Chapter 190 - A Familiar Man

While Sheila was fighting with the man with a gem in his forehead, Yuna and Ria were running around looking for a good place to hide. If it were people with common sense, rather than hiding, they would go toward the teacher's lounge and told the teacher about the screaming and all that. However, both of these girls have a different opinion than those on this matter. Although Ria didn't know anything, she can sense the urgency of the situation based on the reaction of Sheila. After all, the latter is very cautious when it comes to her loves one.

As for Yuna, although she finds her thought as nonsense, a part of her also thinks it is possible. Just like Ria, she didn't know anything either. However, as someone who had been kidnapped once, she couldn't help but think of those people. Because she was there in the cafeteria with them, she also heard the scream filled with terror from the hallway. She doesn't want to admit that she's paranoid, but after experiencing something as scary as being kidnapped as a high school student, it couldn't be helped that she thought the scream was caused by those kidnappers who come here to kidnap her again for an unknown reason. High school girls can be pretty wild in their imagination at times, after all.

Anyways, both of them thought of the worse situation, which was why they are having trouble looking for a place to hide. A restroom is not a choice for them as most people would definitely choose it without a second thought. The rooftop? That's a definite no. Who would be dumb enough to hide there when it's as obvious as the former choice? 

"Senior, do you think we could hide in a storage room?"

'Not many would go there without any goal in mind, and even if they did, it's only for a few specific people such as staff cleaner and the likes. At the very least, it's much better than the rooftop and restroom in my opinion. Alright, let's go with that, to begin with, there aren't that many choices.' with that thought in mind, Ria nodded her head in response to Yuna's words.

There are only two storage rooms on the whole school premise and the only one near them is the one on the first floor, so they had no choice but to go down the stair even though they wanted to avoid it. Perhaps it might have been due to her sense been strengthened after countless battles in the Trial Tower, Ria could feel a slight uneasiness while walking down the stairs to the first floor for some unknown reason. As if the god of misfortunate could feel her emotion from a long distance and decided to give its blessing to her, the moment they stepped on the first floor, they were stopped by a familiar-looking guy along with a weird group of three right behind him.

"Oh? I was going to look for you and that damnable girl, but to think that you would come straight at me instead. Live can be very eventful, don't you agree?"

Said Rodrick with smiles on his face. Ria quickly stepped in front of Yuna, covering her with a stance ready to fight at any moment as long as Rodrick start making any weird movement. If she knew she would come across this guy, she would have entered the Trial Tower for a moment to grab her sword out of the inventory. But that's just as to be expected, she didn't have the all-seeing ability which could predict the future after all.

Anyways, what's with the gem on his forehead? Is he a buddha now or what? thought Yuna and Ria at once when they gazed at his face and couldn't help but noticed a small red object. If Sheila had been here, she would realize that the gem is almost the same as the one she's currently fighting, which she dubbed as Berserker Gem. 

"Why are you here?"

Ria asked with a tone filled with wariness. Even Yuna started to feel tense as she remembers Rodrick's appearance at that time, during the kidnapping when she caught a glimpse of him unconscious on the ground before escaping. She had thought the man been caught by the police since nothing happened for the past couple of weeks. Also, when she glanced at the group of three behind Rodrick, she didn't know why but for some strange reason, she feels pretty intimidated by them even though they did nothing to her. 

Unlike Yuna who only knew a tiny bit fraction of the other side of the world, Ria clearly senses that the people behind Rodrick as way more dangerous than the latter. Rodrick is dangerous on his own, however, he couldn't be compared to even one of the three people behind him; they are just way beyond his and her league. If Sheila was here, she could just leave it to her to take care of these people who clearly had ill intent toward them. And most importantly, she could bring the two of them to the Trial Tower before things get dangerous, knowing her personality, that's what she would do for sure.

"Hahaha, no need to get all feisty and angsty, a girl should be calm and elegant."

Rodrick joked around, clearly unfazed by her threatening eyes. If it was just him alone, she would have begun attacking him while Yuna took the time he was distracted by her to escape to safety. No matter how used she is to killing, it's only for the monsters in the Trial Tower. In reality, she couldn't help but tremble just by thinking about it. However, when the thought of what will happen to both of them if she didn't resist appeared in her mind, she has no choice but to bear it with her willpower. 

"As expected of sc.u.m, you knew your stuff. Should I applause you for that, sc.u.m?"

"Hmph, if your aim is to provoke me, you would be disappointed. I—"

*Clap! Clap!*

"Congratulations, you got that right. I applaud you for that, sc.u.m."

"Pffft."

