Kingdom of Lies

by Yuri Kitayama

  It was the dead body of the prostitute. The girl who gave Rio money for food in the morning was now a bloodied corpse. She lay face-up, her provocative dress completely soaked red with blood.

  “Urgh...”

  Rio wanted to throw up. He pressed a hand against his mouth and resisted the urge.

  “Mm! Mm, mmrgh!”

  The muffled sound could still be heard inside the room. Rio’s frown deepened as he directed his gaze towards it — the single sack sat in the corner of the room. There was something alive inside of it.

  A person...? No way...

  It didn’t look big enough to fit an adult. If it was a person... then it had to be a child.

  Rio had an extremely bad feeling about this. His heartbeat thundered in his chest, and he held his breath to stop his trembling. He fearfully approached the sack. It squirmed as though it was declaring its presence. Rio slowly untied the drawstring and the sack fell open with a soft sound. Sure enough, there was a pretty girl in a beautiful priestess-like dress inside. The lavender-haired girl, who was close to Rio’s age, looked up at him with dazed, purple eyes.

  Ah, I knew it.

  At that moment, he was overcome with despair. Warning bells tolled loudly in his head; they were telling him to stop standing there. He had to flee this place as soon as possible... yet the sight of the frightened girl in front of him rooted him to that spot.

  “...Are you all right?” Rio couldn’t help but ask.

  The girl nodded once. Her terrified eyes watched him carefully, but their shared age range seemed to help her lower her guard a little. Fortunately, she was tied up inside the sack sideways, so she was still unaware of the horrific scene that had unfolded in the room. She might have been more panicked if she’d noticed.

  Well, she’d realize soon enough.

  “I’ll remove the gag and ropes. Hold on,” Rio said, removing the gag first.

  “Pwah... hah...”

  The little girl gasped heavily for air. She was rather sluggish, and her face seemed feverish.

  “W-Where..? Where... am I...?”

  Her small body trembled as she asked, possibly from fear of the dim room, the cold air, or both.

  “The slums. This is the house where the gang that bossed me around lived...” Rio answered while untying the ropes around her body with nimble fingers.

  “T-The slums? W-Why am I...” the girl asked in confusion.

  “Who knows? I’m done. You can stand up now,” Rio said once the ropes were gone.

  “O-Okay. Thank you very m... ah, oww.”

  The girl tried to thank him as she stood up, but her legs had no strength and gave out. She’d gotten up halfway before collapsing back down.

  “You okay?” Rio grabbed the falling girl and turned her onto her back, gently.

  “Y-Yes.”

  Although she responded with an affirmative, her breathing was shallow and her body was feverish.

  “Really...?” Rio questioned doubtfully as he observed the girl’s face.

  Is this the girl Celia’s group was looking for earlier...?

  He had all the reason to believe that this was the girl that the four nobles he met near the slums earlier were searching for. With her lavender hair and beautiful upper-class dress, he was certain of it.

  “U-Umm...” she murmured quietly to Rio, as though it took all of her energy to speak. She was probably suffering from dehydration after being in the sack this whole time.

  “Sorry... Could you take me... to the castle...?” she panted out.

  “Castle?”

  “Please... I’ll tell my father... to reward you...”

  “Your father...” Rio shuddered. There was no way that would end well.

  “And also, water...”

  So she was thirsty after all.

  “Lie there and wait for a bit. Don’t move,” Rio said.

  He walked over to the barrel where the water was stored. His nose had already become desensitized to the smell, but seeing the bloody scene with his eyes made his expression twist. Contrary to the constant revulsion turning his stomach, Rio was strangely calm as he asked himself what was he doing here. He filled the wooden mug he usually used with water and quickly brought it back to the collapsed girl.

  “Here. Water. Don’t drink it all at once.”

  He lifted her head to make it easier for her to drink and offered her the mug. It would have been best to add some salt or sugar to help her dehydration, but such fancy ingredients weren’t available in the shack.

  The girl gulped down the water gratefully.

