Soft footsteps echoed from a distance.
“As I thought, the Salvatore kid wasn’t snooping around alone. Then who might the other rat be?”
Yuri realized what he was trying to do while he was hidden from her view.
‘Is he going to look inside Damon’s head?’
It seems she was right because soon after, an even lower voice trickled into Kalian and Yuri’s ears like sand.
“…Kalian Crawford?”
Instantly, Kalian flinched.
Yuri noticed a sharp light flash through his eyes.
“I see…first, we get a Salvatore then a Crawford follows. Two precious guests have found their way here.”
His voice carried a bit of laughter as if he found the current situation quite interesting.
Since one of the baggage occupying his arm was gone—Damon, that is—Kalian’s free hand squeezed his sword a little harder.
Kalian couldn’t help but think hard about his options. He didn’t know if he should get eliminate the enemy and save Damon or take Yuri and get out of this place first.
Yuri was also pondering her options while slung over Kalian’s shoulder. Although the alchemy-made shackles made it impossible for her to use her power, her physical ability was still greater than a normal person.
So even though it would be too much to have her deal with the fake Lakis and everyone else, there was no need for her to be protected by Kalian like this and carried as a piece of luggage.
It’s just, she had been pretending to be an ordinary woman who was kidnapped by bad guys in front of Kalian and Damon because she didn’t want to be suspected of being a heretic…
But with the way things were now, she wondered if she should keep acting like a weak woman.
“It would be nice if you step out before I come get you. I’m not interested in hunting rats, you see.”
The man’s soft voice echoed in her ears again.
“Mr. Kalian…”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Yuri.”
Just as Yuri opened her mouth to speak, Kalian interrupted her and spoke first. He carried Yuri and quietly moved to somewhere more obscure and hidden. Then he placed her down on the floor and looked into her eyes.
“Hide here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait…”
After making that promise, Kalian quickly dashed away.
Boom! Booom!
Immediately after, her ears were blasted with earth-shaking noises. Predictably, she couldn’t understand exactly what was going on since she couldn’t see anything, but it seemed like Kalian and the fake Lakis were engaging in a fierce battle.
‘I was going to say we should evade them and find a way to get out of here together but…he left without even listening.’
Yuri frowned and clicked her tongue under her breath.
Clang-Clang-Clang!
She wasn’t sure if they were planning on completely destroying the building, but the waves of destruction were enough to make all the walls tremble.
She didn’t know how strong ‘fake Lakis’ was and she doubted Kalian could really deal with him and come back soon like he promised. On top of that, the fact that Kalian was facing off against a guy with Lakis’ face honestly bothered her. That said, she couldn’t change what had already happened.
Flap!
“Arachne!”
And in the midst of the commotion, Odin flew to Yuri.
“Here, I stole it from Lakis Avalon’s pocket while they were fighting just now!”
The thing he was carrying on his beak was another key. But unlike the other keys he had brought so far, this key had an unusual appearance.
It had a gem similar to the one on the shackles and seeing this, a light flashed in Yuri’s eyes.
Click.
As the key fitted into the hole like she expected, the shackles on Yuri’s wrist and ankles came loose.
Yuri stretched her tingling wrists and ankles then she let her powers loose.
Shatter!
The shackles that fell to the floor were engulfed by dense threads and smashed to pieces.
“Let’s go, Odin.”
Yuri stepped over it without so much as a pause.
“I’ve mapped the way! I’ll guide you!”
Odin flew ahead in the narrow hallway and Yuri followed close after him.
Boom!
Judging by the continuous chain sounds, Kalian and fake-Lakis were still embroiled in an intense battle.
Yuri glanced behind her to where the noise was coming from. But she didn’t go to help Kalian or slow down out of hesitation. Although it was somewhat heartless, Yuri decided to secure hers and Odin’s safety first.
Right now, they could barely handle themselves so they couldn’t afford to take care of someone else. Of course, if the person over there was Anne-Marie or Hestia, her decision might change…
Although part of the story’s development was a little different from the novel, Kalian was still the male lead who was the strongest man in the world. So she was sure he wouldn’t be defeated by such a fake villain.
