Chapter 101: Who Do You Think I Am?
Chapter 101: Who Do You Think I Am?
Her eyes widened the moment she recognized the familiar figure.
’Hana...?’
Vanessa stared at the statue in disbelief.
She had already known that Osborne had done something to her Beta, since her connection to her had suddenly vanished back then. Yet to see her again had her bewildered.
’He captured Hana as well?’ Vanessa’s expression became frightened.
’So he can even change a pack’s bond with ease.’ Another shocking discovery regarding him.
She had spent months trapped within this strange place, completely cut off from the outside world, and during that time she had been forced to think about everything that had happened.
She had wondered about her family, whether anyone had come looking for her.
The moment she lost her connection to Hana, the thought of her never left her mind. After all, Hana was one of her most valuable helpers.
Yet she had never expected to see her like this.
Vanessa felt it would’ve been better if Hana had died instead. At least then she wouldn’t be forced to suffer alongside herself.
Osborne walked toward the petrified Beta without saying anything.
Vanessa watched carefully as he raised one hand.
The stone covering Hana’s body immediately began cracking.
CRACK...
Small pieces of stone fell from her body as the petrification gradually disappeared, revealing the familiar form of the woman beneath it.
The moment the last piece of stone disappeared, Hana’s body went limp.
She collapsed forward.
Vanessa immediately rushed over and caught her before she could hit the ground.
’Hana...’
Vanessa lowered her carefully, placing one hand against her back while checking her condition.
Hana wasn’t dead.
Her breathing was weak, but she was alive.
Vanessa released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.
She looked up at Osborne, wondering what he meant by this.
Osborne didn’t answer the question.
’She doesn’t look so good. If I want to use her, I’ll need to bring her up.’ Osborne thought to himself.
So he decided to leave her in Vanessa’s care for the time being.
Vanessa’s brows furrowed, receiving no answer. Once more she felt like he was leaving her in the dark.
"If you don’t have enough food, you can take as much as you need."
He snapped his fingers.
The next moment, countless goblin corpses appeared throughout the area.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
One after another, the dead goblins appeared on the ground, quickly forming several piles around them.
Vanessa stared at the corpses.
Her expression became strange.
There were far more of them than she expected.
She slowly looked back toward Osborne.
"You..." She stopped herself.
He already saw how hard it was for her to eat just one corpse, yet now he was dropping so many. She couldn’t help but feel that this was an attempt to humiliate them.
But Vanessa felt strangely relieved. At least this meant he didn’t plan on killing them. If this was what she had to endure to keep safe the last trace of her past she had left, she didn’t mind.
Osborne glanced at the two women.
"You better be fully healed the next time I come here."
Vanessa’s body stiffened. She immediately understood what he meant.
He wasn’t asking, but giving her an order for the first time.
Vanessa lowered her head slightly. This made her feel like she had made some progress.
"I’ll do just that."
Osborne nodded before turning away.
Vanessa watched him carefully.
Even after everything she had experienced, she still found his behavior difficult to understand.
He had imprisoned them, turned them to stone, and had left them in isolation for months.
Yet now he was giving them food and ordering her to make sure Hana recovered.
It was almost as though he had no idea how strange his actions were, or perhaps she was the strange one for trying to grasp his thought process.
Vanessa looked down at Hana.
The woman remained unconscious.
Vanessa sighed quietly before looking at the piles of goblin corpses again.
’At least he’s giving us something to eat.’ She wasn’t going to complain.
Not after spending months trapped inside this place.
Osborne didn’t say anything else.
His body gradually disappeared.
The next moment, he reappeared on his bed.
He sat down quietly, resting his back against the wall as he stared toward the ceiling.
His mind returned to the two women he had just left behind.
’At this rate, I might just have two more fodder at my side.’
The thought made him feel satisfied.
He hadn’t exactly planned for things to turn out this way.
Vanessa had originally been an enemy, while Hana was someone he had captured simply because she had been involved with her.
Yet now, both of them were living inside his sub-space.
Osborne let out a quiet breath.
’Well, it’s not like they’re causing me any trouble.’
He adjusted his position on the bed.
As long as they remained obedient, there was little reason for him to worry about them.
Besides, they could potentially become useful in the future.
Osborne closed his eyes.
