Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Messenger
Jack and Christina, who had already been released from her bounds were helping out as well.
Although, they were all at the very least B rank mages, Zach and his team made quick work out of them. After all, none of the three had a combat power lower than that of an A rank mage. While Christina and Jack were true A rank mages who were about to reach the S rank, Zach with his light saber wasn't too far behind either.
Dispatching the escorts was too easy for the trio.
Just when Christina was about to blast the last of the escorting guards to bits with her overwhelming magic spell, Zach stopped her by grabbing onto her wrist with the intent to pull her back.
The very touch of her beloved caused the magic spell she had woven to wither and dissipate, leaving only traces of its ephemeral existence. Perplexity clouded her thoughts as she grappled with the confusion of why Zach, her partner, sought to hinder her from dealing the decisive strike against those who had committed such heinous acts.
In a state of silent contemplation, her gaze locked onto Zach, a clear expectation lingering within her eyes as if she awaited his elucidation. While she held an unwavering commitment to adhering to Zach's directives, the notion of allowing individuals of their despicable kind to elude consequences without a valid rationale contradicted her principles.
"You can't kill this one." Zach asserted, his tone carrying a mixture of authority and reason.
"Why?" Christina inquired; her curiosity piqued.
"Because he still needs to deliver a message for me." replied Zach with a smile on his face as he released Christina's wrist gently.
"Message?" Something clicked in Christina's mind as soon as she heard his answer, and she reciprocated his smile with a smile of her own.
"Mmm...if he died as well, there would be no one left to tell this news to the Hunter family, don't you think that would be very sad? How would this poor bastard's family know that we are holding this bastard hostage?" Zach mused with a sly grin; his words tinged with a touch of irony.
Even though Zach knew that Christina might have already figured it out from the previous hint, he still explained himself to her. There was no need for a misunderstanding between the two in such a situation.
With a swift yet purposeful motion, Zach skillfully maneuvered the guard away from the potential havoc that Christina's magic could wreak. His fingers clamped firmly onto the collar of the guard's uniform, ensuring a secure hold. Positioned with meticulous precision, Zach's lightsaber hung suspended just a hair's breadth from the guard's exposed neck, creating an unmistakable aura of impending danger.
In a grim and calculating tone, Zach laid out the options before the solitary guard, the sole survivor amidst the carnage that had unfolded around them. Each word he spoke carried a weighty gravity, emphasizing the life-altering decision that now rested in the guard's trembling hands.
"You stand as the lone witness to the aftermath of this confrontation," Zach's voice resonated with an eerie calmness, the tension palpable in the air. "Here are your choices: you can choose to follow my directive, acting as the reluctant harbinger of a message to the Hunter family. This path may lead to your eventual demise at the hands of your family's leader, a punishment for your perceived failure to safeguard his own kin. Alternatively, you may embrace the finality of death right here and now, as my hand carries out the sentence. In this scenario, your lifeless form will still bear my message to your family."
The weight of those words hung heavily, echoing off the walls of the desolate surroundings. Zach's demeanor remained resolute, offering no room for negotiation or evasion. The guard's destiny lay solely in his own hands, as he grappled with the daunting crossroads presented to him.
The forlorn guard found himself trapped in a grim limbo; his fate suspended between the choices Zach had delineated. His free will had been stripped away and he was reduced to a mere pawn in a larger game between Zach and the Hunter family.
The guard was forced to choose between a rock and a hard place. There was no other option. He could either go out with defiance in his eyes, or he could opt to relay Zach's message and hope for survival; or at the very least a quick death at Hogan's hands.
Either option was better than dying in Zach's hands with no one left to witness his death.
Zach employed the stick and carrot technique to mold the guard's thinking to his benefit. As soon as he felt that his words had hit home, he struck while the iron was still hot and whispered in the guard's ears like a beguiling devil.
"While there is a slight chance of survival in the first scenario, the chances are non-existent in the second one. If I were you, I would choose the first. Make your choice soon. I hope you can be smart enough to know what is good for you."
Zach's words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder that the guard's choices were not mere causalities of chance, but rather pivotal determinants of his destiny. The weight of the moment pressed down upon him, urging him to navigate the treacherous crossroads with the acumen of self-preservation.
"I will do what you want. Just don't kill me..." The guard ended up giving in as he was terrified of dying.
"Of course, as long as you relay my message to your master, you are free to go as you please."
The guard didn't believe Zach, but he was in no position to question him.
"Go and tell Hogan that his son will be under my protection as long as Diana stays safe. However, if she suffered the slightest grievance over there, I would make sure that this bastard here will suffer a hundred times more. Tell the old bastard to bring Diana for a hostage exchange if he wants his son back safe and sound."
Zach had been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time. Since he had no other way to bring Diana back through brute force or violence, this was the only foolproof plan that came to his mind.
After giving him the message, Zach asked the guard to repeat it for him in order to make sure that the latter had memorized it thoroughly before letting him go abruptly.
The guard desperately fled at his top speed, afraid that Zach was only toying with him. He made a beeline towards the Hunter family mansion in order to report the young master's kidnapping.
Hogan was lazing around in the garden as he enjoyed delicious treats with sweet coffee.
His mood instantly soured the moment he took a look at the disheveled guard. Annoyance spread over his face as he thought that his son was probably causing trouble again. The escorts around Nelson were not only to keep him safe but they had also been tasked by Hogan to keep an eye on his son and keep him from approaching Diana.
"What happened? Did he attempt to cause trouble again?"
Hogan bellowed at the B rank mage who had barely come out of the devil's den with his life intact.
"Young Master was kidnapped." replied the guard with a trembling voice.
"WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?" yelled Hogan with a fierce aura leaking out of him.
"While we were on our way back to the mansion, Jack approached the young master. He told him about how he had kidnapped a girl close to the dark mage and led us to her. We were ambushed as soon as we reached the heart of the forest. Rest of the guards all died within seconds. I managed to survive but only barely."
"Why would Jack do such a thing? He still needs our help to survive. There is no way he would dare."
"Master is right. It wasn't Jack. He was working with someone else."
"Tell me WHO? Who was he working with?"
"The Smith family" answered the guard before continuing with his explanation after a heavy breath.
"They asked me to tell you that if we want to trade for the young master, we have to bring the girl we are holding hostage in return."
Hogan's forehead resembled a battlefield where the veins waged a furious uprising, threatening to burst forth in a display of unbridled fury. The surging anger momentarily clouded his senses, like a tempest sweeping through a tranquil landscape.
His tightly clenched fists landed on the table in front of him, spilling all the delightful savories all over the ground and crumpling the hardened wood table like it was a piece of paper.
Hogan couldn't help but regret not disciplining his frivolous son at a young age. If he had curbed his lustful desires in the early phase of his life, Nelson probably wouldn't have turned out so useless.
Alas, there was no medicine in the world that could cure regret.
Hogan couldn't blame anyone else for his son's behavior because he himself was the major culprit behind his son's twisted self. If not for his permission, how could his son have committed so many misdeeds under the guise of his authority?
As a result, he could only unleash his frustration at the ornate furniture all around him.
As Hogan began to rampage in his fury, the guard stayed still like a marionette as if afraid of attracting Hogan's attention while he was in his maddened state.
Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m