Sianna Elatris

Impossible…

In a solitary cage, a girl lay curled upon the ground, her body a canvas of bruises that bore testament to the unspeakable horrors she had endured. Her once dark green hair now matted with filth, her torn garments offering little protection against the cruelty of her captors.

"What's this? You fancy her, do you?" Rogal jeered, a perverse amusement gleaming in his eyes as he regarded the girl with a sickening possessiveness. "She's a personal favorite of mine, you know. I find great pleasure in using her to relieve my pent-up stress. She's proven quite resilient, you see, though I've yet to lay a hand on her in the way you might expect," he added with a twisted grin.

"You claim you haven't touched her?" I questioned, my voice laced with a chilling edge.

"Indeed. She fails to arouse any interest in me," he admitted callously, reaching for a nearby rod before striking the cage with a brutal force.

The girl recoiled in pain, her frail form trembling as she slowly rose to her feet, her gaze haunted by the specter of torment.

As I beheld her disfigured visage, a surge of visceral emotion welled within me, mostly Nathan's emotions.

Her swollen face bore the cruel evidence of countless beatings, her broken teeth a grim testament to the brutality she endured. One of her dark emerald eyes lay empty, gouged out in a senseless act of cruelty, while her elven ear bore the unmistakable mark of a savage amputation.

"You haven't touched her, you say?" I echoed, my voice trembling with barely contained rage as I struggled to maintain my composure in the face of such depravity.

Rogal's laughter echoed through the chamber, a sickening sound that reverberated off the walls, drowning out the girl's muffled cries of pain. "Indeed. We've yet to lay a hand on her in that way. Instead, we've found other... uses for her," he admitted with a twisted smirk.

I disregarded Rogal's presence, my attention solely focused on the girl before me.

There was no mistaking it; a sense of certainty permeated the air.

Furthermore, I noticed Meira trembling in horror nearby, her gaze fixed on the girl.

"Don't speak," I reiterated my command to Meira, just to be certain.

The girl inside the cage was no ordinary girl; she embodied the essence of a monster in every conceivable way.

In the game, she was depicted as a creature hell-bent on the destruction of all elves, including Meira, the heroine. She transcended the role of a mere villainess, her depravity reaching unfathomable depths. However, witnessing her frail form now, I could begin to comprehend the reasons behind her transformation.

I knew she had endured untold suffering as a slave, but I hadn't realized she was here, in this very place.

"I want her too," I blurted out, surprising even myself.

Perhaps it was because of her strength and potential utility, or maybe a lingering trace of compassion still resided within me.

No.

It was because I wished to avert a confrontation with this monster in the future.

"Huh? Seriously?" Rogal's disbelief was evident, tinged with a hint of reluctance.

"I offer you five gold coins," I said.

"Wow! You're just as twisted as I am, aren't you?!" Rogal exclaimed, now seemingly in agreement.

Ordinarily, a girl in her condition wouldn't fetch more than a few silver coins.

"Hey guys! Prepare a bath for her and clean her up!" Rogal commanded.

"That won't be necessary," I intervened, pressing another gold coin into Rogal's hand. "I want her now."

Time was of the essence.

If that noble were to return, all would be lost.

"With pleasure," Rogal grinned as his men escorted the girl out.

Sianna stumbled at my feet, her broken legs rendering her unable to stand properly.

My disgust towards Rogal, already substantial, surged even higher.

Beside me, Meira wept silently, her anguish palpable.

It was understandable; Sianna was her half-sister, born from her father's second wife, the King. However, due to inexplicable circumstances, Sianna had been deemed cursed and ostracized, her mother meeting a similar fate and leaving her alone in the world.

From what I recalled, the relationship between Meira and Sianna was one of pure hatred.

At least, not yet for Meira.

"Hey! Stand up!" Rogal's cruel command was followed by a kick to Sianna's stomach, eliciting a pained groan from her.

"She belongs to me. What do you think you're doing?" I narrowed my eyes dangerously at Rogal.

"Oh, my apologies. Force of habit!" Rogal chuckled before handing me a silver key. "Use this to command her."

I accepted the key and pricked my finger to imbue it with my blood. "Stand up," I commanded.

Sianna obeyed, albeit slowly, her trembling legs betraying the pain she endured.

It was a cruel imposition, forcing her to stand despite her injuries.

Yet, Sianna's expression remained impassive, betraying nothing of her suffering.

Charging mana into my black ring, I retrieved two robes and draped them over Sianna and Meira, shrouding their features beneath the hoods.

Turning to face Rogal, who observed me with a twisted smile, I opted for silence.

It was prudent to conceal my identity and visage from him, for he would inevitably meet his end in the future, whether by my hand or another's.

With no exchange of words, I led them away, ensuring they stayed close as we made our way to an inn situated a distance from Rogal's slave market.

"I want a room," I informed the middle-aged receptionist upon our arrival.

"Of course..." Her response trailed off as she eyed me suspiciously, her gaze flickering to the two figures behind me. Recognition dawned upon her as she noted the chains, her expression turning frigid.

"How many rooms?" she asked, her tone growing colder.

"A single room will suffice," I said calmly, unfazed by her demeanor.

Her frosty disposition only deepened at my insistence on just one room. It seemed she had formed an unusual conclusion, but I paid it no heed.

"For how many people?" she pressed on with a glare.

I had no intention of staying long anyway.

"Just one person," I replied evenly.

"So, a single bed then?" she asked, her tone laced with irritation.

"Yes," I confirmed with a slight frown.

"Here's the key!" With a sharp movement, she slapped the keys onto the desk. "Thirty silver coins!"

I nodded, extracting the exact amount from another pouch and handing it over to her.

Without another word, the woman huffed and retreated.

I led Meira and Sianna up to the last floor, unlocking the door with care.

The inn was of moderate quality, boasting a living room with a kitchen, a bathroom, and a single bedroom.

"Now... the two of you wait in the bedroom," I ordered, holding both keys in my hands.

Sianna entered first, followed closely by Meira, who appeared on the brink of fainting as she tightly shut her eyes, still misunderstanding my intentions.

Once I ensured they were seated on the bed and unable to move, I exited the room, locked the door behind me, and left the inn.

Scanning my surroundings, I quickly located a clothing store.

I needed to purchase attire for both Meira, whose clothing was too conspicuous, and Sianna, whose garments were torn.

After ten minutes of brisk shopping, I acquired three dresses each for them, along with undergarments. It was a somewhat uncomfortable task, but necessity left me with no choice. Thankfully, a female clerk assisted me.

Next, I visited a nearby grocery store to procure essentials such as soap, shampoo, and perfume, along with other items that might prove useful for them.

Lastly, I frequented a restaurant, a popular establishment from the Southern Capital. It took me another ten minutes to purchase food, all for the cost of one gold coin.

Finally, laden with several bags, I returned to the inn.