Chương 28: The Butcher's Confrontation

Back in the forest, someone was yelling for Aurelia, the words echoing louder than the night calls of the forest. Aurelia's heart skipped a beat. The voice from the forest was unmistakable. Lucilla? Is she still alive? She strained to hear over the forest noise, her eyes darting between the terrified guards and the wheezing noble.

"That's her," she whispered in Latin.

"That's Lucilla."

"It's a trap!" the noble hissed.

"They want to lure us out. Send a guard!"

"No," Aurelia snapped.

"I won't let a guard take that risk. Lucilla is my responsibility. I'll get her."

"Don't be a fool! You're too valuable!" Aurelia slotted her light wand away and stood tall.

"Then I will avenge her myself. But I will not cower behind a rock while my pupil calls for me." She stepped out from cover, hand on her sword, moving cautiously toward the voice. Then she saw her. Lucilla, standing in a small clearing.

"Lucilla!" Aurelia cried, sprinting forward. Lucilla turned, and Aurelia threw her arms around her, holding her tight.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered, tears blurring her vision. Lucilla pulled back. Her expression was strange—a mix of joy, fear, and a sudden, unnatural urgency.

"We have to go, Aurelia," Lucilla said, her voice steady but her eyes darting.

"Let's run far away. Forget about the master. We can disappear and start a new life." Aurelia stiffened.

"What are you saying? We can't just leave him. He doesn't deserve to be butchered like an animal. Not after all he's done for us."

"Using the money he obtained from selling people?" Aurelia swallowed hard. This isn't like her, she thought, panic rising. Why is she speaking like that?

"Lucilla, how can you ask this? He saved me! When I was adrift in China, passed from master to master..."

"He bought you," Lucilla interrupted with a stern tone. Aurelia breathed in to collect herself.

"He bought me, yes, but he gave me a place to belong. A new purpose. A new name."

"A lesser evil is still evil," Lucilla countered, her tone cold and calculating.

"Just because he treated you better than the others doesn't change what he did to them." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"I can't abandon him," Aurelia insisted, though the words tasted like ash.

"I'll convince him to release you, but please, don't do anything reckless."

"What about the others?" Lucilla pressed, her voice rising.

"The children he didn't save? The ones he hurt? Even Gaius tried to run. This cycle of exploitation needs to stop." Aurelia faltered. She was trapped between loyalty and the undeniable truth.

"Aurelia," Lucilla said, digging her nails into Aurelia's shoulders.

"The assassins are nearby. They won't stop until everyone close to him is dead. The gods have ordered a purge. Most of the slavers in the Senate are already dead. We're next." Tears welled in her eyes, genuine fear breaking through the strange calm.

"I've seen what they can do. They killed everyone at the camp without mercy. You have to listen to me!"

"I can't..." Aurelia sobbed, covering her face.

"He deserves a fair trial. A safe place. He's not a monster..."

"Why can't you understand, Aurelia…?" she said with glassy eyes.

"Listen to her, Aurelia," a voice said from the shadows. Galan strode forward, his bare torso glistening in the dim light.

"You don't want her to lose her favorite mentor now, do you?" Aurelia looked up, hand going to her sword.

"Who are you?"

"Just here to deliver justice," he smirked.

"For the people whose lives your master ruined and everyone who helps him." Lucilla stepped in front of him, arms wide.

"No! She's innocent!" Galan raised an eyebrow. He began to pace, his voice a mocking drawl.

"Innocent? Like how she 'innocently' sorted people based on their ability to provide 'services'? Or how she 'innocently' fed them drinks laced with compliance drugs? Or how she 'innocently' betrayed Gaius when he tried to escape?" Lucilla stammered, stepping back. Aurelia wiped her tears and stood, her voice trembling but fierce.

"It's not too late to turn back."

"Please, don't attack him!" Lucilla cried.

"He can be reasoned with!"

"Reason with a monster like him?!"

"Oh yeah," Galan said casually.

"Lucilla was lying about the camp. She did it to convince you to run. I spared plenty of people. Marcus, Gaius, the sorceresses, and the cooks. You can ask them later." Aurelia glanced at Lucilla, confused.

"Please don't fight him..." Lucilla wept.

"You won't survive. He can't be hurt."

"Here's a deal," Galan said, grinning evilly.

"You beat me in hand-to-hand combat, and I'll let your master go."

"No," Aurelia shook her head.

"You can't be trusted." She drew her sword. Galan tapped his chest, then spread his arms wide.

"Then attack me with your sword. See what happens." Lucilla tried to hold her back, but Aurelia tore free, sprinting toward him. She struck. The blade bounced off his shoulder as if hitting stone. Galan caught the blade in his bare hand and tossed it aside. Aurelia jumped back, eyes wide with shock, realizing that the leader of the assassins is a god himself.

"So," Galan said.

"What's it gonna be?" Reluctantly, she nodded. She unbuckled her sword belt and let it fall. Then, she shifted her weight back, raising her arms in a fluid, open-palmed stance called Taijicuen. The air around her seemed to slow. Her eyes met Galan's, calm but determined. She was ready to redirect the storm.

"You still remember your roots, huh, Yusyang?" Galan asked, intrigued. Aurelia and Lucilla froze, their shock palpable as the weight of Aurelia's maiden name crashed down upon them. Lucilla hid her nose in her palms while Aurelia's mind was flooded by countless memories, both good and bad, threatening to shatter her composure as she struggled to maintain her stance. Galan chuckled. He spread his feet, clenching his fists in a brutal, offensive stance named Bajicuen.

"Now," he roared.

"Let's see if your days as a maid... have made you soft!"