Chapter 203: Beware of the Shadows (2)

The shadow jumped back, distancing himself from Arianne as soon as his attack was blocked.

However, in that moment, he failed to notice one critical detail.

Realization struck when he saw his hand, still clutching the dagger, slowly descending toward the ground under the force of gravity—cut into three sections. It felt as if time had slowed down for him. Soon, his mind caught up with the situation, and pain flooded his senses.

Right—Arianne swung her blade twice in an instant, and had severed his arm clean off at the shoulder!

Despite the agony, the man remained silent.

He didn’t even let out a short scream!

“Hmm?” Arianne glanced at him, frowning.

She could see his sharp canines, way too long for a normal human. “You… aren’t human?” she murmured.

“…!”

Her words seemed to trigger something in him, causing his body to twitch slightly—a small movement not born of the pain from his missing arm.

“Well, I don’t really care either way.” Arianne sighed, turning to face him fully, resting her blade over her shoulder. “The current me is hardly human too, after all.”

She looked at her left palm and clenched it tightly.

With her strength—far beyond mortal limits—it’s difficult to even consider herself “human” anymore. But, of course, she wasn’t alone on this path.

Eve was the same, along with everyone else back in the castle of the Axevaria Kingdom.

Thus, she truly didn’t mind being labeled as inhuman.

“Arianne, should I step in?” Eve asked from the side.

“Huh?”

Hearing Eve chime in, Arianne couldn’t help but let out an idiotic voice. Although she was momentarily confused, she soon understood why the little princess had asked.

Behind the man, who was cupping the bleeding stump of his right shoulder, three mages were busy chanting. Their spells were nearly ready to be unleashed!

“Ah, I missed them…” Arianne smiled wryly. “But no need for help—!”

In the middle of her sentence, she stepped forward and… vanished.

She moved so quickly that all the shadows lost sight of her!

The man who had lost his arm quickly looked left and right, trying to figure out where Arianne had moved towards. To his surprise…

“Alright, done!”

She appeared behind the three mages, her sword still resting on her shoulder.

The three mages received a chop to the back of their necks, completely robbing them of consciousness. Thanks to Arianne’s extremely precise control, they didn’t end up with broken spines, but their napes would be swollen for quite some time afterward.

“You’re the last one,” Arianne said, turning to the armless shadow with a smile. “Better give up before I rough you up even more.”

The man scanned his surroundings.

His three mage allies were down, and how long they would remain unconscious was a matter for the gods to decide. The other two were technically in critical condition—still moving and breathing, but definitely not for long.

Around him, Sophia’s soldiers were forming a circle, cutting off any chance of escape.

Diving into the shadows again using his magic item—the ring on his middle finger—would require time to activate, time he clearly didn’t have.

Realizing the desperation of his situation, he acted without hesitation.

CRACK!

He bit down on something, producing a loud cracking noise that caused his body to convulse violently.

Arianne’s eyes widened in shock as she witnessed this, and she groaned.

“Damn, to think he’d take his own life. He’s one loyal, perfectly trained dog…” Then, she grinned, as if feeling a twinge of pity for him. “But can he even commit suicide right now?”

Before he could succumb to the fast-acting poison, Eve sprang into action, holding a Greater Recovery Potion.

Seeing the weird vial, and understanding Eve’s intent, the man mustered his last bit of strength and clenched his jaws tight. However, it was futile, as Eve didn’t pour it through his mouth or nose anyway.

Instead, she shoved the potion directly into his stomach, breaking through his skin, muscles, and everything else. Potions would heal all injuries, so a violent entry wouldn’t really matter.

The convulsions ceased as his body absorbed the potion’s contents. His face was slick with cold sweat as he stared at Eve, who stood before him, expressionless.

“Don’t worry,” she said.

Her lips slowly curled into a smile as she held the bloodied potion bottle before her face, treating it as if it were precious. “As long as it’s not instant death, you won’t die.”

The poor shadow shivered at the sight.

He had only one hidden poison sack tucked away in his molar teeth. Even if he had another, he doubted he could successfully die with Eve watching over him.

For the first time, the shadow felt outclassed and outplayed.

His life and death were no longer his to decide.

…

Minutes later, the six shadows were lined up beside Sophia’s carriage, tied up and fully healed. Even lost limbs and broken bones were fixed instantly with just one potion vial.

The men had been stripped naked to ensure no hidden weapons remained on their bodies. It was an embarrassing situation for them, but there was nothing they could do about it!

“As expected, their lips are tight…”

After several attempts, Arianne shook her head in exasperation.

They had been trying to get the shadows to reveal the information of their employer—The Second Princess Tiffany—but nothing worked. Neither pain, torture, nor laughter could coax them into speaking.

“As expected, extracting information from well trained mutts is hard.” Arianne shrugged. “We should leave this kind of thing to the experts…”

“I think so too,” Eve agreed with her.

However, as luck would have it, none of those present were certified torture experts. Not even among Sophia’s troops was there anyone suitable for the task.

“…No choice, I guess,” Eve sighed. “We should call for help.”

Arianne smiled and nodded repeatedly. “A wise choice. I was just thinking the same!”

If torture doesn’t work, they would need to find a more direct method to extract information.

Eve turned to her side, where a silent being floated idly.

A black-and-white cat, curled up and sleeping in midair.

Mimir!

Eve didn’t hesitate and spoke to the little grumpy cat with respect.

“Miss Mimir, can you call Fenrir for us? And please ask her to bring either Ria or Nina with her as well,” she requested.

“…Just those three?” Mimir muttered without opening her eyes. “Then, I’ll be back in a bit.”

In a flash, she disappeared.

A moment was all it took for her to travel from one system holder to another.

Eve and Arianne didn’t have to wait long.

Within minutes, Mimir returned—visibly elated and smiling from ear to ear, with the little penguin, Navi, now in tow.

“They seem busy, so it’ll take about ten minutes before they arrive,” she said. “Just wait for it.”

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