Episode 4 - Straightforward Declaration of War 1

“That doesn’t matter at all. If you don’t like it, I’ll just go find another shop.”


Though he spoke, Kaftin’s eyes remained fixed on the staircase leading upstairs.


To stop him, I raised my fist again and swung it hard toward his face, but only the same pain as before was felt.


“Stop your useless tricks? If you make me angry, I'll stuff you into a sack too.”


A numbness began to spread through the hand gripping the sword he held.
As he refused the deal and continued resisting, the grip on his wrist had slowly tightened.


“Guh...!”
“I'll confirm one last time. Will you accept the deal? Or...?”


He wanted nothing more than to settle this life-or-death matter immediately, but right now, he was nothing but a powerless father.


Continuing to fight this unidentified monster, this murderous fiend, offered no chance of victory. Worse, it risked endangering his family.


“Guh...!”
“That look is good...! Desperate, huh! I love how you're writhing between your family and your pathetic conscience!”
“Shut up! You crazy murderous bastard!”
“Kekekeke....”


Seeing the monster's expression, he knew for certain.
This one was the worst kind of murderer.


Even among murderers, there were different types when it came to killing people.
Those who committed murder under the guise of sacrifice for religious reasons.
Those who lost themselves and rampaged due to severe mental issues.


But the worst kind were the type like the bastard standing before him.
Those who simply enjoyed the act of slaughter itself.


"Alright, alright...! Just give me the money! Damn bastard…!“
”A wise decision.“
”...In return, swear you'll never set foot in our shop again.“
”…….“


Seeing that uniquely twisted smile, he was certain this man lacked the character to keep his promise.


”Damn you! I just want to live quietly! I don't want anything to do with a twisted, bloodthirsty murderer like you!“
”I don't particularly want to harm you either. I just want to make a deal."


Is this the kind of guy who casually threatens to chop up your family and turn them into meat products?
The words nearly burst out of his throat, but he managed to suppress them.


“Seriously, I'm begging you... never set foot in our shop again.”
“Hmph, you think I'd honor such a one-sided promise?”
“Guhh...!”
“You mean you might agree to other conditions? Like, I won't harm you or your family?”
“...Do you really think I could believe that?”


When he glanced sideways at the sack, hinting at something, Kaftin shrugged and shook his head.


“I'm not the kind of guy who kills people for no reason. Don't worry.”
“......”


Seeing that smile just now, it was utterly, utterly impossible to believe that.


“Of course, I won't deny that if I do kill someone, I'd enjoy the process and outcome as much as possible.”
“...Well, that's just like you...”


He sighed, lamenting how he'd ended up in this situation.
He really shouldn't have opened a shop in a neighborhood like this.
If only his wife hadn't been from here...


Finally releasing the grip on his sword, he silently handed over a sack filled with money as big as his torso to Kaftin, who was holding out a bag in front of him. He roughly estimated the amount based on the assumption it was top-grade beef.


“Here. The price for the finest beef, just as you wished.”
“Good. You really are a perceptive man. I like that.”
“...But I hate you with a passion...”
“Huh... Out of respect for your perceptiveness, I'll accept your terms. You'll never set foot in this shop again.”
“...What?”


The shopkeeper, startled by his surprisingly willing acceptance and satisfied smile, stared as if questioning his sincerity.


“You assessed your situation and surrendered to me, albeit midway through. Few possess that level of discernment.”
“So... what's your point...?”
“You've probably calculated that I won't keep my promise. And if I really did break it and show up again, you'd pull out your countermeasures as if it were exactly what you expected... That's no fun.”
“So what the hell does that even mean...!”


As the shopkeeper, baffled by his incomprehensible ramblings, lowered his sword and pressed him for answers, Kaftin waved his hands dismissively.


“I like it when others act as I expect, but I absolutely hate being within someone else's expectations. There's no way I'd do what you expect me to do.”
“……!”


Finishing his words, Kaftin casually slung the sack of money over his shoulder and left the shop.
Soon, the sound of an old cart being pulled grew faint outside, and the shop was enveloped in silence.


The shopkeeper, finally able to relax, leaned against the wall and slumped down, wiping the cold sweat trickling down his forehead.


*


Having sold off even his equipment for cash, Kaftin slung the heavy money pouch, brimming with gold coins, over his shoulder and headed somewhere.


With each step he took, the clinking sound of gold coins clattering inside the sack harmonized with the rhythmic clatter of his footsteps.


On Pink Rose Street, such sounds always brought trouble, but this time was slightly different.


Thugs who had been creeping closer stopped in their tracks upon catching the scent of blood emanating from him and scattered.


A thug who had been peeking out from an alley ahead, looking ready to trip Kaftin's legs, saw his figure faintly illuminated by the streetlight. He let out a gasp and hurriedly retreated into the alley, hiding as if fleeing.


His entire body bathed in blood, not enough, showered in flesh, a sack of money soaked in blood.
To anyone watching, this was clearly no ordinary situation.


In such a situation, as always, what came rushing in was inevitable.


The clanking of metal armor clattering together could be heard, and blocking Kaftin's path were the maritime kingdom's City Guard—corrupt, they were called, but still, they claimed to be the guardians of order.


“Hey, you! Halt!”
“......”


