NOVELNEXT Chapter 21 21: Who Kidnapped Whom? [Pt1]
"How pathetic you all are. I hope you all would take notice of this tragedy and avoid it next time."
"Yes, Grandmaster."
Everyone bowed in front of Keith as one and his heart thundered inside his chest. The first demon had been dealt with and no one important had died. The small fries who had died had been necessary sacrifices to move the plot.
And now that Keith had handed his responsibilities over, it meant that he was free to go back to his room and rest. Finally, he would be free from his responsibilities.
"Grandmaster, we got a respot from master Shinzou's side. He had dealt with all the problems on his end as well. Should we send someone over there to assist him?"
Keith pretended to think over this topic but he was beyond done with things. He just wanted to rest in his room.
"Ask Master Hana to help in this regard. Report to me once everything has been dealt with. And as for any injuries, take care of them yourselves."
Everyone was looking at Keith with wide eyes full of suspicion. They did not understand the kind of situation he was in. so to avoid all those eyes, Keith hurried up back into his room.
Luckily, both Master Fushi and the dancer from before had disappeared after Clair had dealt with them. Keith was finally able to enjoy his soft bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
He should have had a good rest and decent dreams but somehow, Keith had a feeling that his sleep was anything but peaceful.
It was filled with colors all meshed up together and abstract art forms came to life. He was not even able to sleep a full hour before he was snapped awake by some other kind of nightmare.
He blinked his eyes together to wake himself up but Keith had a bad feeling about what was to come for him throughout the day.
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Unknown to Keith, the outside words had a different opinion when it came to this handling of the situation. And Clair, who heard all the praises being sung could not help but roll her eyes.
"Grandmaster is so caring. He gave his servants and other lower-level students time to shin."
"And did you hear the way he talked so coldly? Ah, I just know that his icy exterior is hiding so much fragility and care behind it."
"I know, right? The grandmaster pretends he does not care for us but he always ends up solving the problem."
If Clair could have rolled her eyes, she would have ended up rolling them as hard as she could. These children were too infatuated with the title that was 'grandmaster' to see the truth.
Even now, they could not see past Keith's mask and continued to praise him for something that did not even exist in the first place. But then again, it was because of Keith's hard work that it was possible to fool everyone.
Clair was happy to go about her business when she felt someone's shadow being overcast over her. She quickly looked up to see familiar blond hair.
"Clair, you should know your place. You are a slave so you should behave like a slave until the end. Don't try to press your advantage."
She wanted to avoid looking up but Shimi was making it challenging for Clair not to notice her. It did not help that Shimi tried to trip her when she started to walk away.
Clair did think of correcting her trajectory when she was falling but decided not to show her real colors in the end. She did not need to out herself because she was annoyed with someone.
"Are you done being childish? If not then can you just finish exacting your petty revenge soon? I have some work to be done as assigned by the grandmaster."
Shimi went red in the face at that jab. She looked ready to combust on the spot and Clair felt sorry for her. It was not Shimi's fault that she was in love and was taking things the wrong way.
It was all due to the circumstances they all had found themselves to be in.
"Y-Y-YOU! How dare you say that to me. I will complain about you to the grandmaster and then he will deal with you. Just you wait and see-"
Seeing that Clair did not look scared, Shimi looked ready to cry. But she held her tears back as she hurriedly ran out of the formation. All Clair could do was roll her eyes.
Shimi was such an immature brat that it was not even funny. She was getting more and more irritating by the day at this point.
"Yo, cat slave, are you sure you don't need to go after the half-elf? You know the grandmaster likes her well enough."
Of course, when something irritating happens, the chances of it being followed up by another annoying thing was high. And Master Shinzou's entry was one such thing. He was someone Clair did not want to make friends with.
Mainly because he gave off a dangerous energy and his smiling mask hid too much to make Clair comfortable.
"I will go after Shimi once she calms down a little bit more. I should also get going now that you all are here. The grandmaster wanted me to take charge until someone more suitable came along."
Clair did not mind handing the charge over. In fact, she was glad that she would not need to look after these kids anymore. She had a feeling that she should follow after Keith sensed something big was about to happen to him.
But of course, before she could head to him, something big ended up happening at her side.
"M-Master Shinzou, Master Hana, S-Shimi, she was taken away by a skinner demon. We tried to stop them but they ended up kidnapping her anyway."
Everyone's surprised expressions turned solemn. Even those who did not like Shimi had to show remorse because she was a political hostage here.
She was a guarantee that the elf tribe would corporate with them later on and they needed to save her.
"Well, fuck. So, who is going to g and inform the grandmaster about this?"
Master Shinzou asked but no one raised their hands to volunteer. After all, no one wanted to be the victim of the grandmaster's rage.
"Fine you pansies, I will do it. I will be the one to go and inform the grandmaster of what happened."
besides, Clair was also looking forward to Keith's reaction. Knowing the man, he would have a small breakdown as soon as he heard this news. It was going to be amusing anyway.
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"Hey, let me go. Do you have any idea whom you are kidnapping? I would advise you to return me right now."bender
Shimi tried to get out of her bonds but they were tight. The more she struggled, the tighter they became around her. It was impossible for her to even move at that point.
But she still tried her best to do it anyway. She did not want to be the reason the grandmaster had to come down in such a dirty place.
"Shut your trap up, you idiotic elf. The only thing you are good for is your looks and nothing else. Now be a good girl and keep yourself tucked into a corner."
The skinner demon who had dared kidnap Shimi threatened. His breath smelled and Shimi had to turn her head to no longer be facing him. She did not want to have to look at her kidnappers.
It was still difficult for her to react to the fact that she had been kidnapped by someone just like that. How was that even possible? And for what reason was she kidnapped?
"You all are bonkers. Don't you know how close to the grandmaster I am? You all are going to die once the grandmaster comes for me. And then what will you all do?"
Shimi asked with full confidence that the grandmaster would come for her. He had to since it would end up in political strife otherwise. And she doubted that the grandmaster would let it just happen.
"We will see about that later elf. For now, enjoy our hospitability while we are still offering it to you. Hopefully, you will live to see another day soon."
The skinner demon laughed a cruel laugh and Shimi felt tears strike her eyes. She had never been this humiliated before she now he wanted to break out of her prison.
She had thought about staying behind for the grandmaster to come and save her but now things were different. She was being made fun of and it also irked her pride.
'Besides, the grandmaster always prioritized self-reliance above anything else. I should break free on my own and show that I am a capable person.'
With that in mind, Shimi took in a deep breath and managed to break apart the doors to her cage with ease.