Chapter 16 (1/2)
The second prince glanced around the restaurant while waiting for his food. It was rare for him to be impressed by any décor, but the interior of this particular store was even more lavishly decorated than the palace. What kind of power was backing this place? It was quite clear that the weakling of a chef wasn’t the true owner. His spies were completely useless. They hadn’t even informed him of this!
Vrrrr!
The second prince froze. Through his peripheral vision, he saw his younger sister had stiffened as well. A wave of killing intent was washing over the whole dining room, and it was coming from the corridor which the chef had entered. The pressure was so strong that it was tangible. The second prince moved his hand, but the motion was slow as if he were stuck under liquid rock. He gritted his teeth and activated the defensive artifact hanging around his neck, and a greenish barrier appeared around his body. Less than a second later, it shattered with a pinging sound.
Heavy footsteps rang out, each thudding sound causing the second prince’s heart to stop. A metallic figure appeared from the end of the corridor, entering the dining room. It was the color of blood, and a strong scent of iron assaulted the second prince’s nostrils. The figure was a golem with three heads and six arms. Each of its hands wielded weapons that could only be described as wicked. They were curved blades with extra tips sticking out of them like thorns on a stem. They weren’t weapons commonly used on the battlefield; no, they were instruments of torture wielded as weapons. There was no doubt in the second prince’s mind. If that creature was coming for him, then he was dead. Even the guardian of the royal family wouldn’t be able to do anything to it.
The golem stopped by the second prince’s side, but he didn’t dare turn his head to meet its gaze. A metallic rumbling came out of its chest, and words that sounded like grating rocks came out of its faceless head. “Loiterers shall be stripped, robbed, tortured, thrown out, and blacklisted.”
“I-I’m not a loiterer,” the second prince said, his voice cracking. Wasn’t the original line stripped, robbed, and thrown out? There wasn’t anything about torture written on the blackboard! “I ordered an egg fried rice and pickled radish.”
The golem gleamed, its body emitting a red light. “Loiterer detected!”
There was a red flash as the golem swung one of its weapons, and Eula let out an ear-piercing scream. To her surprise, her brother screamed at an even higher pitch. There was a clanging sound, and a figure shot out of the second prince’s shadow, slamming into the wall with blood pouring out of all his orifices. The second prince gulped upon realizing he hadn’t died. The golem stepped past him, and he let it through—not that he could’ve done anything. His legs were weaker than jelly; it would’ve been impossible for him to stand much less confront that killing machine.
“Stop!” the bloody figure leaning against the wall said. “I’m the guardian of the second prince!”
“Loiterers shall be stripped!” Red Asura ignored the old man’s words and picked him up by his head with one hand. The golem’s five other hands made quick work of the bodyguard’s clothes, ripping them off with savage glee with the help of its weapons. Its actions were quick, and not even a second had passed since it made contact with the old man.
“Loiterers shall be robbed!” Red Asura frisked the old man, its hands roaming everywhere, searching for any hidden items. The old man screamed as his privacy was violated, but the golem didn’t stop. It retrieved two earrings and one ring, which it put onto the pile of shredded clothes on the floor.
“Loiterers shall be tortured!” Red Asura’s weapons flashed in its hands, and—
“Stop!” Smith Jr. shouted. He was coming from the corridor, holding two small plates with sliced radishes inside of them. The golem froze in place, turning one of its heads to stare at Smith Jr. despite its lack of facial features. “No torturing.”
Red Asura glanced at the blackboard with its third head. Then, all three heads turned to face the trembling bodyguard. “Loiterers shall be thrown out and blacklisted!” There was a shattering sound as the old man was flung through the front window, but moments later, the broken glass repaired itself. The cracks in the dining room wall, and the blood on the floor disappeared as well. It was almost as if the whole scenario hadn’t happened. Red Asura walked to the entrance and opened the door. When the bodyguard raised his head, Red Asura grunted. “Blacklisted members shall be executed upon reentry! Your head will be placed upon a pike outside to be used as a deterrent to future loiterers!”
The bodyguard scrambled away, picking himself up off the ground and running as if his life depended on it. Since when had loitering become a crime worthy of execution? As someone who worked directly under the emperor, he’d definitely address this grievance! However, first, he had to make it back home alive.