  “Puhah... hah...” she coughed.

  “Slow down. Drinking too fast is bad for you,” Rio warned.

  “O-Okay...” she replied weakly.

  Perhaps she was relieved she had quenched her thirst, because in the next moment, she lost all the strength in her body.

  “H-Hey!”

  Rio tried to wake her frantically, but she was out cold.

  “Did she pass out...?”

  Figuring that was the case, Rio closed his eyes and held back the urge to sigh heavily. He gently let her lie back down, when...

  Creak. The floor of the shabby old shack groaned, breaking the silence of the room. Rio whipped around to see a masked man approaching him—

  The masked man lunged, trying to stab a knife into Rio’s body. He was going to be killed. Heart-stopping fear ran through Rio in that moment. Suddenly, his hands moved of their own accord and he skillfully parried the man’s swing; the knife missed its mark and slashed through empty space instead.

  “Wha...”

  A surprised voice leaked from the man’s masked face as Rio looked at his hands in astonishment. His physical body had reproduced the movements that Amakawa Haruto mastered in his previous life. Rio had been so desperate that his body reacted instinctively.

  But now was not the time to be distracted.

  Was this guy hidden this whole time? Why is he trying to kill me?

  The first real battle of his life had been suddenly thrust upon him. Rio was panicking, but that was understandable. He’d never faced off with someone holding a blade with the intent to kill before, previous life or not. His body felt hot and he could feel the thudding of his heart echo through his body. He hadn’t even moved very much, yet he was panting for breath. He was terrified — his legs trembled where he stood. Rio braced his trembling hands to fight and inched backwards. The masked man regarded him cautiously, having had his attack smoothly evaded. He kept the knife pointed at Rio.

  To be honest, that first attack was pure luck. Rio couldn’t imagine the man was an amateur, and Rio was still a child, after all. If he came at Rio for real, their difference in physique would end the match swiftly.

  The man slowly closed the distance between them; at this rate, Rio was as good as dead — that he was certain of. But even if he tried to escape, he wouldn’t be able to run far with his small body. He was completely cornered.

  Then...

  Haruto.

  An unfamiliar voice echoed in Rio’s head. It was the clear, beautiful voice of a girl... yet there was something abnormal about it, something that made the voice sound weak. But suddenly—

  “...?”

  Rio’s eyes widened. A tremendously beautiful peach-haired girl had appeared before his eyes — but it was only for a moment, as she was gone in the next instant. A hallucination? Was he seeing and hearing things? Rio’s eyes darted around the room to check, but he couldn’t see the girl anywhere. And more importantly... had that girl called him “Haruto”?

  A name that no one in this world could have known...

  Rio stood there, baffled and unsure of what was happening, when—

  Now is... not the time. I’m going to teach you how to use your ode — or your essence... Remember this feeling.

  Once more, the voice of the phantom girl echoed in his head. So it wasn’t a hallucination, Rio thought.

  “W-What do you mean ‘how to use essence’?!” he sho
uted back at the voice, grasping at whatever straws he could reach.

  He could see the man before him flinch, but Rio didn’t have time for him right now.

  Sharpen your mind. There should be light... flowing from your body. Use that light to enhance your body... and its physical abilities. Picture it in your head. Don’t worry. You can do it... Haruto.

  Broken sentences echoed in his head with the girl’s voice. It wasn’t a very detailed explanation... But in the next moment, Rio’s entire body felt like it was being wrapped in a layer of warmth.

  Now you can move... past the physical limitations of your body. Have you remembered... the feeling? You have to maintai... sorry, I can’t —

  The girl’s voice cut off completely.

