"You're back."
Esdeath straightened when Noah returned.
"Then let's continue—"
"I have something to deal with. You should ask Run to accompany you instead," Noah interrupted.
Esdeath paused before glancing toward the four people.
"Does it have something to do with them?"
"Yes."
"In that case, I'm interested too. I'll come with you."
A smile appeared on Esdeath's face, and the boredom she had felt moments earlier vanished.
Noah did not refuse.
If she truly wanted to follow him, refusing would accomplish nothing.
"Stay close to me."
Noah gathered the sensory traces released by both of their bodies and prevented them from spreading into the surrounding area.
Simply existing in a place produced information that affected the environment, including sound, scent, and body heat.
By controlling those traces, Noah could reduce how strongly others perceived their presence.
"What is this?" Esdeath asked.
Her senses were extremely sharp because of her experience as a hunter, so she immediately noticed that their presence had faded considerably.
People nearby no longer looked in their direction. It was almost as though Noah and Esdeath had blended into the background.
It was an ability perfectly suited to assassination.
Esdeath became increasingly curious about what Noah's Teigu actually was.
The two followed Buck and the three girls.
Buck remained remarkably patient while they purchased clothes and later ate at a restaurant.
Eventually, he checked the time and murmured, "It should be about time."
He then led the girls into a suspicious-looking private club.
By then, they had completely lowered their guard and had even begun trusting him, so they followed without hesitation.
"They're far too naive," Esdeath said coldly. "Allowing themselves to be deceived by such an inferior man."
Even after guessing what kind of suffering awaited them, she showed no sympathy.
In Esdeath's view, weakness did not deserve pity.
Perhaps that belief was not entirely wrong. Noah did not consider weakness an excuse either.
Kurome, Gin, and the other children who had died had become candidates for the Imperial Assassination Unit's Enhancement Division before they were even ten years old.
Their lives and deaths had been controlled by the Empire, but they had still made choices of their own.
They had desired strength and willingly sacrificed their lifespans to obtain it.
Because those children had chosen their path, Noah had never placed himself above them as some kind of savior or hero and interfered without permission.
But if they had asked him for help, he knew he would never have been able to stand aside.
No matter how much people reasoned about morality, their first response when forced to choose was usually instinct rather than logic.
Had Noah never learned of this situation, he might have ignored it.
Even hearing about it from somewhere else might not have moved him enough to act.
But when something like this happened directly before his eyes, he realized that he still wanted to satisfy his own sense of justice.
These girls had not been born with some extraordinary fate.
Unlike those destined to stand on a great stage, they had never chosen any of this, yet they were about to be burdened with suffering no ordinary person could endure.
Noah understood that fate itself was not wrong, nor were the gods.
The ones at fault were those who possessed no divine authority yet took it upon themselves to impose suffering and trials upon other people.
'Then leave it to me.'
'I'll become their final trial.'
...
"Ah!"
"Wait! Let go of us!"
"What are you doing?"
El, Luna, and Fal were suddenly grabbed by a group of large men.
Every one of them gave off a reasonably strong presence, and the three girls could not break free from their hands.
Buck sat down on a sofa and watched their frightened expressions with obvious enjoyment.
"Mr. Buck?"
"Heh."
The friendly expression disappeared from his face, replaced by cold indifference.
"Mr. Buck? How poorly mannered. Shouldn't you be calling me Master?"
His expression and tone frightened El into silence.
Fal finally understood.
"You tricked us!"
She struggled with all her strength, but she could not escape the bodyguard holding her.
Instead, she kicked him in the face.
The blow had no effect.
The bodyguard gave her a mocking grin and punched her in the stomach. The pain was so intense that Fal briefly thought he had killed her.
At that moment, three more men entered and took their places behind Buck.
He looked delighted to see them.
"You're here. Excellent. The toys are ready, so shall we begin the main course?"
...
"Hey, don't damage her too badly. I chose that girl for myself, and I want to take my time breaking her. Otherwise, where's the fun?"
