After two hours of vigorous exercise, Anthony finally exhausted himself enough to overcome the anxiety about the future that had been plaguing him since his arrest. Now, he lay on the hard stone floor, the temperature of the cool stone soothing his overheated body.
Creeeeaaaak
The old wooden door outside the cells slowly swung open. Anthony turned his gaze toward the noise, his eyes narrowing as he spotted a short, hooded figure standing in the doorway.
Pushing himself up from the ground, Anthony rose into a sitting position, his attention fixed on the visitor.
“Where is Christoff? Who let you in here?”
The hooded figure stepped forward, stopping just outside Anthony’s cell. Slowly, they reached up to lift the hood, revealing a face Anthony had never seen before.
It was a female with jet-black hair that was short enough to leave her pointed ears exposed. Her smooth, dark red skin was unblemished, contrasting starkly against the thick black lips that fit well on her youthful face. Half-lidded, striking yellow eyes regarded Anthony lazily, while her tight leather armor emphasized the prominent curves beneath it.
Anthony stood, towering over the much shorter girl, who gazed up at him with a halfhearted smile. Her thick lips parted to reveal two rows of pearly white teeth. Yet, something about her seemed off. Every movement she made exuded reluctance, as if being here was an unwelcome obligation.
“Hi, Anthony… you seem to have gotten yourself into some trouble. How unfortunate.”
Her voice was pleasant and feminine, but it carried the same lackadaisical tone as her demeanor, as if she’d rather be anywhere else.
“Who are you? What do you want from me?”
The girl seemed to be caught unprepared by his question, her eyes rolling back and forth across the room a few times as she gently tapped one finger on her chin. The lazy tone of her voice was replaced by one of slight hesitation as she responded.
“Oh, right. Uh… Me. I am… R-Red! My name is Red. Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed further, suspicion etched into his expression. He spread his hands in a questioning gesture, shaking his head as he replied.
“Okay… What are you doing here, ‘Red’? I think I’d remember meeting someone as… Ahem.”
His gaze betrayed him, flickering down to the girl’s armor, which accentuated her slender waist and curvaceous thighs. Forcing his eyes to quickly return toward the striking yellow pupils staring up at him, Anthony scratched the back of his head as he cleared his throat.
It was the girl’s turn to narrow her eyes now, her stance shifting as she leaned to one side, placing her hands on her hips. Her voice was sharp as she challenged him.
“‘Someone so’ what? Finish your sentence.”
Anthony raised his brows, shaking his head slowly as he shrugged.
“You know what I meant… Someone so… Pretty, I guess?”
Anthony could have sworn Red's already crimson skin turned a shade deeper as she listened to his response, her lazy eyelids snapping wide open as she glanced down at her own body.
“W-What? Me?”
Leaning to one side, Red ran a delicate hand across her stomach, her gaze lingering on herself for a moment before she realized what she was doing and quickly shook her head. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked back at him with pursed lips.
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“S-Stop distracting me! Shouldn’t you be thinking about more serious matters? Like the fact that there’s a good chance you’ll be hanged for the crimes you’re charged with?”
Anthony shrugged casually, gesturing toward her casually as he responded.
“You asked… Anyway, what do my crimes have to do with you? You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”
Red nodded firmly, her expression turning serious as she locked eyes with him and began to speak.
“R-Right! My name is Red. I represent a mercenary company that has some business conflicts with the troop Edgar runs.”
She stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips and raising her dainty chin as she continued.
“Lucky for you, I was tasked with keeping an eye on Edgar’s team, so I’ve had a front-row seat to everything that’s happened over the past twenty-four hours.”
Anthony listened carefully, but the moment she mentioned representing a rival company, his interest seemed to wane. Turning away from her, he stepped back to sit down in his cell.
“That has nothing to do with me. I barely even joined Edgar’s team, and now I might get kicked out because of how badly I messed up during my initial cultivation.”
Red flared her nostrils at his dismissive tone, her brows furrowing deeply as she grabbed the bars in front of her with one hand.
“When I said I saw everything that happened, I meant everything. Including what exactly occurred at a certain abandoned farmhouse at the edge of town.”
That caught Anthony’s attention. His eyes widened as he sprang to his feet, rushing to the bars and placing his hands over hers in a pleading gesture.
“Really?! You have to tell me everything! If you can explain what really happened, I might have a chance of getting out of this!”
Red stumbled back a few steps, hastily shaking the young man’s hands off her own.
“S-Stop that! I’m not some saint you can beg for favors! I’m a mercenary. If you want something from me, you need to pay for it—plain and simple.”
Anthony’s shoulders slumped the moment the word pay escaped Red’s lips. His demeanor deflated as he sat back down, rubbing his hands over his eyes.
“I have no money. If that’s what you came here looking for, you might as well leave.”
A wicked grin spread across Red’s face as she stepped closer to the bars, looking down at Anthony while twirling a strand of her neck length black hair between her fingers.
“Who said anything about money? There are other ways to pay, and you happen to be in a position to give me just what I need.”
Anthony glanced up at her, a look of realization dawning on his face. His eyes flicked down toward Red’s body briefly before he quickly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not looking for a girlfriend right now. I really need to focus on my training, you know?”
All emotion drained from Red’s face as she stared down at Anthony, utterly unamused.
“Are you stupid or something?”
Anthony’s eyes shot open, the color draining from his face as he scrambled to respond.
“T-That’s not what you meant? S-Sorry! It’s just… I don’t have anything to offer, so I thought that was the only thing left!”
Red rolled her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation.
“There is something you can offer me.”
She leaned closer to the bars, her voice dropping to a hushed tone as she glanced around cautiously.
“Edgar’s team made a big mistake by giving such a cursed cultivation technique to a newbie. That’s a huge no-no. None of this is your fault, Anthony.”
Anthony’s uncertain gaze rose to meet hers. “It’s not?”
Red shook her head swiftly. “Of course not! How could you have known what would happen? It was Edgar’s responsibility to ensure nothing went wrong when he gave you that technique.”
Anthony lowered his head, staring down at the floor between his knees.
“What do you want me to do?”
A wicked smile crept across Red’s face as she shrugged playfully.
“If you were to tell the council that Edgar misled you, making the risks of that cultivation technique seem much smaller than they really were, I’d be willing to back you up. I could explain to the counsel how you’re really just another victim in this whole affair. It’s Edgar who should be locked up for negligence—not you, Anthony!”
Anthony let out a deep sigh, burying his face in his hands as he heard Red’s proposal. He didn’t respond for a long time, leaving the girl to wait patiently for an answer on the other side of the bars.