The Young Master in the Shadows

Chapter 291: The Nutcracker’s trace

On the roof of a certain grand mansion, two love birds were making out passionately while totally ignoring the amazing scenery below them.

Victor was sitting on the roof’s ledge dangling his legs downward and Lily who was nested naturally in his lap sucked on his lips as she hugged his neck.

The kiss lasted exactly 19 minutes and 21 seconds and only ended when Lily shrank in embarrassment after a stupid Loli suddenly screamed as she pointed to the roof!

“Look, the moon is huge tonight!” she said, making all the other little girls who were camping outside look up and began to discuss astronomy using their shallow knowledge.

"Is that the one they call a blue moon?"

"It is clearly yellow… Is it connected to the blue balls?"

"What are the blue balls?"

"I heard my cousin mention them, saying that the novel he was reading had to be called blue balls… the novel!"

...

Victor, who totally ignored the ruckus below, licked his lips and chuckled as he looked a Lily. “Don’t worry, no one can see us!” he said. It seems like exposure play was not Lily’s thing… So it was only Monica for now. Would that nudist girl Naomi like it? Why was he thinking about her…. Victor shook his head.

“You are thinking about some other girl, aren't you…” Lily pouted as perked up her body over him and rested her forehead against his, looking him in the eye as she supported herself by hugging his neck.

“Ah… No… I..” Victor stuttered.

“You are mine tonight!” Lily said with a blush, as she forcibly grabbed the surprised Victor’s head pushing her slender fingers into his slick hair, as she dived into his lips again more forcibly this time. He tried to hug her back, but his hands were tied by her thighs as she hugged his waist with her slender legs, not giving him a chance to escape.

She planned to test all of the kissing techniques that she had been studying lately!

…

Getting downstairs 4 hours later, Victor, who had somewhat sore lips and a hazy memory, found Margret and the rest of the girls having a late dinner. The little girls had already finished their meal and went to their grand bedroom to pillow fight after brushing their teeth, so the old ones could relax now.

"Did you finish your mating session?” Margret asked, using the exact same words Victor used when he met her.

“Not yet!” Victor clarified, spanking the blushing Lily’s butt. She didn’t want it to end, but he was really getting hungry and he couldn’t simply eat a shit-tasting energy bar and continue to kiss a girl after that!

“Oh,” Margret frowned, she didn't expect that answer. “Then when can the next girl take her turn?” she asked, making Alex, who was trying to be as invisible as possible as she ate her dinner, look up with a questioning gaze, what turn? They were taking turns? On what? Was she in?

“After I return…” Victor said.

“Return?”

“I will be leaving after dinner!” Victor said. “And it is still Lily’s turn after that!” he added with an evil smile, making Margret gasp as she discovered the critical error in her plan! She didn’t set a timeline! No wait… she did set a half an hour for each girl, but when she told Victor, he manipulated the conversation to make her forget to say that… Damn! She knew something was wrong when Victor accepted so readily! She should have put herself first!

The girls also were a little annoyed, they glared hatefully at Margret who assured them earlier of the plan’s success!

“Where are you going this time? To throw a bachelor party?” Margret asked Victor awkwardly, changing the subject.

“I don’t have the time to have fun… I will be going somewhere so far that I will have to sneak into a plane to get to it!” Victor said mysteriously. “More than one…”

“For how long are you planning to leave?” Hilda was the one who asked.

“Two or three days, maybe… I should be back a day or two before the wedding…”

Hilda nodded with a sigh.

“Are you taking someone with you?” Theta was the one who asked nervously.

“No… I can finish this on my own,” he said, disappointing the girls. He was strong enough now. And the nutcracker was a loner!

“Is this really important?” Monica asked, feeling a little lonely.

“Definitely, some bugs might make trouble to disturb the wedding, I need to go prepare a countermeasure!” he said.

“Trouble?” Beta asked.

“Yup… I can’t say anything at the moment, But Alpha should arrive here tomorrow. The assassin girls would be here too I trusted them with the security!” Victor explained, making Beta and the girls sheer up a little. It has been a while since they met their elder sister.

