Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 172

Escaping from the storage room had been a smart move.

The voice saying they should have killed him was filled with a deep-seated grudge. There was no reasoning with it.

People become unpredictable when pushed to their limits, and through countless nightmares, Adeline had learned just how cruel a “sorcerer” could become.

‘But who knows when someone might come to rescue us?’

With Lloyd down, who was left…? Lucian? Edwin?

Would Shane come?

She knew in her head.

With Lloyd down, no one would think Adeline had escaped of her own accord. They would assume that Adeline would rather die than leave Lloyd, especially while he was on the brink of death.

However, given her last conversation with Shane, she couldn’t blame him if he didn’t believe her.

‘After all, I once faked my own death to escape—he’d probably think I could fake Lloyd’s too.’

This was exactly why husbands who cheated often became paranoid.

Having done it themselves, they naturally grew more suspicious of others. As if everyone else was like them.

Adeline shook off her distracting thoughts and spoke to Genevieve.

“Let’s get out of here. Judging by what they’re saying, even if hypothermia is terrifying, falling into the sea might be the better option.”

Were there sharks in the waters off Delmuz?

“It seems like all the sailors are under a curse. If we encounter them, I’ll exorcise them.”

“That’s reassuring…”

“If I hit a vital point when they collapse, no matter how big they are, one strike is enough.”

Adeline took on that task. She rummaged around the cabin and found a hammer in a toolbox.

The two carefully exited the cabin.

In the corridor, a sailor who looked like a video game character wandered with a blank look, but as Genevieve cast an exorcism spell, he stumbled, giving Adeline the chance to knock him out with a hard blow to the head.

“G-Genevieve, isn’t hitting them on the head with a hammer going to kill them?!”

“Don’t worry, Lady Adeline. I’ll heal them just enough so they won’t die.”

“I trust you? I’ll trust you?”

“Just leave it to me.”

Then why didn’t that sound reassuring at all?

Genevieve’s gentle smile somehow felt like the exhausted, mechanical response of an overworked office employee.

Feeling like she’s face to face with a murderous lunatic swinging a hammer, Adeline watched Genevieve walking through the dim ship’s corridor and followed her. After taking down two sailors, they found the stairs leading to the deck. Genevieve grabbed Adeline’s arm and pressed a finger to her lips.

“Get those women and bring them to me now!”

A shrill voice screamed in rage.

Have we already been found out?

She had hoped that since they’d been locked in a storage-type cabin that was hard to check, it would take longer for them to be discovered. But it seemed they’d been found sooner than expected.

“They’re still on the ship, so even if they run, they’re trapped.”

“So just sit back and wait? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s your fault they escaped because you locked them up carelessly! Bring them to me immediately. Otherwise, you won’t be safe either!”

“Hah.”

“Listen carefully, Harrison. Bring me proof that while you were clinging to that girl’s side, you weren’t betraying ‘us’. Bring proof that you’re not a traitor…”

“I’m—!”

Harrison interrupted with a raised voice. Grinding his teeth, he spoke with venom.

“I am not a traitor.”

“……”

“I would never betray Keith, Kaitlyn. Watch your words.”

“If you want me to believe that, then bring that proof to me now.”

“……”

Silence lingered for a moment.

After a low sigh, the heavy sound of footsteps echoed across the deck.

So there’s more than one way in… They’re checking the entrance on the other side because it’s the one they didn’t come from.

The female sorcerer seemed to be left alone.

Would it be better to subdue her now, or should they just throw caution to the wind and dive into the sea?