The Laughing Swordsman

Talon pushed open a dark brown door. The door itself was regal, glistening with a faint luster as well as clearly establishing this room was special compared to the others. He stepped inside while making several clanking sounds. 

This was because Talon was still in his iron armor, making him look rather generic. Although it was clear from his short stature that he was a young teenager, he stood tall and proudly.

Talon had the aura of a matured and refined gentleman, unlike the sarcastic teenager he was now. Instead of a pair of scissors, a standard iron sword was sheathed on his belt.

Talon had a heavy aura around him, but the moment he stepped into the room, it was overshadowed.

Oddryl was sitting at a luxurious desk inlaid with a few fancy gold patterns. He had his elbows on the table and hands clasped in front of his face.

Talon gave the room a quick glance. There was hardly anything inside. A single potted plant remained in the right corner of the room, next to Oddryl. In the left corner, was a small bookshelf with books containing various combat techniques.

The room itself was rectangular. From Talon's left to right, was the width.

From Talon to Oddryl, was the length. However, the length of this room was greatly exaggerated, nearly making it look like a hallway.

Except for the few things around Oddryl, the rest of the room was empty. Since the walls were white, it further contributed to this effect. It was almost like someone stretched the room out, warping the appearance of what would've been a perfectly normal interior.

There were two empty seats opposite to Oddryl. They were made out of dark brown wood and had a soft luster. The seats were similar to Oddryl's own, except it had a smaller backrest and slightly lower elevation.

  Talon had noticed this before and knew this was a man that cared about the difference in status. If Talon did not clearly match this in his expression, Oddryl would make him know it.

Thankfully, there was no need for that as Talon had caught on to this detail before.

Oddryl lightly tapped the table with his finger.

"Come now. You have come a long way in such a short while. Although you are not fully suitable for your role considering your strength, your potential overshadows that."

Talon gave a small bow.

"Yes, sir."

He walked across the room, which was more of a hallway than anything. The light clanking sounds of his armor was the only sound that echoed within the room.

Talon felt the pressure bear down on him, but he reached the chair before he knew it. Talon sat down slowly and kept his hand on his knees.

"Hello, sir."

Oddryl nodded with a small smile.

"Haha, there is no need to be so formal. From today, you will be joining my rank. You should pat yourself on the back."

Although Oddryl said those words, Talon did not dare drop his formality. He nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

Oddryl chuckled.

"Anyways, your duties will change as one of the giants. From now on, you will be called upon should the empire face an unrivaled adversary. As for your previous patrol schedule, discard it."

Talon nodded like he was an automated reply you get from an email.

"Yes, sir."

Oddryl rubbed his chin with a bit of amusement.

"As a side note, would you like to work for me as my assistant? I will increase your allocated resources."

Talon gave a small bow, as much as he could within such a small chair.

"That would be my honor, sir."

Oddryl raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't even ask about how much you would receive?"

Talon was silent for a moment.

"...Those trivial matters are secondary, sir."

Oddryl laughed.

"Well, my first order is you drop the sir. It's getting annoying."

Talon nodded.

"My apologies."

Oddryl clicked his tongue.

"I can still hear the sir afterwards even when you don't say it."

Talon remained silent. Oddryl stared at him for a few moments and decided he might as well stop fooling around.

"Anyways, now that you have joined the ranks of the giants, there are some things you should know, even if you are at the lowest rung."

Talon took note of the fact Oddryl subtly tried to remind him of his inferiority compared to the rest. He did not show it, however.

Oddryl sighed.

"Now, we will be talking about the empire's research. That is where all the boys and girls go."

Talon couldn't help but raise his head a little. After all, this was his goal in the first place.

Oddryl tapped the table with his finger.

"Keep in mind only the giants and a few select people are allowed to know of this. If you see any townsfolk learn of this information, kill them on sight. As for the few select people, you will get to know them soon."

Talon solemnly nodded.

"Understood."

Oddryl smirked confidently.

"Back on topic, the empire has found a method by which we can harvest the genes of a demon and transplant them to a human. A successful transplant means the person in question gets a massive boost to their physical strength and regenerative capabilities."

Talon's pupils shook, but that didn't show from below his helmet.

Oddryl continued.

"There are only two small caveats. We have yet to find a way to negate its side effects, especially so on one's sanity. On top of that, successful transplants are very difficult to achieve."

Talon remained eerily still. He was slowly realizing how this had a connection to the other children.

Oddryl raised a finger in the air.

"But, we are working on ways to slowly overcome these two obstacles. We found that by stitching together the limbs of a boy to the torso of a girl, the success rate increases several times over."

Talon's eyelid twitched.

Oddryl smiled uncannily.

"And so, that is what the missing children are used for."