Ch.112Chapter 112. Hey, Open the Door.

“I was kidnapped in Alphonse territory?”

“Yes. There’s a house not far from here. I’ve seen and confirmed his subordinates entering it several times.”

To think they’d be keeping a kidnapped person in Alphonse territory.

The saying “it’s darkest under the lamp” wasn’t just a saying after all.

Riden Solice had already located their base, even though it had only been a day since I gave the order.

Without time to be impressed, I continued questioning.

“How many guards are there?”

“Two at the entrance working in shifts. I haven’t been able to determine how many are inside yet.”

Currently, the family must be preoccupied with Leonard and Seri Familia’s wedding.

I, with my reputation as a good-for-nothing, could freely leave the mansion, but Jason Alphonse would be keeping his post.

Now is the perfect opportunity.

I checked the sword at my waist once more and got up.

“Rio.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Stay here with Rinadiel.”

“B-but, isn’t it dangerous?”

“It’s fine. They won’t have too many guards in case villagers notice people coming and going from the house.”

“…Then I shall remain here as ordered.”

“Good, understood.”

After a brief greeting to Rio and Rina, I followed Riden Solice.

The place was quite close to the inn, but it was in a deserted area where monsters might appear.

There stood a lone house, conspicuously out of place.

I crouched down in a vigilant posture and looked at Riden.

“Is that the place?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ll go in alone. You keep watch here.”

Riden gave me a bewildered look at my words.

“Y-young master… even though I’m primarily an informant, I’m quite capable in combat.”

“I know. I want you to wait outside and handle anyone I might miss.”

“Ah… understood.”

After taking a deep breath, I approached the house confidently. One of the men standing guard looked at me with wide eyes.

“Y-young master Selden?”

“Yeah, open the door.”

“…What?!”

Swish-!

I swung my sword with all my might at the necks of the two guards before they could even scream.

Their heads fell to the ground.

Their bodies remained standing like stone statues, having lost their destination.

Killing Alphonse family subordinates felt quite unsettling, but these men were no different from human traffickers.

Meaning I had no reason to feel guilty.

Steeling my resolve once more, I opened the door.

Creeeeak-!

As soon as I opened it, I noticed a table in the empty space.

Five knights were deeply engrossed in a card game, having removed their armor and scabbards.

Upon seeing me, they panicked and hurriedly got to their feet.

I charged at them before they could even put on their armor and grab their weapons.

“Aaaaargh-!”

“W-what is thiㅡurk!!”

Time was of the essence.

While swinging my sword, I kept an eye on the door to ensure not even a rat escaped.

Fortunately, since the kidnapped person was a civilian, these were knights in name only.

They were all cut down in succession without managing a single proper response to my sword strikes.

“Huff…”

After a short breath, I looked around and realized I was the only survivor in the house.

Did I get too carried away?

I should have kept at least one alive…

I felt oddly apologetic to Rio and Lightner, who had been disciplined for killing all the assassins last time.

Still.

It felt strange that I wasn’t disturbed at all about killing so many people.

Carefully collecting my emotions, I slowly examined the house.

The room smelled strongly of damp mold seeping from the old wooden floorboards.

Creak-! Creak-!

No matter how thoroughly I searched, the only furniture was a table and chairs.

Clearly, the men I just killed were knights of the Alphonse family.

They wouldn’t be stationed here without reason.

I closed my eyes tightly, making not even the slightest sound, trying to sense any presence.

Rustle-!

I felt a faint vibration beneath my feet.

Opening my eyes again, I turned off all the lights in the room and examined the floor. In the far corner, I could see a dim light.

‘There it is.’

After confirming the exact location, I turned the lights back on and strode over.

Upon closer inspection, there was a small handle attached to the floor.

Clunk-!

When I grabbed the handle and pulled hard, it revealed a hidden passage.

There was a narrow staircase leading down, and contrary to my expectation of a dark basement, it was bright enough to see the end of the stairs.

Thud-! Thud-!

Still gripping my sword, I descended the stairs.

