The Second Odyssey(7)

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Hammond walked out of the mayor's bedroom with a wide grin, his heart still beating fiercely due to the intense session of lovemaking he had just indulged in. Before closing the door, he glanced back and saw the two women who had been thrown on him lying motionless on the bed.

Their bodies were filled with welts and reddish scars. A few hours had passed since the villain's disappearance, and he had vented his displeasure on these two who had partially been responsible for his escape.

'After all, they won't remember anything after the odyssey, and those wounds will heal, too… why restrain myself, then?'

With this thought, he closed the door. The afternoon sun fell on his face from a window nearby, and beside him, the guards who had been avidly protecting the mayor before bowed with fear.

"Any signs of him?" He snapped, the giddy feeling of pleasure already leaving him quickly.

"N-no, sir…"

He slapped the guard who gave the answer. The others shuddered and took a step back, and this sight made Hammond smile.

With no clothes on, he was completely vulnerable… but no one even moved to oppose him. He had thoroughly cowed them all, and he loved the feeling of being in control.

Walking downstairs, he enjoyed the scenes where all the woman he saw glanced aside hurriedly when they heard his footsteps. He fondled a serving woman to his right, forced a kiss on a lass to his left, and a few moments later, he was sitting on the large wooden chair with one leg dangling over the armrest, his third leg clearly visible to anyone who walked through the door.

While munching on an apple, he thought about how he was being quite lenient in this odyssey. His friends who attended the same hero class often boasted about how they went on killing or raping sprees, but he had contented himself with taking just a bit of pleasure from his new post.

"M-mayor…the day's appeals are ready. S-should I ask them to wait?"

Throwing the apple at his assistant, he grinned when he saw it hit the mark. It slid down his cheek, but the man did not dare to move.

"Why? Show them in."

It had been easy to take up the vacated post of the villain. In odysseys like these, it was common for such posts to change hands multiple times. All that had been needed were a few threats, and a few deaths. Obedience was drilled into the minds of these brainwashed peasants, so they quickly understood that they should either accept his rule or die squealing like the guards who had spoken up against him.

He had spent the rest of the time going over everything that the villain had done. The blacksmith was brought in and questioned, and he found out about the armor plate that had been made. The assistant was thoroughly grilled on each and every minute thing that the villain had occupied himself with, and after the questioning session, Hammond had been forced to accept that his foe was smart.

Still, the odyssey was his to win. He only needed to kill the villain, and he was sure that he would be able to rat out the man soon. His strategy was to force the town to its knees and make it so that they would surrender him themselves, but he hadn't embarked on it yet as the guards were still searching the town. Taking a page out of the villain's book, he had ensured their loyalty by imprisoning their families in the residence that still stood despite the fire he had started before.

If he hadn't been filled with rage after being foiled in his plan to end the odyssey in one stroke, he might have toyed with the possibility of using kindness and other soppy behavioral tendencies to win over the people. After killing a few guards indiscriminately, though, he had seen that he had already started on a path of no return…so he had embraced it. In the process, he had realized that his classmates had been right: fear really was the best weapon, no matter who was wielding it.

There were some idiots who preached that heroes should be righteous…but if that was the case, why did the odyssey system still reward those who used paths like these to obtain victory? The answer was simple: like everything in the world before the descent of the gods, results were of primary importance, and thus, the path didn't really matter.

The appeals dwindled quickly as he dismissed each with the candor of a tyrant. His intention was to establish himself as an even scarier despot, and he patted himself on the back each time he saw terror cloud over the faces of the townspeople. A farmer who was disputing the lines drawn between his farm and his neighbour's was told to donate part of his land to the mayor. A wineseller who came to ask for the rest of the money promised to him was promised to be drowned in his own wine if he returned. His cache was also confiscated for 'disobedience'.

When his assistant told him that there was no one else left, he said, "Bring him over."

He didn't need to elaborate on who 'him' was. With a gulp, the man went away to do his bidding, and soon, a gaunt man with blue veins and a sickly face was standing in front of him.

Getting on his feet, Hammond went close and studied him. While he did so, the erstwhile guard tried to raise his hands as if to strangle him, but the effort made him pant.

With a lopsided grin, he slapped the guard and sent him sprawling.

'It's working well… but that villain didn't get the full dose. Still, it should be lethal… eventually. Good thing I took the precaution to coat the knife with poison… you're not the only one who can plan, villain.'

"Throw him out."

His test subject who had been inflicted with the poison after the villain's escape was summarily escorted out. The rest of his day was free, so Hammond occupied himself in the bedroom, again, and the mayor's residence was soon filled with the music of screams and gasps.

A few hours later, he was resting on a chair while looking out the window and sipping wine. Blood was spattered here and there, on the walls and even on the ceiling, and to Hammond, it looked like a beautiful mosaic that he wished he could paint. His thoughts suddenly went to how his room had looked similar when he had displeased his father…but someone knocked on the door, and he shot to his feet, dispelling the memory but still growling with anger due to the emotion that it had rekindled.

Swearing to turn whoever had disturbed him into a punching bag, he opened the door but stopped himself when he saw the quivering lips of a guard.

"S-sir…the May-No! The 'evil wretch' has been found."

It was good news, but he couldn't get himself to smile.

"Good. Where is he? And who found him?"

It took a few moments for the answer to come, but when it did, it made Hammond's eyes go wide.

"N-no one, sir. A b-bartender delivered a message to the residence. H-he said that the one we were searching for would be waiting in the town center in one hour. H-he also said…that he will be publicly c-c-c-challenging you."

Shocked covered his face, and for a moment, the guard wondered whether he would be greeted with a vicious punch.

But then, Hammond threw back his head and let out a roar of laughter, before turning around to get dressed with the vigor of a man getting ready for a party that he had been looking forward to for a long, long time.

'It seems he wants to die brilliantly, instead of succumbing to poison… well, why not grant that wish? Haha, this should be fun!'

With this thought, he walked out of the room fully armed, and with a flourish of his cape, he began to stride toward the exit and the end of the odyssey.