~3567 words
Sunday, October 28, 1349
A few days have passed since the death of the three members of Rose School of Thought.
It was, in every way, a bountiful harvest for Kiyotaka, other than the deep wound on his pinky finger where a bullet had hit him and chipped away at his nail. It was quite painful, despite the enhanced physique of a Barbarian.
He had gained two Beyonder Characteristics from the entire ordeal, with them being a Sequence 7: Werewolf and a Sequence 6: Zombie. He sent them immediately to be turned into Mystical Items, however, he had run into a new problem.
Ever since his idea of an Alcohol powered engine had gained traction and he had taken over the Zmanger Gang, there was not a lot of time when he had to worry about money. However, the prices required for turning these items into Mystical Items was quite large.
He had gained a preliminary understanding of this when he turned the Devil Beyonder Characteristic into Gloom. However, now that there were two of them, the final amount was quite large.
The Artisan was demanding £2.500 for a Sequence 7 Mystical Item and £6.000 for the Sequence 6 Mystical Item. The total, including an Artisan Fee and middleman premium was going to add up to £9.000
That amount of money was really hard to come by, even for someone like Kiyotaka.
Sighing, he swiveled around in his revolving chair and leaned back, looking at the roof. His mind was quite clear and there was almost nothing on it. He had dealt with immediate matters and threats and as of now, there was nothing imminent.
Other than gaining Beyonder Characteristics, Kiyotaka had also digested his Barbarian Potion quite a lot. He could feel that he needed one or two more big performances before he could fully digest it.
'Sherlock is going to advance to Sequence 6 soon. He has already asked me to look out for a mutated pituitary gland of a Thousand-faced Hunter. This does feel like an ingredient associated with the Shapeshifting ability of a Faceless Beyonder Characteristic.
The gap between us is widening.'
Kiyotaka thought as he reached into his inner pocket and took out a cigarette.
Lately he had started to hate the flavor, however, he wanted to be cautious. He was unsure if this even qualified as retaining his humanity but regardless, he was willing to take his chances.
Holding it softly between his lips, he flicked his wrist and used Flame Controlling of Guile to light it. The room was awfully quiet and there was no sound that could disturb him.
The smoke wafted slowly from the tip and from his mouth as he slowly exhaled. Removing it from his lips, he held it between his middle-finger and thumb, tapping the gathered ash away with his index.
In the dead silence of the room, Kiyotaka smoked the entire cigarette without any specific hurry. Once he was done smoking it, he quietly stood up and walked over to the bathroom where he washed his mouth and his face.
Then he sprinkled some water into his hair and parted them in the middle before wearing his sweater over his white shirt, grabbed his revolver and adjusted it in his back, covering it with his woolen sweater and picked his sword-cane.
Then he picked up his long-coat and wore it over his sweater. Taking out the envelope from the inside of his coat, he counted the cash inside which was important for today's purchase and then slipped it back inside.
Once everything was ready, he left the room.
His cane tapped rhythmically against the rough stone of the stairs. Once he was on the ground floor, he paid 3 Solis to the receptionist and then left.
A carriage was already waiting for customers in front of the hotel.
Kiyotaka looked to the right where the Church of Evernight Goddess was located and then boarded the carriage.
The carriage rolled over without a care in the world, and once again, Kiyotaka entered in a trance-like state. He kept looking at the smog-choked winter-sky and stayed silent. His sword-cane was resting between his legs as he breathed small breaths through his nose.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror. The strange long-ness, horse-like look to his face had all but vanished by now and he looked so much better than before.
Due to his digestion of the Barbarian potion, he could feel his body even more powerful than before. If he had to guess, it was impossible for his skin to be fully pierced with a knife, however, he was still quite weak to a bullet.
Kiyotaka found it quite enviable because almost everyone had a firearm, and a lot of people used to even carry Beyonder bullets. And seeing as how Zombie Jason was able to tank so many purifying bullets before finally cracking, it was really enviable.
Clenching his hands, Kiyotaka saw that the ligaments on the upper side of his hands were much more visible as well, with his arms having grown an inch in size. It wasn't just the size, but rather the overall firmness of them was also boosted. He felt as hard as a rock.
The carriage shuddered once as it ran into a ditch full of muddy water but then stabilized soon after.
