pillar man 2.0

Chapter 35: Kidnapping

In an alleyway, a tent that had definitely not been there the day before appeared. It was simple, only serving to block the sunlight. The smell of food was very tempting, and soon a person approached to find the source of the delicious aroma.

"Good morning, would you like to buy one to go?" As soon as the stranger got close, a voice came from someone inside the tent. He was strange, wearing a black cloak and a straw hat that covered his entire face.

The stranger's eyes turned toward a large mass of meat placed on an enormous skewer roasting behind the cloaked man. Sitting in front of this piece of meat was another man, this time wearing a purple robe, with a katana resting nearby.

"How much does it cost?"

"A mere trifle of 35 mon." As he said this, the cloaked man lifted his head slightly, giving a clear view of his swindler's smile, though he still hid the rest of his face.

"Hmm." The man seemed reluctant to pay that price for an unfamiliar food.

'Is it worth it? It seems strange, but it smells so good. Alright, I'll bargain for a better price.' Before the man could speak, the vendor spoke first.

"Hey, since you're my first customer, how about I give you a bonus? If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back."

"35 mon, alright, I'll take it." He seemed happy with the offer, but there was a hint of malice in his happiness.

Upon hearing this, the person behind the cloaked man used the katana to slice a strip of meat from top to bottom, placing it inside a flatbread.

"Here's your order, sir," the cloaked man said, taking the bread from his assistant and handing it to the buyer.

The buyer handed over the money but didn't leave. He took his first bite, and the taste was amazing. It was evident from his face.

When passersby, who had been watching the tent, saw this, they all approached to buy as well.

The first man tried to claim his money back, but when he saw so many people eager to buy, he left quietly.

At that moment, the smile on the cloaked man's face—Huitzi—widened.

"Who else would like one?" Huitzi asked confidently.

A total of ten people approached to buy. Huitzi repeated the price and sold nine sandwiches.

While serving his tenth customer, he thought, 'People always resist change, but as soon as the first one takes a step, everyone else follows.'

"Umm, what's the name of this? It's really good," one of the buyers asked. He seemed like a low-ranking noble or a merchant.

"This is called Greek barbecue, a traditional dish from another region."

"Really? Oh, excuse my manners. My name is Takeda. What's yours?" Takeda had grace, which was evident in his polite way of responding.

"My name is Nosferatu. A pleasure to meet you," Huitzi said, paying close attention to the details, thinking he would likely meet him again.

"The pleasure is mine. But I have to work. I'll definitely come back to this establishment later. Goodbye," Takeda said, leaving quickly with the sandwich in his mouth.

At that moment, a sad Kokushibo was sulking in the corner while working.

"Kokushibo, it's just a sword. There's no reason to cry because it's being used."

"You're right, my Lord," Kokushibo said, though he still seemed sad.

Huitzi was angry that he hadn't asked if Kokushibo and Nobunaga had any money. But since he couldn't punish him for such an unfair reason, Huitzi chose this method—using the legendary katana, once used to slay demons, to cut meat.

But just as he was about to say something to Kokushibo, Nobunaga interrupted him.

"Lord Nosferatu, someone has invaded the yadoya. It's a demon."

"Dammit, why now? Kokushibo, hold down the fort. Soloctis is in danger." As soon as Nobunaga finished speaking, Huitzi ran toward the yadoya.

'Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why now? If it were night, I could get there much faster, but now there are too many people around. I can't expose my abnormal speed, or I might be noticed by the Demon Slayers. Damn.'

Huitzi ran toward the yadoya, but at human speed, it took him 20 minutes to get there. Along the way, many people found it strange to see a man in a cloak and hat running around. Some even tried to ask what was happening, but Huitzi ignored them.

When he arrived at the yadoya, the outside looked normal, except for the lack of activity. But when Huitzi entered, the smell of blood in the air triggered his vampire instincts, a long-suppressed desire surging back with force.

Fortunately, Huitzi managed to resist and continued his mission. (Author's note: Rolled a 4 on the dice to resist his instincts—looks like I'm really lucky.)

On his way to his room, Huitzi saw some survivors, but he didn't care about them either.

Huitzi kicked down the door of the room and saw no one there—only a letter on the table. (Author's note: Rolled a 2 on whether they were still there. Just when I said I was lucky, my luck ran out.)

Upon seeing this, Huitzi slammed his hand on the table hard enough to break it.

"Muzan, you son of a b****! If I see you in the street, I'll break your face!"

"Lord Nosferatu, the demon didn't get far. He escaped into the forest out back. My rat is tracking him," Nobunaga transmitted to Huitzi just in time.

Huitzi jumped through the window to avoid wasting time leaving the yadoya.

"Which way did he go?"

"East." Now out of sight, Huitzi used his maximum speed, letting his hat fall along the way.

The chase was on.

"Lord, when you see a Y-shaped tree with no leaves, turn right," Nobunaga didn't know exactly where Huitzi was, so he could only give such directions.

Fortunately, Huitzi managed to find the demon with just that. When Huitzi saw him, he strengthened his stomach acid and shot it from his stomach toward the demon.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop him. It would take too long for the acid to have the desired effect, though it did melt his clothes.

"What?! How did you find me so soon?" The demon looked desperate, not expecting Huitzi's presence.

'Damn, if he wasn't holding Soloctis, I could use a bone bullet.' Huitzi kept thinking of a plan to recover Soloctis.

"That's it!" In a flash of inspiration, Huitzi spoke to Nobunaga.

"Nobunaga, can you surprise him? If you can distract him for just a few seconds, it'll be enough."

"Of course, Lord Nosferatu."

The model rat climbed up a tree and tried to ambush the demon. Unfortunately, the demon was too fast for the rat.

"What kind of rat is this?" The demon kicked the rat away, killing it.

"Dammit," Huitzi cursed, seeing his plan fail.

'Wait, which way does the sun rise?' Huitzi asked himself, looking up and seeing the sun directly behind him, blocked by the trees.

An idea formed in his mind—a crazy idea.

'This is going to hurt,' Huitzi told himself mentally as he cut down several trees around him with his veins, simultaneously throwing them upward, removing the shadows that covered him and the demon.

The sun had an immediate effect, burning them both. But a Pillar Man can survive for at least 30 seconds in the sun—a demon cannot.

"Aaaaaaah!" The demon screamed in agony as his skin peeled away and disintegrated. The same happened to his flesh, bones, and organs.

As the demon's body burned away, Huitzi sped forward and grabbed Soloctis, who had fallen to the ground.

After picking up Soloctis, Huitzi headed for the nearest shade and took shelter there. Sighing with relief, at that moment, a baby's cry—one Huitzi had unconsciously ignored—rang out.

"Calm down, calm down. It's over, it's over," Huitzi said, trying to soothe Soloctis now that he was out of danger.

"Lord, are you alright? Did you save Soloctis?" Nobunaga transmitted, his voice full of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. Now, let's go back and clean up that mess," Huitzi said as he stood up and ran back to the yadoya to fix the situation.

Author's Note:

I didn't know it was possible to get your heart racing just by writing—thanks to the dice!

Seriously, when Nobunaga's dive plan failed, I was like, "Man, what do I do now?"

But that's what makes my writing more fun.

Just so you know, if I'd rolled the dice right, this kidnapping scene would never have happened. My plans for this chapter were different, which is why you can sense the abrupt change—not only because this wasn't the original plan, but because when something like this happens, no one expects it.

But that's all for now. Enjoy reading!

End of Chapter.