Chapter 30
The owner looked desperately at the crowd, hoping someone would step in to save him, but no one dared to move, they could only watch in silence. Finally, he looked up at me, his eyes trembling, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped for air.
“I’m going to count to three.’ I said flatly. “If you still don’t talk, I’ll make sure you never use your third leg ever again.”
“One.”
His breathing grew ragged. It looked as if he was weighing his next move.
“Two.”
He lunged for my leg, his voice shaking as he blurted out. “W‑wait— I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything!”
My expression didn’t change as he tried to gather his words, stammering uncontrollably. At last, he opened his mouth, trembling, and let out his confession.
“I‑it was just before your sister Elysia’s shift ended. A group of men barged in and demanded she come with them.”
“...”
“Elysia tried to resist, but they didn’t care. They knocked her out and carried her away…y‑you c‑can’t blame me for not taking actions! They’re the infamous Black Wolf Mercenaries!”
“Where did they take her?”
“I d‑d‑don’t kno— HIEEKK!” he yelped as my sword inched closer to his groin. He fell back, scrambling to put distance between us.
I tightened my grip on Balmung’s hilt. “Then start racking that brain of yours."
“I— I really don’t know. No—wait. I think I remember something. If I r-recall correctly, the Black Wolf Mercenaries have a camp north of here. Your sister might be held there!”
Snot dripped from his nose as he pleaded. Honestly, looking at this pathetic excuse for a human made my stomach turn, still, I had gotten all the answers I wanted.
“Why didn’t you just tell me from the beginning?” I asked, contempt in my voice. “There’s no reason to go through all this trouble.”
“T‑that…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, his eyes unconsciously drifting toward the counter.
I followed his gaze and saw it—a small leather pouch tucked beneath the counter. I walked over, my eyes locked on the pouch. Bending down, I picked it up and checked its contents. Inside were just a handful of gold coins, barely enough to survive a month.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. The tavern owner stiffened, his face growing pale, realizing what I’d found.
“So my sister is only worth five gold coins to you, huh? This much is enough for you to pretend nothing happened?” I said, my gaze dropping dangerously low.
“N-no wait… I can explain!” he faltered, panic lacing his voice.
THWACK
I didn’t want to listen any longer, so I sent a sharp kick to his face. He crumpled, his pupil turning white. I stashed the pouch in the back of my pocket. The crowd made way as I walked toward the exit; everyone held their breath. Once I was gone, they exhaled as one, as if they’d just dodged a disaster.
“Holy fuck— I thought I was going to die. That kid was absolutely terrifying…”
“I can’t believe he actually manhandled Brant and his gang like it was nothing,” one of them muttered, staring at their twitching bodies on the floor.
“They were asking for it—well then, back to drinking.” another said, picking up his mug.
“Aye, cheers to that.”
Once outside, I plunged deeper into the slums, hunting for the place he’d mentioned. My body felt light, but that didn’t stop my heart from pounding against my chest. I ran past the various figures along the way, accidentally shoving a few as I went.
‘Shit, just where is it?!’
I tried asking people, but it didn’t help, either they didn’t know, or they just stared at me like I was some crazy junkie. I kept running mindlessly, hoping to stumble on the place through sheer luck. As I turned a corner, a carriage came barreling straight toward me.
To my own surprise, I leapt over it with relative ease, rolling on the cobblestones to break my fall. The merchant inside peeked his head out and yelled in disdain,
“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING, YOU DAMN FOO—”
I snapped my head back, staring at him with a terrifying expression, and his voice immediately died in his throat.
I didn’t waste another second on that fool. I pushed off and plunged deeper into the maze of alleys, every step driven by one thought: find Elysia.
‘Please be safe. Please be safe. Please be safe.’
My thoughts started to blur together, panic clawing at the edges of my mind. The idea of losing the only family I had left felt like something inside me was snapping.
