BXBX NOVEL Chapter 178 178
Once again, Laddie looked at Xzavier. This time, Xzavier also knew what he was thinking. So, he nodded and gave the old man his assent. Before Babara could say 'jack,' Laddie activated a very mild but potent coercive magic that gently lifted her up in a slight bubble and kept her a few feet away from Xzavier. It wasn't a forceful spell, neither was it weak either. It simply kept her from staying or moving towards Xzavier, while allowing her the freedom of doing anything else she wanted.
Babara's face went pale as soon as she realized what was happening. She struggled and struggled to resist, but found out that she was virtually powerless to do anything else. What hope did an ordinary girl like her have against the potent magic of a top mage? Babara knew she couldn't do anything. So, when she saw Xzavier's back turned on her as he made to leave, she did the only thing she could do in that moment; she burst into tears and cried her heart out.
"No! Please I'm begging you! Don't leave me! Don't go!"
The sound of her wailing fell on deaf ears. Xzavier was cut in the heart for so many reasons, but right now, his only solace was that the ones he had helped to escape would be free for good. Nothing else mattered.
While Babara was weeping and sniffling through the vale of tears, she saw the vague form of someone creeping beside her. Babara wasn't sure what to make of the intruder. Xzavier and Laddie were about to take off, and if they left her alone with this stranger, Babara was certain that she would be in trouble. Her only option was to scream. So, she sucked in enough oxygen to fill her lungs in preparation for the scream.
However, just as she was about to unleash the full force of her vocal chords, the full figure of the intruder emerged from the shadow of the nearby wall, and blessed Babara's eyes with the full sight of the person in question. Babara held back the scream that had been dangerously close to being let out. It was the lithe frame of a young girl! Babara watched curiously as the girl crept towards her stealthily.
The girl had already made contact with her and gestured her to be quiet as she made her way towards Babara. Babara couldn't recognize the face from the distance without her glasses on. But one thing was clear though- she didn't want to be seen by Laddie and Xzavier. Eager to find out who this interesting person was, Babara looked on as the young girl approached. And then, it hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Earlene? The daughter of the most powerful man in the city?! What was she doing here. Babara had so many questions. Her suspicious mind immediately veered to the left. Could it be that she had been sent by Quaid? Babara thought to herself. No! Of course not! It was very unlikely! Why would Quaid send out his own child? A daughter, while he had an able bodied son, and about a hundred other servants or subordinates that he could send!
Babara knew that something just didn't add up. But she was determined to find out. The closer Earlene got to Babara, the clearer she saw that the governor's daughter was in a state of urgency. There was no time for words, as soon as Earlene was close enough for Babara to see her properly, she mouthed two words;
"Kidnap me!"
What? Babara was stunned. Was this some kind of trick? But Babara's quick mind didn't let her down. She understood immediately. That was why she had crept up on her without making a sound. This was the reason she had come out all the way here by herself- to save Xzavier! Babara had enough questions to fill out a page, but she decided to save those questions for later.
If they eventually pulled this off and survived for later, then there would be time enough for questions and answers. But right now, there was work to be done. Earlene took out a sharp blade and handed it to Babara in order to sell the ruse. Babara on the other hand wasted no time, she snatched the knife and got into position.
Holding the blade to Earlene'a throat, Babara shouted at Laddie.
"STOP!!!"
Laddie didn't pay her any mind. He assumed it was just another move to try to delay the inevitable, so he pressed on, and ignored her completely. Babara was desperate now, so with enough luster, she called out to Laddie threateningly;
"If you don't stop right now, I swear I will slit Earlene's throat!!! Don't DARE ME"
At the mention of the governor's daughter's name, Laddie paused. He didn't turn around immediately, not wanting to fall for such an obvious trick. Could she really be bluffing? He didn't want to take that chance. This was Earlene she was talking about! The governor's daughter, and his own dear stubborn student! Laddie simply couldn't take the chance, he turned around slowly to face Babara.
His face almost melted into a pile of puddle when he saw the gory sight. How had this happened? How?! There was an unmistakable desperate look in Babara's eyes. Laddie admitted to himself that the situation did not look good at all. Here was a crazy woman with a sharp knife in her hand, held up to the throat of the daughter of the most powerful man in the land. He immediately understood just how volatile the situation was.
He wouldn't put it past her to do something crazy in that moment, just so Xzavier could be freed. Laddie wasn't the only one who was shocked, Xzavier was even more shocked than the old man because he had given up every hope. And yet, somehow, within the twinkle of an eye, Babara had somehow managed to teleport herself to the governor's mansion and brought back the one bargaining chip that was sufficient enough to buy his freedom. It was truly something!
Stupid ones couldn't pull that off.
Babara would never sit back and do nothing while she lost out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She would go ahead and do it without hesitation. She had to give it a chance, even though it was quite dangerous. She had to find the courage to go through with it.
"If you don't let him go, I can't promise what I'll do when I go nuts." Babara's tone was chilly, she didn't want to prolong the situation any longer and instead preferred a quick resolution. She wasn't sure if she had the guts to go through with it, but she knew it was an option.
Laddie paused. Because the victim was the governor's sweetheart, he had no choice but to keep her safe. It was unthinkable for him to let her suffer any damage. Laddie was at a loss for what to do because the governor had tasked him with capturing Xzavier while he was still alive. However, because there had been an accident, he was compelled to take it into account.
It was a difficult decision to make. Furthermore, Laddie was fully aware that Earlene had carried out the deed on purpose, indicating that the error was not his own. It was possible that something bad would happen if he forced Xzavier to let him go.
When Xzavier spotted Laddie hesitating, he immediately released himself from the elderly man's grasp and returned to Babara's side. He called up his battle armor motorcycle and ran away with Babara and Earlene from the dangerous place.
Earlene, it turned out, had only sneaked away because she was concerned about Xzavier's well-being and wanted to ensure his safety. She didn't want to put herself in danger, so all she wanted to do was go over to the side of the room and hope no one saw her.
She was almost taken aback, however, when she saw the corpses of troops dispersed throughout the mansion and the jumbled buildings. However, she found no trace of Xzavier or Adalia; all she discovered were the remains of the struggle.
What was going on in front of her appeared to be a joke, still, she felt that there was a strong intent to kill present somewhere.
As a result, she followed the tank's path all the way here. The fact that there were dead bodies and blood all along the path scared her enough. Despite this, she was more concerned about Xzavier's safety, and it was for this reason that she summoned the courage to continue. Finally, she was able to witness the violent fight between Xzavier and Laddie, during which she realized Xzavier had lost. Following that, she made her own decision.