Dark chains suddenly wrapped around Liel's body, binding his arms to his chest with no preamble. Naomi was no better. Both of them had let their guards down.
"Look at you lovebirds, so cute huddling together under a tree," the bitchy witch said with words dripping sweets, sending shivers down his spine.
"Have you been kissing each other senseless?" The alleged mage who cursed Naomi's village smiled, showing rows of pure white, sharpened teeth. "Are you up for a threesome? I don't mind sharing."
Liel bristled, seething with impetuous anger. "Shut your fucking trap!"
"What a foul mouth you have there. Men. You all deserve to die."
"I'll kill you first," Liel growled, fiery coals in his eyes.
The horrible hair-styled blonde raised an eyebrow, reeling back to stand on her heels. It looked like she was analyzing him.
[System analyzer detected.]
'Hide my stats!'
[Level 1 users cannot hide statistics.]
"No level. No skill. No gift. Two useless items. That's all you got and you dare to threaten me?"
Naomi furrowed her brows and probed, "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, relax, it has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me. You're the one who cursed my village, aren't you?!"
The dark mage chuckled, "I only do what I need to do."
"Nothing will justify what you've done in my village! My father is dead because of you!"
"Oh… poor you."
Naomi's rage was palpable. Liel wanted to do anything to help her with it. Alas, even bashing his head against that horrible cut was impossible. He was chained on the spot.
"Why did you do that?" Naomi breathed, looking up at the tall, dark mage.
"He deserved it."
"Who?"
"Uvaris Horn, you might know him."
"The village leader's first son. What did Uvaris do to you?"
"Oh, that's where you're wrong. Uvaris didn't do anything to me."
"So–"
"He didn't do anything when I was pregnant with his child. He didn't do anything to me when I wanted us to live together. He didn't do anything when his damned father and his men came into my house and beat the shit out of me that I lost my unborn child. Is that what you want to hear?"
Naomi's eyes widened in horror. Hearing something like that must be jarring. It was horrible to think about.
"So you cursed an entire village for what one person's mistake?"
"It wasn't a mistake when he's perfectly aware of it!" The horribly cut blonde snarled, "I only want him and all men in your bloody village to suffer."
If someone asked him, Liel would say the bitchy witch's vengeance was warranted. He would do the same thing if he were in her situation with power.
Heck, he did that, even when he felt powerless.
Even so, his girlfriend's counterpart in this universe did not approve. "Innocent people died because of you."
"My unborn child died because of the men from your village!"
"But you can't choose to take many lives to avenge one."
"I can! I already did! As a fellow female, I thought you'd understand. But no, you're just the same as them, aren't you?"
"You killed my father!"
The bitchy witch smiled bitterly, "Good. I hope many will follow soon."
Naomi screamed and charged at the casually standing dark mage. Unfortunately, the chains binding Naomi's hands to her body rendered her fury-fuelled attack to fail.
Both were chained to the ground, keeping them in place without an ability to do anything besides breathing and simply talking.
It seemed impossible to even get out of the chain.
'System, how long will this chain last?'
[Analyzing enemy's skill.]
[Error.]
[Failed to analyze skill.]
[Do you want to analyze her weapon instead?]
'Yes, whatever. At least give me some useful info.'
[Analyze enemy's weapon.]
[Error.]
[Failed to analyze gift.]
[This user is too low-leveled to attempt an analysis.]
'Then, why are you even suggesting that?'
[Analyzing enemy's weapon.]
'Why bother?' Liel grumbled internally, expecting another error to flash on the floating purple screen.
Then again, for once, the System did something right. As it should.
[Enemy's weapon analysis completed.]
[Name: Melva Saunders.
Weapon: Faithkeeper Staff
Tier: Third
Stats: 70 Magic Power + 150 Mana + 10% Magical Lifesteal
Unique Effect – Static Mist: Skills that deal damage to an enemy will suppress them for ten minutes.]
'I have to stretch the time and make her talk until the ten minutes effect passes.'
Liel glared up at the horribly-styled blond mage. The best he could do was to make her spew evil monologues. Then, once it reached ten minutes, they could move again, and he could attack with his pathetic dagger.
He sent a meaningful look to Naomi, hoping the ginger head of his girlfriend's counterpart would catch his drift and understand what he wanted.
"You know, I agree with you. Punishing the lover who betrayed you is your right. He deserved that. So was his father."
Liel's statement prompted two confused gazes at him.
Naomi soon broke with a furious glare in her sky blue eyes. "How could you say that? My father died out of someone's sin, Liel!"
On the other hand, the bitchy witch, Melva, responded with a cheerful laugh. "Oh, I think we need more men like you, Liel Leinster."
"You two know each other?!" Naomi turned an accusing glare at the man currently bound by chains beside her.
"I certainly don't," Liel scoffed indignantly. "But I think she stalks many men around here. You know, desperate woman usually do something stupid after they broke up with their boyfriend."
Melva sneered. "You talk too much. Perhaps I should sew your mouth shut?"
"Oh, please do. I'd love to have you near my mouth," Liel grinned wolfishly. "Let's see how many fingers can I tear from your hands with my teeth, eh?"
"Though you're different. Turns out you're just the same like all those men. Violent and showing no mercy."
"Do you call cursing all males, from little boys to old people in my entire village for a very few men's wrongdoing is mercy?"
"Yes, that's what I call mercy." Melva spat at the ground between them. "Because if I have none, then you'll see them feel the severe pain all time. That's what I suffered when they beat the unborn baby inside me!"
Naomi was silenced, but her eyes were still lit with a desire to argue.
He couldn't fault her, for her father had just died from Melva's curse. However, he couldn't share the sentiment.
Melva, on the other hand, Liel could understand her feelings. The betrayal, he knew that so well. The lost, oh… how could he not know?
The pain was all he had after Erik murdered his girlfriend oh so brutally. He couldn't forget that. Could not forgive that.
He understood so well.
And yet, when the chain disappeared, and he could move again–
[Suppressed Effect deactivated.]
Liel charged forward and brought Melva to the ground, pinning her with all his might. "Naomi!"
Thankfully, his girlfriend's counterpart in this universe understood his plan. She pulled out her small, leather-bound book and drew blood with her knife. She dropped the blood on the clean, white page.
"I call upon you, Reinard Blackridge."
And the breeze suddenly spun around them. A summon for someone with a System.