A Brother’s Embrace

Upon recognizing her attackers, a furious snarl escaped her lips.

“Haru?!”

The bald, burly man, who wielded a short club and wore a sinister grin, was none other than Haru, the Redwater Gang’s sole minor leader.

Moreover, all of his accomplices surrounding them were also members of the Redwater Gang.

It became chillingly clear that they had been bought off long ago.

A wave of profound humiliation washed over Saranya, as if she had been cruelly mocked, and her voice dropped to a guttural snarl.

“Why betray me? Has the Redwater Gang ever treated you poorly?”

“Heh heh, apologies, boss, but this was always the way it was going to be. He offered far too much…”

“Besides, the way you framed the previous boss, Grimm, wasn’t exactly honorable, was it?”

“Bastard…”

Two fists could hardly contend with four, and now, pinned to the ground, she found herself with no room to resist.

“Who is orchestrating this?”

It now seemed that the Redwater Gang members being poached in droves, leaving them short-handed, was likely the work of this same mastermind.

Their adversary had deliberately intended for them to centralize power among a select few subordinates, only to then bribe these individuals with promises of profit, thereby manipulating the Redwater Gang’s operations and stabbing them in the back.

And Aquilis!

No wonder Aivy of the Weinshield family had been so eager during the Bloodsail Alliance’s shipboard meeting, insisting on helping to acquire Aquilis and hand her over to Saranya and Kaelan.

Such benevolence simply did not exist in this world; everything came with a price, a truth Saranya should have realized sooner!

Weinshield… Lucius! Could that man be behind this treachery?!

Damn it all!

The timing was terribly disadvantageous for them.

After Aivy and Phillo had grown close, just a little more time would surely have allowed them to extract vital information from Aivy, preventing them from being caught so utterly off guard!

“Why would Lucius want to capture me? I’m merely a minor guard by Kaelan’s side, what value could I possibly hold?!”

“It’s not Lucius…”

Aquilis leaned down, intending to help Saranya to her feet.

“Get away from me, traitor!!!”

Saranya spat, then lunged forward abruptly, her teeth grinding together so loudly that Aquilis recoiled a step in fright.

“You settle down!”

Haru pressed his foot onto Saranya’s back, eliciting a grunt from her as she erupted into a violent fit of coughing.

“Alright, Aquilis, let’s not delay any further. We’ll take them and deliver them as planned!”

‘Them…?’

From the shadows of the corner, two Redwater Gang members dragged out a long-haired girl, filthy from head to toe.

Her brows were subtly furrowed, her eyes tightly shut, and faint tear stains lingered at their corners, indicating she had lost consciousness.

“Kaelan…”

The diminutive Kaelan lay curled on the ground, a picture of utter despair.

Her already slender frame appeared even more tragically fragile when contrasted with the two burly men who dragged her.

Witnessing Kaelan also ensnared in the enemy’s trap, Saranya let out a desperate sob.

“Sister Saranya, rest assured, Lady Kaelan is merely asleep…”

“Indeed, haha! Lady Hillburg has all that money for nothing; what a fool to trust Aquilis so easily.”

“If it were me, I’d have kept this mermaid locked in a cellar cage from start to finish, never letting her roam free!”

Haru’s tone dripped with blatant prejudice against non-humans, causing Aquilis to press her lips together, her expression clouding with a flicker of unease.

“I merely used my ability to make Lady Kaelan… temporarily fall asleep, to recall past events…”

A blazing inferno of rage ignited in Saranya’s eyes; she clenched her fists so tightly that warm lines of blood squeezed from her palms.

“You made her… relive her past experiences again?”

The last time Aquilis had used her ability on Kaelan, Kaelan had woken up in a fit of uncontrollable emotion, tormenting Saranya with incantations and chains in the tavern cellar for an entire night.

