Capítulo 6: Another day at Night Owl Mansion. A city purge begin
[Alex POV]
" Ah ah ~ Haruki nii Please be gentle, if you keep doing this. You'll tear it apart!"
" Ah, Alex. I know that but I'm almost there! I can't stop!"
" Ah ah ah ~ No I'll … It's coming!"
" Coming out!"
In a dark basement barely Illuminated by a few candles. I was heavily breathing, my thin T-shirt was already so sweaty that it all stuck to my skin. I can hear behind me, the sound of white liquid dripping 'tack tack' to the ground.
" I-Idiot!, It's getting inside ."
" Ah, I'm sorry. I will take responsibility for this."
" …"
Crawling to the chair, I dragged my feet that already become numb. I closed my eyes, sat for a while then let out a sigh taking a look at the mess before me. On the iron operating table were limbs and internal organs of dangerous beasts. Haruki was using a metallic clip, its head was covered by cotton to reduce the friction, he was trying to pick up the small white beans out of the beast's uterus. They were eggs, extremely poisonous and easily broken if one made a slight mistake, the egg would break and trigger a chain reaction ruining the whole uterus.
" P-Please stop Haruki nii sama! I don't want to see this scene anymore..."
I shook my head at four uteruses that had become black and white purulent fluid was oozing out of them, they smell so bad if not for the fact that I was used to it, I would probably vomit right there.
" Alex, I promise you this time it has to success!"
I can feel a few drops of tear on my cheek, not because of the baby diaper smell it was emitting, it because of the grief for materials that were ruined by Haruki. Although I was not the one who find them, I know it must have taken him a month to gather all of this.
" Haruki nii!" - I clear my voice.
" Y -Yes!"
" Please stop!"
He nodded, finally gave up, and sat beside me. He took off his gloves after staring he smell his hand, checking it thoroughly before patting my head.
" This stuff is even harder than making an assassination plan. It makes me realize how cool you were, Alex."
" I told you from the beginning! Idiot!"
Listening to my scolding, he just laughed and scratched his head. Really, this guy's face looked punchable sometimes. In short, we were trying to make poison according to Haruki's request. I told him to only watch me do the job but he keep insisting on trying. My heart went soft when I saw his eyes which were blazing with determination and here we are. Almost half of the materials became trash. Luckily I didn't let him put his hand on the remaining if so all of his hard work would have become null.
" The next one I will do it." – I said
" Absolutely not!"
Haruki holds take my trembling hand, my body was hot and I couldn't smell anything. This was the side effect of the antidote. I told him it was only temporary, nothing dangerous, that It's only felt like a fever but Haruki was resolute in not letting me touch the materials.
" Besides, you'll not always be here, I can't keep relying on you to make them."
I didn't know what to do but sighed and nodded. When this guy already decided on something there would be no room for negotiation.
" Hey Haruki nii, the situation outside…"
" Everything is okay ."
" Please look into my eyes and tell me the truth."
Asking him that but I had already known the answer. Most of the time I'm here I try to stay in my room except for helping lily with cooking and cleaning. I still managed to eavesdrop on the conversations between Night Owls' members.
" … Alex, to be honest, there are indeed some big things that happened in the city recently."
" Alan Gurrag that guy did something? "
Haruki nodded his head as his looks became serious.
" A terrorism happened."
----------
[Third person POV]
3 days ago. District 3, Onobu green park.
On an old stone chair was a young girl around 15-16 years old. Inside of her mouth was a lollipop, her cherry-colored hair was as smooth as silk tied on one shoulder. She wore a light pink dress with a bow near the collar. Beside her was a handsome blonde hair man he has a small, elegant figure, his blue eyes were looking at her affectionately, his clothes are of aristocracies, on his chest was a golden badge, the symbol of the highest order in the city.
" They're not here today either. "
There's sadness in the girl's voice while she was looking at an empty green lawn.
" My lovely rose, who are you waiting for?"
" There was a circus here… they perform every day. They promised me they would perform for the children of the orphanage."
