The butler interrogates
"Listen up, you lot! It's time to get to work! You're getting paid handsomely, so make sure you earn it!"
Captain Jerald led the knights, their bodies enveloped in a brilliant aura of magic, as they advanced toward the group of attackers who were still organized in a formation.
"What's the plan!?"
"It's obvious! Hurry up and toss those items we've got!"
"R-right!"
Faced with the sudden appearance of the knights, the men became flustered. However, their leader barked orders at them, and they swiftly followed suit.
Even though they were up against knights, their actions remained the same as usual. Regaining their composure, the men simultaneously hurled small bags towards the knights.
"What!? Magic-sealing stones!?"
"Prepare to meet your end!"
As the bags opened and black sand scattered, the magical auras surrounding the knights were extinguished.
Captain Jerald, who was aware of the existence of magic-sealing stones, quickly assessed the situation. However, by the time he realized it, one of the men was already closing in on him, ready to strike down with an axe.
"Well, that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?"
"Argh!?"
Jerald parried the descending axe with his own sword and calmly deflected the attack. He followed up by delivering a powerful kick to the disoriented man, who had lost his balance after the failed strike. The man screamed and collapsed.
After confirming the neutralization of his immediate opponent, Jerald glanced around and saw that his subordinate knights had also incapacitated the other men without any trouble.
"What the hell!? I'm sure we sealed their magic!"
"Are you lot an idiot...? We're knights of the ducal household, for crying out loud. Just because our magic is sealed doesn't mean we can't fight."
The leader of the attackers wore a shocked expression upon realizing that the magic-sealing stones had no effect. However, there was no reason to be surprised. These elite knights had honed their swordsmanship to a level where they had no reason to lose to mere thugs.
"You damn bastards!"
"Righto, thanks for your hard work."
"What!?"
As his companions were being incapacitated and restrained one by one, the leader let out a roar and swung his sword at Jerald. However, his desperate resistance was easily parried, and he was swiftly neutralized with a blow to the head from the hilt of the sword.
"Then, please handle the rest"
"Understood... haaah..."
After giving instructions on how to deal with the attackers, Jerald walked away from Crow and released a small sigh. He was relieved to finally ease the tension that had built up.
Jerald had to admit that he found the butler somewhat... Well, he was rather uncomfortable around him. Nevertheless, as the lady's protector, he couldn't avoid interacting with Crow, her exclusive butler. So, Jerald pushed through his daily duties, often clutching his aching stomach.
(I seriously want to quit being the captain...)
"After we hand these guys over to the Royal Knights, our job will be finished. Don't let your guard down until the end!" Jerald said after taking a moment to catch his breath. He returned to where his subordinates were restraining the attackers, issued instructions, and kept pressing on his sore stomach. However, the cleanup was the only task left to do. It should be over soon unless something unexpected happened.
"Argh!"
"What's wrong!?"
Perhaps thinking about such things was a bad idea. A sudden scream echoed from behind him. Jerald turned around and saw one of his subordinates lying on the ground, bleeding, while the leader of the attackers, the man who had been restrained, was attempting to get up.
"I told you not to let your guard down!"
The leader had taken advantage of the opportunity and stabbed one of Jerald's subordinates while he was momentarily distracted. Although the subordinate was of noble birth, a knife wound like that shouldn't be fatal. The real concern was the leader himself.
"Wait for me! Damn it, the effects of the magic-sealing stone are still..."
The leader of the men glanced around, then immediately started running toward where the young lady and the others were. Jerald tried to use his body enhancement magic to catch the man, but the lingering effect of the magic-sealing stone prevented him from activating it properly, causing him to stumble in place.
"Someone stop him!"
The surrounding knights also attempted to chase and halt the man. However, weighed down by their heavy armor and lacking magic, they were painfully slow. While the knights struggled to catch up, the man rapidly closed the gap between himself and the young lady.
"Oh no! Please, don't go that way!"
"Move aside!"
"Stop!"
Ignoring Jerald's desperate attempt to reach him, the man swung his knife down towards Crow, who had blocked his path...
"Ah?"
...and in an instant, the man's arm was sent flying through the air, accompanied by a spray of blood.
"Aaaargh!"
With a single swift motion, Crow had disarmed the man, quite literally, by cutting off his right arm. The man clutched his bleeding stump, screaming in agony.
"Ugh, this couldn't get worse..."
It was hard not to feel a bit sorry for the man who had chosen to pick a fight with the worst possible opponent. Crow, knife in hand, wore his usual smile, but Jerald, who knew him well, could sense that something was off.
Crow was clearly furious.
