It took me several minutes to wash and dry myself before I came out. When I did, I came to check on him and found that he was no longer twitching and that he finally died.

“About time,” I muttered, “because I didn’t want to get dirty right after having a good old bath.”

Considering that I had baths near the water tank, where the water was mercifully free, I filled up a bucket of water and quickly left the place. Well, it’s free because it’s not a drinking water, but I didn’t care; if it I was able to wash myself down and freshen up, such a water is good enough for me.

I quickly walked over to my bag, unzipped it and pulled out the pair of gloves I brought along.

“Right,” I said after putting them and flexing them experimentally. “Time to get rich.”

Surely this guy must hold a lot of money for working for the government, but I had to admit; the security in this hotel sucked. Even the cleaning crew people weren’t pleased to work here because they were called for at unreasonable times, so maybe the security was lax because of the pressure?

“Doesn’t matter to me, so long as I get my hands on some money,” I muttered happily.

I began searching the room for all the valuables he might be keeping or hoarded from his years of working for the government. He must have received a fine amount as payment for helping them exterminate an entire slum, or so I hoped while I searched here and there.

It took me a few minutes, but my search was a success when I opened a shelf and found a large bag. When I took it out and peered inside, I smiled wickedly at how many coins were inside. They were mostly silver, but there were a few gold coins too, making me feel pretty pleased with myself.

“Still, does this guy not use the bank or something for him to store this much in his room?” I pondered aloud.

I was more or less asking a dead man here, and I wasn’t expecting an answer from him any time soon. After all, if a dead person started speaking, it’d be scary as hell.

“Or maybe, these are illegal funds that he’s secretly hiding from other people. Man…!” When I drew to that conclusion, I chuckled and muttered, “Well, suits me just fine since I accept all kinds of funds. Now, can’t stay long since I got what I aimed for,” I muttered in a triumphant voice.

I turned and saw the clothes that I dropped on the floor, noticing the blood slowly dripping from them. That’s when I remembered about all the blood that had been splattered onto the uniform the cleaning clew wore and it left me in a bit of a pickle. At that moment, I had a towel wrapped around my waist as I didn’t think about this.

“I could wash them, but then the clothes would still be wet and will take time to dry off…” I muttered, thinking quickly about what to do. “But I can’t go out wearing those. Mmm. What if… What if I dress in the uniform and wear the cloak on top to cover it up? That guy that I’m covering for did see me wearing my bag, and so he should probably think I was just wearing the cloak for the night. I could just make an excuse that I’m feeling a little bit chilly after doing the cleaning.”

As I drew to that conclusion, I nodded with satisfaction with that plan and quickly got dressed. Then I pocketed the gold into my bag, which stretched and felt tight because of all the things packed into it. Then, with nothing to keep me there anymore, I slung the bag over my shoulders and left while carrying the cleaning utensils of the workers.

It took me several seconds to get back downstairs, put the stuff away and walk out the of back door with my bag slung over my shoulders. I arrived at the wagon to find the man that had given me his duty, smoking cigarette and looking like a slob.

“I’ve done my best, sir,” I said to him as I came to a stop in front of him.

“Oh? Done already?” He asked me curiously. Then he looked at me up and down and asked, “What’s up with that getup?”

“Well, sir, I’m feeling a bit cold from all the cleaning,” I replied, doing my best to look innocent and feeling cold.

“Oh. No worries,” the guy replied, shrugging it off carelessly, and I inwardly sighed in relief. “How were the tenants? Did they treat you alright?”

“That’s the thing, sir. Some of them aren’t opening their doors,” I replied, appearing to look baffled.

“Ah. Some of those people are downright annoying,” the man replied, seeming to understand what I meant. He threw the cigarette down and stamped it out on the ground before telling me, “It’s okay. I’ll go up and deal with them.”

“Thanks, sir,” I said, and he tilted his head at me before walking to the rear of the hotel.

Once I was sure he was gone, I checked my surroundings once more. It was dark and no one was there, so I opened my bag and pulled out the coat from inside before putting it on. With the premise of blending into the shadows of the night, I quickly walked away from there and away from the crime scene feeling triumphant at my small achievement.

“I’ll do the same to the rest of you,” I muttered, indicating the others that had a hand in causing the tragedy that occurred ten-years-ago. “Just like I did today, I swear I’ll destroy you all!”

