"Lord Willias," Reynold called suddenly.
"I am aware," Willias replied with a calm smile, though his posture subtly shifted. He was ready.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
The air itself seed to ripple darkly.
They were coming.
The Demons.
The air warped violently about thirty ters ahead of them. In an instant, four figures erged from the distortion.
A dull thud accompanied the arrival of the first two—a boy and a girl, both with black bags covering their heads and their hands restrained behind them by anti-mana cuffs.
Behind them stood two others, the presud culprits behind the forest ambush. Clad in black leather armor, their faces were obscured by featureless black masks. One lingered slightly behind, silent and observing, while the apparent leader stood at the forefront. Though his hood concealed his hair, the gleaming red of his eyes were clearly visible
"Cattleya!" Sina gasped, as she recognized her daughter, even through the obscuring bag. She moved to rush forward, but her husband's grip restrained her.
"Wise choice, woman," the leader, Jas sneered with his altered voice. He leveled a short sword against Cattleya's neck. "I was just about ready to slice your daughter's pretty little head off right before your eyes."
"You bastard! If you so much as touch her, I'll kill you!" Sina erupted in rage.
The man tilted his head mockingly. "Oh, but that's the thing, Starlight woman. I've technically already touched her."
Sina froze, her face draining of color. "W—What…" She stamred, her body swaying as though the ground beneath her was giving way.
"Hmphf!"
A muffled cry tore through their talks, emanating from the girl beneath the hood.
Jas sighed. "I told ya to stay quiet, Cattleya Starlight." With a swift motion, he removed the hood, revealing her face. Her flushed cheeks burned with anger, her eyes flashing indignantly as she struggled against the tape sealing her mouth.
A collective sigh of relief ca from Isabel, the grandmother, who had been holding her breath.
"I trust you haven't hard her," Reynold asked coldly.
Jas shrugged nonchalantly, before narrowing his eyes. "Hard her? Of course not. I take good care of my rchandise." He gestured lazily at the restrained girl. "Now, enough theatrics. Show the Coins."
"Before we proceed, I want to see my nephew's face," Patrick Cromwell asked.
"Of course," Jas replied smoothly, a faint smile playing on his lips. He removed the bag covering the boy's head, revealing Leon Cromwell's disoriented face.
"Hmf?" Leon seed confused as his eyes darted around.
"Leon?" Patrick's gaze narrowed slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Hm!" Leon replied with his sealed mouth.
Besides him, Cattleya's eyes widened a bit. She recognized Leon as one of her classmates. Confusion etched her face—when the hell had he been taken hostage? She had never seen him in the abandoned mansion before.
"As agreed, ten Holy Coins for Cattleya Starlight and three Holy Coins for Leon Cromwell. Now, show my booty."
Reynold stepped forward, holding a pristine box adorned with beautiful carvings. With a flick of his wrist, he opened the lid, and the room seed to glow as the contents reflected the faint light. Inside, ten Holy Coins glead with a brilliance that made Jas's breath hitch. These coins, larger and more lustrous than Platinum Coins, deserved their revered title of 'Holy.'
Beside him, Patrick produced a smaller, equally ornate box. Within it lay three Holy Coins, their radiance no less captivating.
Jas's lips curled into a sly grin, but his tone turned cold. "My associate here will verify their authenticity. I'd advise you not to make any sudden moves… unless you'd like to see this pretty face…" His finger trailed lightly across Cattleya's cheek. "...blown away."
Cattleya stiffened but refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction though truthfully she had given him enough reactions in the past hours.
"T–They are real Holy Coins!" Sina shouted angrily.
Jas's grin widened montarily before fading into a stare "For your sake, I hope that's true. Bringing counterfeit coins along a Priest of the Holy Church would be the pinnacle of idiocy," he said, his words tinged with disgust as he cast a glance at Willias.
Sina flinched a bit.
As expected Jas noticed Willias was a Priest. Who wouldn't since Willias didn't even, bother changing clothes.
From Jas' back, Gin stepped forward. First, he approached Reynold, taking the box with the ten coins. Then he turned to Patrick, collecting the smaller box. His expression remained unreadable until his gaze fell on Willias. A flicker of disdain crossed Gin's face, his mocking eyes boring into the man.
Willias clenched his staff, his knuckles whitening. His fury was barely contained.
'This filthy demon!'
