"You're a noble, right?" Apollo asked, sitting cross-legged on the chair.
"Of course!" Armen answered, leaning against the wooden wall with difficulty. His chest was covered in blood, the result of a previous wind slash from the kid's hand. Recalling what had happened, his body couldn't help but shiver.
It was so fast. The kid, who was likely a cultivator pretending not to be one, had suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he knew it, the wind became as sharp as a blade, cutting through his armor and slicing his chest.
The pain was immense, but Armen had thought that would be the end of it. He couldn't have been more wrong. The kid beat him black and blue, shattering most of his armor before dragging him to one of the filthy houses. Looking at his current situation, it was clear the kid—who was pretending to be one—wanted something from him.
"If you don't know... besides being the North Guard Captain of Klown City... I hail from the Callum family. We may not be as strong as Kleinford or Helflick, but our influence matches or even surpasses theirs," Armen introduced, a confident smirk crossing his face. Despite his injuries and difficulty speaking, when it came to his family's pride, he managed to ignore the pain.
"I don't care about anything you just said," Apollo replied. "I only want to know: does your family have a deep connection with the mayor?"
Armen was offended by the kidnapper's words, but when the mayor was mentioned, his expression grew serious.
"Are you planning... something against him?" Armen asked, struggling to breathe between words.
"Answer my question," Apollo said, waving his hand. A wind slash followed his movement.
Suddenly, an arm flew into the air, blood spurting, followed by a shriek. It was like a pig being butchered, making the beggar's ears ache.
"Why?!" Armen shouted, clutching his severed arm. Blood splattered his face as he stared at the kidnapper sitting calmly on the chair. "Why?!"
"Why?" Apollo smiled 'innocently.' "I just felt like it."
"Argh! I will kill—" Armen tried to stand, but Apollo's next words made him sit back down, gritting his teeth in pain as he tried to stop the blood loss.
"Don't answer my question, and I'll cut off another limb," Apollo said, a wicked smile playing on his lips. Seeing the captain behaving now, he repeated his earlier question. "Does your family have a deep connection with the mayor?"
Armen stared at his kidnapper, anger burning in his heart, but he couldn't hide his fear. His eyes shook violently. "Y-yes."
"Good," Apollo nodded, satisfied with the answer. If by the end of the day this person had no real connection with the mayor beyond his position, Apollo would have been disappointed. He had plenty of experience and had seen all types of people.
Although he had only heard rumors—likely true—about the mayor and had seen him from afar, he knew that Klown was not the type of person to value those under him unless they were of real use.
Apollo wouldn't be surprised if the mayor despised the bootlickers.
He wanted to integrate himself into the hidden workings of the city, and he knew he'd have better chances if he offended someone with connections to the mayor.
"My next question," Apollo said. "Tell me what you know about the mayor."
Is that even a question? You're basically ordering me with no chance to refuse! Armen thought, but his severed arm was a reminder that he should answer honestly.
"W-what do… you want to know?" Armen asked. He decided to choose his life—and his remaining limbs. He could always run away and live in another city once the news got out that he had betrayed Klown. That was the worst-case scenario, but hopefully, the kidnapper wouldn't tell anyone that he had sold out the city.
"Hmm." Apollo put a hand under his chin in deep thought. The second part of his mission required him to figure out the mayor's plan within two months.
But he was just starting out, so he wasn't expecting to solve it immediately. He just wanted to find a direction—a clue that would help him move forward.
"Tell me anything bad about him, something that normal people wouldn't even dare to think he would do," Apollo said, staring straight into his hostage's eyes.
Thinking about their current situation, Apollo couldn't help but find it amusing. He was, literally, a kidnapper.
Armen frowned, both from the pain of his injuries and from the weight of the information this 'pretend-kid' wanted to know.
"Why are you silent?" Apollo raised an eyebrow, his hand pointing at Armen's remaining arm.
Armen shivered in fear and hurriedly opened his mouth. "I-I know something… but it's just a rumor."
"A rumor's fine, but do you believe it?" Apollo smiled.
