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[Ruination System Activation: Second Mission]
Objective:
Steal the wife of the man you just met and break their relationship. Use your charm or whatever means necessary to create doubt and separate them.
Reward:
Completion of this task will grant you 100 Ruination Points (RN) and a boost to your charm ability.
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Serafine smirked, her gaze meeting the woman's for just a split second before she rolled her shoulders, releasing a silent chuckle. Oh, this was going to be fun.
"What's wrong, sir?" she said with a raised eyebrow, pretending to be innocent, even though her eyes glinted with mischief.
"Don't act all innocent on me, young man!" the drunk man slurred, his face flushed red with indignation. His friends at the bar laughed, egging him on.
"Don't act all innocent either," Serafine shot back, her voice smooth and playful. "You were just right there with your buddies, talking about how you'd like to bed the saintess while your wife is right here—" She gave a dramatic gesture toward the trembling woman, who seemed to shrink into herself. The poor lady was practically shaking in fear, glancing around like she was looking for an escape route. "Honestly, I don't know who to pity more—the wife or you."
The man growled, stepping closer to Serafine, his finger jabbing into her chest. "Don't meddle with my marriage!" He spat, his breath heavy with the stench of alcohol.
"Do I look like someone who meddles?" Serafine asked, wide-eyed, feigning innocence again. "Oh wait, maybe I do. But hey, when you were over there talking about bedding me like I'm some prize, maybe you should've thought of your wife before trying to play the tough guy."
The woman was clearly distressed now, her hands trembling at her sides. It wasn't hard to tell what was going on. Another drunkard husband, a weak wife who couldn't protect herself, and an innocent bystander caught in the middle. Well, if she had to get involved, she might as well enjoy it.
"Lady Saintess... I don't think this is a good idea," Calix whispered, his eyes wide with concern. But Serafine was already done playing nice.
With a sly grin, she raised her hand toward the man's face. Before he could blink, a blinding flash of golden light erupted from her palm, sending the whole tavern into chaos.
The man's vision was instantly fried. He screamed in panic, trying to stumble away, but ended up crashing into his friends. The others weren't so lucky either; they were too busy laughing and egging on the fight to notice the flash of light until it was too late.
"What's going on?!" one of the men yelled as they scrambled, blinded by the light. "Where's the guy?! I can't see!"
"Not my fault you can't handle the light, guys!" Serafine called out, smirking as the group of men blindly fumbled around the room, crashing into furniture and one another like a group of drunk chickens. The woman, now wide-eyed and shaking, glanced at her, but Serafine was far too entertained to care.
Another man, his vision still gone, swung wildly, knocking over a barrel that rolled toward another guy, who tripped over it and fell into the wall with a loud crash. "You idiots!" The leader of the group bellowed, but the room was already in disarray, and his voice was drowned out by the clattering and screaming.
Calix, looking absolutely horrified, rushed in, trying to stop them from literally killing each other in the midst of all the chaos. "Lady Saintess, please—"
"Oh, relax," Serafine said nonchalantly, watching as the last man stumbled backward and hit his head against the doorframe, knocking himself out cold. "What did you think would happen when you poked the hornet's nest?"
The entire room was a mess, with men groaning on the floor, sprawled out like defeated puppies. The wife, still standing there wide-eyed, looked like she might faint any moment.
"I'm right here!" Serafine called out, smirking as she stood boldly in front of the bickering men.
They immediately drew their weapons, charging toward her, ready to strike. But Serafine had other plans. As they lunged, she sidestepped with an exaggerated twirl, sending them crashing into each other like a bunch of clumsy bulls in a china shop.
The men, completely fooled by her playful movements, began slashing at thin air, except each other. They tangled their swords together in a mess of misfired strikes, tumbling over one another like dominoes.
Meanwhile, Serafine glanced over at the wife, who had her hands over her face, clearly horrified. With a quick, dramatic gesture, Serafine swooped in and gently covered her eyes with one hand, her other hand placed on her hip like she was some sort of mischievous guardian.
"Don't worry, darling, this is just a little... manly bonding session," she whispered teasingly to the wife, as the sounds of clashing metal and panicked yells echoed around them. "Better not watch this... trust me, it's not pretty."
As the chaos unfolded behind her, Serafine casually tapped her foot, watching with amusement as the drunk men continued to hack away at each other, completely oblivious to the fact that they were literally killing each other.
It was a moment of friendly fire.
The tavern floor was a chaotic scene of spilled drinks, shattered wood, and, of course, blood - everywhere.
The men who had moments before been standing proud and brash were now sprawled across the room, gurgling and groaning in pain. Blood pooled beneath them, painting the wooden floor in streaks of crimson, each drop a testament to their own foolishness.
Swords and daggers were littered on the ground, some still buried deep in one of the men's sides, while others clattered harmlessly against the stone walls.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the pungent smell of sweat, with the sounds of agonized moans punctuating the tense silence that followed the battle.
One of the men, who had been attempting to swing his weapon at Serafine, had instead missed and cleaved the shoulder of his own companion, causing the unfortunate soul to collapse, a grimace frozen on his face.
Another man, on the floor, was clutching at his bleeding stomach, the edges of his tunic soaked through with red as his final breath escaped in a pitiful wheeze.
A splash of blood hit her cheek, and Serafine casually wiped it off with a flick of her fingers. She looked at the stain for a moment, but honestly? She didn't feel a thing. It was just a little mess, nothing more.
She wasn't about to feel guilty about it. People like them. Loud, arrogant, and full of themselves - just reminded her of him. Her father. The man who had made her feel small, helpless, and stuck in a cage she couldn't escape. And now, here she was, wiping blood off her face without a second thought.
"Guess I'm not so helpless anymore, huh?"