“We need to get out of here quickly!”
Kichirou grabbed Schnee’s hand, pulled her up, and hurried towards the door.
A battle had unfolded in the town square, and the results were clear. It was a one-sided massacre. The town guards were slaughtered without so much as a single fallen soldier from the opposition.
Is that why the security of the Debouf manor was so lax? He had thought it was strange for them to encounter so little resistance even though they were breaking into what should be the most secure part of town.
The most shocking part was the number of corpses at the town square. There were at least twenty of those raiders down there, but given the damage caused, there must have been quite a lot more of them.
Who the hell could they be?
Could it be a feud between nobles competing for power in this region? No, that was very unlikely given the nature of this town. Everyone looked at peace when they arrived. If it was a warring area the look on their faces would be much different, and there weren't any guards posted at the outskirts of town either, so that was out of the question.
That could only mean that they were invaders from another country.
Hah, the timing of these things, is this good or bad luck?
Getting here and finding Schnee was a lot easier thanks to those invaders outside, but now the danger has spread far beyond this manor's walls. Getting back to the inn just became that much more dangerous.
There must be more of them than just those at the town square. Would it even be safe back at the inn?
If these invaders were attacking all over town, there was no guarantee of that either. But being back at the inn would certainly be safer than being in the heart of enemy territory.
But all of that would be nullified if he came along.
“Swizze, what are you gonna do?”
“I’ll help you two get out of here, then I have my own business to attend to.”
“Is that so…”
Shit…
“Let’s move, there isn’t much time left.”
“Schnee, come on. We gotta follow him, can you walk?”
She was visibly shaken, not heeding a single word Kichirou had said until he shook her gently and repeated himself. Kichirou held her hand as he followed after Swizze.
Schnee gasped as they turned into the main hallway, her voice shook as she spoke: “Are... they dead?”
“No, they're just knocked out.” In truth, he had no idea what Swizze did to the others, but in the edge of his vision, he saw something dark and reflective flow along the floor.
Kichirou picked up Schnee and held her in his arms. Surprisingly, she wasn’t heavy at all—about the same as a large bag of potatoes.
He felt a sharp pain in his right arm as he shifted her weight onto it. His right sleeve was stained with blood running down his whole arm.
Kichirou gritted his teeth, dismissing the pain that surged from his arm as he ran down the hall.
Swizze was already at the set of grand stairs which led to the second floor.
“Where are you going? We’re not going back the way we came?”
“No need, this way is faster.”
“But…”
Before he could even voice his concern, Swizze was already sprinting down the steps.
If Swizze insisted, even if he were to object, it would be pointless. Either way, no matter what, going with Swizze would be safer.
The real question was, why is he in such a rush? Swizze was cool as a cucumber the whole time, and now he's acting like he’s commuting to work during rush hours.
The only difference now was the fact that the town is under attack. But for someone of Swizze’s skill, he would be able to handle himself regardless of the situation. That conclusion however, was drawn by Kichirou only having seen a tiny—tiny fraction of this new world. There was no telling how strong other humans or creatures might be.
Wait a second… could Swizze be with those invaders? It's not impossible… or he could just be trying to evade them…
Woah.
In that mind lapse, Kichirou nearly missed a step, but with a quick second step, he regained his balance and breathed a sigh of relief. If he were to succumb to any more injuries, the journey back would be that much more treacherous.
Why was he even questioning Swizze at this point? He's only been helping them this entire time. Perhaps it was for his own gain, but still, if it wasn't for his help, there was no way Kichirou could have gotten Schnee back with his own power.
I guess it’s just something about him…
There was quite a commotion coming from down the stairs, heavily armoured movements and lots of shouting echoed through the manor.
“Where’s lord Tyjur?!”
“He’s not in his quarters.”
“Well, where is he then?”
“We don't know.”
“Then where's lady Ashel!?”
“We don't know... But there's no more time for this sir, the enemy has already broken through the front gates!”
The grand staircase connected all three of the floors together, but due to the way the stairs connected, you could not see down the first floor while you were on the third.
As Kichirou and Swizze reached the second floor, they saw whose voices they heard—several armoured men on the first floor.
Ten of them were gathered, and their armour appeared to be very similar to those of the town guards. But one of them was clearly a grade above the rest, with a chest plate that bore a half crescent sun.
“What do you mean there's no time!? Their safety is our first priority! We must find Lord Tyjur and rally whoever is left, then find lady Ashel at once. You two go look for Lord Tyjur, he must be somewhere in the manor. And you, go check the gardens. The rest of you on me, we shall make these invaders shed a river of blood for invading our home!”
