Chapter 71: Crimson Flame (2)

The fox was helplessly led.

Her body condition was strange.

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

It seemed she had been injected with sleeping drugs.

It was a method commonly used when transporting fierce slaves.

'Damn it.'

Drug effects that could knock out even bear beastkin in one go.

It was natural that her consciousness was precarious.

Irene tried not to lose consciousness while widening her eyes that kept trying to close.

A new background appeared in her swaying vision.

"......"

What came into view were rows of iron bars.

It was a prison for confining slaves.

Though it was inside a ship, the scale was by no means small.

Whether using an entire floor, there were slaves densely imprisoned numbering easily in the hundreds.

The fox quickly turned her thoughts.

'There's no time.'

It wasn't time to be sluggish.

If the ship departed like this, everything would become irreversible.

No one would be able to find the girl.

'Maybe... it's already departed.'

It was the most desperate case.

Though she didn't know how much time had passed since losing consciousness, she could only pray it hadn't been long.

In the end, now was the only chance for escape.

The hunting dog had left his position too.

'It's worth trying.'

The guards on both sides seemed careless too.

They seemed to trust in the sleeping drug's effects.

Even if caught while escaping, they wouldn't kill her given the businessman's orders.

It would end with just getting hit a few times within limits that wouldn't show.

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

"Phew..."

She breathed out calmly.

Focusing on her senses.

Though her vision was hazy from the terrible headache, it was a moment she had to shake off.

Irene shoved one of the guards beside her hard.

Thud-!

"Ugh...?!"

Crash-!

As one person fell, the other rushed in while grabbing his sword.

She knew it was just for threats anyway.

Therefore she didn't back down.

She recklessly thrust her body in to aim for the opponent's weakness.

Bewilderment gathered in the guard's pupils.

'Got him.'

A sword that can't be drawn becomes only handcuffs binding one's own hands.

They wouldn't have the courage to go against orders.

"Damn it...!"

The guard dropped his sword as if in a predicament.

Though he tried throwing a punch belatedly, he couldn't be faster than the fox who had already closed in.

Her quickly shot foot stabbed his solar plexus.

"Kuhek!"

The guard let out a groan then soon collapsed staggering.

A clean hit that went in neatly.

The girl immediately started running.

In her hand was the sword the guard had dropped.

She undid the ropes on her body with some cutting.

"Damn! The goods are escaping!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Several guards chased from behind.

Leaving the sharply ringing shouts behind, Irene kicked off the ground with all her might.

Looking for an exit that must be somewhere.

Meanwhile,

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

None other than the fox captured just hours ago had shaken off the guards and was causing a riot.

He pressed his brow while swallowing rising anger.

"These idiot bastards... can't even properly manage one weakened fox?"

The hunting dog bit his lip tightly.

He couldn't understand.

He had clearly administered sleeping drugs, so how could she move with a clear mind?

It was drug potency that could knock out even fierce bear beastkin in one go.

For normal beastkin, it should have been normal to not open their eyes for at least half a day.

'Tsk... Did we let our guard down because of such thoughts?'

The hunting dog clicked his tongue lightly.

As he was sighing as if it was troublesome, suddenly a voice was heard from opposite.

It was the 'guest' he was supposed to meet today.

"Has something troublesome occurred?"

"Mind your own business."

"Your expression isn't good."

"It's our matter. Even if we're allies, you should know where to step in and where not to."

"I see. If I've caused displeasure, I apologize."

The guest bowed his head politely.

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

He was a young man with an impressively tidy appearance.

"Still, it seems this is a part where I should be involved."

"What?"

"Haven't we formed an alliance? Moreover, most of the goods loaded on this ship were ordered by our lord, as I understand."

"So what?"

"If it's a disturbance occurring on this ship, we have sufficient qualification to be involved."

"......"

A form of rebuttal delivered precisely while maintaining formality.

He was truly an annoying four-eyes.

The hunting dog who had been glaring at the guest quietly soon rose from his seat as if giving up.

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 go with you. Let me help if there's anything I can do."

"I clearly told you to mind your own... Hah, fine. Do as you please."

"Thank you."

The two people slowly left the reception room.

As they were moving their steps somewhat leisurely, the guest walking beside asked as if finding it strange.

