56 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Episode 56: Are Liberated Slaves Obsessed? Could it be a dream? Absolutely not. It was too vivid an oppression, suffocating both body and soul, to be dismissed as merely a dream. Rin's previously calm heartbeat suddenly surged to its limits. Her senses sharpened while her body stiffened, goosebumps rising along her nape. A beast's instinct blared a loud warning in Rin's mind. Every sense in her body silently screamed. That was dangerous. She needed to flee immediately. Yet Rin couldn't make a move. The aura of death weighed heavily on her. The cold, oppressive aura crushed her lungs mercilessly, making even breathing a struggle. "Yipe…" Rin staggered backward, an unconscious movement. She eyed her escape route warily, keeping a lookout for the reaper. Her best chance was the door right behind her. Having lived a life on the run, Rin was confident in her ability to escape. Crouching as low as she could, Rin gathered strength in her legs. Her feet pressed firmly against the ground, her toes clutching the coarse grain of the wooden floor. For a single moment of sprinting escape. In air heavy with tension, the reaper moved. A scythe as sharp as cold steel descended like a guillotine, delivering a death sentence. Crack! At that moment, Rin unleashed the pent-up power to its fullest, kicking off the ground in a single, explosive motion. A member of the beastkin with inherently superior physical capabilities, Rin's leg strength, even as a girl, was comparable to the physical reinforcement of human knights. Her body shot forward, leaving the inn's floor creaking under the pressure. A flawless escape! Clang! "Gah!" It wasn’t meant to be. Her body jerked to a halt mid-air—the chain. The sturdy chain procured by Karami at the smithy. In her extreme tension, Rin had forgotten about the chain bound to her ankle. She fell to the ground with a thud. The scythe descended. Perhaps thanks to the chain, the reaper’s attack seemed to anticipate Rin’s escape route towards the door. Had the chain not stopped her, she might have been severed in two. But there was no time to relax. The reaper's attack extended beyond what the eyes could see. Swoosh! A gust of wind howled through the air, creating something out of nothing as if the reaper manipulated the fabric of reality itself. A blade-like wind, akin to that of a seasoned swordsman's cut, tore through the air. "Yipe!" Countless wounds carved into Rin's body, blood spilling forth. The inn room splintered like cut firewood, the chain too sliced apart by the invisible blade. As soon as her restraining chain was severed, Rin's legs instinctively scampered, launching her at lightning speed through the door. The reaper effortlessly passed through the wall in pursuit of the fleeing fox. “Uh-hm…?” Karami woke up at that moment. Still drowsy from sleep, his eyes snapped wide open. The wall was breached, and debris littered the floor. Wind and rain howled into the room. That wasn’t particularly concerning to him. It wasn't his property, after all. Rin was gone. With just the open door and the neatly severed chain remaining. “What in the world…?” Tap, tap. The sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears. Seira burst into the room, her complexion pale as a ghost. “Are you alright?” “Uh… I’m perfectly fine, but what’s all this chaos?” “I heard a commotion outside and saw Rin being chased by a reaper. I thought you were finally facing divine retribution, so I rushed here, only to find you unnecessarily unscathed.” The inn room, resembling a battlefield post fierce combat, had not a single intact spot, except near Karami, suspiciously unscathed. “Rin’s being chased by a reaper, you say?” “That’s right. Such a significant reaper suddenly appearing must be due to Rin’s misfortune.” Seira had sensed its ominous presence when it passed her. Her legs nearly gave out under her. The reaper emitted such a compelling aura of death that it sapped any will to resist when confronted. It was undoubtedly Rin’s misfortune that drew it forth. This reaper surpassed the common understanding of what they typically are. “What are you doing?” Karami was already in the midst of changing clothes, preparing to leave. Seira, unsure of his purpose, stared at him blankly. “I’m going to chase after it.” “You’re going to chase that thing? You?” “A slave is in danger; as her master, of course, I must save her.” Seira, a wolf beastkin, generally disfavored dogs. Their incessant barking was aggravating. Presently, every word Karami uttered felt like noise to