Chapter 117: The Unforeseen Betrayal and a Hunter’s Arrow

Luluti stared blankly at Yalin, her eyes first wide with disbelief, then sinking into profound despair. She understood that her relationship with Yalin was merely one of employer and employee. He had no obligation to risk his life to protect her.

She also knew that no matter how thoroughly she prepared, the moment she escaped the villa, she had to be ready for danger.

Yet, she never imagined Yalin would abandon her so readily, without even a hint of hesitation.

His expression remained calm, as if the events unfolding before him had nothing to do with her. Not a trace of sorrow was visible.

It was as if she heard the sound of the world shattering in her ears. In that moment, her world crumbled.

Fav, too, hadn’t expected the man who had just been laughing and chatting with Luluti to be so heartless.

However, he had no time to ponder such things. His sole desire now was to kill Luluti—the culprit who had stolen everything from him—as painfully as possible.

“Smart move, now get out of my sight.”

Fav shoved Yalin aside, his grip tightening on the sharp knife.

In the quiet alley, the mechanical footsteps echoed with chilling clarity, like a countdown to doom.

“No… don’t…”

Luluti slumped to the ground like a broken puppet, her soul seemingly drained. She could only watch helplessly as Fav steadily advanced towards her.

The blade rose, flashing a cold white gleam in the night. Luluti closed her eyes in despair.

Yet, the anticipated pain never came.

‘I… I’m not dead?’

Trembling, Luluti slowly reopened her eyes, only to discover with a jolt of alarm that Fav had frozen.

He stood right before her, still holding the knife aloft, but his body was twitching subtly.

In the faint light, Luluti finally noticed a figure behind him. A shadow.

It was Yalin, who had silently seized Fav’s neck from behind.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Fav’s eyes were bloodshot, and pained growls tore from his throat.

His left hand frantically clawed at Yalin’s arm. His right hand, still clutching the knife, flailed wildly in the air, as if he were debating whether to break free from Yalin first, or to stab him several times in the interim.

That brief moment of hesitation cost him his chance to escape.

As Yalin tightened his grip, foam began to trickle from Fav’s mouth. Finally, his neck lolled to the side, and his body went completely limp.

“Young Lady, are you alright?”

Yalin tossed the unconscious Fav aside and looked down, asking.

“I…”

Luluti was still reeling from the shock, merely staring blankly at Fav, who lay motionless on the ground.

“Is he… dead?”

“I don’t know, but he won’t be getting up anytime soon.”

Yalin crouched down and extended a hand to Luluti, who was still slumped on the ground.

“Are you hurt? Can you stand?”

Luluti took Yalin’s hand, swaying as she slowly rose from the ground.

She paused for a moment, then, unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into Yalin’s arms and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

“Waaah… I really thought… you’d abandon me… I’d die, die… Waaah…”

The frightened cat-girl clutched desperately at Yalin’s clothes, her face streaked with tears and snot.

“My apologies, Young Lady, for frightening you. But in that situation, I had no other choice.”

“Waaah, waaaah…”

With a helpless expression, Yalin gently patted her head.

Luluti, still like a frightened child, would need a long time to truly compose herself.

‘Sigh, my freshly cleaned clothes. Looks like I’ll have to take them back to be washed again.’

Though still a child, Luluti was worldly enough to understand the immediate priority was to quickly leave this dangerous place. Thus, she soon stifled her sobs.

Even so, she continued to sniffle softly.

“L-let’s hurry back…”

“Indeed.”

Yalin agreed, though his gaze continuously swept their surroundings.

‘Something is still wrong.’

According to Luluti, her family knew nothing of her sneaking out. Yet, Fav had been waiting there, as if he’d known in advance, encountering Luluti directly.

And it happened precisely when Yalin was also present.

Could it truly be such a coincidence? Yalin didn’t think so.

Nevertheless, he cautiously dispatched his Conceptual God to patrol the vicinity. Within at least fifty meters, no other figures were detected.

‘Forget it. It seems this private tutor job is truly unsustainable.’

Yalin shook his head, preparing to swiftly escort Luluti back to avoid further complications, when a shadow suddenly flickered in his peripheral vision.

An alarm instantly blared in his mind. He whirled around, only then seeing a black figure standing on a rooftop over two hundred meters away.

The figure held a crossbow, a gleaming arrow nocked and aimed directly at Yalin and Luluti.

“Danger!”

Yalin’s expression shifted drastically. He immediately pushed Luluti away, his own body leaning forward a step.

It was at that very moment that the arrow shot from the crossbow, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle, slicing across the sky, and embedding itself directly into Yalin’s shoulder.

The powerful impact even sent Yalin himself flying backward.

‘The arrow was enchanted!’

‘Pain, pain, pain…’

Luluti, having been pushed to the ground, struggled to her feet. Then, she saw Yalin, an arrow piercing him, collapsing into a pool of blood.

“Ya-Yalin!?”

“Stay where you are! Don’t move!”

Yalin roared, causing Luluti, who had started to rush towards him, to freeze instantly.

Simultaneously, three Archangels, wielding longswords, materialized to form a protective corner with the wall, shielding Luluti within. This arrangement ensured that any attack from any direction would be unequivocally blocked.

‘If the Young Lady of the Astria family were to die in a place like this, it would be a huge problem.’

Whoosh!

Another arrow whizzed towards them, its aim precise, directly at Luluti.

However, just as the arrow was about to pierce Luluti’s chest, something intercepted it in mid-air, causing it to drop harmlessly to the ground.

The figure on the rooftop paused for a moment, then, like an agile cat, vanished into the night in an instant.

‘Gone, then…’

Yalin stood up, pulled the arrow from his shoulder, and then took a few pills from his pocket, swallowing them.

‘That assailant not only enchanted the arrow shaft but also poisoned the arrowhead.’

‘They certainly leave no stone unturned.’

‘The Conceptual God’s range is at most fifty meters, and its power significantly diminishes with increased distance.’

‘Thus, he had no way to deal with the mysterious attacker, only watching as she easily escaped right under his nose.’

However, in the final moment before she vanished, Yalin vaguely caught sight of a small wisp of hair escaping from her hood.

‘If he wasn’t mistaken…’

Yalin’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Tsk… this is truly the most troublesome situation I’ve ever encountered.”