Chapter 134 - Inferno
“…What?”
A chill ran down Gaven’s spine as the Baroness’ steely gaze locked onto him. A sudden tension filled the space between them, and the frigid night air was forced aside as the temperature spiked.
“…You took care of her?” the woman asked him. Her voice was as flat as always, but there was a danger to her tone now.
Gaven fought down the instincts that told him to step back and reach for his hidden blades.
It had been annoying enough making his way back after jumping off a several hundred-meter-high tower back in the Sanctuary, but now he had a pissed-off boss to deal with as well? Could it be she actually wanted the Countess to live after all this? There’s no way she was that naive.
She couldn’t know that he hadn’t been able to make sure she died, could she? That was even more impossible. Besides, the poison would have taken care of the woman by now.
He opened his mouth to speak, surprised to find it slightly dry. “We couldn’t have anyone spilling the news of what happened, could we? So yeah, I took care of her.”
The Baroness’ eyes met his, and he stilled. There wasn’t just anger hidden there. There was rage.
“When did I ever command you to take care of her?”
Small flames burst into existence behind the woman, licking the ground like hungry spirits. Gaven stared at them, uncertain if it was her doing. He hadn’t even been sure if she was a mage or not.
“Ehm, right… Seems like I might have been a bit hasty,” he said, giving up the usual daring smile he wore around most noble types. He was starting to suspect she did want the Countess alive after all. But there was also the chance that she was just angry he didn’t follow her exact orders. “With people like her, you’ve got to take the opportunity when you have it. We can’t exactly keep her locked up for all eternity, so dealing with her as soon as possible saves us a lot of trouble and her a bunch of misery. Not like she was living much of a life before you picked her up, so this makes it easier for everyone, yeah?”
The flames behind the Baroness grew in size, and the strange crystal ball in her hand suddenly lit up a soft white. The temperature continued to rise as she stepped closer to him, and the look in her amber eyes told him all he needed to know.