  ...But Rio was busy being taken aback by the change to his body; just when he thought the light flowing from him had increased, his body suddenly felt lighter. His senses were sharpened — not only had his vision and hearing improved, but a sixth sense he normally couldn’t feel had awakened too. It was exactly as the girl had described: the light flowing from him had been used to strengthen his physical abilities and his body. He had been half-doubtful and couldn’t understand the logic behind it at all, but he knew it was possible, thanks to the girl’s support. Because of that, he now knew the basics. It wouldn’t be too hard to maintain this state now, and he could probably do it by himself next time, too. While he still didn’t know who the girl was or what the light did, his first priority right now was the killer before him. At this point, approximately ten seconds had passed since Rio dodged the man’s knife. The man had been gradually closing the distance that Rio was trying to create, but when Rio came to an abrupt stop, he halted too, and watched Rio suspiciously. Rio gathered all of his fighting will as he observed the masked man. Suddenly, the man changed his words to some kind of spell.

  “Augendae Corporis!”

  Rio’s eyes widened as the man’s body was momentarily bathed in the light of a geometric circle. The faint light that until now had been leaking from the man’s body suddenly increased in volume. It was no match for the amount that was flowing from Rio’s body, but it was enough for Rio to be wary of. In the next instant, the assassin closed in on Rio and swung his knife at an inhuman speed.

  He fully intended on ending the battle with that one strike, but Rio’s tracking ability and reaction speed had been enhanced, making the man’s movement appear so slow to Rio’s eye. He was able to easily evade the attack. The feeling of his enhanced abilities astonished him; he shifted his torso to the side and the man’s knife swiftly slashed through empty space. With his shorter reach, Rio had to take a step forward to hit the man in the stomach with the palm of his hand.

  “Gwahah?!”

  The strong impact to his abdomen made the man yell in pain. He must have been around 80 kilograms, yet he was easily blown away. The force behind Rio’s one attack was unimaginable for a child.

  Barely landing on his feet, the man’s consciousness nearly slipped away... he couldn’t understand what had just happened. Falling to one knee, he stared at Rio in shock. Then, he desperately scrambled back to his feet and stepped towards Rio once more, thrusting the knife forward sluggishly. However, Rio grabbed the man’s extended arm by the wrist and twisted it painfully.

  “Gah!”

  The pain in his wrist caused the man to drop the knife. Rio then toppled the man off-balance and easily threw him to the floor. His physical abilities had really improved. Rio’s weak and childish frame could bear a weight that should have been impossible for a child to carry. It was strengthened exactly like the girl had explained earlier. He couldn’t feel any burden on his body.

  “S-Shit... Damn, brat... What the hell are you...?” he grunted his resentment towards Rio. The man broke his fall with a roll, narrowly avoiding being knocked out.

  “Hah... hah...”

  Rio gasped for breath where he stood. His heart was still racing as he looked at his own hands in astonishment. After a moment, Rio turned his gaze towards the man glaring at him in the dimly lit room. He could see the look from behind the mask that the man was giving him — it was filled with hatred. Rio wondered what the man was thinking as he stumbled to his trembling feet once more.

  He still wants to fight?!

  Horror fell over Rio’s face. The man should have been covered in injuries by now... he shouldn’t have had any stamina left to stand up. So why did he keep trying to? There could only be one answer: the man wanted to kill Rio with his very last breath. Why the man had to go that far, Rio had no idea. He didn’t want to know. But if the man was trying to kill Rio, then Rio would—

  With an irritated huff, Rio pressed the man’s face against the floor.

  “Guh...” the man groaned.

  Rio climbed onto the man’s back and grabbed his neck with both hands. If he put a little strength into his fingers, he could probably strangle the man to death.

  But his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Even when he tried to squeeze his fingers, they shook.

  He couldn’t kill him. He wouldn’t. Even though the man had tried to kill Rio, Rio couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Rio hesitated for a beat, then...

  “Damn it!” he yelled, slamming the man’s head against the ground.

  The struggling man fell completely still after that. He’d been knocked out. Rio confirmed that the man was unconscious before standing up.

  “H-Have to escape...” he muttered.

  Rio staggered forward on wobbly legs, then nervously glanced around at his surroundings. How would he explain this situation to anyone? He was nearly frozen with fear. Then, Rio caught sight of the unconscious girl who was still sleeping...

  ◇◇◇

  It was still morning.

