Volume 6 Chapter 4 – Bloody Sunday 1

| Todou Kyosuke

The destination of the black minivan was a 12-story apartment building, not far from the overpass. Or at least, that’s how it felt—it’s hard to judge distances while in a car.

After parking in the underground lot, I left the four still-unconscious men inside the vehicle. Then, I had the “chief” (newly designated) guide me to his apartment.

The reason this “chief” was so obedient? Well, there’s a story behind that.

Let’s just call him the chief from here on out.

◆

There was once a cruel noble in the mining town of Merukain, nestled at the foot of a mountain. Known in whispers as the “Plundering King,” he forced people to toil long hours in toxic mines for meager wages. Those who collapsed were abandoned. Slaves replaced the dead. This noble lord was unparalleled in his cruelty toward the people.

To make matters worse, without reporting to the kingdom, he unearthed relics from ruins deep within the mines and kept them for himself.

However—

He was a noble who absolutely could not be killed.

Artlily had specifically asked me not to.

Usually, Artlily is all about slash-slash-kill-kill, but for once, she put the brakes on. Her reason? She needed a rare gemstone. Even her top-tier informants couldn’t locate it.

So, she has informants like that… and she planned to steal it? I’ll admit, I was a little taken aback. But Artlily, who almost never makes selfish requests, earnestly pleaded with me, saying she absolutely needed it.

I couldn’t say no.

“Wanting a rare gemstone, huh?” I thought, finding it amusing that even fierce shrine maidens like her could have such girlish whims. Curiously, she also wanted to orchestrate the situation so the noble would hand it over willingly. She asked for my help with that too.

Could that even work? I had my doubts. But between my curiosity and the overwhelming resolve in the shrine maidens’ gazes—piercing as they were—I agreed. Their eyes left no room for argument. It was terrifying.

Usually, those in power avoid disrespecting the Hero, the Sword of Mankind. But this noble was different. His mocking grin and casual demeanor seemed to say, Hurry up and kill me already.

Still, I’d promised Artlily. So, following her plan to the letter, I didn’t kill him. Instead, I tried her strategy.

The result? He became a babbling mess, like a broken doll.

I may have overdone it. Artlily, panicking, cast healing magic on him, but it didn’t do much for his mental state.

When we asked him about the gemstone, he answered honestly. Not only that, but he personally guided us to its location and presented it to us with great reverence—all while still babbling incoherently.

It was exactly the picture-perfect outcome the shrine maidens had envisioned… though it wasn’t quite what I had imagined.

The atmosphere became awkwardly tense. Artlily, recovering quickly, exclaimed, “As expected of you, Kyosuke!” in her usual provocative tone. Since she was sincere, I let it slide.

By the way, after obtaining the gemstone, they planned to replace the noble with someone else and report the situation to the kingdom. However, the noble, partially recovering from his incoherent state, became a benevolent lord who genuinely listened to the voices of his people.

The town grew lively and full of smiles. Artlily, once again, praised me with her “As expected of you, Kyosuke!” line.

That gemstone? Haven’t seen it since.

What I’m trying to say is, I used Artlily’s strategy on the chief.

When I was taking down those 20 guys earlier, I brainstormed modern-world techniques I could use. Then it hit me—

The Obedience Punch.

Artlily once instructed me: “Imbue a magic stone with healing magic and punch with it.”

Normally, enchanting an object requires a specialized mage and a dedicated workshop. Alefgardians don’t just enchant things on the fly. But I was different.

Even so, I was skeptical. Sure, I could do it, but would it really work? And let’s be honest—a Hero punching people? It seemed a bit… brutish.

Still, I gave it a try.

When I punched the noble, he experienced a strange sensation—painful, yet not painful. After about ten punches, he started babbling, so I stopped.

It seemed his brain couldn’t process the experience, leading to his breakdown. Not wanting to overthink it, I blamed Artlily.

Rozenmarie and Tia Croix gave me cold, judgmental stares, but this was all Artlily’s fault.

For the chief walking in front of me now, I used a regular stone I picked up nearby. Carefully imbuing it with magic, I struck him. His earlier silence was likely an attempt to hide his weaknesses.

I adjusted the magic power to match his Level 1 rank. Watching his eyes closely, I ensured he wouldn’t turn into a vegetable. I was meticulous about every detail.

And thus, a compliant chief was born.

See? He turned white.

Yes, I am, essentially, an artisan.

◆

Room 1204

As we passed through the entrance and ascended in the elevator, I couldn’t help but notice how luxurious this apartment building was.

Granted, my standards for luxury are skewed—things like royal castles or noble estates serve as my baseline—so my judgment might not be the most reliable. Still, for someone like the chief, barely in his early 20s, this seemed like quite the upgrade. I guess where there’s wealth, there’s wealth to be spent.

When I reached the human territory’s outermost boundary, Necronde, I was considered pretty well-off myself.

In Alefgard, the currency was royal-minted gold coins, endorsed by the Salvation Church. Owning those coins made one thing clear—they were a pain to use. Heavy, bulky, hard to count, and easy to lose. I often wondered, What were they thinking?

It made me appreciate why paper currency became widespread. When I mentioned this to Tia Croix, she became utterly fascinated. She even asked, So could you just write ‘1000G’ on some random rubble, and it’d be fine?

I told her, Well, technically yes, as long as the Church endorses it. In the end, money ceases to be a physical object and becomes nothing more than numbers. Her eyes went wide at that.

◆

“This is the room.”

“Thanks. Do you have a criminal record?”

“I do.”

“Then you know what comes next. The key?”

“Pure and blank… babbling pure and blank…”

“Ah.”

I screwed up. I’d let him lead the way, so I hadn’t checked his eye color. He’s regressed a bit. I still have a lot to learn.

If I don’t polish him until he’s absolutely spotless, I’ll have failed as a craftsman…

This isn’t white!

…This feels like something a pottery master would say. They’d smash the clay, leaving their apprentice bewildered, while their wife peeks in from the backroom, the soup pot boiling over.

No, that’s not it.

What I mean is, his mind and body are still out of sync.

I get it. I really do. It’s only been since yesterday. I went through the same thing. It was rough. My chest felt all jittery. I might have made everyone babble incoherently too…

No, wait, that’s not it either.

Just as I prepared for another Obedience Punch, he suddenly yelled:

“Ughhhhhh────!!”

With that, he stumbled toward the elevator at a desperate pace.

Sigh… Is there something really incriminating in that room?

Sorry, but—

You can’t escape from a Hero.