Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 18: "Daughter"

Midnight.

The weather is cloudy.

It is nice overcast and dark.

I cover myself with a wooden mask and a black cloak that I bought at a store during the day.

It's hard to tell who I am now.

The wooden mask is a simple one with round holes in the eyes, but it does the job of hiding my face.

I approach the wall that covers the mansion and hit the wall above my eyes with the hilt of my sword to make a large dent in the wall.

Now I'm ready.

I step away from the fence and jump toward it.

I put my foot on the dent and jumped over the fence.

And I land.

Mm-hmm. Just as the information said.

Since almost no one comes to this area at this time of the day, it seems to have become a place for some of the guards to skip work.

I check around, but there is no one.

No problem.

I walk along the house, making as little noise as possible.

...This must be it.

I stop in front of a window.

Inside is a storage room.

It seems to be a storage place for antiques collected by the lord.

Frankly speaking, it seems to be a place where delicate things of unknown value are kept for the time being.

I activate my magic.

I use Silence I, a magic to muffle the sound in a certain space.

This is the same magic they used to keep people out when they attacked me yesterday.

I lightly tap the glass to make sure there's no sound, then smash it open.

I stuck my hand inside to try to open it, but... there's no lock. A fitted window, huh?

What a hassle. I grabbed the frame and pulled out the whole window.

I threw the window I pulled out into the grass around it to hide the evidence, and went inside.

It's a dusty room.

Indeed, there are some kind of oddly shaped vases, paintings, and other miscellaneous items.

I found something similar in the goblin's treasury....

It's too bulky to take, so I'll take it if I can afford it when I leave.

...I believe the lord's room is on the third floor.

It would be impossible to get there without being found...well, I guess I'll just go at once.

At this time of the day, there are only a few servants working, but there are many guards.

I know the patrol routes and personnel, but they don't go around at regular hours, so the possibility of running into them is quite high.

With this in mind, I quietly left the storage room and went out into the corridor.

"..."

"..."

My eyes met the butler-like man.

"It's..."

"Hmph."

Before he could raise his voice, he punched me in the left cheek area.

Wow, his head turned 180 degrees.

Oh, no. I was too quick to react.

I pulled the butler into the warehouse.

Why was this guy wandering around here at this hour?

I check his memory.

Ah...

Apparently, this guy was secretly selling off the antiques in the storage.

This time, it seems he came to check the price of the goods he was bringing out.

....That was a disaster......or was it his own fault?

Are all butlers like this?

Most butlers I know don't do a very good job.

A quick check of his memory revealed his lord's current whereabouts.

It seems that this guy had just met with him.

Maybe he's at work in his office right now.

...Either way, he's on the third floor.

The corpses were a waste, so I just sucked out the nutrients and dried it.

I came up with this predation method after last night's meal with the tail, and it's quite useful.

After all, no blood would spill out.

But I feel like I'd be fuller if I ate it directly...or is that just my mood?

Doesn't matter now.

After stripping off the dried butler's clothes, I put him next to the antiques.

... it doesn't look out of place... maybe.

If anyone should happen to see him, I will be able to cover it up.

Well, let's get myself together and hurry onward.

I quietly exit the warehouse this time.

I went out into the hallway.

This time, there is no one here.

There is no place to hide, so I head for the stairs with confidence.

I see the stairs, but there are guards.

Two guards.

There's nowhere to hide, so I head for the stairs.

I pull out my makana and shove it in.

The two guys seem to notice me.

"Hey, what the fuck are you?"

"You're a fucking prick!"

I swung the makana down on one of their brains.

The head exploded.

"What?"

The other one, stunned by what happened in front of him, spins his head around to finish him off.

I guess it can't be helped now that it's come to this.

I ran up the stairs as fast as I could.

There was nothing to do on the second floor, so I ignored it.

I went to the third floor.

I go out into the hallway.

One guard was walking with his back to me, but before he could react, I hit him in the side with my makana.

The guard vomits blood and blows up.

I ignore him and run down the hallway.

I heard some screams downstairs, but ignored them.

The Oval Office...I found it.

I kicked open the door to the office and stepped inside.

Inside, Hoffer, the lord of the manor, is facing someone.

Is he in the middle of a conversation? I'm sorry to bother you.

His eyes widened when he saw me come in out of nowhere, but he quickly recovered.

"Who are you!?

Oh, you're back on your feet fast.

If it were me, I'd run away in surprise if someone with such a suspicious-looking face came in front of me.

The woman next to him is...wow, she's really pretty.

Blonde hair and big breasts.

If I had met her in my previous life, I would have looked at her.

Let me guess, it's her daughter. I have nothing special to say to her, so I'll just ignore her.

"You're Hoffer Acothern, right?"

"Yes, that's right. How did you get in here?"

"The victim of yesterday's ruckus...do you know what I mean?"

Hoffer's expression brightens as if he had guessed.

Hm? Bright?

"You're the guy who turned the tables on the "hunters"! Well, then, please! Help me!"

Hmm?

What are you talking about?

Hoffer points at his daughter.

"Get rid of this woman! I've had enough of being a part of this killing spree!"

What? Not his daughter?

What's going on?

I couldn't keep up with the situation because it was happening so fast.

"Even now, they're going around town trying to kill you...ogh."

Hoffer's daughter...isn't she? She grabbed Hoffer by the hair and slammed his head down on the desk.

"I'll tell you what, you just shut up and do as I say."

Wow. Seriously....

She's got such a sharp voice with that look.

And she's talking as me(ore)? It ruined everything...or maybe I have too many illusions about beautiful women?

I felt sad.

"Ugh... you let a bunch of people like that into my house... you are nothing to me!"

"Oh? Father, how can you say such a terrible thing about your daughter?"

