I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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In an alley of the Trash Heap.

Deep inside was the thugs’ hideout.

Hare stood in that place where the smell of drugs induced headaches.

“…You said you had something to say.”

“Hoo- Hare. It’s been a while. Why don’t you sit down first?”

The boss of the Trash Heap.

Kyle, who ran a high-interest loan businessa and was a burly man adorned in gold, rolled a paper to smoke.

The strange herb inside created a stuffy atmosphere.

Hare spoke with her eyes tightly shut.

“I’d appreciate it if you could speak quickly. I need to get back to selling.”

“Hahaha-! Matches? How much money can you make selling those tiny things? Or by ‘selling’ do you mean ‘that’ kind of business?”

Kyle mocked Hare’s thievery, pretending to put his hand in his pocket.

Since it was true, Hare kept her mouth shut.

Seeing this, Kyle asked Hare.

“Hare. I heard your grandmother is sick. Is that true?”

“…Yes, it’s true.”

“You have no savings, and medicine costs keep rising. What a pitiful situation, Hare. Moreover, you even injured our ‘capable’ member Ness.”

Ness wasn’t capable.

But if Kyle put him on the capable list, he became a capable person.

He was raising the price.

“With our capable Ness injured like that. He can’t work. My, so much money is going to waste.”

“…What do you want?”

“Yes, that’s how you should come out, Hare. This is how negotiations work.”

The lower person asked, and the upper person answered.

That was what Kyle knew about negotiations.

Having properly seized control, Kyle blew out cigarette smoke and said.

“Hoo- 2 million peri for Ness’s medical bills. And including the interest on the money borrowed so far, pay 8 million. That’s the minimum consideration I can give you.”

“I only borrowed 1 million..! What nonsense is 6 million in interest…!!”

“It was your grandmother who borrowed knowing the high interest. I never deceived anyone.”

“Liar…!! You forcibly took her thumbprint…!!”

“That’s part of the process, in the Trash Heap, the one who gets fooled is at fault. Don’t make a fuss, Hare.”

When Hare showed signs of making a scene, the burly men around blocked the door with their bodies.

Including Ness.

Hare had nowhere else to retreat.

“Hare. The deadline is today. If you can’t pay it back. I’ll give you a choice.”

“A choice…?”

“Yes! A choice, if you sign this ‘contract’. I’ll treat your grandmother and act as if the debt never existed.”

Swish-

Kyle held out a piece of paper.

Hare quietly read the contract.

“…”

“How about it, it’s not a bad proposal for you.”

“…You want me to work in a brothel?”

“That’s right, you have talent, Hare. Even if we erase all your debt, if you work there, you could cover the losses in a month. It’s not a bad condition for us either.”

Kyle sent a greedy look towards Hare.

Hare raised her head and met that ugly gaze head-on.

He had an expression as if greed had taken over his mind.

Feeling as if a large snake was slithering over her body, a great shock enveloped Hare.

“If the world was this hard… I shouldn’t have been born…”

“That wasn’t your will, Hare. Choose. Will you work with us and save your grandmother? Or will you sell matches on the street for the rest of your life?”

No matter how happy an expression she put on, the pain in her heart didn’t change.

Feeling as if she had fallen into a dark abyss, Hare finally made her choice.

Still, she absolutely couldn’t work with them.

‘I’m sorry, Grandmother…’

Rip-

“No matter how hard it is for me… I can never be with you guys. You bad people.”

“Hoo- I tried to do this with words. But it seems that won’t work. Everyone, teach this woman some reality.”

Rumble-

A total of five thugs rushed in.

Among them, Hare spotted Ness.

“…Ness.”

Surely, Ness had ‘that’.

Hare quickly approached him.

He fell backwards in surprise, unable to move well, and Hare put her hand into his clothes.

“Ness!! The woman has a dagger! Everyone be careful!”

“Uh, uwaah..!!”

Stab-

With Ness’s scream, Hare’s dagger moved.

In an instant, blood began to flow in Kyle’s hideout, and Ness lay unconscious on the floor.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

“Mo-Move. If you don’t want to die, move away from the door right now..!!”

“Da-Damn it..!!”

“You go first. You’re the junior!”

Even if weak, a person with a knife was different.

Hare used this fact to keep the helpless thugs in check while slowly moving towards the exit.

As the thugs moved their bodies and the escape route came into view.

“Wait. Wait. You think you can leave normally after stabbing Ness? This is maddening. How much do you look down on us?”

Kyle, who had been sitting in a leather chair, stood up.

He approached Hare with a relaxed demeanor.

“If you stabbed our family member, you should pay the price. Don’t you think?”

“Do-Don’t come..! If you come, I’ll stab..!!”

“Seeing how you stabbed Ness, your skills seem good… Did you deliberately miss? You’ve never killed anyone, have you?”

Although blood was flowing from Ness’s body, it was a wound that would heal quickly with treatment.