Gin ignored the glare and turned away, carrying the boxes to Jas. Carefully, he opened them and slipped on a pair of gloves. One by one, he inspected the coins, holding each up to the blazing sunlight. The golden glint reflected brightly, srizing those watching.
The examination lasted only a minute before Gin closed the boxes and handed them to Jas.
"Everything is real," Gin confird.
"I'll see for myself," Jas said, passing his sword to Gin before kneeling on one knee to examine the boxes.
As he opened them, the shine of the Holy Coins lit up his crimson eyes, which narrowed in euphoric delight.
"Beautiful. Wonderful!"
Cattleya, standing nearby, looked down at him with a grimace.
"Hmf! Hmpf!" She muttered under her breath, turning her gaze away in disdain.
Jas's sharp ears caught her words. He laughed loudly, closing the boxes and tucking them away in his storage space.
"Pathetic? Need a mirror, Cattleya Starlight?" He asked raising to his to his feet.
Cattleya's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to understand her quiet insult.
Ignoring her reaction, Jas turned his focus to Reynold and the others.
"Now release them," Isabel, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.
Jas nodded. "I am a man of my word." He gestured to Gin, who stepped forward to carry out the order.
Gin first unfastened the cuffs around Leon's wrists, then removed the tape covering his mouth.
"U-Uncle! Thank God you ca!" Leon cried, tears streaming down his face as he ran into Patrick Cromwell's arms.
Patrick stiffened for a mont at the sudden embrace but quickly composed himself, his expression softening into a gentle smile.
"It's alright. Everything is over, nephew," Patrick said, patting Leon's head reassuringly.
"My daughter now," Reynold asked.
Jas fell silent, his response chillingly delayed.
The silence made Sina only more anxious.
Finally, Jas spoke. "You know, I said I am a man of my word." He turned toward Gin, his red eyes glinting dangerously. "What did you state in the ransom ssage?"
"Ten Holy Coins for Cattleya Starlight and three Holy Coins for Leon Cromwell…" Gin replied not understanding where Jas was going.
"That was all?" Jas asked.
Gin hesitated briefly before nodding in understanding. "No. I also instructed them to co alone." His gaze flicked to Willias, lingering pointedly.
Jas's eyes darkened. "Alone. Yeah. I accepted the grandmother, but I never asked for a bastard of the Church to accompany her, did I?"
"We only brought her as a precautionary asure; we don't need him! Everything can be resolved now!" Sina interjected sharply, her voice carrying a mix of urgency and defiance.
"Aye, maybe so," Jas replied, his voice taking on a mocking lilt as he retrieved the sword from Gin's grasp. "But here's the rub, woman: when it cos to gold and deals, I'm as rigid as a ship's mast in a storm. There'll be no leeway for trickeries"
"Please…" Isabel pleaded, her voice trembling as her eyes darted to Jas, who was now closing the distance between himself and Cattleya.
Cattleya's breath hitched for a mont.
Was he really going to kill her?
Jas moved behind her, the short sword glinting ominously in his hand.
Then…
-Thud!
The sharp clang of tal hitting the ground rang. The cuffs binding Cattleya's wrists snapped open, falling to the floor.
For a mont, hope flared in her chest. She turned instinctively, ready to rush toward her mother, but Jas was faster. In one swift motion, he seized her arm and pulled her back against him. His arm encircled her neck, not tight enough to harm but firm enough to leave no room for resistance.
He leaned in close, his breath grazing her ear as he whispered.
"Listen close, lass," he murmured, his tone changing suddenly more familiar one. "I've got my eyes set on a Relic of Seraphiel. Fetch it for , Cattleya Starlight, or I swear you'd regret forever."
Cattleya nodded her head averting her gaze in annoyance. She had no choice but to play along. She would have to betray her mother to fulfill this twisted bargain.
Even as she signaled her compliance, Jas did not release her though.
"Release her! We gave you the Holy Coins!" Sina shouted her voice breaking a bit. She looked ready to leap into action.
"Holy Coins, aye," Jas sneered, tipping his head up. "But ye see, woman, there's still a debt to be paid. The insult of sharing this peaceful exchange of goods with that ugly ass face of his." His eyes flicked to the priest. "I want his head. On a pike."
"What?" Reynold's voice was barely more than a breath, disbelief etched across his features.
"Are you deaf my friend? Or do I need to spell it out?" Jas asked. "I want the priest's head. Bring it here, or I swear your daughter will be feeding the sharks."
Reviews
All reviews (0)