{Kitsu POV}
As I teleported away from Amari, I appeared in Zagan's room, landing on the ground and groaning in pain. My body felt heavy, drained from pushing too much mana through in one go, but I forced myself upright. Looking sideways, I gestured for the maids to leave us alone.
"Yes, ma'am," the last maid acknowledged with a quick bow as she closed the door behind her, leaving the room silent except for Zagan's unsteady breathing.
"You really are pathetic, Teach," I remarked, pulling a towel from my inventory and tossing it at him. He fumbled to catch it, almost falling again.
"Don't call me that, Shiro," Zagan muttered, his voice hoarse as he struggled to stand on shaky legs. His hair was a mess, sticking to his sweat-soaked forehead.
"You know I won't stop calling you that," I replied, giving him a deadpan look. My tone left no room for argument.
"Ugh, what happened to me?" Zagan groaned, collapsing back to the floor with a dull thud. His limbs twitched like his body wasn't quite remembering how to function.
"That's something I should be asking you," I responded, narrowing my eyes at him as he tried once more to push himself upright, his arms trembling violently under his own weight.
"What?" He blinked up at me with dazed confusion, clearly not catching on.
"Hmm, well, you got killed," I explained simply, watching closely to see how he would react.
"And Katie?" he asked immediately, worry evident in his voice. His eyes widened as though that single thought had been keeping him tethered to sanity.
"No, she abandoned you, so she passed," I said bluntly, dropping the words like knives.
Zagan sat back on the ground, staring at the floor blankly. The towel slipped from his hands, forgotten.
"You deserved it, to be honest. You were just sitting there, depressed," I pointed out, my voice hard. I wanted the sting to reach him, to burn through that thick skull of his. He couldn't afford to wallow.
"I see, so that's what happened," he muttered, nodding slowly like he was trying to convince himself of something.
"So, what exactly happened?" I pressed again, not willing to let him drift back into silence.
"How was the first time you killed someone?" he asked after a small pause, his tone quiet, almost pleading.
"Dumb question, Teach," I rebuked immediately, irritated by his stupidity. My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care.
'I'm the last person you should ask something like that, Teach,' I thought, trying to calm myself down before my annoyance tipped into outright rage.
"Right, you are a mass murderer after all," he added without thinking, bitterness twisting his voice.
"...sigh." I dragged a hand down my face.
'He needs a good lesson today,' I thought, glaring at the sack of depression in front of me.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" He quickly added, guilt flashing across his face. But the damage was already done.
"Well, you aren't wrong, but I had my reasons," I said, shrugging like it didn't matter.
"…" He didn't answer, just lowered his gaze again.
"Anyway, back to the topic: did you get depressed because you killed someone?" I asked again, pushing him to speak properly.
"I killed a kid, Shiro. A kid!" he shouted, his voice cracking. His hands shook as he clenched them into fists.
"You didn't, though. There's a barrier set up to reverse time after the fight," I explained flatly, reminding him of something he should already know.
"I know that, but still, I killed him." His voice cracked again, softer this time, raw with emotion.
"Hmm, so was this your first 'kill'?" I asked, trying to get to the root of the issue.
"Of course it was. I don't go out looking for trouble with other humans!" He snapped, glaring up at me, his face pale but his eyes burning.
"I don't either, but it just happens," I replied playfully, shrugging as if it were nothing.
"You aren't making it better, Shiro," he muttered, looking away like a sulking child.
"You know me, Teach. I'm not one for sentimentality." I said, grinning at him just to poke at his nerves further, which worked beautifully.
"Ugh, then let me talk to Amari," he grunted in frustration, his hands gripping the arms of the chair he'd finally managed to climb into.
"Denied," I responded immediately, shutting him down.
"What? Why?" His voice rose an octave, panicked.
"Because she's being punished at the moment. She also has a tournament fight tomorrow, and you'll only make her worry." I explained calmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Tsk, fine. Then what are you going to do to me?" Zagan asked, finally managing to sit up straighter, though he looked like he could keel over any second.
"Well, first, we need to get you over this issue with killing people," I explained bluntly.
"Hey, don't say it like that!" He yelled, his face draining of color, the panic crawling back up his throat.
"We won't be able to move to the next step if you can't get past this."
'Hmm, I can probably call her, right?' I thought, taking out my scroll and scrolling through for her details before making the call.
"Yo, I have a request," I said into the scroll when a bubbly girl answered on the other end.
[1 hour later]
"Where are we going?" Zagan asked, clinging to my clothes while I carried him in fox form. His fingers dug into my fur like he'd fall if he let go, which was both insulting and annoying.
"You've asked me that like 30 times, and I've given you the same answer each time. I don't know. I only got coordinates, and we're going to that place."
"But why? What are we going to do?" He asked again, voice high-pitched, making me growl in annoyance.
"Use your brain, Teach. You need to get over your killing issue, so what's the best way to do that?" I replied, glaring down at him.
"No!" He shook his head violently, nearly sliding off.
"When you see what's going on, you won't hesitate to kill them." I said as I jumped up a hill, landing smoothly before shifting back into my human form.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, brushing dirt off his clothes nervously.