With that muttering, I blended into the shadows and escaped into the night.

[ ====== ]

I had a good night sleep, and after I woke up, washed my face, and headed to my usual tea shop, I found a news article depicting the face of the man I had killed just last night.

The caption read, “Government employee dead, killed in a brutal manner!”

“Of course, it was brutal,” I thought sarcastically. “You wouldn’t call it ‘Government employee dead, killed because he slipped and fell down the stairs.”

I chortled at the news, and the owner of the shop became curious with my unusual behaviour. After all, I was feeling a lot happier than I had ever been throughout these past ten years. I even felt like smiling more often now, which was quite strange considering I believed I always put on a serious face.

“Did something good happen?” He asked me curiously.

“You could say that, yes,” I replied cheerfully.

“Oh…?” He asked, and looked keenly at me. Then he asked, “Who’s the girl?”

“Who?”

“The girl. You know, the one that made you this happy?”

I looked at him and saw him looking at me with a small smile in a strange way. That’s when I realised what he meant by his previous question.

“Does he think I’m happy right now because I found myself a girlfriend?” I thought and chuckled. “Well, better this way than the truth. Besides, I can’t tell anyone that I’m feeling happy because I was able to seek out vengeance against the perpetrator behind the night raid ten-years-ago.”

“Well, it only just recently started, so I’ll see how it goes, okay?” I said, raising a finger to my mouth in a gesture to keep this between us only.

“Oh? Still at the starting stage?” He asked and laughed. “You better make sure to treat her well.”

“I will, master!” I replied, looking jokingly at him. Then I became curious and asked, “So, master, have you ever had a love interest before?”

“Ah…! Quite a few times, lad,” he stated with a small smile.

I was amazed because I thought he probably had feelings for people but didn’t express them, but it seems I was wrong in thinking like that.

“Really?” I asked keenly. “Can you tell me? You know, for experience sake?”

Well, it’s not like I plan on being a permanent bachelor for the rest of my life. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find a partner that shares my desire to have revenge against The Empire. That would be wonderful.

“Well,” he pondered for a moment, seeming to think about where he should begin. “There are three different types of women from my experience. One, where they want you to spend lots of money on them and shower them with gifts. Two, where they want to spend time with you by going to places and having a good time. And Three, where they are very loyal and devoted to you, wanting nothing more than being with you, sharing your emotions, and wish that they could spend the rest of their lives with you.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

I honestly was amazed by the three types of women he described, and I especially liked about the third type. Devoted, always loving, and only interesting in enjoying life to the fullest by just being at my side. Now, that’s a girl I’d give anything to have, but I know my chances of finding such a woman to be very slim.

As I sighed, the master of the shop asked me, “So, what type is the girl you’re after?”

“I’m not sure,” I shrugged, and he chuckled.

“It’s okay. I’m sure you two will get to know each other better,” he told me reassuringly.

“He has such great confidence in me even though I was lying about everything,” I thought sadly.

“So, mind telling me the clothes she wears?”

“Sorry?” I asked and looked up, feeling confused. “The clothes she wears? Does it matter?”

“Oh yes!” He replied immediately. “You can tell what kind of woman she is judging by her clothes alone. Well, if you have a keen eye for things and experienced the joys and sadness of love, then you’d understand what I mean.”

“Um… Okay,” I said and nodded, feeling confused a little clueless.

“What kind of clothes does my imaginary girlfriend wear…?”

That’s what I asked myself as I thought about what I visioned my girlfriend wearing as her daily wear. Feeling clueless, I glanced around at my surroundings to get some kind of inspiration or something. That’s when I caught sight of a woman wearing a red top that was well past her waist and wore black socks that were somewhat see through, revealing the smooth skin she had.

The woman in question appeared to be in her mid-twenties and was walking down the street casually, glancing around while carrying a small purse in her hands. Obviously, she was out shopping and came down here searching for whatever it is she wanted to find.

“Wow,” I muttered, staring at her in amazement.

She had dark hair and had a beautiful face that seemed to radiate in the sunlight for some reason. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me? I wasn’t sure, but I sure as well felt my heart beating a little faster as I gazed at her from the tea shop.

“Mmm?”

The master of the shop noticed me seeing something, and turned his head in the direction I was looking at. As soon as his eyes fell on her, he quietly whistled as he too was drawn in by her beauty.

