Chapter 41: Go taste your own medicine
That night, Adeline took off her heavy dress and changed into comfortable clothes. She appeared before the Lion King dressed in a black shirt, dark brown pants, and a perfectly draped cloak. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
The Lion King, who was standing by the window, extended his hand. “You said you can ride a horse, right?”
“Of course.”
“What about the protective gear?”
She opened her cloak to reveal the woman’s armor protecting her neck and chest.
He nodded in satisfaction and extended his hand again. “We’re going out through the window and up to the roof. It’s just you, me, and two of my men. Once we find the hideout, we’ll return to the inn immediately.”
“Got it.”
“Although it’s unlikely, if a fight breaks out, stay close to me.”
“Why? Shouldn’t I be backing off?”
“If you’re too far, it’s harder to protect you.”
She took his outstretched hand and smiled. They silently climbed out the window and moved outside the inn. The meticulous Nabi stuffed the bed with something to make it look like a person, then placed a wig similar to Adeline’s hair on the pillow. In the dimly lit room, under the faint glow of the candle, the long, gray hair gave the impression that Adeline was soundly sleeping there. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Be careful.” With Nabi’s farewell, the two climbed onto the inn’s roof.
“This way.”
The Lion King’s men led the way. They moved silently, crouching and stepping over rooftops. Adeline usually walked slowly in dresses, but now she moved swiftly and lightly like a cat, and this made the Lion King’s men look at her with surprise.
The Lion King shrugged his shoulders and said, “I told you you’d be surprised.”
What on earth did you tell them about me? Adeline asked him with her eyes.
But he didn’t answer. He just wore an enigmatic smile and stepped into the dark night.
There was no need to worry about the city walls. The guards were all drunk and asleep, and the gate was left wide open.
“The horses?”
“They’re outside.”
They mounted the horses hidden by the Lion King’s men and set off for the traffickers’ hideout.
The destination wasn’t far. The two hideouts were positioned on either side of the city, seemingly to acquire the supplies necessary for moving slaves over long distances.
Riding through the pathless forest in the dead of night was quite dangerous. But none of them slowed down. Adeline looked at the backs of the men ahead, lowered her stance, and gripped the reins tightly.
Once they emerged from the forest onto a wide plain, the Lion King, who had been guarding the rear, increased his speed to ride beside her. He had his nose and mouth covered with a black cloth. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Baltica, I see torches.”
A subordinate who had gone ahead to survey the area reported back.
In a spot slightly off the path to the southern plains, a small hill was visible.
The Lion King’s subordinate said that there was a field beyond the hill that seemed to have been worked by mountain dwellers, and behind that was a building that seemed to be the hideout.
“There weren’t many torches, just three or so. There is a large single-story warehouse, and it is behind the two buildings facing each other. The ground is too unstable for constructing an underground prison.”
If that’s the case, this place is unlikely to be a hideout for slaves.
It was more likely used as a simple base.
“How long until the next base?”
The Lion King asked.
Adeline pondered for a moment before answering. “It doesn’t seem possible to visit all of them today…”
“Baltica!”
It was an urgent voice.
The subordinates immediately took cover. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Before Adeline could question, she was pulled into the Lion King’s arms and hidden among the bushes.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of horses’ hooves could be heard from afar. It wasn’t just a few. It seemed to be at least thirty.
“Everyone is on horseback and armed. There are two carriages… Oh no! They’re coming this way. Get down.”
Adeline quickly nodded and lay flat on the ground.
The Lion King lay next to her and used his cloak to cover her head. His subordinates went into the forest to hide the horses they had ridden.
Thud, thud, thud. The sound of many horses’ hooves was heard.
The group was within a hundred steps or so from where they were hiding, and getting closer.
Adeline watched them, holding her breath.
The group was armed with small bows with low killing power but high accuracy, long ropes, and restraints made of chains.
The kidnappers. With them, there were two carriages. A large, securely locked carriage without any windows passed right in front of them. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Adeline.”
The Lion King placed a hand on her back.
“There are slaves inside.”
“How many?”
“Many. I can hear their screams.”
The screams of the slaves were muffled, likely because they were gagged. However, the anguished cries mixed with desperate groans indicated that the situation was dire.
The Lion King, listening intently while lying flat, whispered that some of them seemed seriously injured and that some were possibly unconscious among them.
Adeline gritted her teeth and restrained her anger. Her fury surged, making her eyes burn with intensity.
During the kidnapping process, the slaves who resisted violently would be dragged away with serious injuries. If the slaves were of high value, they would receive treatment, but if not, they would become playthings for the kidnappers and would likely not survive the night.
“Adeline, you said not to rescue the slaves until we find the hideout.”
After the kidnappers had passed, the Lion King rose and removed the cloak from her head.
Adeline looked at him and said, “Well, we don’t want the surviving kidnappers to run to the next hideout and inform others that we’ve arrived…”
“Why not just kill them all?”
“What?”
“I misspoke. So it’s either killing them all or capturing them all.”
The Lion King watched the kidnappers as they moved away and fidgeted with his lips as if calculating something. After a brief silence, he spoke to her again. “I said I want you.”
Adeline didn’t respond and merely stared at him. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“So pay close attention to what kind of man I am.” The Lion King didn’t plan a strategy or hold a meeting. He gave his subordinates a very simple signal, and their expressions suddenly vanished.
Adeline didn’t know much about the desert of Odium. She had heard many stories but had never set foot on the scorching sands. So, she didn’t know much about the monstrous warriors that the desert was said to have produced.
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