" Is that so. It's a shame, maybe they're busy with something. Don't be upset if you want I can always hire another circus troupe."
" I'm sorry Cole sama, for wasting your time."
" It's alright my beautiful rose, every moment with you was the best moment of my life. And my dear Latina, just calls me Cole, we're already engaged."
" S-Sorry I'm still not used to it yet."
" It's ok, it's a little bit urgent anyway. You need more time."
Cole suddenly kissed Latina's hand making her blush, she reflexively withdraws her hand but Cole didn't seem to mind it, he just smile and help her stand. The young couple leisurely walked on the city streets behind them were dozen of bodyguards. Wherever they went the surrounding filled with gossip, laughter, and admiring eyes. Teenager girls line up on a side with words written on their shirts 'I love Cole sama!'. Cole occasionally smiled and waved at them as if this was just his usual routine, however, Latina seem to be troubled by this. She pulled her wide brim hat to cover her face and hide behind Cole trying to avoid the crow's looks while Cole was hugging her shoulder. The crowd was still noisy for a while after the couple disappeared in the luxury carriage.
" Sorry Latina, had I known this I would have dressed more casually. "
" Don't mind that Cole sama. I'm glad to have you by my side today."
" Latina… I promise the next time will be just you and me, we'll walk on the streets like a normal couple."
Latina let out a sweet smile at Cole, she only stood by his side for more than a month but she could tell how wonderful, elegant, and caring he was. She didn't know what she had done in her previous life to be this lucky.
" A beautiful city."
Witnessing the scenery of the city eased her worries and troubles. Onobu, a beautiful city that was always filled with children's laughter. The smell of freshly baked cake fragrantly spread on the streets. Everyone's clothes were clean and tidy, their bellies were full. Bustling markets, amusement parks, troubadours, parades. She'd met many people and asked them, they all smiled and told her that this was the most wonderful city. But why…
In Latina's hand was a daily newspaper. It was flooded with news about child abductions, family murders, and lately, more than 100 soldiers died in the breakout of the White Cross group lair (I know it was blue in the anime, or maybe black I'm color blind).
' Why there are such atrocities in this peaceful place?'
She was there at the grand funeral, watching mothers and wives collapse before the picture of their loved ones. It brought sorrow to her heart. Latina felt so helpless, she wanted to do something for them but couldn't, she felt that she was just an incompetent, useless girl.
' At least I can build a warmer place for these poor children.'
The carriage stopped in front of an extremely large manor, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare this place to the royal palace. In front of the blue iron gate was a sign 'Onobu Orphanage'. Latina couldn't stop her face from forming a bright smile when she heard young giggles coming from the gate.
" Latina! Lady Latina came to visit us!"
" Kids, come inside! Lady Latina, I'm sorry but these kids flooding out when they hear you're coming"
" It's all right, It's all right, I prepared presents for all of them."
" Really? "
" Presents! Presents!"
…
The kids jumped into Latina and the caregiver had to help her to get them out. Holding a young girl in his arm, he asked the caregiver.
" Is he inside? "
The old caregiver made a warming smile.
" It's better for you and young lady to see him for yourself."
In the yard of the orphanage, a large man was crawling on tall fours, on his back were four kids holding plastic swords. They were surrounded by another group of kids holding spears, and bows … made of cardboard.
" Charge! Pegasus! These lowly mortal weapons would never be able to pierce your skin!"
" Hyyyaaaa !"
" He is… Unbelievable."
Cole cover his face in embarrassment while Latina giggled.
" Father you're really …"
" Oh Cole, you come at the right time! Come here, we'll have a contest to see who's the strongest horse! "
" N -No thanks."
" Haha, Alan sama, you're amazing!"
Alan Gurrag gently lifted the kids on his shoulders then patted their heads, he made signals to the nearby caregivers to pull the energetic ones who were still clutching his legs. He walked over to the couple and gently placed his hand on Latina's shoulder. His large palm seemed to be able to even hold all of her waist.
" Latina, you can call me father, we'll soon be family."
" Father, she's still not used to it, just give her some time."
