accountant. It was as strange as it could get back then, but even so, I just went along with it because he was nice to me when I was all alone and lost in this big city.
But then things seemed to take a turn drastically. He became a Beyonder, digested his potion in only a month, and now he has two companies that will land him right in the upper most echelons of the society. Not only that, he has enough money to buy a giant house as well.
All of this is really concerning. And to think someone strong and powerful — as you said — is looking for him. It makes me worried. Did he scam someone? What is wrong with him? It's really strange. It feels like he is possessed by some strange spirit who has fully taken over him.
He sounds and feels nothing like the Williams I know of... What?"
Fors, who was staring at her with a complicated expression, breathed out. "Xio, are you stalking him?"
"What? No. Not at all!"
"How do you know he has bought a new house?"
"I mean... Look, it's in my scope of work. That's why. And besides, the inauguration was quite a big thing. Soon the rich ones will be driving cars instead of carriages in our streets due to how lighter they are in comparison to steam engine cars."
"Oh... Hmm, where does he live now anyways?"
"If I remember correctly, it's somewhere in Sørlund Street. Why do you ask?"
"No reasonn~" Fors yawned and then fell back, spreading her arms on Xio's bed. "Well, I told you what I told you. You better alert him."
"Hmm, we can go and alert him 2 days from now. I have something very important to do tomorrow."
"Why don't you go alone?"
"He helped you when you were losing control. At least be courteous enough to return the favor." Xio sighed. "Also, get out of my bed."
Smirking, Fors hugged Xio from behind and placed her chin on her neck. "No."