Six Hours to Round Up the Kidnappers
"Zzz... snort! Zzz... snort!"
The guards on night duty were fast asleep.
My face twisted into a scowl without me even realizing it.
What a fucking mess.
I knew night shifts were tough, but this was still duty time. It wasn't like they were pulling 24-hour stints like officers on watch. So why the hell were they sleeping?
"What's the problem?"
Not everyone was asleep, at least. One awake guard approached me.
"I'm here about the kidnappings and had some questions, just in case..."
"If it's that, no issues, so head back and get some shut-eye. Yawn... I'm beat."
The guard waved me off with an expression like the world was too much hassle.
What the hell is with these guys' attitudes?
This was beyond messed up.
They think they can just coast and still collect a paycheck?
Honestly, I was a bit jealous, but that wasn't the point right now.
"Any kidnappers caught lately? Or reports of new ones showing up?"
"Sigh, you're really annoying."
When I pressed instead of leaving, the guard's face twisted in anger as he stood up.
"You look like a damn kid. Why don't you go catch a kidnapper yourself? Quit bothering people and go sleep. Or should I lock you up for curfew violation?"
He had the gall to threaten me.
This wasn't going to fly.
"Even if this place is off the radar, you still have to do the basics. Calling these clowns guards."
"What?! You little shit, how dare you..."
The moment he reached for me, I grabbed both his arms and pinned them.
"Wha...? What the—"
Thud!
Before he could even process it, I flipped him cleanly over my shoulder and slammed him into the ground.
"Urgh! What the hell are you?!"
"He's using violence in the sacred guard post?!"
The loud crash woke the sleeping guards, who jumped up and drew their swords.
These bastards are pointing swords at me?
They were completely insane.
"Hey! Quit pissing me off and get your captain out here."
I ran a hand through my hair as I spoke, and the mood turned even uglier. But they didn't swing those swords.
"Bind him right—"
"I hate pulling rank, but do you know the penalty for assaulting a noble? Can you assholes handle that?"
"What? You claiming to be a noble...?"
The second I pulled the purple ID plaque from my inner breast pocket.
Thump.
The guards dropped to their knees without a second's hesitation.
"This world is full of trash. Bring me a chair."
"Kidnappings have dropped sharply after curfew. Ha... haha."
Raifen, the 9th District Guard Captain, had rushed over from home. He explained while sweating bullets, but it was nothing impressive.
"Patrols aren't even happening properly, and curfew's a joke—no one's enforcing it. How the hell do you manage this place?"
"Well... if curfew were strictly enforced, it'd devastate the commoners' economy."
"Is that for the guards to worry about? Shouldn't wiping out the kidnapping rings be priority one? And your 'achievements'? Jack shit."
I'd expected them to have nabbed at least one or two perps, but this was shockingly bad.
"Ahem, I'm ashamed."
"At this rate, there's no sign of resolution. I'll have to report this straight to the mayor myself..."
Grab.
As I shook my head and stood to leave, Raifen clutched both my arms.
"M-Major, please, anything but that."
He seemed to know his guilt, bowing his head—he looked pushing forty.
"You botch the job this bad and expect to get off scot-free? My subordinates are paralyzed with fear because of you. You want me to just let it slide?"
I hadn't seen it myself, but they had to be shaking, right? Or maybe not.
"I'll... I'll catch the kidnappers right away."
"How do you plan to catch what you couldn't in months? Wouldn't it be faster if I just told the mayor? No point talking more."
I shook off Raifen's hands and opened the door to the captain's office.
"Aigoo! Please, just spare me this once! If I'm fired here, I can't face my family. I've got one daughter at home."
Anyone hearing him would think he was a hostage about to be executed.
Too bad my personality didn't soften for sob stories like that.
"You think you're the only guard captain with a daughter? Regular folks have kids too, and your incompetence is ruining their lives. How selfish can you get?"
I tsked genuinely and took another step, but Raifen literally grabbed my pant leg.
"I... I was a fool. I'll catch the kidnappers right now and fix this. Please, give me a chance!"
His voice was desperate, on the verge of tears.
The weight of being a family man hit hard.
That'll do.
It was exactly the desperation I wanted, so I turned and looked down at him.
