17. Shortly after Necromancer Ian was kidnapped by Regina
Shortly after Necromancer Ian was kidnapped by Regina.
Behena's camp was thrown into utter chaos by the furious Bella and Cheong-ah.
"What the fuck? What do you mean my husband's been kidnapped?"
"......Explain yourself. Right now."
The two women exuded contrasting auras—one scorching hot, the other icy cold—radiating thick killing intent all around. Their dense malice poured down on the knight responsible for guarding the fortress gates.
It was the kind of murderous pressure that promised to rip him apart on the spot if he didn't answer properly. The knight trembled violently, his eyes darting wildly.
"Th-that's......"
His gaze landed on his liege, Behena, who looked at him apologetically, offering a troubled smile that said she couldn't help him no matter where he looked.
"Hey, asshole. I'm telling you to explain, so why the hell are you looking at Behena?"
Bella growled, reaching out with her left arm—now a stump again after Ian's ability wore off—to grab the knight by the collar. That's when Dina, reverted to her child body by the curse of immortality, blocked Bella's hand and stopped her.
"Beast, cease this. 'Tis this body's fault."
"What? What the hell does that mean?"
"Dina, what are you talking about?"
Bella raised an eyebrow. Even Cheong-ah's face, which had been filled with cold killing intent moments ago, now showed bewilderment.
Under their stares, Dina slumped her shoulders like a wilted flower.
"This body shall explain, so harm not the innocent."
Her forlorn expression was so pitiful that even Bella, who usually bickered with Dina like mortal enemies, quietly waited for her to speak......
"Goddamn it, so you're saying it's your fault right now? Where'd that brat go who was bragging, 'This body is stronger than you all!' and telling us to trust only her?"
She didn't yield, naturally snarking at Dina as if it were obvious. Dina wilted even more, her eyes welling up with tears.
"......Forgive me. This body has no words, even with ten mouths."
Was it excessive guilt? Though she stood straight, Dina seemed as small as if she'd knelt down. Ignoring that, Bella kept frowning at her and pressed on.
"Bullshit. Save the pointless guilt and explain properly. How the hell did Ian get kidnapped?"
"Very well. Thus it was."
Dina launched straight into the explanation. It wasn't long.
Zombie hordes had suddenly poured out from the sewers. But they weren't ordinary undead—these were zombies crafted by a necromancer through some vile ritual. That reminded her of past betrayers, sending her into a rage. She hadn't spared a thought for Ian, smashing the zombies and charging to the end of the sewers to catch the summoner who unleashed them......
"So my lord husband was taken during that."
"......Aye."
Having finished, Dina drooped further, the memory clearly resurfacing.
If this body hadn't acted the fool. No matter how many zombies swarmed, this body should have stayed by Yeonja's side......
Bella clicked her tongue at Dina's regret-filled face, plopping a hand on her head with a thwack.
"Tch. What, so it was unavoidable, huh, brat? Here I thought you'd straight-up handed Ian over right in front of us."
"Nay, had this body not let her guard down, Yeonja would be......"
Dina shook her head, but Bella and Cheong-ah shot back, denying her words.
"Enough with the 'guard down' crap. We probably would've done the same in that spot. And if we're splitting blame, it's not just on you—it's on us too."
"Exactly. We didn't need to head to the front lines anyway, but we did."
"We should've seen something like this coming, fuck. No wonder that count bastard's soldiers were running like cowards without even fighting today......"
Bella sighed deeply. Her mind flashed to Karlson, tortured while captured by the count. Imagining Ian suffering the same made her head burn hot.
But that was exactly why she needed to stay calm. Bella knew that better than anyone. Her earlier irritation stemmed from ignorance of the situation—frustration at the unknown. Now that she understood, venting wouldn't solve anything.
"What's done is done. We find a solution. The priority now...... Even if we don't know what that damn count bastard might do to Ian, stopping it comes first."
The lingering frustration and rage coiled in her chest like a knot—she could vent it elsewhere later.
"Sorry for snapping, brat. I lost it for a second there."
"Mm, nay. 'Tis fine. This body would've punched thee in the face first in thy shoes, beast."
"God, you crazy little shit."
Cheong-ah, too. From the moment she heard Dina's explanation, she'd been calmly sorting her thoughts. What was kidnapped was kidnapped. They had to rescue Ian unharmed, no matter what. She hated the idea of her husband, already growing numb to constant pain, enduring more suffering.
