The NPC's way (part 3)

Time and time again, either one of them was checking whether the captured was bound up properly without a chance of breaking free.

"Huh. So you don't intend to kill me, at least for now..."

"..."

The captive spoke up as one of the thugs was chewing on the cuffs around his left wrist but got no answer whatsoever.

"Master Alexander was recently trying to refresh his connection with people of your kind... is this an answer, or are you from an opposing faction that caught wind of what was about to happen? Because as far as I know, my master isn't blindly set on that one group."

Still, just because he wasn't admonished or punished for speaking, the captured man continued, sounding almost relieved.

"Being able to scout the information about my errand and managing to perfectly kidnap me is quite a feat and proves that your group is capable enough to cooperate with Duke Rotteloss. How about it? You don't have to take this bag off of me or anything, just..."

The captive was definitely on the talkative side, even though his posture and even the tone of his voice suggested that in his everyday life, it was usually the opposite.

*click* *rustle*

"...?"

Suddenly the only door opened, and the two thugs hurriedly moved away from the chained man, giving him quite a bad feeling.

"You have your way with words, Kenny-boy. But what if we are already working for a very important individual and only want to make sure that the Rotteloss family stays the hell away from the side of the world they abandoned~?"

The new person that arrived at the scene was a black-haired boy casually carrying an axe over his shoulder– only that he was changing his voice quite skillfully, managing to sound like a veteran criminal with an abundance of experience... including dealing with the Earl back in the days of his reckless youth.

"!!!"

The line was delivered so well that Kenneth wasn't even able to talk back. Instead, he just tensed up with a horribly bad feeling drilling a hole through his stomach.

"Since you are so eager, though, let's discuss what body part of yours we should send to your master to make him get the point... I think the head should do the job..."

*tap*

The boy continued doing the voice, and he said playfully while carefully lowering the axe towards the captive's neck so that the man would feel the chill of the cutting edge on his skin.

"N-no...! Please don't...!"

Feeling the cold hand of death reaching out for his neck – literally – washed Kenneth clean off any thoughts besides the basic instinct of pleading for his life.

"Tsk. What is that supposed to mean? Do you want to walk out freely just like that? When you go shopping for that master of yours, do you just grab the product and walk away without paying? That's not how haggling works."

*shhh*

"Ack...!"

The black-haired boy wasn't satisfied with the captive's response at all and moved the axe back and forth, applying enough pressure for the edge of the axehead to cut into the skin and draw blood.

"I believe sending the head would be efficient... but since little Kenny can't decide, why won't you two help him out a bit? What are your offers?"

The black-haired boy sighed at the chained man failing to cooperate, and just as if he was an eager lead man at an auction, he encouraged the two thuggish-looking men to participate in the show.

"One of his legs?"

The taller of the two spoke up, but it was clear that he wasn't too eager and just wanted to say anything to fulfill his role.

"Unless he has some well-known deformity or a birthmark there, I doubt the leg would have an effect. After all, even though Kenny and Alex know each other fairly well, they are not on the recognize-the-foot-at-the-first-glance basis."

Medea dismissed the proposition with a sigh.

"His right arm. The pinky finger has a fairly recognizable scar at its base."

"That's more like it~!"

The shorter of the thugs made an observation and put some effort into coming up with a reasonable proposition – which gained him an approving nod and words of encouragement.

"...still... seriously... having someone else bargain for your life... aren't you ashamed, Kenny?"

"!!!"

The black-haired boy didn't forget about the protagonist of the gathering and jerked the axe a bit more, making it dig deeper into the captured man's flesh.

"A f-finger...! If you must cut off something, ple... please make it the finger! Pinky finger – the one with the scar! It's a recent wound, and the master saw it after it got healed! He will recognize it for sure!"

The captive managed to regain his voice – or rather, his tongue untied in the face of the imminent danger.

"Hmm... too little. I was about to go along with my comrade's suggestion and chop off your arm at your shoulder..."

Medea tilted his head and hummed, slightly dissatisfied with the counteroffer, and slid the slightly bloodied axe from Kenneth's neck to the joint of his shoulder.

"Th-the... the pinky and the r-ring finger then...! Not only is there a scar on my pinky finger, but the nail of my ring finger is deformed because it got stabbed through by an assassin trying to kill my master, but whom I managed to stop! He will recognize it for sure! There is no need to cut off my entire arm! It will send a message while not getting a target painted on your back, and you could not only send a message but also ask for ransom! So...!"

"If I cut here, it will be possible to attach a prosthetic. Aren't you happy?"

It cost Kenneth a lot to actually bargain for his body parts – especially since he knew he had to increase his sacrifice if he wanted to escape with his life, but the person behind his capture wasn't the considerate type.

...after all, he moved the axe, following the arch of the man's shoulder and pressing the axehead in the spot where his biceps began to bulge out.