Chapter 40 - Cruelty

Mila stood before Nolman’s bed, studying the man. His uncovered hands revealed more bruises, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

Which wasn’t perfect. Holding down a grown man who at least knew how to use mana was not something Mila was capable of just yet.

Having him scream could also ruin her plans. Mila twirled the dagger in her hand, then pulled out her reserve one.

Then again, Mila didn’t need to be gentle with the man. He would not be here if he hadn’t revealed everything he knew. Something he shouldn’t have done as now there would be repercussions.

Mila tilted her head, considering her options. There weren’t any she liked, but there were effective ones. With a slight push, she made the man roll on his back.

Then, Mila stepped on the bed and positioned herself over Nolman. The man was still clueless. His breathing didn’t even change.

And then she lowered herself. One of her daggers she positioned above Nolman’s mouth, the other on his neck. Her knees pushed down his upper arms as she sat down on his chest.

The man still had not woken up. Mila sighed. This wasn’t her idea of a pleasant night. Then she pushed her dagger above Nolman’s mouth past his lips and teeth. It would make sure he didn’t scream. Her other weapon pressed down on his vulnerable neck.

Nolman’s eyes shot open as the dagger touched his tongue. He drew in a breath to scream and tried to flounder.

“Now, now.” Mila pushed her dagger deeper down Nolman’s throat while holding the other still. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

The man’s eyes bulged in horror. His body spasmed trying to break free, but a moment later, Nolman realised he was a step away from dying.

“See, it’s not that hard.” Mila chidded. “Be a good boy, and I won’t hurt you.” She lied. “Will you be a good boy, Mr Nolman?”

The man tried to nod, but as the dagger started to cut into his tongue, he stopped. Nolman released a desperate whine, showing his willingness to cooperate.

“Good,” Mila started to slowly pull the dagger out of Nolman’s mouth. “I am sure we can reach an agreement.” She left a cut in the man’s lip. “For example - you tell me what I ask, and I won’t kill you. Does that sound fair to you, Mr Nolman?”

“Y-yes!”

Mila pushed her free dagger against the man’s mouth again, making him freeze. “Be a bit more discreet, Mr Nolman. We wouldn’t want any interruptions to happen, which would make my hand slip.”

Another squeal later, Mila was reasonably sure the man would not waste her time. However, the pathetic display did not do any favours. If there was a possibility of a stray thought of sparing the man before, there was none now.

“Listen carefully, Mr Nolman.” Mila freed his mouth. “And carefully think before you answer. If I feel like you are lying, I might involuntarily hurt you in shock of such disrespect.” She met the man’s eyes. “You were taken into custody by a couple of larger men today. What did they ask?”

“A-” Nolman started before realising he was too loud. Tears began to roll down his face as he felt the cold metal on his flesh. “A-About Obron family.” He whispered. “They wanted to know about the layout of their complex.” His voice trembled as each line he spoke made the dagger on his neck dig deeper into his skin.

When Mila didn’t move, Nolman continued. “A-And about who lives there.” He desperately tried to recall. “And about their kids. They wanted to know if Hanna and Harry would care if something happened to them.”

“And nothing else?” Mila wondered. “No pressure. Just don’t make me wait too long, or I might get fidgety. What else did you tell them?” She assumed correctly he had told the answers to those questions already.

“N-No!” Nolman exclaimed. “I said nothing about the Kingdom or the City or The Temple. I know nothing about them. I couldn’t have told them anything useful!” He spat out a river of words. “They knew I wouldn’t be able to know about it. They know I failed to become an officer. I didn’t betray the Kingdom! Please, you have to believe me!”

“Interesting.” Mila’s words mirrored her thoughts. “And why would that matter to me?”

“Please, I didn’t betray our homeland. Please!”

“Who did you talk to?” Mila demanded.

“I-I don’t know,” Nolaman sobbed.

“Make a guess. A good one. You very best.” Mila idly made a shallow cut above the man’s lip.

“I- I think they were from Imeglenmo.” Nolman hurried to reveal.

“Such a bold guess.” Mila unhurriedly noted. She didn’t believe this man. “Were they so amateurish to let someone like you in on their origins? I heard them talk. They sounded like locals.” She made another cut.

“No, wait!” He whimpered. “They didn’t tell me, but I recognised the smell of some spices they were cooking. They don’t grow anywhere close to this place. My Pop’s brought me to the Imeglenmo Kingdom back when borders were open. I recognise that smell from that time.” Nolman explained.

“Hardly a proof.” Mila pretended to yawn and let her hand slip, cutting deeper into Nolman’s cheek. “Do you have anything else?”

“The emblem. I recognised it as honouring the Sea God. They kept it hidden behind a curtain, but when a gust of wind moved it, I saw that emblem.”

“Better.” Mila evaluated. “But still not enough.” She hummed. “I wonder. Why did they let you go? Are you really, really still loyal to our great Kingdom?”

“Yes! I am! I would have gone to the guard outpost tomorrow!” Nolman swore. “It would have been the first thing I would have done!”

