Kidnapping (2)
Even though I've only played up to Chapter 1, the Belmont family is an extraordinary household in more ways than one. The head of the family, Count Drago Belmont, was executed long ago on charges of researching black magic, leaving the Countess to act as interim head. The eldest son, Aslan Belmont, followed in his footsteps by studying black magic and conducting human experiments, only to be sliced in half by the protagonist and killed. The eldest daughter, Irene Belmont, became a necromancer researching resurrection magic before being reported and imprisoned. "What kind of dysfunctional family is this?" From top to bottom, they're all trash. The Countess might seem normal at first glance, but judging by how her children turned out, that's clearly not the case either. There are no sane people in this family.
Which is why—
"Aslan! Your big sister went out of her way to get you some materials for your experiments! I was passing by the slave market when I spotted some perfect candidates, so I bought them on the spot!"
I should probably abandon any hope that being careful on my own will let me avoid a bad end.
"A-Ah...!"
"What? Too happy to speak?"
"No, what the hell did you do with these kids..."
"Look! Their mana sensitivity is pretty good for commoners, isn't it? Ah, I suppose you wouldn't be able to tell with your pathetic magical talent. Anyway, I bought them specially for you, the future head of the family. It wasn't cheap, but worth it. Oh! The slave trader tried to overcharge me even though he couldn't even see their mana sensitivity, so I chopped off his arms and legs. If he has any complaints, he can contact you—I threw him your business card. He kept stammering 'I-I'm sorry!' over and over, so I doubt he'll actually reach out, but just so you know."
"..."
Irene patted my shoulder with a cheerful smile. Two things became clear to me. First, Aslan's older sister and the eldest daughter, Irene Belmont, was completely insane. Second, Irene clearly despised her younger brother.
"Why the long face? These are the high-mana-sensitivity children you've been searching for, aren't they?"
"..."
The children Irene had dragged along were shoved in front of me. A small green-haired girl trembling like a frightened rabbit. And a tall silver-haired girl baring her teeth and growling. I'd never seen them before, yet they felt strangely familiar.
Skill 'Appraisal' has been activated.
Age: 13
Favorability: -5
She is wary of you.
I already knew that.
Age: 14
Favorability: -10
She is hostile toward you.
I thought 'Appraisal' would reveal something impressive, but it seems it doesn't provide any information beyond what's already obvious. Still, the age display could prove useful. At the very least, I won't accidentally offend a thousand-year-old high elf by mistaking her for a child.
'Yeah, it's definitely them.'
Charlotte and Julia. Names I couldn't help but recognize. These were the children who would become the protagonist Yuri's companions in the future. The very same children Aslan Belmont would use as subjects for his human experiments—children Yuri cherished deeply.
So why not just refuse to take them in the first place? The answer was simple. Even if I didn't kidnap them, someone else would have taken them by force. As if it were their destined fate.
"...Where's the third one?"
"Third? What third?"
"Weren't there three, not two?"
"Ah. How did you know? One of them escaped. I paid the most for that one, too. Tch."
"..."
Irene whispered to me with a meaningful smile. The one who escaped was obviously the protagonist, Yuri. A headache was already forming.
"She ran off shouting, 'Everyone, just wait! I'll definitely become strong and come save you!' How adorable. By the time she comes to rescue them, it'll already be too late."
"...Did she really escape? Or did you let her go?"
"My, what do you take your big sister for?"
Grind. My teeth scraped together involuntarily, and Irene smiled in satisfaction. Her eyes were filled with madness—I couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking.
"Well then, I'll see you next time. Since I went through the trouble of procuring the materials myself, you'd better show some results by then. Neither I nor Lord Kali are known for our patience."
"..."
Irene waved her hand brightly and turned away. The door slammed shut behind her. Left in the study were one gloomy black mage and two terrified children.
"Greetings. My name is Aslan Belmont. Welcome to Belmont Manor..."
"W-We... hic... uuu..."
"Don't cry! You might get hit if you cry!"
"B-But... uuuu..."
"We'll just have to hold out until Yuri comes!"
"Ah. My head is killing me."
This must be what they mean by being caught between a rock and a hard place. I was going to lose my mind.
"Eat."
"What's this?"
"What do you mean, what's this? It's food."
"You're giving it to us?"
"..."
When I held out the plate of food, both children backed away warily, showing no sign of eating. Was my villainous appearance making them even more suspicious when I tried to be kind? Left with no choice, I called a maid and had the food transferred into dog bowls.
