Walking up to them, Leonard said a few words.
"My money."
From the way he spoke, it sounded as if the trio owed him money. This sentence angered them, but thinking of what they'll do to him, they calmed themselves down. Robert took out ten one-hundred-pound bills and handed them to Leonard; the two hesitantly followed suit and handed Leonard one thousand each.
'Now I know something's wrong.'
The fact that the trio didn't complain, come up with excuses, or try to extend the period in which they should pay the money was a big red flag. Leonard gladly took the money and put it in his pockets. He didn't bother counting them; once he put them in his pockets, he smiled at the trio and spoke.
"I'll expect my next payment by next week." As he said this, he walked closer to Robert and extended his arm, his palm gesturing for a handshake.
Robert angrily accepted the handshake. He was still cautious due to the beating he had once received at Leonard's hands. Thinking of how much Leonard had put him through, his plans for killing him intensified. Once Leonard shook his hand, he went to the next one; just like Robert, they shook each other's hands.
He then went to the next one. While shaking Leonard's hand, he noticed that Leonard's grip was strong. At the next moment, Leonard pulled him. The man wasn't expecting this pull; he moved to where Leonard pulled him. Robert watched all this unfold, but he still didn't know how it happened. Looking at the man Leonard had pulled in, his chest had a diagonal line which blood seeped from like a fountain. The slash wasn't that deep, but it still leaked a huge amount of blood.
Before Robert could properly react, Leonard had rushed him. In his right hand was a small knife which had blood on it. Despite being caught off guard, Robert was soon able to react to the situation and move a few steps back, but Leonard shifted his focus to the man on his left. Unlike Robert, he didn't react fast enough, and soon a knife had mercilessly slashed his right leg.
"Urgg..." He let out a pained groan, his eyes widening as he saw his own red blood leak out. Like a knife slashing through butter, Leonard slashed his chest and kicked his legs, knocking him to the ground. Once he fell, he felt an extreme wave of pain; he had been slashed in two areas. He let out pained sounds while tightly grabbing his wounds. A distance away, the other man was in a similar situation, but he wasn't on the floor; he was only kneeling on one knee. However, before he knew it, a leg ruthlessly kicked his head as if it were a ball. Once his head was kicked, he fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the man on the ground tried to stand and run, but it was too late. He felt a hard object kick his leg, then all he saw was darkness.
Watching this happen, Robert was tongue-tied.
"Why?" he muttered. He couldn't understand Leonard's sudden outburst; after all, they had paid him on time and acted obediently. They didn't show any reason for Leonard to do this to them.
'Does he know about our plan to kill him?' Robert had a thought but soon abandoned it. They had only recently discussed the matter of killing Leonard; there wasn't enough time for it to spread if there wasn't a snitch among them. Leonard's actions, no matter how he looked at it, were illogical—unless he wanted to kill them in the name of justice. But such people only existed in stories. Robert couldn't believe that Leonard was such a person.
'Has he truly gone mad?'
Leonard was just watching Robert. He was able to knock the other two unconscious because he caught them by surprise, but Robert was now aware of Leonard's plans. As expected, at the next moment, Robert removed a short knife and pointed it at Leonard. When it came to matters of experience in fighting, Leonard was sure the man had more than him, and in a fight, experience was a core factor. Leonard knew this and didn't try to charge recklessly; his body was still aching.
He started to walk towards Robert slowly. He was walking in a circle; he walked slowly, like how an animal would stalk its prey. His eyes were fixed on Robert. Robert didn't stand still; he was also walking, his eyes locked on Leonard. The last time he had fought with Leonard, he was utterly beaten. This wasn't due to his lack of skill, but because he was drunk and was caught unexpected. Today, he was completely sober and aware of his situation.
Leonard was aware of this. At the next moment, he opened his mouth and shouted:
"You can come now!"
Hearing this, Robert's caution increased. He turned his head slightly but didn't move it all the way. Leonard's shout increased his wariness; he was now looking at Leonard and his surroundings. The park wasn't full, neither was it empty. The people around avoided the area they were in and watched from a distance.
'Shit.'
Robert noticed six people approach the area he was in. He was able to recognize some of them; they were four women and two men. All of them were people who either Robert or the two unconscious men had wronged. All six of them were holding a weapon of some sort. Robert wasn't dumb; once he saw his situation turn sour, he considered running, but he threw this thought away. Running in his situation would be worse; he would be entirely exposed to attacks from the back.
"Tell me, what do you want?" Robert shouted. In his situation, he could only talk things out.
"I want to uphold justice," Leonard said in a righteous tone.
"..."
Robert was shocked at Leonard's answer. He expected Leonard to demand something like money, but Leonard didn't. Instead, he said he wanted to uphold justice.
"Drop your weapon and report yourself to the Feathers," Robert heard Leonard say. Once he heard this, he understood Leonard's actions.
'He's reported us to the Feathers.'