Chapter 122

The hulking body, a testament to years of grueling training, rolled helplessly across the dirt ground. Ted, the captain of the Black Mane mercenaries, coughed up a cloud of dust, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His solar plexus, a raw, throbbing bruise, throbbed with such pain that he could barely breathe. The overwhelming force of the blow had likely cracked a few ribs.

Beside Ted, Jacob lay sprawled, his chest heaving with labored breaths.

“Who… huh… huh… is that monster…?” he gasped.

As the thick snow swirled around them, the creature that had beaten them to a pulp stood tall, a shadow cast over the fallen mercenaries. Draped in a billowing black cloak, he appeared as if he had risen from the depths of the underworld. His chillingly bright blue eyes, a stark contrast to his handsome features, pierced through the minds of those who dared to meet his gaze. His eyes, scanning the fallen mercenaries, held a cold, calculating indifference, as if they were mere insects beneath his feet.

Behind a donkey, its neck bleeding profusely, a young girl named Luisa, trembling with terror, crawled into the snow.

“My lord,” she stammered, her voice trembling, “Please forgive me. I didn’t know. I saw a wanted poster and thought she was a criminal…”

The Black Mane mercenaries, their pockets heavy with coin from a recent assignment and their heads buzzing from too much ale, were loitering near the harbor, their eyes scanning the horizon for their next target. They had just parted ways with their client, a wealthy woman, when Luisa, who had vanished earlier, returned, beaming, a pouch of coins clutched tightly to her chest.

“Geez, you guys really have no sense for these things,” she exclaimed, her voice barely audible over the crashing waves. “How could you be so blind to people’s true colors? Today’s my treat with this reward money.”

“What?! A reward?! What did you snitch about to make the higher-ups shell out so much?” Ted demanded, his voice thick with disbelief.

“That woman we brought along,” Luisa replied, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I only described what she looked like, but the captain of the guards was thrilled! Come to think of it, she was odd from the start. I mean, a beauty like her living in a backwater like Koseratie? No way. She had to be a noble on the run.”

It was those careless words, spoken too loudly in the bustling harbor, that set off a chain of events that would lead to disaster. Before Luisa could take a single step, a cold, heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder, eliciting a terrified scream.

As she turned, her heart pounded in her chest, the blood running cold in her veins. The man who stood before her was a chillingly beautiful figure, dressed entirely in black. His eyes, cold and calculating, seemed to bore into her soul, as if he had crawled up from the depths of hell itself.

“You got a reward, did you?”

“Who the hell are you?!” Ted roared, his anger fueled by the alcohol coursing through his veins. He swung a drunken fist at the intruder, a spark that would ignite a brutal and one-sided fight.

Before Ted’s fist could connect, it was caught mid-air. A sickening snap echoed through the harbor as his wrist twisted unnaturally.

“Aaaagh!” Ted cried out in pain, his face contorted in agony.

“What the hell, man?! Why are you doing this?!”

The remaining mercenaries, their eyes wide with fear, drew their swords and charged. But their efforts were futile. The man, with a single, powerful hand, sent them sprawling into the snow, their weapons clattering to the ground.

In a matter of seconds, the harbor was transformed into a scene of carnage. The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing mingled with the screams of terrified onlookers. Blood stained the snow, creating a macabre tableau.

“Continue,” the man demanded, his voice cold and unfeeling. He pressed his boot against Ted’s broken wrist, his icy demeanor sending chills down Luisa’s spine. His expression was devoid of emotion, but Luisa could sense the simmering rage beneath the surface.

Somehow, she knew this was all connected to the “pretty lady” she had handed over to the authorities.

“When I reported it to the captain of the guard, one of the higher-ups came running immediately,” Luisa stammered, her voice trembling. “I—I just took the reward money and left. I don’t know where she went after that, I swear…”

The man knelt down, his eyes boring into Luisa’s. He leaned in close, his breath warm against her face. His rough fingers traced a path along her jawline before tightening into a vice-like grip.

“Did you see her face?” he questioned.

“P-Please spare me, sir, I beg you!” Luisa pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

“I asked if you saw her face,” the man repeated, his voice cold and menacing. “If you want to live, you’d better answer my questions truthfully.”

“I-I saw it! But only for a moment!” Luisa gasped, her voice barely audible.

“And them?” The man gestured with his eyes toward the unconscious mercenaries. A group of knights in shining armor appeared from nowhere, dragging the men away.

