“Urgh!”
“Who are you?”
Ray’s pupils flashed. Perhaps because night had fallen, the murderous intent rising in his green eyes shone even more brilliantly.
“So it’s you? The guy who was inside with Naro.”
From the pharmacy came the faint scent of Naro and an unknown human. It was the same scent as this man before his eyes.
“Kugh…! W-wait! Let’s put this down and talk!”
Veins protruded on the back of Ray’s hand as the man’s feet began to lift off the ground. It was truly fearsome strength. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he broke the man’s neck. The person experiencing it firsthand desperately grabbed Ray’s wrist even as his face turned bright red from lack of air.
“I know where that m-man you’re looking for is! If you kill me here, neither you nor that kid will come out of this well, right?”
“…What?”
At those words, the strength gradually left Ray’s hand, and the man fell to the ground.
“Huk, haah… I almost died. What kind of strength is this…”
“Speak. Where is Naro right now?”
The man gulped. The atmosphere emanating from Ray was difficult to describe. It was quite different from the murderous intent an ordinary human would emit.
“Don’t worry. He’s alive. The person I was told to bring in the first place was you, hyung.”
* * *
Naro slowly opened his flickering eyes. Soon his mind returned and he was startled by the unfamiliar scenery, reflexively trying to move his body, but it wouldn’t obey. Only then did Naro realize his hands and feet were bound with rope.
What had happened earlier flowed through his mind in sequence. Right, he had definitely been giving medicinal herbs to someone with an injured arm when that person suddenly attacked him. He had lost consciousness like that, and when he woke up, he was here.
The place where he was confined appeared to be a common warehouse. It wasn’t very spacious, and broken materials were scattered on the floor, but other than that it was just empty. He had no idea who had orchestrated this or where this place was.
Just as fear began to creep in, the door opened and he heard footsteps entering. Naro groaned and pressed himself against the wall with his limbs bound.
“You’re awake?”
A cheerful voice reached his ears. Before he knew it, a man had approached right in front of him. His appearance was neat, and his clothing was very unusual. It was expensive clothing that seemed like only nobles would wear.
“Wh-who are you? Why on earth are you doing this to me…”
Naro asked in a trembling voice.
“My name is Noah Keily. You’ve naturally heard of the Keily Viscount family, right?”
The man asked triumphantly, but Naro had never once heard of such a family name.
“Ah, honestly speaking, I don’t have much ill will toward you. I’m not particularly targeting you either.”
Just as puzzlement rose over Naro’s face at the man’s words—
“Young master! Did you really capture that bastard!”
Someone burst in from the entrance, shouting loudly. He was limping on one leg, had bandages wrapped around his arm, and the wound on his face was quite deep, so Naro couldn’t recognize who he was at first glance.
“…Anton?”
But it didn’t take long to figure out who that man was. Though he was in worse shape than expected, that man was definitely Anton. Naro’s mind raced. He recalled what Garnet had told him last time.
Anton had become the lackey of a haughty noble young master living in Hines Village. Then was that man the young master? But the question of why exactly he had been kidnapped wouldn’t easily fade.
“Anton, I told you not to rush. That guy will be here soon.”
Noah shook his head and patted Anton’s shoulder as if to soothe him while he fumed.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Naro flinched at Anton’s threatening voice and gaze. But even so, he couldn’t just stay like this.
“Why exactly did you kidnap me? You were the one who made my pharmacy look like that in the first place! I didn’t even report you to the security force and let it go, so why are you doing this too!”
As soon as he realized that the one who had kidnapped him was Anton’s side, hot emotions welled up inside him. Because of Anton, the workplace Naro had painstakingly built up until now had become a wasteland, and the damage he’d suffered cleaning it up was considerable. And now he was doing this again.
Naro had never once truly hated anyone, but that man called Anton was even despicable.
“What? Why? You just said why! It’s because you’re in cahoots with the bastard who made me like this!”
“What did you say?”
Naro hesitated at Anton’s shout. Anton had been seriously injured, and that was because of him? What kind of absurd talk was that?
“Now now, Anton, calm down.”
Noah pushed aside Anton, who kept heaving his shoulders unable to contain his anger, and crouched in front of Naro to meet his eyes.
“Was it Naro? We kidnapped you, but you’re not really the objective.”
Noah stretched his hand to the side. One of the waiting people handed him a piece of paper.
“This man. You’re not going to say you don’t know him, are you?”
Naro held his breath. On the paper Noah showed him was drawn a man, and it was unmistakably Ray. Ray’s black hair, his distinctive eyes, and even his robust build were perfectly captured.
“Anton is someone I cherish, you see. This man almost killed Anton.”
“That can’t be! Why would Ray…”
“Why would he? You’re the one who told him to! You told that bastard to retaliate because he wrecked your pharmacy—you think I don’t know? I clearly remember the face of this bastard who attacked me!”
Naro bit his lip hard as if he couldn’t believe it. Anton’s injury was because of Ray? Ray hurt someone? But knowing Ray’s current state, it was completely hard to imagine. Though a bit awkward, he had reached the level of mingling and conversing with people—for Ray to harm someone.
But thinking about it, Ray could be the way he was now because he had studied and tried to learn the culture of human society. Before that, he had shown such strong hostility toward others that he’d even broken down the door when Garnet visited.
If it had been Ray from back then, could he really guarantee that he wouldn’t have hurt Anton?
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. As Naro was gulping, urgent footsteps came from the direction of the door.
“Naro!”
“R-Ray?”
Ray kicked open the door and rushed inside. The men beside Noah instinctively took up defensive positions to protect him.
“Huk, his running speed is incredibly fast…”
The man who entered after him looked at Noah while breathing heavily.
“Young master, I brought him as you instructed. Anton, this is the hyung, right? The person who attacked you.”
“You… you son of a bitch…!”
Anton’s face twisted with rage. He shouted and tried to rush at Ray immediately, but Noah restrained him.
“Wow, he really came? That guy was actually right.”
“That guy?”
Naro glared at Noah and asked.
“Someone told me. That if I took you hostage, that bastard might come running right here.”
What did that mean? Who exactly had said such a thing? Too much information was coming in at once, making his head throb. Naro squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Either way, what was important now was safely escaping from here with Ray. Other problems could be thought about later.
Naro kept wriggling his bound hands, moving them so no one would notice.
“Naro, are you okay?”
When Ray tried to approach, Naro instinctively flinched. But at that moment, something sharp suddenly flashed into his vision, and soon a cool sensation was felt at his neck.
“Don’t move.”
Noah took a sword from a man beside him and pointed it at Naro’s neck. Ray’s eyes widened as he stopped in place.
“If you come any closer or even twitch a finger, this guy’s head will fly off.”
Naro saw it. Ray’s expression hardening in an instant. In the dark space blocked on all sides, his green eyes flashed with light. As soon as he saw the pupils trying to split vertically, Naro shouted.
“Ray! Wait for now. I’m okay!”
“…Naro.”
Ray flinched and looked at Naro. Though only slightly, his hardened face relaxed.
“Wow, is this tearful friendship? Was it Ray? I’ll ask first—was it really you who harmed my subordinate?”
“Young master! I’m telling you it’s that bastard!”
“Yes, I did it.”
Naro’s eyes trembled slightly. So it was true after all. He had hoped otherwise, but it was Ray who had made Anton like that.
“That guy ruined Naro’s pharmacy. He destroyed something precious to Naro, so I repaid him in kind.”
“Oh, you’re quite confident even after touching someone employed by a noble family? You, don’t you realize who you’ve messed with?”
Anton, who had been standing beside him expressing his rage, also lifted the corners of his mouth and giggled.