"How about now?"
"..."
I tossed the children into the next room along with the food and water, then returned alone to the study. I ignored the voices from behind muttering things like 'I'm hungry...' and 'It might be poisoned.'
I needed time to think.
'This is insane. What am I supposed to do with them?'
Part of me wanted to kick them out immediately. Send them to an orphanage—anywhere, as long as it was outside this manor. Otherwise, the protagonist Yuri would eventually come seeking revenge. But the real problem was Irene. A woman who looked like a complete lunatic—would she have kidnapped these children purely for her brother's sake? Was letting Yuri escape really an accident? And that subtle pressure at the end, demanding 'results'...
If I couldn't produce research results, there was no telling what she might do. Which meant I couldn't lay a finger on the children in the next room, yet I was still expected to conduct experiments using them. An impossible dilemma.
"Alright. Time to run away."
There was no answer here. If I started the research, the protagonist would kill me. If I abandoned it, the family would come down on me. It was a choice between two deaths. There was only one way to turn this into a third option—escape. Change my name, forge a new identity, and live alone farming in some remote place.
"...!?"
A sudden crushing sensation gripped my heart. My vision narrowed, cold sweat poured down my back. I froze, forgetting even how to breathe, until the chilling presence finally receded and allowed me to inhale again.
What the hell was that just now? It felt as though some icy force had approached from behind and brushed against the nape of my neck.
Only after calming my wildly pounding heart could I reach a conclusion.
"Haa, haa... This is really, truly screwed."
I'd gotten myself tangled up with some seriously deranged people. Why did I have to write a 5,800-character chapter when I could've summarized it in 3,000? Now I'd brought this ridiculous fate upon myself.
***
"Charlotte! No! We don't know what's in it...!"
"But I'm hungry. Mmm, mm... Huh? It's delicious?"
"You actually want to eat food from a dog bowl?"
"It's better than starving to death!"
"..."
At Charlotte's exclamation—her mouth smeared with white cream—Julia was left speechless. They might be orphans with no education, but the Belmont family's infamy was impossible to ignore. Rumors said screams of slaves echoed daily from the manor, and countless bones were buried in the basement. Of all places to be sold to...
In a situation where one wrong move could mean anything, Charlotte had already let her guard down and was devouring the cream pasta from the dog bowl with gusto. She'd been crying about how scary it was just moments ago...
"Julia, you should eat too! It's really good!"
"No thanks. There could be poison or drugs in it. At least one of us needs to stay clear-headed in case something happens."
"I don't think there'll be any problems. The man who gave us the food looked kind."
"What? That guy? Are your eyes broken?"
Julia was stunned by Charlotte's innocent assessment. How could that man possibly look kind? His skin was deathly pale, as if he never went outside. Greasy hair. Dark circles hanging down his face. And that study floor covered in incomprehensible red magic circles, along with sacrificial offerings like goat heads.
'Ugh. Creepy.'
He was obviously a black mage researching forbidden magic. Just remembering it made Julia shudder. How could anyone look at that and think he seemed kind? She even worried whether Charlotte could survive in this harsh world on her own.
'Yuri isn't here. So I have to protect Charlotte...'
Yuri had dramatically succeeded in escaping, leaving behind a promise to return. Since Yuri had said that, no matter how long it took, she would come back somehow. So just endure a little longer. Hold on and wait. Don't break—protect Charlotte while waiting.
Just as Julia made that resolution and bit her lip, the door burst open.
"You two behaving yourselves?"
"...!"
A gloomy man stepped inside. Julia's body reacted on instinct, leaping up to stand protectively in front of Charlotte. He was literally exuding a black aura, the very embodiment of the word 'sinister.' How many people had he ground to dust to become this twisted? Every word he spoke seemed to freeze the air around them.
"Did you enjoy your meal?"
"..."
What? Why was he asking that? Had he put something in the food? The moment they faced his unsettling smile, both Charlotte and Julia went rigid.
"Why did only one of you eat? You didn't touch it?"
"...None of your business."
"You need to eat properly. Otherwise you won't put on weight or stay healthy. Kuhahaha."
"...!"
The moment their eyes met his white sclera, the air in the room turned frigid. What did he mean by 'healthy'? What exactly was he planning to do with their bodies...!
"If you won't eat, then there's no helping it. I'll have to punish you."
"So you're finally showing your true colors! Using punishment as an excuse for some depraved act!?"
"Get up and run ten laps around the training ground. Right now. Move."
"What?"
Huh? What?