Chương 134: Chapter 132 – Kidnapped.

"I knew we couldn't trust those little brats! They probably messed up the interior and cleaned nothing!" Aburdon's voice echoed inside Rusty's head as he approached his home. He had allowed the children to stay in his lair on the condition that they would do their best to clean it up. Rolo was confident that he could repair the main door and other parts of the structure, but a doorless entrance stood before them.

"No, something isn't right here. Look at those hinges and how the door is splintered… Someone was working on it. And look at that pile of rubble over there—they were clearly cleaning." Alexander, however, noticed that something was off. There were clear signs of work being done on his home. Rusty scanned his surroundings, his glowing eyes flickering as he took in the signs of disturbance. It was not just the missing door. The hinges bore fresh tool marks, and the splintering looked as if it had happened mid-repair.

The pile of rubble nearby was neatly stacked, a clear indication that the children had indeed been working. However, the eerie silence and the presence of someone still inside his lair made the situation even more unsettling.

"There is someone there…"

"Some unwanted guests?" Asked Aburdon while Alexander remained silent.

"I am not sure. This one feels…" There was no mistaking it. He was detecting life with his skill, and it was not a rat. The skill was not perfect as he could not fully identify who it was. Still, without hesitation, he moved forward. Inside, his metallic boots crunched against scattered debris as he stepped into the dimly lit space. He had expected dust and disorder, but surprisingly, the entire place had been swept clean. An old bucket, still filled with water, sat nearby with a damp cloth beside it.

This was clear evidence that the children had been cleaning before something interrupted them. Following the life signal, he advanced toward the back wall, where a pile of collapsed rubble stood. Something was off. The way the rocks were stacked looked unnatural, as if someone had hastily placed them there.

"(•̀ - •́)""It should be fine, Gleam, but get ready…" Gleam skittered to the side, preparing for a fight while Rusty drew his sword. With one hard kick, he sent the rubble flying, exposing whoever was hiding beneath it. A piercing shriek echoed through the lair.

"N-no!" To his surprise, he recognized the figure. It was Natia, the girl Gleam liked the most.

"(´•︵•`)""I do not know, but isn't she one of those children? What is she doing here alone, and where are the others?" Rusty looked down at the young girl curled up in a ball and trembling. It seemed as if someone had pushed her into a small hole and then hastily covered her with rubble. He crouched down, his metal-plated fingers hovering uncertainly before grabbing her by the arm. She shook violently, but he kept his grip steady and pulled her out.

She squirmed as he hoisted her into the air to get a better look and to get some answers.

"L-let me go! Noooo…!"

"Rusty, stop! You're scaring her! That's not how you hold a child, put her down!"

"(˶°ㅁ°)!!" Alexander's voice echoed inside his helmet. Rusty did not take orders from his guides, but since Gleam told him the same, he placed the child back on the ground. Something was coming out of her eyes and nose as she sobbed on the floor. He was unsure of what to do and stepped back, watching her cry. Luckily, Gleam was there. She skittered over to the child and gently touched her head with her antennae.

"(｡•́︿•̀｡)" Rusty watched in silence as Gleam comforted the sobbing girl. Natia hiccuped, curling closer to the gentle ant that brushed against her hair, offering her warmth and security in a moment of terror. The sight was unfamiliar to Rusty as he had no experience with these human emotions, let alone comforting a crying child. But even he could tell that something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice coming out colder than he intended. Natia flinched at the question, but Gleam's presence steadied her. The girl wiped her tear-streaked face with the back of her sleeve, taking deep breaths between sobs.

"T-they took them…" She finally whispered.

"Who?"

"S-scary adults… I don't know…" Natia was the youngest of the children he had met and clearly not someone who could competently relay information. However, it was obvious what had transpired. The children had likely been taken by someone connected to the men who had been chasing them earlier. Who took them did not really matter. What mattered was deciding what to do next. His guides were quick to make noise and as always, they had conflicting mindsets.

