Chapter 46. Bait and Trap
It was a dark night, with the moonlight concealed behind the clouds.
With the season of bitter cold approaching, the night in the Snowy Mountains was unbearably harsh for Seraphia.
“B-Brrr...!!”
Seraphia’s body involuntarily trembled as the cold penetrated her fur clothing.
Her fingertips felt as though they had become pieces of ice.
Even blowing warm breath onto them was useless, as it immediately turned white and froze.
Her nose and ears had become red and numb from the cold. Her legs gradually stiffened until even taking a single step became difficult.
Nevertheless, she continued determinedly onward, ascending the Snowy Mountains along the path Adrian had created.
“W-Wait for me...!”
She wished they could have traveled together.
But Adrian seemed completely unconcerned about Seraphia and was already far ahead.
He was gradually disappearing from her sight. Trying to follow Adrian was truly exhausting.
Under ordinary circumstances, she would have collapsed long ago.
‘I’m glad…. I exercised….’
The exercise she had consistently done in hopes of becoming closer to Adrian proved helpful.
“Huff...! Huff...!”
Even so, her terrible stamina remained terrible.
Panting and struggling with all her strength, Seraphia finally reached the summit of the Snowy Mountains.
Adrian, who had arrived first, was already preparing the campsite.
With his bare hands, he dug through the thick snow and ice beneath his feet to create a solid, level surface.
The brutal cold of the Snowy Mountains blew in from every direction.
To block the skin-cutting wind, Adrian constructed windbreaks from the surrounding rocks and piles of snow.
Adrian’s movements were not merely proficient but professional.
Even mercenaries who had spent decades on battlefields would not have been able to do that.
‘A-Amazing...!’
Seraphia could not help but admire him.
While she watched in admiration, a small space for a fire had already been prepared in the center of the campsite.
Adrian then placed down some wood that he had obtained from somewhere and carefully lit it.
The flame teetered precariously between going out and surviving before finally blazing brightly.
The darkness immediately retreated.
Adrian noticed Seraphia.
“Come and warm yourself.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Seraphia hurried over and sat in front of the campfire. The warmth gradually calmed her shivering body.
When she gently extended both hands, the warmth of the flames seemed to embrace her entire body.
While Seraphia warmed herself….
Adrian brought out dried meat and finely ground grain flour. He filled a kettle from somewhere with snow and boiled it.
Then, in no time at all….
An appetizing stew was finished, releasing clouds of steam.
“Eat.”
“Thank you for the meal!”
Seraphia quickly accepted the plate of stew. She immediately raised it to her mouth.
“Mmm...!!”
The flavor made her eyes widen.
“It’s truly delicious!”
It really was delicious.
It was a simple stew containing nothing more than dried meat and grain flour, yet its flavor was as smooth and savory as something served at a high-end restaurant.
“If you want more, serve yourself.”
“Yes!”
Seraphia nodded vigorously.
Adrian continued with the remaining campsite preparations.
It felt almost as though she had gone traveling with Adrian.
‘I love this....’
She loved it so much.
When would she ever have another opportunity to eat food personally prepared by Adrian?
When would she ever be able to spend time like this with him again?
No matter how she considered it, volunteering to become the bait had been the right decision.
‘I wish things could always be like this….’
Seraphia hoped that moments like this would continue in the future.
* * *
Seraphia eagerly devoured the stew.
It was merely a simple stew made with dried meat, but my current Agility had reached an astonishing 33.35.
Promote Metabolism [C+] had become a Passive Skill this time, granting me a constant fifteen-percent increase, so the quality of my cooking had also improved tremendously.
With only slight exaggeration, I was dexterous enough to make food waste taste edible.
“It’s really, really delicious, Brother!!”
Transforming a simple stew into high-class cuisine was effortless. But as I watched Seraphia happily eating the stew….
‘....Damn it.’
A sudden wave of irritation surged within me.
Even if this was necessary to hunt the Lycanthrope, what the hell was I doing?
Seraphia.
The Monarch of Frost.
The Coalition Forces’ Greatest Enemy.
The witch who had taken the left arm of the Hero, Ian.
The screams of the people Seraphia had killed remained vivid in my ears.
When someone was struck by her cold, they did not simply become trapped in ice.
All the blood and bodily fluids inside them froze.
It was no different from countless razor-sharp blades of ice forming throughout their entire body.
Their frozen bodies became as gruesome as though they had been fed into a grinder, and they died in unbearable agony.
There was no organ in the body that did not require blood.
The corpses of the operatives, every organ in their bodies torn apart, remained vivid in my memories.
Their hearts were naturally destroyed, and even their brains were shredded as they died.
