Demon's Reborn

Chap 15

Faile landed a fist on Luigi's face without an effort of reaching it. He's taller and got longer limbs. Luigi made no sound. Faile kept on punching Luigi's face but all was heard are grunts of pain. "How unpleasant," Faile commented when he saw Luigi's face distorted. "What? I did wear my best dress," Yleine said when she heard it. "I'm sorry Yleine dear, I'm talking about the surprise. I messed up a little," he told her then started kicking Luigi's side. He let out a louder grunt this time that made Faile smile. He placed more strength on his kicks and Luigi finally gave in.

"Faile? What was that? What's going on?" Yleine asked troubled by the pained sound she's hearing. "Don't open it yet," Faile told her instead as he enjoys hearing Luigi shout in pain. But not until Yleine shouted. "Faile!!!" "Yes dear?" "Stop that noise already, it's scaring me." "If you say so," Faile agreed then signaled the butler to undo the blindfold. "F-Faile? W-who is that?" Yleine's eyes were stuck to the man suspended at the low ceiling. "Oh? You don't recognize him? I must've overdid it," Faile said thoughtfully while looking at Luigi with his hand below his chin. Yleine was about to go down but the butler blocked her way. "Well here's my surprise. I present to you the one and only Tiger of the Hasfias, Luigi Audere." Yleine dropped on her knees in shock. Her hands covering her mouth. "W-why—d-did you?" "Please don't be upset over the state of this man. He's the reason why you can hardly walk and grip anything. This serves as his punishment. I just doubled what he did on you." "B-but that's too much." "He is the Tiger, he's tougher than you think he is." "Please let him go," she cried weakly then the butler carried her back onto her wheelchair and went away. "Of course, I don't plan to take care of him anyway."

"Kind, isn't she? She still cares for you even after what you did." Luigi didn't respond nor does he want to utter a word. Everything that just happened is enough to tear his heart apart. He was put to sleep again and when he woke up, he's at the underground parking of Hotel William sitting on the driver's seat. Glancing to his side, he saw the thing that brought him to that mansion. It has a round ruby stone held up by silver as its handle then a bronze flat as its base. Under that flat is Venice's signature and their family's emblem. The money at the back seat is no longer there. He reached for the palm-sized candle-holder-looking heavy thing with his right hand and flipped it to see the bottom. With a few more things to confirm its authenticity, it doesn't look suspicious at all.

He went to William's room and gave the seal without a word. "Why do you look like that? Did you fight with the losers that want this too?" the old man asked. "I want that address raided. Faile and Yleine are both in there," Luigi told him instead and that fact surprised William. He asked no reasons and called for his men. "Go and rest," he told Luigi shortly and he gratefully went into his room and looked at himself on the human size mirror. When he saw how funny he looks like, he started laughing at himself until he got to the shower and felt those cuts stinging.

But I am glad it is I who went there, because if it's Sir William, I don't know what else to do. He's the only one left—an image of Yleine crying flashed in his mind but shook it off. Miss Venice, even now I can't—I just can't bring myself to move on. Yleine managed to help me for a while but that has already ended. I've treated her wrongly. Would you come take me now? I know how you hate women being treated rudely. Hale, he hasn't done a move yet against Sir William or to the clan. At least not to my knowledge. I don't know what he's up to but he's been staying low—he never did that!

Luigi finished quickly then treated his wounds and bruises. He will go to the hospital later. I need to dig up what he's up to, he thought. While he's on his laptop, William came in with an expected news. "The mansion is empty when they got there." I can't let them raid that mansion no matter how I wanted too. I promised to.

"What are you up to?" William asked when he noticed that Luigi is so immersed in what he's doing. "Before the reunion, Miss Venice told me something of Hale." "What did she tell you?" "Hale can't be trusted no matter what." William was quite taken aback "Why did she say that?" "She didn't tell me either." It was quiet as William thinks of any possible reason. "Do you think..." he trailed off breaking the silence. "...he's the one behind that night?" William took Luigi's silence as a yes and paced towards the door. "I'll do my own investigation then we'll discuss things later."