" Haha, ok, ok. Latina, do you like this place? "
" Alan sam-father, I couldn't be more grateful for this."
" Did I hear that right?"
Alan's eyes were wide open, he took her hands and gave her a big smile.
" Hahaha, that's right! Don't hesitate for you are the daughter-in-law of the Gurrag family! About this place, don't mind little things, this is also something I wanted to do for a long time. No child deserves to live alone in poverty, whether he/she is an official citizen of Onobu or not."
' Official citizen' Latina couldn't help but think about that word. In Onobu, 80% of the population are called official citizens and 20% are often referred to with the ironic title 'outsider'. Outsiders were immigrants from other places, could be from cities or villages. Outlaw and criminals in the city are also stripped of their official citizenship. Official citizens had the city symbol on their right hand while in the case of outsiders it was on the left.
Official citizens had more benefits in terms of health and security and were given priority in many areas. But that did not mean Onobu's policy is discriminatory against outsiders. There were many opportunities for an outsider to become a full-fledged citizen like contributing assets to the city fund, being recognized by ten other official citizens, passing some talent finding exam, or simply pointing out criminals, especially the White Cross…
The stigma of official citizens and outsiders had escalated recently since the appearance of the White Cross. Alan Gurrag sama tried his best to reduce the distinction between both sides but the results were not good. Every time robberies and murders happen, the results of the investigation always lied in the outsider area. Rumors about those areas being the lair of the White Cross were growing.
" Don't worry Latina, after today there'll be no more official citizens, no more outsiders. Your father the city lord and I will completely eliminate distinctions and separations in this public speech and remember, the person with the greatest contribution is you."
…
An hour later. In the city square, thousands of people gathered. They carried slogans and city flags, eager to hear the voice of this city's hero. Despite the change in the city laws and policy, the person standing on the podium was not the city lord but Alan Gurrag, the war hero against foreign nations and the one who brought many innovations to this city.
" Dear citizens of Onobu, I'm Alan Gurrag on the behalf of city lord George Fethersmith to inform you of the new laws of Onobu. Before going into details, allow me to be a bit verbose.
I still clearly remember as if it was just yesterday, the first time I set foot in this city 30 years ago. I didn't even see it as a city at that time. The road was dirty thefts running amok, there was no school, no hospital, people were dying every day on the streets. It hurts my soul. Since then I made a promise to myself, a commitment to change our city into a better place. Now look! Do you know what I'm feeling while standing here right now? Just look around you, you know how I feel. You, my respectful elder citizen. Could you please tell me?"
The old man took the microphone from the staff with trembling hands.
" I've never thought I would live to see Onobu become such a beautiful city. It's all thanks to Alan sama, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know that."
The crowd enthusiastically applauded the man. Alan smiled and bowed to the old man before continuing.
" Thank you for your support. My heart filled with joy to see that all my efforts and hardship have been paid off. However, I want everyone to know the terrible feeling that I had when I first came to the city is still here. Do you know why? Because at the edge of the city there're still them, the ones that are called 'outsiders'. Whenever I hear or say this word, there's a bitter taste left in my mouth.
I want to remind everyone because nowadays it seems like a lot of people's already forgotten. About the places that we came from. Long ago Onobu was just a rural village, thanks to the traveling merchants, the investment of nobles, and farmers from different regions this place could become a city. Even I, a lucky person that now became a part of this city, and you my dear citizen we all come from the so-called 'outsiders'. So why is there a growing distinction in this city? "
The crowd was quiet but there were still many disgruntled whispers such as: "The outsiders are thieves", "They don't belong here.", "Murders, kidnapers, slanderers"…
There was a sad look on Alan's face as he continued.
" I understand that there were a lot of bad rumors around the living area of unrecognized citizens and the fact is many of them were true.
However, you must understand that not all of them are criminals, especially young children. Every child is the future of this city. None of them deserve to live in scornful stigma and about this, we'll have an announcement come from my son Cole. Come my son, you have something to share with them?"