The moment my leather boots touched the basement floor, my face contorted.

There were about twenty people.

Young girls and boys, as well as elderly men and women—a diverse age range.

Their faces, trapped behind iron bars, were clearly marked with traces of pain and despair.

It was hard to breathe in the face of such cruel reality.

“Fuck…”

My fingertips trembled as the curse naturally slipped out.

What kind of succession dispute would drive someone to commit such an atrocious act as a human being?

What on earth were they trying to gain?!

Until I came here, I hadn’t felt such rage rising within me.

After all, the kidnapped people weren’t related to me.

But witnessing this miserable and wretched scene with my own eyes made my emotions surge like a whirlpool.

Yes, this is actually good.

It’s fortunate that I now know what kind of person Jason Alphonse is. If I had ignored family matters to live an easy life, he would have continued to torment me even after becoming the head of the family.

-Y-young master Selden…?

-Was it young master Selden who imprisoned us?

-I heard rumors he was a good-for-nothing, but to think young master Selden was the one who kidnapped us!!

Exclamations erupted from all around as they saw me.

Well, if it were Jason Alphonse, he would have been hiding behind the scenes, enjoying this cruel spectacle with his hands behind his back.

Clang-!

I struck the iron bars forcefully with the tip of my sword.

The people inside clutched their heads and trembled in fear.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my voice.

“If you want to live, pull yourselves together and listen carefully to what I say!”

*

The day after the wedding.

After seeing off Seri and Leonard to the Familia family for a courtesy visit, the Alphonse family members took their seats at the dining table.

Baron Byron picked up a piece of meat with his fork and clicked his tongue.

“In the end, Evander didn’t show up at the wedding.”

Ellaria responded with a relaxed smile.

“Darling, the wedding date was set so suddenly that Evander probably didn’t even hear about it.”

Jason Alphonse maintained a smile as he spoke in response to Ellaria’s words.

“Mother, that’s a problem in itself. It doesn’t make sense to leave for training without having a single source of information within the family.”

Baron Byron nodded as if it made sense.

“Yes, that’s right. If it had been a war between families instead of a wedding, it would have been quite a serious issue.”

“Indeed. When Elder Brother Evander returns, you should give him a stern scolding.”

“…By the way, where has Selden gone?”

At Baron Byron’s question, Jason Alphonse eagerly continued.

“He disappeared right after the wedding. He’s probably drinking himself stupid in some nearby pleasure district.”

“He disappeared?”

“Speaking of which, we should send Selden to exile soon. How can he not even attend a family meal?”

Just as Baron Byron was pressing his throbbing temples, there was a knock.

Knock-knock!

The dining room door opened, and Selden appeared.

He looked quite exhausted, as if he had been up all night, and his appearance was utterly shabby, as if he hadn’t even washed.

“Selden Alphonse, greeting Father and Mother.”

As Selden sat down, Baron Byron closed his eyes tightly before opening them and speaking.

“What on earth have you been doing?”

“I’ve been working for the Alphonse family.”

“Work for the family?”

“Yes, I was just cleaning up some garbage that was giving off quite a stench.”

Baron Byron furrowed his brow at Selden’s cryptic words.

“You cleaned up… garbage?”

“Yes. There was a considerable amount of garbage, so it took quite some time to clean up.”

“What kind of garbage are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the garbage that kidnaps people for succession disputes, threatens them, and tries to kill his own brother, his own blood.”

All eyes at the table turned to Selden.

Ellaria and Miria Alphonse tilted their heads, wondering if they had misheard, while Byron remained frozen, blinking his eyes.

The first to raise his voice was Jason Alphonse, who hurriedly rose from his chair.

“F-father, what absurd nonsense is he spouting in front of you!! As expected of this good-for-nothing…”

Selden looked at Jason with an emotionless gaze.

A cold, frozen stare.

It was as if he were looking at an ‘insect.’

Screech-!

Selden also stood up from his seat and approached Jason Alphonse.

And once again, he uttered incomprehensible words.

“You insect, today I’ll be your executioner.”