After a few minutes, Kiyotaka found himself soon arriving at his destination. Paying the man his fair fare, he stepped out of the carriage and looked at the name plaque of the establishment.
Backlund Land and Property Registry.
The Backlund Land and Property Registry was responsible for recording property ownership, overseeing leases, and facilitating the sale and rental of residences throughout the capital city of Loen Kingdom.
Ever since the Aurora Order's Giant had blown his house up — although technically, Kiyotaka blew it up himself — he had been living in different hotels all over Backlund. This was partially because he was in genuine danger of losing his life.
However, now that things had calmed down a little and he had a fake persona to do the dirty work for him, he decided to settle down. He already had a District in mind, but it was never a bad idea to look around. It was possible that he could find a place much better than his expectations.
Once inside, the smell of somewhat expensive coffee assaulted his nostrils. As soon as he entered inside, he was greeted by a woman who was quite short. She had a lot of make-up on and Kiyotaka could more-or-less guess that she really needed it.
Nodding his head, he did not pay much heed to the formalities of the establishment and instead of waiting in line, he walked right through it. Pulling the seat that was in front of one of the agents, he sat in it and rested the sword-cane by his knee.
The young man who was seated on the other side suddenly sat straight. He was about to murmur something, however, seeing as how well-dressed Kiyotaka was in comparison to some of the others currently present, he decided against it.
The young man was in a desperate need to close a deal. There was more of a chance for this rude person to buy a house than the ones who were wearing expensive clothes obviously bought from a flea market.
"Good morning, Sir. I am Thomas, how may I help you today?" The young man did not falter and donned a professional smile.
"I am in search of renting a house. Preferably in Cherwood Borough. The closer to West Borough it is, the better."
Thomas seemed to think for a moment and then nodded eagerly. "Of course. I have two properties that could match that description. But before that... I mean this very respectfully and asking purely because I want to accommodate your interests, but may I ask what is your budget?"
"£400 a year."
The man's eyes shone. "Then the properties I have in mind would most definitely be up to your tastes. Since you would be renting directly from Backlund Land and Property Registry, you don't have to worry about Council, Water and Gas Fees, which are often the hidden costs while buying or renting a property from aggregates. The only fee you would have to pay is a Commission Fee." Thomas explained with a sugary sweet tone.
"I know." Kiyotaka replied curtly and then motioned towards the door. "Shall we leave?"
"Right now?"
Kiyotaka stared at him blankly as Thomas gulped nervously. "Of course, right now. Let's leave right away."
*****
Kiyotaka rejected the first house almost immediately. He had only entered the first floor and quickly left it.
The reason for this was because the house was situated quite a distance away from all the Churches. And given his good relationship with the Church of Evernight Goddess, he wanted to stay close to it.
It was not cowardice or him taking refuge in the Goddess' arms but rather something that made sense purely from a utilitarian point of view.
The second house, however, was exactly what he was searching for. It was right at the border between the two Boroughs and the Church of Goddess was only a five minutes walk from here. Not only that, it was quite close to the company headquarters as well that he had recently opened.
The house was listed for £450 with an additional £50 if he wished to keep all the furniture already inside it.
It was a detached three-story residence with a small front garden and a rear courtyard with a plastic table and four chairs.
The ground floor consisted of an entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, study, kitchen, pantry, and a lavatory.
The second floor contained an unnecessarily big master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, a private sitting room, and two bathrooms. Each room had a balcony of its own.
The third floor was reserved for servants and included four servant rooms, a laundry room, and a storage room.
The property also had a basement suitable for storage, a wine cellar, and a small carriage shed. The basement however, was something that made Kiyotaka truly excited.
Kiyotaka went into each bathroom and kitchen and checked every gas supply and taps. The pressure of water was decent and the gas was fast enough to cook large quantities of food without any fluctuation.
Although, there was a caveat. Such a big house was not needed for him alone.
'Perhaps I should take Xio's advice and marry someone. That way a lot of this empty space would be filled once we have children.'
Kiyotaka humored himself, albeit the expression over his features stayed as neutral as they could.
"What do you think sir? I know it's a little over your budget but... these were the only two properties which matched your descriptions."
