episode_0054

“W-What are you trying to do?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Ignoring the squint-eyed man, who was visibly trembling, Christine carefully picked one limb from the neatly stacked pile of arms and legs in front of her and placed it on the ground.

A muscular left arm.

“Oh my. You’re lucky, old man. It’s not your first time. If you play your cards right, you might last until I get tired.”

Crunch!

“GAAAAAH?!”

Without hesitation, Christine stomped hard on the arm beneath her. At the same time, the giant man to the left of the squint-eyed man let out a deafening scream.

“AAARGH?! M-My arm…!”

“Shh.”

Christine wiggled her finger again. Instantly, the thunderous scream was abruptly cut off.

“Guh…! Ugh…!”

“Sigh. That’s better.”

“If Eric had woken up even slightly, it would’ve been a disaster. Good thinking.”

“Praising me for something like that…?”

The arm crushed beneath Christine’s foot was twisted grotesquely. Yet, Cecilia paid it no mind, gently stroking Eric’s head as if nothing else mattered.

“Must hurt a lot, huh?”

“Ugh…! Ngh…!”

“Good.”

As Christine spoke indifferently, the squint-eyed man shouted frantically.

“W-What are you doing?! The Academy won’t just stand by if you—”

“Quiet.”

“Eeek?!”

Instead of bothering to reply, Christine pulled out the thinnest leg from the pile of limbs and placed it next to the twisted giant’s arm.

“I’ve blocked the pain from the dismemberment with magic, but these arms and legs are still connected to you. Watch your mouth. Unless you want to end up like that pig over there.”

“L-Let’s negotiate! What do you want? There must be something you’re after! I’ll meet your demands!”

“What? No resistance? How boring.”

“In this line of work, reading the room is the most important skill. I realized that the moment I saw your attack.”

“Realized? Realized what?”

“I’ll apologize for my rude remarks and my audacious threats. So, can we let this go? Without arms and legs, we’re finished. This body is how we make a living, you see…”

“Hmm…”

Despite being reduced to a limbless worm on the ground, the squint-eyed man remained unnervingly calm—unlike his two companions.

Even Cecilia and Christine couldn’t help but hesitate.

Truthfully, they had no real reason to escalate things further. Their brutal methods were driven by something trivial—a momentary fit of anger.

It wouldn’t do to ruin Eric’s plans over something so petty.

With that in mind, they were about to reluctantly accept the man’s proposal.

“We never expected to run into people like you on these streets. What do you think, Miss Christine Grave?”

If only he hadn’t added one more sentence.

“What did you just say?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Never mind, unnie.”

Crunch—!

“GAAAAAH?!”

“I’ll just ask directly. Since I just completely shattered that arm, you’d better talk if you want it reattached properly. What did you mean by that?”

“Haha… I thought you two were more intellectual and rational. Seems I was mistaken. Or perhaps the Academy students spread some nonsense rumors?”

Crunch!

“Guh…?!”

“I told you to explain.”

“Hah… Haha. Do you really think you can act like this? Shouldn’t the daughter of a duke and a saint candidate refrain from torturing innocent civilians like this?”

“…So you won’t talk even if I break more?”

“Chris. Why don’t we just break the others first?”

“Should we?”

“O-Okay! I’ll talk!”

“What? You didn’t seem eager to talk when it was just your own limbs on the line.”

“It’s not camaraderie.”

The squint-eyed man twitched, trying to turn his body, but without limbs, he could only manage to tilt his head.

“Fine. I’ll explain. It’s true we’re trash, and it’s true we have no camaraderie. But even in these back alleys, trust is what keeps things running. Even if there’s no friendship, no idiot would work with someone who might betray them.”

“So you’re saying your income depends on returning those pigs unharmed?”

“Exactly! You catch on quick.”

“How did you figure out who we are?”

“That’s simple. Until just now, you called him ‘Eric.’ People with your level of skill don’t casually refer to a man like that. We know exactly who he is—the second son of House Grave. No one would dare address him so casually, not even out of fear.”

“That’s flimsy reasoning. You figured out our identities based on just that?”

“The way you used those names—it was too natural.”

“What?”

“If they were aliases, there would’ve been a slight delay in accepting them. Even skilled actors take a moment to separate their real selves from their roles. Let me guess: you altered your appearances, and Eric’s face isn’t widely known. Only freaks like me would remember. Frankly, even the Academy barely acknowledges him—the one who was nearly exiled and confined to his estate for life. Why would anyone bother remembering him?”

“Go on.”

“Then I thought, ‘Maybe we can let this meal slide. There are plenty of people with the same name, and the odds of running into someone who knows the Grave heir’s face—or someone bold enough to pick a fight—are slim.’ Am I wrong?”

Christine frowned and glanced at Cecilia.

“What do you think, unnie? Should we press further?”

“No. That’s not the important thing right now, is it? No need to waste time on unnecessary details. That aside… Eric… He said he wasn’t famous and insisted on handling everything himself, but… maybe he should’ve been more careful.”

Despite her words, Cecilia’s expression was tender as she stroked Eric’s unconscious face.

“Eric Grave, the names ‘Christine’ and ‘Cecilia,’ and this level of strength… It’s impossible not to put it together.”

“Tch.”

Christine clicked her tongue.

“You were hoping to pass it off as a coincidence among countless namesakes… Let’s just end this cleanly. If you kill or seriously harm us, even you two won’t walk away without consequences.”

“…Just shut up for now.”

“Guh—?!”

With a flick of Christine’s hand, the squint-eyed man’s mouth was sealed shut by the same bluish magic as his two companions.

“Unnie. Heal them.”

“Chris?”

“He’s not wrong. If we act recklessly here and the Guild Master catches wind, this won’t end with just this. I’m pissed too, but… we have no choice but to restrain ourselves.”

“But wouldn’t that mean we need to silence them completely here? Can you really cast a perfect seal like Elia?”

“What, so just kill them?”

“Why are you acting so surprised?”

Cecilia casually twirled a strand of hair that had fallen by her face.

“If there’s even the slightest chance they’ll interfere with Eric, isn’t it better to eliminate the problem now? Dead men tell no tales.”

“You’re too worked up. Don’t you remember what he said? If we kill them here, it’ll look suspicious. A barrier is one thing, but corpses inside? That’s the end. Even if it’s not the Guild Master, someone will find it odd. At the very least… No, never mind. I get you’re angry, but think before you speak.”

“That’s… Ugh…”

Only after Christine’s rebuke did Cecilia regain her composure. And when Christine saw that, she finally understood why Cecilia had said what she did.

Like it or not, they were comrades. She understood that feeling all too well.

Cecilia knew full well they couldn’t just kill them. But the rage burning in her chest wasn’t the kind that could be easily extinguished.

“Don’t worry, unnie. I’m not letting this slide either.”

Christine slowly walked over and stood before the three men, still sprawled on the ground like insects.

“I won’t kill you. Just a simple seal. But we’ll need proof that neither side breaks the agreement.”

The three nodded frantically. Perhaps because hope of survival was within reach, the squint-eyed man glanced at the two giants with a smug expression.

That expression twisted into agony mere seconds later.

Thud-thud-thud—

Their relief at seeing their limbs piled before them was short-lived.

Crack!

Snap!

Crunch!

“——!”

Silent screams filled the barrier.

“My, isn’t that too harsh? If you leave them like that, their limbs will rot. And breaking them all at once like that—the psychological trauma will—”

“Yeah. So you’ll heal them, right? It’d be bad if they returned injured.”

“…Heh. Right. You said it’d be a problem if they weren’t returned in perfect condition.”

Whoosh—

Warm light enveloped the arms and legs, and then hell began.