Chapter 100: A Beneficial Misunderstanding.
Chapter 100: A Beneficial Misunderstanding.
Not only was he capable of using both aura and mana, but he was also a demon, one who possessed strength that shouldn’t have belonged to someone of his apparent level.
Or perhaps he was hiding his true capabilities from the very beginning.
Vanessa couldn’t help but wonder if he even ever saw her as a threat, or if her entire household was just a means for him to seek entertainment.
He had somehow placed her inside this strange space.
And now, after leaving her trapped here for months, he had simply appeared in front of her again as though entering this place was nothing special.
Vanessa swallowed.
’How did my family even offend someone like this?’ She wondered, only to quickly stop herself.
She still didn’t know the full capabilities of his abilities. Who knew if he could read her thoughts as well.
Her own growing anxiety was gradually feeding her fears and imagination towards just who or what the man in front of her really meant.
Thinking back to her family, while it hurt her to think of how they were no longer of this world, right now, she believed they no longer mattered.
At least, not right now.
There was something much more important.
She was alive.
Somehow, despite everything, he had chosen not to kill her.
That alone was enough to give her a small amount of hope.
’If he wanted me dead, I would’ve already died.’ Vanessa lowered her eyes.
’So perhaps... I can still make use of this opportunity.’ Her instincts were telling her that the only course of action at this moment was to survive.
She needed to survive first. Everything else could wait.
Vanessa slowly raised her head.
"Is there something you want from me?" She asked. Her voice was much quieter than before.
Osborne didn’t answer.
He simply raised his hand.
A strange distortion appeared beside him.
The next moment, something dropped onto the ground.
THUD!
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
A dead goblin appeared before her.
Its body was covered in burns and injuries, while its crude clothing was stained with blood and dirt.
Vanessa stared at the corpse.
Her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"What is that?"
Osborne looked at the corpse.
Since he had no other use for it, he figured he might as well feed it to the prisoners.
He had already discovered that he required far more food than an ordinary human.
If the creatures he kept inside the sub-space could eat some of the things he brought back, then there was no reason to let the corpses go to waste.
Vanessa continued staring at the goblin.
"You brought me here just to..." Her voice trailed off.
’No, I can’t refuse him...’ She thought, though the goblin corpse still made her stomach churn just thinking of feeding on it.
’I have to obey his command. If not, then all those tormenting months would’ve all been for naught.’ She told herself.
She clenched her teeth.
’He has to be testing me.’ That was the conclusion she reached.
Perhaps he wanted to see how obedient she would be, or he wanted to humiliate her.
She knew someone like herself couldn’t dream of fathoming what must be going through his mind.
Whatever the reason, Vanessa understood one thing.
Refusing would accomplish nothing.
She had already spent months trapped in this place.
She wasn’t going to throw away her chance to leave simply because her pride didn’t allow her to eat something disgusting.
𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Vanessa slowly lowered herself.
Her hands touched the ground.
She stared at the corpse for several seconds.
Then she reached toward it.
Her fingers grabbed the goblin’s body.
The smell immediately reached her nose.
Vanessa’s expression twisted.
’Disgusting.’ She nearly dropped it.
But the moment she noticed Osborne still watching her, she forced herself to continue.
She opened her mouth.
Her fangs sank into the flesh.
Blood filled her mouth.
Vanessa’s expression became even worse, but she continued eating.
Thanks to her werewolf palate, the flesh tasted far better than it looked, though the thought of eating an actual goblin still had her feeling a bit repulsed.
Osborne watched silently.
Internally, he was somewhat surprised.
’She’s cooperating rather easily.’ He hadn’t expected that.
The Vanessa he remembered would have probably thrown the corpse at him before agreeing to eat it.
Yet now, she didn’t even complain.
Osborne’s gaze moved across her body.
’Could the sub-space really have some kind of effect on outsiders?’
He wasn’t certain. Perhaps he needed to test this out later on.
Vanessa eventually stopped after making sure not to leave a single trace of the monster behind.
Her breathing had become heavier.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before looking up at him again.
Osborne’s expression remained hidden beneath his helm.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Vanessa was the first to break the silence.
"Is that all?"
Osborne looked at her.
She immediately felt nervous beneath his gaze.
"I did what you wanted." She decided to speak again, though still in a cautious tone.
"If there’s something else you want, please do tell." She added.
Osborne remained silent.
Vanessa’s fingers tightened slightly.
She wanted answers, or more like needed answers.
But she wasn’t foolish enough to demand them.
Instead, she waited.
Osborne finally glanced at the remaining goblin corpse.
Then his gaze returned to her.
He wondered whether feeding her more would help restore her strength.
The thought made him pause.
’If she’s weakened this much, she might actually be useful as a test subject.’
Vanessa noticed his silence and became even more uneasy.
She had no idea what he was thinking.
That was perhaps the most frightening thing about him.
She couldn’t read or predict him.
And after spending months inside this strange place, she had learned that there was nothing more terrifying than being unable to understand the person who controlled her fate.
---
Osborne waved a hand, causing the petrified Beta to emerge next to Vanessa.
THUD!
The stone statue appeared out of nowhere before falling onto the ground, making Vanessa flinch as she immediately turned toward it.