As I turned a corner, I slammed into someone, and we both crashed to the ground. I rubbed my forehead, wincing from the impact. When I looked up, my eyes met a familiar shock of blond hair, while he, too, was rubbing his head.
“Kaelon?” I sputtered. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Shit! Learn to watch—wait, Caelith?!” Kaelon exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. “I should be asking you that.”
“Doesn’t matter right now!” I snapped out of my daze. “Help me find my sister. She was taken by a group calling themselves the Black Wolf Mercenaries.”
Kaelon froze, shock written all over his face. “Your sister went missing too?!”
“Yes! Stop wasting time right, no—”
“Sorry,” Kaelon cut me off, his expression grim, “I can’t. I have to find my own sister, she’s been missing since this morning.”
He slammed his palm against the wall, knuckles whitening. “That fucking bastard Dorian, I swear on my life I’m killing that wretched dog the moment I see him!”
My mind went blank. Dorian. At that moment, everything started to click into place. I thought he’d back down after getting his ass handed to him, with Kaelon beating him near death. I never expected him to pull this.
Killing intent flared in my eyes; I tried desperately to contain it, but my hands tightened, digging into my skin until it drew blood.
“Where is he.”
Kaelon flinched at the sound of my voice, his gaze dropping to my bleeding palms before snapping back to my face.
“I know what you’re thinking. Trust me, I want to do the same damn thing—but this isn’t the time—”
“Then what?!” I cut him off, my voice cracking with rage. “You expect me to just stand here lost and doing nothing while my sister could be out there, dying?!”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing right now?!” Kaelon roared back. “You think you’re the only one losing someone?! You think I don’t know how that feels?!”
“B‑big brother…?”
Both of us froze, our anger evaporating in an instant as we turned toward the voice. Standing behind was the same little girl who had tried to pickpocket Kaelon a few weeks back, now she was looking at us nervously.
“It’s you… what are you doing out here late at night? It’s not safe,” I said, forcing myself to calm down.
She shook her head quickly. “I-it’s nothing, I just saw the two of you arguing and… overheard a bit of the conversation.”
Her hands fidgeted together, fingers twisting anxiously. “I… I think I know where the men you’re looking for are. I saw them earlier tonight—t-tying someone up and dragging them into a basement.”
Kaelon stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, startling her. “Do you still remember where that is?!”
“Ah! Y-yes, I do!” she squeaked, eyes wide.
She broke free of Kaelon’s grasp and turned around, beckoning us to follow her.
Both of us exchanged a quick glance before following as she led the way down the dimly lit street. Her small figure moved quickly, glancing back every few steps to make sure we were still behind her.
Eventually, we arrived at the place she was talking about—a narrow alleyway tucked between two crumbling brick buildings.
“H-here it is…” she whispered, pointing timidly toward a half-hidden door at the end.
I gently patted her head, forcing a faint smile despite the storm brewing inside me. “You did great. Thank you—really. Now hurry and get out of here, okay?”
‘W-what about you, big brother…?”
I crouched a little to meet her eyes. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine, alright? Now be a good girl and go somewhere safe.”
She hesitated for a moment, clutching the hem of her worn cloak, before nodding and running off into the night.
I watched her small figure fade into the darkness before turning my gaze back to the door, my expression hardening once more.
“So what’s the plan? Do we sneak in or what?” Kaelon asked.
I ignored him and strode to the door.
BAMMM
With one swift kick, I smashed it open. I looked at Kaelon. “This is the plan.”
Elysia stirred, her eyelids fluttering open as her consciousness slowly returned. Her vision slowly started to adjust to the dim light illuminated by the small lantern. She tried to move, but her wrists were bound tightly behind her back, as were her legs. The rough rope bit into her skin. A low groan escaped her lips as she shifted about.
She tried to remember what had happened, but her memories were hazy. The only thing she could clearly recall was being forcefully dragged away by a group of men near the end of her shift—then a sharp pain as something struck the back of her head, knocking her out.