"Shut up, you bastard! You killed Nyssa, too, didn't you? I didn't want to doubt you because I thought you were my daughter, but..."

"Oh? Oh, my God. Wasn't mother killed in an accident? Has your mind deteriorated already?"

Ah. Is she the right daughter?

Let me guess, the soul-hunter's boss is that girl?

I had wondered why Mrs. Hoffer wasn't there, but... a mother murderer?

"Oh. Sorry for ignoring you. Mr. Rothfeldt. Is it Mr. Ro now?"

The daughter kicked Hoffer in the stomach, slammed his head against the desk a couple of additional times, and then let go.

Hoffer crumpled to the floor, nose bleeding from the pain.

He seemed to be alive, judging by the way he was moaning.

'I haven't introduced myself yet. I am the eldest daughter of the Acothern family. I am Lilynette Christina Eldo Acothern. How did you find me, anyway? I didn't expect you to sniff me out."

"There's a man with a big mouth."

"Oh. That's interesting. I didn't think anyone had any information that could be traced back this far."

Lilynette nodded in agreement.

"Choudhury...that trashy son of a bitch screwed up, didn't he?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your excitement, but are you really the head of the soul-hunters?"

Lilynette turns to me and smiles.

Wow. Wow, what a face.

Even a beautiful woman can look this bad when she smiles vulgarly.

It's often said that you can't hide it, so it's your true nature.

"Yeah, that's right. I didn't expect you to come. I'm afraid all the entertainment I prepared for you has gone to waste."

"While you're confirming, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me about your client."

"Oops. I can't tell you that. You will die here if you find out."

A magic circle suddenly appeared in front of me.

Magic! No preliminary move?

I quickly jump back and cross my hands to defend myself.

My vision is filled with flames.

It's the same kind of explosion II that was used yesterday.

I was blown to the hallway by the explosion.

This pattern again.

This time, I had all three elements in place: one direction, defense in time, and good armor, so I was able to avoid the sudden loss of limbs.

However, the cloak and mask were no good. They started to burn, so I took them off.

"Oh. You're a nice guy. If you were under my command, I'd let you have a piece of me, you know?"

Shut up. I don't want a vile woman like you.

Knives were flying at me from both sides.

One was flicked with the back of my hand and the other with the hilt of my sword.

Before I knew it, two men were standing soundlessly in the hallway like shadows.

Was it these guys with the magic?

Lilynette stared at the man on her left.

"Hey! Hey, Choudhury! You're the one! You're the one who told about this place!"

Choudhury shakes his head loosely.

"I don't think it was me... but I do know the guy who was in charge of last night's raid. But I find it hard to believe that he's the one who let it slip."

"Hmmm. How could he know where to find us, then?

The man on the left and the man on the right look like mirror reflections of each other. Twins.

Dark skin and clean-shaven heads. They look like they could be from the Middle East or something.

In both hands are large knives. The blade is carved with grooves.

Is it poison?

"I don't know. Given the circumstances, he couldn't have afforded to torture him."

...But these guys can afford it, can't they?

They're not breaking eye contact with me, but they're talking normally.

I had no obligation to go along with them, so I first aimed at the Lilynette in front of me.

I aim for the flank with the makana.

I'm going to have to avoid the head.

"Oops."

Lilynette drew back and then just stepped back a little to avoid it.

To be honest, it was such a last minute decision that I could only think that I missed it.

And with a souvenir....

I have a knife in my shoulder.

Thanks to the mail, it's not digging into my body, but....

This woman throws it at me while dodging.

I pull it out and throw it back.

"Oh, no? Is that mail? You're a lucky guy, aren't you? Too bad I wanted to see you weakened by the poison."

She smiles a lopsided smile as she dodges.

She understimated me... or was it a provocation?

"And you know what? It's not good to keep your eyes only on me, is it?"

My back is slashed.

Twins.

With my free hand, I pull out my sword and swing it horizontally.

The two of them, like the woman, just ducked a little.

Choudhury swings and gets into my chest, slashing me in the cheek with a knife.

I try to fight back, but the other twists my arm up, pinning me to the floor at the joint.

"Oh, well. It's all over now."

Lilynette stomps on my head, unable to move due to my locked joints.

"I'm wondering what kind of a guy he is, since I heard that he beat up almost 50 guys yesterday, and this is what he's got?"

She stomps on my head.

Oh, man. These guys are strong.

Especially this Lilynette.

She's a bit of a goofball, but she's not letting her guard down at all.

And she works well with the twins.

The roles of distraction, attack, and defense are well divided.

At a glance, Lilynette stirs things up and draws attention, while Choudhury attacks with projectiles, etc.

The rest would deal with counterattacks.

In this case, the role is to restrain....

The restraints can be removed quickly, but how do I finish these guys off?

If I cast magic over a wide area, I might be able to win, but I would have no clue where to go next.

Worst case scenario, if only one of them has a head intact, I can manage.

"If so.... Is there a double or a friend? Hey. You see this?"

A small bag is swinging in front of me.

"The knife that cut you. It was powdered with the venom of a certain monster. After a while, your body will gradually become numb and you won't be able to move... and then intense pain will strike your entire body, leading to death. So here is the antidote. Don't you want it?"

No, I don't want it.

"If you answer my question honestly. I'll give it to you."

I'm thinking right now, so will you please shut up?

"Hey, hey, hey. Why don't you say something?"

Hmm.

I've got some things I want to try, so let's go with this.

I look up and see Lilynette's eyes.

They are confident eyes.

The eyes of a strong person who looks down on others, who doesn't think she can lose.

It's the eyes that I wanted to be like before, but couldn't reach them.

And the eyes I hated the most.

A black flame burns deep in my chest.

I want to break that high nose of hers.

I felt the flames in my chest gain momentum.

I want to kill her.