Chapter 11: Destiny’s Unraveling

The colossal serpent-like shape had dissipated into the air, yet its lethal paralyzing venom began to gnaw away at every inch of Lady Elina III’s body.

Lady Elina III felt her vision blur as if the world were tilting, and she realized her very body was falling apart. Clang—the sound of her sword hitting the ground. On bended knee, she slowly and painfully turned her gaze toward Lara.

“You… You really trusted me enough to show off like that?”

Her silver eyes, which had begged for someone to watch her back, trembled and closed. Lara was at a loss as to what to do next.

“Lady Elina III!”

Elina II broke free roughly from the thug leader’s grip and pulled Lady Elina III, who had collapsed on the cold back alley floor, into her arms. But it wasn’t long before thugs struck at her neck, and she blacked out.

“Wh-what on earth should we do…?”

While a pale Lara trembled in place, the thug leader turned to look at her. His greedy eyes seemed to spot the next target, only to quickly extinguish into indifference.

“Let’s go. You lot, follow along with your women. We can’t afford any scratches on these top-tier goods we’ve gotten after so long.”

If they kept on like this, they would surely lose the Elinas. Lara hesitated, then trailed after them.

“God, what am I supposed to do now…?”

“B-but still! What if something happens because there isn’t any originality?!”

“This God really only knows one thing!”

Lara stomped her feet deliberately to emphasize her words. A subordinate walking at the back glanced over, but no one made any move to apprehend her.

Feeling utterly ignored—as if she were an insignificant extra with no worth of kidnapping—Lara’s temper flared. She used the Lady’s Teleportation Technique to overtake them, soon confronting a grim-looking boss.

“…Who’s this now?”

He acted as if he were seeing her for the first time, despite having seen her moments ago. Lara felt a twinge of gratitude mixed with annoyance at the discrimination.

“Why aren’t you kidnapping me then…?”

“Even slave goods have grades, miss. We even deduct a fee when auctioning items. Kidnap that one and there’s nothing left. So clear the way!”

Startled by the shout, Lara clutched back tears and fished out all the money from her robe’s inner pocket.

“You can use this to pay the fee!”

“It’s not about the fee; they’re considered worthless products.”

“But I’m from the nobility, so why discriminate? It hurts… so much!!”

Her sobbing erupted. In a world ruled by repulsive looks, it seemed the boss couldn’t help but slap her neck into unconsciousness. Lara was then kidnapped while lost in what she hoped was a happy dream.

Lara abruptly woke from her reverie, shaken by the rough handling of her body. In her blurred vision, a familiar face appeared.

“Elina II…? Lady Elina III…?” That was the problem. Just as Lara’s dry lips parted slightly, a somewhat lively voice spoke.

“You awake? Whew, that’s a relief.”

Lowering the hand that had gripped her shoulder, Elina II let out a soft sigh.

“You were kidnapped too. Remember?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Lara averted her eyes as she replied. Yes, both had been kidnapped—that wasn’t a lie as she tried to justify herself to her conscience.

They had been brought to what looked like a prison for slaves. Down the hallway, several identical cells were lined up, each filled solely with beauties. There were elves, mermaids, beast-people, and more.

No one could surpass the elven beauty of Lady Elina, with her silver hair and matching eyes, yet these women were just as breathtaking. Lara felt grateful to the boss who had arranged the cells without discrimination, allowing them to share this exalted space.

“Hey, Lara, do you remember where Lady Elina III was taken? I can’t see her anywhere! She must have had her sword taken, oh no, what do we do? There’s no way to contact her!”

“Calm down first. Are the Spirit Kings still asleep?”

“They haven’t been summoned. They should be reachable any time since we share minds… Must be some odd ritual at work.”

With a hard and tense expression, Elina II muttered those words. As an ominous atmosphere suddenly fell over them, Lara couldn’t help but curse God.

“What are we going to do now? Relying solely on clichés without a plan has only made things worse!”

“Aaaaaagh! Ugh… Aaaaah!!”

At that moment, the sound of a man’s dying scream echoed through the prison. Soon after, a chilling noise like bones being ground by a saw emerged. It seemed to be coming from an old door at the end of the corridor.

Lara thought for sure that door must lead to a butcher’s area—a place where they would prepare a delicious meat feast for slaves sold off without ever being seen again. And that scream wasn’t from a person, but merely the squeal of a pig being butchered.

The moment she firmly believed that, dark, blood-red fluid began to trickle slowly from the gap in the door. Lara and Elina II, pressed shoulder to shoulder, stared in horror as even more white, gristly flesh came into view.

In a devious twist, God changed His tune.

God’s prophecy came true. The ancient door creaked open, and a burly, bloodstained man with a hefty hammer began to drift down the corridor. Lara stifled the urge to cry and pressed herself close to the darkest corner of the cell.

“Who shall it be next? Heh heh…”

“Please, save me!!”

As she desperately reached out for the iron bars in a bid to escape, her hand met nothing but cold metal. Even the usually cheerful Elina II was in a state of panic, flailing her arms wildly.

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die… I really don’t want to die…”

“But the female lead is acting so strangely!!”

God provided no answer. Clenching her lips, Lara earnestly wished for a twist in the cliché. If the male lead didn’t come soon, she feared she’d be the first female lead in a webnovel to meet a chopped-up end.

“Wh-What do you mean?”

At those dreaded words, Lara jerked her head back and met the chilling gaze of the burly man just beyond the bars. An ominous feeling washed over her as his lips curled into a sinister smirk. Blood splattered across his triple-fold chin and neck.

“I’ve chosen you two. Now, who wants to go first?”

Lara’s face turned ashen as she glanced at Elina II, and vice versa. The deadly game of who would be the first to be dragged into the slaughterhouse began.

But within three seconds, the thug’s hand clamped onto Elina II’s delicate wrist.

“Aaargh! Let go! Silpid!!”

The desperate scream of the endangered female lead reverberated throughout the prison. Startled, Lara shrank back, trembling uncontrollably.

“Why…? Why should I be the one to step up…?”

“You really say that now! This God…”

Despite her protestations, God adamantly insisted.

“We only became close a day ago—why should I give up my life for you! And don’t weigh human lives like that. There’s nothing a God can’t say, honestly!”

“Honestly, shouldn’t the female lead be the one leading by example?”

“Oh, so just adding ‘니라’ makes you sound all benevolent like a God? That tone really gets on my nerves. Humph.”

Like a haughty, prim lady, Lara threw her head back toward the ceiling.

“I have no such ambitions. Not everyone chases glory in life. Even if I’m not the main character in this world, I’m the hero of my own life! I’ll live quietly and then fade away!”

With her retort easing the tension slightly, Lara finally became aware of her surroundings. Where had Elina II gone? She had long been dragged into that decrepit door.

“Ahhh! What do I do now?!”

Lara felt a pang of guilt. Knowing the value of her own life, she couldn’t choose a miserable death in place of the female lead, yet she couldn’t simply watch her die either.

She pondered how to open the barred door until she noticed that its lock hadn’t been secured properly—likely neglected in the rush to haul Elina II away.

Sliding her hand through the iron bars, she gently pushed the latch, and with a creak the door swung open. Even stepping out, her legs wobbled unsteadily.

Countless times, she thought about fleeing, yet each time she mustered her resolve and took one more step. Stopping before the ancient door stained with blood, Lara swallowed hard. The moment she gripped the door handle, an eerie chill ran down her spine.