"Haaah… What has to be done… Has to be done…"
Even when counted from the beginning of the summer break, the three weeks in carriage didn't bother him in the slightest...
Even so, Rotsard still felt it was obligatory to stretch upon stepping on the paved courtyard of the Vallhall family's castle and scoff...
He arrived without any commotion, without a single person coming out to greet him.
Truth be told, the courtyard seemed almost… eerily empty…
"..."
The bleached-blond-haired youth furrowed his brows and glanced back at the main gate, but the two guards standing watch over there didn't appear to be alarmed in the slightest.
The deofol's story didn't include any mentions of Rotsard's time off, which was both good and... awkward, especially considering that Rotsard couldn't quite decide how he should act around his family…
"GRAAAAGH!"
"?"
His contemplation was interrupted by a frenzied growl of a beast, and indeed, when Rotsard turned to check its origin, a beast was rushing at him from the stables!
It was a large gray wolf, but one with its fur gray because of age and not the noble bloodline of a special species.
The creature looked diseased, too. Its fur was falling out in patches, leaving bloody spots, its eyes were odd… almost milky… as if covered with a thick whitish membrane… and it was frothing at the mouth.
Despite moving quite fast and with obvious hostility, Rotsard could not feel anything but pity towards it.
The stench of death and decay surrounding the frenzied wolf was overwhelming.
|You poor thing… What could have possibly happened to make you like this?|
Was it a retired slayer beast that spent its life at the side of Vallhall forces, hunting down the animals turned into monsters by the gedwyld? In its last moments, was it polluted by the same gedwyld it hunted down so bravely and ended up reduced to this?
"I'll make it quick, friend. Your brethren and masters won't learn about this shame."
"RAAAAGH!"
Rotsard spoke up and nodded, but the mad beast rushed him anyway, jumping at the last moment in an attempt to topple the youth.
*BU-SPLURT*
"!?!?"
When Rotsard sidestepped the wolf's pounce and swiped his hand with curled fingers at its head, the creature… burst apart like a balloon filled with blood and gore, drenching Rotsard in its reeking filth.
"???"
Rotsard was too confused to utter even a single word. He was staring at the bloody mess in boundless confusion instead.
He was definitely putting some strength into the attack, that was true... He did want to kill the wolf swiftly to put an end to its suffering, also yes… but he certainly did not put in enough to make it explode in such a dramatic manner!
...or did he…?
"..."
Rotsard slowly raised his hands to stare at the bloodstains, squinting his beastly yellow eyes while examining the foul-smelling substance, when...
"Young Lord…! How could you!?"
"Guard Captain's favorite wolf too! Do you have no heart!?"
"???"
But right then, the two guards who were previously idle by the main gate showed up by Rotsard's side, each grabbing and restraining his arm while crying in despair…
…although quite convincing, they sure did make sure that their voices carried well and even echoed through the courtyard that all of a sudden stopped being empty…
"It's that trash!"
"Wait, what did he do!? What's all this blood!?"
"He killed Yoni!"
"What!? No! That elderly thing!?"
As if rehearsed, the servants and other guards began speaking one after the other, somehow not interrupting or talking over eachother.
"That's right! The wolf came running happily towards the Young Lord, welcoming him with love, but the Young Lord got startled and killed it viciously!"
"Horrible!"
The guard restraining Rotsard's right arm declared with theatrical flair, while the other one only nodded his head, trying to match his comrade.
"...huh…"
Rotsard let out a quiet scoff and lowered his head.
So that's how it was.
Some people wanted to keep him as the family's trash.
It really looked like sending Kyle off early without explanation gave plenty of time to prepare a show.
Only that… they didn't really think things through… did they…?
Since they were giving Rotsard no choice, what else was there for him to do but to act like the trash they wanted him to be?
"Call the Captain! He needs to…!"
*CRACK*
"GHAAAAAA!"
"!!!"
The guard on Rotsard's right continued his act, but he was interrupted by a chilling crunch followed by a scream of pain…
…coming from his comrade restraining Rotsard's left arm, as the Young Lord they so eagerly grabbed, broke free… breaking both of the guard's arms in the process.
"Ahaha~"
Rotsard's face twisted with a smile, and he grabbed the already injured guard by the back of his head...
*WHAM*
"AAAA-GUACK!"
...and then slammed him into the pavement, breaking the stones with the man's forehead and silencing his screams.
"...!"
"Pffft…!"
Then, to the first guard's horror, snorting Rotsard pushed into him, swiped him off balance with a mere tap on the ankle, and as he freed his arm, he used his elbow to drive the already falling man into the pile of gore, splashing it around even more than it already was.
"Bu-hu-hu! Some mutt is dead. If anything, it should feel honored that it died by my hand! I mean, it is such an honor that so many of you are just lining up to meet the same fate~!"
"!!!"
Rotsard stood up and mocked everyone, causing more than a few guards and even a few servants to activate spells… and not just defensive ones, but offensive too, all of them clearly eager to test their luck.
"YOU!"
Suddenly, someone's roar shut everybody up.
*THUMP*
A middle-aged man with ashen hair dropped onto the pavement from somewhere up high, his landing creating a shockwave.
"What the fuck is it about YOU killing MY wolf!?"
His fury seemed genuine, and it most likely was.
Getting a few servants and the lowest guards to do their bidding after showing a handful of coins in their faces was easy. Same with the caretaker of an elderly wolf.
Buying off the Vallhall family's Guard Captain, who was the Vallhall family current patriarch's older brother, was… well... Impossible.
"Hmm? Oh, uncle Evander, did you not hear what they all said? Your cute little wolf… Yoni, wasn't it? Well, your Yoni spooked me… so I pummeled it into a pulp~"
Rotsard tilted his head before chuckling and explaining as he shrugged his shoulders.
"...!"
"~!"
The servants who got involved in the event involuntarily looked around with horror and shock, but the ones who got bought off glanced at each other while smirking.
In their minds, the plan could not go better, and the shame of the Vallhall family swallowed it up, hook, line, and sinker, acting accordingly even without any additional nudging from them.
"...you WHAT…?!"
After glancing at his fallen underlings sprawled unconscious in gore, Evander Vallhall, the Captain of the Vallhall family's castle guard, let out a low, hostile growl, and his body became enveloped with Sword Intent, proving his rank as Sword Earl.
On top of that, his fists became frosted over as he complimented Sword Intent with one of the spells from Essence of Winter.
"Oh? Taking it easy on me, even though your beloved pet died and your subordinates got humiliated? Bravo~! What discipline~!"
"...you're in for a lesson of a lifetime, brat…!"
Rotsard glanced at the energy surrounding his uncle and snickered before clapping his hands mockingly and nodding his head in approval, causing Evander to lean down and snarl in cold fury…
…just like a bloodthirsty wolf about to attack…