Karma and Toothpicks
“Dammit!! I won’t let it end like this… Hurry and escape through the hidden passage! Bring the prepared luggage!”
“Y-Yes, sir!!”
Marein rushed back to his room as the royal army flooded into his mansion, barking orders at his butler. Anticipating the worst, Marein had already packed the bare essentials for an emergency escape. There were plenty of thugs in the mansion—enough to buy him some time as the soldiers struggled to subdue them.
Marein desperately plotted his escape. He’d flee through the hidden passage and make a straight run for Barst. From Renalute, the only direct routes led to either the Empire or Barst. But Barst offered further options—ships to other lands or overland routes to the Beastman Kingdom and even the distant Religious State. Yes, there were plenty of places to run.
“Heh, if worse comes to worst, I’ll just sell Renalute’s secrets or anything else of value. I will not fall here…!! I’ll make those wretched girls pay for this!”
Hatred burned in Marein’s eyes as he thought of the group storming his mansion.
“That’s… something I can’t let slide.”
“…!? Wh-Who’s there!?”
Marein spun toward the voice. Standing there was none other than his butler, clutching the prepared luggage to his chest.
“You…!”
Marein muttered. But the butler stood still, head bowed, his face obscured.
Suddenly, the butler raised his face, looking directly at Marein. His mouth opened as he coughed blood and uttered,
“M-Master… p-please… r-run…”
“What!? What’s happening!?”
Marein cried in shock.
The butler dropped the luggage to the floor, revealing a sword piercing through his chest, right where his heart was.
And then, from behind the butler—where there had been no one before—a shadowy figure emerged.
The intruder was cloaked entirely in black, their face hidden, but the exposed parts of their skin were dark, suggesting they were likely a dark elf.
The figure pulled the dagger from the butler’s back, and the butler collapsed lifelessly to the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath him. Marein glared at the black-clad intruder with a mixture of rage and terror.
“…Who sent you? If it’s money you want, I have plenty!! Take the bag next to the butler—take it all!!”
Desperately, Marein pointed to the bag beside the fallen butler. The intruder picked up the bag and inspected its contents. Seeing this, Marein felt a fleeting sense of relief.
“Haha… That bag holds more wealth than someone like you could ever dream of. Let me go, and it’s all yours. A fair deal, wouldn’t you say?”
The intruder finished examining the bag, then glared coldly at Marein.
“…Don’t misunderstand. I’ll take this bag, but I have no intention of letting you go. My master has business with you.”
“W-What!? Gah!!”
The black-clad figure darted toward Marein with inhuman speed, driving a fist into his stomach. The impact knocked Marein unconscious.
From that day forward, Marein Condroy disappeared without a trace.
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“Wake up.”
A splash of water accompanied the command, drenching the man tied to a chair.
“…!? Gah! Wh-Where am I!?”
The water revived Marein, who found himself face-to-face with the black-clad man who had abducted him. Realizing what had happened, Marein shouted,
“D-Do you have any idea who I am!? You won’t get away with this!!”
The black-clad man stared at him with a pitying gaze.
“…You don’t understand your situation. My master is far less kind than I am. You’d best beg for a quick death.”
“W-What are you saying!?”
Marein realized he was bound to the chair and began frantically looking around the room. It was dimly lit and windowless. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he noticed an array of ominous tools scattered around, clearly meant for… something.
Gripped by terror, Marein began to tremble. He finally understood the meaning of the intruder’s words. His teeth chattered as he pleaded desperately,
“I was wrong!! I’ll tell you everything I know! Please, I beg you, spare me!!”
The man shook his head.
“…It’s too late. You’ve gone too far.”
As he spoke, a heavy door creaked open behind Marein. Tied to the chair, he couldn’t see who had entered. All he could do was quake in fear.
“…Capella, you’ve done well.”
“It was easier than usual, thanks to the unexpected chaos.”
“Haha, he’s been quite the troublemaker everywhere he’s gone.”
(That voice… I’ve heard it before. Who is it!?)
Marein recognized the voice of the man speaking behind him. While he still couldn’t see the man’s face, he learned something from their exchange—one of the two was named Capella.
“Capella, I’ll need your help. We’re about to conduct an interrogation, and I can’t afford to miss anything.”
“…Understood.”
The word interrogation sent a chill down Marein’s spine. Footsteps echoed as someone approached him. The man set a chair in front of Marein, sat down, and folded his hands with a calm smile.
Seeing the man’s face, Marein muttered in despair,
“…Zack Riverton.”
“Ah, we meet again… Or perhaps this is the first time?”
Zack tilted his head, feigning disinterest. Marein had suspected this outcome, but a flicker of hope had remained. Maybe he’d survive, even if barely. But seeing Zack crushed that hope. Marein slumped in defeat, his voice hollow.
“…I’ll tell you everything. Just, please… make it quick.”
“Good attitude.”
Zack smirked coldly.
“But do you think I’ll take your words at face value? No… The only words I’ll trust from you are those you scream when begging for death.”
Zack’s cruel smile sent a shiver through Marein.
“But don’t worry—I’ll go easy on you. Capella, there’s a container of toothpicks over there. Bring it to me.”
Capella fetched the container as ordered. Zack plucked a single toothpick from it, smiling brightly. With a seemingly gentle tone, he said to Marein,
“You and Norris gave us a lot of trouble. Consider this… a little venting on my part. Cry, scream, and speak the truth.”
“W-Wait!! I said I’ll tell you everything!! Please, forgive me!!”
“Don’t worry,” Zack replied calmly. “There are twenty spaces between your fingernails and toenails. By the time I’ve used them all, I’ll believe your words. Now, for the first one…”
Zack glanced between Marein’s bound hands, ultimately settling on the right pinky. Marein thrashed helplessly, knowing he couldn’t escape. Zack’s expression was one of amusement as he moved the toothpick closer, aiming for the gap beneath Marein’s fingernail. The instant the sharp point made contact, Marein let out an anguished scream of despair.
“Stop!! Stop it!! Please, stop!! Noooooooo!!”
“Ah, yes. That face, that scream… It’s delightful.”
Marein’s suffering was indescribable. His pained cries echoed endlessly in the soundproofed room. When Marein’s screams finally ceased, Capella glanced at Zack with a mixture of exasperation and disapproval.
“…As always, Zack-sama, you take your games too far.”
“Do I? I thought I was being quite gentle,”
Zack mused, casting a playful glance at the empty toothpick container and the unrecognizable remains of what had once been Marein.
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