Before Swizze could continue down the staircase in his same nonchalant fashion, two men turned to the staircase, noticing someone coming down the stairs.
“Who are…” before one of the men could even finish asking his question, he was sent flying.
All eyes were on the man that flew, including that of his companion, but that was the last thing he saw before darkness overtook his world— as Swizze’s knee impacted the side of his head.
Swizze took a moment to dust himself off.
For Kichirou, the fact that Swizze was able to dispose of those men in a matter of seconds did not even come as a surprise anymore. The question is, would he be able to do that one day? Or even come close to that level of prowess? Even though this world offers much more possibilities, there’s still the limitation of one’s body and mind.
Most people would believe that no matter how difficult a task, where there’s a will there’s a way. No matter how insurmountable—how daunting things may seem, you will be able to overcome it as long as you never give up and genuinely work hard towards it.
However, that's just what people want to believe. In movies, mangas, shows, and games almost everywhere, there's a protagonist overcoming incredible odds to reach their goals and dreams. It's just the culture that we live in nowadays. Things always eventually work for the good guys, and in turn, that's all the success stories that you will ever hear.
In the real world for each of those success stories, there’s a countless number of people who have failed. It's just one hard truth of the world, not everyone will be a winner. For most people, dreams will stay dreams, for their best simply isn’t enough.
Not good enough…
“Kichirou wake up! What the hell are you dozing off for?”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Huh? Sorry, it’s... it’s nothing.”
He put Schnee down and followed after Swizze, but instead of heading out the front door, they headed back towards the gardens. Swizze was very eager to get out of this place as quickly as possible, even avoiding the secret passage for the sake of time, so why is he headed towards the garden now?
They rushed through the never-ending hallways and arrived at one of the many glass panels that opened into the garden.
At first glance, it was just how they had left it. But something was off. Perhaps it was just a feeling, but something wasn't quite right about the silence that enveloped them. Swizze must have felt it too, he was still all smiles—and that could mean only one thing, enemies.
This whole damn place is surrounded! There's fighting in the front yard, and now they even have men back here.
That was only to be expected. If they are indeed foreign invaders, then the manor must be one of their targets. That being the case, of course they would be attacking it from all fronts.
Within the tight corridors of the manor, their enemies had no choice but to take Swizze head on, but stepping into open space would expose Schnee and Kichirou to all types of danger that they can’t simply avoid by hiding behind Swizze.
Should they go back to the manor and find another exit? But there’s no guarantee that there won’t be guards of the Debouf family or more of these invaders.
It’s a gamble either way…
Kichirou took a glance at Schnee’s worried face.
I’m the adult here, I gotta make the call… there has to be another way out somewhere. Even without Swizze, it'll be safer if we just wait for the right opportunity.
“Take the girl and go.”
“What?”
“I’ll cover you two until you make it out of here, you’re on your own after that.”
“Wait, we can find another way out, we can...” His sentence was cut short as five figures leaped out of seemingly nowhere, surrounding them. These men, dressed very differently than anyone they've faced so far, all wore very dark and tight knitted get-ups and strangely lacked any aura or presence at all. If Kichirou had to describe them, only one word came to mind—assassins.
Suddenly, one of them gripped their own stomach and fell to the ground. A puddle of blood formed where he fell, as if the man was a sponge that had just been squeezed.
What happened?
It was too fast for Kichirou to notice, but it only took one look at the assassins to figure it out.
These newcomers had their faces all covered, but it was still plain as day, they could not hide the emotion in their eyes—a mixture of fear and anger.
“You… how dare you, you think you can get away with this?”
Swizze, still with a smile on his face, looked back at Kichirou.
“Go now, while you still can.”
Without wasting another second, Kichirou took Schnee’s hand and ran. He glanced back to see Swizze waving them off, moments before a gathering darkness engulfed him.
It was absolutely brilliant. By putting his terrifying abilities on display, Swizze forced the enemies to focus all their attention on himself, ensuring—for the moment, that Schnee and Kichirou were out of harm's way.
Without Swizze however, it was impossible to scale the walls. Their only way out was through the gates of the other garden.
The pair ran as fast as little Schnee’s legs could go.
After crossing the mid-island-like section of the garden, the pair hugged the walls cautiously and went for the first gate they came across, leading them to the street Kichirou had first entered the manor from. Surprisingly, despite the circumstances, it was empty.
Kichirou took a look down both ways before leading Schnee into the alley. Even though the street was barren, it was still nothing but utter foolishness to walk along the main roads.
