Chapter 55 - 『House Call』

A man sat there on a sofa held together by makeshift paste. His eyes on his nails as he caressed the tips of his fingers with his thumb. Cold eyes, dark exterior. His face was covered by a cloak like the two men who were sitting on either side of him.

He was the ring leader of the group of loan sharks who had been giving the family money, in order to appear as nobility despite having lost their status and revenue.

"Your daughters should be here in a small while," His eyes rested on the two adults on the other side of the room. The woman looking bothered and the father looking on with deep pride in his roots.

"They are your collateral, if I am not mistaken, if your daughter is unable to pay the dues you owe." The man said, causing the older blonde woman to shift in her seat. Her eyes on the coffee table in the center of the room.

The family Butler was standing by the door, frowning at the mistress of the house. She hadn't spoken up since the arrival of this man. Nor had she even confronted her husband over the matter as he was just being agreeable in order to get this done and over with!

He was beginning to feel even more sorry for the young miss who had taken up residence elsewhere.

"Do not fret," The master of the house said as he had his hands balled up into the pant legs of his fancy slacks. "That snide, ungrateful, daughter of ours will come through! If not, they will have to endure until we regain our status and get bring them back!" He turned to his wife, nodding with the delusion that this would all blow over in the end. That they would be complete once they regained their status…

Sneering at the delusional couple as the former noblewoman agreed with her husband, he shook his head. He was sure these two were going to be milked till the very end. Until there was nothing left and they'd still want more!

What or who will be sacrificed next?

He was sure the little ones would fetch a price on the market, and even the young lady Arche would too. The question that was gnawing at the back of his mind though, was where they were right now?

The men he had sent to capture the girls haven't returned yet and they had been sent hours ago. His eyes shifted towards the window in the room, a closed mouth growl emanating from his throat.

The two other men who were standing behind the sofa, on his side, were watching the two and their butler. They didn't need any unnecessary mishaps, not that there was going to be any.

Though he was also pretty confident that if he couldn't take the girls, he was going to be taking these two and selling them instead. That is where he knew there would be a problem that could arise. Damage on these older folk would definitely take some time to heal.

He was thinking of ways to disable them without actually hurting them too much. The last thing he needed was a short lived slave being sold to a client.

Resting a hand on his knee, he shifted in the sofa, retaining an erect posture all the while.

That was until suddenly the front door of the manner was kicked open.

Everyone's eyes darted to the door of the reception room, wide eyes. "James! Check out what that was!"

James, just stared at the Master of the house for a few seconds before nodding. Letting out a sigh as he had his back to his masters, he opened the door to the room and stepped out into the corridor. Locking the room from the outside as he did so.

As he turned his head away from the door, he narrowed his sights on two familiar forms coming down the passageway. "Ah, Arche-sama, welcome back." The man would bow to her slightly, as a butler should normally. "I wish I had..."

"Good News?" Jack finished his sentence, with a questioning tone, his eyes narrowing on the locked door. He could hear one of the people inside shuffling onto their feet. Three people were approaching the door.

"That must be them," the mastermind of the group who had attacked Jack's mansion walked towards the door with his two men flanking him on either side.

Jack shook his head hearing them make their way towards the door. It was clear they had no idea what or who they were about to walk into. He was looking forward to killing them, and since it had been well over five minutes since his last use of the Devour Spell. He had already eaten one of his subordinates, which allowed him to find out where to find the perpetrators who hadn't been present.

He wasn't going to let this ring of criminals survive! That and he was going to eliminate some loose ends. His eyes traveled down towards Arche, who rested the staff he had gifted her beside herself against her shoulder.

"You sure you want to be here?"

Arche nodded in response to his question.

"You know I am going to kill them both..."

Arche's brows creased as she looked away, her eyes focusing on an empty corner by the wall on the other side of the long corridor. "They'll just keep borrowing… Their debt will overflow. Unless they're put in a position where they can no longer borrow, then they'll just be a danger to me and my little sisters." Her eyes moved back to Jack with the resolve to protect her little sisters, even should this event tear her apart. As she did remember how things were before the fall of her house, how her parents weren't obsessed with a show of false luxury.

She couldn't stand the idea of her little sisters suffering because of her parents! And her sisters knew this too, as her parents neglected them and were even allowing them as collateral

Jack nodded lightly as he turned his eyes to James, "You should go."

The Butler blinked up at the man, before looking at the young miss. He then nodded and swiftly, with haste, ran down the hall towards the front door of the building.

He knew what was coming, he saw it coming before their arrival. Jack had already humiliated the master of the house once, even had the ability to kill him outright. He had given the house a chance to get back in order, and now, it didn't seem like he'd be able to do so any longer.

Jack watched as the knob of the door jiggled.

"Who locked this door!?" The man pounded on the only reception room exit. "Open this right now!"

The Father could be heard pushing himself off the sofa, a brow raised as he rushed over. He too tried to force the door open, smashing his shoulder into the door when he couldn't get it open the first try around.

"I don't know how this could be! James! Are you out there!? Open this door immediately!"

There was no answer.

"James! OPEN THIS DO--"

"Move out of the way!" The thug barked as he shoved the former noble aside. Just as he was about to pull out an item from one of the pouches he had under his cloak, he paused and looked down at the crack beneath the door. Two shadows.

He began to walk backwards slightly, gesturing for his men to back off as well.

Growling as he got back up from being shoved aside, the Master, Miser Furt would stand in the way of the door. "How dare you… DISRESPECT ME IN MY OWN HOME!" He pointed to the loan shark, "You will pay for thi--"

Splinters of wood traveled passed the man and seconds later, the sound of blade impaling flesh. Still standing, Furt's head lowered lifelessly along with his arms.

A pole arm could be seen retracting back into the door, pressing the man's back against its face until the corpse fell to the ground.

"Who is this…?" The leader uttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes on the whole which shared a glimpse at Jack's shoulder. "Runic patterns, armor…? It's that man?" Drawing a rapier from his array of weapons, his men drew their own long swords from their backs.

Just like that, with a wave of his hand, the door opened for the two of them to stroll inside.

"Salve..." Jack said the latin word for hail, as in hello. His eyes traveled towards the woman frozen on the sofa, staring at her daughter who wasn't even giving her dead father a glance.

"You killed your father you insule--!" The woman was about to insult Arche, scold her for allow this to happen, when Jack would point his spear diagonally toward her general direction and recite a single spell.

『Fireball』

A ball of flames about the five feet in diameter would be instantly launched from the tip of his spear, engulfing that one side of the room, instantly incinerating the Lady Furt's frontside.