  Those with proper jobs would have left for them long ago, but barely any of the residents of the slums had proper jobs, so the streets were still deserted. Rio carried the unconscious girl over his shoulder as he dragged his feet through the slums; though he wasn’t injured, his feet still felt heavy. The dress the girl was wearing stood out too much, so he covered her in the sack she was originally in.

  How did it end up like this? Why did this have to happen to him? Anger at the unfairness of the situation boiled inside of him, but he didn’t have the time to release it right now. He didn’t even know where to go. He just continued to walk forward until he eventually approached the entrance of the slums.

  “Y-You! Hold it right there!”

  The sound of a young girl shouted at him from nearby, but Rio failed to realize she was talking to him and kept walking.

  “I’m telling you to stop!” she said, grabbing at Rio forcefully. She seemed to be trying to take the little girl that Rio was carrying.

  “Ch-Christina! Please wait!”

  “Vanessa, hurry and grab Flora!”

  “Y-Yes!”

  The one who had called out to Rio was Christina, one of the girls he met at the entrance of the slums earlier. The other three were also here. Their hooded robes were much more plain and shabby compared to before, but the voice and height were definitely the same. Christina pulled the girl she called Flora off of his shoulder angrily.

  “Hey you. Let go of Flora, now,” Vanessa ordered in a cold voice. Rio relaxed his grip and let her take Flora from his shoulder.

  “Flora! Flora!”

  Christina desperately cried out the name of the girl in Vanessa’s arms.

  “Stay calm. She’s just passed out. Celia and Roanna — please look after Flora.”

  Vanessa checked Flora’s condition calmly and left her in the care of the other two.

  “Y-Yes!”

  “Understood!”

  Celia and the girl named Roanna both nodded and took Flora into their arms; Rio watched the scene unfolding before him with detached, emotionless eyes.

  “Hey, you!” Vanessa shouted, glaring at Rio.

  She drew her sword in one smooth motion and pointed it at Rio’s neck, but Rio didn’t even flinch.
He couldn’t feel any killing intent behind Vanessa at all, unlike the man who had tried to kill him just now. But Rio wasn’t exactly processing the situation in a calm manner. If anything, he had lost interest in everything.

  “Explain what happened,” Vanessa ordered.

  Rio shrugged and tried to walk away without a care. But—

  “Hold it!” Christina said as she cut in front of him.

  “It’s dangerous!” Vanessa shouted in a panic.

  But Christina ignored her and slapped Rio’s face — hard. The sound of the resulting smack echoed around them, and the shock of the impact returned Rio to the present.

  “...Huh?”

  A sound of confusion spilled from his lips. He didn’t understand... Why was Christina angry? Why had he been slapped when he’d found the girl they were looking for? His cheek throbbed with pain as he stood there, bewildered.

  “Don’t just stand there in silence. Answer me! You lied to us, didn’t you? What were you going to do with Flora?”

  Christina released a barrage of accusations at Rio. He really couldn’t understand what she was saying...

  He could feel something swell up within his throat.

  “Huh?”

  Rio glared at Christina with an icy gaze.

  “...!”

  Christina flinched. Her hand moved instinctively and rose up to slap Rio again. But this time, Rio grabbed Christina’s hand and stopped her. Christina’s cute face twisted in ugly frustration as she raised her other hand instead. Rio’s other hand moved to catch it, now holding Christina back with both hands.

  “Let go of me! You’re disgusting! It stinks!” Christina yelled, but Rio didn’t let go.

  Then...

  “Release her,” Vanessa said coldly, once again pointing the sword at Rio’s neck.

  Rio shot her a glare before slowly releasing her hands. Sure enough, the instant Christina was free, her hand came up once more to slap Rio’s face with as much strength as she could muster. Rio followed her movement with his eyes, but did nothing in particular to block it.

  “Heh,” Rio laughed mockingly.

  His smile made Christina’s body tremble once more. She was terrified. Having been raised as a princess, Rio’s smile held emotions that had never been directed toward her in her life.