78. Bodyguard
"Chris," Xio suddenly called, her eyes narrowing as something caught her attention by chance. "Look over there." She pointed discreetly, careful not to draw the opponent's gaze.
Following the direction of her finger, my eyes widened. It was Lavenus.
We had found him.
Even with just this much information, we could already claim a reward from Audrey. Yet, instead of rushing, we exchanged a knowing nod and began to make our way toward him with deliberate nonchalance.
I wasn't as seasoned as Xio in situations like this, but keeping in step with her act was no trouble at all. We chatted casually about trivial matters, even throwing in a light jab at Fors for fun who wasn't there. No doubt she was sneezing somewhere at that very moment thanks to us.
We had no idea what he was doing here. From a safe distance, we trailed him, quietly observing. He drifted from one sailor to another, striking up conversations, and occasionally bursting into emotional outbursts. It was hardly the behavior of a man who had just swindled ten thousand gold pounds and slipped into a carefree, easy life.
After tailing him for some time, we noticed a shift in his behavior. It took us a moment to catch on, but he was deliberately, almost cautiously, seeking out a spot hidden from prying eyes.
Had I been alone, I might not have been able to follow him this long without resorting to direct contact, just to distinguish his presence from the crowd. As for Xio, she wouldn't have been this bold on her own either—her safety margin had stretched only because of my presence.
'The Demon-like Judge of Fire expressed ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/'
Huh? I froze, startled by the sudden message.
Just then, Lavenus abruptly pivoted and fixed his glare directly on us.
"Shit." We both cursed in unison. We had been far too careless. What we thought was tailing had, in truth, been a trap—he had lured us into this desolate place.
The moment we realized it, The moment Lavenus turned fully toward us. From the shadows, a figure emerged and hurled a fist in our direction, accompanied by a furious roar.
If there was one thing I could be grateful for, it was that the attack came from my side rather than Xio's. Speed was the one attribute I dared claim I wouldn't lose in—and that was what I trusted.
Even with my heightened dynamic vision, dodging a direct blow on my own would have been difficult enough. With Xio beside me, it was impossible. So instead, in the single heartbeat I had, I gathered every thread I could muster then turned it into some kind of layer to shield us and hurled myself toward her, dragging us both into a desperate sideward leap.
In theory, with my threads layered like leather armor, stepping aside should have absorbed most of the impact.
Unfortunately, the opponent wasn't someone who played by ordinary rules.
*Boom
The moment his strike collided with my right arm, his hand erupted in a burst of flesh and blood—an explosion that carried a second shockwave, pelting us with a blood rain.
The blast sent Xio and me hurtling into the nearest wooden shed. The wall cracked under the force, but it wasn't enough to halt our momentum—we smashed straight through and slammed into another shed behind it.
If not for the threads I'd frantically spread out attaching to anything it could to kill off the momentum, who knew how much farther we would have been flung.
"Are you okay?" I asked as I loosened my hold on Xio.
"Yes," she replied. As a Sheriff, she was better suited for physical combat than spiritual defense, and aside from the dust clinging to her clothes, she didn't seem badly hurt.
Thanks to her smaller frame, she had managed to avoid most of the blood spray. I, however, wasn't nearly as fortunate.
On the other hand, my entire right arm was now a deep, mottled red-black. The threads had absorbed some of the impact, but it wasn't nearly enough. Not just my hand—my face, torso, and legs had been splattered with it, though only lightly.
The blast should have left my right arm numb with pain. Instead, beneath the blood coating my hand, I felt a searing burn mixed with another, strange and unidentifiable ache.
Tch. I clicked my tongue, knowing full well that my right arm was useless for the rest of this fight.
Did they have some grudge against my hand or something? The thought flashed through my mind, but I pushed it aside to focus on the fight.
"I don't feel anything," Xio said, still shaken. As a Sheriff, she excelled not only at monitoring and tailing others but also at sensing when someone was tailing her. Yet this time, she felt nothing.
Was it because she had just advanced in sequence? No—she discarded the thought immediately. She should have been able to sense it if that were the case. No, this was different. The difference between her and her enemy sequences and the opponent was clearly skilled in concealment and ambush.
As the dust gradually settled, we caught sight of the proprietor.
He wasn't especially muscular, yet stood nearly two meters tall, draped in a black priest's robe. His pale yellow hair curled slightly at the ends, framing dark brown eyes that glinted with cold malice. The corners of his mouth drooped just enough to give him the predatory air of a snarling wolf.
He waved his hand, a look of disappointment flickering across his face at the unsatisfying outcome.
There was no longer any room for conversation—or negotiation.
"Lavenus is gone," Xio said, glancing toward where he had been moments before. I, however, kept my eyes locked on the man, watching his every move. His arm, shattered by the blast, was regenerating flesh and blood at a grotesquely visible pace.
To be honest… It was disgusting.