Chapter 44: The Yellow Sparrow Behind
It all happened in an instant, leaving Emil completely baffled.
He was initially a notorious member of the Nedlin Gang, known for smuggling drugs, trafficking women, and generally being a menace in the Eastern Continent. Their gang had a reputation for being reckless, and its members were often nothing but desperate rogues. Just seeing a group of them on the streets sent shivers down the spine of even the highest-ranking officials, as the ties between their upper echelon and the federal government were quite complicated. No one in a position of power wanted to stir up trouble with them.
However, gangs have their own rules. A few months ago, Emil found himself in hot water in the town of Kobimosa over some petty issue. His punishment? He was dispatched to a wasteland like this one, cut off from the high-paying crime opportunities he once enjoyed. Now he spent his days mingling with local fringe dwellers who had never seen the world outside this chaotic mess, kidnapping women and children to sell them to brothels.
Despite the lawlessness in this area, where banditry reigned supreme, merchants dared not tread these streets without a few sturdy guards by their side.
But this little town had many women who lost their husbands and children who had lost their families and homes. Their faces were everywhere, and the Church’s holy light never reached here. This made Emil’s life even more reckless. He and his cronies could catch some regular goods every few days, and occasionally, as luck would have it, they stumbled upon fresh prospects like the ones today.
But in a place as desolate as this, the quality of goods was generally subpar.
Skin like crumpled paper, faces like wax, bony bodies, aged, ugly, and sickly—these were the qualities of the women Emil encountered here. He wouldn’t starve, but life wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either. More often than not, the money he made from a deal was squandered in a single night, and he desperately missed the good old days of comfort.
Today, he had plans to keep two little girls all to himself.
Then, he figured he wouldn’t stick around anymore.
While hunting for prey near the market, he spotted the two unfortunate girls who seemed to have wandered in from who knows where. Despite their grimy appearance, their clothes were somewhat tidy, indicating they weren’t the typical filthy runaways filled with ailments. Though their faces were obscured, Emil noticed that they both looked healthy and, most importantly, they were quite young, making it highly probable that they were still innocent.
This was genuine merchandise that could fetch a decent price.
He intended to keep this haul for himself. Once he captured them, he would find an opportunity to eliminate his two companions, selling the girls and then making a quick getaway.
As Emil plotted in his mind, he maintained a calm exterior, trailing behind the girls into a dark alley. He couldn’t believe how brave these two dimwits were to venture into such an isolated spot—it was almost idiotic…
They had probably never learned to navigate the streets, making them all the more valuable. Though he still hadn’t seen their faces, he was paying close attention to their hands and the skin around their necks. The younger girl was cute, but the one slightly older was simply…
A gift sent from above.
His resolve to take these two girls for himself strengthened, thinking it might be an unimaginable fortune. His action had to be clean and swift; the poison dart he had just thrown was meant to incapacitate the girls quickly and reliably, so he could deal with the other two companions right here, one by one.
But to his surprise, the younger girl didn’t fall to the poison, and Emil was momentarily stunned. But he quickly regained his composure. No poison, no problem! They were cornered in the alley; there was no way out for them! Stubborn little things would soon be crying…
He stepped forward, drawing his kn*fe—not to scare the girls but to deal with them. Emil deliberately slowed his pace, allowing his partner to rush ahead, exposing his back to him—Emil intended to slit his partner’s throat.
As for the other guy, he had intentionally sent him to block the alley’s other end to prevent the girls from escaping. In reality, Emil just wanted him out of the way.
However…
Everything changed in the blink of an eye, in a way he never anticipated.
Though he couldn’t see the girl’s face in front of him, he caught a glimpse of her eyes—such beautiful eyes, like twinkling stars in the night sky. They arched into a radiant smile directed toward him, and Emil suddenly felt a jolt of unease.
Something was off…
Emil was clever enough to pick up on dangerous vibes. Even though he stood before two defenseless little girls, he had seen enough trouble in his life to recognize that they were no ordinary prey. The younger girl was smiling, and Emil realized she was actually calm and unafraid.
In that moment, countless thoughts raced through his mind, like whether these girls were bait or if some old enemies were coming after him—were they here to wrap up his life?
He had a gut feeling that everything was going wrong. As someone who danced on the kn*fe’s edge, he knew survival required keen instincts and the ability to react swiftly to emergencies. Emil had always trusted his instincts, and he immediately decided to retract the kn*fe and bolt.
But events unfolded quicker than he anticipated.
Before he could even retract the kn*fe, before he could even think to run, the partner he intended to take out was flung into the air by the girl with just a flick of her hand, his bl**d painting the walls as he crashed into a filthy garbage heap with a thud. Silence fell.
The broken crate rolled underfoot as Emil stood frozen. Time seemed to freeze. His mind went blank, struggling to comprehend the absurd spectacle before him, a deep-seated absurdity rising in his chest, and he felt his vision quiver. Then he saw the girl slowly shake her head before turning her gaze back to him, her once indifferent eyes now devoid of any emotion.