“What kind of countermeasures are you preparing?” Margret asked.

“It’s a secret for now…” Victor said with an evil smile, making the girls sigh, he was always so secretive.

"Does it involve some girls?" Margret asked again. She was really annoyed that he tricked her, and wanted to find faults with him… She also wanted to show the girls that he was the evil one, not her!

"Not as far as I can tell…" he said casually, if the nutcracker found a girl that he liked, he might kidna— ehm… sweep her off her feet. But he couldn’t tell the girls that.

"I see…" Margret glared at him. She wanted Lily to snap at him, but to her disappointment, Lily had been fully satisfied by her young master earlier, and she was now fully confident of her dominance over him.

“Where is Aria? Is she late again?” Victor asked suddenly.

“She called an hour ago, saying that she would sleep in the office tonight and wondered why did you order all of those custom stone-cut engravings to be cut around the hotel…” Mana was the one who replied.

“Oh… I forgot about that, I am really working her to the bone…” Victor nodded. “You should have given her a turn!” he told Margret, changing the subject.

“Blah… As if this queue would ever move on!” she mumbled angrily. She didn’t like the fact that she lost.

“.. Ah… excuse me… What ‘turns’ were you talking about earlier?” Alex finally asked after she waited but no other girls asked this crucial question, were all of them in on this?

“What does this have to do with you! This is a girl thing!” the annoyed Margret snapped at her, “You just need to get ready for the rehearsals tomorrow!”

“What rehearsal?” Alex asked with annoyance. She was a girl too! Sadly, she couldn’t say that.

“The wedding rehearsal! You will be playing one of the brides!” Margret said.

“WHAT!”

It was Hilda who exclaimed, Alex was simply too shocked to utter anything.

…

Victor left the mansion that night after giving the reluctant girls their goodbye kisses with some instructions on what to do to hide his absence. They just had to tell anyone who asked about him that he was having a wild bachelor party at some secret location.

After that Victor secretly headed to the airport and sneaked into a certain plane using his disguise skill. He planned to travel to three or four locations. It all depended on whether he could find the items he was searching for.

And he also had to leave a trail of the Nutcracker appearing in cities nearby to give the illusion that it was moving on foot away from Vein city. He wanted the player council to believe that it was a true demon that escaped the dungeon!

…

Nova cursed as she opened her eyes and looked around. She was still chained to the wall in a dark cell!

Who the hell kidnapped her? Was it that bastard Victor? That’s what she thought at first, but later, after they locked her here when she pretended to be asleep, she heard them talking about their nefarious plan.

They called themselves ‘DARK CHAMBER’ A secret organization that wanted to dominate the world and let all humans be their slaves!

It was all a big setup! The Victor she met was a fake! They planned to make use of him to make trouble between the families, making them fight each other. What an evil plan!

They kidnapped her because she didn’t approve of the plan the fake Victor proposed. She was supposed to marry him then he planned to drug the other girl, the one from the Von Rosen family then he will make them kill each other at the wedding in front of all the elders! This would definitely spark a family war!

Damn it! She needed to escape this place!

Looking at the strange shackles in her hands and feet, she knew she could only sigh and do nothing! Those things were disabling all of her powers! And even if she escaped, she knew that she would not have the energy to fight! They were feeding her that disgusting goo only one time every two days! It tasted like shit… that’s what she believed, she never tasted real shit after all!

Why was she so unlucky! Maybe Caspian would come open the door any moment now and save her like a hero… She smiled as she imagined him in his heroic manner.

Suddenly the dungeon gate opened, it was not Caspian, but a masked guard who walked in like a prostitute. He dragged in a shackled woman and then pinned her to the wall right beside Nova.

“Stay here for now! Don’t worry, we need you alive!” the guard said in a harsh voice before leaving as the woman who seemed injured glared at him hatefully.

The steel door closed with a bang, and the dungeon darkened again.

“Hey… are you ok?” Nova asked. The woman seemed badly injured.

“I am fine… “ the woman answered as she spat some blood.

“You don’t seem fine…”

“It doesn’t matter. Did they also grab you to hide their little secret?”