It made perfect sense; to Crow, the young lady was the one and only, an absolute priority. Earlier, when it was still part of the young lady's plan (or so it seemed), everything had been fine. But now, attempting to harm the young lady directly was a whole different matter.
"You scum!"
"..." Crow remained silent.
"No, stop! Aaargh!"
The man tried to land a punch on Crow with his remaining arm, but Crow effortlessly caught the full-force blow with one hand. When the man tried to retract his arm for another attack, Crow's firm grip held it firmly.
As the man desperately attempted to shake Crow off, he suddenly found himself tripped, and he tumbled to the ground.
"Damn it, let go!"
"By the way, didn't you say something quite interesting earlier?"
"What are you... Aghh, no, no, no!"
While still gripping the struggling man's arm, Crow's smile faded into an emotionless expression. He then used his foot to pin down the man's back and gradually applied more pressure, causing the man's shoulder to start making ominous cracking noises.
"I remember... yes, didn't you mention earlier that Milady is a valuable catch and could fetch a high price?"
"Aaargh!"
"Hehehe, what an amusing joke, isn't it? For the likes of you to discuss Milady's worth as if she were a mere commodity...!"
"Aaaghhh!"
Amidst the man's screams, Crow continued to speak in an unsettling calmness, leaving everyone present in a state of frozen disbelief.
As Crow kept talking, he gradually increased the pressure with his foot, making the man's screams turn into incomprehensible noise.
"Ugh!?"
"Oh..."
Eventually, the man's body emitted a dull cracking sound as it couldn't withstand the strain any longer, and he collapsed, his eyes rolled back.
"Oops... Did I break him? Hey? Hello?"
Crow shook the arm he had held, but it hung limply, moving in an unnatural direction beyond the normal range of human motion, and the man showed no signs of consciousness.
"Well, as long as his head is still attached, it should be fine, right? Anyway, why are you all still standing there?"
"......Yes! Hey, hurry up and restrain him!"
After ensuring that his efforts had elicited no response from the man, Crow seemed to lose interest. However, there was no hint of emotion regarding his actions toward another person.
The knights rushed to restrain the man after confirming that Crow's actions had left him unresponsive, but none of them dared to meet Crow's gaze.
"Hey, Eins! Why are you covering my eyes? I can't see a thing!"
In the midst of the oppressive atmosphere, Milady's angry voice, forgotten until now, echoed through the scene. Perhaps hesitating to reveal the shocking sight that had just unfolded, Eins had blindfolded Milady from behind.
Fed up with being kept in the dark for so long, Milady struggled and wriggled to escape Eins's restraints.
"I apologize. It was a rather unsightly sight, so I instructed her to do that."
"Fine, I understand the reason, but you should've said something sooner!"
Released from her restraints, Milady raised an eyebrow and approached Crow, demanding an explanation.
Crow, who had been ruthless in dealing with the enemies just moments ago, now wore a troubled smile in response.
"Given the emergency situation, I thought it couldn't be helped..."
"Crow~?"
"Yes, I apologize."
"Good. As long as you understand."
Searching for excuses, Crow lowered his head when he noticed the moisture in Milady's eyes.
Satisfied with the sincere apology, Milady nodded.
"Is it over now?"
"Yes, we've captured all the attackers. However, I still need to handle things here, so please return to the mansion with Eins, Milady."
"I see.... I understand then, Please, be extremely careful."
"Understood"
Milady, having assessed the situation as she watched the knights busy themselves, realized that her role here was finished. She, along with Eins, boarded the waiting carriage and quietly returned to the mansion.
"After you've finished securing them, escort these individuals to the mansion."
Observing the departing carriage, Crow turned back to the knights and, once again, issued orders with his smile fading.
"Aren't we handing them over to the Royal Knights?"
"...Is there an issue?"
"No, understood."
Though Jerald expressed some doubt about the different instructions compared to earlier, he quickly relented when he saw Crow's intense, emotion-filled eyes. He understood that Crow's anger hadn't entirely dissipated after dealing with the attackers earlier and opted to avoid provoking him any further. It was evident that provoking Crow could lead to trouble for Jerald as well.
"Also, Sir Jerald."
"W-What is it?"
Even though he had intended to leave the scene slowly, Jerald was halted by Crow and turned around, perspiring nervously.
"There are several matters to discuss about this incident. After you've brought him along, please come to see me later."
".....Yes"
The knight assigned to protect Milady had unintentionally put her in danger. Naturally, he would face a scolding later. With a pleasant smile, Crow calmly informed him, and Jerald nodded in agreement, his shoulders slumped.
