An uncertain amount of time later, Fate began to stir and, though he wasn’t conscious yet, he could somehow sense a familiar feeling, a particularly dangerous one, however, he couldn’t quite place it…

 

Time gave him no time to question it further and forced him awake with a faceful of cold water, causing him to immediately wake and begin coughing out the water that had managed to get in his mouth and nostrils!

 

He coughed and wheezed repeatedly while attempting to get a clear view of his surroundings, but, in turn, was met with another faceful of water. Instead of attempting to yell out to whoever was doing it to stop, he focused mana into his fist and prepared to lob it in the direction he assumed it came from...only he couldn’t…

 

-...What?! Chains?! Not this crap agai…!

 

Just when he was starting to think, he was struck with a blow to the head, faster than he could see! When he should’ve keeled over, though, he was suspended above the floor by the now clear, tightly-bound chains.

 

Fate: “...Who...are you supposed to…!?”

 

He was delivered with another blow to the head, driving him further towards the floor, forcing his arms to tug painfully against his restraints. At this point, Fate wasn’t being allowed to speak or clear his thoughts so he was quite...irate, to put it artfully.

 

Fate: “『Mana-Manipulation』!”

 

Two blue bubbles materialized out of thin air and began to speed towards the chains holding Fate! However, his assailant seemed to have been expecting this and punched him in the solar plexus before he could finish, which caused him to cough up blood! 

 

Fate: “Ugh…!”

 

Fate fell back against the wall, scraping his arms along the chains as he did so and before he was able to recover, another hit was thrust against his head! 

 

-...D...am...n! Wait...he…!

 

He could somehow feel that there was another blow headed his way, but before it was able to land on him…

 

Fate: “J...J-j...acob...w-wh...at...is-s...th-his!?”

 

Despite the fact that his speech was slurred and drawn from ragged breath, its intended effect seemed to have been to get his attacker to identify themselves, which wasn’t confirmed, but the person in question had ceased their repeated attacks.

 

Suddenly, a chuckle that sent chills up Fate’s spine reverberated throughout the room...He hadn’t heard it before, but he could definitely guess who it was…

 

Jacob: “My, my, young master, you truly seem to have a gift for keeping a level head...though tragically, it’s not nearly as quick as I might have hoped. Otherwise, you would have been able to identify me when I started my assault, instead of you having to figure it out during a sound thrashing.”

 

While Jacob spoke, Fate was finally able to clear his drenched, stinging eyes to view the room around him...it appeared to be a similar one to the cell he had been locked in by Atlas, save that it was completely empty.

 

He was able to see blood on the floor, his own, along with the injuries on his arms, marks on his legs, and more importantly, the chains that bound him to the wall.

 

-He finally...stopped...I don’t feel good...In fact, I think I might...just...throw up! 

 

Jacob: “Young master, are you feeling unwell?”

 

Fate stared at him with a mix of anger and disbelief, focusing his spiteful gaze towards Jacob’s calm, sinister eyes. This earned him a swift kick to the stomach, causing him to vomit up more blood and keel over as far as he could!

 

Jacob: “Oh, young master...You are aware that I am responsible for cleaning certain rooms in the estate, correct?”

 

He grabbed Fate by the hair and dragged him up to meet his gaze, once more…

 

Jacob: “As the young miss should have informed you before you...attacked her, I do not wish to trouble the Lady for my own sake. Thus, this is time, that I am taking to perform my duties, that I deem necessary, and thus, you, the young miss, and this room which you’ve besmirched…”

 

-You...made me...cough up...the blood...you prick!

 

He tightened his grip on Fate’s hair and placed his other hand against Fate’s slack jaw, forcing it closed and sending the taste of blood throughout his mouth.

 

Jacob: “Are my responsibility and as such...I am entitled to a great degree of freedom to do with you as I please. So do keep that in mind when you’re making a mess during this time, young master…”

 

-Entitled... my... ass! No...no...no...I can definitely...think up something...much...more…verbose…

 

Perhaps seeing that Fate’s gaze showed that he had no signs of yielding, Jacob let go of his head, letting it droop down. Jacob’s footsteps began to ring in Fate’s ears, causing him to grit his teeth and he forced himself to look up, despite his injuries…

 

Jacob walked a few steps away and began to adjust something on one of the gloves he was wearing, though, it was out of Fate’s line of sight so he couldn’t see it clearly.

 

Fate: “What...if...ugh!”

 

Fate attempted to voice his ‘dissatisfaction,’ but was interrupted by intense pain that his foggy head had been preventing him from feeling. Blood trailed down the sides of his mouth and dripped onto the floor like a small rain.

 

However, Fate still managed a smile since he was still defying his captor, even if it wasn’t in the way he desired. This seemed to prompt Jacob to cease whatever possibly malicious activities he was committing and caused him to come back into Fate’s line of sight with his arms crossed behind his back…

 

-Eat...sh*t…old... man! 

 

He watched Fate attempt a chuckle while continuing to release blood onto the floor, with disdain. He placed one of his crossed arms at his side and raised the other one so that it was pointed at Fate…

 

Jacob: “Well then, young master...It seems that you truly have no intention of listening to me and it also seems that you have no intention of complying, correct?”

 

-...Comply? Comply...with...what…?

 

Fate couldn’t force himself to answer. Instead, he simply spat a bit of blood in Jacob’s direction, which, in response, he cracked one of his fingers. A yellow light flickered on his hand and in an instant, the blood vanished with a crackle!

 

Needless to say, Fate was both completely stunned and horrified. After all, it wasn’t as if Jacob had simply used wind or some other spell to send it back at him, the blood had entirely vanished in midair!

 

-H-h...how…in the...f*ck…?!

 

He looked around frantically, hoping to find some explanation for such an inexplicable occurrence, however, he could find...nothing.

 

Suddenly, he heard the crackling noise, once more, and turned his head towards the returned, yellow light, coming from Jacob’s direction…

 

Jacob: “Now, young master. My suggestion to you would be this...show me all the power you are able to display at this moment...or you will die here a disowned son, who killed a lowly maid in a fit of rage and despised by every resident of this manor!”

 

Jacob’s disgusted frown was now completely gone, leaving a terrified and pale, Fate, and himself, exposing his teeth with a disturbingly sadistic smile...