Became the Imperial-Certified Mad Dog

‘Is this some kind of joke?’

While combing through the back alleys I had deliberately avoided until now due to my parents’ warnings, I stormed into the place where I heard the loan sharks would be, but couldn’t get any information about my parents’ whereabouts from those bastards.

‘P-please spare me…’

Thud. I knocked out the whining gang leader with the handle of my weapon, letting out a deep sigh as my frustration mounted.

‘Damn, they picked the wrong person to mess with.’

My hometown was an estate too big to be called rural but too small to be a city. I thought the ones who took my parents were just some lowlife thugs, but I was wrong.

‘Some catch them, others transport them… What are they, a merchant guild?’

From what I learned playing magical twenty questions with the loan sharks at the bar, these bastards had indeed taken my parents about a week ago, right when I left town.

The problem was they only held my parents for a day before handing them over to others along with other debtors they had captured.

‘Slave traders…’

And in some count’s major city several days away from here.

So a major criminal organization from some big city sent their underlings to this small town to gather slaves?

It was driving me crazy.

‘Walking won’t let me catch up… I wonder if I can get a horse.’

Fortunately, being loan sharks, their place was filled with money and valuables. The large leather pouch I picked up from their hideout, in addition to the bag I was carrying my sword in, was now heavy with coins and jewels.

Though I couldn’t take it all since I was in a hurry, I secretly buried a considerable amount of money in the hills behind.

‘Once I get my parents back, I’ll grab the luggage and money and flee to another city.’

I felt a bit guilty thinking it might be money taken from innocent people like my parents, but it would end up in someone else’s hands anyway if I didn’t take it.

I rationalized that it was better for me to have it, since I at least got some revenge.

‘Damn… even if I take those bastards down, I probably won’t catch them.’

It looked like this would be a long journey.

*

As expected, it took considerable time – over a month – to find out where my parents were taken next.

I dealt with the first slave trading group in Count Jamunk’s territory, and after more interrogations across cities, I’ve now reached Duke Lung’s territory, which is practically on the opposite side of the empire from my hometown.

From what I’ve learned, unauthorized slave trading is a capital offense in this empire, punishable by death at minimum.

These criminals, afraid of dying, were much more secretive than I expected.

Like a dense spider web, grabbing one point only leads to another, never easily reaching the center.

Using the money taken from the loan sharks, I ate, slept, and traveled. When that started running low, I got by through sleeping rough and robbing the pockets of idiots who tried to pick fights or kidnap me because I looked young. I finally tracked down the organization that had sold my enslaved parents.

After playing truth twenty questions repeatedly over the past month like before, it seems my parents were sold as laborers to a criminal organization from the slave market.

‘Well, anyone buying illegal slaves would be a criminal too.’

Since buying legal slaves has strict qualifications and standards, criminals and low-level thugs who need cheap labor have no choice but to get slaves illegally.

‘So that’s how they plan to use my mom and dad? Those bastards.’

Walking toward their hideout while considering where to start cutting up these social trash who were probably working my parents like dogs, filled with deep anger.

‘Eek!?’

‘…?’

Even lost in thought, I caught the sound of a girl’s heavy breathing, footsteps, and screams.

‘What the hell…’

Though easy to forget since it’s still daylight, this is known as the area with the worst public safety in Duke Lung’s territory – even I’ve been picked on by thugs several times already.

‘Why would a girl be in a place like this?’

One thing was certain – this was no place for a girl to be wandering, and the voice I briefly heard was full of desperation and fear, far from any peace or joy.

Tap tap tap. Following her footsteps came much heavier ones.

Multiple sets of them.

‘There she is.’

‘Don’t let her escape!’

From the pursuers’ voices, this didn’t sound like concerned bodyguards chasing after some foolish young lady in a fairy tale-like love escape…

As the footsteps drew closer, I hid and observed the pursuers – they all had sturdy builds and faces and bodies covered in scars, clearly criminals.

Looking at their thick forearms and how they barely made sound despite running so hard, unlike the other idiots whose limbs I’d dismembered, these all seemed like they could put up a real fight.

‘I’m in a hurry too…’

The ones who bought my parents are supposedly the top gangsters in this duchy, and now that I’ve already turned over the slave shop, they’ll hear about me soon if I don’t move quickly.

‘Sorry, but my parents are more important than some unknown kid.’

This was my chance after over a month of hardship.

I couldn’t waste what might be my only opportunity by meddling in something useless.

