Chapter 15: The Kidnapping

I’m not entirely sure what happened, but one thing is clear: my dear daughter Nina has been taken by that thief. I didn’t see anyone else with Nina.

Could it be that Nina came here alone? On foot? That’s impossible! I traveled here on horseback for a full day!

… No, it’s possible if it was Bella.

Nina is Bella’s daughter, with immense magical power within her, on par with the Demon King. But Bella has sealed it away.

If it can be sealed, it can also be used. As the Demon King, Bella can easily travel here using magic without walking.

No, it doesn’t matter how she got here.

Now… I’m furious. My eyes are fixed on the thief who kidnapped Nina, and my right foot steps forward on its own.

“Don’t move! If you do, I’ll cut her down!”

The thief threatens me again, pressing the blade against Nina’s neck, and it lightly scrapes her skin, drawing blood from the wound.

“Daddy… save me…”

Nina cries, one hand reaching out to me, the other pulling at the thief’s arm. It seems the thief is holding her tightly, Nina’s face is flushed red from the strain.

This is the first time I’ve seen Nina look at me with such despair and helplessness. Raising her like this, I’ve never seen her hurt like this by anyone.

I cherish Nina, not to make her cry, and certainly not to be used as a hostage by you vermin.

… I can’t take it anymore.

【166】

【240】

I quickly input two commands, and a grid of numbers appears on the ‘Prism,’ showing ‘5,’ ready to count down.

“Hey! Can’t you hear me? I said don’t move! You want…”

I ignore the threat, press the confirm button on the ‘Prism,’ and toss it into the air. In the next instant, two curved canes appear, one in each hand, and I drive my legs forward, reaching the thief in a blink of an eye.

In five seconds, I enter a state of ultra-high speed, a power granted by 【240】—’Instant High Speed.’ Now, everything around me moves at an excruciatingly slow pace, while my body moves freely in my eyes.

Although it’s speed enhancement, it’s different from 【239】’s ‘Speed Boost.’ It can only last five seconds, and while one use won’t harm me, multiple uses in a row will strain my body. But it’s more than enough to deal with this trash.

“5”

First, I strike the thief’s hand, using the other cane to block the blade, avoiding harm to Nina. I toss the knife aside and hook the thief’s hand to make him release Nina, then pull her behind me.

I step forward again, pushing the thief away from Nina, and unleash a fierce attack.

“Haahhhhh—!”

I grip the cane and repeatedly punch the thief’s body, the cane and my fist striking his flesh. The slowed-down impact sounds heavy and echoes in my ears, the force traveling through my arms.

“4”

Ten punches… twenty punches… thirty punches…

I relentlessly strike the thief’s body, each impact leaving a mark. But even the satisfaction of these blows can’t quell my anger.

My daughter, my precious Nina, is not someone these vermin can touch, let alone look at!

“3”

I’ve lost count of how many punches I’ve thrown. The thief’s body is a mess of blood and flesh, my fists and the cane stained red. But my eyes still burn with rage.

The more I strike, the hotter my anger burns, clenching my teeth, my punches growing harsher.

“2”

I drop the cane and lift my right foot, kicking the thief’s abdomen at an upward angle, sending him flying. I kick him again, and again, always with my right foot, pushing him higher and higher until he’s flying backward.

“Get out of here!”

My feet leave the ground, and I turn, lifting my left foot, using all my strength to kick the thief in the head with a spinning kick, then land safely.

I don’t look back to see what he looks like or where he landed. I just walk toward Nina.

“1”

“Phew—”

After beating him senseless, my mood hasn’t improved, but seeing Nina safe finally lets me relax.

I return to where I threw the ‘Prism’ and raise my right arm.

“0”

The ‘Prism’ falls into my hand, and the countdown on it reaches ‘0,’ ending the ‘Instant High Speed.’ The projection on the grid disappears, and everything around me returns to normal speed.

But to others, it probably looked like I suddenly moved at ultra-high speed.

“…Daddy!”

Nina looks around, spots me, and with a tear-streaked face, rushes to hug me.

But I don’t comfort her. I hang the ‘Prism’ on my waist and gently push her away, tapping her forehead with my index finger.

“Ow! Daddy, what was that for!”

“I could ask you the same thing, Bella.”

“Hmph~ You caught me, didn’t you.”

Bella rubs her forehead, pouts, and turns her back to me.

I want to ask her, what does she have to say about appearing here now? Running all this way, if she had given the body back to Nina before we met, could she have found me in this forest?

“Even my eye color, I changed it.”

“Changing your eye color to black doesn’t change the fact that you’re occupying Nina’s body.”

“Sigh~ I was hoping you’d comfort me, I was kidnapped, you know? Even if you don’t care about my identity, a hug wouldn’t hurt, right? Why be so stiff?”

“You have the nerve to say that? I left Nina with Sara to take care of, and you just show up!”

I raise my voice slightly, annoyed, and Bella shrinks back, then steps forward, glaring at me.

“You promised to take Nina out, and then you just left her behind. That’s your mistake, you broke your promise as a father! Aren’t you afraid Nina will hate you?”

“Um…”

Touched on a sore spot, I lower my head, unable to refute her.

“Anyway, you promised Nina, so you have to keep your word. Now I’m here with Nina, and you can’t send us back!”

“…”

“Nina can’t leave you, and you have the ability to protect her, so as a capable father, you must take on this responsibility!”

“Um… Alright, I get it!”

I have no choice but to agree. We’re already here, and it’s impossible to send her back. Besides, I was in the wrong to begin with.

“So, from the moment I left, you’ve been following me?”

“Yes, you gave Nina too much medicine, and she’s been sleeping.”

“Wh… Is she okay!”

“She’s fine, just sleeping. I’ve told you that already.”

“That’s good. How did you follow me?”

“Hmph~ It’s a s~e~c~r~e~t~”

“Tsk…”

I’m sure it’s magic, and I can’t learn it.

But avoiding Nina’s hatred is a good thing, right? Now, I can only comfort myself with that. For the rest of the journey, I have to protect Nina.

“Come on, don’t frown so much. I brought your daughter to you, be happy. Here, let me wipe that off.”

Bella takes out a handkerchief and wipes the blood splattered on my face and hands.

Looking at her smile, I can’t stay angry. I lightly pinch her nose.

“How can I be happy…”

“You have to smile, even if you’re not happy. I don’t know when Nina will wake up, so don’t let her see you like this. Oh, and what about that girl?”

Bella puts away the handkerchief and points to the girl lying on the ground.

Just now, I was only focused on protecting Nina… no, Bella. I completely forgot that my original purpose was to save this girl.

I go over and try to lift her up, but she doesn’t respond, her limp body resting in my arms, seeming to have been knocked out.

Her appearance is striking: fiery red hair tied in twin tails, and while she looks young, her body is unusually developed, making it hard to guess her true age—though Nina’s body is also somewhat exceptional.

But I can make a rough guess about her identity. She’s wearing a deep red long dress, the fabric smooth, similar to what I wore when living in the palace. It’s not something an ordinary family could afford.

“What? You like her?”

Bella elbows me as I examine the girl, her cheeks puffed up, clearly jealous.

“No, I’m just trying to identify her.”

“Hmph~” Bella eyes me suspiciously.

“Leaving her here isn’t an option. Let’s wait for her to wake up.”

I pick up the girl and bring her to a tree, leaning her against the trunk. Then I look around.

There’s no one else, which means this girl has no companions. So, what brought her here alone?