“So, that’s girl you’re dating?”

“Yeah,” I responded without thinking, gazing at her with amazement.

“I see. Well, she certainly is beautiful,” he commented and grinned at me. “She does seem like a strong and a fierce person. Still, congrats, lad,” and he patted me on my shoulder.

“Huh?” I asked, finally tearing my eyes off her and turning to look at him. “For what?”

“You know, having that kind of beautiful girl as your girlfriend. It’s every man’s wish come true, don’t you think?” the man asked me with a grinning face.

I stared at him in shock, and I went quiet because I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Then I remembered his question from earlier and quietly cursed myself for replying without thinking. Now he thinks that girl, and I are dating, and it couldn’t have been possible if I wasn’t so stupidly gazing at her like that.

“Well, what can you do when you’re drawn in by such beauty?” I asked myself wearily.

Anyway, in order to not raise suspicion on me going quiet and looking confused, I quickly said, “Yeah. She’s the one, although, I got surprised because she said she’s got work today.”

“Well, she certainly looks professional and all,” the master of the shop said in understanding. “Any idea where she works at?”

“No,” I replied and shook my head.

“Ah well,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “I was just wondering about her background because she looks to be rich.”

“Yes…! She does…!” I muttered, my mind beginning to race.

His words made me realise something; she must have a lot of money in that purse. I was no longer concerned about her beauty and became very interested in the amount she was probably carrying inside that purse. If I stole it now, it would add to my finances that greatly increased thanks to my yesterday’s adventures.

“I’ve got something to take care of, master,” I said and rose to my feet.

“Make sure to bring her along the next time you visit,” he told me and smiled.

I grinned back and waved at him before paying the amount and leaving quickly to blend into the street. There I was, not concerned about doing any kind of robbery that day, but this girl just had to show up and cause the master to make me become aware of the goods she was carrying. Not the goods on her chest, but the goods inside of her purse.

So, I quietly moved along the crowd and appeared as though I was just strolling along the street while glancing around at store fronts with interest. Gradually, I drew closer to her while she stood outside a stall bargaining to a guy about a toy she was trying to purchase.

She seemed to be shopping for rabbit toys judging from the toys stuffed into a bag she was carrying. I was a little amazed by the amount of interest she showed in buying such items, but I didn’t care. My eyes were fixed on the target and as I was about to get nearer, I pulled out a cap that hung around my waist and put it on my head, keeping it a little low so that it covered my face a little bit.

The moment I reached her, I snatched at the purse and took off as fast as I possibly could. I could feel the shock she felt right at the moment I snatched the purse right from from her hand, but I didn’t look back. Funnily, I couldn’t hear her crying out for any sort of help, or even alerting that there was a thief running away with her purse.

“Don’t tell me… there’s practically nothing useful in here?!” I thought in shock.

Still, I couldn’t just suddenly stop and check, so I kept running as fast as I could into the nearest alleyway and disappeared before anyone could stop me. I kept running as fast as possible, away from the main street and towards the dump yard because I felt I wasn’t safe in that place.

It took me nearly a minute to finally reach the dump yard, and when I finally stopped running, I was breathing very quickly from how fast I had to run to get there. I looked back to check that I really wasn’t being followed and sighed in relief while my breathing slowly returned to normal.

I looked down at the purse in my hand and pulled off the click to open it. There was indeed money in there, and a lot of it too. Clearly, she was carrying quite a lot of money, so it made me wonder why she never cried out for help or pointed out that there was a thief? Was it because she didn’t care? Or was it because she gave up knowing that I far gone to be caught?

“Whatever the case, this now adds on to my growing assets,” I muttered triumphantly.

With a smile on my face, I turned and headed towards the shack I built there. Suddenly, the air around me changed and it sent chills down my spine as I sensed something bad. At the same time, I saw a strange glowing light occur before it expanded and became a circular shape. It looked mysterious and magical, something completely out of this world.

“What in the… world…?” I asked slowly, looking cautiously at it.

At that moment, something erupted from the spinning magical circle and flew right towards me and hit me even before I realised what had happened. I grunted in pain and stepped a few steps back from the impact it had on me. That’s when I felt something strange in me, I slowly looked down and widened my eyes when I saw a huge hole in my chest.