I instinctively stepped back when a silhouette of someone walked closer while holding the head of a beheaded soldier. "A..." My legs trembled, my voice couldn't come out. I wanted to say "What is that?" but it was impossible, I could only tremble.
The man wore all black clothing, with a face covering. I didn't know who he was, but judging by his height and his voice when he first spoke, he was probably around the same age as me.
When the man got closer, Beltiro who was beside me instead provoked him. "Who are you, bastard?! Don't you know who I am?!" he shouted.
I turned to Beltiro. "Idiot! Don't provoke him!" I shouted angrily. I was so annoyed with him. If that man was displeased, then I, who was near him, would suffer the consequences too.
"That voice?" said the man, I turned toward him. The man stopped walking. "What?! Does he know me?!" My words could only be spoken in my mind.
I became more terrified, sweat dripped down my forehead. My legs trembled. "Does he also have a grudge against me?!" Damn it, I don't want to die yet.
Zert stood in front of me, he spread his arms, trying to stop that person. "Who are you?! Because of you, we are suspected!" shouted Zert.
Even though I hated him, he was my only family. He was the one who had always protected me all this time.
The man suddenly disappeared. Then he was standing right in front of Zert and me.
We both immediately stepped back in shock. "How..." How could someone move that fast?
The man looked into Zert's eyes, his gaze was very serious. "Who are you to this young lady?" he asked. He threw the head he had been holding, throwing it toward Beltiro.
"I-I'm her older brother! Don't touch my little sister!" shouted Zert.
I could only hold his hand tightly, trembling.
"Ah... Sorry." The man in front of us suddenly acted friendly.
I was confused by what was happening. "Why is he apologizing?" I asked in my heart.
"Bastard! Who are you?!" shouted Beltiro. He must have been very irritated when he was not acknowledged.
"Kill them all!" he added. His soldiers surrounded the three of us. They all pointed their weapons in the form of spears, swords, and shields. Surrounding us without even the slightest gap.
My brother and I panicked even more. Our position was now completely wrong. At first we were considered spies by Beltiro, then this suspicious person acted as if he knew me.
And now, we were surrounded by many soldiers. I immediately raised both my hands. "We are not guilty!" I shouted.
The suspicious man beside me was instead very relaxed. "Calm down, Miss." he said.
I became even more annoyed with him. "Shut up! This is all because of you!" I replied.
But then, he suddenly disappeared again.
When he disappeared, *Arghhh! "BASTARD!"
I heard screams of pain around me, and something fell one after another. *Brugh. Then it suddenly became silent.
I immediately looked around me. I immediately sat down when I saw what was around me now. "T-This is a lie, right?!" I shouted. My voice was restrained.
The sight I saw now was dismembered body parts, combat equipment made of iron or other hard metals, and... pools of blood splattered everywhere.
I covered my mouth and nose tightly, trying to hold back the nausea.
My brother also sat down when he saw the surroundings. He was just as scared as I was. He must have been very terrified, because at first he tried to act brave in front of that man.
I turned to Beltiro. The fat man was now crawling in fear, moving away from us, his body soaked in blood and sweat.
"No one dares to attack Beltiro! No one! You... you monster!" he roared.
Suddenly, he appeared again. He stood in the middle of the pool of blood, his tattered black cloak was not stained at all, whether because of magic or his movements being too fast. He wasn't even out of breath.
The man disappeared again, I tried to see where he went this time. "Monster?!" His voice came from my left.
It was right in front of Beltiro. I immediately turned in that direction. "If you consider me a monster for killing 'Pests'," he added.
I didn't know what he meant. "Then... what do you, who trade 'Humans' and kill them... get called?!" he said. His voice was very heavy, and intimidating.
Ah... I understood what he meant. He intended to take revenge on Beltiro as a slave trader.
I also really hated that bastard. But I couldn't do anything to him. "I'm just a loser." I muttered in my heart. Trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall.
I looked at the two of them. "D-Don't come any closer!" Beltiro who was sitting tried to back away from the man.
The man stabbed his weapon into Beltiro's leg, "Arghhh! I-It hurts so much!" The weapon pierced the floor, stopping Beltiro who kept trying to back away.
"Shut up!" the man shouted. "Your body is disgusting! Your screams are disgusting too! Everything is disgusting! So be quiet!" he snapped.
Beltiro sobbed uncontrollably. "D-Don't kill me!" He tried to negotiate. "If you kill me... then the slaves will die too! You intend to free them, right?!" he shouted.
He really was a bastard. Using humans like goods, now when his life was threatened, they were used as hostages.
But the man was indifferent. "Hah?! Slaves?! What's that?!" he asked.
