Chapter 93 - 93: Bigger Thief
The Drowned Steps, one could say, were the ugly underbelly of Vel'Rhameir.
Vel'Rhameir was the picture-perfect representation of the Rhamira Federation. When a traveler entered Vel'Rhameir, they could fall in love with the resplendent waters that glowed at night and glittered with exquisite brilliance during the day, reflecting the grandeur of the sky and the sun.
But it was not a perfect city, and without much to be said, the Drowned Steps were proof of it.
The place was choked with industrial filth—basically a dumpster for the city. The canal streams flowing forward were clogged with debris and refuse that poisoned the air.
The deeper they walked, the worse it became.
The houses were haphazardly built; most looked like they were barely clinging to existence. The ground itself seemed ready to crumble at any moment. It was treacherous to walk on, not to mention the muddy and murky patches scattered throughout.
It reached a point where Lucien had to carry Valerie and press forward carefully.
For a while, there was no disturbance—in fact, there were almost no people.
But when they had to venture deeper into the streets, Lucien began to notice inhabitants. They were gaunt, though there were hefty ones too, but all of them glared with vicious, ravenous eyes.
They stared at the armor he wore, the clothes she was wearing, the bag she carried. The hunger in their eyes was unmistakable—it wasn't hard to figure out what they wanted.
As they walked down the broad street that led directly to the eastern gate of the wall, Lucien could already sense people trailing them.
At the same time, other slum dwellers began to tremble in fear and scurry inside.
'Is it that bad?'
Valerie was walking beside him, clutching his hand tightly.
"I, I think we're being followed… Adven… Big brother."
Lucien squeezed her hand firmly.
"Trust me, okay?"
Her voice trembled.
"Okay."
He was watching carefully—he didn't need to turn his head. He could see them all because of his enhanced sight.
'Four are close, six more are concealed around us. None threatening for now…'
Lucien exhaled.
'Shall we deal with them then?'
Lucien was about to turn into a corner but suddenly stopped and looked ahead with a narrowed expression.
At the end of the slum houses, right in front of the gate, someone was sitting. He was clad in blue and silver armor, and beside him a halberd rested against the wall.
He wasn't wearing a helmet, so his brown hair fell to his shoulders. His eyes were piercing and cold.
'One threatening…'
Valerie gripped his hand tighter.
"That's him…"
Lucien frowned slightly beneath his mask and looked at her.
"Him? The same guy?"
Valerie nodded.
"Every time?"
She nodded again.
Lucien looked up.
'Damn, this one is a tomato that has rotted to its core. Just how much has he made off kidnapping her?'
Lucien sighed.
"Don't worry—you're safe in my hands."
Lucien fearlessly walked forward until he finally reached the gate. By that time, the thugs following them had flanked his back.
Lucien stopped in front of the Warden and spoke clearly.
"We would like to pass through the eastern gate, heading to Ustrus Academy."
The Warden let out an ugly groan and slowly stood up. He stretched his back and took his halberd.
"Hello, Adventurer. Hello, young lady of Varlyeth County. I see you really like to give us so much money."
Valerie, gripped by cold fear, held Lucien's hand even tighter while the men behind chuckled.
Lucien maintained a cold expression behind his mask.
The Warden looked at Lucien.
"If you know what's good for you, Adventurer, leave her alone with us. How much were you promised? Let me guess—30,000 lumens. When we kidnap her and bill her mother 500,000 lumens, we could easily give you 100,000 lumens. And you simply have to let her go. Otherwise, are you certain you can fight off eleven of us?"
As he spoke, Valerie's hand shook, her expression grew pale, and in her palm that was holding Lucien's hand, she was sweating profusely.
Lucien glanced at the girl and brought his gaze back to the Warden, his eyes emitting cold white light.
"Is this the format you use for everyone? And they give in because they know they'll lose, so they'd rather make more money than face defeat?"
The Warden grinned like a jackal.
"I mean, isn't that reasonable?"
Lucien nodded.
"I guess it is…"
Valerie's hands went cold—she was shaking terribly.
"I'll do it… if you give me all 500,000. What about that?"
The Warden's face darkened with indignation.
A second later, he burst into laughter.
"You thief! You love money that much?"
Lucien chuckled.
"Bro… you have no idea…"
The Warden's expression suddenly hardened.
"I guess I'll have to get rid of you then."
His eyes blazed with blue light, and he lunged forward.
Lucien smiled behind his mask.
"I'm glad we feel the same way."
By that time, Darkness Cutter was already in his hands. Flames erupted along the blade, the shockwave sending the Warden staggering backward. He lifted Valerie and held her to his side with one hand, then pursued the Warden with a direct sword thrust, shattering his feeble defense.
As the others swarmed him to block his advance—
'Cleave.'
Light, shallow lacerations suddenly appeared across their bodies, and they collapsed in agony.
The Warden stumbled over his chair, and Lucien's sword easily followed him to the ground, the burning blade stopping at the tip of his throat.
Lucien kicked the chair away and stepped closer, looking down at the Warden.
"What did you say you were going to do again?"
In a single second—in fact, less than a second—Lucien had dealt with a group of eleven thugs, barely moving his body while protecting a young girl.
The ten of them behind him—some were on the ground, others were standing while holding one part of their body that was bleeding and staring at Lucien with hesitation and fear.
Speaking of the girl, by the way…
She was staring at him, stars sparkling in her eyes.