Swizze had done what he could for them and then some, everything fell on Kichirou now.
They traveled slowly and carefully along the narrow alleyways when an idea struck him. They passed by many different buildings, couldn't they just hide in one of them and wait for the storm to pass? The invaders were bound to leave sooner or later, and they only seemed interested in the manor, it was very unlikely for them to send men into random buildings.
That would be the safest option…
“Schnee, wait here.”
This seemed to be a residential block. Each building had multiple doors, likely leading to the civilians' individual homes, kind of like an apartment complex of sorts.
Kichirou took a double take down the alleyway to make sure no one was in sight then slammed his entire body weight into one of the wooden doors. The door however, remained intact as he winced in pain—his right shoulder throbbing from the impact.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, don't worry about me...” A weak smile was all he could offer, but it didn't wash away the worry on her face. She might be young, but she wasn't stupid.
Kichirou placed a hand on her head then spoke in the calmest tone he could muster: “We're gonna be fine, I promise.”
“Okay…”
“We're gonna hide for a little bit and wait for all the bad people to leave. Then we can get you back to your father, okay?”
Her expression mellowed but then immediately took a 90-degree turn for the worse: “What if the bad people already got to my father?”
“Your father is fine, don't worry about him. We just need to get to safety now, okay?”
“How can you be sure?”
“I'm sure, don't worry… it's something adults can feel. I can tell your father is just fine, but he's worried about you, so we need to get you somewhere safe.”
Schnee nodded.
They better all be okay… Furuya is with them, they're okay… they're okay...
He got up and took a few steps back, then charged at the door again.
The door didn't budge.
This was pointless, a locked door is still a locked door, he can't break it down. The rest of them were probably the same.
Maybe heading back was the right call after all...
As Kichirou got up, his ears picked up a distinct yet familiar sound not too far in the distance.
As he paused and listened, his heartbeat fastened a beat. The sound was getting closer, and with more than just one source. They were surrounded.
Could they be soldiers affiliated with the Debouf family? No, that didn't matter, they couldn't rely on the soldiers anyway. There was no telling if they were with the group of people out to get Schnee or not.
There was no way to confirm their intentions, moving about was too dangerous. If they get spotted, it’s over.
Again he made the wrong call. Instead of attempting to hide like a coward, they should have kept moving.
“Please open up, let us in!” Schnee shouted, two doors down.
Kichirou scrambled over and covered her mouth: “SHHHHH! What are you doing? We need to go, and we need to go quietly.”
Before she could reply, a door creaked open, revealing the face of a young woman hiding behind the door.
“Get inside quickly!”
She swiftly shut the door behind them and locked it.
The three of them huddled near the door, listening for any movement.
The steps were now even closer than before, getting louder, and becoming so clear as if the door didn't even exist.
Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum Badum
The sound of Kichirou's heartbeat drowned out the moment, but then came to a sudden stop.
His world froze—they were right outside.
Did they see us? They must have seen someone, why else would they stop just right outside? What the hell are they doing? If they're just after civilians, breaking down individual homes for searches would be far too ineffective for a small invasion force, unless... they're looking for Schnee!
...
Why aren't they breaking down the door? The only thing that makes sense is if they're with the Debouf family. They have an image to maintain, they can't afford to attack random civilians on the chance that they don't have the correct person... That must be it!
After a brief moment, they were on the move once more, away from them, confirming Kichirou’s suspicions.
In unison, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief and got away from the door.
The room was very small—almost like a college dorm. It was barren for the most part, with only a few lonely furniture about. She must be living here by herself.
Could this be a trap?
He shook the thought out of his head.
She can't be on their side. If she was, she would have just left us outside.
It was the first time Kichirou even got a good look at the young woman. She had flowing blonde hair, much like Schnee, but it wasn't quite as full—in fact, it was quite disheveled, much like his own mother's used to look. Her eyes, on the other hand, were a beautiful shade of chartreuse green—like something right out of a manga.
She glared at Kichirou as she spoke: “Now... just what in god’s name are you doing on the streets at a time like this? You even have a child with you. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?”
“Listen, you have no idea what we just went through, I’ve been trying my best to keep her safe, okay?”
“Well, why were you still on the streets after they showed up?”
“Look, I was trying to get her back home before this whole thing even started.”
“Is she your daughter?”
“What!? No... I work for her father.”
“Is that so...? You need to do a better job of protecting her then.
She knelt down by Schnee before speaking in a softer voice: What's your name, sweetie?”
“Schnee.”
“That's a pretty name, I’m Avi.”