One of the three newcomers began shouting at the bodyguard the moment he entered.
He hurried over to Fal and studied her defiant expression. His face flushed with excitement.
"Yes, that's exactly it. That look is perfect. You'll be so satisfying to torment."
He admired her for a moment before abruptly turning to the bodyguard.
"Break both her legs first."
The man rubbed his chin as though speaking from years of experience.
"Girls like this are always good at running. Once her legs are broken, she won't be able to escape no matter how hard she tries."
The bodyguard immediately grabbed Fal by both legs.
Compared with his thick arms and enormous hands, her long, slender legs looked as fragile as willow branches.
Fear finally replaced the anger on Fal's face.
The man had spoken far too naturally, as though ordering someone to break a girl's legs was no more important than asking for another drink.
The moment she felt the bodyguard's hands tighten, Fal began struggling desperately. Her strength, however, meant nothing against him.
"No! Don't!"
She clenched her fists as fear overwhelmed her thoughts. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, fast enough to make her dizzy.
El and Luna were also being restrained nearby. Their legs had gone weak, and both girls were trembling uncontrollably.
Crack!
The unmistakable sound of breaking bone filled the room, followed by Fal's scream.
The man burst into delighted laughter.
Buck paid little attention to her suffering and turned toward the other two guests.
"What about you? How do you want to play with yours?"
"I'll take that one. She has beautiful eyes."
One of the men pointed at Luna.
A chill ran through her entire body.
Buck smiled at the bodyguard beside her.
"You heard him. He wants the eyes."
"Yes, sir."
The bodyguard took out a long, thin spike.
The moment Luna saw it, she understood what they intended to do.
"You can't be serious... No, please! Don't bring that near me!"
They were going to blind her, and they intended to make it as painful as possible.
Buck laughed at her terrified reaction.
"My guests are what people in the capital might call extremists. Ordinary girls no longer satisfy them. What they enjoy most is finding someone happy and innocent, then destroying that happiness with their own hands."
Fal lay on the ground with tears streaming down her face as she stared at them.
These creatures could no longer be called human.
They were demons.
The final guest had already grown impatient.
"Give the last girl to my precious child as a present."
Buck looked displeased.
"What? She was difficult to acquire. Isn't that a waste?"
"What are you talking about? I treat Dog as if he were my own son."
The man smiled and reached down beside his feet.
Only then did El notice the black hunting dog standing there.
Its eyes were wild, and its owner's depraved intention was obvious.
Before El could react, the bodyguard tore apart her clothes.
She tried to cover herself, but his grip was as firm as an iron clamp.
"Why...?" El sobbed. "Why are you doing this?"
Buck's smile did not change.
"Because it makes money. Besides, ignorant country girls like you are everywhere. I can replace all three of you almost immediately."
His answer made the three guests and the surrounding bodyguards roar with laughter.
The man holding the spike brought its tip closer to Luna's eye. Her tears and desperate pleas did nothing to move him.
At the same time, Dog's owner patted its body and released it toward El for his own sick amusement.
The black hound bounded forward, panting heavily as saliva dripped from its mouth.
El shut her eyes in despair, tears slipping down her cheeks.
A dull thud suddenly came from in front of her.
She cautiously opened her eyes.
The dog was lying motionless on the floor.
The laughter in the room stopped as though someone had seized everyone by the throat.
Dog's owner stared in disbelief.
"Dog?"
He called its name, but the animal did not move.
The bodyguard preparing to blind Luna also paused at the unexpected disturbance.
Then his hand suddenly felt lighter.
The spike disappeared from his grasp, along with the sensation in his fingers.
"What happened to my hand—Aaaaaah!"
He looked down and discovered that everything beyond his wrist had vanished.
His panicked scream accelerated his heartbeat, and blood sprayed from the stump, splattering across Luna's face.
She stared in horror at the wounded bodyguard and the spike that was now lying safely away from her eye.
She had no idea what had happened.