“Yah! Those people probably want to control the world!” Nova answered.

“I think so too! How long have you been here?” the woman asked.

.

“... I don’t know…” Nova answered, “What date is it today?”

“It is the 16th of the 8th month…”

“What! This means I have been here for almost a month!” Nova was shocked.

“A month? What’s your name?” the woman asked.

“You should introduce yourself before asking that…” Nova answered warily.

“My name is Jane Armstrong… “The woman said. “A reporter!”

“Oh…” Nova had no idea who Jane was, “I am Nova Von… No, Nova Astra… I come from…”

“WHAT! The bride?” Jane yelled in shock and interrupted Nova.

“What bride?”

“Aren't you marrying Victor white? The double wedding is in a few days!” Jane said as the energy returned to her eyes, “It is all over the news! Even while I was on the run, I could see its depraved advertisement everywhere.”

“WHAT DOUBLE WEDDING?”

…

Late that night, just before dawn, in an unimportant city in another unimportant country that borders the Wiren principality, the national museum was robbed.

The thief stole more than 70 priceless art pieces and some random things that were left in the warehouse.

After the police investigated the museum, questioning the only surviving guard, they could only learn that a demon was the one who did it, and they could only get one name… THE NUTCRACKER. The guard said it as he peed his pants.

According to him, that demon came through the walls and subdued the guards by just moving his long pointy finger. Making them fall to the ground in pain. After that, he ordered each one of them to list all the bad things they have done in their lives. Strangely enough, they did tell him and no one could lie!

It turned out that all of his 5 colleagues were thieves who had been stealing from the museum for years and putting the blame on the kids from a nearby orphanage!

The Nutcracker nodded after hearing them, then swiftly killed them and cut their genitals to keep as souvenirs!

He was the only one who survived after the Nutcracker found him innocent… But he had to pay a price by giving the NUTCRACKER the photo of his youngest daughter which he kept in his wallet!

That’s all he remembered as he passed out after that.

The police searched the security camera’s footage after that, but it had all strangely been erased.

The case was put on hold after concluding that the culprit must have used some kind of hallucination gas. It was suspected that this was an inside job and the other guards were part of it until they were betrayed by the perpetrator.

No one knew that an identical secret report had been filed three times after that by three different agents. It contained the same sentence.

THE NUTCRACKER’S TRACE HAD BEEN FOUND. WESTTREE CITY!

…

The next afternoon, in the faraway mansion of a friendly neighborhood drug dealer there were reports of a gunfight.

When the police arrived at dawn and reluctantly knocked on the door, they discovered that all the men were dead with their genitals removed.

The woman who seemed to have gone crazy only repeated one sentence… “The Nutcracker is coming for all of us!”

They cried and kept begging for forgiveness, and no matter what the police asked, they didn’t respond. They have gone crazy!

A lab test on them found traces of some kind of strange drug, but the traces were so minuscule that no further investigations could be conducted.

After searching the mansion, it was found that the vault was broken into, and many gold trinkets and expensive historical artifacts had been stolen. The cash was left intact!

An empty secret warehouse was found hours later. It had traces of drugs that seemed to have been taken.

The main suspect in this crime was a rival gang, so the investigation was dropped out of concern for the police’s safety.

A few reports were filed secretly after that.

THE NUTCRACKER STRUCK AGAIN… MIRROR LAKE CITY, WHAT IS IT AFTER?

IT SEEMS TO FOCUS ON (GOLD, DRUGS, HISTORIC ARTIFACTS, AND ‘NUTS’)

…

At a garbage dump in another city, in another country, there were sightings of a demon digging through heaps of trash while cursing… A thug tried to harass him, but he was swiftly castrated.

Reports were filed.

THE NUTCRACKER WAS SPOTTED.

IT IS SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT.

IT IS STILL HEADING WEST!

…

On the far outskirts of an old city next to the sea, in a small village in the midst of the mountains. A grandiose temple surrounded by forests stood solemnly as the tiles of its shingled roof pondered on when they should fall… Probably soon. This place had been out of repair for a while now.

