Odalisque - Chapter 28

He no longer tried to hide his presence. Liv bit her lip until it bled. She glanced around nervously, clutching her skirt, then gritted her teeth and started running.

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

The sound of someone chasing after her made her mind go completely blank. Normally, at least one or two people would be on this road, but why was it empty today, of all days?

Desperately looking around for a place to call for help, she found none. The houses were tightly shut, curtains drawn over their windows, as if the residents wanted nothing to do with anything happening outside.

Would anyone come out if she screamed?

The people here were too preoccupied with their own survival. If they got caught up in someone else’s trouble and got hurt, their livelihoods could be directly affected.

Even if Liv were in their position, she wouldn’t come out at the sound of a scream. Her intervention wouldn’t help anyway, and if she got involved, Corida could be in danger too.

More likely, she’d lock her door even tighter…

The moment that thought crossed her mind, her running feet twisted sharply. She had lost her balance, slipping into a muddy puddle.

“Ugh!”

Thud!

Her body pitched forward. She instinctively braced her hands against the ground, just barely saving her face, but her knees took a hard hit. The stench of the filth mixed with the mud assaulted her nostrils.

There was no time to feel pain. Liv hurried to get up, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. Meanwhile, the footsteps chasing her drew closer, stopping right behind her.

Liv, pale with fear, turned around where she had fallen. In the darkness, she saw a large figure towering over her. He reeked of an unpleasant odor as he moved closer.

“S-someone, save…”

Her voice shook as she tried to scream, but it felt like her throat was blocked, and no sound came out.

The man slowly raised his hand. Liv saw that he was holding something resembling a club, and she shut her eyes tightly.

Bang!

A sharp gunshot echoed through the quiet alley. At the same time, something hot splattered across Liv’s face. The metallic smell of blood hit her nose.

Liv trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Gah…”

The man coughed up blood, and his massive body collapsed to the side.

“Haa, haa…”

Liv panted, staring blankly at the fallen figure. After a moment, she rubbed her cheek. Something wet and sticky had stained her hand. Even in the dim light, she could tell it was blood.

Blood poured from the man, forming a puddle on the ground. Though not quite dead, his body convulsed sporadically. Liv shuddered, scooting back while still sitting on the ground. Her arms and legs felt so weak that moving was difficult.

As she struggled to get farther away from him, she suddenly heard a voice above her.

“Are you alright?”

“Eek!”

Liv jumped at the voice, snapping her head upward. The man who appeared sighed, as if pitying her as he took in her pale face.

“…Adolf?”

“You seem very shaken.”

Adolf took out a handkerchief from his coat and handed it to her. Liv, barely managing to accept it in her daze, looked at him with a bewildered expression. Adolf spoke kindly, ignoring the bleeding man on the ground.

“For now, you should wipe off the blood.”

“Why… Why are you here, Mr. Adolf?”

Adolf glanced around the alley.

Despite the loud gunshot, no one had come outside. The few houses with their lights on had gone dark, and it seemed their residents were holding their breath, pretending no one was home.

If this went on for too long, someone might look out. Or perhaps they already were, hidden behind thick curtains.

“We should move somewhere else.”

“…What?”

Adolf pulled his hat down a bit more and gave her a faint smile.

“The Marquis is waiting.”

***

Dimus owned several properties. Some were publicly known, while others were owned under borrowed names.

The small house they were in now was one of the latter. Though he had bought it under an alias, he had never found a particular use for it.

Today, that might change.

Dimus glanced around the tiny interior of the house, wondering if it would finally have a purpose. He wasn’t really inspecting it; his idle gaze wandered meaninglessly.

“I’ve brought Miss Rodaise.”

Dimus, who had been staring absently at the fireplace, glanced toward the door. Standing in the doorway was a pale-faced woman. Though she had washed and changed her clothes, her complexion still bore the shock of what had happened earlier.

A woman who had been covered in someone else’s blood, shaking uncontrollably, her clothes in complete disarray.