Their bodies turned blue, as though a thin layer of ice covered them.
They desperately struggled to escape, but their bodies had already been frozen solid and completely immobilized.
My Special Task Force subordinates had died in such desperate agony.
All I could see afterward….
Was a cold grave from which every trace of life had vanished in an instant.
Seraphia had done all of that.
Seraphia, the absolute ruler of cold, wielded the utterly transcendent chill known as the Monarch of Frost’s power.
That was also how Ian’s left arm had disappeared.
It had been destroyed so horrifically and completely that even the miracle of a Saintess could do nothing about it.
Seraphia, the Monarch of Frost.
Among the Six Monarchs who served the Emperor, the Coalition Forces called her [The Coalition Forces’ Greatest Enemy].
Seraphia abruptly stopped eating her stew. She felt an intense gaze that seemed to pierce her entire body.
When she slowly lowered her plate, she saw Adrian staring at her as though he intended to kill her.
The look in Adrian’s eyes was even more intense than before.
She could sense a murderous intent even greater than when he had strangled her.
Seraphia cautiously watched him before quietly setting down her plate.
She wanted another serving….
But she felt that she should not take one.
Adrian continued glaring at Seraphia as though he wanted to kill her.
Now that she looked more closely, it did not merely feel as though he wanted to kill her.
He was genuinely trying to kill her at that very moment.
However, something was suppressing him.
Even so, Seraphia felt certain that the slightest provocation would cause Adrian to kill her.
She had thought they had become somewhat closer.
Merely being with Adrian made her feel this happy and joyful.
“Tsk.”
Yet, for some reason, he continued to hate her.
Adrian suddenly threw everything down in irritation and stormed away. Seraphia wanted to stop him, but she could not muster the courage.
Fortunately, Kai happened to enter the campsite and encountered Adrian on his way out.
Kai had departed later because he needed to dress as a woman. It appeared that he had only just arrived.
“Where are you going?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I can’t remain beside her.”
“Did you not say that it would take approximately three days for the Lycanthrope to respond?”
“I did.”
“Then can you not remain here with us for today?”
Instead of answering, Adrian looked at Seraphia for a moment.
Afraid that their eyes might meet, Seraphia hurriedly lowered her gaze.
“Send me the signal when the Lycanthrope arrives.”
Leaving only those words behind, Adrian departed from the campsite.
Kai tilted his head as he watched Adrian leave.
“Did something happen between the two of you?”
“What? N-No. Nothing happened.”
Seraphia frantically waved both hands.
Nothing had actually happened.
Kai apparently had no intention of questioning her further and sat down across from Seraphia.
Crackle, crackle.
Only the sound of the burning campfire disturbed the silence.
“It isn’t too late to reconsider.”
Kai suddenly spoke.
“This operation is far too dangerous. More importantly....”
“No. I must do this.”
Seraphia interrupted Kai and demonstrated her determination.
Perhaps her unwavering resolve reached him.
Kai said nothing further.
“Then please promise me one thing.”
When Seraphia looked at him, Kai continued.
“Promise me that you won’t use your ability, no matter what happens.”
“All right.”
“Even if my life is in danger, you must never use your ability.”
“......”
“Please promise me.”
“....I promise.”
Seraphia gave a small nod.
Only then did Kai’s expression brighten with relief.
Silence returned once again.
This time, Seraphia was the one who broke it.
“By the way, Sir Kai.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m sorry to say something like this, but….”
Seraphia slowly examined Kai’s appearance.
His long golden hair reached his waist and reflected the campfire’s light, shining like the sun.
His hair was soft and glossy.
Whenever the wind gently blew, glimpses of Kai’s face appeared between the flowing strands.
His features were so delicate and beautiful that it was difficult to believe he was a man.
His skin was pale and smooth, appearing as flawless as porcelain.
Cosmetics had been applied to his lips, causing them to glisten with a moist, pale-pink hue.
His clear, deep blue eyes combined with his elegant eyelashes to create a heavenly beauty.
“You’re incredibly beautiful right now!”
Seraphia immediately understood why the maidservants had been so excited.
She finally understood why every maidservant in the lord’s castle had rushed forward and confidently demanded that they be allowed to handle his appearance.
“I think you’d look even more beautiful if you wore a dress!”
She had not said it merely as a joke.
Kai, dressed as a woman, looked no different from the most beautiful woman on the continent.
Kai, however, lowered his head in embarrassment.
Kai was always cold and restrained his emotions. Yet now he could not say anything and merely kept his head lowered.
For some reason, Seraphia imagined that his face had become as red as a young girl’s.
A mischievous impulse arose within her, and she unknowingly moved closer to Kai.
It happened at that exact moment.
