Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Throwing a Tempting Bait (6)
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"Ugh……."
I grabbed the thug clutching his smashed nose and kicked him in the stomach.
"Gah!"
After he collapsed to the floor, I mounted him and clamped my hand over his mouth. Gripping one of his shoulders,
Crack!
I wrenched the shoulder bone completely out of its socket.
"—!"
He let out an inhuman screech that no one could understand. His body thrashed wildly beneath my palm.
"Right-handed, right?"
I grinned as I asked, but he could only gurgle incoherently, unable to speak.
"Alright, let's go."
I hauled him to his feet by his completely limp right shoulder.
"—! —!"
His body convulsed wildly from pain beyond imagination.
His mind must be too dazed to even speak right now. Having your shoulder dislocated while fully conscious is excruciating.
"Lead the way."
When I shoved his shoulder, tears streamed down his face as his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Hurry up."
As I kept pushing, he realized that moving hurt less than staying still and began to walk.
'Finally escaping this shithole.'
I let out a sigh of relief as I slowly approached the house.
'It'd be so much easier to just barge in and wipe them out.'
I regretted not being able to use that method.
If a fight broke out, they might grab Elice or the others as hostages.
Hostages are what the disadvantaged take against the strong, after all.
'In truth, I wouldn't care if those guys got hurt.'
But if any died, it'd mean a long detour. Better to keep their limbs intact if possible.
Besides, I was the one who threatened others, not the one who got threatened.
Drip.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the sharp scent of wet grass hit me. At the same time, something damp plopped onto my head.
"It's raining."
Rumble—
With the sound of the sky splitting open, raindrops began pouring down heavily.
The weather was on my side. The fierce rain and thunder would cover a lot.
"Shall we?"
A cold smile spread across my lips as I headed toward the cabin.
❖ ❖ ❖
"Arghhh!"
A pained scream tore through the air. It climbed over the wall and clearly rang in my ears.
"Hoo……."
Elice squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to scream like a madwoman, to bash her head against the floor. Violent emotions like those were heating up inside her.
"Just spit it out already."
A young man's relentless voice prodded William.
"……I don't know."
William's voice was hoarse and cracked. But it was firmly laced with unyielding resolve.
"Hah."
The man snorted, sensing it too.
"Again."
His cold command followed.
"Arghhh!"
William's groan, which seemed like it would never end, started anew.
Elice didn't know exactly what was happening in that room beyond the wall. Or rather, she didn't want to know.
But she could clearly feel how much agony William was in.
She also knew these men had seated her and Dexter right in front of the wall so they could hear his groans perfectly.
Crunch.
Elice bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.
'Stay calm.'
If she lost control and lashed out, all of William's suffering in there would be for nothing.
He was claiming to be the guild master and stubbornly insisting he knew nothing—all to protect her.
The moment the guild master spilled any info, they couldn't guarantee the lives of his subordinates.
Elice swallowed the hot lump rising in her throat and turned to the side.
"……Dexter."
Dexter's face was so swollen it was hard to recognize. His bruised eyes and blood-caked cheeks were horrific.
He had resisted the most fiercely against the unknown men trying to grab and drag Elice away.
Charging at five of them alone meant his body couldn't possibly be unscathed. He was quickly thrown down, trampled, and beaten all over.
"Yeah."
Dexter replied in a slurred voice.
To avoid provoking the men watching them, he kept his volume as low as possible.
"Why?"
"……Nothing."
Elice shook her head.
Seeing Dexter's battered face made her own state—merely grabbed by the hair—feel utterly pathetic.
This heart-wrenching pain wasn't from physical hurt.
It was from helplessness, from being unable to do anything and failing to protect her people.
'Why the hell…….'
She couldn't make sense of it.
The one who had dragged them here was Ethan Crawford, a high-ranking executive in a key position at the Mare Guild.
A man trusted by Rowell for his quick actions and ruthless hand.
'Why would he come after our guild?'
Vendetta Guild hadn't done anything to upset the Mare Guild. They had planned to, but not yet.
'A young man with black hair and black eyes?'
Such a ridiculous pretext. Dragging them off like this over some guy she'd never even seen.
She wanted to negotiate, but there was no chance to coordinate with her guild members. She couldn't even tell if revealing herself as the real guild master was the right call.
Escaping on their own from here seemed impossible. Three sentries outside, and five men inside watching them.
Only one hope remained.
'I hope Jack's safe.'
Please, let him have met the master and delivered the message properly.
'Please…….'
Elice chewed the inside of her mouth until it bled. It was the only way to quell her anxiety.
"Argh……!"
Meanwhile, the torture of William continued.
Grit.
Elice ground her teeth, suppressing her emotions. If she got out of here, she vowed not to let that Ethan guy off easy.
