Chapter 105: Volume 1 Chapter 105: Kal'tsit is Still Unaware...
"No, no, no, I'm a crocodile man! I'm not some demon, okay? I think we just have a little misunderstanding. If you give me a chance to explain, maybe I'll let you go."
Garde carefully removed Ascalon's head from his mouth, and, seeing her soaking wet, hair matted with sticky liquid, yet still staring back at him defiantly, he spoke gently.
Garde was only slightly annoyed; why were Terra people so quick to resort to violence?
If he hadn't been more skilled, he would have been a long-forgotten grave marker by now.
"Go ahead, monster—if you dare, just kill me!"
Garde's grip was so strong that Ascalon was struggling to breathe, but she still looked defiantly unyielding, ready to face her fate.
"Woman, what makes you think I'm from the Hotland? Do you think people from Hotland have my level of sophistication? Granted, I might not have gone to elementary school, but I've mastered dozens of Terra's languages. Where would anyone in Hotland learn authentic Sarkaz? I am, after all, a civilized being!"
"You're not even wearing pants—some civilized being you are!"
That jab left Garde momentarily speechless.
Did she think he didn't want to wear pants? He simply didn't have any to wear!
Garde stared at Ascalon, his gaze so intense she felt as though an invisible hand were trailing over her body, from head to toe.
"What do you want?"
Ascalon's tone was steely.
She swore to herself that if this Lizardman dared to try anything, she would rather die than let him succeed…
Garde reached out and ripped Ascalon's jacket right off.
Her body trembled.
This damned Lizardman was indeed about to—
Just as Ascalon prepared to use her one free hand to end her own life, she realized that Garde had loosened his grip on her chest and let her go.
Without hesitation, she slipped into the shadows, watching him closely to see what he intended. Why had he let her go?
What she saw was Garde taking her ripped jacket, tying it around his hips as a makeshift loincloth.
Ascalon's face darkened.
"You… dared to humiliate me!"
Stepping out from the shadows, Ascalon was almost unable to contain her fury.
She'd rather die than let this Lizardman get away with it!
Seeing Ascalon's face, Garde rolled his eyes.
Since he'd figured out she was looking for Kal'tsit, he naturally wasn't interested in fighting her any longer.
But though she wouldn't die, she wasn't getting off entirely unscathed.
He couldn't just let anyone think they could pick a fight with him and get away without consequences.
"You're from Babel, right? I don't know why you attacked me, but right now I'm in partnership with Kal'tsit. If you weren't from the same place as her, you'd be dead by now."
"You're Kal'tsit's partner?"
Ascalon was stunned.
She had wanted to ask why he'd harmed Kal'tsit if they were partners. But then it occurred to her—what if they had both misinterpreted things?
In a cold tone, Ascalon asked, "How do you know we're from Babel?"
"Your sleeve badges—it's the same symbol as Kal'tsit's. Unless you're here to kill her?"
Ascalon fell silent.
Great, that's it. I'm doomed.
After all she'd been through, not only could she not get revenge on Garde, but they might even have to apologize to him for her own rashness.
In over a thousand missions, she'd never made a blunder this bad.
Your Highness Theresa, if I kill myself now, maybe you won't hold it against me?
Or… maybe she could just eliminate all the witnesses.
Ascalon's sharp gaze swept toward the corner.
Scout, who had been hiding and planning to rescue her, sighed as he leaned against the wall, removing his mask to munch on a compressed biscuit.
If he smoked, he'd light one up right now.
This had nothing to do with him anyway.
He had said from the beginning not to go for the kill, just to capture the target. What if it was all just a misunderstanding?
Plans often can't keep up with reality—who could've known a Lizardman could be this strong?
Even the elite warriors of the Sarkaz royal court would have a tough time taking Ascalon down as effortlessly as he had.
In truth, Garde wasn't necessarily the most powerful in terms of raw destructive force, but in terms of sheer toughness and durability, few Terra people could match him.
A brute-force knight like the mechanical Nightzmora Knight might be able to fatally injure Garde, or even kill him, but for an assassin like Ascalon, getting grabbed by him once meant it was game over.
Just then, several others finally arrived from a nearby house, somewhat late to the scene.
"Wait, Scout, Ascalon—that guy isn't our enemy—" Misery called out, hurrying from the house where they'd just been settling Saria and Kal'tsit.
He stopped in the street where Garde and Ascalon had been fighting and saw the wrecked landscape, Garde and Ascalon facing each other in silence, and Scout nibbling on his biscuit at the sidelines.
Misery spread his hands. "Is everyone alright?"
No sooner had he spoken than he felt a cold stare in his direction.
Ascalon slipped wordlessly into the shadows, while Scout sighed and went over to apologize to Garde.
Since Scout's apology was at least sincere, and Garde wasn't particularly petty, he accepted it.
"By the way," Garde asked, "why did you even mistake me for an enemy? Do I really look like a barbaric Lizardman to you?"
Absolutely like one!
Scout almost said this, but on closer inspection, the Lizardman from the Hotland didn't have such beautiful scales or such a thick, well-shaped tail as Garde.
Scout's initial impression of Garde as a barbaric Lizardman was due to the blood splattered on him from his recent battles, which, despite his otherwise good looks, didn't exactly give off the best first impression.
But considering Garde had been fighting hard just before this, Scout started to understand why Dr. Kal'tsit would not only choose to work with Garde but might also be drawn to him.
"No, it's just a misunderstanding," Scout insisted, blaming the entire incident on a mere mix-up while also signaling discreetly to Misery.
There was no way he was going to admit they'd almost walked in on Garde and Dr. Kal'tsit in the middle of… well, certain activities.
If Dr. Kal'tsit ever found out, who knew what passive-aggressive retribution she'd plan for him back at Babel.
Misery, though puzzled by Scout's signaling, returned an OK gesture, then went back inside to signal ACE as soon as possible.
Seeing all of this, Kal'tsit looked on with increasing suspicion.
Kal'tsit: ???
She couldn't shake the feeling that this group was hiding something from her.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon1
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Volume 2 Chapter 27: First Meeting with Kristen1
Link to the Latest Chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/butcher-of-1203017181
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl1