Ch.71Crimson Flame (2)

The fox is helplessly led along.

Something was wrong with her body.

Her head was dizzy, her legs were staggering, and her eyes couldn’t even focus.

It seemed she had been injected with sleeping drugs.

This was a method commonly used when transporting fierce slaves.

‘Damn it.’

A drug potent enough to knock out even bear beastmen in one go.

No wonder her consciousness was precarious.

Irene forced her eyes open as they kept trying to close, struggling not to lose consciousness.

A new scene appeared in her swaying vision.

“……”

What came into view were rows of iron bars.

It was a prison for containing slaves.

Despite being inside a ship, the scale was by no means small.

It seemed an entire deck was being used, with what looked like hundreds of slaves packed tightly in cages.

The fox quickly turned her thoughts.

‘There’s no time.’

This was no time to be sluggish.

If the ship set sail like this, everything would become irreversible.

No one would be able to find the girl.

‘Maybe… it’s already sailed.’

That would be the most desperate scenario.

She had no idea how much time had passed since she lost consciousness, but she could only pray it hadn’t been long.

In the end, this was her only chance to escape.

Especially since the hunting dog was away at the moment.

‘It’s worth a try.’

The guards on either side of her seemed careless.

They appeared to trust the effects of the sleeping drug.

Even if she were caught while escaping, they wouldn’t kill her due to the businessman’s orders.

It would probably end with just a few blows, nothing that would leave visible marks.

If that was the only risk, it was a gamble worth taking.

“Hoo…”

She exhaled calmly.

Focusing on her senses.

Despite her blurry vision from the terrible headache, this was the moment to shake it off.

Irene shoved one of the guards beside her.

Thwack-!

“Ugh…?!”

Crash-!

As one fell down, the other grabbed his sword and rushed at her.

She knew it was just for intimidation.

That’s why she didn’t back down.

She aggressively thrust her body forward, aiming for the opponent’s weak spot.

Confusion pooled in the guard’s eyes.

‘Got him.’

A sword that couldn’t be drawn was nothing but handcuffs binding one’s own hands.

He wouldn’t have the courage to disobey orders.

“Damn it…!”

The guard dropped his sword in frustration.

He tried to throw a punch belatedly, but he couldn’t be faster than the fox who had already closed in.

Her swift kick struck his solar plexus.

“Kuhak!”

The guard let out a groan before staggering and collapsing.

A clean hit.

The girl immediately started running.

In her hand was the sword the guard had dropped.

With a few slices, she cut the ropes binding her body.

“Damn it! The merchandise is escaping!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

Several guards were chasing from behind.

With their sharp cries at her back, Irene pounded the ground with all her might.

Searching for an exit that must be somewhere.

***

Meanwhile.

The hunting dog in the reception room belatedly received the news.

It was about the fox they had captured just hours ago, who was now causing a disturbance after evading the guards.

Suppressing his rising anger, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“These idiots… can’t even properly manage one weakened fox?”

The hunting dog bit his lip tightly.

It didn’t make sense.

He had definitely administered the sleeping drug, so how could she be moving around consciously?

It was a drug potent enough to instantly subdue even the notoriously fierce bear beastmen.

Any normal beastman should have remained unconscious for at least half a day.

‘Tsk… did I let my guard down because of this assumption?’

The hunting dog clicked his tongue lightly.

As he sighed as if dealing with a headache, suddenly a voice came from across the room.

It was the “guest” he was scheduled to meet today.

“Are you having some trouble?”

“Mind your own business.”

“You don’t look pleased.”

“It’s our problem. Even if we’re allies, you should know when to step in and when not to.”

“I see. If I’ve caused any displeasure, I apologize.”

The guest bowed politely.

A neatly worn suit, glasses with a clean design, well-groomed green hair.

He was a young man with an impressively tidy appearance.

“Still, I believe this is something I should be involved in.”

“What?”

“We formed an alliance, didn’t we? Besides, most of the goods on this ship were ordered by my lord, as I understand.”

“So what?”

“Any disturbance on this ship gives us sufficient right to be involved.”

“……”

His formal and articulate rebuttals.

He was truly an annoying four-eyes.

After glaring at the guest for a while, the hunting dog eventually stood up as if giving in.

He was going to catch the escaped fox.

“I’ll be away for a bit.”

“Are you going to handle the problem you mentioned earlier?”

“What if I am?”

“I’ll join you. Let me help if there’s anything I can do.”

“I clearly told you to mind your own… Ah, fine. Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

The two slowly left the reception room.

As they walked rather leisurely, the guest beside him asked curiously.

