A Chilly Standoff and a Crimson Wall

Saranya was momentarily dazed.

Talia’s request, so sincere and pure, completely devoid of ulterior motives, felt incredibly familiar to her.

All the people she had known who possessed such an attitude were now dead.

She neither wished for Talia to die nor for her to transform into another Paresha.

With a decisive motion, Saranya pushed the female sailor’s arm away.

“Don’t make such jokes!”

“Wh-what? I didn’t……”

Rejected, Talia’s expression filled with vexation as she leaned back against the wall, her fingers raking through her seaweed-like curls.

“A joke…? How did any of that sound like a joke?”

“I understand people like you, Talia. You crave freedom, you act without thinking, and you are an absolute troublemaker. Everything you seek, I cannot give you. People like you… the further you stay from me, the better.”

Saranya’s voice was frigid, devoid of emotion, and imbued with a distinct hostility.

The effect was undeniable.

While Talia had calmly accepted her previous two displays of coldness, this time, judging by her reaction, the self-proclaimed strong woman was genuinely hurt.

Silence descended upon the cabin, broken only by the soft crackling of the oil lamp.

The two women sat close together, one tilting her head to the left, the other to the right, engaged in a silent, chilly standoff.

“……”

Saranya believed she had acted correctly. Under Kaelan’s rule, those who stayed by her side could never find a good end. Any kindness or loyalty shown to her would ultimately become capital for the Black Witch to ensnare and torment them.

According to Kaelan, Vireta was next. The mere thought of the innocent girl who had risked her life for her, and the dark nightmares she might endure, enveloped Saranya in a profound sense of despair.

After Vireta… who would be next? The Night Lily Knights, her ill-fated subordinates, were all unknowingly in grave danger.

Even the mermaid girl, Aquilis, who had snuck out of the dungeon for a night and been caught by her master, faced an unknown punishment.

Her dearest friends, her subordinates… these people were already by her side. Only by leveraging her unique position could she ensure their safety from Kaelan’s clutches.

In terms of combat prowess, Saranya was far inferior to her master. At this stage, she found it nearly impossible to mount a rebellion that would completely overturn her s*ave status. Her only recourse was to plead, to serve diligently, or perhaps to assume a rebellious demeanor to indulge her master’s peculiar whims, all while risking punishment.

She, she had to monopolize her master’s attention entirely! By drawing all focus onto herself, it would be for the best, for everyone involved.

As for Talia, she was not yet entangled in this game. It was imperative to weld the gates shut early and keep her out.

However, having wounded Talia with excessively harsh words, Saranya inevitably felt a pang of guilt.

Driven by self-reproach, Saranya could no longer bear it. She secretly turned her head, casting a quick glance at the female sailor.

She saw Talia with slumped shoulders, her thick hair cascading like a waterfall, obscuring most of her face. Her spirits appeared incredibly low.

“Hey…… hey.”

She called out twice, but Talia ignored her, making Saranya feel even more conflicted.

Saranya’s face flushed crimson with suppressed emotion. Finally, she moved her lips, squeezing out a hoarse sentence:

“Y-you’re not wrong. It’s not your fault……”

It seemed… there was still no reaction.

Indeed, her consolation was too clumsy, lacking both beginning and end. Even she wouldn’t accept it, so… it was only natural not to receive a response.

Just as she expected Talia to throw a fit and remain silent, Talia abruptly snapped her head up!

“Pfft…… Hahahaha—!”

Talia doubled over with laughter, slapping her thighs with a resounding clap and even playfully punching Saranya’s arm.

“Still with ‘you’re not wrong,’ what’s that about? Do you think I’m so fragile that one rejection from you would make me jump into the sea?”

“You……”

“Oh, please! That scoundrel Borok curses me eight hundred times a day. In his mouth, I’m a good-for-nothing, an idiot, a whore who deserves to be violated. Your little bit of ‘bad weather’ compared to him is practically a flirtation!”

Realizing she had been emotionally played, Saranya immediately bristled with anger:

“Shut up! You have no sense of occasion for your jokes. Are you utterly bored?!”

“I surrender! I surrender, wuwuwu wawawa!”

Talia, hooting like a monkey, raised her hands, causing Saranya’s head to practically steam with exasperation.

“Heartless!”

“Look at you, so cold and fierce. You bully someone, then turn around to comfort them. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Talia leaned closer, her bright, beast-like eyes darting as she scrutinized Saranya’s mortified expression.

“What’s wrong? Are you trying to court me?”

“Get lost! You don’t understand anything!”

Saranya shoved the grinning Talia away, rising to grab the oil lamp.

Strangely, with Talia’s antics, the heavy sense of oppression that had weighed upon her lifted considerably.

“Business is pressing. Let’s go.”

“At your command, Lady Haia!”

Talia raised her right arm, saluting like a zombie, which made Saranya’s lips curve into a faint smile.

She lowered her voice:

“Saranya.”

“Huh? What?”

“My name isn’t Haia. It’s Saranya, Saranya Kerfen.”

Talia shook her head, completely unconcerned by the fact that Saranya had concealed her name:

“No difference, right? Xiao Ya~”

“Ugh, tch……”

“I’ll work hard!”

“Work hard?”

“I’ll work hard to make you accept me! You worry I’m no good and will drag you down? I’ll prove to you that I won’t!”

Full of vigor, Talia snatched the oil lamp from Saranya’s hand, stepping past her to take the lead. The female sailor pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door, gestured for the young guard to follow at their rear, and then led the way into the corridor beyond.

With monsters now present in the ship’s hold and their group outnumbered, they certainly couldn’t remain below deck.

“Let’s head back first and bring more people down to reinforce us.”

“That’s precisely my intention.”

The trio walked back a few steps. The silence here was still uncanny, but unlike before… the ambient temperature seemed to be steadily dropping.

Talia, clad in the least amount of clothing, had large expanses of her tanned skin — her calves, back, and arms — exposed. The sudden chill sent a wave of goosebumps across her.

“Hiss—”

The female sailor hunched her shoulders, quickening her pace. A clear wisp of white mist escaped with each breath she took.

But the next second, she suddenly froze, slowly crouching down.

The oil lamp dipped, its dim, yellowish halo sweeping over the thin frost on the ship’s planks, casting light at their feet.

“Hey……”

On the ground, a trail of scarlet stains had unmistakably appeared.

“Blood, it’s blood…”

The sailor at the rear spoke, their voice trembling:

“It wasn’t here when we arrived…”

The stain was wide and extensive, composed of countless thin streaks of blood that covered the floor entirely, undoubtedly formed by something being dragged. The slightly lighter portions on either side of the blood trail had already congealed into a slick, reddish frost due to the plummeting temperature.

The chill intensified, and the trio began to shiver uncontrollably.

The familiar low temperature, the familiar method…

It was that person again…

“Quickly… run!”

Saranya was seized by a terrible premonition. She yanked Talia along, sprinting towards the main door, but upon reaching it, she abruptly halted, frozen in place.

A pale red wall of ice greeted them, its hard, blood-tinged layers completely sealing off their escape route.