'Well, I asked her for a group known for raping and killing,' I thought, but I didn't want Zagan to know what they did just yet.
"Oh, we're here," I announced as we emerged from the bushes into a clearing.
"Hey, you, what are you doing here?" A guy asked, approaching Zagan and me with two of his buddies in tow. Their clothes were ragged, their weapons cheap but bloodstained.
"Oh, are you guys part of the dark guild group?" I asked casually, studying them. Their appearance screamed, 'We're dumb, broke, and desperate,' so it could be that they were part of it or just pathetic bottom-feeders.
"Huh? Who's asking?" the leader sneered.
"Someone who doesn't want innocents around here before things get messy." I said, shrugging as though this whole encounter bored me. I pulled Zagan closer, holding his collar tight.
"Who's this?"
"Product," I stated simply, making them look between the two of us with hungry smiles.
"Hehehe, he's a noble, isn't he?" The guy in front grinned, his yellowed teeth showing.
"Boss, wait, she might be trying to fool us," one of the lackeys muttered.
"Heh, as if. She's just some demihuman; they don't have any brains," the guy whispered, though I heard every word.
"Man, that's annoying," I muttered under my breath.
"What is it? That I'm telling the truth?" The guy said smugly, making me shake my head.
"Shiro?" Zagan whispered nervously.
"Shut up," I muttered, shaking him lightly.
"Ugh."
"Hey, don't damage the merchandise," the leader said, walking closer with greedy eyes, wanting to take Zagan from me.
"No, I caught him. I'm bringing him in," I responded, glaring back.
"Fine, follow us," the leader ordered, turning around and heading toward a hidden entrance.
"Teach, don't close your eyes, alright?" I whispered sharply, warning him as I followed them inside.
"That's a good hiding spot. Boss did tell me you guys had a good one, but that's an understatement, in my opinion," I said conversationally, feeding their ego.
"Haha, thank you. We actually found this place first."
"Oh, so you guys have been promoted as well?" I asked, tilting my head.
"You mean rewarded? Yes, we were rewarded." The guy corrected proudly.
"Of course," I said, nodding with fake sincerity.
"Now, let's show you where to put this merchandise." The leader gestured toward one of the doors.
"Yes, please. It's getting annoying to carry this meatsack." I said, sounding irritated.
"Hey!" Zagan protested weakly.
"I said shut up."
"For a cult member, you sure talk a lot," a guy said, stepping out of the shadows. His aura was heavier than the others.
"Ah, so that's where you were," I said, summoning a javelin of mana before spearing the guy through the head in one clean motion.
"What!!" Everyone else exclaimed as they saw their stronger ally appear and die in five seconds.
"Yeah, that's the highest-level guy here, so you three can die as well," I said, flicking my wrist and using an air-pressured arc to slice off their heads in one sweep.
"Shiro, what the hell?" Zagan yelled, looking at the lifeless bodies with wide, horrified eyes.
"Shut it. Let me show you what happens when you show weakness or fail to kill people like this when you have the chance." I said, releasing Zagan so he could stand on his own.
"Fine," he muttered, voice trembling.
"Let's go this way first." I opened a door where I heard yells—not cries of pleasure or torture, but desperate, pained shouting.
"What the hell is that noise?" Zagan asked, worried, his steps faltering.
"If you try to turn around and run away, I'll make sure you never meet Amari again," I warned sternly, gripping his arm tightly.
"Gulp, I'll try."
"Don't worry. We're actually starting on the easier side," I assured him. Humans as slaves might be worse than someone getting tortured, at least in his eyes.
'I'll save the rape side for last,' I thought grimly, only to be interrupted by the first jail cell, where two guards were doing something I really didn't expect.
"I thought you said we were starting on the easier side," Zagan muttered before doubling over and throwing up.
'How the hell was I supposed to know these guys were spit-roasting a prisoner for some reason?' I thought in disgust as I lit the jail cell on fire, killing all three occupants without hesitation.
Sending a clone ahead, I saw that only this jail cell had such disgusting activities going on.
"Okay, we got the worst over with for this side of the base," I explained, handing Zagan a towel to wipe his mouth.
"Are you sure?" Zagan asked, still shaking, his knuckles white as he clutched the towel.
"Yeah, well, we need to do this in steps at least, not just jump straight to the most messed-up stuff." I explained, shrugging casually, though my eyes were sharp.
For the next 30 minutes, I led Zagan through the base of a cult well-known in the underground but invisible in the light. They were quite adept at keeping themselves hidden.
This cult was notorious for how they operated and what they did. Drugs, slavery, murder, and revenge requests. They had multiple branches scattered across the world, and every corridor here reeked of their crimes. All around us, cells lined the walls—some filled with starved prisoners, some with corpses that hadn't even been cleared out. The smell of rot clung to the air, choking and sour.
Walking through the base with Zagan should open his eyes to the cruelty of this world. And judging by the way he stumbled, gagged, and forced himself to keep moving, maybe—just maybe—it was finally sinking in.