The sight of Kaelan’s twisted face, a horrifying blend of grief, rage, and agony, of Kaelan damaging her own body, overloading her magic to heal Saranya’s wounds, and then, afterwards, deliberately lifting her clothes to expose her belly, begging Saranya to retaliate—these memories made Saranya tremble uncontrollably whenever they resurfaced.

For all this time, Saranya had deliberately avoided asking about Kaelan’s past, treading carefully, fearful of touching upon such sensitive nerves.

Even if, hypothetically, she were to consider Kaelan an enemy, she could never bring herself to exploit a girl’s childhood trauma to achieve her own ends.

Yet what of Aquilis?

To capture Saranya and Kaelan, Aquilis had not only participated in the conspiracy but had personally come forward to deceive Kaelan, forcing her to relive those maddeningly painful experiences again and again!

Despite committing such a vile act, this mermaid now stood here, feigning innocence, attempting to justify her actions?!

“Alright, shut your mouth! Now get up, you hear me!!”

Haru seized Saranya by her collar with one hand, hoisting her from the ground, a lecherous, slightly regretful smirk twisting his features.

“Firm thighs, a perfectly arched waist, flesh without being cumbersome… what a pity…”

“If he hadn’t specifically requested you, I truly would have liked to sample what a warrior woman like you tastes like…”

“Go to hell.”

Saranya abruptly lifted an arm that had been pinned beneath her, thrusting the ritualistic dagger in her hand directly towards Haru’s face!

“Holy shit! Ahhh—”

The blade struck Haru’s cheek, slicing open his jowl, and viscous blood welled from the wound, staining half of his face crimson.

The gang members swarmed forward once more, subduing Saranya, as someone handed Haru a dirty strip of cloth.

“You! You! b*tch!”

Pressing down on his wound, Haru furiously swung his iron-tipped club, slamming it against Saranya’s body multiple times, causing her to cry out in wordless agony.

“You dared to stab me? You dared to stab me?!”

“Ah—ugh! Guh-uh-ahhh—!”

All the wounds on Saranya’s upper body tore open, searing with excruciating pain.

Her tunic bloomed with streaks of blood, the soaked fabric shifting and sliding against her skin with each brutal impact, emitting a sickening squelching sound.

The unbearable agony pushed her to the brink of unconsciousness; stars burst before her eyes, and her ears rang with a deafening hum.

Through her blurry vision, she saw Aquilis cover her mouth, collapsing to the ground, then scrambling away in a panic, inching further and further from Saranya’s position.

Haru, his face disfigured, his eyes bloodshot, raised his club high.

The crimson-stained head of the club arced, aiming squarely for Saranya’s cheek—

“Stop.”

Haru froze instantly, his club slipping from his grasp to roll twice with a clatter across the ground.

“Who is harming my sister?”

“Lord Mejga!”

“Mejga…”

Aquilis’s eyes brightened, and she scrambled to her feet, rushing to Mejga’s side.

“I did as you instructed, Sister Saranya and Lady Kaelan are both here. I—I’ll obey you… please… don’t sell me again… don’t leave me, Lord Mejga…”

“Mm, you’ve done very well, Aquilis. I’ll keep you by my side from now on.”

Mejga took a few steps forward, steadying Aquilis, then leaned in intimately and kissed the back of her hand.

“Mejga…”

A film of mist clouded Aquilis’s eyes; she pushed aside the silver strands gently fluttering by her ears, and a blissful smile bloomed on her face.

However, before Aquilis could utter another word, Mejga abruptly shoved her aside, then eagerly knelt before Saranya.

“Little Snowflake, it’s alright… it’s alright now… Brother is here… Brother won’t let you suffer anymore. This time, no one can stop our reunion…”

“Little Snowflake, you must always… always stay with Brother, alright…”

“Bro…?”

Feeling a chilling aura emanate from Mejga, Saranya lifted her gaze to his exquisitely feminine face, only to witness her brother’s features grotesquely twisted by ecstasy.

Her pupils constricted in terror, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.