"The necklace can't be removed, except by its owner!" Sena responded spontaneously.
"Are there any side effects if I forcefully take it off?... huh..." Furan asked, sounding agitated.
"No... there are absolutely none... but no one can break that necklace! Not even someone of rank S could do it," Sena answered.
"System, can I break this necklace with just my strength?" Furan asked the system in his mind.
"Certainly... but Host will have to try quite hard... as the necklace has exceptional durability."
"Will Anori be hurt if I pull it off forcefully with both hands?" Furan asked, worried that Anori might be injured if he pulled it too hard.
"The system detects that Anori will be 100% safe and will not suffer any physical or mental harm."
Without hesitation, Furan walked over to Anori, who was covering her eyes and ears. Furan held Anori's necklace from both the right and left sides and pulled with all his strength.
"Aaaaggghhh..." Furan groaned as he pulled at the necklace.
Crack
Crack… creak...
The sound of cracking began to echo.
"Aaaarrrrgggghhhh," Furan forced himself to pull harder and harder, the veins becoming visible across his hands. His body emitted a bit of heat, and sweat began to trickle down his face.
Crack... Ting... Ting...
The sound of the shattered necklace pieces hitting the floor shocked Sena, who knew that the taming necklace was one of the prized items in the Wichard family's collection. Anori didn't hear or feel anything because she was focusing on covering her ears and eyes, given her sensitive hearing as a wolf.
"Why are you just standing there?... Oh, yeah... what exactly did you do to Anori?" Furan asked, his gaze sharp and unyielding.
"N-Nothing... we didn't do anything," Sena answered reflexively.
"Host, I detect that he's lying... his heart rate is all over the place."
"You can detect that too? Incredible... you're very useful, system," Furan said in his mind.
"I'll do my best to support you, Host."
"You dare lie to me? Lie to me again, and I'll kill you," Furan threatened.
"Alright... I'll tell you... we didn't give her any food while she was here, and we even planned to torture her," Sena admitted quickly, fearing for his life.
"Oh, is that so? I won't kill you... but I'll make you feel like you have a hole in your stomach... for daring to make Anori go hungry," Furan said angrily, preparing to punch him.
Thud
The sound of Furan's fist hitting Sena's stomach was loud, and Sena's abdomen caved in from the impact, causing him to cough up blood and collapse in tears. Sena wanted to scream in pain, but he held back, fearing Furan would kill him if he made a sound.
"Feel that... it's only fair... you starved Anori, and I crushed your insides. I'm sure you can heal yourself... as I promised, I won't kill you. Now, go and don't let me see you again," Furan ordered.
Furan went to Anori and gently moved her hands from her ears. They headed toward the underground exit but were shocked to see a large crowd of guards outside the door.
"Anori, hold onto me and close your eyes for a moment, okay? No matter what you hear, don't open them," Furan instructed Anori softly.
"Alright, big brother... Anori will keep her eyes closed," Anori agreed.
Furan held Anori with his left arm and quickly approached the crowd. He struck the first person's neck hard, elbowed the second, and kicked the third against the wall, shattering a few decorations with the impact. Furan continued running towards the mansion's exit. Once outside, he headed straight to the DEBAY inn.
"System, are we being followed?" Furan asked.
"No, Host... no one is following you."
Furan entered the inn and, not seeing Kirana at her desk, went straight to room number one and set Anori down.
"Anori, do you feel any discomfort?" Furan asked, worried there might be internal injuries.
"None at all, big brother," Anori answered.
"Are you hungry?" Furan asked.
"No... someone in a black cloak came and gave me a ring filled with delicious food," Anori replied with a smile.
"Alright then... as long as you're okay... oh, Anori, try to get some sleep now. I'll be back soon," Furan said gently.
"Where are you going, big brother? You promised never to leave Anori," Anori said, her face sad and disappointed.
"I'm just going out for a bit... when I return, I'll bring you a gift, alright?" Furan bargained.
"Okay, but bring lots of gifts for Anori, alright?" Anori said innocently, extending her pinky for a promise.
"Yes, I'll bring you lots of gifts... but you have to sleep, okay? I'll sleep next to you when I'm back," Furan replied, sealing the pinky promise.
With a smile, Furan left the room, finding Kirana sitting at a table. He walked towards the exit, but a voice called out to him.
"Hey, where are you going with that angry look and intense aura?" Kirana asked.
"Oh, the innkeeper. I'm just stepping out for a bit and will be back soon," Furan replied with a smile.
"I'm not a child you can easily fool, boy. I know you're planning to do something drastic tonight... go on, I won't stop you. I can tell you've grown stronger since we last met," Kirana said calmly.
"Thank you... please take care of Anori," Furan said as he walked out the door.
"Who did all this? Why is my family's painting damaged... why are you all just standing there? Who did this?" the mansion's head demanded, his anger boiling over.
"A soldier and a young man with a wolf did this, sir... they managed to escape," one of the guards reported.
"What? Just two people, and they caused this much destruction? Yet they got away so easily? How will it look if people hear of this... do you want my family name to be dragged through the mud?" he shouted in rage.
"No matter what, find and capture them tonight, or I'll take each of your heads myself," he ordered.
Bam!
A loud crash echoed as a guard and the mansion door flew over the head of the mansion's owner. He was shocked by the suddenness of it.
"You don't need to look for me... I'm already here. Come fight me, bastard," Furan said, flipping his middle finger at the mansion's owner.
"You dare disrespect the Wichard family... guards, what are you waiting for? Bring me his head... kill him!" the Wichard family head ordered.