We were now halfway through the ride. The road got a bit rough, it seems like there were quite a few battles between neighboring Dirk and Orc villages around here based on what the slave traders told me.

Rintiya is very hostile towards demi-humans, how come 2 races are fighting here with no oversight from the military?

I looked at the dejected slaves and couldn’t help but feel bad for the locked creatures.

It felt like we’re in the same boat in some weird way.

Snoopsi once asked me what I thought about slavery. It always seemed like a strange question, I don’t know, slavery is just a thing that’s there.

I still think that it’s a weird, pointless question. At the very least, now I can see how someone wouldn’t enjoy having their ability to make decisions stripped away.

My stomach turned at the thought of my farewell with Jake, or should I call him ‘my father’ now? Doesn’t matter, we won’t meet again until I get rid of this curse Kiyoko put on me.

***

It took a full day for us to make it to Silvermoon’s southern entrance.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate the ride!”

The slave traders waved at me and we went our separate ways.

First I need to hide Jake’s notebook and the sword. I don't need Kiyoko to know about it.

There was a place where me and Ostel used to stash the books we stole from the residence complex area, only Snoopsi knows about it so those things will be safe there.

***

I finally arrived at Home. The juniors from this year's crop looked at me funny as I walked down the corridor leading to Kiyoko’s room.

“Oh my, dearest? I haven’t seen your beautiful eyes in such a long time, have you come to ask master for forgiveness?” The all too familiar voice of the woman who made me escape Mil-Ansk sounded from ahead of me.

I looked up to see her sad expression hidden under a condescending smile.

This lady clearly doesn’t know that her lies never work on me.

“You know, Niya I’m quite good at reading expr-”

“Haha, my my, Niya, not witch? Are you trying to seduce me, dearest?”

“Huh? Fuc- Forget it, where’s Kiyoko, I need to talk to her.”

Niya walked past me and told me to be careful as she pointed her finger towards Kiyoko’s room.

It’s time to confront her, I can’t move on until I learn the truth.

I opened the metal door with a loud bang and walked up to the woman who stayed seated at her desk in the middle of the room.

“Should you not have a satisfactory explanation for this insolence, punishment would not be light.” Kiyoko got up and turned to face me, her aura as frightening as ever. Her figure, not so much, she was pale, thin, sickly, what happened in the past week? Forget it, I don’t care.

“Speak, insolent child. Now!” She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows.

Rage welled up inside of me as I saw her slim figure.

“Master, can you tell me what the power of your Seal is?”

From behind me the children started whispering quietly as I left the door open

Kiyoko started walking past me to close it but I grabbed her arm and yelled “ANSWER ME!”

“Unhand me at once, insolent one, we will speak in private.” Her calm voice irritated me even more and I tightened my grip, to which the lady retaliated by slapping my face.

I looked at the floor, trying my hardest to calm myself down.

Stolen novel; please report.

Kiyoko could kill me before I’ll be able to even blink, I can’t challenge her like that, calm down.

I let go of her arm. She closed the door and turned to sit back down, gesturing to me to do the same.

“Now for your question, I see that you have met with your father, is that it?” W-what? How did she know that?

“Child, who do you think raised you? I can read you as easily as the books you favor so much.”

Kiyoko leaned back and took a sip from her small cup of water, she gave off the feeling of somebody who’s in total control, I won’t let you get away with it, you monster.

“So that means what he said is true, let me ask you another question then mas- no Kiyoko. Why did Ostel have to die?”

Was her calm demeanor starting to crack? The corner of her eye twitched slightly.

“Whatever might you mean, insolent child? Were you not the one to take the life of your dear friend Shiawasu?” This bitch, how dare she say that!?

“Correct I was the one who stuck a knife inside of Ostel’s throat, I stuck it there and made sure to cut his trachea, quite excessive wouldn’t you say so?” I clenched my fist and tried to keep myself in check. Patience.

“Quite excessive indeed. It would seem there’s no longer a need to pretend, you seem utterly convinced.

Let me tell you, child, why your dear friend needed to die and why it was you who needed to do it.” What?

Kiyoko started explaining how her life had led her to believe people are not to be trusted in this world. How the citizens of the slums she helped so much turned against her at the sight of a lump sum of money.

I guess Jake didn’t know this part of the story.

“You see my child, I favor your life as much as I favor my own, your father is the only person to ever reach his hand and pull me out of the darkness that surrounded me.

Yet, just like the rest of them, he too has abandoned his childhood friend.

We had our differences, yes, this man did not agree with my methods.

So I have chosen to take it upon myself to teach his only child that… In this world, you can not trust the ones around you.” Her cold demeanor was back on full display. On the contrary, I was burning with rage.

“So that’s why Snoopsi ran away, you’re fucking insane.” I murmured.

Kiyoko suddenly raised her voice “All of you here in the Slayer organization are my children. I will carefully mold you into the best versions of yourselves!”

I got up and punched the table hard, breaking it in 2.

“Children?! Is that it?” I walked to the door and opened it.

“Inoshi, mind your actions!”

“Shut the fuck up, crazy bitch!”

I took a deep breath and started shouting “Kiyoko, the master of the Slayer organization is washing all of our brains!”

The children were looking at me questionably and I heard a laugh from behind.

“You think that’s what would turn my dear children against their mother? How brazen of my sweet Inoshi.”

“It seems I was quite wrong in taking you in, you will now be brought to justice for the countless murders and cases of theft under the name of Slayer number 4 ‘Inoshi’.”

Kiyoko took another sip and commanded the Slayers to apprehend me.

I won’t go down so easily, I dove into the dark glass on the floor next to me and jumped out at the edge of the corridor.

A rope tied itself to my feet and I fell to the ground, another kid from the side jumped on me and before I could react he put a Seal Jumbler on my arm.

“Fuck, let go you pieces of brain washed shits!” I couldn’t get out of this situation! My Seal isn’t working, what now? Niya, Niya can help me, right?

“Niya, help me! don’t let this fucking bitch control you! I know you never wanted to do her bidding!”

“Deare- Inoshi… Forgive me but I can not help you at this moment.” Why not?! Her Seal is perfect for this situation! Did they Jumble her as well? No, wait, at this moment?

Fuck… Kiyoko walked through the crowd of teenagers and squatted down to look at me.

“Throw the insolent child in the punishment chamber. Worry not, your punishment has been decided already.”

***

I woke up in a dark cell of a room, not like I wasn’t familiar with this place, but this time was different. They put me in here for a few hours already after Kiyoko hinted at my punishment.

“Rebellious children like you need to be dealt with harshly, luckily for us, the king is delaying his announcement for your arrival.”

What did she mean by that…?

“In the darkest of places, there’s no respite for the helpless. A life betrayed is so sad, oh so sad.” Esemoniya? What’s she doing here now?

“Dearest, I can not express in words how sad I am at this situation, you might have deduced as much already but, your mission in Mil-Ansk was just a death sentence.”

“Niya, what are you talking about?! Why are you helping Kiyoko if you know how terrible she is? What do you mean by betrayed?” I don’t really have a right to demand she answer me, I always hated her and treated her like a witch.

“My dear, some questions are better left unanswered.

As for the betrayal, I see, you didn’t realize it yet. Don’t you find it awfully convenient that the king’s announcement is today?”

“What announcement? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Oh I understand now, my dearest, you didn’t know did you?

The king is planning to announce the capture of an assassin from Slayer. This announcement was planned for over a week now.”

What…!?