Chapter 42: Go taste your own medicine
The Lion King took the lead. Three horses, with rough snorts, charged forward at lightning speed. It was a battle where three men had to face thirty. They had to subdue the opponents swiftly and perfectly, making sure not a single one could escape. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“What the hell! Who are those bastards!”
The human traffickers, realizing the attackers’ arrival, shouted and drew their weapons. At first, they were confused and tried to identify the attackers, but when two of them fell to the Lion King’s sword that jumped into the group, they quickly changed their stance.
“Kill them! Surround them and kill them!”
“Deal with them one by one!”
The Lion King’s sword was extraordinary. It moved unrealistically and captivated the eyes. Adeline had never seen such a beautiful weapon. Every time the long, slender blade cut through the air, it felt as if the blade itself was bending. A thick, murderous aura hovered like mirages.
The Lion was everywhere. He was as free on horseback as he was on flat ground. With one hand, he wielded the long sword, and with the other, he disarmed and threw away the opponents’ weapons. His connection with the horse was established solely through his two legs and a brief whistle. Every time the Lion King’s sandy-colored hair fluttered, one person fell. When his sword glinted with the moonlight, hot human blood spilled on the spot.
“What is this… Who the hell is this!”
The human traffickers were greatly dismayed, and some tried to retreat and escape from him. But even that was not easy.
Adeline watched in a daze as the Lion King’s subordinates skillfully confused the enemy. Even amidst the chaos, their movements held some kind of pattern. They blocked the attacks while simultaneously cutting off the escape routes. It was a one-sided fight. The thirty kidnappers were surrounded by three men. They couldn’t even think of fighting back or escaping. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
The Lion King was a beautiful man. But there was no trace of the leisurely king Adeline had known. He was a ravenous and furious beast. A warrior chosen by the gods and an experienced hunter.
The field, once filled with screams and shouts, had now become quiet. There were only three people. Although the kidnappers’ combat skills were inferior to the desert warriors, they were still formidable. The Lion King and his subordinates had succeeded in perfectly subduing thirty enemies.
Soon, Adeline, who had risen from the underbrush, heard the Lion King’s voice.
“Those who flee will die.”
A low voice scratched her eardrums and seemed to fall straight into the heart.
He spoke with a hint of a smile but with a deadly seriousness.
“Get down. If you want to live, crawl on all fours.”
Silence, confusion, fear, and anger mixed together, creating a disorienting scene. The kidnappers looked around, unsure of what to do. The three attackers had not a single wound on them, while all thirty of the kidnappers were either dead or incapacitated.
“Gaaah!”
Meanwhile, a dagger thrown by the Lion King struck the neck of the one who was trying to sneak away.
Seeing the dagger easily pierce the thick neck of the strong man, the remaining kidnappers lost all their will to fight.
“This is the last time I’ll say it. Get down.”
The one with a long wound on his arm was the first to kneel. Following him, the rest of the human traffickers began to kneel one by one.
The Lion King stepped on each of their necks, forcing their faces into the ground. Each time they resisted, grass and dirt entered their mouths.
The ropes and chains intended for the slaves became the tools to bind them instead.
The Lion King gestured to Adeline. No other words were necessary. She lightly jumped onto her horse and went to where he was.
“You guys go into the stronghold and subdue them.”
“Understood!!”
The Lion King’s subordinates ran toward the stronghold beyond the hill. They had already confirmed that only three or four guards remained inside. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline looked at the two carriages that remained eerily silent despite the commotion. These were the carriages with the slaves. The screams and cries the Lion King claimed to hear were inaudible to her. They were as silent as if they were empty.
Adeline dismounted and slowly approached the carriages. “There’s a lock.”
The door was small but secured with a lock made of metal thicker than her forearm. The Lion King didn’t bother to respond. He scanned the men cowering in fear and selected one, pressing his foot firmly on his neck.
“Kaaah!”
“Throw the key.”
The man, desperate to avoid death, moved his injured arm and took out the key.
Adeline took the key thrown by the Lion King and hurriedly opened the door.
A foul stench wafted out. A groan escaped her lips. Inside the carriage, seven women were slumped against each other, soiled by filth and stench. Except for one, all were unconscious. Among them was a young girl who looked no older than fifteen.
“…Ah.”
Adeline was at a loss for words and kept her mouth shut. The only woman who was still conscious lifted her dark and lifeless eyes, looking at her. They stared at each other for a while. There was no will to live on the woman’s face. There was no hope, not even warmth. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline could easily guess what thoughts had kept the woman going through this time. She would have wanted to die as quickly and peacefully as possible. Standing in front of someone like that, she couldn’t bring herself to say that she had come to rescue them. Instead of explaining the situation, she opened the carriage door wide and turned her body.
The kidnappers lay flat on the ground, begging for their lives.
At first, the woman seemed unable to comprehend the situation. But as time passed, her once-darkened eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between Adeline, the Lion King, and the kidnappers.
Ankles bound in chains, tangled hair, torn and half-removed clothes, a body covered in wounds and filth. The woman crawled on all fours to the carriage door. With trembling hands, she grasped the ground and clung to the entrance.
“My legs… My legs have no strength.” She barely managed to speak in a rough, cracked voice.
Adeline reached out with both hands and embraced her. The woman collapsed into Adeline’s arms as she was brought down from the carriage. Her fingers were as cold as ice.
A heavy, uncomfortable silence filled the field. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
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