“Well thank you for letting us in Avi, I’m Kichirou.”
“Hmph.”
Huh?
“Sweetie, are you hurt anywhere?”
Schnee shook her head.
“Would you like some water?”
Again Schnee shook her ahead.
“I could use some...” Kichirou’s voice trailed off as he picked up Avi’s intense glare.
What the hell? Did I do something wrong?
“Schnee, go have a seat over there."
Then she turned towards Kichirou.
"And you, take off your shirt.”
Being faced with a sudden question, a sudden surge of warmth rushed to his face.
“What?”
“Take off your shirt and sit down. I need to clean the wound on your arm before you get an infection.”
Of course, that's what she meant, it was so obvious. Yet Kichirou was flustered like some teenager—it was so embarrassing. And that feeling certainly didn't help his case, as he took off his shirt, his face was as flush as can be.
The look she must have on her face. She must have thought he looked absolutely pathetic.
Then he felt pain with the likes that he had never felt before. Kichirou clenched his teeth, he'd rather die than face the shame of letting out screams of pain. Tears and sweat mixed in a torrent of anguish, washing over his consciousness.
He tried to focus all of his attention to the wall, staring at it with unyielding intensity.
In one moment he would see those darkened walls, and in another, there would be nothing but darkness. Every time he would force his eyes to open and stay focused on those walls.
It was the only way he could think of to prevent him from passing out. Sure, they might be safe for the moment, but there's no telling what might happen. Blacking out to let a child and a woman they just met take care of him would be the epitome of shamelessness.
The bucket of water Avi had by her side quickly changed to a deep shade of red.
“It’s deeper than it looks. I’m gonna wrap it for you, but there isn’t much more I can do, I would seek out a priest immediately if I were you.”
“What do you mean?” Kichirou’s voice was rash and bothered, but he still looked towards the wall, averting from Avi and his wound.
“You’re not from around here, are you? The priests of Balione would be able to heal a flesh wound like this easily, but they would charge you a pretty gold coin for their services.”
“And what if I can't afford it?”
“Well... better hope it can heal naturally on its own then. You should avoid using that arm for a while.”
She took a brown cloth and wrapped it tightly around Kichirou's arm. It wasn't quite as soft as the linen they would use in hospitals, it was rough and not comfortable, to say the least.
“It's not pretty, but it's good enough for now. You can seek some further help once they move on from this town.”
“Where did you learn how to do this?”
“My father… used to work as a hunter. From time to time he would get hurt, come home with a cut, maybe some bruises. We didn't have much money, so I had to take care of him.”
That same old look again. No matter where you go, it's all the same.
“I’m sorry to have asked.”
“It's okay.”
“Those raiders, do you know who they are?”
“I’m not familiar with the crest they bore, but they're definitely soldiers from Bereene.”
“So they're soldiers from another country… are they at war with Reinocha?”
“Well... after this, without a doubt that will be the case.”
The soldiers were openly displaying their allegiances, all of them must have been from Bereene, but what about the assassins they had just met? They all wore jet black clothing with no visible outward features to distinguish them. If Bereene's goal was to provoke Reinocha into action by targeting a noble’s home, wouldn't it make sense for them to bear the same emblem to do so?
So why didn't they? Are they not from the same faction? Could they be another party trying to take advantage of the situation?
Things were getting too complicated.
It would likely be for the best if Kichirou and his friends kept their distance from the Lepard family, but would that even be possible at this point? If war were to break out between Reinocha and Bereene, a group of foreigners would seem that much more suspicious, and getting a job and a place to stay would become that much more difficult.
It would even be possible for them to be detained as spies from the enemy, or worse—killed.
It was a no-win situation.
Furuya would know what to do…
“Do you guys smell that?”
“It’s your blood, nothing else.”
“No, not that.”
“I smell it too,” Schnee chimed in.
He knew that smell. Back then, every Sunday morning at 11:00, like clockwork—Kichirou would wake up to find that same familiar odor would find its way into his bedroom.
Unbeknownst to him, a faint smile had blossomed in mid-September.
But now, the gravity of their situation soon alerted more than just one of their senses. Black smoke came from the wall on the far side as small slivers of ember danced within.
Within seconds their vision became severely impaired. The smoke gathered like a swarm of insects, quickly covering a majority of the room.
“MOVE! MOVE! Schnee, get up! We need to get out of here!”
Kichirou grabbed Avi by the hand and pulled Schnee towards her with his good arm, rushing them out.
They all coughed and panted heavily for fresh air as soon as they crossed the doorway, where they were welcomed by unfamiliar voices.