Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Chapter 95

Lanxiang’s confession left a heavy silence hanging over the little store. Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, and even after telling them what Berthanon had done to her father, she seemed unable to settle. There was anger in her eyes, but beneath it lay something much stronger: fear. It was the kind of fear that came from knowing exactly what an enemy was capable of and having no way to defend yourself against him.

Ingrid studied her for a moment before speaking. "Then why don’t you leave?"

Lanxiang raised her head.

"If you already know Berthanon wants you gone, why are you still here? Staying in the Guild only gives him more opportunities to make trouble for you. You already told us that he killed your father and took over everything he built. What makes you think he’ll suddenly stop bothering you?"

Lanxiang gave a bitter smile. Her fingers moved restlessly against each other, and she lowered her eyes before answering.

"I want to leave. I really do, more than anything. Do you think I enjoy staying here and watching those people walk around like they own the place? Every day, I have to see the faces of people who helped him take my father’s position. Some of them even pretend they don’t know what happened. Others look at me with pity, and I hate that even more. I can barely stand being in the same room with them, but leaving isn’t as simple as packing my things and walking out."

"Why?" Ingrid asked.

"Because if I leave, Berthanon will send people after me. He won’t let me go so easily. I’m the daughter of the man he killed, and as long as I’m alive, there’s always a chance that I’ll cause him trouble one day. He knows that. He hasn’t killed me yet because I’m still inside the Guild, where I can be watched, and because I’ve been careful not to give him a reason to act openly. But how long can I keep that up? How careful can one person be when the other side has so many people working for them?"

Lanxiang’s voice grew unsteady. She pressed her lips together, trying to hold back her emotions, but the effort only made her look more miserable.

"I don’t want to stay here. I really don’t. I hate this place now. My father spent years building it, and these people have turned it into something he would never recognise. They took everything from me, and I’m still expected to keep my head down and pretend nothing happened. But what else can I do? I’m only a half-Beastman. My Beast Core never fully developed, and I don’t have any ability strong enough to protect myself. If I walk out of these walls alone, they’ll kill me before I even get the chance to find somewhere safe."

Maya let out a deep sigh. She had been listening quietly, but the helplessness in Lanxiang’s words seemed to weigh heavily on her.

"That’s why we need your help, Ingrid."

Maya turned towards her, and there was an unusual seriousness in her expression. "I know you aren’t planning to stay here for long. I don’t know what you’re planning, and I’m not going to pretend I understand your circumstances. But I know you want to leave, and I have a feeling that when you do, you won’t be coming back. I also know I have no right to ask you to take responsibility for someone else’s problems. Still, if you’re willing to help us, I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Anything within my ability, I’ll do it."

Ingrid didn’t answer immediately. She lowered her gaze and considered Maya’s words, turning them over in her mind.

She had already been given a mission to recruit five people from the Guild and escape within seventy-two hours. The system had shown her ten candidates, and she had recognised several familiar faces among them. Maya and Freya were two of the people she had considered, but she hadn’t yet figured out how to persuade them to leave. Now Lanxiang had practically offered herself without Ingrid having to ask.

It was convenient, but Ingrid wasn’t going to let convenience make her careless. She needed to understand what each person could offer, what they wanted, and whether they would remain useful once they were outside the Guild. More importantly, she needed to know whether they were willing to follow her or whether they were simply desperate to escape their current circumstances.

Before she could say anything, Lanxiang suddenly reached for her hands.

"Please."

Ingrid looked up. Lanxiang’s eyes were filled with desperation. She held Ingrid’s hands tightly, almost afraid that if she loosened her grip, Ingrid would change her mind and walk away.

"If Maya is willing to ask you for help, then you must be someone who can do something. I don’t know how powerful you are, and I don’t need to know. I just want to leave this place. If I have to kneel and beg you, I’ll do it. I don’t want to miss the only chance I might ever get."

"Lanxiang..."

"I won’t be a burden!" Lanxiang quickly interrupted. "I know my Beast Core isn’t complete, but I can still do things. I won’t get in your way when there’s danger. I’ll hide whenever I need to, and I’m very fast. I can run faster than most people expect, so I won’t slow you down. I can cook, clean, carry things, and do whatever other work you need. If you want me to take care of your belongings, I’ll do that. If you want me to prepare meals, I’ll do that too. I don’t mind doing any of it. Just please, let me go with you."

Her grip tightened. "I promise I won’t cause trouble. I won’t complain, and I won’t ask for anything I haven’t earned. I just want to get out of here."

Ingrid tilted her head slightly. That was surprisingly easy.

She hadn’t even needed to negotiate with Lanxiang. The woman was so desperate to leave that she was already offering to do whatever was required of her. Ingrid could understand why. Lanxiang had spent years living under the authority of the very people who had taken her father’s life, and she knew that she could be killed if she stepped outside without protection. It wasn’t difficult to see why she would grab at any opportunity to escape.

Still, Ingrid wanted to make sure this was what the system had in mind.

’Lorna, show me the candidates again.’