Hare hadn’t intended to kill, so she didn’t stab any vital points.

Kyle recognized this at a glance.

“How many years did I spend in the Knights… To use such tricks… Hey, Hare.”

“I-I told you not to come..!! I’ll, I’ll stab..!”

“Try stabbing once. Stab my heart properly.”

Thud.

Kyle grabbed Hare’s hand and placed the dagger on his heart.

Kyle’s life and death depended on Hare.

He whispered to her with a smile.

“Try killing me, Hare.”

“…”

“Idiot, to play with a knife without the resolve to kill someone.”

Slap-!

Kyle struck Hare’s cheek hard.

From that pain, Hare’s consciousness dimmed for a moment, and the crucial dagger fell to the floor.

Hare was still too kind to kill someone.

“This isn’t something a product like you should be playing with, Hare.”

“…No, don’t.”

“Hey, bring the contract. I guess we’ll have to force her to stamp it.”

Kyle placed Hare’s hand on the contract.

He intended to draw blood from her thumb with the dagger and forcibly stamp it.

Hare tried her best to regain her senses and struggle, but she couldn’t overcome the strength of Kyle, who had served in the Knights in the past.

“No-No..! Do-Don’t..!!”

“Stay still. I’ll resolve this in an instant.”

It was a critical situation.

Hare felt as if she was receiving judgment before falling into hell.

‘Please… Please…’

Hare was hanging onto the cliff, not wanting to fall.

Her strength was fading, and the mind to give up was gradually taking over.

At that moment, one person came to mind.

‘Even if I fall at the end, at least to that person…’

She wanted to apologize to that mister…

Wouldn’t he help me like that time…

I’m sorry for being shameless…

Hare began to shout her last hope along with her guilt.

“Sa-Save me..! Someone.. Help me… Mister…!”

“It’s useless to call, you know that? This Trash Heap is my territory-”

Bang-!

At that moment, the door was shattered.

Through the dust, a human figure was visible.

The other thugs couldn’t recognize him, but Hare remembered because she had recalled his voice every night.

“So you were here. Match-selling girl.”

The kidnapper appeared at the perfect timing.

“Mister… Can’t you help me..?”

Hare, fallen on the floor, greeted him with a bitter smile.

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…This situation was terrible.

Fallen on the floor, pinned down by a thug bastard.

Looking at the situation, it seemed he was trying to forcibly stamp something.

‘If I had been a little later, it could have been a disaster.’

About 2 hours left.

He needed to clean this up quickly and kidnap the thief.

Tsk.

Looking at Hare’s reddened cheek, I asked the thug who seemed to be the boss.

“…Looking at you roughly, you don’t seem to be just a common thug. Who taught you?”

“The state taught me. By the way, are you the bastard who turned Ness into minced meat?”

“If that bundle of bandages on the floor is Ness. Then yes, I did it.”

Kyle glanced at me for a moment.

He seemed to be assessing me.

‘It’s a trained movement.’

Probably, this guy was from a state-run knighthood.

He must have been in the Sylvester or Black Raven Knights.

He could easily recognize the thug’s identity because the ‘core’ training method of the knights belonging to those places was the same.

“Turning Ness into a pulp… Hmm… Shall we talk for a moment? I’m Kyle. You are?”

“Never mind my name. Before that, I’d like you to release that girl. No, just release her. Right now.”

“…I’ll do that.”

The thug Kyle retreated obediently.

He must have thought I was stronger than him.

It was true, actually.

I was infinitely stronger than that guy.

Hiding Hare behind me, I asked him.

“What were you trying to do to this girl?”

“Nothing in particular. I was just trying to get my money back legitimately.”

“Is that true, Hare?”

He asked gently to the frightened girl.

She looked at Kyle for a moment, then confessed the truth.

“It’s true that I borrowed money. But I was forced to borrow it. And just now, he was trying to sell me to a brothel…”

“That rotten bitch. You’re really making a big fuss.”

So that was how it turned out.

I stroked Hare’s head and said.

“Go back home. I’ll handle this and come.”

“Huh? Where…”

“I know where your house is. Your grandmother is critically ill, so go first.”

“…Yes! Yes! Th-Thank you..! Th-Thank you..!”

Two ways of saying thanks mixed with gratitude.

Hare seemed to feel a bit strange, but hearing about her grandmother, she quickly ran home.

And now, with only men left, I faced Kyle.

“…If I let you live. Will there be trouble? Or not?”

“I won’t approach that child Hare. Seriously! I’ll forget all about the money she borrowed and the interest!”

“Hmm…”

Weak to the strong.

Endlessly strong to the weak.

Kyle, the master of the Trash Heap.

‘It’s been a while, I should clean up some trash.’

A guy who knew about Hare’s existence.

It would be better if there were no future troubles.

I drew the sword I had at my waist.

