Villainous 11 Vigen's Mistake

The large sterilized lab was empty except for the two of them - and the squeaking animal in Adalrich's arms. Most of the complicated hulking machinery was silent, just one tabletop device mixing several different colored liquids together in different ratios. A single light on a metal examination table provided all the illumination in the room, glinting off Adalrich's goggles in a way that did little to hide the displeasure in his gaze. "You have made it a habit to disappoint me lately, Vigen. Is this job taking its toll on you?"

His words and tone were calm and pleasant, but the old steward felt his blood freeze to ice. "Not at all! Sir, there was an incident in my home this evening I thought you should know about." Vigen reached into his coat and pulled out a bundle of cloth. Unwrapping a corner revealed a cheap blade covered in blood.

Adalrich raised his eyebrows, waiting for Vigen to continue, but the steward looked supremely uncomfortable. Sighing, Adalrich locked the fluffy creature back in its small cage before taking the dagger. "Did you kill someone with this tacky little blade? You always preferred your own fists in the past."

"I found this dagger stabbed into my nightstand and my bed was slashed. Food, medicine, and some personal items including my serums were stolen without the intruder arrays being activated. When I presented the dagger to the guards, they tested the blood and had... mystifying results." Vigen hesitated, his curled mustache quivering. When Adalrich didn't interrupt, he had no other option but to continue. "The blood on the blade belongs to five different slaves and was less than two hours old at the time of testing. Four burnt in the manor fire last night, while the fifth died two months ago. It's impossible for any of them to provide fresh blood samples."

Adalrich leaned on the examination table, drumming his fingers against its cold metallic surface. "I was not informed of a recent death in the estate. Did I not order you to report any and all changes, no matter how small?"

"S-sir, the message you sent.... Ah..." The old steward's expression twisted in a mixture of confusion and dread when Master Agilo's expression didn't show any recognition or understanding. Instead of trying to explain himself and risking things getting muddled, Vigen retrieved a communication device from his coat pocket and handed it over after opening a written order received two months prior.

The device Vigen had was called a pager, a round crystal magitech disk about an inch thick specifically intended for a servant to receive orders from their employers. It could send and receive voice or text messages, recording everything to an expansive archive. In the event something went wrong, such as misunderstood commands resulting in legal issues or the necessitation of punishment, the device could be utilized as evidence. Similar devices were used on Earth for a few decades until they were replaced by cell phones.

"44 outlived her usefulness. Discrete disposal." Adalrich read the short message aloud, slowly removing the reflective goggles covering his eyes. Without them he looked like a charming and handsome scholar, sharp disdain adding a touch of frost to his dark eyes. The full force of his frigid gaze made Vigen sweat even more until it turned back to the pager, perusing text archives displayed in a holographic display above the smooth transparent surface. "You had 44 disposed of?"

"I ordered a slave to kill her in secret. She confirmed 44's death once the job was done, I left it at that."

"The body?"

"She disposed of it, or so I a.s.sumed. The slave died in the manor fire, so I can't ask for clarification now..."

Adalrich clenched his fist, crushing the crystal pager like it was sugar gla.s.s instead of quartz. A series of orders dating back several years called for increasingly harsh treatment of 44 for countless ridiculous reasons, culminating in the message demanding her disposal. "When I brought 44 to the manor, what did I say to you Vigen?"

"...To look after her. But Master Agilo, your orders-"

Vigen's words stopped short as Adalrich's fingers dug into his throat, lifting the old steward off the tile floor and flinging him into the nearest wall in an effortless arc. The old man's st.u.r.dy body caused the stone wall to crack, leaving a vast intricate web around a Vigen-shaped dent. Air rushed out of his lungs, leaving the steward gasping for air.

"I told you myself to look after her. You took text orders from a pager without confirming personally about any contradictions. The serums traded your brain for brawn, Vigen." Adalrich cracked his knuckles, waiting for the old steward to finish coughing before he continued. "A single drop of that girl's blood is worth more than this entire estate and all its facilities combined, and you had her killed."

Color drained from the old steward's face as his pale lips trembled beneath the long white mustache. He fell to his knees, hitting his forehead against the ground with enough force to break tiles and cause his brow to bleed. "Your servant understands his failure!"

Poor old Vigen's distasteful bed slashed, a b.l.o.o.d.y knife left behind. Traces of blood from slaves who died in a very violent and sudden manor fire as well as some from the child who was supposedly killed. No sign of outside intruders, no alarms from security arrays. Theft of food, medical supplies, and strengthening serums.

Adalrich picked up the b.l.o.o.d.y knife, running a thumb along its chipped edge. A spark illuminated the depths of his dark eyes, lips twisted into an amused smirk. 44 was most certainly alive. "You are no longer up to the task of being my steward, Vigen. Considering your many years of loyal and devoted service... Perhaps we can find another use for you?"

Vigen trembled on the floor, a single tear winding its way down his weathered face. Though Adalrich was not spectacularly tall, the shadow he cast was long and dark.

...

Li Mei grumbled, rubbing pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index fingers. "Take a weapon into the forest, it says. It's dangerous to go alone, it implies. What kind of weapon should I take when I'm not familiar with any!? A sword in a treasure chest won't do any good if I don't know how to swing it! Probably cut off my hand..."

She stood in a tool shed behind one of the many farmhouses, Bao wearing a blanket like a cape as he stood behind her wagging his tail. Even with her feet bandaged it took three times longer than it should have to cross the distance between the cottages and the first farm fields.

There were a couple more hours until dawn, just enough time to grab the last stuff she needed for safely camping outdoors before the farmers started waking up and going about their early days. Waterproof canvas, a shovel, and several meters of rope were her top priorities, though she also grabbed a barrel of ripe purple apples Bao kept sneaking peeks at.

Her storage didn't have any room to spare after that, full to bursting with all sorts of supplies.

She stared at a wall of hanging tools and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose again. Li Mei didn't know how to use any weapon other than a bow, and that was only a hobby cla.s.s she picked up out of vague interest. The farmers didn't have any convenient bows or arrows hanging in their shed - just various tools she didn't know the name or use of until she used Scan.

Several tools leaning in the corner caught her attention. A few silver metal bars each about a meter long, one end sharpened into a point while the other had a flat blunt edge. Despite their solid appearance Li Mei was pleasantly surprised to discover they were very lightweight. She could lift them with one hand without feeling any sort of exertion.

Considering her low STR score, that was impressive.

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[Pencil-Point Digging Bar (Light)]

A digging bar is used as a post hole digger, to break up or loosen hard or compacted materials such as soil, rock, concrete and ice, or as a lever to move objects. This particular type has a pencil point and is half as long as standard digging bars.

Intended for use by someone with a smaller stature, as evidenced both by the length and the lightweight metal used in their forging.

Resistant to rust.

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Li Mei grinned, picking out a digging bar that still had that New Tool sheen. "Doesn't take real skill or martial technique to swing a metal bar. I'll just use this!"