her. There wasn't much he could do about Rin's situation. His claim to intervene was born solely from his lack of experience in combat. “If you go, you’ll only add to the death toll. Stay put instead of making pointless moves.” Two appropriate actions presented themselves—seek assistance from knights to control the situation before further damage occurred, or wait for the fox, the source of the misfortune, to meet its demise. Boom! A tremor passed through the air. Through the open wall, smoke and dust emanated from the residential area. “Over there.” Ignoring Seira’s warning, Karami dashed out. Watching him leave, Seira couldn’t help but feel a sense of incredulity. What kind of confidence did he possess? Perhaps a deluded belief in his own invincibility? ‘Give him enough rope…’ She had observed him sufficiently. Reporting his reckless pursuit might allow her a comfortable return to mundane administrative duties. However… ‘…I need to evaluate him properly.’ Habitual slave abandoner, Karami. She resolved to witness his ignominy firsthand and document it. With that justification in mind, Seira followed in pursuit. *** “Pant, pant…!” Amidst a city night where only the sound of driving rain could be heard, hurried footsteps cut through the darkness. In a foreign setting, Rin found the tactile sensation of roads, unlike soil or stone, incredibly odd. Yet, she displayed unimpeachable skills honed over a lifetime on the run. Utilizing her small frame and cat-like agility, Rin deftly exploited every narrow gap. She slipped through spaces only she could fit, smoothly navigating between walls. When necessary, she pivoted quickly, scaling steep walls to reach the rooftops with ease. Rin moved with the agility and raw energy reminiscent of a wild beast. Such nimbleness was usually enough to outmaneuver most pursuers, but the reaper wasn't just any pursuer. She knew without needing to look. She knew even without hearing. For the reaper was relentlessly pursuing her, trailing the scent of death solely aimed at Rin. This scent made her heart throb maniacally, like a bomb on the verge of detonation. Why is it chasing me? The question suddenly arose in Rin’s mind. At some point, she believed the monsters of White Cloud Valley were tied to the location. She thought things might be okay if she could just escape from there. Yet the reaper, brimming with unmistakable hostility, shattered that fragile string of hope. Misfortune encased her life in an inescapable shroud. With a tail tagged with misfortune, there was no escaping. Panting heavily, Rin sprinted forward, casting a glance behind her. The reaper, which had pursued her like a leech, was nowhere in sight. Where did it go? Had she shaken it off? It was a mistake. Not everything was what it seemed. The aura of death still lingered. And then— Boom! The wall beside her exploded violently, crumbling into a massive cloud of dust. Cracked bricks and debris scattered wildly, revealing the indigo reaper. The scythe, glistening like a blade cutting through time with the rain, struck Rin with a shockwave. "Yipe!" Rin's small body soared through the air, crashing back down as if skipping like a stone across water. Having absorbed the full impact, Rin trembled, trying to rise but collapsed again. "Whimper…" Rin let out a pitiful cry. It was a heart-wrenching sight capable of evoking sympathy, but against a reaper, compassion was futile. The reaper’s indigo eyes were fixed on Rin. Its distant gaze seemed to stare beyond her flesh, into her very soul, perhaps even showing interest in it. Hands slowly reaching toward the shackles wrapped around her soul. Rin squeezed her eyes shut. "Now?" "Now." Reflected in the puddled rainwater on the ground was a towering chimney, the silhouette of a werewolf standing with the moon at its back. Seira, with long ashen hair billowing, hurled herself like a missile. Transforming part of her body, she morphed her arms, driving claws down onto the reaper. Smack! Seira cleaved through the reaper’s arm. As it staggered, she turned, gripped Rin by the collar, and spun, utilizing the momentum. “Catch her properly.” She tossed. “Hahaha, even without saying—kek!” Karami, waiting to catch her, stretched his arms wide, but handling Rin steadily was too much for his frail frame. Unable to withstand the impact, he was sent tumbling backward with Rin. Both Karami and Rin skidded across the rain-slick pavement. Amidst it all, Karami's arms remained firmly around Rin. "Whimper?" Amidst her cold body, Rin felt a gentle warmth. Sniffing, a strangely comforting scent reached