“Hey, I say… do you have any money on you?”
Her voice rang like a celestial melody, yet to Emil’s ears, it was downright chilling.
“Ah—”
He wanted to run. That girl was too eerie; she was definitely not an ordinary prey. Emil saw something wicked flash in her eyes. A chilling gust brushed against him, and it hit him—this might be the power of order… d*mn it, how could such a monster show up in a dump like this…
Logic screamed at him to escape quickly, but an intangible dread emanating from the girl made his body react involuntarily. He shouted, swinging the dagger toward the girl’s head!
This is it…
As he threw his kn*fe, despair washed over him. His upper body was tense, yet his legs felt like jelly, completely numb. Holding his breath, he swung with all his might, straining his neck so much that the veins bulged, but deep down, he knew this was futile—only hastening his demise.
In a flash of whistling wind, he didn’t see how the girl moved, but the next moment, the dagger was pinched firmly against her forehead by her two slender fingers. No matter how red-faced and straining Emil became, he couldn’t inch it forward even a fraction.
“Nice dagger…”
He heard her comment in a playful tone, then with a slight twist, Emil felt immense strength transmitted to his wrist. With a clang, his tightly gripped kn*fe was snapped apart by the girl’s fingers!
It’s over, it’s all over…
The broken dagger clattered to the ground, and panic surged through Emil as he felt the urge to urinate. He realized that he might not get out of this one alive. He wanted to turn and run, but his shaking legs wouldn’t budge. Remembering the girl’s earlier question, he suddenly dropped to his knees, trembling as he undid his waist pouch and held it out with both hands.
“Please… don’t k*ll me. Here’s money… I still have money, plenty of it… just let me live…”
This was likely the most cowardly moment of Emil’s life.
He was a tough guy, a violent brute. He thrived on instilling fear and loved being infamous. In bustling towns, he had never bowed to the powerful families he encountered. He was a fierce wolf, and wolves didn’t need to bow to anyone—otherwise, they’d become dogs.
But here he was, kneeling before a little girl, fear crushing his dignity and reason, all for a shot at survival.
Emil just wanted to live…
He didn’t even dare to raise his head or look into her bright eyes. In that moment, he could think of nothing else to do but plead for mercy. After a moment, he felt a lightness in his palm as the girl took his pouch, weighing it in her hand, making it jingle.
“Wow? Quite a lot here.”
The girl chimed, sounding almost cheerful, as if talking to the little girl behind her. Emil felt a flicker of hope, swallowing hard. Still, he didn’t dare to look up and cautiously said, “I also have quite a few Valen Gold coins… some… are hidden at home… the rest elsewhere… all for you… if you let me go…”
“Who are you?”
The girl suddenly interrupted him, her previous warmth vanishing, turning icy cold.
Emil’s heart dropped once more. He heard the disinterest in her tone; she wasn’t really interested in the money. He sensed a hint of malice in her words.
“I am… a member of the Nedlin Gang… My name is Emil…”
Realizing that cash wouldn’t cut it, Emil thought of using his gang’s reputation to intimidate her, to threaten that killing a member of the Nedlin Gang would surely bring retaliation… But some words hung on the tip of his tongue, and he dared not say them.
Because he sensed that this girl probably wouldn’t care at all about the Nedlin Gang’s reputation.
“Nedlin Gang… what’s that, a gang?”
The girl scoffed. Emil didn’t expect her to be some naive sheltered girl. She looked down on them, seeing their underground power as beneath contempt.
What kind of background did she have…?
“You guys are the ones who snatch girls and sell them, right?”
“……”
Emil went silent, cold sweat trickling down his face.
“Where did you get the mandrake flower seeds?”
“They’re… produced internally by the Nedlin Gang…”
“…oh.”
The girl seemed to connect the dots.
“Betty.”
“…Um? Ah! Sister, I’m here!”
“Close your eyes.”
“Ah? …Oh.”
Emil heard this brief exchange and froze, suddenly understanding what the girl was about to do. He trembled, crawling to grasp the girl’s pant leg and looked up, his voice hoarse with a plea: “Don’t! Please, don’t! Don’t k*ll me, keep me! I’m useful, I’m useful—”
“To keep you around to harm others?”
The girl looked down at him with cold indifference, without a hint of negotiation. Emil saw her raise her hand, her dark eyes suddenly flashing a strange red.
…I’m done for.
As that fair little hand came down, Emil saw the swirling black mist emanating from her palm. His mind went blank, utterly unable to think as the shadow of d*ath loomed ever closer. He shook uncontrollably in fear.
But in the next moment, the girl’s expression suddenly sharpened, and her hand pulled back as she turned toward the dark alley’s exit, yelling: “Who?! Who’s there?!”
“Get out of here—”
She called, a bit panicked, even stumbling over her words.