Armen thought for a moment, then nodded. "It's very likely to be true."
"Oh? Then tell me," Apollo leaned in, his curiosity piqued.
"He… eats people," Armen said hesitantly.
Apollo went silent. That was a rumor he hadn't expected. The mayor is a cannibal? "Why do you think it's true?"
"Haven't you noticed there aren't any beggars left in the city? Rumor has it that the mayor abducted them and ate them," Armen said, his voice trembling along with his eyes. Just thinking about it made him feel sick.
"Oh?" Apollo raised an eyebrow. So they didn't clean up the beggars for visiting dignitaries, but because the mayor wanted to eat them?
"We abducted some of them, but what's strange is that we had to send them to the mayor's castle instead of just killing them and burning their bodies to ashes," Armen continued. The bleeding from his arm had stopped, and the pain had lessened enough for him to speak without gasping between words.
"So you think it's true," Apollo said.
"It's a gut feeling… but I know others who think the same," Armen said, glancing at Apollo's hand before looking him directly in the eye. "I've told you all I know. These rumors—filth—normal people haven't heard them. Only those of us in high positions."
"Everything you've told me so far isn't enough to support a rumor that the mayor's eating people." Apollo squinted at his hostage. "Where did the rumor start?"
I'm telling the truth! Armen thought before answering. "I think… it started with the chefs."
"Chefs?" Apollo repeated, his eyes glinting with understanding. "Do you have anything else to add?"
"Hmm," Armen thought for a moment. "This is the only thing that meets your criteria."
"I see." Apollo jumped off the chair, turned around, and walked toward the door. "Then we're done here."
Hearing this, Armen felt a surge of relief. He's letting me go? This is good! Once I get out of here, I'll make sure to take my revenge! He glanced at the kid's back with hatred. The pain coursing through his body only fueled his desire to make his kidnapper suffer even greater agony—so much that he'd wish for death!
Apollo suddenly turned back. "Oh, I almost forgot."
Armen tilted his head in confusion, but in the next second, he saw a sharp gust of wind coming straight at him!
A head dropped to the ground, rolling a few times before stopping. Armen's face, frozen in shock, remained on the severed head while the body fell limply, blood spurting from the neck.
"This should be enough," Apollo smiled, clapping his hands. Glancing at the head, he hoped the butterfly effect would kick in.
Once people realized the North Guard Captain of Klown City hadn't returned, suspicion would rise. Apollo expected them to send men to investigate, but they would only find the bodies of their comrades—and their captain.
"Should I leave a clue?" Apollo muttered, then shook his head. "I need more time."
He didn't want them to figure out too easily that a beggar was behind this. There was still plenty of time to complete his mission, and enough time for them to uncover the real culprit behind the murders.
Hopefully, they'd fall for his plan. Apollo would then deal with those who came after him, all while digging for clues about the mayor's true intentions. When things escalated enough for the mayor to intervene, that's when he'd complete his mission.
Apollo began imagining his plan. He could already see some flaws, but he'd adjust as needed when the time came.
Shaking his head, he walked out of the house, making himself invisible using a technique derived from Hydra Mirage. Apollo hurried back to his beggar spot, keeping the technique active.
He couldn't afford to be seen in this area, as trouble would find him sooner than he was ready for.
As night fell, five figures in silver armor emerged from the city wall's gate that led to the Slumstreet.
Each of them boasted cultivation levels ranging from the 1st-Step to the 2nd-Step Foundation Building stage.
They carried lamps that illuminated their path.
"What's taking them so long?" one of the guards asked.
"Who knows? Maybe they had some fun without telling us!" another replied.
They chatted as they walked.
The others sniffed the air, and sure enough, they detected the same scent.
"It's blood." They exchanged uneasy glances as a sense of foreboding settled over them. Quickly, they rushed to their destination and found silver-armored guards lying lifeless on the ground.
"Shit! They're dead!"
"Where's the captain?!"
They spread out, and soon enough, they found the captain inside one of the houses.