her. She lifted her head to check. There, with hair soaked and draped like seaweed, and his clothes in disarray, Karami was smiling down at her, his lips tugged upwards. “You’re really good at running away. But I’d prefer it if you didn’t run away from me~” “Whimper?” Karami gently patted Rin’s head and stood up. Seira, evading attacks with nimble footwork, landed beside Karami, gracefully withdrawing from the reaper's scythe with agile movements. "I did as you wanted... but now what? This isn't an ordinary reaper. It’d be difficult to guarantee victory even if we summoned all the knights." While Seira bristled, wary and tense, Karami silently observed the reaper. Even from afar, he felt familiar, and now he was certain. “Father, no matter how much you might be my father, you shouldn’t swing your scythe at my slave.” “Father...?” The reaper, its indigo eyes casting a cool gaze upon Karami. Their eyes met across the air. Seira looked back and forth between them, puzzled. The reaper was the first to avert its gaze. It seemed to look elsewhere before nonchalantly drifting in that direction. The tension dissipated anticlimactically, the situation resolved effortlessly. Seira vaguely sensed the cause lay with Karami. "You..." "Oh, look how cold you are. Let's head back quickly. You’ll catch a cold." Karami started walking back towards the inn, using a feigned excuse. Seira narrowed her eyes, intently watching his retreating figure. She needed to revise her assessment. Karami was possibly more perilous than his public reputation suggested. Thank you for your input. If you have any specific requests for translation or any additional context you'd like to discuss related to the novel passage, feel free to let me know! It seems like you've repeated the phrase "더줘" numerous times, which translates to "More, more" in English. This could be interpreted as expressing a desire for more of something, maybe more content or assistance. If there's anything specific you'd like to request or discuss, please feel free to let me know, and I'd be happy to help! It seems like you've shared some user comments, likely from a discussion or comment section related to a web novel. Here's a quick summary of the sentiments: 1. A sense of appreciation for the protagonist's or character's actions or statement, as indicated by phrases like "so cool!" 2. Some frustration with perceived short content, with multiple users expressing that the volume of content felt limited. 3. Curiosity and speculation regarding plot points, such as the mention of a father figure and whether the reaper is real. 4. References to characters like Mirabel, perhaps suggesting connections or future plot developments. If you have specific questions or need further context or details translated, feel free to ask! It looks like you've quoted a comment labeled "BEST" with a username, date, and time. "Nore" appears to be the username, and it's dated September 15, 2024, at 23:36. "신고" means "report" in Korean, suggesting an option to report the comment. This type of formatting is typical for user comments on forums or discussion boards where users can interact and leave feedback. If you need any specific translation of content or more information, please let me know! It seems like you're expressing a need or desire for more of something, emphasized by the repeated phrase "더줘" which translates to "More." If you have specific content you'd like to see more of, whether it's a continuation of a story, additional information, or perhaps feedback on a discussion, please feel free to let me know, and I'll do my best to assist you! It looks like you've shared a series of user comments and reactions, likely from a discussion forum related to a web novel. Here's a brief breakdown of the remarks: 1. **Positive Acknowledgment**: Several users seem to be appreciating a particular aspect or humorous line within the discussion, indicated by phrases like "막줄추ㅋㅋ" (last line is funny). 2. **Speculation and Questions**: Comments indicate curiosity or speculation about character relationships, such as references to a "reaper's son" or questions about a father's presence. 3. **Character and Plot References**: There are mentions of characters like Mirabel and plot-related terms suggesting connections to the narrative of the novel discussed. 4. **Various Engagements**: Users express varying levels of interest or amusement, and some reveal excitement or intrigue regarding plot developments or character interactions. If there's anything else you'd like to explore or need clarification on, feel free to ask!