Chapter 260: Strange women...

Meanwhile...

Above, on the ground floor of the warehouse, hidden within a dark corner of the room...

A spot where shadows had completely consumed the area, with the darkness unnaturally deep, turning the corner into something almost detached from the rest of the warehouse.

And within those shadows were... several men tied against the walls.

Dark shadows twisted into tendrils and tightly wrapped around their bodies, binding their arms, legs, and torsos so firmly that they couldn’t even move a single finger.

A few of them tried to escape this torture.

But the moment they moved, the shadows immediately tightened around them even further.

So painfully that their bodies jerked from the sudden pressure, the space feeling so constricted that they could barely breathe.

They quickly stopped moving, all of their expressions turning completely frightened and lost as they thought about the horror they had witnessed earlier.

That man...

That monster had appeared before them once again, and not only had he brought back an entirely armless Boss before them, covered in blood and tears on his once-so-imposing face...

But just when they thought things couldn’t possibly get worse...

He went forward and placed his hands over the bodies of Glenn, Gary, and Ian, and in the next instant, their bodies disappeared... stored directly into his Inventory.

The men had no idea what kind of ability that was.

They only knew that the monster had just made their previous companions vanish in less than a second.

And before they could even think about doing anything...

He ordered the maid to bind them here, keeping them helpless and bound, and they could do nothing but silently curse their luck.

Why had they even chosen to work here?

Women? Power?

Everything, and that was costing them... perhaps too terrifyingly.

If they had known what Glenn would have brought upon them because of his stupid actions, perhaps they would have killed that bastard much earlier or even escaped before that monster arrived.

But now all they could do was feel regret.

No, not for doing whatever they had done to the women or the other people they had killed and robbed—but for their fate of meeting the nightmarish creature.

After almost ten minutes had passed, their pupils shook slightly as they suddenly heard light footsteps—multiple ones, though they couldn’t even turn their heads or look past the shadows to know what was going on.

...

After some time, the medical staff helped the women up the stairs.

Many of them were so weak that they couldn’t even stand properly without support. Their bodies had been deprived of proper food for far too long, along with the lack of Vitamin D from staying in the basement, and even walking a short distance seemed to exhaust them.

Kanna and Lucian briefly glanced towards the corner before walking along with Leonardo.

As they stepped outside, Lucian noticed several men wearing professional-looking clothes nearby, who looked like they were waiting for something.

Seeing the group, they immediately tried to approach, but the moment a few survivors noticed them, they started trembling again.

Seeing this, Leonardo ordered them to stay put for the moment, making them step aside.

"Who are they?" Lucian asked curiously.

"Investigation staff."

"...Oh."

Lucian mumbled before glancing towards them once more.

Of course the Association would want to investigate the entire place.

’This will be a bit troublesome,’ Lucian thought internally, but for now, he didn’t linger on it.

The medical staff soon began guiding the women towards the vehicles, but before they even could—

"Mister."

A voice suddenly drew everyone’s attention.

Lucian looked towards Chloe, and seeing the expression on her face, he thought she was simply about to thank him.

But instead...

"Mister, I-I’ll repay you someday... I promise I will."

Lucian paused.

"...I said it ear—"

"I know... but I will."

Chloe’s voice was still trembling, perhaps a bit too much, but there was an unusual stubbornness in her eyes, which made it clear that she had already made up her mind.

And no matter what Lucian said, she intended to repay him someday.

Lucian stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with an amused smile.

"As you wish."

Chloe’s expression immediately brightened, but before she could do anything else, Lucian continued.

"But grow stronger first.

Your current pathetic self cannot do anything for my benefit, so grow strong enough to protect yourself first... and then we’ll see how you repay me."

His words sounded almost mocking, and there wasn’t any gentleness in his voice now.

And yet, somehow...

[Chloe Davis]

[Affection: 4...5...7% (Afraid, Hungry)]

Chloe gave a small, quiet yet shy smile. She nodded slightly.

"T-Thank you... Mister... Mister...?"

