Huff! Huff!
The wolf-kin breathed as he took pleasure in feeling her soft skin. The plump sensation made his heart race, and he couldn't help but lower his head to take a sniff.
Sniff! Sniff!
He sniffed her, taking pleasure in her scent.
Lina felt his breath, warm and dirty.
'Someone… someone… please save me!'
Her tears snaked down her face while she begged for help. However, she couldn't call out for help as she couldn't even speak.
She hated his touch so much that she would even burn down the parts of her body he had touched.
'Is there no justice in this world?'
She wondered as she closed her eyes.
Bam!
Just as she closed her eyes, she heard a loud crashing sound. Simultaneously, she felt the pressure lifting her body.
She felt light and felt as if she could move her limbs again.
She lifted her head, which she hadn't been able to do before.
"Urgh!" She let out a groan.
Dust rose around her, blinding her vision. She couldn't tell what had transpired here. But she couldn't feel the weight of the perverted bastard pressing down on her anymore.
This relieved her, soothing her nerves for a brief moment.
Then, as the dust settled, something entered her sight.
The once dark place was now illuminated, albeit still dim; it was more visible than before.
Then, she noticed a crack in the wall, and pieces of wood falling.
Beside her, a tall silhouette loomed over her, backlit by the fractured lantern light pouring through the splintered doorway.
His cloak fluttered slightly, caught in the breeze blowing through the breach. The air around him was heavy, still humming with the residual pressure of wrath—a presence like a storm barely leashed.
Lina stared. Her lips trembled, her limbs weak, but something shifted within her.
Despite the fear still coiled in her chest, she felt... safe like the eye of a hurricane had settled around her.
Like someone had finally answered her silent screams.
Standing between her and the monster who had tried to defile her was Kael, who now looked more like a shield than a sword.
She didn't understand the reason.
The same person she had feared before now felt like a haven.
The wolf-kin who'd dared to touch her lay half-buried in the splintered remains of the wall, his body limp and twisted awkwardly.
Just a single blow had knocked him clear across the room—no, through it.
Kael didn't utter a word and just stared at the splintered remains. However, his silence was sharper than a blade itself.
Step! Step! Step!
A moment later, sounds of hurried footsteps echoed.
Thran and Braka burst through the entrance, followed by two more wolf-kin guards. Their eyes widened at the sight of the shattered wall, the unconscious bastard lying in debris, while Kael stood beside Lina with that impossible calm.
Just from a glance, they could figure out what had transpired here.
The guards moved instantly, lifting the perverted bastard from under the rubble. The bastard was knocked unconscious, his body like a rubber as the guards tried lifting him.
"Take him away!" Thran barked an order.
He could tell that if that bastard Petro remained here even for a moment longer, they'd witness a murder. He feared that Kael would kill him.
However, his concerns weren't for the bastard.
He just didn't want Kael committing something that could put his reputation at stake.
Though executing him wasn't a big deal, he didn't want Kael to get his hands dirty. Hence, he ordered to move him away.
Though Kael looked calm from the outside, he could tell that it was the calm before the storm.
As they dragged the offender off, Lira rushed in from behind. Her eyes flickered between the scene and Lina.
Seeing the miserable state of Lina, she couldn't help but pity her.
Had it not been for Kael, who knows what would have happened to her?
Even while the perpetrator was being dragged off, Lina remained unmoved. She was frozen. Her hands trembled. Her chest heaved with shallow, rapid breaths.
Her quivering lips parted as if to say something.
Perhaps, she wanted to thank Kael for saving her.
She opened her mouth. But nothing came out of it.
Instead, a choked sob slipped from her lips, and then another.
Sob! Sob!
Her body curled into itself, and she wept. Loud, trembling, child-like cries. All the fear, the shame, the helplessness started spilling from her in waves. She clutched her knees and buried her face.
Seeing her in such a state, Lira's heart twisted.
How would she react if she were in that situation?
She couldn't even bring herself to imagine.
Lira rushed over to her side, her expression softening. Without a word, she knelt and wrapped her arms around Lina's shivering shoulders, pulling her into an embrace.
Lina didn't resist.
She leaned into her touch, sobbing harder as if something inside had finally shattered.
Kael still didn't speak.
He rolled his pupils in their direction for a brief moment, his gaze unreadable, then turned. His footsteps echoed softly as he walked through the very hole he had made.
Finally, as he left the scene, a change occurred in his expression.
Like a stone dropped onto a calm pond, his expression twisted into a sneer as he thought about the incident. Killing intent flickered past his eyes as his veins bulged.
Though he didn't utter a word, he appeared as if he were about to kill someone.
'Committing such a heinous deed to someone incapable of resisting can't be tolerated. I need to do something. We need to make rules.'
Ethan's expression was rather solemn.
"Even among the pious believers, there will still be people who commit evil deeds. Just because one believes in God doesn't mean there's no evil in their heart," Ethan uttered as he stared at the screen.
On the screen, he could see Kael burning with fury. At the same time, it seemed as if he was having a hard time.
Perhaps he was contemplating the earlier incident.
"Though I am your God, you all have your own free will, and I can't keep tabs on all of you all the time. Whatever you do, the choices you make, you are the one responsible. For I am just a light guiding you. But it's you who'll have to walk the road."