Roughly three weeks had passed since starting my study in the politics department. Though it's supposed to be a proper study institution, I only have to attend an hour a day of lectures, all of it on the kingdom's history and various political issues and movements that occurred in the past.

Even those of the other departments don't seem to study much or study at all actually. Everyone is just busy establishing connections with each other, nobody talks about the lessons we went through but instead, who's coming to what gathering, how to impress this person and yada yada

I guess it's only an academic city in name only, the only purpose of this city's existence is for the noble kids of the kingdom to get to know each other, establish relationships, and put their footing into the adult nobility game.

it's to be expected I guess, most of these rich folks likely get most of their studies from homeschooling or something similar and this city is their opportunity to learn some social skills as well.

I too was busy just like them a few days ago, chasing after my dream of wooing a prince and now with that ambition dead, I find myself roaming purposelessly in the market street of the city.

I found it rather embarrassing that I just gave up on my dream since I was reborn here in just a single interaction.

It's very unusual indeed, why did I give up so easily?

Had I always been someone to give up so easily without a second thought? or even consulting someone about it?

ugh! I don't like my brain right now, it's going and conjuring thoughts I don't want to entertain.

I need to distract myself with something.

Something.

Anything!

...

hahh...nothing is coming to mind except exhausting negativity

I wonder what Rose is doing right now

probably sleeping in her room after the lessons

I should surprise her with a nice gift with all this credit I had saved up from the beginning.

Yeah! That would be a nice distraction for my mind

...

...

...

"So this is the guy?" 

I ask, pointing at the unconscious man tied to the chair. His mouth shut tight with tape, his limbs bound to the wooden chair by a thick rope.

"Yep! He's one of the professors in my department working within that lab" tells Anabelle sitting on the ground next to him

"Still, it's quite a place you found in the busy market district" This place is the basement of an old shop Anabelle led me to, the shop was empty with only dust in sight and a cellar that led to the basement.

The basement was lit only by a shiny bulb hanging in the middle by the rope, on the right side stood a long table with some rather interesting stuff on and to the left a kitchen sink along with some utensils and stuff for cooking

Also Inside the basement, I now find this guy.

"It's my master's shop, though it's abandoned she still owns it"

"mm, wouldn't the kingdom just get back this abandoned property?"

"They have tried but due to master's magic, they haven't. Every time someone tries to walk into this store, something terrible happens to the person, one even died when he refused to leave after a few hours"

she says while filling up the bucket with the tap nearby.

"nice, so a cursed ghost building"

"Yep, and since only witches use magic and the kingdom believes all of them to be under their thumb, they don't even suspect it to be magic at all"

As for the reason why I'm here, it has to do with the fact that only I and her master know of her existence.

This artifact she's trying to get her hands on in the science department is somehow able to help her free the witches enslaved. I asked sister if it was some sort of mind control thingy but she says it's definitely not.

For as to what it actually is she doesn't know.

I also asked Anabelle herself, she too didn't have any clue. Only that her master told her to get her hands on it and destroy it in front of the church

And now she's trying to find a way to get inside this so called lab and also figure out what that artifact is.

I assume she called me here for just some company.

*SPLOSH!!*

With quite some force behind it, she splashes the unconscious guy with the water bucket and he shakes violently before opening his eyes in surprise

"....mmm..?MMmmmmgfffff!!! GHMMMmmghhh!!!!!!"

but unable to speak due to the tape he just shakes his body in a chaotic manner.

"Here, have this"

Anabelle hands me over a familiar knife, it's the one I took from that cannibal big guy. Though I thought it be confiscated at the city's gate when I first entered.

I take the knife from her hand and grip it firmly with my palms

"Thank you, Anabelle, but what am I to do with this?"

"It's all very simple, I ask questions and you just make sure that he nods positively in the end"

hmm, that does sound very simple

"Alright, let's play"

Helping out a friend feels so nice.

It feels good to have them rely on you for stuff.

I walk up and both of us stand in front of the guy.

His eyes locked to the knife in my hands, his erratic muffled screams becoming suddenly silent

"So Professor Charles, I shall not waste either of our time. With respect in my heart for your position, would you please tell us about the code to that artifacty lab of yours?"

"..."

He stays silent, his eyes turning upwards to meet mine.

"I'm sorry but this is my friend's request, so HAI!!"

"gggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!!!! hgggggnnnnnn!!!!"

A quick stab to the middle of his backhand, followed by a rather thunderous roar screwing the knife and his right hand to the chair's armrest.

"My lovely friend here is only going to make things worse for dear professor"

"..."

silence again, his crying eyes begging for mercy

Grabbing the thumb of his screwed hand, I pull it up a bit and push it back against his hand

*crack*

"NNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

A bone breaks and the thumb gets stuck in a rather awkward position

"Professor should know this commoner very well, she doesn't have any sympathy whatsoever for the nobility class of yours. So please, will you tell me the code?"

"..."

He closes his eyes, wanting to shut himself off from the pain.

I too remember doing something similar myself, thinking the endless torture would be over as soon as I shut my eyes

Luckily that wasn't the case.

Reaching for the table on my right I pick up some wire and a staple.

One end of the wire gets stapled to his right eyebrow, over the top of his head reaching to the foot of the chair getting tied there.

I hear his screams and go in front to see the results

and as expected his right eye was wide open, with red veins quickly taking root in the white of his eye

Now just like me back then, you too can't just close yourself to the world outside

The more you try to resist the wire viciously pulling your eyelids back the better the pain grows. 

Leave yourself to the wire mercy and the eyes start to burn and soon the tears flowing down the cheeks also stop, at least from that eye

"Will you tell the code, please? Also please don't lie, because if it turns out to be wrong then my dear friend here can get a lot more creative and not just with you"

"..."

"hmm, what was her name again? ah right! Sweet little Jasmine...professor wouldn't be so cruel as to see the darling apple of her eyes scratched, especially so soon after her birth"

hmm, unfiltered anger on his face. His dried up right eye showed his utter contempt towards Anabelle and likely me as well.

Well, I guess he still has some fighting left in him.

Pulling my knife back, I hold his now free hand back to its place with my left. 

Pulling on the four remaining fingers to become straight, I rest my knife horizontally on the base of his index finger.

With a slow back and forth motion, the sharp knife grinds against his skin, pushing into it, slicing the muscle and striking the bone underneath

"mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmfffffffffffmmmmgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! mmmm!!! gghnnnmm!!!!!!!"

Pulling the knife back up and bringing it down with a quick strike, the index finger chops off cleanly. Blood rushed through the exposed cut and dirty the tip of the armrest red.

I then applied the wire same as before to his other eye.

"Anabelle, let us come back tomorrow" 

"huh?...ah! right! Well then professor, think about your decision very carefully today and also keep your dear daughter in mind, alright? bye bye now"

Climbing up the stairs, we reached the first floor and Daylight was still shining through the barred windows.

"So Rosette, how long till her breaks?"

"Well both of his eyes soon start having bacteria infect them, and he will go blind in a few hours. Then the stinging phantom pain from his chopped finger and the fairly large wound open on the back of his hand would also start turning bad pretty quickly so..."

"hmm, 3-4 hours then I guess"

"Yeah, or even faster if he's weak"

"mm, well then! let's go for a nice little lunch!! shall we? It's my treat!" she declares with a fist to her chest

"Yipeee!! alright!"

Happy with my free lunch, we leave the cursed building

...

...

...

In the knight's office located in the administration portion of the city, a low ranking knight brings in today's report.

"Sir, everything is peaceful in the city but we heard claims that Professor Charles hasn't shown up to work since yesterday"

In front of him, a large muscular man with a rough and scarred face showing his many years of service to the kingdom sits proudly on his chair.

He puffs the thick cigar in his mouth, releasing the smoke to envelop the golden nameplate resting on the table

[Knight captain, Rufus Murdoch]

"A worker not showing up to work, hng! and with no letter to inform the authorities. He either has a death wish or something unusual had happened" his loud husky voice reverberating every corner of his office

"Send those new lazy knights in training, those shits only hear boring lectures every day. This should prove to be a fun little field training for those chimps"

"Yes sir! I will notify them this instant"

and with the report finished the young knight leaves the room.

"A possible disruption of peace in my city, it shall not go unpunished" 

The knight captain squints his eye before puffing another smoke

"A city at peace for over 3 years, now suddenly a missing person when those two illegal commoners arrive"

"This is why I say outsiders can never be trusted"

"Now I have to gather some stupid evidence before inevitably catching those scum"

"HNG! Truly, what a pain"