A tremendous gust swept past Seraphia’s eyes.
A deadly warning screamed through Kai’s instincts.
By the time he recognized it, he was already one step too late.
“Huh...?”
As Seraphia let out a bewildered sound, something struck Kai.
There had not been the slightest trace of murderous intent in its movement.
Even Kai’s senses had failed to react.
Kai was ultimately seized by a large and brutal hand.
Only then could he see its owner.
It was a being that appeared to be a fusion of beast and human.
Its height of more than six meters created tremendous pressure merely through its presence.
Sharp brown fur rose across its body.
Its entire body was covered in muscles as hard as steel.
The movements of those muscles were clearly visible beneath its fluttering fur.
It had a face almost identical to that of a wolf.
Beneath its broad forehead, its eyes glowed red like a wolf’s.
However, there was no madness within them. Nor was there hunger.
There was only the pleasure of lust. That primal and filthy desire gleamed within its eyes.
The instant Kai confronted that desire, he recognized the being before him.
The Lycanthrope.
The beast of desire had arrived.
Grrrrrrrr….
The Lycanthrope gripped Kai in one hand and brought its eyes close to him.
It grinned as it indulged in fantasies of the pleasure awaiting it.
Kai did not know why it had targeted him instead of Seraphia.
But perhaps it was for the best.
If the Lycanthrope had targeted Seraphia just now, Kai would have lost her before his very eyes.
The Lycanthrope sniffed Kai.
Then, as though sensing something strange, it tilted its head.
It continued sniffing him repeatedly.
Grrah?!
Had it realized that Kai was a human male?
The Lycanthrope’s face began twisting grotesquely.
Crrrack!
The force constricting Kai’s body became even stronger.
“Ghh...!”
Its strength was tremendous.
Had Kai not protected his body with Aura, his entire body would have immediately burst apart.
Booom—!
The Lycanthrope violently hurled Kai away.
Kai’s body slammed into the ground, and horrific pain surged through him.
It felt as though his entire body….
Had been shattered.
However, Kai ground his teeth and forced himself upright.
The ability he had gained by stepping into the realm of a Master made it possible.
When he rose….
Screeeech—!
Kirik, kirik!
Kai saw countless monsters already surrounding them.
In other words….
The Lycanthrope had not come here alone.
‘It knew...?’
It had known.
It knew this was bait intended to lure it out. Despite that, it had deliberately revealed itself.
That was because it was confident.
It possessed both the confidence and certainty that it could kill everyone here.
If they had scattered the “bait”, then their enemy had prepared a “trap”.
The Lycanthrope grinned.
It isolated Kai and openly revealed its filthy, repulsive desire toward Seraphia.
Having personally experienced it, Kai understood. That was not a kind of desire Seraphia could endure.
“Ah…. Aah….”
Seraphia was crushed beneath the weight of that repulsive desire.
Perhaps imagining the atrocities that would soon be inflicted upon her, her body trembled like a leaf.
Did the sight of Seraphia trembling in terror excite the Lycanthrope even further?
Its desire intensified and erupted outward.
Kai had to stop it.
But the monster legion surrounded him. He could not move freely.
Adrian….
Was not here.
Adrian himself had said that it would take approximately three days for the Lycanthrope to respond to the bait.
At present, Adrian was far away.
There was neither time nor opportunity to send the signal. Even if Kai sent it, Adrian would arrive too late.
They had walked perfectly….
Into the trap.
“Run away!!”
Kai shouted, but Seraphia did not hear him.
She was in no condition to listen.
The Lycanthrope did not stop either.
It did not even look toward Kai. It continued approaching Seraphia.
Then, at that exact moment….
A red mist of blood erupted from the Lycanthrope’s enormous body.
Something had struck it.
A figure resembling a black wolf. It bit into the Lycanthrope’s side.
It was Adrian.
Adrian reached out again and tore into the Lycanthrope’s shoulder.
The Lycanthrope’s body buckled downward—
Adrian seized the Lycanthrope by the throat—
Baaang!
And slammed it directly into the ground.
Only then did the Lycanthrope release a scream filled with pain. It struggled violently to escape Adrian’s grasp.
However, the Lycanthrope could not move an inch.
Adrian pressed it firmly into the ground, his eyes gleaming.
“It’s been a long time, you damned beast.”
Adrian’s crimson eyes stared directly at the Lycanthrope. Numerous complex emotions became intertwined within them.
Hatred, joy, anger, ecstasy….
And elation.
As Kai witnessed the fragments of those intertwined emotions surfacing within Adrian….
He realized something.
“Whether in the past or now, that filthy desire of yours hasn’t changed!”
Adrian had also prepared a trap.
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