Kiyotaka stood in the balcony of his master bedroom and looked over the city that had gotten even darker due to the grey clouds. It looked like it was going to rain soon.
"I will take it." Kiyotaka whispered.
The salesman's eyes sparkled and he bottled the urge to jump in ecstasy. He and his family could finally afford some good bread and some meat.
"Amazing... Let's go back and complete the paperwork then!" Thomas spoke with an upbeat glee.
"No."
"...pardon?" Thomas could feel his heart sink.
"You can bring the papers here and I will sign them. I have somewhere else to be by evening."
Thomas thought over his options and then quickly nodded. "As you say, Sir. I will do just that!"
Saying that, Thomas left happily as Kiyotaka hummed to himself.
'This works as well, huh? But the digestion is almost zero. Well, I suppose in some cases actions speak louder than words. But then again, words cut deeper. Regardless, I think I should hire some people to maintain this place.
I can use this place for future projects in the basement and instead of going to meet people, I can just invite them here. It's in a respectable neighborhood and I can turn the Study Room on the ground floor into my office.
Hmmm, but who should I hire?'
Kiyotaka thought over it for a moment and then something clicked in his mind.
He had quickly realized who he was going to employ, and in a sense, it was going to be akin to killing two birds with one stone.
*****
During his wait for Thomas to return, Kiyotaka considered doing a lot of things. While taking help from Madam Sharron and Klein and owning an array of Mystical Items was quite reassuring, he wanted to have a permanent helper as well.
Part of this idea was inspired by Jason Beria and his Devil Dog. He was seriously considering buying a dog and feeding it a Beyonder Potion, but as per his discussion with Klein, it was apparent that animals have a small chance of actually surviving Sequence 9 Potion, much less advancing further.
And a trained hound's price range was about £450 to £700. He did not immediately scrape the idea and instead pushed the idea to the back of his mind. If he had about £5.000 in reserve in the future, he would definitely try it.
Of course, he had also decided on which Pathway's Sequence 9 Potion he was going to feed it. Once he was done fantasizing about having a Beyonder Pet, he had nothing else to do. So he just laid down on the soft bed of the master bedroom and waited.
After about an hour or two, once Kiyotaka had signed the papers and other formalities and had paid the money to Thomas, he was left with his last £100.
Grimacing over the lack of money, Kiyotaka did not let it hurt him too much. Instead, he once again wore his coat, and took to the markets of East Borough.
He bought a lot of stuff, such as books on different kinds of histories, and inventions of Emperor Roselle, food specialties from all over the world—etc, and sent them to his new house via delivery.
While he was buying groceries, he walked by the old restaurant where he used to eat bread and chicken, and sometimes beef. As he passed there, he saw the woman who he used to feed.
The old woman looked quite roughed up and the light in her eyes was gone.
Kiyotaka walked over to her.
Only after several minutes passed did the old woman look up. Once again, she stared for several more minutes before finally recognizing him.
"You're... that boy..."
"I am." Kiyotaka stared at her with indifference.
"You... have changed so much."
"And you are still the same." The old woman with oily and dirty silver hair chuckled as she rested her bony hand in her lap. "I am how I am for quite a while now."
Kiyotaka stared at her. "Can you wash dishes?"
The woman looked at him in a confused manner and then nodded. "Yes..."
"Do you want to work for me? I will pay you. You can stay in my house as well, but I will deduct rent from your salary. You can eat the same food as me as well, but I will deduct that from your salary too."
The woman chuckled. "And what if... I eat more than I earn?"
Kiyotaka paused and pretended to think. "Then you will serve me until your last breath."
The old woman looked at him in disbelief and then her eyes reddened. "Are you serious?"
Kiyotaka nodded. However, for some reason, despite the action feeling as humane as it could possibly be, it still came off as someone who was completely detached from humanity. "Yes."
Suddenly warm tears began to stream down her cold face as she hid it in her palms. Her bony, jutting out shoulders trembled as she sobbed audibly.
Kiyotaka did not offer her any words of comfort and instead kept standing up, holding bags full of jars of jam, butter, two kinds of freshly baked bread and lots of beef, mutton and chicken—all of which he had bought at criminally low prices by using his Eloquence.
Once the woman stopped crying and looked back up, hoping it was not all a dream, Kiyotaka motioned his head towards the carriage that had stopped at some point in time.