"We need to rescue them, Rusty! Maybe they haven't gone far yet, we should start looking now!" Alexander quickly urged Rusty to act, the day was ending and night was falling, if they wanted to search they needed to do it now before the guards started patrolling and the trail got cold.

"Hah? Are you insane? Do you want to risk Rusty's life to save some brats? We are in no position to help anyone else. Rusty is not even a D rank monster. He will get himself killed, and then we will all die together!" Rusty remained silent as his guides argued, his glowing eyes fixed on the trembling child in front of him. At the time, he had not thought much of it. He had left the children in his home without really caring about what would happen.

He assumed they would be able to handle their own problems just as he had handled his, especially since they were all older than he was. They were not his responsibility, but there was a strange feeling in his core when he looked at the crying child. He could not explain it well. His gaze shifted to his surroundings. While there were a few broken things, his lair looked much better than before.

The floor had been swept, and it seemed that someone had nailed down the broken windows to some extent, which was a nice touch. The children had kept their side of the deal, working to fix his home in exchange for his protection. But before he could even thank them, they had been taken. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. In a sense, whoever had come here had stolen from him.

The children had not yet finished repairing everything as they had agreed, and now they were gone. The logical part of him wanted to agree with Aburdon. This wasn't his problem. These children weren't his responsibility. He had already done more than enough by sheltering them for a night. What Alexander was saying didn't make much sense but there was also a middle ground.

"They dared to break into my lair. They need to be punished." He said while crushing a piece of rock from a nearby broken wall. It had likely broken off during a struggle, as the damage wasn't there when he left for the dungeon. Rusty was a monster, and his lair was, in a sense, secret. Seeing that someone had entered without his permission filled him with anger. For the time the children had been here, they had been under his protection to some extent.

The fact that someone had ignored the sanctity of his territory only made his fury grow.

"Huh?" Aburdon was surprised by Rusty's reaction. He had expected him to be more cold and calculating.

"You can't seriously be considering helping them, Rusty. This is not the time for jokes." Alexander, on the other hand, was quick to catch on to what Rusty was implying and tried to shift the conversation there.

"Yes… you are right, Rusty. You can't let people get away with breaking into your lair while you are gone. This is a good opportunity to show what happens to trespassers, even when you are not home."

"Don't listen to him, Rusty. We both know you're smarter than…" Before Aburdon could finish his sentence, Rusty spoke up, making it clear that he was serious about this issue.

"Yeah, they need to pay for trespassing in my lair!"

"(` ᴖ ´)""Not you too lady Gleam…" Aburdon clicked his nonexistent tongue as it seemed everyone was against his idea of not getting involved. The demon lord held himself back from exploding and calling everyone a moron, knowing that Rusty would probably force him to be quiet. Before the conversation could continue, the small child looked up at Rusty and spoke. While she could not hear the two guides or Gleam, Rusty had been speaking out loud while using his concealed adventurer head.

"..." She stood there with tears in her eyes, and Rusty sensed that this would be more than just defending his lair. There was something in the humanoid's expression that made his metallic frame burn with anger.

"Do you know which way they went?"

"A-are you going to help?"

"Yes." Rusty nodded, unwilling to beat around the bush. It would be much easier if this girl could help him, but she didn't seem likely to be much assistance.

"No… Rolo pushed me into the hole… I didn't see anything" She sniffled, her head lowering. Just as she was about to break down in tears again, Gleam tapped the girl's legs gently with her own, offering some reassurance.

"(•̀ - •́)""She says she will track them. Do you have anything that belongs to the others?" Natia sniffled again, her head hanging lower as she reached into the hole where she'd been hiding. At first, she pulled out what seemed like a torn towel, but after a closer look, it was clear it was a ripped shirt, one that probably one of the other children wore.

"W-will this be enough? It's Rolo's…"

"(•̀ _ •́)" Gleam moved closer, using her antennae to pat down the shirt. She was the only one with tracking skills, so it was up to her to find the trail.

"How is it, can you track them?"

"(•̀ ᴗ •́)" It seemed that Gleam was confident in fulfilling this task but before they could leave, there still remained one problem. The little girl that was here was around seven years old and she could not come with them. There was however no one to stay with her as Gleam was also needed for her tracking skill, which left them with only one option.