He crouched down. Even though I was behind him, I could feel that he must have been looking at Beltiro with a very terrifying gaze. "There is no word 'Slave' in my dictionary. Everything... is equal... that is 'Human'." His words were very intimidating.
He stood up, turning his back to Beltiro. Looking far ahead behind me. "Those of you who have grudges against him, I leave his life to you." he said quietly.
I didn't know who he was talking to.
The sound of footsteps appeared in unison. *TAP. TAP. TAP. So many footsteps, surely dozens of people.
I immediately turned back to look. "Who again this time? His friends?!" I asked in my heart.
"Thank you, Sir." someone said.
Slowly, dozens of people appeared walking toward us.
All of their footsteps echoed throughout this silent corridor. Even, if there were no footsteps, maybe my terrified heartbeat could be heard.
"W-What do you want?!" Beltiro shouted in fear. He wanted to move away, but he couldn't because his leg was pinned by the weapon that pierced the floor as if his leg was stuck to it.
The man laughed softly, "Hahaha" then turned back to face Beltiro. He spread his arms and laughed loudly. "HAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed. "If you bastards don't believe in something called karma from above." He slightly looked up, seeing the luxurious lamp hanging from the ceiling. "Then I... am that 'Karma' itself." he shouted.
"F-Forgive me!" Beltiro cried very loudly, his tears could no longer be distinguished from his sweat.
All the people who approached were wearing ragged clothes, some were not even wearing clothes.
I guessed that they were the people who had previously been enslaved and tortured by Beltiro.
They all carried weapons in the form of spears, wood, iron, rusty swords, and other weapons. They passed me and Zert and approached Beltiro. "G-Get away!" Beltiro shouted in despair.
None of them moved, and they continued approaching. And... began torturing Beltiro. "Arghhh! F-Forgive me!" Beltiro's desperate screams echoed throughout the corridor.
I saw Zert who was still sitting, trembling. "Bro! We have to get out of here!" I said. But my voice directly got drowned out by their chaos.
I tried shouting to the man. "Hey! Sir! W-We have nothing to do with this! May w-we leave?!"
The man turned toward me. It seemed he heard my shout. But I was very afraid that we would not be allowed to leave. Before he spoke, I tried to kneel down. "P-Please!" Then I looked up so I could see him.
The man immediately disappeared. *Whoosh. He appeared right in front of my face while slightly crouching without a single word.
I immediately backed away in fear. "A..."
But the man's gaze suddenly changed. Somehow, even though his face was covered with black cloth, I could feel from his eyes that he was smiling. "Sorry for scaring you, Miss." he said kindly.
I was silent for a moment, "F-Forgive me." My eyeballs trembled, unable to see clearly. Why was he apologizing? Was he apologizing because he wasn't allowing the two of us to leave?
The man added. "Just relax. Please go. Sorry for this horrifying scene." His words sounded very kind.
His voice was faint because it was covered by the cloth on his face. But... what is this? Why do I feel that he is familiar? "W-Who are you?!" I asked. "Y-You don't feel unfamiliar to me!"
"You... Sylzee The Silver Ocean, right?" he said.
I became even more frightened. "T-That's right! H-How do you know me?!" I asked trembling.
"I know from all of them." He pointed toward the people who were previously enslaved.
They had all finished torturing Beltiro, but Beltiro was not immediately killed. They deliberately let Beltiro live so that he could continue being tortured. "F-Forgive..." Beltiro's screams this time were hoarser and more desperate.
"Any information can be obtained if people trust one another." said the man.
"I have no business with you. Because you have no criminal record that harms the 'Outer Slums'." he added calmly.
I didn't believe what he said. But I still slightly hoped for it. "R-Really?! W-Why?!" I asked stuttering.
He extended his right hand, trying to touch my face, I tried to move my face away from it. "Because you..." He pulled his hand back, and stood up. "Sorry. That's for another time." he said quietly, half muttering.
I didn't know what he meant, but when he allowed the two of us to go, I was not going to waste that opportunity. "T-Thank you very much!" I shouted while immediately standing up and bowing in respect.
I immediately pulled my brother who was surrounded by pools of blood and body parts. My brother was still trembling when he saw that. "Damn it! Who is really the older sibling here?!" I grumbled. I kept trying to drag him out of this damned castle.
The two of us left the corridor filled with the smell and pools of blood, body parts, and desperate screams coming from Beltiro.
The tense atmosphere after escaping death did not disappear at all even though the two of us were already in the outer yard of the castle.
I immediately sat down in the very wide castle courtyard. Crying uncontrollably.
*Sniff... Sniff... "Damn it. Luckily I'm still alive."