Chapter 93: The Chase
Today was another day where Kaito came home "skunked."
He carried his beloved fishing rod in one hand and an utterly empty wooden bucket in the other. As he walked along the hard stone pavement of Iron Fortress, he was mentally hurling every curse word he knew at the local geography.
That damn river is a lie! There are zero fish in there! Not a single one!
He had made up his mind. The moment he got back, he was going to make Greed cough up enough gold to buy enough fingerlings to fill the entire river from bank to bank. The biggest ones, too. He'd flood the ecosystem if he had to.
The humans along the road stopped in their tracks when they saw Kaito, bowing deeply in respect. Kaito ignored them. At this moment, his only goal was to reach the fishmonger in the Commercial District, buy the largest trout they had, and salvage the last shred of his dignity before the other Generals saw his empty bucket.
Just as Kaito rounded a corner and the fishmonger's sign came into view, a raucous clamor drew his attention.
Not far away, a portly merchant was shouting as if he were at a livestock auction. He was pointing and gesturing at several pieces of "merchandise" standing beside him. A small crowd had gathered, but most were just there for the spectacle; the price tags were far too steep for the average resident.
Kaito's gaze swept over the scene and landed on five girls in heavy shackles. They each had a pair of elegant, curved horns protruding from their heads.
Ah, Succubi.
Kaito was well-acquainted with the concept. Back in his previous world, he'd seen enough "research material" to know the trope by heart. He paused for a second, his curiosity getting the better of him, and took a closer look.
The first thing he noticed was their eyes. They were hollow, glassy, and utterly numb—like puppets whose strings had been cut and souls removed. Kaito's interest evaporated instantly. He didn't even have the desire to look twice.
"Buying fish is definitely more important," he muttered.
A passing merchant saw Kaito and immediately scurried over with a fawning smile, bowing low. "Good day to you, My Lord!"
The merchants of Iron Fortress didn't know Kaito was the Sovereign of the Empire. However, they saw every undead in the city—regardless of rank—bow with absolute reverence whenever this specific skeleton with the fishing rod passed by. Naturally, they assumed Kaito was a high-ranking General with an eccentric hobby.
Kaito gave a dismissive wave of his bony hand, and the merchant wisely stepped aside. Kaito quickened his pace, wanting only to escape the noise and secure his dinner.
This brief interaction, however, was burned into the memory of one of the five succubi.
Her name was Scarlett.
Before being brought here, she knew her destiny held only two paths. Either she would be sold to a noble or a wealthy merchant to be toyed with until she broke, or she wouldn't be sold at all and would be tortured to death by the slave trader. There was no third option.
But now, she felt she was looking at a miracle. The undead here followed an order. They even protected the humans.
Danica.
The name of her sister who had successfully escaped days ago flashed through Scarlett's mind. Danica had made a grand gamble and won a new future. But Scarlett didn't possess Danica's courage.
She looked down at the cold iron shackles around her ankles. The memory of past beatings flooded her brain. The whistle of the whip cutting the air, the muffled thud of a club against her ribs—it all felt as fresh as if it were happening this very second. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. The leg she wanted to lift felt as heavy as a mountain of lead.
I can't do it. I'm too afraid.
The consequences of failure were too high. The trader would snap her legs. He would use a branding iron to melt her face.
Scarlett watched the skeleton's silhouette as it prepared to disappear around the far corner. A single, warm drop of liquid escaped her hollow eyes, splashing onto the cold stone and shattering. Then a second. Then a third. Once the dam broke, the tears could no longer be contained.
However, surging up even faster than the grief was a suppressed, white-hot indignation.
Why?
Why must I be treated like livestock, to be poked and prodded and discarded?
Why must I rot away in this moldy, lightless world?
I want...
I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin!
The thought acted as a spark in a field of dry grass, instantly igniting her dead heart. The fear remained, but she no longer cared. Before she could even register the movement, her leg had already stepped forward.
CLANK—!
The heavy iron chain dragged against the stone, producing a piercing, metallic screech.
"You little tramp! HALT!" the slave trader bellowed, his face twisting with frantic rage.
Scarlett's movement was like a boulder dropped into a still lake. The surrounding crowd gasped, scrambling backward to clear a space. Scarlett heard nothing. She saw nothing. In her world, there was only the retreating back of the skeleton. She shoved past anyone in her way, lunging forward with desperate intent.
"Damn it! It's all that bitch Danica's fault—the merchandise is getting ideas!" the trader cursed, screaming at his two guards. "Don't just stand there! Catch her! Break her legs if you have to!"
The two guards lunged after her.
Just then, the other four succubi—who had been silent as graves—moved. They didn't speak. They only shared a single, knowing glance the moment Scarlett bolted.
The next instant, they threw their thin, fragile bodies simultaneously into the path of the two guards. They used their own flesh and blood as a living barricade.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" the guard roared, showing no mercy to the "merchandise."
One guard lashed out with his boot, kicking the lead succubus squarely in the stomach.
THUD.
The girl was sent flying like a discarded rag doll, curling into a ball on the pavement as she coughed up bile. The other guard was even more direct, swinging his club and raining blows down on the remaining three girls.
The shrieks of the girls and the curses of the guards merged into a chaotic din. The three girls fell to the ground, shielding their heads with their arms, taking the brunt of the wood against their skin, but they refused to let go. They dug their teeth into the guards' trousers, anchoring them with the strength of the doomed.
The guards began to strike harder, but the girls didn't let go even after they were beaten bloody. They knew they couldn't hold them for long. But even a single second bought for Scarlett was worth their lives.
Scarlett heard the screams behind her. She knew those voices. She knew it was her sisters.
She didn't look back. She couldn't look back.
Run!
JUST RUN!
Her lungs felt as if they were filled with glass. Every breath tasted of copper. Every step was a spike of pain through her feet.
The silhouette of the skeleton was right there!
Close!
So close!
Scarlett reached out with the very last of her strength and lunged forward.
☆☆☆
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