For now, he had other things to worry about.
His adventurer quests were still waiting.
He needed money and information.
And most importantly, he needed to establish himself outside the Roosevelt household.
The sooner he became stronger and built enough connections, the easier his life would become.
With those thoughts in mind, Osborne eventually fell asleep.
---
The next day, Osborne woke before the crack of dawn.
The sky outside was still dark when he opened his eyes.
The rest of the household remained quiet, with Nicholas and his family still asleep.
Osborne quietly climbed out of bed.
He didn’t want anyone waking up because of him, especially since there was no reason for them to know exactly what he did before leaving.
He secretly tended to his hygiene before putting on his armor.
After making sure everything was in order, he left the house without making a sound.
The early morning air was cold.
Osborne looked toward the distant town.
He had just two more quests to complete, and although the first didn’t seem particularly difficult, he didn’t intend to waste time.
He began walking.
The journey from Nicholas’s farm to the town took some time, but Osborne didn’t mind.
Walking was still better than spending money on a carriage every single time he needed to travel.
By the time he reached the town, the streets had already begun filling with people.
Merchants were opening their shops, workers were carrying goods through the streets, and several adventurers could be seen making their way toward the guild.
Osborne ignored them.
His attention was focused on one thing.
He reached into his pouch and pulled out the herb mission flier.
His eyes moved across the description until they reached the picture of the required plant.
Moonlight Grass.
The herb had long, thin blades with a silver colour that made it look almost as though moonlight had been trapped inside the plant.
According to the quest description, it was commonly used by alchemists and had several useful properties.
The guild wanted a certain amount of it, and Osborne intended to gather more than what was required.
If the herb had value, there was no reason not to make some extra money from it.
The problem was finding it.
Osborne looked at the picture again.
’First, I need to find it in person.’
It took some time, but he eventually found a merchant shop that seemed to deal with herbs and other similar goods.
The shop wasn’t particularly large, but several dried plants could be seen hanging near the entrance, while shelves filled with different bottles and containers lined the walls inside.
Osborne stepped through the entrance.
A slim young man immediately approached him.
The young merchant wore simple but clean clothes, and his face carried a friendly smile that seemed almost too natural.
"Welcome, sir. Is there something I can help you with?"
He stopped a short distance away from Osborne.
Although he maintained his polite smile, his eyes secretly moved over the knight’s armor.
’Would you look at that armour.’ He held back a grin. ’I bet this guy’s probably loaded.’
The young merchant couldn’t help feeling pleased.
The armor alone looked expensive, and the sword at Osborne’s side certainly wasn’t something an ordinary farmer would carry.
𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
The merchant’s smile became slightly wider.
’Let’s see how much I can squeeze out of him.’ He rubbed his hands together mentally.
Customers like this didn’t come into their shop every day.
Osborne could easily see through the young man, though he chose to ignore him and simply looked around the establishment.
"I’m looking for Moonlight Grass." He stopped and said.
The young merchant nodded immediately.
"Of course, sir. We have Moonlight Grass." He gestured toward the shelves.
"How many would you like?"
Osborne didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the merchant.
"Can I inspect the quality first?"
The merchant’s expression remained cheerful.
"Naturally." He couldn’t help feeling even more pleased.
A customer who wanted to inspect the quality before purchasing was usually someone who cared about what they were buying, which meant there was a good chance they were willing to spend more.
"You’ve come to the right place, sir."
The merchant placed a hand against his chest.
"We pride ourselves on selling some of the best quality herbs in this part of town."
Osborne simply nodded.
The merchant turned around and walked farther into the shop.
"Please wait here for a moment."
Osborne remained where he was.
His eyes continued scanning the shop while the merchant disappeared behind one of the shelves.
A few moments later, the young man returned.
Between his fingers was a single blade of grass.
It was thin and slightly curved, with a beautiful silver colour that seemed to shine despite the lack of sunlight inside the shop.
The merchant proudly held it out.
"Here you are, sir." Osborne reached out and took the grass.
The merchant watched him closely.
"That is genuine Moonlight Grass, and as I said, the quality is among the best you will find around here."
Osborne didn’t answer.
He slowly raised the silver blade of grass.
Then held it close to his helm.
A/N: Please leave what you think of this story up to this point, in the comments below.