Chapter 91
I hazily stared at the ceiling and froze on the spot . More precisely, I couldn’t move . All I could think of was the fear of getting impaled by a knife that flew through the air . So I simply sat motionless and refused to stand .
The rain sparsely fell apart into tiny droplets and hit my face along my line of sight .
“Get down . ”
Wolf ordered in a hushed voice .
I stuffed the bread away and crawled towards one of the walls . While being wary of his surroundings, Wolf pulled out yet another knife . With two knives in hand, he glared steadily at the ceiling .
I had goosebumps from the lingering tension in the air .
Everything was silent . Only the howling gusts of wind and fluttering tree branches could be heard . But there was a constant thumping in my ear, ever increasing in loudness, getting faster and faster . It wouldn’t go away even when I shut my ears . Then I realised it was my own heartbeat, loud enough to be heard through my own rough breathing .
I’m scared . I’m so scared . No… No more!
Pathetic pleas and desperate whining filled my head . From the pirates raiding the ship to this, it’s been one predicament after another . I was at my limit .
“!”
My fleeting consciousness picked up a soft sound .
Wolf and I watched as a small nut rolled onto the floor .
*fuuu*
We both let out a sigh of relief .
At that moment, the doors and windows were blown off their hinges with a loud bang .
“Wah!?” I leaked a scream .
The wooden door was obliterated by a force from outside, turning it into splinters that littered the floor . Without a moment to spare, yet another thin knife came flying in . Wolf was too slow to react and received a shallow cut, barely avoiding the knife . Soon after, he lost his footing .
A man rushed through the opening and came inside the room . He gracefully landed, his hood and long coat fluttering in the wind .
The man shortened the distance without a single wasteful movement and kicked away one of Wolf’s knives . Wolf tried slashing with the other but the intruder avoided it by a hair’s breadth .
Wolf was at a disadvantage so he took some steps back and retreated a safe distance .
“That getup… I think I’ve seen you on the ship before, or is it my imagination?” Wolf spat out . There was no answer .
The intruder didn’t seem to be shaken, but instead it was me who was confused .
What do you mean you saw him on the ship before?
Was the intruder on the same ship as us?
I caught a glimpse of the man in a corner of my memory . I felt like I had seen him somewhere before but my fuzzy head couldn’t make out anything .
Perhaps he had always watched us… Or rather, aimed for us .
But aim at who? Wolf or me?
And why did he come for the kill now of all times?
On the ship, Klaus was always with me, but even then I thought there were many chances to strike . Back when the pirates were attacking the ship, he could have just conveniently faked an accident .
So why now?
As I was contemplating my life, the fight continued .
A larger knife swung against a darker, slender one . I had imagined that Wolf would have the upper hand for close combat, but it was regrettably an even fight .
Wolf clicked his tongue in irritation and thrust his knife at the intruder’s face . But he only managed to snag the hood as the intruder evaded the attack and in turn grabbed Wolf’s arm . Wolf’s stomach then received a heavy knee kick .
“Kuh-!” A grunt escaped Wolf’s lips .
The intruder twisted Wolf’s arm and knocked the knife out of his hand . He pushed Wolf down with ease and pressed his slender knife against Wolf’s neck .
“…”
Checkmate . The fight was over .
Wolf was a member of the Kua Clan, a clan of pharmacists, not a mercenary nor a knight . But since he survived the pirate onslaught, I didn’t consider him to be weak . However, he didn’t even scratch the intruder, let alone disturb his breathing . Wolf was the one that fell in the end .
Perhaps it wasn’t Wolf that was weak, but the intruder was too strong .
“You…”
“Don’t move . ” The intruder shut Wolf up .
“Next move and I will kill . ”
‘Kill . ’ The word rang repeatedly in my head .
My heart pounded like crazy and sweat flowed from my forehead down my cheeks .
Wha-what should I do? What do I have to do!?
I didn’t want Wolf to be killed, but I didn’t want to die either .
Against the overwhelmingly strong intruder, the only one who can move was just a frail little princess . How would we ever survive?
Think! Think carefully . Don’t I have any trick up my sleeve?
The intruder won’t kill Wolf right away .
The same probably goes for me .
In other words, he was probably here to gather information from both of us .
Therefore if I gambled my life I would have a fifty-fifty chance of success .
Looking around, I saw Wolf’s knife not far away from me . Would he notice if I reached for it?
Or should I escape?
But to play that hand I must be certain that I was the one the intruder was after . Otherwise, if I left by myself, Wolf might still be killed since it would hinder the chase to hunt me down .
I couldn’t come up with any bright ideas and time was running out .
If only I could create a distraction and give Wolf some opportunity…
“And you there, please behave yourself too . ”
My escape plan was easily seen through .
I slowly raised my face after he called me out .
The intruder removed his hood and revealed his lustrous black hair . Red piercing eyes and long eyelashes decorated his face . Was it because of the eyes? He certainly looked like a sleepy cat .
That cold and calm expression of his contradicted the situation we were in, where even the slightest mistake would cost someone their life . A male voice repeatedly muttered in my head as I stared at his appearance .
‘So tired~ . ’
With those sleepy eyes and that drowsy look on his face, it was a habit of his to always groan those words out loud .
The figure in front of me and that of my memories were one and the same .
“…Crowe?”
“!?”
The intruder’s eyes widened at the name I unconsciously uttered .
Wolf didn’t miss the chance to counterattack . He swiftly grabbed the intruder’s arm and pulled it in for a headbutt .
“Take this!”
“Kuh!”
The agonising cry stopped short and the knife slid down his hand . Wolf grabbed the knife and forced the intruder down on the floor . Wolf stared down the enemy from the top, pressing the knife against his throat .
“The tables have turned, eh?”
Wolf laughed as he spat out a broken tooth .
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login