“You should really close this place and move to the city… I can’t believe you are still hanging on here,” A young woman with flashy neon pink dyed hair and a very short pink leather skirt said as she sat on a wooden chair in the kitchen.

"Candy, this place is our roots!" A middle-aged woman rebuked her. "This temple houses the sacred stone! We can’t leave, we are bound to it by oath and tradition. We are the servants of this place, the pilgrims who come here expect us to guide them…"

"Spare me the rhetoric! When did the last pilgrim come to visit this 'stone'... Do you really worship this thing as a god?" Candy spat. "Do you still believe in these superstitions in this day and age? No wonder the world is going so bonkers that a stupid guy can hold a double wedding without repercussions!" She added.

"The stone is not a god…" a teenage girl who was sweeping the floor behind the two answered. She was wearing an old linen white robe that didn’t suit her age and had a petite face that was covered by long unkempt bangs. "The stone is only a sacred object!" she explained stoically.

"And what's the difference?" Candy said sarcastically, "Don't people come to pray in front of it? Didn't your parents send you here to be a temple maiden for life after your big brother’s dick was ‘magically’ healed? It's all bullshit if you asked me?" She added.

"Candy! Being the daughter of the last temple priest does not excuse your rude and vulgar language!" The middle-aged woman scolded, " Now, why are you here? I already told you, we don't have any money left from what your father left!"

"I know, I know… I am here with a good proposal for you, I just met a young man, he works in antiques and is interested in buying the stone…"

"..."

"..."

"WHAT!" The middle-aged woman snapped angrily. “DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING YOU BITCH? HOW DARE YOU!”

"Come on! It is just some kind of mineral that glows in the dark! It might even be some radioactive shit that is all harmful and bad for your health... Why do you think the ancestors put it behind closed doors otherwise?" Candy said, “I showed my boyfriend its image and he told me that he had seen the carving on it before and that it is a very ancient artifact! He is ready to pay good money for it!”

"Shut up bitch, this thing is blessed by the gods! How dare you utter such blasphemy," The middle-aged woman screamed.

"But… I am just saying…" Candy said. "You claim that the stone can expel evil demons and cure curses, when was the last time you saw a ‘demon’ or a ‘curse’?" She asked sarcastically.

"If you don't see it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist!" The middle-aged woman said. “Many people get healed here every year!”

“For the last 20 years, you only got 51 desperate pilgrims total…”

“There were 52, a handsome young man came yesterday… Too bad his arrogant girlfriend refused to go up the mountain, or we would have had 53!”

“Regardless! Only three pilgrims were ‘healed’. It was obviously a fluke… those guys healed on their own!”

“It was God's will!”

"Seriously? Do you prefer serving some shiny rock rather than rebuilding the village? The money would be enough to turn this place into a tourist attraction, getting you out of poverty!"

"..."

"The stone is not for sale…" a solemn voice suddenly said, it was the girl sweeping in the back.

"Rea, this is not up to you, I already talked to the mayor…"

"IT IS up to Rea… " the middle-aged woman interrupted with a sigh. "As the shrine maiden, she is the sole custodian of the stone! It has always been like that!" she said.

"But… You are the priestess!"

“The Priest serves the temple and the shrine maiden serves the stone… These are two different inheritance lines!” The priestess said, “You were offered the role of the shrine maiden when you were young… But you just refused it…”

“It was the best choice I made!” Candy said. “That crazy old hag wanted me to waste my life, guarding a stupid stone after her death! Thankfully Rea was sent here at the right time, or my old man would have been fooled by her!”

“Then the stone has nothing to do with you anymore!” the priestess coldly said. “Since old aunt Agatha passed away, the position had been transferred to Rea!”

“But… The money…”

“I told you to ask Rea!”

“Rea… come on…”

“No way!”

“You will be able to escape this shit hole if you accept!”

“I refuse…”

“But… But…”

"YOU KEEP SAYING BUTT! BUTT, BUTT… WERE YOU TRYING TO SUMMON ME BY ANY CHANCE?" A cold solemn voice suddenly asked, startling the three women. It sounded as if it came straight from hell.