Time of the Blind Beast - Chapter 92

As soon as the pressure of the binding on her hands disappeared, Anna dashed forward in a tumble and untied the knots on Madam Serva’s limbs. She didn’t touch the gag in her own mouth, thinking it a waste of time.

She supported Madam Serva and exited the room. Though they had barely eaten anything except the water poured through the gag from time to time, Anna wasn’t even tired—perhaps because her heart was racing.

Madam Serva was the same. Not wanting to become a burden to Anna, she forgot about her aching knee and hobbled along. Compared to people with healthy legs, their speed was pitiful, but it had been a long time since she had run depending solely on her own two feet.

In the first hallway they encountered after exiting the room, the two hesitated briefly.

“Anna, we need to get out of the inn.”

The one who made the decision first was Madam Serva.

Indeed, Ezekiel’s company from the 37th Regiment, the King’s Army, had entered this place, but the only ones familiar with Madam Serva were a few of Ezekiel’s closest aides like Montcalm and Feder. They didn’t know where those people were. If they headed toward the gunfire and were spotted by the Davis spies, it would be over.

“For now, somewhere quiet…”

Since they had been trapped in the temporary operations room, they had roughly gathered the Davis spies’ plan. They had said they would ambush the people rendered dazed by opium, so the direction of the fighting must be where the rooms were.

Anna and Madam Serva turned in the opposite direction.

Lodgings are generally designed to separate private and public spaces. If this was a large and upscale inn, it would surely have dining rooms, banquet halls, lounges, and various auxiliary facilities.

Just as expected.

A central hall that branched off in multiple directions appeared before their eyes.

However, the scale was larger than imagined, which posed a problem. Anna flinched in surprise.

Where should they go?

The wide central hall of the inn was draped with colorful curtains. While beautiful as interior decoration, they greatly obstructed visibility. When she had been forced inside, she had been too overwhelmed with tears to remember which direction they had entered from.

Where, where was it…

It was her first time in this city and at this inn. If she took the wrong direction and ended up in a blocked-off space—or worse, a wide-open place without furniture to hide behind—then…

Bang!

Suddenly, gunfire rang out from somewhere nearby. Anna nearly collapsed in shock.

There was no time to hesitate. They had to get away from the gunfire immediately.

“Anna, the red one! Go toward the red curtain!” Madam Serva shouted urgently.

Red?

Anna looked around in confusion and stared blankly at Madam Serva.

“You’re quite impressive, aren’t you? How did you manage to escape already?”

A chilling murderous intent scraped the back of her head.

A shiver ran down her spine. Anna slowly turned around.

Her breath caught. Levian, who had always smiled so smugly while dragging around Anna and Madam Serva, was now glaring at them with a face like a demon. Even for a man facing runaway hostages, his gaze felt ominous.

A pitch-black muzzle was locked in her view. It was aimed directly at Anna and Madam Serva.

Anna instinctively realized it.

The lie had been exposed.

Her legs froze. Against a soldier holding a rifle, a civilian was nothing more than prey.

Levian pulled the trigger. At the same time, Madam Serva threw herself over Anna.

The world spun. Anna hugged Madam Serva’s body and collapsed.

Levian reloaded the gunpowder and bullets and pulled the trigger again. One shot, two shots, three shots. He reloaded, fired, reloaded, and fired again.

“Where did you go? Suddenly running off alone, what were you thinking… what the hell?”

Akenaus, who had been chasing after Levian in haste, discovered the two women lying in a pool of blood.

“Those bitches tricked us. The woman we saw earlier was bait.”

“Bait?”

Levian responded through gritted teeth, “They knew our plan. When did it start? Since when were they watching us? Could that be possible? But if not, how else do you explain this situation…?”

“What are you saying? What are you even talking about?”

“Enemies are smashing windows and entering from outside. They must have hidden reinforcements nearby. I tried to go upstairs, but something felt off, so I hid—and thank goodness I did. If I had come face to face with them, I would’ve died on the spot. I even heard his voice from above!”

“Who? Montcalm?”

“Ezekiel Valdemaira!”

The name of someone who should not have been here was mentioned. Even Akenaus couldn’t hide his shock.

“Then we have to get out of here, now!”

“Leave now? This inn is surrounded. If we go out recklessly, we’ll get riddled with bullets by the snipers waiting outside. For now, we have to hide and observe how things unfold before making a move.”

Levian bit his lip and turned around. Akenaus scrambled to follow him.

***

“The battle?”