One of the three covered by a cloak couldn't help but chuckle at her words, not hiding the slight contempt it has for Rodrick which caused the latter to boil up in rage. Nonetheless, he didn't do anything at all despite someone on his side clearly mocking him. No, the correct term would be, he couldn't do anything, after all, his strength is nowhere near their league at all. Fighting them would be the same as suicide, there's no chance of winning against them. Which was why he has no choice but to take the insult to his face in silence.

"Huh? Am I dreaming or what, but do you perhaps, just take the insult with no reaction? And here I thought you would get angry and spout shit, poop, and all that in anger."

"Hahaha! Look! I can't believe our supposedly-to-be-CEO slave here, been insulted right in his face and he couldn't do a single thing about it!"

Without holding anything back, a feminine yet seductive voice resounds once again from his back. Previously, Ria might not be able to get any information from them just by staring at them, however, she can now safely assume that one of them is female. 

"Shut up!"

"Oh my, is our little slave angry, perhaps? My, how cute."

Just by looking at Rodrick's face turning red and his trembling body, one can obviously tell that he is boiling in anger. Although he just shouted at her, the woman in black cloak didn't take his words seriously but instead, continue teasing him. 'This vixen! If not for her mighty strength and background, I would love to shut that noisy little mouth of her with a thousand slap from me. No, just a single slap is enough to satisfy me.' 

Although Ria didn't know what is the relationship between them, she somehow got the gist of it based on their interaction with each other. It seemed the one with a superior position was the group of three behind him. As she expected, after all, their strength shows a clear sign of it. It would be ridiculous to hope someone strong to follow those weaker than them, especially for the prideful individual. Rather than them following him willingly, it would be more correct to say he has to listen to them unwillingly instead—these are two different things.

"Enough. Rodrick, I'll let you do as pleased, but make sure you erase every witness. You do know the consequence of going against me, right?"

Suddenly, a solemn yet indifferent voice resounds, causing the woman to stop teasing him further. When he heard the voice calling him out, Rodrick visibly shook before nodding his head seriously to the spoken words. Ria immediately went on high alert the moment the group of three walks nonchalantly toward her. Just as she was about to jump at them the closer they are to her, it was within the blink of an eye followed by a gust of wind, they suddenly disappeared from her sight before reappearing right behind her as if they had just teleported. But Ria knows that they didn't actually use teleportation, but more of their speed which exceeds her sense.

"You seem talented but, too bad. If you were able to survive this, I might change my mind and take you in."

The solemn yet indifferent voice resounds once again, but this time in a whisper tone and closer to her ears as if the spoken mouth was next to it. When she turned around in a panic and confusion, the three had long vanished. Thankfully, they didn't kidnap Yuna and use her as a hostage against her as she thought they would. However, she didn't know why but, she feels a slight sense of uneasiness when she thought of what they wanted to do in this high school. There must be a reason for their presence here, which was something she would like to know now. 

The living being known as humans has always been dreading over the unknown since the olden days. This didn't change even in a modern era where knowledge can be found easily just by researching it on the digital world. This was the exact feeling Ria had upon thinking about the group of three that disappear into somewhere else. What is their goal? Why is Rodrick Jayson, someone with a rich background is with them? 

"You have been provoking me for a while now, so it's time for me to pay you back by teaching you a hard lesson as someone older than you, brats."

Thinking about it now is useless, Ria shook her mind to remove the thought before focusing on the situation she's currently in. Even if those group of three is out of here, Rodrick still poses a problem for her to handle on her own. Furthermore, she also needs to protect Yuna. For a healer like her, that's asking too much. 

"For a sc.u.m like you, that's quite the tone you have. Come, I'm not afraid of you."

However, she had no choice. If it's only for a moment, Ria doesn't mind risking it all until Sheila arrived to handle the rest. Knowing the latter, she has most likely detected the trouble they were facing now and were on the way here. Heck, Ria would even believe it if someone told her that Sheila is currently fighting against them at this very moment. 

"Big mouth for someone who's going to become a corpse soon, however, you really rile me up good, didn't you? So I hope you didn't break too early, or I won't be satisfied. You hear me?!"

Without wasting any further with cheap talk, Rodrick immediately kicks the floor hard with his feet, shattering the floor into a spider-like crack in his wake, launching himself toward Ria at amazing speed. Looking at his figure speeding toward her, Ria couldn't help but think, 'I really don't have that much confidence in beating someone like that, which was why, Sheila, I hope you could come here ASAP. I will buy time as much as you wanted, but please, make sure you arrive here before it's too late.'