As Ardur had ordered, the negotiator headed to the Dark Hand Prison first thing in the morning.
It was the right decision on Kreyn’s part to keep Laura alive. If Ardur had known for sure that his eldest daughter was already dead, the full might of the Wurhen Family would have been unleashed on the rebellious prisoners.
It seed that the Wurhen Family would have had to do this either way, but that was the whole point—Laura’s life was worth more to Ardur and any mber of the Wurhen Family than a hundred prisoners.
Of all the rewards and treasures Kreyn had received so far, Laura was his most valuable asset, not as a person but as a hostage.
Crash.
The gates opened as Kreyn stepped outside. Only Daren was with him, as Liam and Azura stayed behind. They had the Veyr Type Catalyst, so it was the best distance to intervene in the fight.
In addition to a dozen guards in gray cloaks, riding forward on a black horse was a woman in a long dark coat, similar to the one Enor wore. It was a distinctive feature of those who held a special place in the hierarchy of the Wurhen Family.
The woman’s short black hair frad her face while her predatory eyes pierced Kreyn, who was striding forward carelessly.
She jumped off her horse and headed forward. The guards prepared for battle, as did the prisoners on the prison walls, but no one would act until their leaders did.
"So, it’s you, the very Kreyn who started the riot?" The woman looked at Kreyn appraisingly. "My na is rina, I represent the Wurhen Family, and I have co here on the orders of Ardur von Wurhen himself!"
"rina? Are you so kind of Enor, the arrogant bastard I beat with a sledgehamr?" Kreyn smirked.
One of the guards drew his sword from its sheath. "Miss rina! This is unacceptable, we must—!"
"Shut up!" She threw out her hand, as if her words had frozen him. "Enor knew what he was getting himself into. He fought and lost, and he has only himself to bla."
After that, rina stared at Kreyn.
"Now, show where Lady Laura is. Do it imdiately!"
"Hmm?" Kreyn raised an eyebrow. "What? Aren’t you even going to offer us so kind of rescue plan? Are you a negotiator or an idiot?"
"Tsk. Don’t try to rile up, worm, you won’t succeed. Just show where you’re holding Lady Laura! Her life is worth more than all of you put together!"
For so, such a comparison would be humiliating, but not for Kreyn.
He smirked insidiously as his eyes narrowed into slits.
"I know, that’s why she’s still alive."
Kreyn stepped forward and—
SLAP!
With all his strength, his palm slamd into rina’s cheek, as her face snapped to the side.
Shock covered the faces of both guards and prisoners. It was unthinkable audacity on Kreyn’s part.
rina?
Well, she was just as shocked as everyone else, feeling the burning trail of his palm on her cheek. She couldn’t rember the last ti she had been so humiliated.
"Look, enough of these gas. Everyone here understands that everything revolves around Laura. As long as she’s with , my people and I will live, and at the sa ti, there’s nothing you can do about it."
In response, rina stroked her cheek and looked at him with quiet, boundless anger.
"What do you want, animal?"
Kreyn yawned widely, seeing no seriousness in their conversation.
"? I want to sleep and eat sothing delicious."
He waved his hand and headed toward the gate.
"Hey! Wait! Where are you going!?" rina exclaid in outrage.
Kreyn glanced at her over his shoulder with his half-asleep gaze.
"Co back tomorrow. Today, you have completely failed. I have no desire to negotiate with you right now. If you want to know if Laura is alive, co up with sothing that might interest instead of empty threats."
rina didn’t have ti to co up with a decent response before the gates closed and the prisoners standing on the walls grabbed bundles of dynamite, preparing for the worst.
For a while, rina just stared at one spot. Her reality had shattered, and she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Moreover, everyone else was in the sa situation.
"Kreyn!" A nacing voice rang out as Groza erged from her hiding place. "What the fuck was that? Do you have any idea how much you risked?"
"Nah, she’s weak, with her mind. You’ll see, she won’t even go back to their mansion because she’s too afraid of Ardur’s wrath."
"But..." Azura bit her lip, even she didn’t understand. "Why did you do that? That slap in the face, you crossed the line. What’s your plan?"
Everyone wanted to know the answer to that question, and Kreyn held up two fingers.
"First, I just won us a whole day. You can be grateful to for that. Second, fuck, I want to sleep!"
Daren, Liam, Groza, and Azura exchanged glances. Oddly enough, they were in the sa situation. If they fought the Wurhen Family while sleepy, they could forget about winning.
"Tsk." Groza kicked a pebble. "Can this guy at least sotis share his plans before he takes action?"
Azura stared at Kreyn’s receding back.
"Well, more often than not, he improvises. I’m sure he slapped her because she started to annoy him; that was only a minor part of the plan."
The others nodded in agreent. Daren and Liam learned a lot about Kreyn during their trip to Boneveil Village.
...
Thus, about eight hours had passed. It wasn’t that long, but Kreyn couldn’t afford any more as his eyes opened on their own. He was in the warden’s office, right in the chair.
When he tried to open the door, he saw sothing behind him.
"Valyra?"
Kreyn raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl with obsidian hair sleeping right there, leaning her back against the door.
"Oh, you’re finally here? Great, you have to see this."
"Hmm?"
"Here." She got up, and soon they were on the roof.
Right in front of the prison gates, several lights, torches, and a bonfire were burning because rina and her people had set up camp right in front of the prison, waiting for the next day.
"Hah, she’s really a coward, right?"
Valyra nodded.
"It seems so. But what are you going to do now? Maybe we should attack them?"
"Nah, we’ll waste ti that way. Rember, ti is our most valuable resource, and I have an idea how we can use it to our advantage in our situation."
Under Valyra’s puzzled gaze, Kreyn turned toward the Worm Mine.
Soon, the next part of his plan would co to light.
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