“Aren’t you being too relaxed? It seemed like an urgent matter.”

“It’s fine.”

The hunting dog answered with an annoyed expression.

“She can’t escape anyway.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“The underlings will corner her in one direction, and we’ll just go there, rough her up a bit, and capture her.”

“Is it okay to manhandle her? I heard she’s a premium item.”

“I don’t give a fuck. If I get scolded, so be it. As long as we don’t kill her, it should be fine.”

“I respect that.”

The two exchanged light conversation.

For a while, only the sound of steady footsteps echoed in the dark corridor.

***

Irene ran.

She crossed wide spaces, sprinted through long corridors, and leaped over staircases standing here and there.

She didn’t look back.

She just pounded the ground with all her might.

Though she felt like she might collapse due to her hazy consciousness, she forced her staggering legs to move correctly.

One misstep would end everything.

“Haa, haa…!”

She exhaled roughly.

Moving her body while under the influence of sleeping drugs required tremendous mental strength.

Irene clung to her consciousness that kept trying to slip away.

“There she is!”

“Damn it! Don’t let her get out!”

It wasn’t just about running.

Guards kept blocking her path.

Whenever her way was blocked, Irene had to change direction or raise her sword to cut down the opponent in front of her.

It was the desperate progress of a fugitive.

“Damn it…!”

The ship was as large as several passenger ships combined.

The spacious layout allowed her to change direction here and there, but she couldn’t avoid direct confrontation every time.

Collisions were inevitable.

“Damn it! Of all days, it had to be today when we’re short on security…!”

“Stop talking nonsense and follow her!”

“She’s coming this way! Block the stairs on the other side!”

Two guards appeared from an alley.

The stairs on the other side were already blocked.

It seemed she would have to break through this time.

Irene calmly raised her sword.

She steadied her shaky posture.

In a situation where she couldn’t afford to slow down.

Instead of her usual heavy strikes, she prepared for lighter, consecutive attacks.

Following the swift flow, the tip of her sword flashed.

Clang!

The first light clash.

Without panicking, the girl deflected the sword and spun around to cut down her opponent.

A tingling sensation spread through her fingertips as she felt flesh being cut.

Slash-!

Though somewhat shallow, she didn’t need to take lives.

For Irene right now, “escape” was more important than “victory.”

“You little…!”

The fox’s movements were too fast to see.

By the time the startled guard reacted, her blade had already reached the man’s arm.

A thrust delivered without hesitation.

Squelch-!

“Arrrgh!!”

The guard screamed with the sword embedded in his arm.

It seemed to be firmly lodged.

The girl released the hilt without hesitation.

Instead, she picked up the sword the man had dropped and continued her sprint.

Her hands were covered in sticky blood.

“Huff, ugh…!”

This chase had already lasted 30 minutes.

Perhaps because she was overexerting her already exhausted body, her stamina was depleting faster than expected.

The one fortunate thing was that she was very close to the exit.

If she remembered correctly.

The ship’s exit was located on the top deck.

Though the memory was vague due to its brevity, there was a clearly visible outdoor space, which she would definitely encounter if she crossed the top deck.

She couldn’t see the outside situation from within the ship.

For such a large space, not a single window existed.

“Haa…!”

Irene had no choice but to clear her mind and keep running.

She prayed the ship hadn’t sailed yet.

She hoped it was still at the dock.

Even if it had already sailed, that would be fine too.

If it was within swimming distance, she could certainly overcome it.

After continuing her fierce battle for a while.

Finally.

An exit appeared before her.

Actually, it felt more like the ship’s rooftop than an exit, but as long as she could escape somewhere, that was all that mattered.

Irene cut down the last guard blocking her path.

Then she immediately stepped outside.

But.

“He~y, been waiting for you.”

“You’ve finally arrived.”

What she saw as soon as she stepped outside were two people.

One was the hunting dog wearing a gray robe.

The other was an unidentified young man in a suit.

Irene had no choice but to stop running.

“……”

“Why that expression? Did you really have hope?”

As she stood dazed, the hunting dog’s mockery rang in her ears.

His detestable lips offered ridicule.

“I told you you couldn’t escape.”

“……”

Whoosh-.

Her auburn hair fluttered in the blowing wind.

The girl’s pupils were trembling.

What caught her attention wasn’t the two people in front of her, but the blue background behind them.

Irene let out a small sigh.

“Ah…”

Waves surrounding them on all sides.

She looked around desperately, but there was no trace of land to be found.

That was it.

Swoosh-.

The ship was floating in the middle of the sea.