"Don't get ahead of yourself. You snot nosed brat! Men kill her!" I guess nobles will always be nobles. They let their status go to their head, causing them to have a huge amount of pride.
I guess this was going to end up in a fight no matter what. If I had been a bit quicker, then maybe this could all have been avoided, but now it is too late. The guards that were surrounding me all attacked at once. Either with weapons or magic. It all came flying towards me. I stood there with my mana shield on with a relaxed expression.
*Boom!*
"Hahaha! Seems like your earlier actions were nothing special!" Count Freedman yelled out. I could only roll my eyes. But in a way, his words were true. They were nothing special.
"Hahaha! You caught me! My actions earlier were nothing special!" My voice coming out of the cloud of smoke and stupefied faces of the guards who were standing there frozen with swords shaking in their hands as if they hit a metal wall, seemed to have made the count freeze.
"You!? How!?" I could tell by the count's expression that he had no idea how I had just negated the massive coordinated attack.
"Hmmm? Because you said my actions earlier were nothing special, so I took your attacks to become special?" I answered his questions with a question of my own while tilting my head to the side with a confused expression. "Oh, but I am not done yet. Earth wall!"
*Boom!*
All the guards were sent flying into the ceiling. I made sure to control it just enough to keep the count from being hit by it but also made sure it encircled him so he couldn't escape. "You see, now this is something special. Think about it. All your men are unable to move. You are trapped and have no place to go. You only have two choices. Release Sophie and never go near her again or…."
My lips curled up into a vicious smile as my body flashed, and I appeared in front of the count. My sword poking at a certain sensitive spot on a man's body. "Or lose the one thing that actually makes you a man in name only. Make your choice, or else you will lose much more than this mansion. I'll give you three seconds."
"One…."
"Two…."
I watched as the count's face twisted in rage and fear. I spoke each number very slowly, enunciating each letter to the fullest extent. And just as my lips parted to say three, I pressed the sharp tip of my sword on the count's family jewels. I could see the beads of sweat forming on the count's forehead as he finally gritted his teeth and yelled out: "Fine! You can take her!"
I smiled sweetly and pulled my sword back before my eyes lit up with magic circles, and I waved my hand binding the count. "This is just a precautionary measure. The binds will disappear along with the walls of earth after I leave this place."
"Just go already!" The count yelled out. I guess he figured it was useless fighting me with words. The pure rage in his eyes told me that things would not end here, which I kind of figured as much. But I did not wish to kill a count for the time being. Unless I find out something had happened to Sophie that should not have, I will allow him to live. This is just me giving face to the king of this kingdom who was willing to give me a chance.
If this was a common bandit who did this, I would have killed him the moment I saw him. But since it is a noble, I can only leave it at this. I didn't even spare him a glance before turning and walking away. My tail swaying back and forth in a mocking manner as I did. I could hear the sound of teeth grinding together as I made my way upstairs. Since there was no one who would be willing to stop me at this time, I could just take the stairs.
As I reached the third floor, I heard cursing down stairs, but I ignored it. The whole house was well decorated with many expensive looking things, like vases and statues and art. And since they were just sitting out in the open like this, they also just happened to disappear as I walked by. Where they went, no one will ever know. But I was thinking to visit the pawnshop I saw on the south side of the lower city.
I know some would say that my actions are no different from that of a bandit, but I mean, they stole Sophie, so shouldn't I get some compensation for her? It can be considered physical and mental compensation. For giving Sophie such a scare.
Before long, I was standing in front of the door of the room where Sophie was currently locked up in. I could now tell for sure the poor girl was crying. But what irked me even more was the number of locks on the door. "You really had to go so far for a single small girl?"
I ignored the locks and pushed on the door, causing it to fall off its hinges. I guess there was even a magic barrier there because I heard a shattering sound as well. When I walked in, Sophie had raised her head, and the look on her face was priceless. I smiled brightly and waved at her casually as if what was going on was nothing more than a walk in the park. "My dear Sophie, you seem to be looking well."
"Have I died? Why is there an angel here?" Sophie's words almost made me choke on air. What angel!? I should look more like a devil, no?
I could only shake my head as I walked over and knelt down next to Sophie. I reached out with my arms and pulled the very confused fox girl into them and hugged her tightly. "You have suffered greatly. But, as I said, we are friends. I will do what I can to help you. Sorry that my incompetence allowed you to suffer."
I guess my words were like a wave of relief to Sophie, who suddenly buried her face into my chest and began crying her eyes out. She hugged me tightly as she let everything out. I knew it must have been hard. Afraid of not knowing what will happen to you. Not knowing how your life will be from now on. And not having the strength to even do as you want. She had run away once. She probably knew that running away again would not have been possible. They even locked her up as if she was some kind of dangerous criminal.
It took a while for Sophie to finally calm down. When she did, I scooped her up into my arms in a princess carry and walked right out of the house under the gazes of the maids and male servants. When I exited through the front door, I looked up at the already dark skies before flapping my wings and lifting off the ground.
The city lights at this time of night were like a sea of stars as I flew overhead. Sophie had her arms wrapped around my neck and looked out over the scenery with wide eyes. She was not scared in the slightest. It was as if her trust in me had reached a whole new level. I wonder if she will now let me fluff her tail? I guess I should still wait. No matter how attractive the fluff is, I should not just randomly reach out and fluff the fluff.
As we flew in silence, I wondered what I should do next to deal with the wrath of the stupid count. I knew I brought a lot of trouble on myself, but there was nothing I could do about it. The count had crossed the line. Maybe I should ask Sei if she has a way to contact Adel. Then maybe I can get this all swept under the rug.
But for now, I will enjoy the sight before me. "From now on, Sophie, you will stay with me. I will be talking with Adel, and I will see if you can still join the academy. This way, you will be able to decide what you wish to do with your life."
Sophie was still silent. But her arms seemed to have tightened around my neck slightly as she buried her head in my shoulder. I could see her faintly nod at my words, though, so she at least acknowledged what I said. It was hard to make out what her expression was with how dark it was, but at least after such an event, she seemed safe.
I do not know what the future holds for her, but I do hope that it will be a happy one that is much better than the one shown by the fortune teller.
