Shadow Farms
“Oh Wow, Awesome Ideas (With Flat Sound)”
“Is that all your report?”
Asked a beautiful girl with red hair like a shadow of fire. The red hair that reached the bottom of his back glittered in the light of the candle, as his wine-red eyes flashed above the investigative report. That imposing and beautiful figure made her cheeks red in color.
“I-, that's it, Iris-sama. We will continue our investigation. “
Iris nodded, then gestured for the knight to leave the room.
When the door closed, only Iris and a handsome blonde man were in the room.
“Marquis Zenon, thank you very much for your help this time.”
“Insiden it happened inside the school environment, so I also took responsibility. But more than that, I am also worried about Alexia-sama .. ”
Zenon looked down and bit his lower lip in frustration.
“You also have a duty as a Sword Instructor. I'm sure there won't be anything wrong with you in this. For now, what we should focus on is not on who is to blame, but to save Alexia safely. ”
“Of course..”.
“So.”
Iris suddenly closed the report folder.
“How sure are you about the possibility of this student Sid Kagenou being the culprit?”
“I also hate to consider an academy student is the culprit, but circumstances suggest he is the most suspicious. But when considering her strength, it is very unlikely for her to win if she is facing off against Alexia-sama in a direct fight.”
Zenon chose his words carefully when answering them.
“In this case, it is possible that he has an accomplice, or he has to use drugs. But he did not admit anything even under the interrogation of the knights, right? Are you sure about this?”
“I want to believe him. I really want to believe. “
Iris nodded, then closed her eyes.
“You've assigned a trustworthy knight to follow him, haven't you? So there's nothing else we can do but wait for their report. ”
“I pray for the safety of Alexia-sama.”
Bending his head, Zenon turned around to leave the room.
But at that moment, a girl entered the room through the door that Zenon had just opened.
“Iris-sama! Please listen to me!”
“Clare-kun, what do you think you're doing! Please forgive her impoliteness, I will bring her back soon! ”
Zenon catches the girl he just entered, Claire Kagenou, and tries to drag her out.
“Marquis Zenon, who is he?”
Iris stopped Zenon and asked.
“Dia..”
“My name is Claire Kagenou! I am the older sister of Sid Kagenou! ”
“Claire-kun! D-, he is an exemplary student at the academy, and is currently temporarily joining the Knight Order for an experience program. “
“So yes ... Alright, you can talk.”
“Thank you very much!”
Claire Kagenou continued her words before Iris in plea.
“My boy sister, Sid, would never do something like abduct Princess Alexia! I'm sure there must be a big mistake here! ”
“Knight Order is conducting their investigation very carefully so that there are no errors. It's still unconfirmed that your sister was the culprit. ”
“But with the current conditions, if the real culprit is not found, then he will be executed!”
“Knight Order is very careful. They will not execute the wrong person. ”
“But still!”
“Claire-kun!”
Zenon stops Claire as she tries to get close to Iris.
“Claire-kun, just get there. More than that would be an insult to the Knight Order! “
“Kuh ..!”
Claire stared intently at Zenon, then at Iris.
“If something happens to the child ..!”
“Claire-kun, don't dare you finish that sentence!”
Covering Claire's mouth with her hands, Zenon dragged Claire out of the room.
BAM.
Staring at the door that was forcefully closed, Iris let out a deep breath.
“So affection for our family, same yes ..”
He muttered.
“Alexia, hope you are okay ..”
In the past, these two sisters were very close.
When did they start to move away from each other?
How many years has it been since they last spoke?
Could they never talk to each other again?
“Alexia ..”
As he closed his wine-red eyes, a drop of tears flowed down his cheeks….
⊕⊗⊕
When Alexia opened her eyes, she found herself in a dimly lit room.
There was no window, and only a candle lit.
The walls were made of stone, and a sturdy-looking door was right in front.
“This is..”.
He remembers nothing after separating from Pochi after school.
As he tried to move his body, he heard the clanking of metal rubbing against the metal.
Looking towards the origin of the voice, he realized that his four limbs were chained to the floor.
“Magic sealing chain ..”
He can't use his magic. Freeing yourself will be very difficult.
Who kidnapped her and for what purpose? Kidnapping, coercion, human trafficking.
Alexia is not in the line of royal successors. But her status as a princess still held a certain value. He knows it.
However, the information he currently had was really too little to draw any conclusions.
Alexia stopped thinking about it, but then a different thought suddenly popped into her head.
Is Pochi okay?
A boy with a bad personality who recently became his friend. She liked him enough, because she always said things to him without fear.
If he's really caught up in this, then now he might.
Alexia shook her head, then looked around.
Stone walls, iron doors, candle holders .. and black mounds that looked like trash.
The mound was right next to Alexia, and somehow chained up.
Upon closer inspection, Alexia noticed a slight movement.
It's breathing.
‘That Mound’ is a living creature wearing ragged cloth.
“Hey you, can you hear the suarak- ...!”
The creature moves, and sees Alexia.
It was a very thin monster and was restrained with chains.
