‘…Should I run?’
Ashel was in deep inner conflict, struggling to express the severity of her situation with words.
The two monsters battling right before her were both enemies.
Even if she helped one side defeat the other, those beasts would swing their claws at her, thankful or not!
At least, that’s what Ashel believed.
Of course, Hilde’s true intentions were far from Ashel’s misconceptions, but it was a bit awkward to plead innocence.
Ashel wasn’t a mind reader; she had no way to see through the thoughts of a woman she just met moments ago.
Therefore, she used Hilde’s actions and words as a basis for judgment.
According to that standard, Krimhilde the Eagle Eye was undoubtedly one of the worst of the worst, a vile piece of work.
If put on trial, all the jurors would unanimously sentence her to death. That was how Ashel viewed Krimhilde—no, Hilde.
‘Damn it…’
Naturally, Ashel could only feel like going mad.
The child she had urged to hide safely had ended up caught in the grasp of such a demon!
If she quietly fled now, what would happen? As long as her awakening went unnoticed, she would be able to escape safely.
However, if she irresponsibly ran away like that, what would happen to Ena, left behind?
‘That bitch is the type to drug kids. Selling them to a brothel must seem like a kind act to her.’
Selling her off to Maenades, turning her into a young whore was just scratching the surface.
There were far worse fates, and Ashel knew all too well what those were.
Ever since settling in the slums of the slave city and surviving as a fixer, she had witnessed one horrible sight after another.
Just the thought of the innocent child she cared for facing such a fate made her stomach churn.
Thus, Ashel hesitated, unable to run away.
Staying here to become a victor’s trophy was not the plan, nor was sacrificing a child just to save herself. She waited until another option popped into her head.
‘…Surely not all the organization members are as strong as that one. If that’s the case… maybe there’s a way.’
Ashel, concealed in the fur cloak Hilde had draped over her, stealthily crawled out of the alley.
Once she judged she had put enough distance between herself and Hilde and Lakan, she grasped the cloak tightly and dashed for the slums.
The intense lemon scent mixed with the lingering odor of someone from a group like Krimhilde’s served as her guide.
‘Right. As long as there aren’t more monsters like her, I can ambush and rescue Ena. That should be enough.’
While Krimhilde battled Lakan, she could storm the hiding spot and rescue Ena before she was taken.
That was the third option Ashel had come up with after much thought.
She believed it was the best choice. Or rather, she decided to believe so.
Because she couldn’t even begin to imagine the existence of another monster lurking there, beyond her current perception.
======[ Hilde ]======
‘…I can’t win this.’
It’s true what they say: the knower can’t beat the one who tries, and the one who tries can’t beat the one who enjoys.
“Hahaha! Those eagle-eyed idiots are taking it too far! If I knew there was someone this fun, I should’ve sent them sooner!”
True to the hot-headed nature of the Beastfolk, Lakan let go of all the seriousness of his role as boss and went wild as soon as blood was drawn.
“Is it already your limit? Get up! Come at me! Make things more entertaining for me!”
He had a smile brighter than a soldier stepping out with his discharge papers, unable to contain his glee over both hitting and getting hit.
Even though the sword in his left hand was broken and embedded in his shoulder, and both forearms were covered in nasty red wounds.
“You crazy bastard…!”
“Crazy? You mean me? If you have that much power and aren’t enjoying it, then what does that power even mean?!”
Lakan pulled out the sword embedded in his shoulder like plucking a thorn, and without even checking his injuries, he charged right at me.
Yeah, he had that regeneration, so those injuries probably didn’t matter to him at all, huh? After calling me a troll hybrid, he’s acting more like a troll himself.
With strong physical abilities and regeneration, he fought ruthlessly, relying on instincts and senses.
Aside from speed and size, he didn’t show any major differences; in fact, he fought more like a troll than I did.
“Shut up!”
I blocked the incoming metal shard with my arm and avoided his rush while kicking off the debris scattered around me.
His late swing with the great sword split the wooden pillar I had been leaning against in half, like a lumberjack’s axe swinging triumphantly.