When the young man's name was mentioned many women held their breath. Some even forgot the existence of the husband sitting right next to them and shouted "Cole kun please marry me!". Cole showed his brilliant smile to them, he then stood at the podium, and his face became serious.
" I Cole Gurrage am honored to stand before you and as my father said I have something important to announce. I'm not my father, Allan Gurrag's biological son. I came from the 'outsider' area."
Silence fell over the crowd for a moment then burst into sounds of astonishment.
" Although we don't share the same blood, Alan Gurrag will always be my only father and I'm proud of him. "
" And I'm always proud to have a soon like you Cole Gurrag!"
The large arm of Alan wrapped in the young man for a warming hug. He patted his shoulder and continued the speech.
" I'm sure that no one can deny my son Cole's contributions to this city and most recently with our future daughter-in-law, the rose of Onobu Latina Feathersmith, we've created a home for a hundred orphans in the grandest mansion of the Feathesmith family."
Latina and the ten representative children of the orphanage all had happy smiles on their faces.
" You see, no matter where you came from, anyone can make great contributions to this city. So starting from this year in the name of Mayor George FeatherSmith and myself Alan Gurrag, our city will no longer discriminate between outsiders and official citizens. Let's do our best for Onobu's bright future, we'll strive to become the most civilized city in the whole Empire! "
The applause resounded like thunder. Alan smiled as he signaled Latina to step onto the podium. Sweat was pouring down her hand. This was her first time speaking in front of a crowd but the determination in her eyes didn't waver even a bit. Holding the mic, her voice slightly trembled but Alan and Cole were standing beside to reassure her.
" H-Hello, I'm–"
Before Latina could speak, Alan pushed her and Cole aside and there was a loud bang. Alan's body was fly off breaking the wall of the city hall.
Latina scrambled, trying to stand up by her feet. Her ears were deaf from the sound of the explosion. Had it not been for Cole lying underneath, she would have broken a few bones. She was shocked to witness the scene in front of her, the cries of pain and the 'tat tat tat tat' coming from automatic guns. In the crowd, there were six people whose heads wore the ribbons of the White Cross, they were shooting into the crowd while shouting 'For the insurgents! For justice!'.
" N-No the children…"
Latina was about to run in the direction of the children but Cole grabbed her shoulders and dragged her along. The place where she stood a second ago was now just a pile of rubble. In a distance, there was a masked man, in his hand was a white gauntlet shaped like pufferfish. Its mouth quickly sucked the surrounding air until it swells to the size of a pumpkin. Cole order a soldier to bring Latina away while he rushed toward the terrorist.
The terrorist's teigu was like a mini version cannon with air pressure bullet. Despite its destructive power the reload time is only as a shotgun. All of the objects standing within its range were blown away. Some unfortunate solder was sent flying like birds, their bones and armor shattered to pieces even before they can hit the ground.
Cole's body was small but extremely flexible. With only a sword in his hand, he dodged not only the teigu shooter but the rain of bullets that came from other White Cross terrorists. In the blink of an eye, he approached the Teigu user when the sword in his hand was about to cut the terrorist in half, it was stopped by a large battle axe.
" Wow, I didn't think Onobu's favorite son was such an excellent fighter! Hahaha, I thought all of this was just a tasteless joke. You'll have to dance with me, prince."
Behind the battle axe was a man with blue hair and eyes, he must be twice his size. Cole winced because he recognized this guy as Gat, a notorious wanted criminal. He was from the Partas (Esdeath's clan) a once-notorious clan in the north. Contrary to his large body his speed made Cole's head dizzy. Even Cole managed to avoid them cold sweat was running down his spine.
' He has no technique but this speed and power, if I'm not careful even if I land a hit, I'll be the first to fall.'
Thinking carefully Gat's full open defense was definitely a trap. It reminded Cole of his training session with his father. Alan always purposely let Cole hit him and then return a huge blow.
' Pay blood with blood was usually the fighting style of one with excelled physical strength.'