"Fix it, huh? At least you've got some sense. Fine, one chance."
"Th-thank you! Truly!"
"But I hate empty words. Bring me kidnappers. Now."
"Yes! Just give me three days—I'll tear the place apart and drag them in!"
Raifen's ridiculous promise made my face sour again.
"What? Three days? Are you nuts?"
"Th-then two days."
As the mood soured again, Raifen mumbled like an ant, shortening it.
But two days wasn't what I wanted.
"Time now..."
I glanced at the wall clock: exactly 11:40 PM.
Work starts at 8, so I need to leave by 7.
Simple math.
"Six hours from now. Have kidnappers in front of me by then."
"Pardon...?!"
Raifen's eyes bulged at the slashed timeline.
Did he think asking twice would change my mind?
"What, head to the mayor instead?"
"N-no! But just a bit more time."
"Sigh, trying to stall again? You haven't learned. Forget it—I'll tell the mayor, so pack your bags."
I turned without regret, and once more, Raifen grabbed my pant leg.
"S-six hours! I'll have them in six hours!"
"You better keep that promise. Our house hates breaking oaths more than death."
"Y-yes, sir! I'll get them, no matter what! I'll start the search now."
"Handle it."
"S-see you later!"
Raifen bolted from the office like a survival show contestant.
"Now that's more like it."
With kidnappers prowling the city, this was how it should have been from the start.
Wonder if he can pull it off in six hours.
Truth be told, it was so tight I had my doubts.
"And now... no sleep before work tomorrow."
Why was life so damn hard?
A deep sigh escaped from the bottom of my chest, as natural as breathing.
"Fall in."
Raifen assembled the guards in the training yard, scanning each one with sharp eyes from the podium.
"Captain, what the hell's going on?"
"Palan Oclo, the Major? That war hero? Why's he here in 9th District this late?"
Just a major was intimidating enough, but Palan being a noble too sowed total chaos among the guards.
"He came himself because we haven't caught the kidnapping ring after all this time. You worthless shits—what the fuck have you been doing?!?!"
Raifen bellowed, but the guards were too stunned to respond.
You were in on the honey pot too—now what're you yapping about?
From the guards' perspective, no kidnappers caught was ideal.
Curfew meant hazard pay bonuses.
Of course, the system wasn't always abused—it was a loophole unique to neglected 9th District.
"You slack off, and now my head's on the block!"
Raifen bit his lip, glaring at the guards, who looked sullen.
That only fueled his rage more.
"You know what the major upstairs said? He's reporting all of us for dereliction to the mayor. Think it'll stop with me?"
"I-is that for real?"
"If he goes straight to the mayor... we have to stop him somehow."
The guards finally grasped it, their faces turning grave.
"But we still have a shot. Catch the ring, and we're good. Only six hours left, though."
"Six hours? How the hell?"
"Impossible!"
Voices rose among the guards.
But that changed nothing.
And six hours? Tight, but Raifen thought it doable—if the plan worked.
"Anyway, you get it: catch kidnappers or we're dead."
Raifen stepped forward from the podium.
"So come out! You bastard taking bribes from the kidnappers."
"Pardon...?"
"Captain? What do you mean?"
"Think I don't know? That's why they're kidnapping all over the city unchecked. Not blaming or reporting—just come clean."
The guards exchanged uneasy glances at Raifen's words.
"Fine, won't come forward here? Dismissed. Bribe-taker, come to my office. And know this: if this blows up, you won't even spend that cash before the underground cells."
The charisma he'd lacked with Palan now dominated the space.
"That's it. Gear up and patrol now."
Raifen stepped down and left the yard.
Left behind, one thought filled the guards' minds.
If this reaches the mayor... we're done.
A report from none other than Palan Oclo, the first-class medal holder? The mayor wouldn't let it slide.
"If you took money, go cooperate quick. Gotta survive first. Captain might look the other way."
"Yeah! Live first, deal later. This way, we're all fucked!"
Squad leaders raised their voices.
Everyone eyed each other suspiciously.
"Let's disband for now. Who'd go like this?"
"Y-yeah, dismissed. Dismissed!"
Guards scattered soon after Raifen left.
A few squad leaders who'd been loud... after agonizing, headed up to the captain's office.