"First, we stop those bastards from doing anything to my lord husband."
"Aye? Hast thou a method?"
"Hmm, storming in and wrecking the place isn't an option......"
"Hold up. What if they hold a knife to Ian's throat and threaten us?"
"Wouldn't we just snap?"
"Yeah, I'd lose it too."
"But if they actually kill Yeonja in the process......"
"Dina, don't say such ominous things."
"Forgive me."
As the three women exchanged ideas, Behena, who had been watching cautiously from the corner, timidly raised her hand.
"Um, excuse me......"
"Yeah? What is it, Behena? Something up?"
"No, well, you said we need to protect Ian-ssi first, right? So maybe we start with negotiations?"
"Negotiations?"
"Yes. What you're all worried about is Ian-ssi being tortured or harmed by my uncle's side, right?"
"Mm, true. Hast thou a good plan?"
"Yes. Through negotiations, we make them agree not to torture or harm Ian-ssi as a condition......"
Before Behena could finish, Bella cut in.
"Oh, that's a solid idea. We concede a bit in negotiations to ensure they can't touch Ian. Nice. Plus, we can pretend to negotiate, buy time, and scout for a rescue angle."
"Ah, yes. Then we'll send someone to propose talks with my uncle's side......"
"Do it quick!"
"......Yes."
Behena, interrupted again by Dina. As Bella and Dina bantered on, Cheong-ah apologized to Behena.
"Sorry, Behena-ssi. We're all just desperate over my lord husband."
"No, I get it. When Karlson-ssi was captured, I was the same."
"Karlson-ssi? Oh my......"
"Ah, no! Not like that."
"Oh dear, I didn't say anything~?"
Cheong-ah giggled delicately, covering her mouth with a finger. Behena's face flushed red as she quickly changed the subject.
"A-anyway, Cheong-ah-ssi, why do you keep your eyes closed like that?"
"Hehe, actually, I'm blind by nature. You heard from Bella, right? My lord husband's ability. I'm one of the beneficiaries. He gave me light."
"Ah...... So, right now...... you can't see?"
"That's right~?"
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"Bother me? I've lived like this my whole life. It's familiar, actually~?"
Meanwhile, Bella and Dina, geared up to leave, called for Cheong-ah.
"Hey, Ju Cheong-ah. Time to prep."
"Make haste!"
"Got it. Coming."
Cheong-ah replied to them, then turned to Behena.
"We'll leave the time-buying negotiations to you. We'll handle the rescue."
"......Yes, leave it to me."
"Thanks."
With that, Cheong-ah stood and headed out of the tent with the others......
"Hey, wrong way, Ju Cheong-ah. Entrance is this side, dummy."
"Kh-hm...... It's been a while since I went blind, so I got confused."
By the time I woke from unconsciousness again, most of the restraints holding me were gone. Regina had realized I had no mana and untied the ropes binding my whole body, along with the other bonds.
Regrettably, my arms were still shackled with handcuffs and leg irons. Still, regaining some freedom of movement felt pretty comfortable.
But now I was in another supremely awkward situation.
"Here."
Regina held a spoon to my lips. I took the bite and said awkwardly,
"Look, I can feed myself at this point."
It had been about a day since I passed out and woke up. Soon after regaining my senses, my stomach growled loudly. Regina jumped in surprise, dashed out of the room in a panic, and returned with a plate.
It was filled with steaming tomato stew that smelled surprisingly appetizing.
......I hate hot tomatoes, though.
Still, hunger was the best sauce—it went down easier than expected. If only it weren't for Regina feeding me.
Being spoon-fed by my kidnapper felt really weird. Since the cuffs bound my hands in front rather than behind, I insisted I could eat myself, but Regina firmly shook her head, determined to do it herself.
A man pushing thirty, treated like a baby—I made a troubled face, but......
Then a girl's voice piped up from beside me.
"Once Regina-unnie gets stubborn, she's firm about it. Better just let her."
"Huh? You......"
Looking over, there was a beastkin girl. She looked even younger than Dina—around six or seven, maybe.
"I'm Jubi. Same black panther beastkin as Regina-unnie. Nice to meet you."
Her self-introduction and greeting felt off somehow. Her eyes were unfocused, her movements stiff—giving an uncanny valley vibe. Like a puppet being manipulated by strings.