Descendant of Sloth
Chapter 81: A Calm Mind

Chapter 81: A Calm Mind

Serina folded her arms and looked at me expectantly. "So how do we get him out of here?"

Hina, crouching next to Nox’s cage, turned her head toward me, her eyebrows raised. "Yeah, we need to think of something, Esther."

I looked at all three of them—Serina, Hina, and Nox—each waiting for me to come up with an answer. My mind raced through possibilities. We could fight our way through, take down the guards, create chaos, and slip out in the confusion.

Yes, I could do that. I was more than capable of handling them. But... that sounded like way too much work. Too much unnecessary energy spent when there had to be an easier way.

I sighed internally.

Hina narrowed her eyes. Then, in a swift motion, she grabbed my collar and yanked me toward her. "Oi, Esther, don’t tell me you’re thinking of slacking off here," she hissed, shaking me slightly.

I groaned. "I’m not."

"Then what are you doing?" she pressed, tightening her grip.

"Thinking," I muttered, prying her hands off my hoodie. "Thinking about the best possible decision."

Serina let out a short scoff. "Oh, yeah? And what’s that?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but something outside the curtain caught my attention. A shadow moved just beyond the fabric. My eyes flicked to the source. Heavy footsteps. The faint clank of armor. My muscles tensed.

"Oh..." I exhaled slowly.

Serina followed my gaze. The color drained from her face. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Hina frowned, before turning toward the curtain. Her expression hardened. "Oh."

"What should we do?" Hina asked, lowering her voice.

We all stared at the entrance, waiting, listening.

"Hey, did you hear something?" One of the guards spoke up, his voice muffled through the curtain.

"Yeah," another answered. "A faint whisper, I think..."

Our breath collectively hitched.

For a moment, no one moved. The tension was suffocating. If they walked in now, we were screwed.

The footsteps grew louder, their weight pressing against the cold stone floor. Each step sent a wave of dread through me. We stayed perfectly still, hidden behind the thick velvet curtains, barely daring to breathe. The air was heavy, filled with the scent of dust and iron.

"Someone must be here somewhere," a voice muttered, low and commanding.

Another one responded, "Check behind the curtains."

Their scrape of metal made noise as they gripped their swords, the faint rustling of fabric as a hand reached out. Their pulse pounded as they expected to see intruders.

*Fwoosh!*

The curtain was yanked aside. Their muscles tensed, their breath caught—but they found nothing.

"Oh... There’s no one here," the first guard said, his tone laced with irritation.

The other scoffed, letting his sword drop slightly. "Tch. Must’ve been hearing things. The slaves must be talking to themselves."

"Yeah, you’re right." The first guard sounded almost relieved as he stepped back.

Then, without warning, he turned and lashed out at the iron bars of the cage nearby. The impact echoed through the room in a loud *clang*, and the prisoners inside flinched at the sudden violence.

"How many times do we have to tell you that you guys aren’t allowed to talk to each other, huh!?" he barked, his voice filled with frustration.

From behind the stone pillars, we crouched lower, watching the scene unfold. The prisoners remained silent, their eyes downcast, their bodies still. The guards lingered for a moment before grumbling amongst themselves, then finally walked away, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Only when the silence stretched did we dare to move again. I glanced at Hina and Serina, giving them a small nod. Staying low, we slipped away from the shadows, our footsteps light against the ground. Every movement felt slow, the tension thick in the air, but finally, we reached the archway leading back to the main hall.

As soon as we stepped into the crowd, the atmosphere shifted. Laughter, clinking glasses, idle chatter—it all swallowed us whole, masking our presence. The golden chandeliers overhead bathed the room in warm light, a stark contrast to the cold darkness we had just escaped. We blended in seamlessly, acting as though we had merely stepped away for a break.

Hina exhaled sharply, bending forward with her hands on her knees. "Huff... Huff..." she panted, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

Serina let out a deep sigh, shaking her head as she snatched a glass of water from a passing waiter’s tray. She took a long, slow sip, her grip tight around the delicate glass.

I stood behind them, eyes scanning the room.

Then Hina straightened, her expression dark with worry. She turned to us, voice hushed but urgent.

"Fuck... what should we do now?"

Serina placed the empty glass down, her fingers twitching slightly. "We need a plan. Fast."

I silently looked at the girls, my gaze steady, unreadable. They were waiting, tense, expectant, but my mind was elsewhere, absorbing the scene around us. My eyes drifted toward the massive screen at the center of the room, where all the trades were listed, each name accompanied by a price, a mere number that determined their worth in this twisted market. I scanned the crowd—men and women in expensive suits whispering amongst themselves, calculating, scheming, deciding how much to bid, who to buy, and for what purpose. To them, this was just another game, a marketplace where people were commodities, assets to be owned, controlled, and discarded when no longer useful....But for me, it was a battlefield—one that didn’t require fists or blades, but something far more lethal: a sharp mind and an unwavering resolve.

I remained calm and collected, my body relaxed, but my thoughts raced, piecing together the puzzle in front of me. Situations like this... close borders like this... I had faced them before, more times than I cared to count. The temptation of violence always lingered at the edge, a beast waiting to be unleashed, but experience had taught me one thing—just because I can fight doesn’t mean I should. Power isn’t about the ability to destroy; it’s about the discipline to choose when not to. A sword drawn without reason is nothing but wasted steel.

I sighed, my breath slow, deliberate, before turning to Hina and Serina. My eyes locked onto theirs with a serious glare, my voice low but firm.

"So here is the plan..."