Chapter 4:

Taken

My Knight


Few days after the incident with Akatsu, everything went back to normal in Kojou Clan’s mansion. That morning, Ryou was cleaning the study while Kirihime was writing down complicated numbers and diagrams on a paper. This was quite a rare sight, since Kirihime strictly forbid Ryou from cleaning the study without her to supervise him.
“Ah.” Ryou let out a sound.
Kirihime lifted her face. “What?” She asked in irritated tone.
“Isn’t this the newspaper from few days ago? I’ve been searching for it—why did you have this in your study?” Ryou asked as he started reading it.
“I just want to compile it.” Kirihime replied flatly.
“Hey, this newspaper contains an article about discovery of Baron Akatsu’s body, but they didn’t mention anything about artificial Mazoku or underground laboratory. They said the body was found inside his mansion and the killer was probably a robber.” Ryou looked at Kirihime. “How come?”
“Use your brain once in a while, will you?” Kirihime said harshly. “His accomplices clearly didn’t want people to know about the failed assassination. So they moved the body after we left. Well, not like it had anything to do with me anymore.” Kirihime returned her attention to her papers.
“Hmm...” Ryou was lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Kirihime’s insults. “It’s a shame we didn’t get any clue about my creator...”
“Ah.” This time, it was Kirihime who lifted her face and let out a sound.
“What’s wrong?” Ryou looked at her serious face.
“I smell something good in the air. Ryou, did you just bake a chiffon cake?” Kirihime stared at him intently.
Ryou sighed. “And I’m supposed to be artificial Mazoku, yet your sense of smell is even scarier than mine. Yeah, I baked one for dessert after lunch.”
“I want one!! Ryou, get me a slice of cake! Just one slice!” Kirihime begged.
“No way! It will ruin your appetite!” Ryou rejected.
“Come on! Just one slice won’t make any difference! I need something sweet to help my brain work harder! Please?” Kirihime kept pressing him.
Knowing that he had lost, Ryou let out a depressed sigh. “Yes, yes, just one slice, okay?”
“Yes!! I promise!” Kirihime beamed like a child.
Ryou left the study and headed to the kitchen.
“I knew I shouldn’t bake it this early. Kirihime is too smart for her own good after all. If she’s so smart, why can’t she stop her obsession toward sweets?” Ryou complained in his mind.
Suddenly he heard the sound of glass breaking.
“That sound...was coming from the study?! Kirihime...!” Ryou quickly turned around and sharpened his senses.
But before he could go anywhere, the window next to him was shattered to pieces and a man wrapped in black suit lunged at him, successfully pinning Ryou to the wall with inhuman strength.
“Let...go...!!” Ryou struggled and changed his feet into metal, then he kicked that man as hard as he could.
That man was thrown outside the window, but more of them came in through the window and surrounded Ryou, preventing him from going anywhere. Ryou took a better look at those men and saw their empty eyes.
They were artificial Mazoku who lost their souls, just like Akatsu’s army.
“Tch! I was careless! I thought I would notice if someone got close to the mansion, but they must have used some kind of magic to come here unnoticed!” Ryou reprimanded himself.
“Ryou!!! Help!!!”
That scream reached Ryou’s ear and he paled. He had utterly forgotten that Kirihime was only a human girl with extraordinary brain. No matter how smart she was, she couldn’t possibly win against several artificial Mazoku like him.
“Kirihime!!!” Ryou took a step forward, but those Mazoku surrounding him instantly launched an attack.
Ryou deflected their attacks with his arms—which had shifted into a pair of swords—and tried to retaliate, but they were faster and stronger than he had expected.
“They were different than what Akatsu made...I have to quickly defeat them!” Ryou thought as he changed a part of his body and breathed fire toward those Mazoku.
But to his surprise, they put up a barrier of magic which completely nullified Ryou’s breath attack.
“Oh come on!!” Ryou gritted his teeth.
Even worse, they all lunged at Ryou at the same time. Ryou glanced at his surrounding and suddenly an idea hit him. Ryou quickly shifted his eyes and shot lasers from his eyes at the ceilings.
The next second, the ceilings broke down and buried those Mazoku under the rubbles. Ryou knew it wouldn’t hold them for too long, so he hurriedly jumped through the rubbles and raced to the study.
“Please be alright!! Please hang on until I come!! Please...!” Ryou thought as he reached the door and stormed in. “Kirihime!!!”
But there was only silence.
The window was broken and there were signs of fight, but Kirihime and her attackers were nowhere to be seen. Ryou saw the sword decorations on the wall had been removed and found the sword lying under the desk.
“Kirihime!!!” Ryou jumped through the window and looked around. “Where are you?! Answer me! Kirihime!!!”
But they were long gone. To make matter worse, those Mazoku that he had buried earlier came back crawling and once again circled him.
“Move aside. I warn you—I’m in a very bad mood.” Ryou cracked his fingers. “I will cut down everyone who stood between me and my master.”
Ryou shifted his arms and lunged at those Mazoku.