Intrigue and Deception

I admit, there was an element of gambling in my plan.

And, judging by the Siren’s behavior, I had largely bet correctly.

“Hah… hah… hah!”

I gasped for air, sprinting through the cargo hold. Why did that bastard suddenly attack at the last second? He was scared to death just a moment ago!

Even as I cursed him in my mind, I knew the reason.

It was the psychological pressure. The moment I saw the Siren so fooled that he prostrated himself to beg for mercy, a massive wave of relief had washed over me. Under normal circumstances, I would never have made such a mistake—but my body was no longer following my commands.

Relief is synonymous with the end.

My limbs suddenly felt leaden, and a violent surge of vertigo struck my brain. I simply couldn’t hold it together anymore; while the Siren was face-down on the ground, I had reached up to support my heavy, throbbing head.

To a seasoned warrior, that was an opening. Anyone would try to flee or counterattack when a “powerful” enemy suddenly showed such a blatant sign of weakness.

Dammit!

My physical condition was the most uncontrollable factor. Taking a stamina potion creates the illusion that you can keep going, but it’s a lie—you’re just overdrawing your body’s future account.

I was so, so tired.

Between the crushing fatigue and the torture of the high fever, my steps faltered. I was slowing down.

“How dare you play me!?”

Behind me, the Siren’s roar echoed through the hold.

“I’ll never forgive you—!”

The sound of his voice reminded me of that metal lock he had hurled. I broke into a cold sweat. If I hadn’t turned my back to stand up—using my suitcase as a shield—and had taken that hit directly…

At the thought, a powerful survival instinct surged within me again.

Live.

I haven’t even had my revenge yet… how can I die here?

“Hah… hah!”

I grit my teeth. Seeing my destination getting closer, I reached my hand into my cloak. I had the information I needed, and I had already fooled the Siren once. He was currently blinded by rage, his mind filled only with thoughts of how to torture me once I was caught.

Yes. As long as the enemy loses their cool, the advantage is still mine!

Click!

A crisp sound. I pressed the button.

While my body can still move… I grit my teeth.

This next move will kill him.

In the cargo hold, the “highway” cleared by the behemoth ended abruptly once it reached the s*ave sector. Thanks to this, the Siren’s pursuit was effortless. He was closing the gap rapidly.

He had wasted so much time running away in terror earlier; now he had to run the same distance all over again just to catch her. If he hadn’t been such a coward, wouldn’t he have caught this brat ages ago?

Flicking his tongue and cursing himself internally, the Siren slithered his serpentine body with frantic speed. The human was now within arm’s reach.

You little human brat, when I catch you, I’m going to pull out your tendons and peel your skin!

He cursed loudly, but in reality, he only dared to chase from behind for now. He had only attacked earlier because he thought she was a monster; now that she was fleeing, it proved she was weak. If he accidentally killed her with a stray blow, his bag of gold would vanish.

Wealth was far more practical than revenge.

Splash!

He lunged forward, wine splashing over his scales. With a twist of his body, he gained another length. The human was right there!

I’ll take one of your legs first! Then I’ll deal with you slowly!

The surrounding wine barrels were scattered in a way that created a literal dead end. Seeing the human with nowhere left to run, the Siren raised his trident, preparing to strike!

“….!”

But at that exact moment, the human spun around. The Siren, already on edge, flinched violently.

What? No… a trap?! Crap!

His combat instincts screamed. He tried to halt his forward momentum, but it was too late.

A spherical object exploded in mid-air.

Before the Siren could react, a massive cloud of thick dust and smoke erupted from the blast site, expanding instantly. In less than half a second, the Siren was engulfed in a dense gray shroud.

A smoke bomb?!

The moment his vision was obscured, he pushed his thermal sensing organs to their limit. And then…

A high-temperature object was charging directly at him at high speed!

The human? A suicide charge?!

The Siren was stunned. Using a smoke bomb to hide and then launching a surprise attack from the shadows was a classic way to cripple an enemy and turn the tide. His rage vanished, replaced by cold focus. He twisted his snake-half at an extreme angle, narrowly dodging the incoming heat source.

Too bad! That trick doesn’t work on us Sirens!

Sensing the temperature of the object as it sailed past him due to momentum, the Siren lunged forward, following close behind it.

It’s over. I’m crippling you now!

With a violent swing of his trident, the resulting gust of wind tore the smoke apart. Before the air could even clear, he thrust his weapon straight forward.

CLANG!

There was no sensation of piercing flesh. Instead, a powerful kickback vibrated through the trident. Rebounding from the impact, the Siren stumbled, slamming hard into a solid wall—

No. It was a cage.

What… what happened?

He had lunged toward the human’s heat signature. Why was it so hard?

Then, he saw it. The “dud” bomb he had encountered earlier was lying on the floor. The heat it emitted perfectly overlapped with the thermal signal he had been tracking.

…Crap.

His heart sank as he realized he’d been baited.

KLANG!

The sound of a heavy iron door slamming shut behind him froze the blood in his veins. He didn’t even need to look back to know—it was the human. She had slammed the cage door shut.

The Siren was now trapped inside the iron bars.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

My lungs were burning, my breath coming in ragged, uncontrollable gasps.

Buzz… buzz…

A violent ringing in my ears drowned out my senses.

I… I did it…

I lifted my heavy head. My vision was blurred, the world around me looking like a distorted painting. Even so, I could make out the Siren struggling inside the cage. He was roaring in fury, pounding the bars with such madness that the iron shrieked under the blows.

To me, that sound was no different from a lullaby.

So tired…

I couldn’t even lift my arms. I was standing purely on the strength of a single breath, forcing my body to remain upright.

I have to… kill him…

If I don’t… I’ll be the one who dies…

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

“You brat! You dare use such underhanded, lowly tricks! LET ME OUT!”

Dammit… my body… why won’t it move…

I grit my teeth, trying to clench my fist with everything I had, but my muscles felt like water.

And combat is a thing of split seconds.

My hesitation lasted only a moment, but the Siren noticed it immediately. For someone who had spent his life in slaughter, a moment was more than enough.

Fire… I need to… light the fire…

My attention was fixed on my trembling hands. By the time I noticed the flash of cold light, it was too late.

The Siren was indeed locked in a cage, but the bars were wide enough for a trident.

He had been coiled like a spring, and now he launched his weapon with everything he had! By the time I looked up, sensing the danger, the world was already moving too fast.

WHOOSH!

The trident whistled through the air, tearing through the gap in the bars and flying straight at me.

And in my state, riddled with exhaustion and fever… how could I possibly dodge?

THUD!

A massive impact slammed directly into my chest.