17 Caught

[Asher Vaishè's POV]

With a forceful hurl, I launched the rod into the dark, its path indistinguishable to me in the dimness.

Recognizing the presence of two intruders, I emitted a sigh of resignation. Opting for a more direct approach, I vaulted over the handrail, descending swiftly into the hall below. As I landed, my feet absorbed the impact with a muffled thud against the wooden floorboards. Scanning the area, I assessed the unfolding scenario.

.....it was dark.

Silence blanketed the hall instantly. I had a clear memory of the room's layout, ensuring I wouldn't stumble on anything in the darkness.

*Thud*

Unexpectedly, the intruder seemed keen on a scuffle. A sudden jab struck my jaw, causing me to stagger backward.

Anticipating a follow-up, I attempted to dodge the expected second strike, yet I received an abrupt kick to my left ribs instead. Reacting swiftly to the angle of the retracted foot, I reached out and seized it.

"Eek?!" The intruder yelped.... she's a women.

With this newfound understanding of her position and stance, I lifted her foot above my shoulder. Her flexibility was impressive, leading me to attempt a counterattack, aiming for where I assumed her other foot would be.

"Fuck," she cursed.

Before I could land the kick, she evaded, displaying a surprising ability to track my movements with clarity.

Without much thought, I released the foot I had grabbed, possibly startling her. As I sensed her weight shifting to her left while she was mid-air, I instinctively raised my right hand into a fist and struck downward with force.

Initially, it seemed like I had missed, but then I felt a connection with my elbow and swiftly altered its angle, driving it downward.

*Thud*

"Ahhhh!!" Her scream echoed, accompanied by the audible sound of bone snapping.

Swiftly pivoting, I remembered a small table nearby. My knee bumped into it, prompting me to crouch and grab the glass lantern resting upon it. Twisting the knob, the hall bathed in a dim light, granting me clearer vision.

I immediately looked down at the-

"Haa ugh." She curled up immediately as her hand was supporting her jaw, where I think I hit.

I looked back immediately and saw a man sprawled on his back while his eyes were rolled up and the iron rod was beside him.

The trail of blood flowing down from his forehead

I stepped forward immediately while keeping my eyes on the girl who was trying to get back on her feet.

On a close look, the man was quite old and frail-looking. He wore a greyish robe with a lot of wrinkles on his face, along with a big mole under his left eye.

I crouched down and placed my finger under that man's nose bridge. And-

He's dead.

"Damn," I said dryly.

Step*

Fiddling the lamp with my finger, I changed my grip around the handle while standing up, and with a quick spin, I swung it hard.

*Thad*

The glass shattered as it came into contact with the girl's face, and she was thrown a bit backwards.

I took my eyes off of her for a second, and she immediately went for a hit.

"Two bodies to bury, I guess." I thought so, but-

"Ouch." Trying to cover her bloody cheek, she stood up again while taking a fighting stance groggily.

I took note of her appearance at once.

Ginger had ginger hair with a perky nose, two marble-like blue eyes, and a wiry body frame that was draped under the robe that was almost coming off while she wore a white shirt and grey pants under.

....

[Five minutes later.]

I pulled the Mismre leaf and the green paste out of the box and stamped over the girl's wound.

"Ugh," She groaned in pain; she couldn't move as I bound her to the chair with a rope that she was sitting in.

As for the old man, I turned towards the suitcase that I had placed in the corner of the room. He wasn't fitting inside it, so I had to chop him into pieces before I could fit him inside.

This paste will help her wounds not get infected by the lamp oil, while the leaf will work as a bandage, absorb excess blood, and get the skin back—at least in better shape.

There was a tray nearby that held the glass shards that I picked out of her face.

"Who was that guy to you?" I questioned.

Her eyes shook a bit as she said, "W-wh" I immediately pointed towards the suitcase.

"Why?" she muttered.

"I want to know the relationship between you and him. If he's a family member or someone important to you, then I might need to kill you and look for another suitcase."

"No!" she shouted, only to wince—any facial movements are going to hurt."He's just an acquaintance that I met yesterday through the group; I won't hold a grudge over him."

"Group? as in thieves?" I asked, and she nodded. She doesn't seem much older than me—maybe one or two years at most.

"Haa, and why were you in my house?" I sighed, leaning back into my seat. We are currently in my room. I looked for the cloth placed nearby to wipe the blood off of my hands.

"Your house? We've been using this place for years as our hideous!" She raised her voice.I didn't know someone owned this damned place."

"Well, you do now," I said, looking at her. "Listen... there are two things for you to do: one is that you take care of the body for me, and I'll let you leave, and we never meet again at all."

I grabbed the seat and closed the distance between us a bit and said,"-Or I keep you till the morning; I hope the bird likes flesh instead of the seeds; choose one."

Her blue eyes stared at me for a second before she opened her mouth. "Listen-"

"Choose," I repeated to myself.

"Just listen!!" she growled.

"Second it is then," I said, picking up the butcher knife from the tray.

"He's a baron! The man you killed was a baron!! You won't get away with it; even if you kill me, his family members are going to get you, and knights will search the whole Lumonara!! You won't get away!! And I'll get stuck into this alongside you!!" She blurted out.

..... A baron.

"What's your name?" I asked quietly.

"Huh?" She appeared puzzled.

"Your name, tell me." I picked up the book from the bed and opened the map of the Megla Empire.

She hesitated for a second. "Evangeline—"

"Don't lie," I placed the book down with a thud, making the girl flinch.

"Ines," she responded quickly.

"Mrs. Ines, I'd like you to answer some questions... truthfully." I placed the tip of the knife in my hand on the map. "What barony does he come from?"