Chapter 5
“…No way…”
“Could it be… did that little girl just take down Ted?”
The men murmured in disbelief, their faces twisted in shock. Judging by how disorganized they were—muttering amongst themselves instead of responding—they didn’t seem to be well-trained. If they were, they wouldn’t be letting their guard down, even against a child. They would have charged at me by now. Not that I minded. Their hesitation gave me some time to think.
While the men continued murmuring, I studied them briefly.
Four of them in total. Broad shoulders, protruding bellies, and all extremely tall—easily over six feet. Then again… I couldn’t be sure. From the perspective of a seven-year-old body, everything looked a lot bigger.
Should I fight?
I still had strength left. Besides, this gauntlet containing Comet was undoubtedly powerful. No, it was more than just “powerful.”
But relying solely on the gauntlet was risky when I hadn’t yet figured out how many people were in their group. There could be more lurking nearby.
Would it be better to run?
—Run? What are you saying, Master? I’m much stronger! I could wipe out everyone here—hell, even a thousand of them!
“I get it, but let’s not push it. It’s not that I don’t trust you—just that I’m unsure about how much stamina I have left.”
I answered Comet and resumed thinking. Yeah. The smart move was to stall for time until the Duke’s people arrived and regrouped with me. Now was the perfect opportunity, while the men were still flustered.
“If that girl really took down Ted, we just need to gang up on her.”
“Wait… isn’t she running away?”
“What?”
All their eyes fixed on me.
Ah, should’ve bolted sooner. Just as I was about to take off, something caught my eye.
Huh? Wait a second.
I frowned. Draped over one of the men’s shoulders was a red, limp shape.
No—upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a “shape.” It looked like a young girl in a red dress.
The moment I saw her, I stopped dead in my tracks.
I wasn’t the only one being kidnapped?
“You guys… are you kidnapping her too?”
I blurted out the question before I could even finish my thought.
The men who had just started to chase after me looked puzzled. They glanced at each other—then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Pwahahaha! ‘Are you kidnapping her too?’ she says!”
“Of course, kid! Of course we’re kidnapping her!”
“…So it’s not just me—the heir of the Sylcar family—that you’re after?”
They kept laughing, but I glared at them, my eyes wide.
It wasn’t just me?
Frowning, I glanced between the men and the girl in the red dress. The “Sylcar House Abolition Operation” I’d overheard before dying was supposedly a plot to kidnap me, a member of the Sylcar family. And it was happening now. But then… who was that girl?
Just as I was puzzling it out, my face stiffened.
“…No. Don’t tell me…”
I clenched my teeth hard. The pieces clicked together instantly.
“So the ‘Sylcar Abolition Operation’… isn’t just about kidnapping me.”
“What?! How do you know that name—?”
The men’s faces drained of color the instant I spoke those words. Seeing their reactions, I knew I was right.
Of course. It had never made sense. Kidnapping me alone—even as a Sylcar heir—wouldn’t be enough for the family to surrender their right to enforce security or permanently shut down. But—
“If multiple noble girls are kidnapped all at once like this, the other noble houses will turn against the Sylcar family for failing to maintain order in the capital—and try to strip them of their authority.”
Exactly. If this was a coordinated effort to kidnap noble girls, then the Sylcar family would be held directly responsible for failing to protect the capital. The heaviest consequence in such cases was for the family to relinquish all power and honor.
The fall of Sylcar—the family in charge of Otern’s security—was the true goal of this so-called “Abolition Operation.”
And the Nad—those bastards—were probably using the kidnapped noble children for profit and other criminal activities, while positioning themselves as a powerful religious group.
The men gaped at me. Their facial expressions were more convincing than any words.
“How many more are you planning to kidnap today? How many have you already taken?”
By now, I had erased any thoughts of escape from my mind. I would fight to the death.
I clenched my fists. Sparks burst from the gauntlet.
“Put the girl down… while I’m still asking nicely.”
Even before I finished speaking, I charged at the man carrying the girl on his shoulder, putting all my strength into a twin kick.
“Aaargh!”
My heels slammed deep into his gut.
At the same time, I grabbed the girl’s ankle with one hand and pulled her down. If I didn’t unbalance them like this, she might get crushed if he fell backward.
If I had been bigger, I could’ve caught her and landed cleanly. But as I yanked her down, I used the recoil from the man’s abdomen to flip backward and land safely.
The man staggered and crashed backward. It was inevitable—I’d hit with everything I had, seven-year-old or not.
And the girl who’d been slung over his shoulder didn’t fall far—just toppled gently next to his belly as he hit the ground.
Thank goodness!
I rushed over to the girl and stood protectively in front of her. I couldn’t help her up—I still had to fight. The best I could do was defend her from this spot.
While bracing myself, I glanced at the girl’s face.
The moment I saw it through her disheveled hair, my eyes widened.
“…Myra?”
I gasped and called her name.
No doubt about it. It was Myra. Her face was younger, but I’d never mistake that kind, gentle face. One of my adoptive sisters—someone who had always been a rock for me—was lying in the dirt.
…Wait.
Looking at her muddy dress, I realized the truth.
Myra was also a kidnapped noble. She had been just like me—abandoned in the slums, starving all her life.
She too had been a victim of these bastards.
Then… could Anna be next? Could she be getting kidnapped right now?
It wasn’t just me.
They ruined all of our lives.
We could have had brighter, happier lives—away from those back alleys, from starvation.
They didn’t just ruin my life.
They ruined the lives of the people I loved.
In that moment, my vision turned blood red.
An even greater rage consumed me—greater than when I learned my own life had been destroyed by them. My body trembled uncontrollably, and my mind went numb.
Only pure fury filled me now.
“…You bastards.”
I stomped down hard on the fallen man’s neck. His body jerked violently. I’d just shattered his spine.
If he was lucky, he’d be paralyzed from the waist down. If not, full body paralysis. Either way—better than him getting up and attacking Myra or me again.
I lifted my foot and took a fighting stance, planting one foot back and spreading my legs to protect Myra behind me.
Clenching my fists, I grit my teeth and made a vow.
