Escape - Chapter 39.1

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Chapter 39.1

Adeline watched, her neatly shaped brows furrowed, a scene unfold that was nothing short of torture. The sight of grown men pummeling, tossing, and dangling a small boy like a rag doll completely extinguished her appetite. Her earlier joy vanished, like a deflated balloon, or perhaps more like the soap bubbles she’d seen earlier, rising and popping in the street.

“……! …!…!……! …!!!”

A high-pitched scream, like nails scraping against something, echoed repeatedly. Yet, no one offered help, or even a flicker of concern. The men now played a game, throwing daggers at a table as if they were darts. An orange-haired fairy fluttered its wings, desperate to escape, but the shackles binding it rendered its delicate membranes useless.

A hummingbird. If her guess was right, this fairy-like creature was the very hummingbird described in the books. From the moment she’d set foot in this place, Adeline had wondered where all the beings who created this fairytale city were. Why were there only small houses left, devoid of inhabitants?

Damian’s observation, made while they were exploring the streets, had been correct. Beautiful, yet squalid.

“Is this how humans behave in uncharted territories?” Adeline’s voice was ice cold. Perhaps this surge of anger stemmed from the lion within her, despite her outward human resemblance.

As if sensing her hostility, Damian’s gaze finally shifted. Unlike the others, however, his eyes rested on Adeline’s expression. That was the moment the thugs should have stopped.

“Bullseye! Bullseye!”

In the next instant, the piercing screams abruptly ceased, replaced by a whooping cheer and the shrill sound of a whistle. A cacophony of stomping feet and nauseating laughter followed. The dagger thrown by one of the men had landed squarely in the fairy’s lower right wing.

As the man pulled out the sharp blade, he sliced through the wing from bottom to top. The fairy, emitting a silent scream, flapped its remaining wing in a futile attempt to flee. It was no use. The single, unbalanced wing couldn’t even lift its tiny body.

Unable to bear it any longer, Adeline pushed back her chair and stood up. “Stop it.”

Her voice, not soft, drew everyone’s attention. The clamor died down, even the clinking of cutlery against plates. In the sudden, intimate silence, the only sound was the pathetic fluttering of the fairy’s wing.

“What? Now? You’re ruining the fun.” The man with the dagger grumbled, his mood soured. The one whose eyes she’d met earlier nudged his companion, whispering something as soon as he recognized Adeline.

“Do you find it amusing to torment a weaker being?” Adeline’s sharp sarcasm echoed through the small tavern. A waiter, emerging from the kitchen with appetizers, froze, a plate of steaming soup in his hands.

“Mind your own business. You probably have a pretty little pet fairy yourself. I bought this one with my own money, from the fairy shop.”

“Don’t treat a living creature like an object.”

“Oh, honey, do you really think this is real? How did you even get this far playing like that? Never killed a monster?”

“She probably leveled up without killing anything.” One of them chuckled, glancing at Damian. The only reason they were showing Adeline even a modicum of respect was because of the imposing man beside her. He hadn’t spoken a word, but he was clearly with her.

In Escape, there were weak players who leeched experience from others by forming parties. They assumed Adeline was one of them. Although appearances could be deceiving, it was obvious what kind of skills a slender, beautiful woman, one who even cared about a fairy’s life, would possess.

“Hey, Snao, what level are they? Did you use Detection?”

“Shhh, I can’t see. They’re higher than me.”

The three men conferred amongst themselves, debating whether to pick a fight. Only PK incurred penalties; killing was fine. Three against two. But they didn’t know their levels…

Adeline, as if offering to resolve their dilemma, spoke sharply, “How I got here is none of your business. If it’s about the money, sell me the fairy. I’ll buy it.”

“Ho, now this is interesting.” The man with the dagger rubbed his beard, exchanging glances with his companions. One of them had suggested targeting her earlier, having witnessed the amount of gold Adeline had accidentally summoned. She was clearly a newbie with deep pockets, someone who didn’t even know the basic exchange rate of 10 silver to 1 gold.

Snao was level 49, so they were likely above level 50, but that didn’t matter. It was obviously due to the man beside her.

“Three thousand gold. What do you say?” He named an outrageous price. Gold was roughly equivalent to ten dollars, making three thousand gold thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars for a winged, useless fairy. Adeline heard gasps from the onlookers.