It was an ordinary iron sword.

“I’ve thought about it, but you’re better off dead.”

“Y-You son of a bitch! I said I’d forget about it!!”

Because grudges were not easily forgotten.

I would eliminate Kyle for sure.

I raised my sword towards him, and Kyle also gripped a longsword in response.

“Y-You bastard..!! Even if I die, I’ll at least wound you-!!”

A blue ‘sword aura’ coated Kyle’s sword.

It was a high-level technique of enveloping the sword with mana flowing from the core.

A sword enhanced with sword aura was sharp enough to cut through a 500-year-old tree.

Looking at the core, there was a mix of the Sylvester Knights’ techniques.

If so, there was even more reason to kill this guy.

“Did you throw away the knights’ honor to the dogs?”

“Shut up..! You’re a bug who knows nothing about me..!!”

I did know.

He must be someone who was kicked out of the knighthood after hitting the limits of his talent.

The door of the knighthood was open to everyone, but the exit was equally as open.

Probably, this guy was a knight who dropped out from that door.

While analyzing the character of this Kyle, a problem appeared before my eyes.

“There’s no need to consider.”

“What?”

I clicked the correct answer to the problem.

Kyle unleashed his sword aura and approached me.

Just as the sword was about to touch my arm.

My muscles expanded, and mana from my core strengthened my body.

1 second.

My instantly strengthened body exuded explosive firepower.

At this moment, I would be the same as an existence called a ‘Sword Saint’.

Clang-

In that same stance.

Kyle’s head fell to the floor.

His eyes, fallen on the floor, still hadn’t realized that he had been cut.

Number 2.

This was what it meant to send him off without pain.

“Bo-Boss is dead-!”

“W-We’re going to die too-!”

They were underlings who didn’t dare to fight even after their boss was taken down.

I spoke threateningly to those shouting in fear.

“You lot.”

“Y-Yes..! Pl-Please spare our lives..!!”

“Clean up the corpse yourselves. I’m leaving.”

“What..?”

“Didn’t you hear? Handle it yourselves. If you do, I’ll let you live.”

Just remove the dangerous elements, that was all you had to do.

The remaining guys held more fear than grudge.

Nothing more was necessary.

‘More importantly, I should hurry so I’m not late.’

I wiped the blood off my face and headed towards Hare’s house to kidnap her.

There wasn’t much time left.

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Even though Hare fell to the ground and scraped her knee, she ran with all her might.

‘Grandmother is critically ill…’

She might not make it through today.

She couldn’t let her grandmother pass away alone and lonely.

Hare hurried towards her house.

As he had said, Helen was in a state just before taking her last breath.

“Gra-Grandmother..!!”

“My granddaughter, you came..?”

“Yes, yes.. I’m here, Grandmother..”

Her grandmother’s labored breathing dispersed in the air.

Hare held her hand tightly, as if not to let go.

Seeing this, Grandmother Helen smiled.

“Now.. Send this old woman off, Hare..”

“Grandmother, I’m sorry.. If I had gotten the medicine..”

“There’s no such thing as a medicine that extends life.. Isn’t the elixir too expensive?”

Death couldn’t be avoided.

Helen, who knew this fact better than anyone, stroked Hare’s cheek.

“Hare.”

“…Yes, Grandmother.”

“A little while ago, a man came looking for me.”

“…That mister?”

So that was why he knew the house.

The mister had met Grandmother first.

Hare listened attentively to Helen’s words.

“Yes. That man. Do you want to know what he said to me..? He told me not to worry and to leave this world. That he would take responsibility for you…”

“…That mister did?”

“It was quite audacious for a stranger to say such things in front of a dying old woman… But that man didn’t seem like someone who spoke words lightly… Hare. If you can’t find meaning in life after I’m gone…”

How about following that man, at least he wouldn’t let you starve.

Helen showed a smile for the last time.

As if responding to that, Hare smiled too.

Her last moment was with a smile, not tears.

And so, Hare’s grandmother took her last breath.

“Thank you for everything, Grandmother. I’m grateful…”

Helen’s lifeless hand that Hare had been holding fell to the floor.

Only then did Hare shed tears, seeing her grandmother off for the last time.

As Hare mourned for the last time, footsteps were heard behind her.

‘…He’s here.’

Hare wiped her tears and faced Lee Jun-woo.

He smelled of blood, but Hare didn’t care at all.

It didn’t matter at all.

“Mister.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ve lost my reason to live. Grandmother is gone, and I have no idea what to do with my life now… So…”

She would dedicate the remainder of her life to him.

Hare held out her small hand.

It was trembling.

She was afraid of being rejected.

“…”

Lee Jun-woo responded by taking her hand.

It was a warm hand.

“I’ll take care of you until you find your reason for living.”

If she found meaning in life once more, he would release her then.

And so, Hare took Lee Jun-woo’s hand and followed him towards his home.

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