A Will Sovereign Chapter 4: Chapter 4 — Blood beneath the lanterns.

Read chapter 4 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

Soldret immediately ran toward the shack while carefully preserving his stamina. On the way, he had already sent a distress signal back home through the communication bracelet shared by the Del Ray family. After reaching the shack, he slipped quietly behind a stack of nearby crates and steadied his breathing. Two rough-looking men stood outside. One was lean with narrow eyes while the other was large and bulky. The remaining two were inside. Soldret could vaguely hear them talking, but even with his heightened senses the words were unclear. He hesitated briefly before trying what he had done earlier. Instead of spreading his will outward, he closed his eyes and focused inward before subtly heightening his hearing. The world around him gradually became clearer. Footsteps. Breathing. Cloth shifting. Then— their voices. "You're thinking too small," the lean man scoffed. "The ransom should be at least a hundred Gold Shards." He snorted lightly. "Did you see the bracelets they were wearing? Those things probably cost several thousand Silver Shards." He grinned greedily. "Asking for a hundred Gold isn't too much." The bulky man looked slightly uneasy. "What if those bracelets aren't just for decoration?" The lean man immediately interrupted him. "Relax. We already took the girl's bracelet and hid it." He sneered. "Even if it had some kind of tracking function, they won't find us." A short pause followed. "And if it doesn't, we can just sell it later." The bulky man still looked uncertain. "…What if they refuse to pay after finding out their daughter's gone?" The lean man shrugged carelessly. "Then we'll just sell the kids instead." He pushed open the shack door slightly and looked inside. Soldret's eyes instantly darkened. Lyanna sat tied near the corner of the room with a cloth covering her mouth. The lean man stared at her for a moment before grinning obscenely. "Looking at her again… she really is rare. That hair. Those eyes." He licked his lips slightly. "Those perverted nobles are definitely going to love this one." He chuckled before closing the door again. "A pity we couldn't take the brother too," another man inside laughed. "That brat was too sharp. Causing a scene in the middle of the trade district would've drawn too much attention." He smirked. "Still… with that face of his? Those old hags would probably fight over him too." Soldret silently clenched his fists. His nails dug deeply into his palms until blood slowly trickled down his skin. Anyone else in his position would have already rushed out recklessly. But Soldret remained calm. Rational. He slowly exhaled before subtly spreading his will outward. A barrel several meters away suddenly toppled loudly onto the ground. BANG! The men outside immediately became alert. "Who's there?!" The lean man instantly pulled a knife from his pocket before cautiously approaching the noise. The bulky man followed behind him. The moment their backs turned— Soldret moved. His will surged silently. His eyes landed on a shattered bottle near the crates. A jagged shard of glass slowly rose into the air. The bulky man suddenly froze. Then— the glass accelerated violently. SHRK! The shard sliced cleanly across the man's throat. THUD! His massive body collapsed instantly. Before the lean man could react, Soldret dragged the corpse behind the crates before the blood flowing from the slit throat could stain the ground. "What happened?!" The lean man turned around sharply. No response. His expression immediately changed. "Oi!" He tightened his grip on the knife before walking carefully toward the alley. At that exact moment— knock knock. The sound came from the shack door. The men inside frowned. "…Who is it?" One of them cautiously approached the door before pulling it open slightly. The moment the door cracked open— Soldret moved. BANG! His fist slammed directly into the man's face. The kidnapper's head snapped backward before he collapsed instantly onto the floor. The second man widened his e