Akira sat behind his desk, his fingers tapping the desk while Masaki sat on a chair at the end of the wall, his eyes glued to the ground and hands clasped together.
Akira stood up and crossed his arms as he balanced himself on the front of the table.
"Why didn't you tell me about the bandits when I took over?" Akira asked, his voice as detached as the first day he met the goblins.
Masaki said nothing and kept to himself. Then, he opened his mouth to speak, but the words just wouldn't form.
"I only kept you alive so that I can manipulate your granddaughter. But, it seems to me that it'll be easier if I just killed you. She's already following my orders anyways, so what's stopping me from putting you out of your misery?
"Who knows? If she defies me after your death, then she'll deftly follow you afterwards."
"No, please don't!" Masaki exclaimed as sweat rolled down his cheek.
"Then speak. You're a useless old man, but I'm willing to keep you around if you tell me the reason why you kept this a secret.
"Why would you put their lives in danger?"
Masaki sighed and cleared his throat, which was weird, to say the least.
"I was hoping that the minotaurs would kill you when they got here. When they did, I'd return as the village chief and put everyone at ease."
Akira did not give his response. Instead, he continued scrutinizing Masaki as he eagerly awaited for him to continue with his explanation.
"I always assumed that you didn't care for the villagers, but after what you did today and with how they responded to it, I knew that this village needs you more than me..."
"Pfffft," Akira burst into laughter. He began feeling his stomach as he laughed hysterically, slapping his knees as his voice increased its volume the longer he did.
"It took you two months to realise that?! What are you?! An idiot?!" he said as he continued laughing. After a sigh, he wiped his tears and fanned his face with his hands.
"You were afraid of being replaced."
Masaki nodded and averted his gaze.
"And you were willing to put your own people in danger because of that? What about Obarihime? What would she think of you if she found out...?"
Masaki bit his lower lip until it bled and clenched his fists. "She's the reason why I wanted you dead. I can't stand the fact that the last remnant of my family is within the clutches of a demon.
"Wow, you really are an idiot." Akira stood up straight and wore a sinister smile, a deathly look lurking behind his yellow gaze.
That alone sent Masaki into a state of fear.
"You're all within my clutches. Your granddaughter is of no exception. I think my message is clear. Stop hiding things from me."
Masaki slowly nodded. "I understand, Lord Akira."
"Anyway," Akira said as he leaned on his table and wore a more gentle smile. "Who are these bandits? I've been out of the news for 150 years, so a little catching up would be nice."
"Of course..." Masaki began.
"Zurgast and his bandits were supposed to be passing by. But, when they caught a glimpse of our village, they told themselves that this would be a good place for them to make easy money," he said.
"The Thunderfist Bandits were a group of minotaurs that operates mainly in the Hana province of Kinoko. They also take odd jobs, such as assassination and protection.
"Amongst them was the strongest minotaur in the province, Zurgast Thunderfist. His lightning based abilities are said to be so strong, they could cause deafening to a person who is only 100 metres away from him.
"When he and his bandits arrived at the village, they knew we were without the king's protection. And so, they did whatever they pleased," he continued.
"This went from killing the men, capturing the women and children and turning them into slaves, sexually assaulting the young ones and taking away our money..."
"It got so worse that our numbers depleted. What was once a village with 150 goblins was reduced to a village of 70."
Masaki paused momentarily and took a deep breath, as he tried not to remember the bad times that he and his people had overcame.
"My greatest fear was losing Hime to them. So, whenever there was a raid, I had to hide her. I couldn't lose the last member of my family... Not to those freaks...!" Masaki said as he bit his lower lip once more.
Akira watched him and sighed. 'That explains why there are so little goblins here. A whole clan of them is at least 250. And, since they work in groups, it must've been tough to adjust to working in smaller numbers.'
"Hey, Lord Akira..." Masaki said.
"Do you think that... the young ones and the women that were taken away are still alive...?" he inquired with a worried expression.
Akira ceased smiling and replied, "No chance. Minotaurs are a race known for slaying their victims unprovoked. Rage fuels them and the chances of weak goblins from 2 years ago being alive are slim to none."
"... Is that so...?" Masaki said in a soft voice. "... You're right... Of course you're right..."
Akira crossed his arms and shut his eyes.
Then, Ruri barged in with her eyes dialled back. Her face was sweaty and her breathing was heavy. Akira glanced at her with a distasteful look.
"Do none of you goblins have any manners?" Akira queried.
"Asahi! He's gone missing!" Ruri exclaimed.
"Huh... Is that right?" Akira replied as he shut his eyes. "He's a boy. He'll be fine."
"Like Hell he will! He's just a child!"
"When I was Asahi's age, I had already burnt down my first village."
"You're a demon! Lord Akira, please do something about this! He's... He's...!" Ruri said as she began tearing up.
"Doesn't he normally disappear like this?" Masaki inquired.
"Not after a raid from the minotaurs! I'm worried, old man..." Ruri replied.
Akira rolled his eyes and walked over to Ruri. After placing his hand on her shoulder, he caught her attention, and for a moment, the tears in her eyes ceased from falling.
"You need to calm down. If he's done this before, he will be alright. You needn't worry," he said.
"But..." Ruri said as she fiddled with her fingers, unsure whether she should listen to Akira or look for Asahi herself.
"Are you kidding me?!" Obarihime barged in and exclaimed.
"That's it, I'm getting personal guards," Akira said with a blank smile.
"Why won't you help her? What? Is it because you couldn't score with her last night?" Obarihime queried.
"I don't care about that. If Asahi truly is in danger, following him would be pointless. You'll just get yourselves killed."
"You don't know that! Admit it! You're not as strong as you used to be, so you're afraid they'll kill you!"
"You rely on my strength way too much, Obarihime," retorted Akira as he smirked and stood in front of Obarihime. "The more you put in a request for my power, the more useless you prove yourself to be."
"I'm not useless!" Obarihime exclaimed.
"Then go and find Asahi. I have better things to do anyway," Akira said as he pushed Obarihime to the side and walked out. "Ruri, with me," he demanded.
Like a moth to a flame, Ruri tailed behind Akira, worry etched on her face. Obarihime clenched her fist and gritted her teeth as her eyes watched Akira walk away.
"Fine! I'll go and find him myself! Because Ruri's my friend!"
"Do as you like, but I refuse to let you put others in danger just to stroke your ego," he replied. "Also, Ruri's your only friend. Don't get it twisted."
Akira reached for the handle and opened the door, Ruri following behind him. Then, she stopped to look at Obarihime's frustrated face.
With a faint smile on her face, she followed behind Akira, leaving Obarihime and Masaki.
"Hime, perhaps you shouldn't—"
Before Masaki could finish his sentence, Obarihime dashed downstairs and ran out of the house.
Masaki sighed. "I suppose there's no helping it. She's just like her father..."
***
As she walked through town with Akira, Ruri wondered where she was being taken. There were multiple possibilities.
'Don't tell me...!' Ruri exclaimed in her head as her cheeks reddened. 'No, no! He wouldn't call me out just because he needed some attending to! Asahi is missing, for crying out loud!'
Then, she began fiddling with her hands and smiled obnoxiously as she drooled. She began thinking about Akira's naked body and chuckled to herself.
'Well... I suppose he'll go looking for him if I give myself up to him again. I mean, with a body like his and a face that sexy, why would I say no? How could I say no?' she continued as she began acting bashful.
"Ruri," Akira called.
"Yes?!" she quickly replied. "Huh?" she said as she looked at the shop before them.
"We're here," Akira said as he entered the tailor.
Puzzled, Ruri followed behind him, curious as to what Akira was trying to show her.