Her vision steadied, and she glanced around the dim, musty room. That’s when she noticed a young girl who looked no older than twelve, lying beside her on the cold stone floor, her wrists bound just like hers.
Soon, the child’s eyelids fluttered open, she looked around in a panic, her breathing quick and uneven as tears welled up in her eyes.
“W-where am I…?” she whimpered, her voice trembling.
Her eyes met Elysia’s. “W-who are you? W-where’s my brother?”
Seeing her like this, Elysia felt a pang of familiarity; she was reminded of her younger brother, Caelith, at that age—timid and always clinging to her whenever something happened. Though, thinking back, he had long grown past that phase and entered his rebellious streak, definitely not as adorable anymore.
“Hey… it’s alright, don’t be scared,” Elysia comforted her, offering a small smile. Truthfully, she was just as nervous about what was happening.
She scooted a little closer. “Hey… what’s your name?”
“Lilith… Lilith Eldritch…” the girl muttered, sniffling
“Lilith, huh… that’s a nice name,” Elysia said softly, her voice trying to sound as gentle and reassuring as possible.
Lilith tried to sit up, finally calming down a bit. “W-what about you, big sister?”
“Me? Well, my name’s Elysia,” she replied, offering another small smile.
Click
The metal door creaked open, and a thug with tanned skin stepped inside. His predatory eyes swept the dimly lit room, lingering on the two figures.
“Who are you?” Elysia asked, trying to sound collected.
His mouth twisted into a sinister smirk. He knelt slowly, and reached a hand toward her face, letting his fingers brush against her cheek in a cold, almost intimate caress.
“That doesn’t matter,” he said, gripping her face firmly. “All you need to know is that both of you are going to become someone else's property.”
Lilith suddenly starts to scream, struggling desperately against her bindings, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“N-no, I don’t wanna go! I want my dad!”
A flash of annoyance crossed his face. He released Elysia’s cheek and stalked toward Lilith, yanking her hair sharply.
“You’re too noisy, you little bitch.”
Elysia lunged forward, trying to reach Lilith, but the ropes binding her legs cut further into her skin and pulled her off balance. She tumbled forward, scraping against the cold stone floor, her voice rising in panic.
“S-stop! Don’t hurt her! If you’re going to do it, do it to me!” she shouted
At her words, the thug released Lily's hair and turned his gaze toward Elysia. His eyes roamed over her body with a growing sense of desire. He licked his lips
“The boss said not to touch you,” he murmured, his voice soft but dripping with menace. “But he’s not here, and I doubt he’ll ever know.”
Before Elysia could respond, the thug grabbed her and dragged her to the corner of the room. He pushed her down as he got on top of her. Elysia struggled, but the ropes held her tight. Her pulse raced as his hands tore at her outer clothes.
RIPPPPP
Lilith screamed, her voice cracking with terror. She could only watch as the thug started assaulting Elysia.
A low whistle escaped his lips. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding… this,” he muttered, eyes scanning her with desire.
Elysia shut her eyes, tears starting to spill as dread closed in. She can feel his hands roaming her body, but then—a sudden crash echoed from outside, followed by desperate shrieks. The man cursed under his breath, his grip loosening as he rose to his feet.
“What the hell are you idiots doing out there?” he snapped, stalking toward the entrance.
He barely reached the doorway before a body came hurtling past him, slamming into the far wall with a sickening thud. He stiffened, staring in disbelief as blood streaked down the wall where the body had landed.
A calm yet razor-edged voice cut through the silence.
“You seem to be having fun.”
The thug’s breath hitched. He turned back toward the entrance. Two figures stood framed by the dim light. One was holding a blood-soaked sword that dripped steadily onto the stone floor. The other’s fist crackled with sparks of increasing intensity.
A chill ran down his spine. The first thought that came to his mind was that he was staring into death itself. The air in the room grew suffocating, thick with killing intent.
“Tell me,” the boy with the sword said in a low, deadly tone. “What was it you were going to do to my sister?”