Was he thinking about something?
Despite the City Guard officer stepping forward, extending a hand, and demanding he stop, Kaftin ignored him and simply kept walking forward, step by step.


“Hey! Stop! Can't you hear me?!”


Kaftin, refusing to stop, walked right into the officer's outstretched hand.
The officer yelped, as if touching something filthy, quickly withdrew his hand, brushed it off, and looked disgusted.


“You're a suspect in the mass murder that just happened in the restaurant! You'd better come quietly with us to the City Guard office!”


Caught momentarily by his palm, Kaftin silently scanned the Guard Officers surrounding him like a cage.


At a glance, there were twenty of them.
Moreover, about ten were equipped with crossbows, glaring at Kaftin with tense expressions.


“Move aside.”


Kaftin snorted derisively, immediately signaling his intent to proceed.
He had to attend to something extremely important right now.
There was absolutely no reason to waste time in a place like this.


“Not on your life! We're arresting you as a suspect in mass murder. Cooperate with the handcuffing! Or we'll shoot you!”
“It'd be best for you lot to step aside when I'm in a slightly better mood.”


The officer paid no heed to his threatening tone.
He certainly exuded an unusual aura, but he was still just a young criminal.
Suddenly, the officer's gaze fell on the sack he was carrying. He smacked his lips and smiled.


“Hmph! If you insist on talking that much, I'll give you time.”
“Then move. Now.”
“There's a condition.”
“......”


The officer immediately pointed at the sack he was carrying.


“That sack! To check if it contains anything suspicious, I'm confiscating it! Hand it over quietly!”


He already knew what was inside.
Following him this far, he'd overheard the thugs talking about a blood-soaked madman carrying a large sack jingling with money.


The problem was, the target he was trying to arrest wasn't some common street thug.


With a loud bang, his body shot up over ten meters into the air in an instant, and a tearing scream echoed through the sky.


The moment the officer let his guard down, Kaftin swiftly kicked up between his legs, stabbing with his toes. He silently lowered his foot back to the ground.


The City Guard officer fell to the ground with a heavy clang of armor, landing in an ugly heap.


“Gwaaagak! Damn you! Damn you… my…!
“Let me confirm two things. First, you can no longer make children. Second, you will never walk again. Live well.”
“……!!”
“Well then, that’s all.”


The moment the words left his mouth, the officer desperately reached out and grabbed the hem of his trousers as he tried to pass by.


“Yeeek…! All of you! What the hell are you doing?! Shoot this bastard dead right now!”
“S-Sir!”
“…I command you. If you don’t want to see your commander suffer any more than this, take him to the priest for treatment immediately.”
”This… this bastard…! Hey! This son of a bitch won’t listen… AAAAAHHH-!”
“C-Commander!?”


Even while crossbows were aimed at him from all sides, he calmly held onto the hem of his pants and resisted.
The Captain of the Guard had precisely targeted his little finger, grinding it flat under the heel of his boot.


Only then did the Captain of the Guard realize the horrifying truth: the sole of this damned murderer's boot wasn't leather, but reinforced with some kind of metal.


The cold, hard metal pressed down, crushing his fingers one by one with relentless force.


“Well, next up is the thumb. I like to start at the tip and work my way through, piece by piece.”
“S-stop…! Stop it! HIIEEEEEEEEEK-!!”
“C-Captain! Dammit! Shoot him! Now-!“


Finally, seeing the crossbow aimed at him, Kaftin immediately grabbed the captain by the hair, lifted him up, and forcibly tied him to his back using the leather straps bound to the sack.


”This should cover the back.”
“Huh…! Haah…! Wait, hold on! Th-this... Hey! Don't shoot this side! I said don't shoot!?“
”C-Captain!?“
”Ahh... Stop struggling. If you get in the way, I'll rip your limbs off."


As he casually uttered terrifying words, the crossbowman blocking his front gritted his teeth and fired.


Spotting the sharp-flying bolt, Kaftin swiftly spun around and thrust the Captain of the Guard strapped to his back forward.


“What?!... Aaargh!!”
“......!”
“Oops. My foot slipped. Sorry. I was planning to handle the front somehow. Made a little mistake.”


Seeing him smile apologetically at the Guard Officers, the Guard Officers began to waver.
If this continued, it would be as if it was only natural for the Captain of the Guard to be hit, no matter where they shot.


“You, you coward! Taking a hostage!”
“Heh. Villains are supposed to be cowards, aren’t they?”
"H-Hey! HOLD UP! No crossbows! Stop shooting! I'll take the hit?!“


The Captain of the Guard shuddered at the feel of the crossbow bolt embedded in his side and stepped forward to stop the crossbow fire.


”Right. That's the spirit. While you're at it, tell them to back off instead of surrounding me? If they don't retreat..."


Before he could finish, Kaftin reached behind him, grabbed the broken right arm of the Captain of the Guard—shattered in the fall—and gave it a slight tug.


“Aaargh-!! Stop! Stop it! It's broken! I said it's broken! Please! You, all of you, back off immediately! Back off! My arm-!”
“Guh…!”


In the end, Kaftin continued walking somewhere with the Captain of the Guard strapped to his back.
The Guard Officers couldn't bring themselves to leave. They began tailing him from a distance, crossbows aimed.
To rescue their captain and kill him the moment they saw even the slightest opening.


-To be continued-