Chapter 51: The Girl Who Cried Wolf

The figure that stepped through the door was a young man.

He appeared to be only a little older than Rune, perhaps by a year or two at most. His red hair was messy and tied into a low ponytail behind his head. Freckles crossed the bridge of his nose, standing out against his skin while drawing attention to his amber eyes as they quickly surveyed the room.

His stained casual clothes immediately distinguished him from the uniform of the guard he had grown accustomed to seeing.

The newcomer looked past Rune as if he wasn’t even there, his expression only changed when it settled on the little girl.

The girl noticed him at almost exactly the same moment. That was when both their demeanors suddenly changed.

The calm child who had been gently comforting Rune was gone, replaced by something else. Her hands touched the stone floor as she lowered herself into all fours, her white hair shifting around her shoulders.

"Rrrrraaahh...!"

Rune’s eyes widened at the little girl’s growl, but the red haired young man didn’t seem surprised at this behaviour. His tense expression told Rune he had expected this...

....rather, he already knew who this little girl was.

’Is he here to rescue her?’

Yes, that would explain his presence and the commotion outside. But it created another problem.

’That idiot left to take care of an intruder. Is he the one? I don’t see anything remarkable about him. I’m assuming he’s here for her. But why the hell does she look like she wants to kill him?’

Rune watched the two of them carefully. Perhaps they had some sort of history with each other. Maybe the girl had been abused by him before and was reacting out of fear.

Or perhaps the opposite was true, and the man had come here intending to take her somewhere against her will. He didn’t know enough to decide.

Normally, he would have preferred to stay completely uninvolved, but something was different about today, rather.... The circumstances were irritably different now.

The red haired young man ignored Rune’s presence and raised his eyes toward the little girl. His amber eyes narrowed as he seemed to assess her posture.

He was on guard, but he didn’t immediately attack her, nor did he appear particularly frightened by the feral display. Instead, he took a cautious step forward, then another...

"Your name"

By the third step, the little girl propelled herself toward him, her claws flashing with the intention of tearing his face apart. Rune was taken aback by the sheer speed behind the attack, he could see it of course, he was just surprised she was capable of such explosive speed.

"...?!"

It looked like he wasn’t the only one who could keep up with her, red hair reacted just as quickly. He moved his body away from the first swipe before catching the girl and driving her down onto the stone floor.

"Grrrrraaaah!"

His hand had seized the back of her head, pinning her down before she could recover. She thrashed violently, her claws scraping against the ground.

"Rrrrgh! Grrraaah!

A furious growl escaped her throat as she twisted her body, trying to throw him off, but red hair adjusted his grip and pressed her down again.

"I’m not here to hurt you. Calm down, will you?"

The young man said in irritation while trying very hard to restrain himself. But his words clearly accomplished nothing. So, he resorted to another tactic.

He struck the side of her neck with a karate chop. The color from her eyes dimmed as her body immediately went limp.

She was knocked out.

Red hair checked her breathing to make certain that she was merely unconscious. Once he was satisfied, he unlocked her chains with a key, and he lifted her small body from the floor. His guarded expression softened when he looked down at her.

"Sorry, but you’re becoming more troublesome to handle every time I see you"

Rune stared at the whole thing, his expression had gone completely blank.

From any perspective, the girl had attacked him first. Anyone with common sense would have restrained her. He understood that much. Hell, if someone tried to claw his face off, he probably would have done something similar. Well... not with the same level of skill.

Then why?

Why had watching that tiny body being slammed against the stone had awakened something deep inside him?

The red haired young man had not stabbed her. He hadn’t beaten her senseless. He had knocked her unconscious with a single controlled strike, and judging from the way he had checked her afterward, he clearly hadn’t intended to seriously injure her.

So why then? Why was a burning sensation rising in Rune’s chest?

His eyes looked toward the unconscious girl resting in the stranger’s arms. She was small, far too small and fragile.

Why was that sight of her bothering him so much?

Something stirred within him.

The sensation of being grabbed whenever he failed to do something correctly. Being treated like an object rather than a person. Being shouted at constantly....

Rune had spent years burying those memories beneath layers of laziness, sarcasm and indifference. His master had given him a home and a purpose, and eventually those memories had become a thing of a long forgotten, terrible past.

But seeing that little girl restrained so roughly had dragged them back into the light. It reminded him too much of himself.... The one person he hates the most.

The red haired young man was about to take his leave till he sensed something unsettling. When he turned around, he saw spiritual energy leaking from the remaining prisoner.

It was a radiant pink at first, but as it intensified, darkness began spreading through it, staining the pink glow until the energy looked almost black at its core.

The air inside the cell grew heavy and the chains around his limbs began rattling.

"Put her down"

His voice was laced with malice he didn’t know he could feel. His usual tired expression was gone. There was no sarcasm in his eyes, something frighteningly empty had settled inside them.

"If you hurt her again. I promise, I will kill you"