Boom…!
The abandoned house, losing its support, shook as if about to collapse any moment, kicking up clouds of dust.
As I glanced up, I jumped over the broken window frame, and Lakan followed, kicking down the wall and bursting out behind me.
Crash!
Bricks exploded like they were hit by cannon fire, slamming into me and following up with Lakan’s great sword swinging down like lightning.
“This damn thing!”
I raised my sword overhead and blocked it. With a deafening bang, my balance broke, and I crashed to the ground, rolling over.
“Cough…!”
I pushed against the ground to rise and thrust my blade upwards. Lakan’s collarbone was pierced by the sword’s tip as he swung back down at me.
“Kuhaah-!”
His fist smashed into my face as he snarled.
Hah, doesn’t this idiot even feel pain? His collarbone’s broken, and he’s still flinging that arm around.
His counter-attack was so swift that I couldn’t even react.
Wham!
The fist of the beastfolk slammed into the side of my helmet. My head swung sideways, and my field of vision blurred violently.
Shock and pain spread across my skull, and I was knocked aside like a rolling ball—tumbling roughly across the dirt ground.
“Did you let that one slide? Good reaction!”
Lakan either mocked or praised me.
What’s he sayin’? I felt dizzy, and with a ringing in my ears, his voice echoed like a distant mountain’s echo.
Instead of answering, I staggered up, spitting out blood mixed with dirt.
My right cheek throbbed painfully and the ringing in my ears let blood trickle down.
‘Even trying to redirect my body to minimize the impact, it’s this bad…’
If I had tried to hold against it directly, I might have lost all my right teeth—or worse, my head might have been taken off.
The force behind that punch was enough to break bones and tear flesh, able to rip out heads cleanly.
‘Seriously, what a madman…’
Beastfolk have base strength closer to beasts than humans, but even taking that into account, the force he struck with was beyond reason.
Thud, thud.
…Indeed, his left arm couldn’t withstand the recoil of its own strength, and bones poked through the flesh.
If you looked at the wounds alone, Lakan was far worse off than me, despite having dealt the hit.
“…You crazy bastard. Doesn’t that hurt at all?”
“Whining about just a scratch? Like you weak humans?”
Lakan pressed his dislocated collarbone back into place, grinning ear to ear.
“Well, there’s no reason for that. This kind of injury is just a badge of honor for the warriors of Valgart!”
He’d be lucky to get a medal for the amount of times he’s receiving injuries.
“Shut up. You’re a thug selling people off like cattle. What ‘warrior’ nonsense are you spouting? Get a grip!”
I mocked him with a tone full of disdain, briefly removing my helm to wipe the blood streaming down.
My hair, having come loose from its bind, flowed down to my shoulders, and my hand smeared the blood across my right cheek.
“…Hmm?”
Lakan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
It seemed he didn’t recognize me; he was merely taken aback at how different I looked without the helm covering my face.
“You could live off your face alone. Not an Eagle Eye, but maybe affiliated with Maenades?”
“Why, you gonna ask how my mom’s doing?”
So he’s barking nonsense, asking if I belonged to some brothel.
The dude might have strength above the kingdom’s knights, but he was just a thug with some city control.
There was no way he’d remember my face.
Especially as my hair color hadn’t returned to its original shade yet; it’s only natural he wouldn’t recognize me upon seeing me for the first time.
Only those who had dealt with me closely, like heroes or high-ranking nobles, and a few knights from the kingdom would instantly pick me out.
Well, anyone particularly interested in the gossip around town might have some suspicion, but…
“Lakan Krakel! Stop this madness at once!”
…For example, someone like the vigilante guild leader, the child of a retired knight who was straining to keep the city safe.
“Huh…!”
Behind me, at the end of the alley, a young man shouted. I was startled and rushed to put on my helm again.
Among the few powerful figures in the city who could boldly speak to Lakan like that, there was only one young man.
Guild Leader Yuron Frederick.
He stood at the alley’s entrance, accompanied by all of his main subordinates.
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