Luisa shook her head frantically, her sobs growing louder. “No! The captain and the others didn’t see! I was the only one. She always kept her face hidden, but when the wind blew, I caught a glimpse. That’s the truth…”

“Did you speak with her?”

“Just for a moment!” Luisa replied, her voice a breathless whisper. “She said she was heading to Norella to see a doctor!”

The girl, trembling with fear, hurriedly spilled everything. “She had terrible morning sickness… so I thought she might be pregnant. She could hardly eat, and she looked pale and sick. I assumed she was visiting a renowned doctor for the baby.”

The man’s grip on Luisa’s jaw faltered slightly. After a brief pause, he spoke again, his voice laced with a hint of surprise.

“…Did she seem unwell?”

Luisa nodded fervently, noticing the faint cracks spreading in his icy eyes.

“Normally, it only takes about a week by carriage from Koseratie to Norella, but because of her condition, we had to take it slow,” she explained. “The weather didn’t help, either. There was another woman traveling with her, trying to take care of her, but she didn’t seem very comfortable…”

The man released Luisa with a slight shove, his fingers leaving a painful mark on her jaw. He covered his eyes with a large hand, a string of low curses escaping his lips.

“And what else?” he demanded, his voice barely a whisper.

“Huh, w-what?” Luisa stammered, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Did she say anything else? About her family, or where she was heading after Norella… or anything about her husband?”

“She did! She talked about her husband!” Luisa blurted out. The man raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue. Luisa frantically spilled her words.

“I don’t know the details, but she said she would never see him again. When Ted asked if her husband had passed away, she said yes. He even apologized, saying he hadn’t realized she was a widow!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Luisa realized she had made a grave mistake. The man, who had been biting his lip in discomfort, suddenly furrowed his brow, his expression darkening.

“A widow?” Rezette asked, disbelief etched into his features.

“Y-yes…” Luisa replied, her voice trembling.

Behind the man, a few knights audibly gasped. An unsettling silence hung in the air, broken only by the howling wind.

Eventually, the man’s lips twisted slowly, unmistakably, into a cruel grin. In a harsh, guttural voice, he muttered, “What nonsense is this?”

Luisa, shrinking back in fear, heard a soft, chilling laugh above her. She had clearly struck a nerve. The laughter was sporadic, interrupted by pauses that oozed with a barely contained rage, bordering on madness.

“To pretend I’m already dead? Ah… haha, what on earth are you thinking, Elise?”

Rezette, after a long, half-mad laugh, wiped his face from his eyes to his forehead. As the fierce wind blew his hair back, his expression, now fully visible, was one of cold, furious determination.

“This won’t do… not like this,” he said, his voice trailing off ominously.

Ruben, who had been anxiously watching, quickly intervened, realizing they were on the brink of something dangerous. If this continued, there would be corpses littering the streets.

“We searched the area thoroughly, but she’s nowhere to be found. It seems she’s already found a place to hide. Shall we comb through the local inns and taverns?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Rezette replied, his voice firm.

If the captain of the guard had reported to someone directly, the first place that news would have reached was obvious: the Duke of Irrien’s mansion, the seat of power in Norella.

The old Duke wasn’t one to act so swiftly, meaning it was likely the daughter’s doing.

“Twice, I’ve brought her back from the brink of death, and yet it still wasn’t enough for you, Irrien,” Rezette muttered under his breath as he rose. His shadow withdrew, casting a chilling darkness over Luisa, who trembled and backed away hastily. The icy blue eyes that had once pinned her down seemed to erase her presence entirely.

“What should we do with them?” Ruben asked, his voice low and cautious.

“Dump them outside the gates,” Rezette replied, his tone cold and dismissive.

“In this weather? If we leave them in such a remote area, they’ll freeze to death quickly… Ah, understood. As you command,” Ruben said, sensing the dangerous air around his lord.

Rezette gave a cold glance at the mercenaries, now being dragged away like sacks of grain. If they had seen Elise’s face, he would have gouged their eyes out right then and there. And if he weren’t about to go to her himself, he probably would have done just that.

The blood that had soaked his right hand darkened and scattered into the wind, carried away by a gust. Even in that moment, he found himself thinking he didn’t want to hold her with the same hands he had just killed with. A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

The more lenient I am, the bolder you become, Elise, he thought.

Widow? Who said anyone had died?

Rezette turned and began walking back the way he came, his footsteps echoing in the desolate landscape. At long last, she was close. His runaway wife, who had spun lie after lie, had no more paths left to escape. Not in this land. Not anywhere.