章 73: Chapter 238 - Hostage Situation
The half-blood giant gazed silently at the pouring rain.
As she wiped herself off and sat by the window, watching the rain pour down, the words of a man named Enkrid came to her mind.
"Tomorrow as well?"
Not today, but tomorrow; not the present, but the future.
Was it alright to live with such thoughts?
Was there really no issue with it?
Such questions swirled inside her.
As a member of the Church of the Abysmal Sanctuary and a follower of the Cult, her purpose was clear.
"Hey."
And so, she had to waver at the words of the man in front of her. Though her heart didn't budge, she had to agree, forced as it were.
Jevikal, leaning against the doorframe of her room, spoke.
"I've never been interested in a duel. Didn't you feel the same?"
Jevikal was quick-witted and had a good memory. The half-blood giant was familiar with him, meaning he knew her identity. That was why he made the proposal.
The Cult wasn't an organization that revered physical power, and since she had come this far, it was clear she had a purpose.
"Let's kill them. That's the way, isn't it?"
She knew that was the way. But still, her head didn't move easily. She couldn't speak. Yet, knowing this was what she had to do, she nodded in agreement.
"To survive, you must endure, and to survive, you must kill."
The teachings of the Cult were still vivid in her mind. Until she died, she would remain a devoted member of the Cult, a warrior of the Abysmal Sanctuary.
She acted according to those teachings, agreeing to Jevikal's plan.
"I have a plan."
Jevikal stepped closer, his breath reeking of decay. The words that followed carried the same foul stench.
And so, it began.
Jevikal wandered near the city gates and called out to a soldier.
"Hey, friend!"
"Hmm?"
The rain fell heavily, making even the oil-soaked cloaks look ineffective. The surroundings were dim, and the visibility was naturally limited.
Even with a torch under the roof, the darkness made it hard to see.
Bell, standing under the light, looked to the source of the call.
It was a face he recognized.
What was his name again? He thought, but realized he hadn't even asked for his name when he entered the territory.
One thing was clear, though: he was a guest of Enkrid. He stayed at the inn and was a sparring partner, a duel opponent.
He was also someone Marcus had warned him to keep an eye on.
"What's going on?"
Jevikal grinned. That grin was unsettling, but Bell said nothing.
"Do you have some time?"
The filthy grin persisted.
Bell was on patrol duty and clearly had no time.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Just as she was about to respond...
Crack!
A sudden sound made her whip her head around. A large warrior appeared behind her.
A half-blood giant warrior.
Bell recognized her as well. He had seen him multiple times during Enkrid's duels.
At that moment, she saw the cold, hardened face of the female warrior.
Just as he was about to shout out about the ambush or surprise attack, he felt a cold blade against her throat.
The speed was beyond her ability to react.
"Shh."
Bell's awareness faded. Something hit the back of his head, and when he regained consciousness, his hands and feet were tightly bound.
His entire body was soaked, and he wasn't alone.
"Lord in the heavens."
A prayer sounded from right beside her.
It was a middle-aged woman muttering with tears streaming down her face. She was a colleague's mother, a vendor who sold dried meat.
There were a few more familiar faces in the room.
"Vanessa?"
"Damn, are you finally awake?"
The coarse-voiced innkeeper was there too. Her tone was still rough, but her eyes were trembling, fear showing through.
Bell scanned her surroundings again. His vision was blurry, but he could still make out the faces.
Looking around, she realized that, including herself, dozens of people were all bound.
And then...
"If you resist, we'll kill one of you at a time."
The voice, coming from some distance away, made Bell realize she was in some sort of cabin.
A few familiar things caught Bell's eye.
An old leather sunshade, some decaying leather sheets with a pungent smell, and a fireplace that hadn't been used in years, now dead and cold.
This wasn't inside the manor but a secluded hunter's cabin outside the castle gates. In other words, a forgotten hut.
What was happening here?
The familiar faces, all bound, were trapped in the hunter's cabin.
Sunlight filtered in through the window. Bell, still lying on his side, tensed his abdominal muscles.
"Whoop!"
He straightened up and looked through the window.
There, just before he lost consciousness, he saw the back of the man she had recognized.
'That bastard?'
His head still throbbed. As he woke, he felt something sticky on the side of his face and realized he must have bled a little.
He wasn't dead, but his skull was cracked.
Behind the man, a vague figure appeared, but it was unclear.
However, the voice was unmistakable.
"Then, you're going to die too."
It was Enkrid's voice.
Bell quickly understood the situation.
It was a hostage crisis.
But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder: would it even matter?
It was a world where people killed and were killed.
In such a world, would Enkrid really die for these people, even if there were dozens of them?
It seemed utterly impossible.
Yet, why was he still in this situation?
Questions continued to swirl in Bell's mind.
He would have to keep watching to understand how things unfolded.
Jevikal's tactics were neither extraordinary nor particularly brilliant.
They were simple and annoying at best.
"I told you, I'll kill them all."
Since his first day at Border Guard, Jevikal had been observing everything around him.
He had watched, learned, and discovered a few things.
First:
"Damn? They put a watcher on me?"
He realized there was someone keeping an eye on him. This was thanks to Krais, who had reported to the higher-ups on the first day.
Because of that, Marcus had placed a watch on him.
Jevikal was displeased by this.
Though the surveillance was one thing...
What he had learned next was that Enkrid seemed to be surprisingly close to the people around him.
But if Jevikal were to take those people hostage and demand Enkrid's life, the response would likely be one of indifference.