“And tell them what, Mr Nolman?” Mila questioned. “Perhaps you have a way to meet them?”

“I-I do!” Nolman confessed. “I-I can give you directions. You have to believe me. I would have told about it to guards.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you, Mr Nolman.” Mila nodded along. “Now, the location.” She demanded.

Once again, Nolman proved how loose his tongue was. He told her everything. She prodded him with a few additional questions just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.

And when Mila was sure she had gained everything, she had one last question. “No, Mr Nolman, who do you think I am?”

Mila could see gears turn inside the man’s head.

“N-No one?” He tried. “Just my imagination?” Nolman guessed.

It wasn’t an unreasonable thing to say. If the man thought Mila was going to spare him, he had to pretend she didn’t visit him.

“A fascinating imagination you have there, Mr Nolman.” Mila happily noted, and the man seemed to light up with hope. “But it is not what I asked. I repeat - who do you think I am?”

The man blinked and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Nolman tried again with a whisper. “One of Kingdom’s assassins?” There was now doubt in his voice.

Mila remained silent for a moment. She felt Nolman’s fear become terror. It would not be long now before he would become useless.

“Tell me what you know about our organisation.” Mila tried.

“No, no, no,” Nolman started to repeat. “You are not one of them.” He realised.

Mila felt the man piss himself. There was nothing salvageable about this garbage. She studied the man and his increasingly frantic movements.

It was becoming dangerous. The man had more mana than Mila and was physically superior.

With a press of her arm, Mila sliced his throat. With a flick of her wrist, she silenced his tongue. Then she covered his neck and mouth with a blanket to not dirty herself.

Nolman’s body spasmed in one last defiance of Mila’s judgment as it tried to free itself.

The man’s last words were incoherent gurgles.

Mila remained still as the life left the man’s eyes. She studied her mana pool and searched for any changes.

There was nothing until there was.

A noticeable amount of mana flowed into her body and settled into her mana pool, increasing it by an amount.

Mila circled the newly added mana to get a feel of it.

It was hers. There was nothing Mila could see that would indicate otherwise. As a whole, it was still a paltry amount, but at this rate…

Mila tried to feel just how much of mana was added to compare with the first time. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t tell. There was a need for more tests.

Was it a set amount, or did it differ from how much her targets had?

A question Mila was eager to answer.

With the next target clear, Mila finally got up from the cooling body. She cleaned her daggers in the sheets and left the apartment.

Back on the streets, Mila once more slipped into alleyways unseens by anyone else. It was time for another round of self-inspection.

Only this time, Mila studied her emotions. As expected, she felt nothing for the man she had murdered just minutes ago. It had been so easy for her to slip into an assassin’s role.

And even now, upon reflecting on her actions, Mila still couldn’t find it in her to care. It had been necessary, wasn’t it?

Mila had no answers. Perhaps in time, but not tonight.

Was she justifying something unforgivable or just being rational about the situation they were in? The trash had pushed them into danger without resisting. Not truly. Furthermore, he had agreed to work with the enemy group right after.

Which made her wonder. Upon entering the apartment building, Mila had made sure no eyes were on her.

But would a group of possible spies leave a liability like Nolman on his own?

The answer was no. Or at least, if that group had even a shred of competency, they wouldn’t.

Which prompted Mila to search the surroundings. She circled Nolman’s home, looking for any signs of mana signatures. There were a couple, but either they were insignificant or, in one case - just an old lady sleeping in her bed.

And then it happened. Mila felt her senses slightly brush against a mana pool just on the edge of her limit.

Mila felt her heartbeat fasten. She had made a mistake. Of course, there had been someone watching that building. And now that someone had taken an interest in her.

Discarding the thought of running, Mila kept her pace steady, pretending she had not noticed the pursuer.

It was a question of how that person was tracking her. Mila had been careful to not leave any traces, and going through so many turns should have let her get away.

Apparently not. Mila slowed down and took another couple of turns, making sure there was never a clear line of sight to where her stalker was.

After carefully checking how the pursuer moved, Mila felt a bit of tension leave her body.

It wasn’t as bad as it could be. The mana pool Mila felt stopped at every corner and stayed there for a moment before continuing.

Whatever method the person was using wasn’t very precise. And as it was, Mila couldn’t let this continue for much longer.

Running away was dangerous. Mila didn’t want to invite trouble to her place if she was tracked down.

Which meant facing whoever it was. Mila evaluated the mana pool. More than Nolman, but not by much. It didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous, but at the very least, her next target was limited in options.

If it was someone specialising in subterfuge, most of the spells they knew wouldn’t be a direct threat to Mila.

But the distance made it tricky. Mila slowed down once more to see if her pursuer would come closer.

It happened, but it wasn’t close enough. At a point, the stalking person stopped with a couple turns still between them.

And it repeated a few more times. Mila could not keep doing this as the pursuer could grow suspicious and leave just to return later to resume his tracking.

It meant taking risks. Mila silently clicked her tongue in annoyance.