’Mister Vampire...?’ she wondered for a moment, almost about to say that before—

"Lucian," he added.

Chloe blinked.

"Mister Lucian, thank you!"

The other women also lowered their heads, and though none of them said anything, their gestures were enough to convey their genuine gratitude.

"Just remember one thing..." Lucian suddenly continued, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly.

"If I find out you were kidnapped by such lowlifes once again, then I’ll be the one to free you from your lives."

Leonardo’s eyes widened.

So did the eyes of the medical staff.

All of them immediately looked towards Lucian with utter disbelief, almost glaring at the unethical man.

Just who spoke like that to captives who were already traumatised for their lives?!

The women had only just escaped from one nightmare, and this man was threatening them with death if something like this happened again.

"And oh."

As if he had suddenly thought of something, Lucian walked towards the black-haired girl.

Chloe’s entire body tensed for a moment, wondering if he was about to scold her.

Instead, Lucian gently grabbed her hand, and in the next second, she felt a sudden weight placed over her palm.

She looked down, only to see a dagger.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then she looked back up at Lucian, confusion flickering across her face.

"You wanted to get stronger, didn’t you? Think of it as a temporary item until you repay your *favour."

He still couldn’t believe why this girl was so adamant about repaying him, over and over, but he found her determination interesting.

And it would be a pity if someone like her died all of a sudden.

So the dagger was a sort of precaution to help save herself.

"Also, be careful. The blade is extremely poisonous, and you might die in seconds if you stab yourself with it... even if it is just a small cut."

Chloe’s expression turned panicked as she looked at the dagger.

Thankfully, the blade was covered with a leather sheath.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Suddenly feeling the several stares of the other captives falling upon him, Lucian turned his head and saw the anticipation in some of the other captives’ eyes...

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

"What? If you want something, work for it."

Walking away from the dazed Chloe, he ignored them completely, causing the women to lower their heads, not daring to ask for anything.

They weren’t shameless enough to demand something from the only person who had saved them.

"But I might consider it if I think you’re worthy."

His last words suddenly made their faces flicker slightly with a newfound... resolve...?

Leonardo didn’t understand even a bit of what those women were thinking about.

But then—

"Yes, Mister!"

Chloe’s loud, trembling voice came once again, filled with genuine gratitude.

"W-We... will... make sure not to get..."

Susan muttered in a trembling voice, struggling to finish her sentence before eventually going quiet.

She didn’t have the courage to say the rest.

"..."

Fiona lowered her head, though Lucian’s words were very clear to her.

And strangely... she didn’t even need that threat.

She knew if something like this happened to her again, she might simply choose to kill herself before going through that torment.

And if she was strong, she might even kill the ones who tried to do anything of that sort.

The others lowered their heads as well, but rather than becoming frightened by Lucian’s threat...

A small desire to survive flickered in their hearts.

Still very small compared to the urge to end it all, but still... it was something.

And the moment they looked at Lucian’s face, faintly illuminated beneath the dim moonlight...

All of their expressions softened ever so slightly, becoming relaxed for the first time in weeks... months.

And then—

[Chloe Davis — Affection: 7...10...14...17%]

[Fiona Hayes — Affection: 4...6%]

[Susan Ward — Affection: 2...3...4%]

[Hannah Brooks — Affection: 4...5%]

[Laura Bennett — Affection: 1...3%]

.

.

.

.

Lucian smiled gently.

It was a smile, but it looked so harmless that the moment the captive women saw it, several of them froze for a brief second.

And beside Lucian...

Leonardo and the other medical staff looked at the women strangely, none of them able to understand how... just how these women were even feeling grateful.

He had just threatened them, insulted their weaknesses, and casually spoken about killing them if he saw them suffering once again.

And yet, they were acting like he was some angelic saviour!

’It’s that damn face!’ Leonardo cursed inwardly.

"..."

Kanna, meanwhile, simply observed the scene silently, a small... almost imperceptible twitch appearing across her lips.

Though none of them knew the expression on her face, which she would very much like to keep that way.

And just then—

[Ding~!]