Chapter 21: Justice and Redemption
Alex calmly walked toward the bandit leader, who lay on the ground, clutching the bloody stump where his hand had once been. His face was pale, and his voice trembled as he begged for help.
—"Please... don't let me die here..."—he murmured, his words broken by pain.
Alex stared at him with a cold, serious gaze. Behind him, EMI held the injured woman, who was slowly beginning to wake. As she opened her eyes and saw EMI carrying her in her arms, a strange thought crossed her mind: she imagined EMI in a groom's suit, while she herself wore a white wedding dress. Unable to stop it, her face turned red as she weakly responded:
—"Yes... I'm fine."
EMI smiled softly at her. —"That's a relief."
The woman quickly looked away, confused by her own feelings, and it was then that the bandit leader's cries drew her attention. Seeing Alex standing in front of him, she approached with EMI, who gently laid the woman down.
—"Aria,"—said Alex firmly, turning to the girl—"close your eyes."
Aria, understanding the tone in his voice, obeyed without question and hid behind EMI, who, realizing what Alex intended to do, covered Aria's ears to shield her from what was about to happen.
Alex leaned in toward the leader, staring him down. —"You know? It's ironic. You took advantage of so many women's vulnerability, but now that you're the vulnerable one, you beg for help?"
The leader tried to stammer a reply, but Alex didn't give him the chance.
—"Maybe I don't have magic. But now that we're on equal footing..."—Alex clenched his fists tightly—"this is all I need."
And with that, Alex began to beat the leader. Every strike carried a mix of pent-up rage and justice for what the man had done. He threw him to the ground, then against the wall, not stopping as the leader's screams echoed through the room.
Finally, Alex stopped and took a deep breath before turning to the woman.
—"Your magic can disintegrate anything you touch, right?"
The woman nodded slowly, already knowing exactly what Alex was suggesting.
—"I know this is hard for you, but maybe letting him live with this memory is crueler than letting him die."
The woman gritted her teeth and replied bitterly:
—"I hate men... especially touching them. But if it means he'll suffer for what he did to all of us, then I'll do it."
With determination, the woman approached the leader, now whimpering in fear. Without hesitation, she placed her hand on him and disintegrated a crucial part of his anatomy. The man's scream of agony echoed throughout the hideout as the woman stepped back, her face emotionless.
After the confrontation, the group gathered outside the base. The woman looked at them uncertainly.
—"Are you going to arrest me and turn me in now that it's over?"
EMI crossed her arms, pondering the answer. But before she could speak, Alex gently took the woman's arm.
—"You can go. You didn't hurt any innocent people, so you've got nothing to worry about."
The woman looked at him in disbelief. —"Why are you doing this? There's a big bounty on me."
Alex pulled out a flyer he had taken from the guild's bounty board, showing a picture of the leader. —"Because the bounty on this guy is ten times higher. But before you go, stay a bit longer. There's something I discovered during the fight."
A few hours later, the prison warden arrived with a group of guards—and with Duke Alaric, Aria's father. They were ready to take the woman into custody, but EMI stopped them and explained they had captured the bandit gang and their leader.
The warden thanked them and offered the reward, but EMI responded:
—"We don't want the reward. We just want you to stop hunting her and drop the charges against her."
Duke Alaric shook his head. —"That's not possible."
Seeing the situation, Alex played his final card. He turned to Aria with a smile and said:
—"Aria, could you convince your father? I'll give you a kiss if you manage it."
Aria's eyes sparkled with determination. She looked at her father with puppy-dog eyes, tilting the balance in her favor. The duke sighed and finally looked at Alex.
—"Do you trust her?"
—"Yes. And besides,"—Alex pointed to a desk filled with papers—"we found evidence connecting the leader to other crimes."
The warden, surprised, examined the documents. After a brief discussion, both the Duke and the warden agreed.
—"If the documents are authentic, the woman will be set free. Thank you for your work."
With the leader and his gang arrested, the group was finally able to return—knowing they had done the right thing.