"Do you want to walk or sit in the carriage?"
The old woman, who was graceful at times, scrambled up and left her...belongings behind — one of which was a stone on which she used to sleep — before stepping on the carriage.
However, before she could fully step in, she placed her hand on Kiyotaka's head and smiled. Her eyes had a motherly look in them as she caressed his hair. "God bless you..."
Kiyotaka nodded as she went inside the carriage. His pale irises darkened as he breathed out.
'Humans really are the best species of slaves. Even when abandoned and not cared after for, they would still believe in a higher power and praise them.
Now that I think about it, I have seen it in both my lives as Kiyotaka and now as Williams—There's a sameness to street life. There are always these same underlying patterns being played out, flaunt and vaunt, buy and sell, like some distilled essence of human behavior seeping out from whatever clanking political or religious machine has been dropped on it from above.
What a miserable species to be a part of.'
*****
After Kiyotaka had dropped the old woman—Ada—at Unit 17, Sørlund Street, he once again took to the East Borough. While Ada was going to certainly do some tasks, she was still an old woman. What he needed was someone healthy to do chores around the house and also some in real distress.
As he arrived in front of the house he had planned to employ, he saw the woman walk out.
It was Liv who had dark hair, dark eyes and huge dark circles under her eyes. As soon as she saw Williams, she took two steps back and smiled in her usual way.
"Good evening, Mr. Williams... I..." As she was about to finish her sentence, Kiyotaka's eyes fell on the man behind her.
It was a man of medium height with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a small mustache, some beard and was wearing the half-top hat that was in-fashion these days.
"Williams?"
Kiyotaka nodded and then turned his eyes to Liv before back to the man as he nodded, greeting him back. "Hi, Sherlock."
"Why are you here?"
"Business matters. You?"
Klein looked back at Liv and then at her house before frowning. "Here?"
Before Kiyotaka could respond, Liv interjected. "Good evening, Mr. Williams... Please... give your clothes to Freya. She's inside... I— I have to..."
Her words overlapped in a hurried jumble, each word chasing the other.
Panic was plainly visible in her eyes and voice and her hands were red and blistered, but that was normal. Her eyes, however, were bloodshot and puffy, as if she had cried for hours and her cheeks were red as well, as if she had beaten herself over something serious.
The angle of the fading handprints made it quite easy to guess that it was self-inflicted.
Kiyotaka turned his head towards Klein.
Klein sighed as he motioned towards an old man. "This is..."
Before he could say anything, Kiyotaka nodded towards the old man. "Old Kohler, I know."
Klein narrowed his eyes at him but kept the facade of a detective. "...right. Anyways, Miss Liv's daughter, Daisy, is missing. She was with her elder sister, and when Freya went to deliver some clothes, Daisy disappeared."
Kiyotaka nodded solemnly as Klein continued. "I was thinking of doing some volunteer work, to help Miss Liv find Daisy."
"I see. That's good." Kiyotaka then turned towards Liv. "I needed someone to take care of my new home and was looking for maids. Would you be interested?"
Liv looked up at Kiyotaka with bloodshot eyes. It was true that Kiyotaka had paid very huge sums for just washing his shirts and pants in the past, so it was quite evident that if she accepted his deal, her salary would be quite high.
But on the other hand, there was also the matter of her daughter's potential abduction. The sudden offer froze her brain and rendered her unable to formulate any words.
"You don't need to answer right now," Seeing her being totally silent, Kiyotaka added. "The offer will remain."
Klein scooted a little closer to Kiyotaka and whispered. "This isn't the right time..."
"As for your daughter, I will aid Mr. Sherlock as well. Mr. Sherlock is quite a renowned detective who solved the mystery of serial killings a few weeks ago. You should rest easy and leave the matter to him. Since your daughter was abducted, it is highly likely that Freya might be their new target. Coming with me would at least guarantee your and Freya's safety."
The last part was like a nail to the coffin. Liv's face paled and she gulped.
Klein, understanding what Kiyotaka was doing, turned to her as well. "I think that would be the best decision as well, Miss Liv. Think over it, if not for yourself, then for your family's safety."
Liv bit down on her lip and then sighed, her shoulders drooping and a helpless sob choking out of her throat. "Alright..."