"Aren't you being too relaxed? It seemed like an urgent matter."

"It's fine."

The hunting dog answered with an annoyed look.

"She can't escape anyway."

"Well, that's true I suppose."

"Once the small fry roughly herd her to one side, we just need to go beat her up a bit and capture her."

"Is it alright to rough her up? I heard she was top grade goods."

"I don't fucking know. If we get scolded we get scolded. Just don't kill her and it'll be fine."

"I'll respect that."

The two people exchanged light conversation.

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

***

Irene ran.

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

She didn't look back.

She just kicked off the ground with all her might.

Though she felt like collapsing due to her hazy consciousness, she forcibly corrected her staggering legs.

Because everything would end the moment she stumbled even once.

"Haa, haa...!"

She exhaled roughly.

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

Irene held onto her consciousness that kept trying to drift away.

"There she is!"

"Damn! Don't let her get out!"

It wasn't just running.

Guards constantly blocking the way ahead.

Whenever her path was blocked, Irene had to either change direction or raise her sword to cut down the opponents before her.

They were the steps of a fugitive advancing fiercely.

"Damn it...!"

A ship's scale as if several passenger ships had been attached sideways.

Thanks to the wide space she could turn this way and that, but she couldn't avoid direct confrontation every time.

Collision was unavoidable.

"Damn! Of all days, on a day like today when guard personnel are at their lowest...!"

"Stop the useless talk and follow!"

"She's coming this way! Block off the opposite stairs!"

Two guards appearing from an alley.

The opposite stairs were already blocked.

It seemed she would have to break through this time.

Irene calmly raised her sword.

She steadied her disheveled posture.

In a situation where running speed couldn't decrease.

Rather than her usual heavy strikes, she prepared consecutive hits that could be delivered lightly.

Following the quickly shot flow, her sword tip flashed.

Clang!

The first exchange clashing lightly.

The girl didn't panic and let her sword flow, then cut down the opponent as if spinning one round.

The sensation of flesh being cut spread tingling at her fingertips.

Slash-!

Though somewhat shallow, there was no need to necessarily take life.

For Irene now, what was important was not 'victory' but 'escape'.

"This bitch...!"

The fox's movements were too fast to be seen.

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

A strike thrust without hesitation.

Stab-!

"Aaaagh!!"

The guard screaming with a sword stuck in his arm.

It seemed firmly embedded.

The girl let go of the handle without attachment.

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

Sticky blood was on her hands.

"Huff, ugh...!"

This chase had already been going on for 30 minutes.

Perhaps because she was overworking her tired body, her stamina was running out faster than expected.

If there was any fortunate thing, it was that she was very close to the exit.

As she remembered.

The ship's exit was located on the top floor.

Though the memory was faint being so brief, there was an external space openly exposed to the outside, so she would surely encounter it while crossing the top floor.

She couldn't check the outside situation from inside the ship.

Because for such a wide space, not a single window existed.

"Haa...!"

Irene could only run while erasing distracting thoughts.

Hopefully the ship hadn't departed yet.

She prayed it was still staying at the dock.

Even if it had already departed, that was fine.

If it was a distance she could swim back from, she could sufficiently overcome it.

Irene continued her intense fight for a while.

Finally.

An exit appeared before her.

In fact rather than an exit, it felt closer to the ship's roof, but as long as she could escape anywhere that was enough.

Irene cut down the guard blocking her path one last time.

Then immediately set foot towards the outdoors.

But.

"Hey~ Were you waiting?"

"You've finally arrived."

What appeared as soon as she stepped outside was none other than two people.

One was the hunting dog wearing a gray robe.

The other was an unidentified young man wearing a suit.

Irene had no choice but to stop her running feet.

"......"

"Why that expression? Did you perhaps really have hope?"

As she was blankly dazed, the hunting dog's sneering rang in her ears.

His detestable lips offered mockery.

"I told you you couldn't escape."

"......"

Whoosh-.

Crimson hair fluttering in the blowing wind.

The girl's pupils were shaking.

What her gaze caught on was not the two people before her, but the blue background positioned beyond them.

Irene let out a small gasp.

"Ah..."

Waves surrounding all directions.

Though she scanned here and there with faint hope, no trace of land could be found.

That was it.

Whoosh-.

The ship was floating in the middle of the sea.