Chapter 57: You Are Free
Glen shut the three mages' corpses inside their rooms and strode straight toward the courtyard holding the cage.
In the cold iron prison, the elf girl Gotaya dreamed of her family and friends.
They darted through emerald forests together—playing, training, listening to elders' teachings.
Everything had been perfect… until humans invaded.
They slaughtered, burned the woods, and tore her from her kin.
Nightmares of captivity jolted her awake.
Her eyes snapped open to find a figure standing outside the cage.
Gotaya squinted, straining to see through the darkness. Before she could react, the stranger gripped two iron bars and wrenched them apart. The wrist-thick metal groaned, bending like clay.
The elf froze.
This wasn't ordinary iron. The cage had been magically reinforced—even a third-tier human knight couldn't brute-force it. Yet here this man stood, casually warping it like straw.
He hauled her over his shoulder before she fully processed the situation.
Another human wanting to steal me as a trophy. How typical. Her lips curled in silent contempt.
Glen carried her past unconscious guards, depositing her in a shadowed alley. Her wrists and ankles remained shackled—unopened, likely to prevent escape attempts.
Gotaya glared at him with the same hatred she'd reserved for Scarface. Glen ignored her, vanishing back toward the tavern.
Confused, she debated fleeing… until he returned minutes later, carrying another figure.
She recognized the man: Fang, a mercenary known for his cruelty.
"Who are you?" she hissed.
"Your rescuer. Obviously."
Her answering sneer dripped disbelief.
Glen didn't bother explaining. He tucked her under his arm, ignoring her struggles, and left the town.
———
Outside, a deer-drawn cart waited. The large stag dozed until Glen unceremoniously dumped Fang and the elf into the vehicle. It blinked awake, its gaze almost reproachful.
Glen rubbed his eyes, dismissing the illusion.
Fang groaned awake, clutching his head. "Who the hell smashed my—?!"
SLAP!
The mercenary's cheek split. Blood and saliva sprayed as his head whipped sideways.
Gotaya flinched at the sudden violence but kept still.
"Remember me?" Glen yanked Fang's hair, forcing their faces inches apart.
Fang's swollen eyes narrowed. Recognition dawned. "You! That damned—!"
SLAP!
"I'll kill y—"
SLAP!
"You'll pa—"
SLAP!
By the tenth strike, Fang's face resembled raw meat. He slumped, wheezing through shattered teeth.
Gotaya watched, throat dry. She'd endured worse pain… yet witnessing this brutality chilled her.
"Stubborn," Glen muttered. "But useless. I'll make you beg for death."
He bound Fang's legs with coarse rope and kicked him off the cart.
"Don't!" Fang croaked, panic breaking through. "The Hunter's Guild will flay you alive for this!"
His bravado crumbled. This man who'd once laughed at victims' terror now trembled like them.
"Adults face consequences." Glen secured the rope to the cart. "You earned this."
He snapped the reins. The stag surged forward, dragging Fang behind.
The mercenary's screams echoed through the night as gravel shredded his flesh.
———
Dawn neared as they reached Byerk Woods. Oddly, no sunlight pierced the eternal gloom beneath the twisted trees.
The cart's oil lamp swayed, casting jagged shadows. Glen halted halfway, having disposed of Fang's remains earlier.
Gotaya drowsed but jerked awake when he approached. Her glare mirrored a cornered animal's—all defiance masking fear.
"Listen carefully." Glen leaned close. "I'm removing your chains. Attack me, and I'll retaliate. Understand?"
He raised a warning fist.
Another trick, she thought bitterly. They pretend kindness to lower my guard.
Without waiting for a reply, Glen tore her shackles apart like paper.
"You're free." He tossed the broken metal aside.
Gotaya rose slowly, testing her limbs. Her once-gleaming forest armor hung in tatters, yet her ethereal beauty remained undimmed.
As Glen studied her, she struck.
A whip-fast spin. A leg lashed toward his temple—impossible speed for her frail frame.