「Karin. Karin…」
The voice echoes quietly through the mansion’s corridor.
A woman in a flowing dress walks slowly.
She looks to be in her mid-thirties to late thirties, but her voice is surprisingly youthful.
With steady steps, she notices the open door to the receiving room and frowns.
『I’ve told them strictly to lock up, so why is it open?』
Peering inside, she finds the maid she was looking for sitting on the sofa.
「Karin. Why don’t you answer?」
She calls out, but the maid, back turned, leaning against the sofa, doesn’t respond.
Suspicious, she steps closer and places a hand on the maid’s shoulder.
…Thud!
The maid slumps forward onto the floor.
「Karin?」
Shocked, she looks at her own hand.
The sticky sensation is deep red-black blood.
The same color pooling beneath the fallen maid.
「Hii! …Someone! Someone!!」
「Ahaha.」
「Hii!」
「Whoops～. I was totally asleep.」
A girl yawns widely, ‘kuwawa’, and stretches.
She looks no older than fifteen, tiny and delicate.
「Who are you?! How dare you enter someone’s mansion without permission!」
「Ahaha. Sorry about that…I’m here on Prince Halfren’s orders.」
「……The prince’s?」
「Yes. Here’s the royal guard emblem.」
She reaches into her armor and pulls out a silver plate on an iron chain.
The royal guard crest is clearly engraved on it.
「What does the royal guard want with this house?!」
「……You can probably guess from the state of your maid, Madam Rezendelte.」
The woman, Suren, a mid-noble’s wife, twisted her face in terror.
「You’re a mid-noble, yet you committed crimes. You know what happens to people like you, don’t you? Really foolish.」
「What proof do you have?!」
「We’ve already gathered all the evidence. Karin, was it? That maid confessed everything too. All the children you gathered… the kidnappings for sale.」
The cold, flat voice made the lady take two fearful steps back.
「I don’t know anything… What are you talking about?」
「Is that so? Then shall I report your other crime instead, the secret meetings with Republic spies?」
「……」
She shrugged wearily.
「You were stingy with expenses and neglected repairs on the dragon fences around your territory. A dragon broke through the broken fences and slaughtered your livestock. The farmers demanded compensation. Instead of paying, you hired mercenaries to drive them away. Are you stupid? Of course, the farmers fled to other lords. Your tax revenue dropped, yet you refused to cut back on luxury. That’s when Republic agents whispered to you: 『Blame it on the Empire.』 You hired bandit-like thugs to kidnap children from nearby areas and sell them. Even if you were only influenced, the moment you acted, there’s no excuse.」
「……Proof! Where’s your proof?!」
Her face drained of color, yet she still barked.
Yap yap yap yap… like a dog.
「The underground cellar in the barn far from the mansion. We’ve already found it.」
「……」
「If you want to hide something, keep it within arm’s reach. Criminals especially tend to do that. You couldn’t bear the anxiety unless you could check on it every single day, right?」
「……I don’t know anything! I know nothing!!」
Everything has come to light, so all I can do is deny everything.
That was Suren’s final thought as she clung desperately to denial.
She failed to realize the fatal mistake she had just made.
「I see.」
「……Eh?」
「If you insist you know nothing, then there’s no helping it.」
「……Yes, exactly! I know nothing! So please….!」
The lady’s mouth and throat froze mid-sentence.
The girl before her… was slowly drawing the sword from her waist.
「As a noble lady, you could have been granted the mercy of poison suicide…but since you claim ignorance, we’ll go with this instead.」
「No… wait! Why?!」
「Are you stupid? A noble lady attacked by robbers would never come out completely unharmed.」
「Robbers? What do you, 」
「No need to explain. Prince Halfren gave one order: 『Eliminate everyone involved』.」
「Hii!」
At last, the lady understood.
She remembered the existence of the second prince who quietly eliminates those who threaten the kingdom from both behind the scenes and in the open.
She realized what his words truly meant.
She had come here with the intention of killing her from the very beginning.
「Wait… please wait!」
「Yes?」
「I’ll give you anything, money, anything! No… anything you desire! Just spare me!」
「Anything?」
「Yes! Money, status, whatever you want! Surely you have something you desire? I’ll give it to you! So please, just let me live!」
「Hmm～」
The girl rests her cheek on her hand, thinking.
There are many things she wants.
Things she craves so badly her soul screams for them.
But…
「No can do.」
「Eh?」
「Because… how could the 『Hound』 ever disobey her master?」
「H-Hound…」
The lady’s whole body broke out in goosebumps.
Univance’s Hound…
The legend says anyone who sees it dies.
It’s no mere rumor.
Every noble knows it’s a real existence.
And that existence stood before her now.
「Yes. So no matter how desperately I might want something… right now, all I can say is: 『I just want to hear Master say “Good job.”』」
「Hii… hiii!」
The lady turned to flee.
The moment she exposed her defenseless back… the Hound had only one action.
Just hunt.
Nothing more.
Leave a Reply