CHAPTER 3 - THE RELIC OF BAD DECISIONS
I'd been sitting in that dark room for… I don't know.
Twenty-eight hours?
Twenty-nine?
Time dies when there's no light.
Suddenly the door creaked open and two wolfmen dragged me out like a sack of rejected potatoes.
Look! I'll be honest.
Daylight is my natural enemy.
It burns my eyes, my hopes, and my will to live.
While being dragged by these furry disappointments, let me summarize what happened so far:
"I was kidnapped."
That's it.
That's the whole playlist.
They hauled me into a grand hall where Sherry.. sorry, Sha'ira Tigerille—was seated on her throne, casually punching wolfmen like they were morning meditation props.
Her rage took me back.
Way back.
To the night she first bit me.
Before I could drown in nostalgia, they threw me at her feet like tribute. She glanced at me, rolled her eyes, and unleashed her voice—soft, feminine… but sharp enough to peel skin.
"Get up, Riven."
Ah yes.
The hatred.
The contempt.
The disappointment.
Truly, I deserve all three.
I forced myself onto my feet.
Sha'ira Tigerille.
Daughter of She'ra Tigerille.
Heiress of the Tigerille lineage.
Her fishtail braid could make gods stutter.
Her ember eyes could melt iron.
She was confusingly punchable and kissable.
I sometimes wonder...
What if I could turn back time? What if...
SLAP!
Reality returned as she lifted me by the collar with one hand and slapped me with the other while muttering an entire dictionary of insults.
"Did someone drug his food?" she snapped.
"H-hey, maybe… put me down? This closeness is… tempting, you see..!"
She threw me.
Into a wall.
Upside down.
My legs were the only thing pointing toward heaven.
"One dalgona, please," I croaked. "I don't think I can help without at least a sip."
Sha'ira sighed through her nose and signaled a servant.
Minutes later, I was in her office, legs on her desk, sipping hot dalgona tea like a relaxed hostage.
"So, dear," I said sweetly. "What can I help you with?"
Her growl rolled the room.
"There's an ancient relic called Lelitth. I want it."
Everyone froze.
Me included.
Lelitth:-
A one-use vaporization tool from ancient civilizations.
Powerful enough to erase a village.
Now useless, locked in a museum.
"So you want that? Then hire a thief. I'm a bounty hunter, not—"
"It's not that simple," she cut in, walking with slow, sharp steps. Her claws brushed together, sparking lightly.
"It was already stolen.
And I want YOU to bring it to me.
Before the cops do."
I blinked.
"Sherry, I hunt people, not relics. I'm not a detecti-"
"They pay you for doing their job," she hissed.
"You're their underdog. Nothing more."
The room laughed at me.
Rude.
"Fine then," I said. "Who even has it.."
A wolfman shoved a photo into my hands.
"GIONDA!?"
My scream cracked like puberty.
"You mean the relic is in the hands of your worst enemy," I said, turning to her, "and you want it before HE gets it back or the cops find it, for your—"
"YES!" she barked.
Her grin turned sinister.
"I want that relic. I'll make it part of my collection. Fufufufu~"
Everyone chuckled nervously.
"Stop that," I muttered. "You sound horrible when you laugh."
I sighed.
"Alright. I'll get the relic bac-"
She interrupted again.
"If you succeed… your life will be forgiven.
You'll do that for me… right, dear Rivenrrr?"
Those big, adorable, dangerous eyes…
They hit harder than any succubus enchantment.
"…Okay," I whispered, crying internally.