Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 164 Lurking

"N… no!"

Agatha was not one to really hold her breath no matter how thick and heavy the air could get. After all, her ability would do just that whenever she used it — breathing sand was already a part of her life and her body was used to it.

But right now, however, even with just a light steam veiling the air around her, she could not muster up the courage to breathe; not because of the air, but because of the scenery that was lightly being censored by the steam. For some reason, however, Agatha could not take it upon herself to look away.

There was blood, a pool of it already rippling toward her feet even though she was a few meters away from Rhys.

She was always told that blood was warm, but the only thing that she could feel as it hit her was a chill that caused her entire body to freeze… or perhaps it was just because the blood was already mixed with all the water from the jacuzzi; which was now also filled with red as Rhys drowned Lina's impostor several times in it already.

He ripped a part of her skin, he broke all of her fingers, he pulled out all of her teeth — and yet Lina's impostor looked like nothing happened to her at all because Rhys kept healing after several seconds, or perhaps as soon as she becomes numb from the pain…

…and then repeat the process over and over again. It felt like they were here for hours already, but it had only really been several minutes.

Agatha could really only imagine the hell Lina's impostor was living in.

"P… please," Lina's impostor was almost crying tears of blood. Nothing was pinning down her chest or covering her mouth, and yet her breaths sounded hindered and rasp, "I… I told you everything already."

"Maybe," Rhys let out a small breath as he stared at Lina's impostor, who was just groveling on the wet floor; her eyes, almost completely dead as she just looked in the empty air, "You could have told me from the start — were you expecting me to become impatient and tired?"

"N…no…"

"Unfortunately for the both of us, I can do this all day," Rhys sighed as he once again stepped closer to Lina's impostor.

"S… stay away!" Lina's impostor tried crawling away, only for her hands to tremble to the point that she could not even control them anymore, causing her to slip and hit the floor hard.

"But fortunately for you, I only have one final question," Rhys smiled as he stood right in front of Lina's impostor, "Where is Lina, and what did you do to her?"

"I… I already told you!" Lina's impostor could not help but just force out a desperate and somewhat crazed chuckle as she looked up at Rhys, "We… we tied her up with the others! You… You're not our target, Rhys Wilder. It's… it's these cunts from the Royal Family! And… and if you don't let me go, you won't see her again!"

"Hm," Rhys just breathed out as his eyes remained on Lina's impostor.

"I… I know how much Lina means to you! I've read all of her memories!" Lina's impostor once again cackled; blood oozing out from her mouth as she bit her tongue; even so, however, she still looked at Rhys with madness filling her eyes, "If you kill me, you won't see her aga—"

"Wait here."

Lina's impostor held her breath as Rhys suddenly walked away; flinching hard as she thought Rhys was getting ready to torture her again. She even instinctively turned to look at Agatha for help. Agatha, of course, just raised her eyebrows in confusion; confused because she was actually feeling sorry for the woman despite all the things she confessed.

Contrary to their expectations, however, Rhys just stepped out of the bathroom and left the two of them there.

Agatha could not help but let out a small gasp as she quickly turned her focus to Lina's impostor in fear that she would escape, but she did not even move and just remained completely still, her body trembling uncontrollably to the point that Agatha could hear the water beneath her puttering.

Lina's impostor was not alone, however. It was getting cold, too cold. Agatha never really thought she would feel this way — she didn't even think she was capable of feeling cold due to her abilities. And soon, she also found herself flinching as Rhys returned to the bathroom.

"Wh—!!!" Lina's impostor almost choked on her own breath as she saw Rhys stepping back inside the bathroom… with Lina,

"H… How!?"

"I don't think that should be your concern," Rhys only glanced at Lina's impostor as he approached her again.

"Ah, it's her!" Lina, who was following behind Rhys wearing only a blanket over her shoulders, immediately pointed at her impostor as soon as she saw her, "That creepy woman!"

"She said you were being held captive in the same room as your cousins, is that true?" Rhys once again stood in front of the impostor, before crouching and looking her in the eyes.

"...Yes?" Lina answered hesitantly as she also noticed her impostor whimpering in fear with even the slightest movement of Rhys's finger,

"What's… going on?" Lina asked even though she already had an idea of the answer.

"So you told the truth," Rhys breathed out, "I thought you were lying since all of Lina's cousins are Nobles, it would be hard to capture them all… but then remembering how they fought earlier—"

"It… it wasn't hard at all!"

"I suppose that was because of you," Rhys looked to the side, "You're very useful."

"Y…yes! Please!" The impostor started to cry as she heard Rhys's words,

"I already told you everything! Everything! So please, please just let me go!"

"You told me everything," Rhys nodded, slightly humming as he repeated the impostor's words.

"Ye—Wait," and right there and then, the impostor realized that she made a very grave mistake, "Wait, wait, wait — I lied! I still have information that would—No, no!"

The impostor could really only close her eyes as Rhys grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. As for Rhys, he just looked the impostor in the eyes while he tightened his grip on her neck; watching very closely as the life in her eyes very slowly faded away.

Even Lina held her breath. She wasn't looking at her impostor, however, but at Rhys.

"Rhys, that's…"

"Enough." And as soon as the impostor lost consciousness, Rhys just quickly dropped her down.

"Is she…"

"Alive," Rhys sighed. And soon, the woman's face started to distort and the color of her hair turned white. Her face was… average, not that she wasn't beautiful, but her face would make her completely blend in and one would not really particularly notice her in a crowd,

"I promised not to kill her, I'm keeping that… she might become useful in the future too."

"That's…" Agatha, however, seemed to have recognized her, "...One of the maids. She—"

"Wait, Rhys… are you saying you're bringing her back to Amerka?" Lina interrupted Agatha as she realized the implication of Rhys's words, "Or useful as in our general situation now?"

"If she survives," Rhys shrugged as he started making her way out of the bathroom, "We need to plan a way to rescue your family, if you want to rescue them, that is."

"Well…" Lina stared at her unconscious impostor for a few seconds, "...They're a couple of pests in my life, but they're still family."

"They wanted to kill you, Lina," Rhys looked back at her, "Are you sure about this?"

"...Yes," Lina slightly hesitated, "The truth is, if they really wanted to kill me, they would have already… well, maybe Adeleine, but she's not here, so…"

"Okay then," Rhys nodded, "From the information we received from the spy, there are at least 30 hostiles within the castle, and another 10 waiting outside. Since I don't know the number of guards, it will be safer to assume that they are all into it and I would try to proceed with non-lethal force as much as I can. Since Lina suddenly disappeared, they would surely be more alert now and—"

"Rhys."

"Hm…?" Rhys turned to look at Lina.

"Are you not just going to explain why she's here?" Lina pointed at Agatha, who was still pretty much completely naked and confused.

"Oh…" Rhys blinked a couple of times as he looked back and forth between Lina and Agatha, "Uh…

...No."

***

"Where is she!? How can someone just suddenly disappear like that!? Look for her!"

In the castle's surveillance room, all the remaining members of the royal family were currently tied down, strategically, it would seem. Their eyes were covered, and their arms and hands were tied together to prevent them from using any of their abilities. And if they do attempt it, they would end up hitting each other.

There were probably about 10 men there, 6 of them with their faces covered and 4 of them wearing a guard's uniform.

"Why can't we even see her anywhere!?" One of the men was screaming as he watched all the monitors in front of him. Unbeknownst to him and his colleagues, however…

…someone else was also watching them in the shadows.