Chapter 71

The fox was dragged along helplessly.

Her body felt strange.

Her head spun, her legs wobbled, and even her vision struggled to focus.

It seemed she had been injected with a sedative.

It was a common method used to transport unruly slaves.

‘Damn it.’

The drug was potent enough to knock out even a bear beastfolk in an instant.

Naturally, Irene’s consciousness was unstable.

She forced her eyes open, fighting the drowsiness that threatened to overtake her.

Through her blurred vision, a new scene came into view.

“...”

What she saw were rows of iron cages.

A prison for slaves.

Even though it was within the ship, its scale was vast.

It seemed to occupy an entire floor, packed tightly with what must have been hundreds of slaves.

The fox quickly began to think.

‘There’s no time.’

There was no room for hesitation.

If the ship set sail as it was, everything would become irreversible.

No one would be able to find her.

‘Or... maybe it’s already left.’

That was the most despairing thought.

She didn’t know how much time had passed since she lost consciousness, but she could only hope it hadn’t been long.

Her only chance for escape was now.

And fortunately, the hound had left the area.

‘It’s worth a try.’

The guards flanking her appeared complacent.

They seemed to trust in the sedative’s effects.

Even if she were caught trying to escape, with the merchant’s orders, they couldn’t kill her.

At most, she would take a beating that wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

If that was the only risk, it was a gamble worth taking.

*Hoo...*

She exhaled slowly, focusing on her senses.

The pounding headache blurred her vision, but she needed to shake it off now.

Irene abruptly shoved the guard to her side.

*Thud!*

“What the...?!”

*Crash!*

One guard fell over while the other unsheathed his sword and lunged.

She knew it was just for intimidation.

That’s why she didn’t back down.

She charged forward, exploiting the openings in his stance.

Surprise flashed in the guard’s eyes.@@@@

‘Got you.’

A sword that isn’t drawn fast enough becomes shackles on one’s own hands.

No one would dare disobey an order.

“Damn it...!”

The guard dropped his sword in frustration.

He tried to throw a punch, but he couldn’t be faster than the fox who had already closed the distance.

Her foot shot out and struck his solar plexus.

“Gah!”

He let out a groan and collapsed, stumbling backward.

A clean hit.

Irene immediately started running.

A sword dropped by the guard was now in her hand.

With a few quick slashes, she cut the ropes binding her body.

“Damn! The merchandise is escaping!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

Several guards chased after her.

Ignoring their sharp shouts, Irene pushed off the ground with all her might.

She needed to find an exit somewhere.

---

Meanwhile, the hound in the reception room heard the news belatedly.

The very fox he had captured only a few hours ago had outmaneuvered the guards and was causing chaos.

Swallowing his rising anger, he rubbed his temples.

“Those incompetent fools... Can’t even manage a worn-out fox?”

“She’s heading for the opposite stairs! Block them!”

Two guards appeared from a side corridor.

The stairs in the opposite direction were already blocked.

This time, she would have to break through.

Irene readied her sword calmly.

She adjusted her stance.

Slowing down was not an option.

She prepared a series of light strikes instead of her usual powerful ones.

Following a swift movement, the tip of her sword gleamed.

*Clang!*

The first clash came lightly.

Without hesitation, she deflected the guard’s blade and spun, slicing through her opponent.

The feeling of her blade cutting through flesh sent a tingling sensation up her fingers.

*Shhk—!*

The cut was shallow, but it didn’t need to be fatal.

What mattered now was not victory, but escape.

“Damn it...!”

The fox’s movements were almost too fast to see.

By the time the stunned guard reacted, her sword was already piercing his arm.

*Thud—!*

“Aaagh!!”

The guard screamed, the blade lodged deep in his arm.

Irene released the hilt without hesitation.

She grabbed the sword the man had dropped and continued running.

Her hands were slick with sticky blood.

“Huff, huff...!”

The chase had already lasted thirty minutes.

Her body was pushed far beyond its limits, and exhaustion set in faster than she expected.

The only relief was that she was near the exit.

As she remembered, the ship’s exit was on the top deck.

Her memories were hazy from how brief they were, but she recalled an open space outside, so she just needed to cross the top deck to find it.

The ship had no way to check outside.

For such a large space, there wasn’t a single window.

“Haa...!”

Irene pushed aside the distracting thoughts and kept running.

She prayed the ship hadn’t set sail yet.

That it was still docked.

Even if it had already left, she could swim back if it was within a reasonable distance.

Irene continued her intense battle.

Finally, an exit appeared before her.

It was more like the ship’s rooftop than an exit, but anywhere that allowed escape would do.

She cut down the last guard blocking her way.

And then, she stepped outside.

But—

“Well, well, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“So you’re finally here.”

The sight that greeted her was none other than two figures.

One was the hound in the gray robe.

The other was the young man in the suit.

Irene had no choice but to stop running.

“...”

“Why the long face? Did you really have hope?” the hound mocked.

His smirking lips dripped with scorn.

“I told you, there’s no escape.”

“...”

*Whoosh—*

The sea breeze rustled her red hair.

Irene’s eyes shook.

Irene's gaze was not fixed on the two men standing before her, but on the expanse of blue that lay beyond them.

She let out a small sigh.

“Ah...”

Surrounding her were the endless waves of the ocean.

Her eyes darted around, searching for any sign of land, but there was none to be found.

Indeed—

*Whoosh—*

The ship was already far out at sea, drifting in the middle of the vast ocean.