Isaac hadn’t sensed Hastel’s presence at all, which meant she must have been hiding in some strange form. Before anyone could react, Hastel had already wrapped a thin, crimson thread around Leonora’s neck. The thread was so sharp that a thin line of blood immediately oozed out where it touched her skin.
‘Is she trying to take a hostage?’
Isaac looked at Hastel in disbelief.
It was surprising that Leonora had saved him, but that was all it was—a surprise. There was no real connection between them. Isaac didn’t care about Leonora, so taking her hostage wouldn’t work on him.
Moreover, Isaac didn’t negotiate with hostage-takers.
Hastel knew this as well.
Instead of addressing Isaac, she shouted loudly, making sure everyone around could hear her.
“I’m taking Leonora Bessia. The Golden Idol Guild should prepare Hesabel, the Rite of Division, and the head of the Holy Grail Knight by sunrise. I’ll return when it’s ready.”
As soon as she finished her declaration, a thick blood mist enveloped them. By the time people rushed in and cut through the mist, Hastel and Leonora were gone.
The soldiers, having lost their charge right before their eyes, exchanged pale, panicked looks.
Their eyes quickly turned toward Isaac.
***
“How ridiculous.”
Isaac clicked his tongue at Hastel’s cunning move.
Taking a hostage wouldn’t work on him. After all, he and Leonora were enemies. But Hastel wasn’t trying to pressure Isaac; she was threatening the entire Golden Idol Guild. Instead of shouldering the burden of dealing with Isaac herself, she was attempting to mobilize the whole city of Odryf, the guild’s stronghold.
The idea that one should never give in to hostage demands wouldn’t matter here. If Leonora, the most promising candidate for the next guild leader, were to die, countless people who depended on her would be ruined. For those whose livelihoods were at stake, ideals and principles didn’t mean much.
“Sir Holy Grail Knight, we must rescue the Vice-Guild Master.”
The man who spoke was pale with anxiety. It was the coachman who had been accompanying Leonora earlier.
For now, he didn’t seem to be thinking, ‘Let’s kill the Holy Grail Knight and meet her demands.’ But as sunrise approached, that option would likely cross their minds.
“Excuse me, but the Rite of Division and Hesabel—those are the Red Chalice relic and the Red Chalice woman traveling with you, correct?”
“Yes.”
The coachman hesitated before speaking cautiously, visibly anxious.
“Then it means she has no intention of subduing him, doesn’t it? It means the order is canceled, right?”
“She didn’t explicitly say that...”
“Do you only deal with what’s written in contracts? Is that really what matters right now? Do you not know how to do business?”
Before the coachman could retort, Shalok turned to Isaac with a bright smile.
“The Golden Idol Guild is not hostile to the Holy Grail Knight. I guarantee it, as the Commander of the Mercenaries. So, the problem is resolved, right?”
Isaac found his assessment of Shalok improving slightly as he watched him sort out the situation quickly.
As he said, Isaac now had to rescue Leonora.
Because the Reaper hadn’t truly disappeared.
Leonora had paid the price of a ‘Death’s Reprieve,’ meaning it was only postponed—it wouldn’t happen today. To settle the debt completely, Isaac needed to meet Leonora and uncover the nature of the debt. Addressing the issue with Angela could wait until afterward.
One way or another, Isaac had no choice but to save Leonora.
It was just that it was difficult to move forward with his enemies at his back. Fortunately, Shalok had cleared the path.
“But how do you plan to rescue her if you don’t know where she is?”
At this, Shalok grinned.
“Why do you think I hired those human hunters, who aren’t exactly pleasing to the eye? I couldn’t just let them roam freely around Odryf. By keeping them confined to one area, it was easier to monitor and control them. Of course, I know where they’re hiding.”
***
A cold night breeze blew through the cracks in the walls, making a haunting sound.
Leonora knew exactly where she was. It was an abandoned lighthouse on the outskirts of Odryf Harbor. As soon as Hastel arrived at the lighthouse, she left Leonora in a corner and ignored her.
This didn’t mean Leonora was free to escape. The thin red thread was still wrapped around her neck, and Hastel was ready to decapitate her if she moved faster than a crawl.
Hastel didn’t forget to give her a warning.
“The miracle of the Red Chalice can heal wounds very quickly. You understand what that means, right?”
“It means you could chop off my limbs to keep me confined if necessary.”