Raphtalia and the others surged past Kiriko, fanning out through the building in different directions.
The couple followed behind Kiriko, trembling.
They were minor nobles from some backwater—when had they ever seen a scene like this?
Come to think of it, this world wasn't Game of Thrones. Over there, no matter how strong you were, a squad of foot soldiers could still capture you—or kill you.
But here, so-called nobles in the face of true power were no different from chickens.
Before long, Motoyasu Kitamura came back, hauling a middle-aged man who was shaking like a leaf, and tossed him at Kiriko's feet.
Raphtalia returned as well—carrying a girl in her arms.
"Rishia."
"Mom. Dad."
The girl slid down from Raphtalia's arms and threw herself into her parents. The three of them clung to each other, shaking.
"Mother-in-law-sama, this guy's the mastermind."
Motoyasu glared down at the man on the floor with open disgust.
The man still tried to cling to his dignity.
"You… who are you people? How dare you lay hands on a noble of the kingdom! Do you have any idea how grave a crime you've committed?"
Then he turned on the reunited family.
"And you—yes, you! Did you hire these adventurers? You've got some nerve!"
"We… we didn't. We only wanted to talk to you…"
"Talk?" He sneered. "Breaking into my home and killing my guards—that's your idea of 'talking'?"
He lifted his chin, forcing confidence into his voice.
"Fine. This isn't over. Once I report this to His Majesty the king, His Majesty will see justice done!"
Seeing panic and fear twist across the couple's faces, the man finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
In truth, when Kiriko's group had shown up outside his estate, he'd been by the window… occupied. So he'd seen them clearly.
Not only had he seen Kiriko's group—he'd spotted the couple among them.
With "noble wisdom," he'd immediately concluded they'd brought help.
That was why he'd tried to scare them just now. Begging on his knees or pleading with the adventurers probably wouldn't work. But intimidating the couple might.
No matter how much the couple hated him, they couldn't kill him.
Because he was a noble—not the trash outside his gates.
Nobles were different.
And that was exactly why he couldn't just send men to storm their home, kill them, and snatch Rishia outright.
He'd had to go through all this trouble instead.
But now that they'd come to him on his own doorstep, he wasn't some soft target. As long as he waited until they left, he would—
"Hey." Kiriko crouched down, meeting his eyes. "The way you're talking doesn't really match the situation you're in."
"Or have you not figured out what position you're in?"
"You…"
The man's eyelid twitched.
Of course he could tell—the underage girl was the leader.
She looked young, and her figure didn't have the mature curves of a grown woman, but some nobles liked them that way…
He'd dabbled in that taste himself, but now obviously wasn't the time to think about it.
"What are you talking about?" he snapped, then forced his face back into calm. "You wouldn't dare kill me."
Kiriko's smile didn't change.
"Listen to you—like I've even got a choice."
The man smiled too.
Exactly. She didn't. He was a noble. Just an adventurer—how could she possibly—
A razor-cold flash of steel came and went.
Kiriko slid her blade back into its scabbard with a soft click.
The man's eyes bulged. Blood erupted from his throat in a violent spray.
He toppled forward, hands clamping over his neck, but it kept pouring—seeping between his fingers no matter how hard he pressed.
He flopped like a fish thrown onto shore, thrashing helplessly, until—after a while—he finally went still.
"If I don't pull the weeds up by the roots, do you take me for an idiot?"
There was a saying: "Where you can spare someone, spare them."
But that depended on the situation.
Some people could be spared—people who, once they understood the weight of what they'd done, would spend the rest of their lives atoning.
But some people couldn't. Even if you showed mercy, they wouldn't repent or feel gratitude. They'd just come back worse.
This noble was the latter.
If Kiriko didn't kill him, the moment she left, he'd do everything he could to take revenge—tenfold.
Kiriko wasn't afraid of retaliation. But Rishia's parents would have to live under that shadow.
They hadn't done a thing to him. He'd simply taken a fancy to Rishia, stole her from her parents, then had his men disguise themselves as bandits to wreck their land…
And now, after losing so much face, he still showed zero remorse. If anything, he doubled down—posturing and threatening at every turn.
A man like that wasn't going to "see the light" overnight. If it were you, would you buy that?
To kill, to protect life. To cut karma, not people.
But even after killing this noble, the Trash King would probably send people to investigate.
So, to sever things cleanly—to solve the couple's problem once and for all—Kiriko dipped her finger into the blood on the floor, then wrote a name in bold strokes on a snow-white wall—
"The killer is the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi!"
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T/N: LKMAOOO OKAY GIRL and godddd, i am thirsting over kiriko rnnn
T/N2: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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