And yet…

‘Damn it.’

‘You get tied up in unnecessary sympathy, and if you can’t break that habit, you’ll die trying to save someone someday.’

‘Damn old man, would it kill you to say something nice to your only grandson?’

That’s why you can’t get along with people and live isolated in the mountains until you die.

Grandfather’s irritating words came to mind, but what was most irritating was that I had no comeback.

Though I knew mentally there was nothing to gain and this was crazy, contrary to my thoughts, my body was already loosening up with knives in both hands.

Letting out another sigh – which had become much more frequent over the past month – I emerged from my hiding place in the alley and shouted loud enough for the gangsters chasing the girl to hear.

‘Hey! You impotent bastards!’

‘A knife!?’

Whoosh. I threw a knife at them, and sure enough, my bad feeling proved right as they nimbly dodged it.

‘It’s just a kid… ugh!?’

Thanks to being tormented by the old man, my strength was greater than most adults, but still not enough against properly trained guys like these, so I couldn’t afford to drag this out.

I had to end this quickly, while they were still underestimating me as a kid.

Slash. Before they could understand what was happening, I jumped between them and immediately swung my remaining knife, cutting a diagonal wound across the chest of the nearest one.

‘…!’

‘You little shi- guh!?’

Whether he was wearing some armor under his clothes or not, my attempt to slice through to his organs in one go was stopped by his ribs, and though the cut man just coughed up blood without dying, he kicked me in the stomach.

‘What kind of kid..!’

‘We’ll lose her at this rate, finish him quickly!’

Ah, this is really maddening.

Like I’m going to live to old age anyway.

*

‘…What is this?’

Peri, the girl who had screamed earlier that Gul had heard, was speechless at the brutal battle unfolding before her, filled with endless blood and screams.

‘What’s with this brat!!’

‘You bastards!!!’

Surprisingly, the one fighting desperately against her strange would-be kidnappers – men who even she, untrained in combat, could sense were powerful – was a boy barely a few years older than her.

No, he was too young to even be called a boy.

‘Just who…’

While there were many questions about how she came to be chased in the first place, the biggest mystery occupying her mind was the identity of the boy now fighting the kidnappers.

No matter how she searched her short past, she couldn’t recall ever seeing him before.

‘Who are you!? Why are you interfering with us!’

‘You’re the ones interfering, you bastards! Doing this out in the open where it’s annoying!’

Thud. A man’s fist, wearing spiked metal gauntlets, struck Gul’s face, making him scream as his cheek was torn.

However, he immediately grabbed the arm of the man who had hit him, pulled him close, and bit off his nose with his teeth.

‘He seems barely older than me…’

Where did such strength come from in that small frame?

‘I should run…’

Not only because her legs had no strength, but Peri found herself transfixed watching Gul fight.

‘He’s clearly weaker, he’ll fall soon…’

Watching the precarious battle of the unknown boy who suddenly appeared to fight her would-be attackers without any connection to her, her anxiety and fear had somehow vanished, replaced by a strange sense of relief.

‘Come to think of it…’

Though it seemed Gul was just getting beaten due to the overwhelming size difference, already two of the five kidnappers were lying on the ground.

‘Ah, another one.’

The man who just had his nose bitten off became the third to fall as his ankle was cut.

‘Th-this kid… why, why won’t he fall!’

The kidnappers were starting to realize things were going strangely, and despite being the majority and stronger, fear began to show on their faces.

Yes, the fear they had been causing Peri until now – those who had terrorized her were now feeling terror from a boy her age.

Finally, after about 10 more minutes, he knocked out the last remaining man with a headbutt to the face.

‘Huff, huff… damn persistent bastards… ptui.’

Gul, saying words that could have applied to himself, leaned against a wall, staggering, covered in both his own blood and that of the kidnappers he had taken down.

‘Damn… hey’

With his eyes half-focused, Gul noticed her staring at him intently while holding his forehead and addressed her.

‘Um… excuse me…’

‘Can you stand?’

Peri’s words of gratitude were caught in her throat at his sudden informal speech to a stranger.

‘What?’

‘I asked if you can walk.’

‘Ah, oh y-yes!’

‘It’s dangerous here so run away. I don’t know this area so I can’t escort you.’

‘I-I know the way… if you’re going somewhere, I could help…’

‘*cough* No need, don’t bother…’

Though Peri tried to convey something despite her confusion, Gul left without even looking at her, supporting himself against the wall.