Cole patiently dodged and waited for an opportunity to strike Gat's vitals but his inexperience forgot to take into account that he and Gat were not the only ones in this fight. A bullet hit Cole's leg causing him to freeze a bit and he then took a full-blown from the battle axe. He still managed to use his sword in time to block it but Gat's force broke the sword in half and Cole was thrown a great distance. Blood began to stain his shirt. Although the wound didn't seem to be fatal, the pain prevented him from moving for a while.
Gat stared at Cole's shooter, he threw the ax in his hand and it went straight into the terrorist's head, splitting it like a melon.
" Who else wants to interfere with my match?"
Silence enveloped the White Cross group. Gat walked over to Cole. Cole stood up and tried to attack Gat with his broken sword but before it could reach Gat, he grabbed Cole's arm and broke his wrist making Colle scream in pain.
" So boring. Sorry, prince although I don't want to end it like this."
Gat raised his fist to prepare to slam on Cole's face. Even though it was just bare-handed Cole could tell that fist was like a sledgehammer that could easily break his head. He wanted to run but his right hand was still held tightly. Cole could only raise his left hand trying to defend against Gat. Despair surged in his eyes.
" Rest in peace."
The devasting blow split through the air and then came with a loud 'Bang!'. Gat scrambled to his feed, he spat out blood-stained teeth, and his brain was shaking inside of his head. when he can make clear the situation behind him was the corpse of the terrorist that he threw his axe at.
Standing in front of Cole was a large figure with a body solid like an iron wall, beside him was a giant mace with a spherical head that look overweight for a human to carry around. This man was a living legend that participated in countless battles.
" Brat. Why don't you choose an opponent of the same size as you?"
The bloody mouth of Gat's curled into a smile, not any day he has the chance to fight with a legend. He immediately lunged at Alan and attacked like a beast. But in contrast to Cole. His stormy attacks were blocked by only one arm of Alan. Alan open his mouth wide and began to yawn.
" Are you sure you not trying to slap my face like a girl?" – Alan said sarcastically.
Gat getting angrier and angrier by the time, his attack became more frenzy, Cole wasn't sure he could dodge those even if he wasn't injured, But with the giant iron mace that should've been a slow and heavy weapon. Alan parry Gat's blows like he was playing with a child. Suddenly Gat's battle axe stuck to the Alan mace and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't pull it out. Alan delivered a powerful kick to Gat's groin causing him to fall to his knee and let go of the axe.
" My turn."
Blue veins rose above Alan's god-like muscles. His shadow became bigger and bigger until it devoured even a large man like Gat.
' Bonk!'
Flesh, brain, and blood fell from the sky dyeing the face of the White Cross Teigu wielder. The terrorists frantically fired bullets at Alan but all of them were sucked into the head of the mace. Alan's mace slammed onto the ground and all terrorists were pulled in his direction. The wise ones immediately gave up their weapons, and the unfortunate ones suffered the same fate as Gat. Soldiers began to pour out from everywhere and the group was shot down one by one. Only the Teigu wielder managed to throw a smoke grenade and disappeared. Alan didn't go after him, instead, he took Cole in his arm and ordered the medic to take care of the wounded, and with that one of the most notorious terrorism of Onobu came to an end.
After two hours, groans and anguish cries came from every corner of Onobu. In the television device which was recently developed by the empire was the flickering image of Alan Gurrag. Although the image quality was extremely poor, they can still see tears streaming down the hero's face.
" O citizen of Onobu. Today was supposed to be a wonderful day but it turned out to be one of the worst days in the history of this city. I sincerely apologize to all of those who died today and their families because of my incompetence. Today's tragedy made me realize that I was too naïve."
Alan bowed his head for a long moment before continuing.
" I've underestimated our enemies. I couldn't believe they could commit such a brutal act. This enemy of Onobu, you all know whom I am referring to. The White Cross, their crime is beyond human limits. We can no longer call any of them human. They're insects, they are pests that want to destroy this peaceful city. Shall we let them do as they please?"
The flame of fury surged in Onobu citizens hearing the speech of Alan.
