Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 7

Chapter 4.2

“Yes.”

— Is the barrier still active?

“Yes, I’m leaving it in place.”

— Understood. I’ll proceed with the cleanup immediately.

As the clean response came through, the man took the light into his hand. He held it in a vice grip, and the light cracked before shattering in his grasp.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Delinda had been nervously observing, wondering what was happening above her head. Did this world have something like walkie-talkies?

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt herself being lifted.

“Kyaa!”

Still lying flat on the ground, he grabbed her by the hood of her cloak, and she dangled helplessly in the air.

The man effortlessly lifted Delinda’s adult body as he would a puppy. Then, with long strides, he began walking towards a certain destination.

Delinda’s feet dangled in the air.

‘Am I going to die? Is he taking me to kill me? Is it my turn now?!’

Delinda clamped both hands over her mouth, afraid that making any noise might provoke her captor.

After a while, they seemed to have arrived at their destination, and she was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground.

Delinda stared blankly at the dirt beneath her, not daring to look up at the man’s face.

She heard the sound of footsteps moving away.

It was the man’s footsteps. He had thrown her down somewhere and was now leaving the scene, walking away on his own.

“…”

Even after his presence had completely disappeared, Delinda remained in that same position for a while. Only after some minutes passed did she pull her hood down over her face.

Finally, her senses returned. There was no one around. It was like emerging from deep water, where the noise of the world suddenly rushed in all at once.

Laughter spilling out from windows, the melodic song of a minstrel beyond the square.

No one would ever know about the grim scene that had unfolded behind that secret wall.

Delinda slowly stood up and started to walk, even as her legs trembled. Instead of feeling relief, she felt suspicion.

Why did he spare me?

Even though the man had mercifully let her go, questions kept bubbling up inside her mind.

He had no reason to let her live. He was strong enough to kill, and he had every justification to kill a witness.

“Is it just that ‘all’s well that ends well’? I’m alive, so I guess that’s what matters. But something doesn’t sit right with me.”

Delinda pulled her cloak tighter around herself. Maybe it was because of what just happened, but even the gentle breeze felt chilling.

‘If I die here, will I go back to the real world?’

She halted her steps, lost in thought, before resuming her walk. If she died, it might simply be the end. There was no need to risk her life testing an unproven theory.

“I can’t die, and I can’t fail. Since it’s too dangerous out tonight, I’ll start looking into spirit stones tomorrow.”

With that determination, Delinda wandered around the square. She mingled with the crowd and, after a while, slipped into an alley.

She entered an unfamiliar tavern, enjoyed a glass of beer, and aimlessly walked through narrow streets, killing time without purpose. When the moon rose high in the sky, she finally headed back to the duke’s mansion.

She had purposely stayed out late to ensure safety, fearing that if she returned too soon, she might reveal the mansion’s location.

Before she knew it, she was nearing the mansion, and thankfully, there seemed to be no one following her.

Just like before, two knights were stationed at the entrance. Delinda naturally avoided them and made her way to the back wall.

‘No one’s around, right?’

Delinda looked around cautiously before climbing up a tree. A thick branch extended over the wall, making it possible to jump down from there.

Grunting with effort, she climbed up and leapt toward the wall.

But…

“Oof!”

She collided with something and fell back toward the branch. It was a protective barrier, invisible to the naked eye.

“What was that?”

It felt like she got snagged on something. She thought there was nothing there, but it seemed there had been a branch below her legs.

After thinking for a moment, she stood back on the branch. She quickly glanced around before attempting another leap.

However, once again, she hit something.

“Ah! What the heck?!”

This time, she completely fell off the branch and tumbled to the ground.

Frustrated, Delinda sprang up like a roly-poly and started climbing the tree again. Once she was standing on the branch, she launched herself toward the wall once more.

And just as her body was about to hit the barrier…

Tink—

A stone came out of nowhere and shattered the corner of the barrier. Without a sound, the breach opened, allowing Delinda to slip into the grounds of the mansion.

Unaware that someone had helped her get inside, Delinda hummed a tune, proud of her wall-climbing skills.

Her cheerful singing faded as she moved further beyond the wall.

“…”

The one who had broken the barrier was the man Delinda had encountered in the alley earlier. He stood silently, staring beyond the wall where she had disappeared.