You Are Free

After disposing of the three magicians, Glen made his way directly to the courtyard where the cage containing the elf girl, Gotaya, was kept. Inside the cold iron cage, Gotaya found herself lost in a dream—a peaceful one. She saw her family and friends, running through the lush green forests, playing, practicing, and listening to the elders' teachings.

It was all so beautiful, so serene… But those memories soon shattered when the humans arrived—slaughtering, destroying, and taking her away from the only home she had ever known. Her peaceful dream turned into a nightmare of captivity and pain.

The memories of the past few days flooded back as she awoke with a jolt. Her heart raced, and her breath quickened. The reality was cruel: a shadowy figure now stood before her, watching.

Gotaya squinted, trying to make out who it was, but the darkness of the night was too heavy. As she strained her eyes, the figure suddenly grabbed the bars of her cage, pulling them apart with ease.

She was stunned. The bars weren't ordinary iron; they had been enchanted by mages. Even a third-tier knight would struggle to bend them with sheer force, but this person...

It didn't take long for her to realize what was happening. The figure was lifting her from the cage. "Someone's trying to steal me, huh?" Gotaya thought bitterly, her mind clouded with hatred for the humans who had taken so much from her.

The figure was clearly human, and she could feel his grip—strong, forceful. It reminded her of the scarred man, the one who had abused her so many times. Yet, despite the anger, Gotaya didn't struggle too much. The thought that this person might be just like the rest of the humans lingered in her mind.

Around her, the mercenaries lay unconscious, and the mysterious rescuer carried her out of the tavern and set her down in a quiet corner. She still wore the shackles and chains, but he made no attempt to remove them. He simply let her be for now, perhaps wary of her attempting to run.

Gotaya shot him a glare filled with venom, much like the one she had given to the scarred man earlier. But he paid her no attention, instead turning back toward the tavern. Gotaya remained still, confused but curious. Before she could act, the man returned—this time, carrying another body.

She recognized the man. It was Yagyar, the mercenary who had been part of the group. His nickname, "Fang," was one that had been whispered among the mercenaries. Gotaya's eyes narrowed as she watched the man being thrown onto the ground beside her.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice tinged with suspicion and defiance.

Glen didn't answer immediately. He tossed the unconscious Yagyar onto the ground and merely shrugged. "Your savior. You can't tell?"

Gotaya didn't believe him, not for a second. She turned her head with a cold sneer, unwilling to acknowledge him.

Glen, however, paid no mind to her attitude. He simply picked her up again and held her under his arm, making her struggle in his grasp. She could feel the frustration building in her chest, but there was little she could do.

"Let me go!" she hissed through clenched teeth, but Glen ignored her protests as he moved swiftly toward the outskirts of the town.

Once they were outside, Glen tossed the elf and the unconscious mercenary onto a cart he had prepared earlier. The large deer that pulled it was still sleeping, and the sudden movement woke it with a start. Its eyes, filled with something like annoyance, met Glen's for a brief moment. He rubbed his eyes, dismissing the thought as mere imagination.

As he was preparing to leave, Yagyar began to stir, groaning in pain. "What the hell?" he muttered, blinking as he regained consciousness. He tried to move but was immediately greeted with a hard slap to the face.

"Wham!"

Yagyar reeled from the impact, his face stinging. Gotaya flinched slightly at the sound, but her anger was still focused on Glen. She saw no reason to care about the mercenary's fate. It was a human—just another ruthless creature in her eyes.

Glen grabbed Yagyar by the hair, forcing him to face him. "Hey, you remember me?" Glen asked with a calm, almost casual tone.

Yagyar, still dazed, took a moment to process before his eyes widened in recognition. His face contorted into a snarl. "You... you bastard!" he spat, his voice filled with venom.

"Wham!"

Another sharp slap echoed in the night. Yagyar's face went red from the pain, but he didn't stop. "You—" Wham! "I'll kill you—" Wham! "I swear—" Wham!

With each slap, Yagyar's face became more and more disfigured. His teeth were now visible through the bloodied mess that was once his cheek, and his words came out slurred and unrecognizable.

The elf girl—Gotaya—watched, her heart strangely unmoved by the punishment being dealt. Despite her past suffering, she felt little sympathy for the mercenary. In fact, seeing him reduced to a wreck brought her some twisted satisfaction. The humans had done far worse to her kind.

Still, it was hard to ignore the way Glen handled things. She couldn't help but think: was he really any different from the others?

Glen, finally done with his lesson, stood up and casually grabbed a length of rope. He quickly bound Yagyar's legs before unceremoniously kicking him off the cart. The mercenary lay on the ground, still conscious but utterly broken.

"You're not going to do that again, are you?" Glen muttered under his breath, as he turned toward the elf girl. "He had it coming. You should understand that."

Gotaya looked at him with cold eyes but said nothing. She didn't care about Yagyar's fate, nor did she care about Glen's motives. To her, they were all the same—self-serving, greedy humans.

After securing the cart and making sure Yagyar was out of the way, Glen finally turned his attention to Gotaya. He walked over, leaning in close. "Now, I'm going to release you. But listen carefully. I'm saving you, not doing this for my own gain. Don't make me regret it."

With a flick of his wrist, he shattered the chains binding her wrists and ankles. Gotaya rubbed her wrists, looking at him with sharp eyes, calculating.

"You're free now." Glen tossed the broken shackles aside with a finality that left no room for argument.

Gotaya stared at him, still unsure of his intentions. She didn't trust him. Not for a second. But in this moment, her only choice was to remain silent.

That was, until she moved faster than anyone could have anticipated. With a fluid twist, Gotaya spun on her heels and launched a vicious roundhouse kick at Glen's head.

Her speed was incredible, a blur of motion. It was a move that defied her slender frame, a display of lethal precision.

But Glen wasn't caught off guard. He ducked just in time, feeling the wind from her kick graze his ear. With a grin, he reached out, grabbing her leg mid-swing and twisting it, bringing her to the ground with a swift, controlled motion.

Gotaya hissed in pain, but her eyes burned with a fierce determination. Glen, on the other hand, remained calm, knowing the fight was far from over.

"You'll have to do better than that," he said with a smile.