" Let's purge them all! There'll be no equality, no policies, no law, or any future as long as they exist. Good citizens of Onobu, I Alan Gurrag need your help. Search every corner! Rummage through every nook and cranny! We'll get our city back! For our descendants, for those who fallen! For Onobu!"
Warcry resounded on the streets. A total purge began, people poured into the street groups of groups with weapons in their hands began the White Cross hunting mainly in the 'outsider' area. The fire began to spread, blood began to spill. Desperate cries of innocent revolt members spread in the 'outsider' area. They embrace their brothers, sisters, their families for this could be their last.
Cole carried Latina in his arms, who lost consciousness after seeing the condition of the children, he had his father's permission to bring Latina back to his mansion. After all of the mess was sorted out, somewhere in Alan's mansion, kneeling before Alan was a masked man whose head still wear the red ribbon of the White Cross. In his hand was a pufferfish Teigu.
" Good job Air."
Alan relax on his chair while two beautiful women took care of his wound.
" There's no greater grace than receiving praise from you my lord."
Alan smiled then turned to another man wearing a white lab coat, his face was so stiff as if it was made of plastic.
" What's the condition of those 10 children?"
" 5 dead, 2 were seriously injured and 3 were slightly injured." – The man answered with a robotic voice.
' Tsk ' Alan clicked his tongue.
" The ones that are seriously injured, can you heal them?"
" I'm afraid it's will be very difficult my lord, their internal organs—"
" I don't care what's inside. I meant the outside, can you restore them?"
" I can do that but they won't look the same as they used to be."
" Just do your best. I'll judge it later."
Alan licked his lips thinking about the five children.
" As soon as any of them recover send them here. After all, I do love playing with young children."
--------
Night Owls' mansion
[3rd POV]
" Uhm Uhm Ummmm !!"
" Please be quiet and stay still Alex kun." - Lily
Alex was on the bed, his mouth and hands are bound tightly. Lily was holding his feet and tying them up.
" It's done, captain."
" Thank you, Lily."
" What else do you need?"
" … Actually Lily, can you free his mouth?"
Lily gave Haruki an annoying look
" … Why don't you just do it yourself."
Saying that she still proceeded to take off the bandage on Alex's mouth. When the bandage just fell off Alex made a big sneezed, saliva and his nose liquid were splashing onto Lily's expressionless face.
" Haruki nii please!"
" No !"
" I haven't said anything yet!"
" No means no! I don't want to hear anything! Stay in here for a few days! That's an order!"
" I'm not a Night Owl member!"
" That's the more reason why you can't leave this place without my permission!"
" I beg you Haruki nii! If you don't allow me, I'll continue doing this!"
Alex kicked hard to the edge of the bed with his foot. His toes started to bleed.
" You know what's gonna happen when the painkiller wears off?"
There was a complex expression on Haruki's face. Anger, sadness, worry but he still managed to put on a wry smile.
" Y-You just try it. I'm looking forward to your resolve, from someone who can even stand a few scratches while training. You thought you have the commitment to torture yourself?"
" I'm dead serious just wait and see!"
" I won't see or hear anything."
Haruki covered his ears, muttered something, and quickly left the room. In the room now were only Lily and Alex, for some reason this kuudere maid kept staring at him. It made Alex start to feel nervous.
" L-Lily? Are you okay?"
" Achoo!"
" Ah …"
Lily's saliva splashed on Alex's face. She wiped her face with a towel and left the room without forgetting to gently close the door.
The next morning Haruki entered Alex's room, he intended to check on him and apologize but Alex was nowhere to be found. On his bed was only a piece of paper with a few lines of words.
" I'm going home! Don't find me!"
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
AngryBamboo
AngryBamboo I know that I've promised to someone to write at least 2 chapters this week. I asked few of my seniors today about their average chapter lengths. They said it was around 2000. So here I'm giving you a 5k + words chap. Consider it as 2 chapters then. After a few more chap (1 or 2) I would be able to jump right into Akame ga kill zero plot. I'll try to write more next week. Don't wory I'm putting my left over stats into writing speed.
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