Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 20
“Sh*t!”
The ruffians, who had been attempting a discreet escape from the scene amidst all that commotion, were taken aback.
“Sh*t, Miss Trinity… No, boss lady.”
Kicking up her heels, Trinity blocked their escape path. She felt a cool sensation on her head, and her brow furrowed. Her hair tie had come loose, sending her cascading black hair to flutter in the breeze. Though her hair tickled her cheeks, there was no time to tie it back. She had to be cautious of the one slowly rising as if reborn from the depths of hell, guarding against the ruffians attempting to flee while holding the precious spirit.
Realizing the situation, Trinity curled the pendant in her hand tighter.
“Please spare us.”
“If you let us go, we won’t come anywhere near this place.”
To the ruffians, Trinity descended upon them like a dark-winged Grim Reaper. The necklace chain, dangling between her clenched fingers, gleamed sharply like a scythe. They bent at the waist and clasped their hands, pleading fervently.
“Please, we truly didn’t know. We had no idea this was your territory.”
“We won’t ever bother the ladies of this area ever again!”
“Sob, sob! We won’t even ask for toll fees.”
While Trinity blocked the ruffians, Kaiden, having risen to his feet, approached them from behind and warned, “That’s enough. It’s illegal for a mage to use magic against civilians.”
Once again separated by these ruffians, Kaiden eyed Trinity. He couldn’t believe she beelined towards the thugs as soon as she was out of his grasp. Were these lowlifes really more important than someone of his caliber? Kaiden creased his brow with a twinge of sourness.
“Ordinary thieves are chased by the guards, but a mage harming people will be pursued by the Bureau of Mages.” Creating a whip of flames, Kaiden spoke in a low tone, “I don’t want the Bureau meddling between us.”
Kaiden swung the whip as he spoke. The thin lash sliced through the thugs, trying to wrap around Trinity and grab her. She easily dodged it, ducking between the two men.
“Really now.”
Kaiden frowned. He was a mage himself—a prodigious mage recognized for his unique attributes and skills since childhood. Yet, just like any other mage, he too would face sanctions from the Mage Bureau if he used magic to harm civilians.
“I warned you.”
Trinity utilized Kaiden’s warning to neutralize him. In the end, due to the ruffians who unwittingly became her shield, he had no choice but to retract the whip made of fire. Trinity had concealed herself so deeply that she was barely visible behind the ruffians’ bulk.
It seemed like he should directly grab and set these ruffians aside. Determined, Kaiden took large strides toward them The ruffians caught between Kaiden and Trinity cowered before him, shrinking almost comically small.
“No, please. You two can fight yourselves, but don’t bring me into it.”
The beseeching ruffian, sensing Kaiden just behind him, shuddered. Yet, before long, he gasped at the hard blow to his stomach. Trinity, crouched and hidden among the thugs, punched him in the stomach with her clenched fist.
“Grrrk!”
Kaiden’s face went rigid as the thug screamed. Kaiden stretched out an arm and braced the flailing thug’s back. His body, much heavier than Trinity’s, fell into Kaiden’s arms.
He leaned down to check the thug’s breathing and probed the area where he was struck by Trinity’s attack.
“Did you end up killing him?”
As Kaiden explored the ruffian’s abdomen, he hesitated at the unfamiliar sensation on his fingertips. He’d expected to feel squishy flesh, given the thug’s physique, but instead he gripped something hard.
“A book?”
A book hidden within the man’s clothes seemed to have shielded him from Trinity’s attack. There were no significant injuries on his abdomen, and Kaiden couldn’t detect any traces of magical energy.
Kaiden sighed with a strange sense of relief. If the Mage Bureau got involved, it would be significantly more difficult than dealing with the Guard. Trinity appeared to be well aware of that as well, and walked a fine line between mundane and magical methods.
Kaiden burst into hollow laughter at Trinity’s befuddling behavior. He lifted his head and asked, “But what exactly is your motive? Why go this far?”
However, his question was lost in the darkness, leaving him to flounder. Kaiden gazed into the darkness where Trinity had stood, no trace of her remained. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.
“I lost her.”