Drip, drip.
To make matters worse, rain streaks spread across the dark glass window.
"What? It's raining."
"Heh, the guys on sentry outside are gonna suffer."
"It's our turn in a few hours anyway."
"Yeah."
The men guarding the two chatted leisurely. Elice glanced at them before looking out the window.
'Master…….'
On this dark night with pouring rain, could Abel really come rescue her?
Elice's face grew darker.
That was when it happened.
Knock knock.
A clear knocking sound pierced through the heavy rain.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The men doing their tasks jumped up in surprise, exchanging puzzled looks.
"Knocking? The guys outside?"
"Since when do they care about manners……."
One man grumbled as he approached the door.
"What's up?"
No reply came from outside.
Knock knock.
Instead, the knocking resumed. The wooden door's vibrations carried an eerie chill.
"What?"
The man at the door lifted a lantern from nearby and held it to the window.
"Tch, can't see."
The darkness outside made it impossible; it only reflected his own face inside.
Same even after setting the lantern down. With the rain, visibility was zero.
Knock knock.
The knocking sounded again. The suspicious sequence made the other men stare at the door too.
One man furrowed his brow.
"Hey, this feels kinda……."
Before he could say it gave him the creeps,
"Probably just the guys outside. Open it quick."
Another brushed it off casually.
"Hmm."
The man at the door tilted his head, then turned the knob.
Creak—
The door opened, and
Whoosh!
The rain surged in louder, filling the house.
"Huh?"
The man peered out, puzzled.
Drip, drip.
One of the sentries stood there clutching one arm. Water dripped from his soaked collar onto the floor.
"What?"
Even to the man's question, he remained silent, head bowed, utterly still.
"No, what the……."
Bewildered, the man raised the lantern. The moment it illuminated the sentry,
"—!"
His eyes widened in shock.
The sentry was already dead. His body was shriveled and twisted, blackened skin slick with moisture.
"Wh-what the……."
He couldn't finish. The body tilted unsteadily—right toward him.
"Ugh!"
He flailed back in panic. In doing so, he missed whoever had been hiding behind the corpse lunging out.
Thwack!
Someone struck the man's hand.
Clang!
The lantern hit the floor and was stomped out.
Fizzle!
One of the room's two light sources vanished abruptly.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
As one side of the room plunged into darkness, the men whipped their heads around.
But by the time their eyes reached the door, the man standing there had already entered.
Whoosh!
Even the candle on the desk went out.
The room was instantly swallowed in pitch black. Not even your nose in front of you was visible.
"What happened!"
"Who put out the light!"
"I can't see!"
The men jumped up in alarm.
Clink. Clank.
The sound of them habitually grabbing nearby weapons rang out in succession.
Elice panicked at the sudden change.
'What just happened?'
She glanced sideways but couldn't make out Dexter.
Only his slightly ragged breathing reached her. Proof he was tensed up just like her.
Rumble—
Outside the tense, silent room, only thunder rolled heavily.
"Stay calm! First, everyone……."
The moment someone spoke,
"Gurk!"
A grotesque gurgle shut his mouth.
"Gyaaah!"
A chilling scream came from right beside. The voice sounded utterly shocked, as if witnessing the previous victim's end.
"Gurk……."
Even that cut off quickly. Ending with the agonizing sound of breath rattling out.
Gulp.
Elice swallowed silently, unable to make a sound. Having killed before, she knew.
'Instant kill.'
No more groans from them. Not even pained convulsions.
This intruder had taken two lives in seconds, terrifyingly fast.
'Pierced the heart in one go? Or slit the throat?'
And he moved silently and swiftly. Unfazed by the darkness.
Not just night vision—it was like he could see everything perfectly.
Rumble—flash!
Lightning flashed outside. In that brief illumination, Elice finally glimpsed the intruder.
"Gah!"
Charging at someone faster than the lightning.
"Grrrk……."
The attacked man let out a horrific noise. Agony so intense it twisted the listener's guts.
"You bastard!"
Another man, having pinpointed the location, lunged at him.
Slash!
His sword whistled through empty air and struck the floorboards. The intruder was already gone.
Thud.
The attacked man's body hit the floor. No convulsions followed, just like the others.
Three of five down in mere seconds. The situation was the same, but the remaining two reacted differently.
"What the……."
One froze in shock,
"We have to tell Ethan!"
The other turned toward the inner room.
Thud thud.
Even in poor visibility, he dashed toward the room relying on memory.
"E……."
The moment he opened his mouth,
Flash!
The next lightning lit the room bright. The running man halted dead in his tracks.
"Hic!"
The intruder stood right in front of him.
"Where you going?"
It was a bizarre voice, echoing like from the depths of a deep cave.