After dealing with various incidents and returning to the mansion, Jerald, accompanied by the subordinates who had let the attacker escape earlier, headed to their destination as Crow had instructed. They descended a stone spiral staircase, illuminated only by the lamp Jerald held, leading them further underground through a hidden door in an old warehouse within the Valiaz Duke's estate.
"Sorry, Captain, it's my fault..."
"It can't be helped. More importantly, are you okay now? Any injuries?"
"I received treatment, and my wounds are healed. I'm fine."
"Good, don't push yourself."
The subordinate trailing behind Jerald appeared burdened by guilt over the incident, and he had been relatively quiet since. Jerald felt responsible for involving him, but he couldn't let him confront Crow alone. He tried to maintain a cheerful demeanor to ease his subordinate's discomfort.
"By the way, I had no idea there was something like this in the mansion's basement."
As they continued down the long spiral staircase, the subordinate's curiosity seemed to be piqued, and he began inspecting the stairs closely. Despite spending a considerable amount of time in the Valiaz Duke's estate, the knights had been living in accommodations on the mansion's grounds. Consequently, they had been unaware of the existence of such a place until now.
"In the stories I've heard, they say that the former master had this place secretly built when the mansion was constructed. Very few people know about it."
"Does that mean..."
"Well, it's a part of the Valiaz family's dark secrets that have been used for less-than-honorable purposes. Don't mention it to others; we could easily disappear for knowing too much."
Jerald's serious tone made the subordinate swallow hard.
Unlike other noble families, the Valiaz family was notorious for various rumors, such as connections with criminal organizations or involvement in human trafficking. However, now that they had a glimpse of this secret, it made them wonder if the other rumors were true. The subordinate shivered in fear, considering the consequences of knowing this secret.
"We've arrived."
Finally, Jerald and his companion reached the bottom of the staircase, where a towering steel door stood before them. The heavy lock on the imposing door was already open, indicating that the person who had summoned them was inside.
"......What lies beyond this door?"
"Who knows? The only thing I can say for sure is that once we enter, we'll definitely regret it. Let's go."
Jerald placed both hands on the door and slowly applied pressure, gradually pushing the door open.
"Ugh..."
As soon as the door swung open, the two of them were hit by a thick mixture of blood, sweat, and the scent of death. Despite their ominous premonition, they pressed on down the corridor beyond the door and entered a spacious chamber.
"Oh, you've come at just the right time."
"How awful... urp..."
The person at the center of the chamber turned around, likely alerted by their footsteps. Crow, his face splattered with blood, greeted them with his usual smile. However, upon seeing the men bound to chairs behind him, Jerald's subordinate couldn't help but cover his mouth in shock.
Most of the attackers had lost limbs, and some were missing their upper bodies entirely. The floor was littered not only with body parts and bones but also with nails, eyeballs, and various human organs, creating a gruesome scene that revealed the horrors inflicted upon them.
"They cooperated willingly, so we've learned a lot about the enemy organization that targeted Milady this time."
"Willingly...?"
Despite Crow's words, among the men tied to the chairs, there was only one who hadn't suffered any injuries. He trembled and looked toward them, as if seeking help. Upon closer inspection, he turned out to be the leader of the attackers who had last assaulted Milady. While his previously lost right arm had been miraculously restored, the fighting spirit had vanished from his eyes. He was utterly broken.
"We're heading to that organization now. Can we entrust Milady's protection to you in the meantime?"
"W-Well... sure, but is it okay not to take the Knights with you?"
"Well... I don't think there will be any problems."
"Roger that"
Deciding to ignore the briefly unsettling smile on Crow's face, Jerald simply nodded in agreement.
It was only natural for them to want to leave this place as it took a heavy toll on their mental state just being there. Without paying any mind to Jerald's concerns, Crow proceeded to release the leader of the men from his restraints.
Despite finally being freed from captivity, the man made no attempt to resist and obediently followed Crow. Observing this, Jerald reaffirmed his commitment not to be in opposition to Crow.
"Oh, and you there, please clean up this room later. It's become rather messy."
"All of this!?"
Upon leaving, the subordinate's face contorted in disgust as he processed Crow's orders while surveying the horrific scene around him. Not only did he loathe having to deal with this gruesome mess, but the thought of having to clean up the blood, flesh, and even the bodies that remained tied to the chairs on his own was overwhelming. It was terrifying to even think about the amount of time and effort it would take.
"Do you have any complaints?"
"N-No... Not at all."
"Very well, then. I appreciate it."
However, under the stern gaze of the person responsible for this gruesome sight, the subordinate had no willpower left to argue and could only accept the task.
With that confirmed, Crow, accompanied by the leader of the men, left the underground chamber, leaving behind the other two who sighed heavily in relief.
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