For hostages to be effective, they had to be valuable to the target.
"Not family, not lovers."
And they weren't even his hidden children.
Just people he knew. That was all.
"I'm not asking for something grand. Just that you bite one of them, and leave yourself here."
That was it. Jevikal was offering terms he thought Enkrid would accept.
Honestly, Jevikal believed that if the half-blood giant woman fought alongside him, they could kill Enkrid.
But what was the problem?
'Those bastards?'
The ones laughing behind him, the guy fondling his axe, the bear-like man who looked like he was twice Jevikal's size, and the quiet one who could strike with a knife at any given moment.
"Especially you, don't disappear. If I don't see you, I'll kill this woman first."
Jevikal was holding a woman, a resident who made marmalade. A knife was pressed tightly against her neck.
A drop of blood dripped down.
Enkrid didn't remember her name, but Krais did.
"If you touch Juri's fingers, you won't die easily."
Krais spoke seriously, which was rare for him.
She was the one who made excellent marmalade, so her fingers were crucial.
Juri, pale as death, couldn't utter a word. She was stiff, like wax, being dragged around by Zibical's brutish hands.
Watching this, Enkrid didn't show impatience. This only made Jevikal grin wider.
'That bastard's eyes are so damn annoying.'
If things went as planned, he'd gouge those eyes out first.
"Is what I'm saying difficult? It's not, right? If you're unsure... well, then the story changes."
Still crude provocation. Jevikal's terms were simple.
Everyone else leave. Leave only Enkrid behind.
Then what?
"Then, you just have to defeat both of us in turn, and it's over."
If Enkrid could do that, he would let the hostages go. Though it was clearly nonsense, it wasn't asking him to die or even cut off a limb.
But Jevikal would kill someone if Enkrid didn't comply. That made the situation more ambiguous.
Couldn't he even accept such simple conditions?
'That's probably what he's counting on.'
Coldly considered, it was an absurd demand. He was asking Enkrid to fight both of them after everyone left.
What if both of them tried to kill him at once?
'Then, would I be able to handle the aftermath?'
If he were seriously injured? Even if he retreated, people like Rem wouldn't just stand by.
They would chase him down immediately. Did he have another way?
Having survived by using his wits for so long, Enkrid could read Jevikal's intentions. Not just that, he sensed something more beyond it.
His instincts spoke to him.
'There's something else hidden, aside from this escape plan.'
Next to Jevikal stood the half-blood giant, armored and wielding a sword and shield, staring vacantly.
Handling that one warrior alone had been impossible. No, it had been impossible back then.
Before, that is, before meeting the shepherd Pell.
'But now... maybe.'
He felt indifferent, calm. His eyes mirrored the same.
Jevikal's smile grew wider as he met Enkrid's gaze.
It had been a detestable smile from the beginning.
However, he kept his distance, wanting to gauge Enkrid's hidden abilities. Enkrid thought this was his responsibility.
Just as he was about to respond, a loud voice interrupted.
"Damn it!"
A booming voice from behind.
It came from inside the abandoned cabin. Bell's shout rang out.
If he keeps that up, he's going to die first, Enkrid thought with mild concern.
Everything happening was because of him, and it was all faces he knew.
This wasn't a battlefield, but if they got stabbed and died here, it would be troubling.
He wished they would just be quiet for a bit.
Jevikal's face now looked less like a smile and more like a distorted mask.
Doesn't his face hurt from grinning like that?
"Heh heh, you're an annoying one. Why don't we talk it out? The scriptures say to turn back when a person is on the wrong path. So, look behind you."
Jevikal spoke cryptically and gestured as if to turn their attention. Jaxon subtly lifted his left foot. Rem let hisleft hand hang, while Ragna just yawned, observing.
"Stop spouting nonsense."
Enkrid made his decision. It didn't seem like it would cost him his life.
"You all go back, wash up, and rest."
"Ugh, are you doing it alone?"
"I think I can manage."
He had said this often before. If he had said this in the past, Rem would have sarcastically retorted.
Would he go die alone, he would ask.
But now?
After the sparring session right before coming here...
'Ugh.'
Rem swallowed his words. It was different now. He was no longer someone easily underestimated. On top of that, he had learned even a fragment of 'Will'.
He was now qualified to join the only knight order in the kingdom, the Red Cloak Knights.
Though, of course, to actually join the order, he would have to meet various conditions.
He had even received a proposal to join, despite not fully understanding what it meant.
"So?"
Enkrid nodded toward Jevikal, whose eyes were nearly hidden by his twisted expression.
He pushed everyone back, making sure they were out of sight, far enough that they wouldn't be able to see him anymore.
Jevikal had not let go of his hostage the whole time.
If it weren't for Juri, the woman in his arms, Enkrid would have made a move long ago.
Even now, Jevikal was hiding a knife, ready to strike.
He was prepared to use the technique called the "Carbon Blade."
If he threw it now, Jevikal would use the hostage as a shield.
'Should I kill him with my own hands and rush to help Bell?'
Killing the hostage might be a way to defeat the enemy, but it was also a sacrifice. It would solve things quickly but would lead to the death of an innocent.
Though Enkrid wouldn't feel much guilt for a death caused by his own actions, he wasn't one to just sit by and watch when something could still be stopped.
Cling.
"I never swore to protect the Border Guard people, but they are from my land."
Enkrid drew his sword as he spoke.
"I can't just leave it at that."
The sky had cleared after the rain. Beneath the bright blue, Enkrid stood, sword in hand.
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