Just the fact that the two of them entered this building in vastly different ways should tell of their difference in skills; Yuri was kidnapped here while Kalian walked in here with his own two feet.
Of course, Yuri had let down her guard at the time, but we’ll put that aside for now.
Either way, if she went over there to help just like that, it was likely she would just become a hostage again. Naturally, Yuri refused to become such a nuisance of a character.
Of course, according to what she heard earlier, Damon was also kidnapped and brought in here…well, Kalian would save him. Honestly, if Genos-her favorite character-was the one there instead of Damon, Yuri would have been slightly more worried than this.
After tossing away the callous thought that would have made Damon shocked if he knew, Yuri ran after Odin.
“Intruders are…Hk!”
Swish! Bang-Bang!
As they ran to the exit, Yuri used her power to get rid of everyone they encountered.
“This way, Arachne…!”
Her merciless threads tossed people around in all directions, capturing them like moths in a spider-web or wrapping them in white from head to toe like a silkworm before it emerges from the cocoon.
Boom!
Right then, the wall on the right was smashed open without any warning, and sharp threads cut across Yuri’s vision like a meteor shower.
Bam! Shwick!
“Argh…!”
Odin, who was flying ahead, was impaled.
“Odin!”
Slash!
Yuri quickly used her power to cut off the white threads that were skewering Odin’s body. Then she shot out a thread to wrap around Odin and pull him closer.
Another spider web, exactly like Yuri’s, shot out again from beyond the broken wall.
The exit was just right in front.
Fwoosh!
Yuri carried Odin and shot out her threads in all directions. Dense and solid white threads poured out into the empty space and filled the building, obscuring people’s sight.
To the side was a glimpse of fake Lakis with his face covered in blood but Yuri quickly escaped without looking back.
* * *
Yuri successfully escaped from the building where she was imprisoned. Right now, she wasn’t even thinking about what happened to Kalian who was fighting with the fake Lakis.
She had filled the building with solid spider webs, trapping their feet before she left, so there was no one chasing after them.
Still, just in case, she moved a little further away before loosening the threads wrapped around Odin. At that, the blood which had accumulated streamed from the wound.
Her heart sank at that moment.
“Odin.”
Calling Odin woke him up but he only spasmed a little, not showing any other reaction.
Odin’s condition was obviously bad. It looked like there were a dozen holes in his small crow body. Blood was constantly leaking from his injuries so Yuri tried to stop the bleeding with her threads for now.
But strangely enough, Odin’s body didn’t show any sign of recovery. If he was just a normal person, he would have already taken his last breath so the fact that he was still breathing could be called a miracle.
Yuri considered using her power to suture his veins directly like she did for Lakis. However, his body as a crow was too small so it was impossible.
For now, Yuri wrapped him cozily in her threads so that his body temperature wouldn’t drop any further.
Then she hurriedly set out.
* * *
At dawn, Anne-Marie rubbed her eyes as she went to open the door to get the newspaper which was usually delivered by now. Her little sister, Hestia, was still deep in dreamland.
When she opened the door, she was greeted with the slightly chilly early morning air.
Anne-Marie glanced at the door of the house next-door while thinking about what she should make for breakfast today.
Yuri’s house was quiet today as well.
A dark cloud fell over Anne-Marie’s face. Soon, Anne-Marie looked away from the neighboring door and bent down to pick up the newspaper on the floor. Just as she did so, something suddenly fell from the roof.
“Hk!”
Anne-Marie was startled and reflexively looked up. But she couldn’t help but be more surprised when she saw the person in her sight.
“M-Ms. Yuri?”
Yuri, who was covered in blood, spoke to Anne-Marie’s whose eyes were wide open:
“Ms. Anne-Marie, please help me.”
Translator’s Corner:
*Sometimes, I wish we could do away with all these sound effects. Long live the author.
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