A bone-chilling silence enveloped the dark room. Only the grating sound of the iron door's hinges screeching open with an ear-piercing noise could be heard.
The Treasure Hoarders dragged Charles' battered body and flung it carelessly into the cramped, stuffy cage.
Charles' body slammed against the hard ground with a loud thud.
He lay there helplessly, his strength completely drained after the cruel torture that accompanied him throughout the afternoon.
His lips were slightly parted, exhaling short, almost inaudible breaths.
His eyes were tightly shut, as if trying to distance himself from the real horror he was experiencing at that moment.
However, there was something that made him gather his remaining strength. There was someone else's presence in that dark cage with him.
Slowly, Charles opened his eyelids and turned towards the direction of the faint voice addressing him.
In the corner of the cage, a girl's figure stared at him intently with a pair of hollow, lifeless eyes. Melania, now crouched beside Charles.
"What are you doing here?" Melania tilted her head slightly, her tone sounding genuinely puzzled to find Charles in such a place.
The remaining shred of humanity within Charles seemed to be torn away at the sight of Melania!
He bit his lip hard until it bled, trying to restrain the cruel side that threatened to take over.
His injured hand rose to cover his face, as if unwilling to look upon Melania's figure any further. Slowly, his eyelids closed tightly once more.
"You don't want to talk? Fine." Melania gave up on Charles' silent treatment. The girl got up and moved away from the corner where Charles lay crumpled.
Charles remained motionless there, his lips tightly bitten, spewing fresh blood that once again stained his face and the cold floor.
He forced his wounded body to crawl to the cold corner of the cage, seeking his own solace before night truly fell.
Soon after, night had enveloped the dark cage with its silence.
Charles sat slumped in one corner, his body devoid of energy. Melania's whispered breaths could occasionally be heard faintly from the other side of the cage.
Suddenly, the sound of the iron door's hinges echoed, shattering the stillness. Followed by the clinking of metal against iron bars, creating an overwhelmingly deafening noise.
SO LOUD!!!
Disturbed from his solace, Charles opened his eyes and looked up towards the source of the sound. Two Treasure Hoarder guards had just arrived in front of his cage.
One of them kept thrusting the tip of his sword through the bars, as if intentionally creating a disturbance.
Still retaining a shred of humanity, Charles felt annoyed and vented it by kicking the iron bars until they rattled.
The Treasure Hoarders were slightly startled.
Without warning, one of them swung his sword through the gap between the bars to attack Charles. However, due to the excessive distance, the swing only met empty air.
Charles merely responded with a mocking sneer.
The guard who received the sneer grew increasingly irritated. He carelessly tossed a cloth bundle containing food into the cage. Apparently, their arrival was to provide rations for the prisoners.
Charles' dismissive attitude undoubtedly ignited the guard's anger.
Charles continued to sneer, as if intentionally provoking him to commit a brutal act.
Fortunately, the other figure from the Treasure Hoarder guards was more experienced. Charles recognized his unfamiliar face, Alex.
The man stared at Charles in silence for a moment before telling his companion not to be provoked by emotion.
After handing another bundle, presumably for Melania, into the cage, Alex turned and left with a straight back, without uttering a word to Charles.
A suffocating silence enveloped the dark cage after Alex and his companion's departure.
Soon after, Charles and Melania exchanged silent glances, as if scrutinizing each other through their hollow gazes.
Slowly, Melania took the food bundle that Alex had thrown for her.
Without a word, she began eating it with slow movements and a faraway gaze.
Charles watched silently, witnessing Melania chew and swallow each mouthful of food with a blank, expressionless face.
Once Melania finished, Charles turned his attention to the other bundle lying near his feet.
He heaved a long sigh... Honestly, my appetite has completely vanished after the torture from the Treasure Hoarders earlier this afternoon.
He placed the food bundle into his inventory.
It was fortunate that all his belongings remained safely stored in his inventory during the earlier torture!
Charles' hand then reached into one of the inventory slots, retrieving a small bundle of sweet candies.
He might not have an appetite, but it was a different story when it came to sweet treats!
Greedily, Charles popped one candy after another into his mouth.
He smiled slightly, tasting the sweetness melting on his tongue.
In between bites, Charles glanced back at Melania.
She seemed surprised, with her mouth slightly open, as if unable to believe witnessing Charles eating sweets in a place like this.
"Would you like some?" he offered, holding out the candy bundle.
Melania shook her head slowly and turned her face away from Charles' gaze.
"I was the one who shot you."
Charles abruptly stopped chewing. He stared at Melania intently. She...
Shot me...?
Soon after, Melania opened her lips again. She explained her reason. From that statement, I learned that she did it under direct orders from the Treasure Hoarders' Boss, Oliver, to kill Charles.
Charles' jaw tightened upon hearing that account. His eyes widened, his mouth half-open, unable to utter a single word. His head bowed low, concealing his expression from Melania.
Suddenly, Charles stood up. His hands clenched tightly. He stepped towards Melania. His gaze was cold, burning with rage.
Charles gripped Melania's shoulders and shoved her hard against the cage wall, causing her body to slam against the cold metal surface.
Moments later, Charles' hand moved, gripping her neck this time.
After hearing all that, this made Charles' remaining humanity instantly lose to the cruelty and wickedness within him!
Melania stared at him intently with her hollow, lifeless eyes. There was no fear, only emptiness in her dull gaze.
Charles' grip on Melania's neck began as a light squeeze. But it gradually tightened, choking her firmly.
Soon after, Melania began coughing with great difficulty. Tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down her pale cheeks.
Witnessing that, Charles' arm slowly loosened, as if losing strength around Melania's neck.
"Sorry..."
Melania remained silent, staring blankly at him. She did not respond at all.
***
A/N: If you want to read the 7 advanced chapters with a faster update frequency than the webnovel, you can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
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