Seeker 358

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Chapter 358. The Kidnapped Girl

In an unknown cave.

Several men and a young girl were hiding in the damp, dimly lit dead end.

The dead end of the cave, about the size of a small hall, had a small amount of light coming in from an entrance a short distance away, so it wasn’t so dark that the surroundings couldn’t be seen.

The men were gathered in the middle of this small room, while the girl lay bound near the wall.

Aside from her, there was another tattered figure lying in the back.

The girl was about ten years old, a child not yet grown.

Her golden ringlets and finely tailored clothes were now soiled with dirt.

Her ankles and wrists, bound behind her, were tied with rope, and her mouth was gagged with a cloth.

“Mmmph, mmmph!”

The girl, lying on the ground like a caterpillar, had been struggling and groaning since she was brought into the cave.

At first, the men who kidnapped her left her alone.

But eventually, one of them, growing annoyed, clicked his tongue and stood up.

The man walked over to the girl, crouched down, and undid the cloth gagging her mouth.

The girl took a breath, then glared at the man in front of her.

The man had the appearance of an adventurer, with a tough and intimidating look.

However, the girl did not flinch.

“Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing?! I am Elvira, daughter of the head of the Holmlund family! Do you think you can get away with this?!”

“Tch, this is why pampered little girls are such a pain. Seems like you still don’t understand your situation.”

The man leaned closer to her face, threatening her.

The girl momentarily recoiled in fear, but soon regained her defiance.

“You, you’re the one who doesn’t understand your place, you wretch! Return me to my father immediately, or else──”

“Hah, you still don’t get it? There’s no daddy here to protect you. So what does that mean? Use that little head of yours and think real hard.”

“Ah, ugh... W-What are you doing...?!”

The man grabbed the girl’s neck roughly, lifting her up with one hand as he stood.

Her small, frail body was hoisted effortlessly, and she squirmed in pain, bound like a caterpillar.

In front of the girl, now dangling in the air, the man clenched his free hand into a fist.

Seeing this, terror flooded the girl’s face, impossible to hide.

“Wh-What are you... stop, stop it...”

“If you can’t understand with words, I’ll make sure your body understands!”

“Oof...! Ugghh...! Uwaaaaaaahh!”

With a dull thud, the man’s fist sank into the girl’s stomach.

As he released his grip, the girl’s body fell to the ground with a thud, writhing in pain.

Seeing this, two other men laughed and jeered.

“Hahaha, that’s brutal.”

“Hey, don’t go too hard on her.”

“Still, this brat’s loud, dumb, and doesn’t get her place.”

“True. Just don’t kill her. A corpse won’t be much of a hostage.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The men’s half-hearted warnings carried no real concern, and the man who hit the girl showed no sign of remorse.

Meanwhile, the girl, still in pain, had tears welling up in her eyes.

“Cough, cough...! Ugh... you, all of you... do you have any idea what’s going to happen to you... My father’s coming with his soldiers... and you’ll all be hanged...”

“Hah? You still don’t get it, huh? Kids from rich families sure are hopelessly naïve. Maybe I went too easy on you.”

“Hey, I told you, don’t kill her.”

“I know, I know. Tch... Guess I’ll teach her another lesson. Even a brat like this can still make a fine woman!”

“W-What...!?”

──Riiiip!

The man grabbed the front of the girl’s clothes and tore them apart with force.

“W-What are you doing...! S-Stop it...!”

“Heh, she’s already blushing like she knows what’s coming. Guess you understand now, huh?”

“Stop...! Stop it... stop!”

The man pinned the girl down, and she screamed.

The other two men snickered as they watched the scene unfold.

In the midst of this, one person, unable to stand the sight, finally spoke up.

“H-Hey... our goal is to take money from that noble scumbag, right? We don’t need to torture some kid like this...”

It was a boy, barely older than his mid-teens.

While the other men looked to be in their late twenties, he was the only one still young.

The boy’s voice was weak, trembling.

He had hesitated, trying to speak several times before finally summoning the courage to say something.

Hearing his words, the man assaulting the girl dropped her and glared at the boy.

“Hah? Nils, since when did you get so big that you can boss me around, huh?”

“N-No, that’s not what I... I didn’t mean to...”

The man walked toward the trembling boy, who couldn’t even react before the man’s boot slammed into his stomach.

“Guh...! Gah... ugh...!”

“Hey, I asked when you got so high and mighty! Answer me!”

“Guh...! Aaahhh!”

The man kicked the boy, grabbed his collar, punched him, stomped on him, beating him senseless.

Eventually, the man stepped on the boy’s head, grinding his foot into him.

“If you wanna spill our secrets to the world, then say the word. I’ll send you straight to hell.”

“Ugh... I-I’m sorry... please... forgive me...”

“Tch, whatever. I’ll let you off this time. Know your place, or you’ll end up like him.”

The man pointed to a butler lying in a heap at the back of the cave.

That butler, named Ove, had betrayed the Holmlund family and kidnapped their daughter, Elvira, hoping to ransom her for a large sum.

He had brought his plan to these underworld thugs, but greed over the ransom share led to him being punished like this.

Even if he hadn’t been greedy, it was doubtful he’d have escaped alive after getting his cut.

By trusting criminals, his fate had been sealed from the start.

And on the other side──

“N-No... stop... please stop...”

“Heh, I’ll teach your body what happens when brats defy adults.”

“No... no... stop it──STOP IT!!”

Having finished beating the boy, the man returned to tormenting the girl.

“Ugh... damn it, damn it...”

The boy, badly injured, dragged himself a short distance away and used healing magic on himself.

Then, covering his ears to block out the girl’s screams, he curled up in a ball.

Even if his heart ached, there was nothing he could do now.

Despite his many useful skills, he lacked the critical experience.

The men, far stronger and privy to his darkest secrets, had him firmly under their control.