38 Ruiz Alejandro

While he was silent, Kruxe tried his best to stare the man back in the eyes, but all that ended in was Kruxe glancing at him before quickly looking away.

"Tell me your name?"

If the man's first words were harsh and ordered, this time his words were softer, but Kruxe felt his body tremble.

"Don Kruxe," Kruxe stammered, omitting the "Hans" from his name, not wanting to reveal his relationship with his father.

The man stared at Kruxe for a while after his words and then spoke, his words seemingly intended for the man behind him or perhaps no one.

"Since when did ordinary boys become so resilient? Bring me that woman Liara and her family," the man barked.

Though the seated man spoke, the man beside him did not move, instead, there were footsteps from outside the room they were in.

"Hey, what are you talking about? They did nothing. I did nothing," Kruxe began speaking, but the intimidating man who had been standing beside the seated man suddenly walked forward.

The man placed his left hand on the back of the chair on which Kruxe was seated and then delivered a punch to Kruxe's belly without warning.

"Ahhhhh!" Kruxe cried, his body wriggling as he tried to recover from the rather sharp and stinging pain in his belly.

"What do you people want? Who are you?" Kruxe cried.

At first, Kruxe had thought to stay calm, study his opponents, and see what he could glean from them, but the pain coursing through his body at the moment had all his plans thrown out of the window.

Kruxe didn't know how, but while this punch didn't pack as much force as Maruge's, for some reason, it hurt far more. It was like the man was stabbing his insides with several needles.

"Urghh" Kruxe was still groaning, struggling to recover from the first punch when two more were delivered.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Kruxe screamed this time, little drops of tears leaving his eyes as he squirmed and wiggled around and were it not for the intimidating man standing beside him at the moment, Kruxe would have already tipped over the chair.

"Careful now, he's still just a normal human. We don't want to kill him," the seated man cautioned.

Thanks to his experience back on the ship the previous night, as Kruxe tried to shake off the pain in his body, he was able to keep his senses aware of his surroundings.

Hearing the seated man's words, brought a bit of relief to his mind and stopped his near stupid attempt to summon his double-barreled gun into his bound hand.

"Do you know who I am?" the seated man asked as Kruxe's groans turned into less pronounced whimpers.

This time, Kruxe quickly answered him. "No," he said, adding a shake of his head for emphasis.

"What a strong one," the man said and then nodded to the man beside Kruxe.

"No, no, I really don't know who you are," Kruxe started struggling in his bindings when he saw that his words weren't being believed

Kruxe truly didn't want to be hit, but regardless, the hit came, and Kruxe went screaming once more, his legs struggling to kick and express Kruxe's pain in vain.

Seconds later, Kruxe was breathing heavily, his eyes red, and his body occasionally shivering as the pain from his belly and the mysterious cold in the room afflicted him.

"Do you know me?" the seated man asked once more.

Truly not wanting to be hit again, Kruxe opened his eyes. This time, he did his best to lean forward as much as he could and stared at the man sitting before him, taking in all his features as much as he could.

"Well," the man asked when nearly a minute of silence had passed. Impatient with Kruxe's delay.

"Truly, I don't know you," Kruxe said, his voice quaking as he spoke.

"Hmm, guess they won't tell an expendable one like you much," the seated man said, seeming to have accepted Kruxe's answer, a situation that brought Kruxe relief and had him reclining, trying to calm his pain-wracked body.

"My name is Ruiz Alejandro, commander of the 2nd division in the strait of Guramdi. Do you know where the strait of Guramdi is?"

Kruxe had a reply to this question, but he dreaded answering it. However, watching the man stare at him with a fixed gaze, he could only give his answer and pray the man was reasonable.

"I don't know."

Immediately after Kruxe spoke, the man's face furrowed, and his eyes narrowed at Kruxe and then he snorted. "Whether you know or not is inconsequential in the grand scheme.

The issue at hand here is that you and your friends crashed my lovely holiday, and as if that wasn't enough, you decided to kidnap my daughter. Listen, kid, you either start telling me all you know, or I'll make you spit it out."

Alejandro's words were short and simple, not carrying much explanation, but the rise in the man's aura told Kruxe that today he might just experience those tortures that he usually heard and read about.

"I don't have friends, and I didn't kidnap your daughter, sir."

Though as tough as he was, Kruxe was just a 19-year-old boy who had been sheltered for most of his life.

The thought that he would be tortured subconsciously terrified him and without him even being aware, he began addressing the man before him as "Sir."

"Days ago, you were found washed ashore on the beach in this town, and then just last night, you were once more found washed ashore."

"The locals say you are a survivor of a pirate attack, but i believe they've been deceived, you are a spy."

"I am no spy," Kruxe quickly answered, his body shivering with fear, and confusion at how he had ended up being suspected of being a spy

"Hmm, then what were you doing out on the sea banks on a night when pirates were attacking?"