Predatory Marriage — Chapter 79. Blood (2)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Eyljee

Leah’s original plan was to secretly rescue the captured slaves. Free them all, including the Kurkans, and then escape before the auction began. However, her plan deviated the moment Ishakan became involved. Suddenly, she had to accept all the changes, which his presence had caused.

She predicted a bloodbath…

Following the girl Kurkan, Ishakan and Leah entered the basement, avoiding the detection of the mansion’s employees.

“How many people are you going to kill?” Leah asked, whispering to Ishakan.

“All the slave traders. As for the customers… Well, the lucky ones will survive, I guess.”

Ishakan, who was walking silently while carrying Leah, stopped for a moment and suddenly looked back. A distant cry echoed from the auction house.

“We must move quickly,” he said.

The last Kurkan slave seemed to be locked up somewhere in the deepest part of the labyrinthine mansion. Their route began to change slowly as they advanced, from well-finished walls to wet stone walls. The rotten wooden stairs creaked with every step.

There was not enough illumination, so they could not see in front of them, but Ishakan skillfully guided the way.

“I can’t believe he was locked up in a place like this,” whispered Leah in Ishakan’s embrace.

It looked like a subway prison. Like a horse corral, only with more space. He thought they could have at least had the decency to keep it in a cleaner place if they were going to sell it.

“I don’t think they would have given him the slightest sip of water until he passed out,” Ishakan said simply, unhurriedly. “Only when a Kurkan can’t take any more and is on the verge of starvation, will they offer him a piece of bread. The act of being fed is a means of cultivating obedience.”

(TL. Starvation: suffering or death caused by hunger.)

He spoke naturally, and the lightness of his tone only served to further emphasize the inhuman nature of the slaves’ treatment.

“The reason I came this far today is because I believe there are customers who wanted fierce slaves,” he ended his speech with those words.

“You… talk as if you’ve been there yourself.”

Ishakan laughed briefly. Instead of responding, he just kept going. Unlike the road they had traveled so far, they were in a noticeably brighter area. It had a small window at the top of the dark roof.

With the moonlight filtering through and the torches hanging down, their surroundings slowly lit up as they went further in. In the middle of the round space was an iron cell.

Inside it was a small Kurkan boy. He was strongly chained, and had a large steel ball tied to him. He seemed to be unconscious, but as soon as he felt other presences in the room, he moved. He stood up, with a threatening and fierce posture. Although his eyes looked tired, Leah could still feel the hatred emanating from his gaze. The boy looked no different than a wild beast.

“……”

Ishakan took Leah down from his arms and looked at the boy silently for a moment. The moonlight that shone on Ishakan’s face made his eyes seem colder than usual.

His closed lips moved slowly. “You…” Ishakan’s golden eyes captivated Leah. Ishakan radiated a peculiar energy, and she felt that she could stay looking at his golden irises forever. Since he took off his mask, his eyes had become clearer. She felt as if she could perceive all the emotions inside him.

“Do you remember all the Kurkans you saved?” he asked quietly.

It was a strange question. Ishakan looked at Leah as if he wanted her to give him the answer he wanted. However, she didn’t know what Ishakan wanted, so she could only be honest.

Some memories were too old. There were also too many urgent situations, in which she could not look properly at the faces of the Kurkans she was releasing. To claim that she remembered them all would be a deception. As she slowly shook her head, the bitterness reflected weakly in Ishakan’s eyes.

“I understand.”

Ishakan said nothing more. Then, he took the key and stood in front of the cell, opening three or more locks consecutively. As the iron keys rang out, Leah wondered.

‘Should I have nodded my head even though I was lying?’

His bitter smile disturbed her. She approached him with doubts. Ishakan threw the last lock on the floor and looked at Leah. The moment she opened her lips to speak to him, the iron door burst open.

The boy ran quickly to Leah and jumped on her stomach. She fell, shocked by the sudden attack. The boy looked at her fiercely, madness was evident on his face. As the boy moved to tear Leah’s neck, Ishakan intervened with his forearm, blocking the boy’s bite.

The blood flowed from Ishakan when the sound of the bite resounded grotesquely at the site. Ishakan threw the boy away. He flew like a rubber ball, crashing into the wall and then sliding motionless to the ground. The rattling of his chains disappeared.

A trembling voice spoke aloud.

“Ishakan…”

Blood dripped from his forearm and spilled on the floor. Leah looked at his wound, only to find teeth marks around it. Her heart collapsed.

“We have to stop the bleeding,” she urged. “I can stop the bleeding with my clothes…”

“No, Leah.”

Ishakan stepped back a few feet, keeping Leah from touching him. He frowned, was worried and frustrated. “You should stay away from me. You know, there’s a full moon tonight.”

As he spoke, the moonlight shone on them. In the creepy, cold light, they both looked at each other. Leah thoughtlessly lifted a hand to her mouth.

“That would be difficult…especially when I see blood.”

The front of Ishakan’s pants began to swell.