His black, festering face only barely retained what looked like his eyes, nose, and mouth. Her entire body swelled irregularly, with her left arm even longer than Alexia's legs. Instead, her right arm was shorter and thinner than Alexia's, and it seemed to be affixed to her chest as if holding onto something.
Such a monster was right next to Alexia.
Alexia had all four limbs chained, while the monster was only chained to her neck. If the monster used its long sleeves, it might actually be able to reach Alexia.
In order not to anger the monster, Alexia let down her breathing voice and turned her face away.
But the monster looked at him.
Alexia could feel the monster's gaze on her body.
After silence, it seems like time has stopped …
Jyarara, the sound of chains ringing in the air.
Peering from the corner of her eyes, Alexia saw that the monster had curled up and fallen asleep.
Alexia breathed a sigh of relief.
After a while, the door in front opened.
“Finally! Finally, I got it into my hands! “
The one who entered was a skinny man wearing a lab coat.
His cheeks were sunken, his eyes were sunken, and his lips cracked.
His thin hair stuck to his skin and gave off a terrible smell.
Alexia silently observed the man.
“Blood of nobles, blood of nobles, blood of nobles!”
The blood of nobles.
The man continued to repeat the sentence while taking out a tool connected to a thin needle.
It seems he was intending to take his blood. The royal healers had done several times to him before, so he recognized what tool it was.
But.
He did not understand why this man wanted his blood so badly that he even kidnapped him with great effort.
“Can I ask you something?”
Alexia's calm voice.
“N, nn?”
The man replied to Alexia with some strange snoring.
“Why do you want my blood?”
“D-, d-, your blood is demon blood. It could revive demons in this day and age! ”
Alexia had no idea what she was talking about, but could at least conclude that she was not sane, and she was in some kind of heretical flow.
“But it will be a little problem if you take too much of my blood. I'm not ready to die. ”
“Hihi, hi, n-, don't worry. I want to, a lot so I'll, come every day to M-, take it little by s-, little. ”
“Good, I agree with that.”
As long as this man needed his blood, then the chances were low that he would be killed.
Don't resist, stay cooperative. Alexia decides that her best option at the moment is to wait for a rescue.
“This, this shouldn't be m-, being like this. It's all k-, the fool's fault! ”
“I understand, I also hate fools.”
“Because dealing with you is tiring”, Alexia whispered to herself while looking at the man in the lab coat.
“P-, my research, everything, everything is ruined! They got to that idiot Olba first. ”
“True, that idiot Olba was the first.”
“After that, again and again and laaaagggiiiii! AAARRRRRHHHHH! ”
“Very terrible. Must be hard on you. ”
“YA, YES, IT! G-MY RESEARCH IS A LITTLE MORE! VERY CLOSE, VERY CLOSE, BUT IF I DON'T FINISH IT, I WILL, I WILL…! ”
“What, how can they!”
“SI-, SHIT, USELESS, USELESSAAAAA!”
The man wearing the lab coat rushed towards the chained monster and kicked it violently.
Again and again, he kicked and stepped on her.
The monster just curled up and did not react.
“Not that you'll take my blood?”
“Oh right, oh right, your blood, as long as I have your blood, I can finish it ..!”
“Isn't that good?”
The man took the device and stuck a needle into Alexia's arm.
“With this, with this! I can finish it, I won't be exiled! ”
“Please do without pain, ok?”
“If not, I will hit you,” Alexia added in her mind.
The needle entered Alexia's arm.
Alexia looked like it was someone else's business because the glass container was gradually filled with red blood.
“Hihi, hihihi ..”
When the glass container was filled to the brim, the man hugged her very carefully and left the room.
Alexia waited for the door to close before sighing deeply.
⊕⊗⊕
Everything I've been through is for the sake of this day.
Two days after I was released from the knights, I was in my dorm room, sorting through the power behind the scenes and choosing what I could use.
Cigars ..it was still a long time until when I was at the right age to use it well.
This antique wine ... is a rare one from Portau in southwestern France that is worth 900,000 Zeny. Good, it's just right for a night without light tonight.
Which means I need the best glass for his partner .. ah yeah, the only glass Vuitton made. It's also French-made, and costs 45,000 Zeny.
Then there is also this antique lamp ... and this ... this is also .. oh right, and this legendary painting called ‘The Scream’ that I accidentally took that time. The painting was on the wall, and .. ahh, perfect.
My heart feels very satisfied.
Hunting bandits and crawling on the ground picking up gold coins were all for the sake of this moment.
I shed tears of admiration for this room that I decorated with the best items from my collection.
Coup de Grace* is an invitation I received today. All that is left to do is wait.
(TN : Coup de Grace \= Deadly attack to end suffering)
I'm just waiting, for now.
Waiting.
Waited …
Waiting in tension!
Until finally!
When the black-clothed girl entered through the window, I opened my mouth.
“The time has arrived ... Tonight will belong to the shadow world ..”
Truly, everything I do is for the sake of this day!
⊕⊗⊕