“It’s nearly over. Most of the ones who raided the guest rooms are taken care of. A few of them fled when the tide turned, but our reinforcements outside are in pursuit. Some tried to jump out the windows, but I’m sure our snipers waiting outside handled them well.”

At first, the company, though prepared for an ambush, struggled against the outnumbering enemies. Since they had to protect the Valdemaira family’s servants while responding, they had to endure a certain amount of damage. However, once the detachment Ezekiel had secretly led infiltrated the inn and joined the battle, the tide turned. The spies, now surrounded from both front and rear, scattered like rats trying to survive.

“Stay sharp and search the inn thoroughly. Check every place they might be hiding.”

“Yes, sir. Leave the rest to us. But Major, shouldn’t you see the doctor? Your wound…”

The subordinate glanced at Ezekiel.

The spies had judged Paulina a valuable hostage and deployed the most forces around her, so the damage there had been significant. Though Ezekiel had quickly grabbed one of the spies to use as a shield, several bullets had grazed his forearm.

It was to be expected. In such a confined space, getting hit even once was nearly unavoidable.

When it came to close combat, he wielded his machete with the mindset that as long as no bones or organs were pierced, it would suffice. If one meant to kill, they had to be ready to exchange blood and flesh.

“What commander leaves the scene before it’s secure?”

Despite his subordinate’s concern, Ezekiel simply adjusted his rifle with his blood-dripping arm.

“Major! You need to come quickly!”

It was then. Montcalm, who had gone down to search the common areas of the inn, came rushing in. Ezekiel’s eyes chilled at his subordinate’s grave expression.

“What happened?”

The location in question was the inn’s central hall.

The moment Ezekiel saw the two women lying in blood, he realized something had gone wrong at the Derosa estate without his knowledge.

Otherwise, why would people who should be at the northern residence be lying here?

“They were already like this when I found them. I’ve sent someone for the doctor. She’ll be here any moment.”

With a grim expression, Ezekiel examined the marks that had taken Madam Serva’s life.

Multiple gunshot wounds were stamped like brands on the old woman’s back. Thanks to Madam Serva shielding her with her body, Anna, lying underneath, had survived without major injuries.

Supported by a subordinate, Anna barely managed to sit up and choked out her words.

“We were captured but got a chance to run… We didn’t know the way, and I was hesitating… Then she told me to run toward the red curtain. But no matter how I looked…”

Anna burst into tears.

“No matter how I looked… there was no red.”

The maid, covered in Madam Serva’s blood, was in shock, repeating the words as she cried.

What was it like then?

She vaguely remembered raising her head and scanning her surroundings. Amid the gray, yellow, and blue curtains hanging in the hall, she must have been looking for red.

The doctor, who had been safely evacuated by Feder, had rushed back in the meantime, even grabbing her medical bag from the carriage. She had hurried so much that she had thrown off her wig and veil, and was now barefoot, having kicked off her high-heeled shoes.

As soon as she entered the central hall, she recognized the patient and immediately checked Madam Serva’s breathing. She didn’t ask why the head maid, who should have been in the northern residence, was here. Her priorities were clear.

Ezekiel had already realized there was no hope. Soldiers might not know how to save lives, but they knew how to take them. The enemy had aimed for a vital point and shot Madam Serva three times in a spot where even one hit would be critical. And she was an elderly woman.

Even so, he prayed for a miracle.

Wake up, Serva.

Wake up and explain to me.

Tell me what happened at the Derosa estate, who kidnapped you, and what that testimony about Rose’s red hair meant.

“Were you taken from the Derosa estate?”

At his abrupt question, Anna flinched and lifted her head. Even in her half-fainting state, she answered earnestly.

“Not from the estate. We had gone out together, Madam and I…”

“And then?”

“Suddenly, soldiers rushed us… We were tied up and dragged here, and then those men asked Madam if the doctor… if she was really Rose.”

As Ezekiel listened to her cautious explanation, he looked closely at Anna’s face. The voice stirred his memory. She was the maid who sometimes cheerfully chatted with Rose.

With marks from the gag still visible, Anna caught her breath.

“Madam said she was.”

Ezekiel swallowed a bitter smile. Not knowing Rose’s appearance, the enemies must have captured those who might recognize her and tried to confirm. And Madam Serva, risking her life, chose to protect him until the end.

As Anna stumbled through her words, Paulina, after checking Madam Serva’s pupils, breathing, and pulse, shook her head.

“She’s already passed.”