Chapter 146: What do you mean.

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: What do you mean.

Chapter 146: What do you mean.

Suddenly, the beast pounced, its powerful legs pushing against the ground as it lunged towards her with its fangs glistening beneath the moonlight.

Sasha turned her face away in fear, shutting her eyes as she awaited her fate, her mind going completely blank as she prepared herself for the unbearable pain of having her flesh torn apart by the creature’s sharp teeth.

But what came next wasn’t the pain of her flesh being torn, but the yelp of a frightened beast, followed by the sound of something heavy crashing against the ground.

The stench of blood and smoke soon reached her nose.

Sasha grudgingly opened her eyes to look in front of her, her vision still blurred by the tears that had gathered in her eyes as she tried to make sense of the scene before her.

What she saw caused her heart to skip a beat, for standing before her was a figure in armour which glistened beneath the radiant moonlight, while the patch of earth in front of him burned with flames that illuminated the surrounding trees.

The creature that had nearly killed her was lying motionless on the ground, its body surrounded by flames that flickered against the darkness, and the sight left Sasha staring in disbelief as she struggled to understand how someone had managed to save her at the very last moment.

" My apologies for making you wait, are you alright?" Osborne asked as he turned around to check up on her, his voice sounding far calmer than one would expect from someone who had just committed mass murder.

Sasha wiped her teary eyes while nodding her head, unable to find the words to properly express what she was feeling.

Seeing her pitiful display, Osborne couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty, since he had been the one who told her to run ahead while promising that he would catch up with her, only to leave her alone in the forest long enough for her to encounter a dangerous beast.

He approached her before offering her a hand, making sure to move slowly enough that he wouldn’t frighten her any further, since she had already endured more than enough fear for one night.

"Here, let me help you up."

Sasha blinked her eyes, pausing for a moment as she stared at the hand being offered to her.

After everything she had experienced at the hands of her captors, she had grown accustomed to expecting cruelty whenever someone approached her, and even though Osborne had already saved her once, she still couldn’t help feeling a little hesitant about accepting his kindness.

However, when she looked up and saw the armoured figure waiting patiently for her, she slowly reached out and took his hand, allowing him to pull her back onto her feet.

Both of them didn’t know it, but that simple act would be the first of many to come between them.

*******

Osborne and Sasha walked through the forest under the cover of night, with the faint moonlight filtering through the thick branches above them and casting dim shadows across the path they followed.

Both figures walked side by side, although their steps were far from equal, as Osborne made sure to match Sasha’s pace so that she wouldn’t have to struggle to keep up with him.

Occasionally, Sasha would steal brief side glances at her saviour, her violet eyes lingering on the metallic armour covering his body before she quickly looked away whenever she felt she had stared for too long, still uncertain about the kind of person he was despite everything he had done for her.

"Might I ask where we’re going?" Sasha eventually asked after they had walked for a long while, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer as she tried to make sense of their direction.

"Back to the encampment," Osborne answered calmly, his footsteps remaining steady as he continued walking through the forest without showing any signs of concern.

"What?! But why?" Sasha reacted with fright, immediately slowing her pace as the words reached her ears.

"You’re not taking me back to them, are you?" she asked nervously, halting her steps as she eyed Osborne with hints of agitation, her mind already returning to the terrible memories of the men who had kept her imprisoned and treated her like nothing more than an object they could sell.

"It’s alright, there’s no need to be alarmed," Osborne said after noticing her reaction, realizing that his answer had only caused her to misunderstand his intentions, which meant he would have to explain himself before she became any more frightened.

"I’ve already cleared out the place, and until the sun comes out, we can wait there for the night," he explained, turning his head slightly to look at her through the narrow opening of his helmet.

"Once it’s morning, I’ll take you back home."

Sasha blinked her eyes in silence, finding it difficult to understand what he had just told her, as the thought of returning to the place where she had suffered for so long was the last thing she wanted to hear after finally escaping from it.

"Come again?" she asked, wondering if she had misunderstood his words.

"I said we’ll be travelling by dawn," Osborne repeated, turning towards her as he spoke, although he soon realized that she wasn’t confused about when they would be leaving.

"No, not that," Sasha hurriedly shook her head, raising both hands slightly as she tried to explain what she meant. "It’s just that you said you cleared out the entire place."

’Is that even possible? He’s just one person,’ Sasha thought, recalling the numerous dangerous men she had seen at the encampment, many of whom had carried weapons and looked strong enough to overpower an ordinary person without much difficulty.

Even if Osborne was an adventurer, she found it hard to believe that he could defeat every single one of them by himself, especially when the traffickers had possessed enough confidence to keep so many dangerous demonic beasts locked up in cages.