Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Falcon stared at Ingrid as though he could not believe what she had just said, and then he suddenly threw his head back and laughed. "Are you fucking crazy? You actually think this cursed bastard can do anything to me? If you know what’s good for you, you’d better..."

He never got the chance to finish.

Lysander moved so quickly that Ingrid barely saw him leave his position. One moment he was standing several steps away, and the next, he was directly in front of Falcon with one hand locked around his arm. There was a moment of silence, then three seconds later, a sharp crack that cut through the silence echoed, followed immediately by Falcon’s scream.

"Aahhh!!" Falcon screamed, his eyes wide and bloodshot with tears gathering at its corners. His arm dropped uselessly at his side, the bone visibly pushed into a terrible angle beneath the skin, and he stumbled backward before falling hard onto the ground. He clutched his injured arm with his other hand while screaming through the pain, his face twisted in disbelief and agony.

The four Beastmen behind him stared at Lysander in horror. Their confidence disappeared so quickly that it was almost difficult to believe these were the same men who had been standing there moments earlier, insulting Ingrid and threatening her life.

Lysander looked down at Falcon without any expression on his face, and his purple eyes were so cold that the remaining Beastmen instinctively stepped backward.

Ingrid looked at Falcon for a moment before turning her attention toward the others. "I said all of them."

Lysander didn’t need another explanation. He moved toward the first Beastman, who barely had enough time to raise his hands before Lysander caught his arm and twisted it with frightening ease. Another scream filled the air as the bone snapped, and the man collapsed to the ground while clutching his arm.

The second Beastman tried to run, but Lysander caught him by the shoulder and dragged him back before breaking his arm as well. The final two tried to defend themselves, but neither of them stood a chance against him, and within moments, all four were on the ground beside Falcon, crying out in agony as they held their broken arms.

Afterward, the area became strangely quiet. Ingrid stood there listening to their painful groans while looking at the five men who had been so confident only minutes earlier. She felt no satisfaction from their screams, but she couldn’t find any sympathy for them either.

They had destroyed her home, threatened her life, and treated her like she had no right to defend herself, so she had no reason to feel guilty about what had just happened.

Lysander returned to her side and stopped beside her. Ingrid looked down at Falcon, whose face had lost every trace of his earlier arrogance, and then she slowly stepped forward. She crouched slightly so that she was closer to his level, keeping her eyes fixed on his frightened face.

"You should remember this moment," Ingrid murmured. Her voice was so cold that Falcon stopped moving for a second. "In a few days, when things around this village become worse and you start crying and begging me for help, I want you to remember how confidently you stood here and threatened my life."

Falcon’s lips trembled, but he didn’t answer.

Ingrid slowly straightened. "Now get lost." None of them moved immediately, and Ingrid’s expression hardened as she looked over them. "And don’t even think about bringing your parents here to try and intimidate me. If they come looking for trouble, I’ll do the same thing to them and break their legs. I don’t care who they are or what position they hold in this village, so don’t try me again."

That finally broke what remained of their courage. Falcon struggled to his feet while holding his broken arm against his chest, and the other four Beastmen hurried to stand as well. None of them said another word. They stumbled away as quickly as their injured bodies allowed, disappearing down the path without looking back.

Ingrid watched until they were completely gone before turning toward her hut again. The anger that had kept her standing began to fade, leaving behind a strange emptiness that settled heavily in her chest. Looking at the ruined structure, she knew there was no way she could rebuild it in just a few hours. Even if she gathered wood and found someone willing to help, repairing the roof, replacing the windows, fixing the damaged walls, and rebuilding the door would take far too long.

She wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep tonight. This place was Ingrid’s joy, something she owned by herself. These people are so cruel. Just because of jealousy, they did evil things like this.

Ingrid clenched her fists. Savings people like this, is it actually worth it? After all, they’re all murderers. They had killed the original Ingrid.

Lysander remained beside her for a while before quietly speaking. "Ingrid, if you don’t have anywhere to stay..." He trailed off for a second before continuing, "You can stay at my place. It isn’t far from here, and you can rest there tonight. We can decide what to do about this place tomorrow."

Ingrid looked at him and then back at the remains of her home. After a few seconds, she nodded. "Okay." She had no reason to refuse and besides, it’s not like they were strangers. She had even seen his two dicks!

They started walking together, and Ingrid remained mostly silent as they made their way down the road. She was still thinking about the ruined hut when she suddenly realized how close Lysander’s house was to hers. When she glanced back, she could actually see the remains of her home from his place, and the realization made her wonder if he had always been able to see her house from there.

Has he always been watching her? Is that why he readily helped her back then? Back then, if someone like him had actually come to talk to Ingrid and be her friend, would Ingrid have been happy and not depressed?