"Natia right?"

"Y-yes?"

"I have to leave now but don't worry, I will come back with your friends."

"Really?"

"Yes, but you will have to stay here for now, hide for now, and don't come out until I return."

"B-but what if you don't come back like the others…"

"(•́ ᴖ •̀)""I will come back, don't worry. But you need to be strong and stay here." Rusty tried to convince the child to trust him, but he wasn't very good at it. Instead, he had to rely on Gleam's reassuring pat. Once the child had calmed down, he handed her some of the dried food he still had and gave her instructions to hide in the basement if someone came for her. The door there was still intact, so she would probably be safe for a while.

"Y-you promise?" The girl hesitated, gripping the edge of Gleam's carapace as if seeking comfort. Rusty wasn't sure what compelled him to say it, but the words came out without hesitation.

"I promise now hide and don't come out until I return!"

"B-but how will I know it's you?"

"Um… how about I knock three times?"

"Okay." The girl hesitated, then nodded, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. Her tiny hands balled into fists, clinging to the fabric of her worn tunic as she tried to steel herself.

"For such a young child, she is brave…" Alexander commented on her bravery as she made her way to her hiding spot. Before leaving, he lifted his broken door and leaned it against the entrance, positioning it to cover most of the opening. With that done, he quickly turned and followed after Gleam, who had already picked up Rolo's scent. The red sun hung low as night crept over the slums. Most people were heading home, locking their doors, as wandering outside for too long was forbidden.

Only a few places remained open late, and it seemed that was where people were heading. Gleam skittered through the narrow alleyways until they reached a well-lit part of the settlement.

"This must be the pleasure district. I almost forgot how degenerate your people could be, hero." Aburdon mocked Alexander, but he ignored the comment and focused on the issue at hand.

"I expected as much. I bet it's those thugs from the Black Hound organization…" Before heading into the dungeon, Rusty had been informed by Rolo about a criminal organization operating in this settlement, which lacked a thieves' guild. These former mercenaries-turned-cutthroats had established their base somewhere here, and it was likely they were the ones who had taken the young ones.

"Be careful Rusty."

"I always am!" Rusty responded to Alexander, who wasn't sure if waltzing into enemy territory without a plan was the best idea. Luckily, not many people knew who Rusty was or what he looked like. While his armored form was quite distinctive, he could easily wear a baggy robe over it and switch out his helmet to blend in. Even if the men he had beaten up recognized him, they wouldn't be the wiser. With his disguise on he continued with the plan which was quite simple.

Stay under the radar and find out where the Black Hounds had taken the children. With Gleam scouting ahead and her keen tracking abilities guiding him, he moved silently through the shadows, careful not to draw any attention to his large, metallic frame. They were now within the pleasure district. The air was thick with the smells of food, alcohol, and something more sinister. The sounds of laughter, shouting, and the clink of coin-filled purses echoed from the open taverns, brothels, and gambling dens.

Rusty made sure to shield Gleam's body from prying eyes, and soon it seemed they had arrived at their destination. From the main road that led into all the establishments, they moved into a darkened alley. Gleam recoiled in disgust as a foul stench filled the air.

"Decomposing bodies? Could it be?" They rushed toward a heap of trash, discovering the remains of people—some disfigured and others nothing more than severed limbs. However, they didn't seem to belong to the three children they were searching for, as the bodies were far too old. However, the trail ended here, the children had been taken somewhere within this area. Rusty's eyes flickered as his enhanced vision scanned the darkened alley. The unsettling stench of death lingered, but there was no time to dwell on it.

The trail was close, and they needed to keep moving. Gleam's antennae twitched, and she moved cautiously toward a nearby building, her antennae sensitive to the lingering scent of the children.

"Here?" Rusty murmured under his breath, nodding toward the building. It was a dilapidated structure, its windows dark and its door hanging loosely on its hinges. He could feel the presence of life inside and multiple people were holders of classes, this would not be easy…