“You’re late.”

Dimus checked the clock on the mantel and spoke indifferently. At his words, Liv’s pale lips parted slightly.

“We had to take care of some treatment.”

“Treatment?”

Dimus’s gaze shifted to Adolf, standing behind Liv.

“Just a minor bruise.”

He thought he had arrived in time.

“A bruise…”

Despite the irritation evident in Dimus’s voice, Liv didn’t seem particularly concerned. Or rather, she didn’t seem to have the capacity to care about his mood at that moment.

Understandably so. After almost being attacked, seeing her assailant shot right in front of her, and getting covered in his blood from close range, how could she be worried about Dimus’s mood?

Dimus gestured to the sofa across from him.

“Take a seat.”

“Please sit here, Miss Rodaise.”

Adolf supported Liv by the arm and led her to the sofa. Dimus watched her limp carefully to the seat, narrowing his eyes.

“Didn’t you say it was a minor bruise?”

“She twisted her ankle when she fell. She just needs adequate rest, and she’ll be fine.”

Dimus’s eyes followed her slender ankle, which peeked out briefly from under her skirt and then disappeared again.

“Please, have your conversation.”

After helping her sit down, Adolf bowed politely and withdrew. Liv, still half out of sorts, looked back at him, her gaze uncertain and pleading. In the short time they had spent together, she seemed to have come to rely on him significantly.

Dimus quietly observed her. Liv watched Adolf as he left, letting out a shallow sigh when the door closed firmly behind him.

“Are you alright, Teacher?”

“Ah, yes.”

“You don’t look well.”

“It’s because I experienced something unpleasant.”

Liv’s hands trembled as she spoke, her fingers clutching her skirt as if trying to stop the shaking. She looked nothing like her usual composed self.

“It was indeed an unexpected event.”

“…I owe you a debt. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”

Liv’s words of gratitude seemed more like something she had prepared in her head than genuine sentiment. Her anxiety showed in every gesture—her hunched shoulders, her restless eyes, her pale lips.

“If I’d known you were going to get hurt, I’d have acted faster.”

Liv, who had been rambling her thanks, suddenly paused. For the first time since entering the room, she slowly lifted her head. Her large green eyes locked onto his.

“Was it you who fired the gun, Marquis?”

The disbelief in her voice made Dimus tilt his head slightly. “Who did you think it was?”

“I… I thought it was Mr. Adolf, of course…”

Liv’s stammering words gradually gave way to a cooler demeanor. The shock in her gaze shifted, giving way to faint suspicion. It seemed she couldn’t quite imagine Dimus himself taking any direct action.

Of course, no one would think it likely that Dimus would personally intervene in a situation like this.

Dimus glanced around the room, ignoring her questioning gaze.

“It’s a rough neighborhood. I doubt today’s incident will be the last, but perhaps I’m being pessimistic.”

Liv’s face darkened.

“What happened today is unusual. It’s never been this dangerous before…”

“The issue is that you’ve become a target.”

At Dimus’s blunt remark, Liv fell silent.

“Do you think you can continue using that road comfortably?”

Of course not. She would hesitate to walk there whenever it got even a little dark. Each time she passed that alley, with its invisible bloodstains, the fear would resurface—that shadowy figure, the desolate surroundings offering no help, the cold, dark air.

Even now, just considering the possibility made Liv’s face freeze with fear.

Dimus looked at her and spoke in a seemingly generous tone, “You should stay in this house. I’ll charge you the same rent you’ve been paying.”

“…This house?”

Liv finally took a moment to look around. It seemed she only now realized that this was not the usual secluded mansion. Instead, it was a typical home—though uninhabited, giving it a barren, empty feel.

“I don’t think it’s such a bad offer.”

Liv’s eyes moved uneasily as she scanned the room, her brow furrowing. Her voice conveyed her confusion clearly.

“This is far too generous a favor for me. Why are you showing me such… kindness?”