Especially with someone like Samira, who had a certain amount of influence in Noxus, they would never leave her alive. Most likely, they'd torture her to death on the spot.
Even if he specifically asked Irelia to tell the members of the Brotherhood to spare Samira's life... the outcome was still hard to predict.
Because Samira knew certain things—things about this extremely unreasonable operation.
The traitor lurking within the Resistance Army would never let her make it to the interrogation room alive.
Chen Ce didn't think his strength and accomplishments were enough to attract the attention of Noxus's leaders. That meant someone had ordered Samira to come and take his head—and that person was probably the traitor hiding within the Resistance Army.
As for the motive...
Way of the Wanderer. Yasuo. Chemical weapons.
Someone didn't want him to find Yasuo, which would render the chemical weapons useless.
And only a few legion commanders knew about this...
Based on the information he had, the prime suspect was the leader of the Brotherhood—Glick, the Third Legion Commander.
If Samira fell into his hands, she'd most likely be secretly poisoned to death. And no member of the Resistance Army would care if an enemy died. They'd only applaud.
So... for now, he couldn't send Samira to the Resistance Army.
Keeping her alive would be useful.
The most obvious use was to "open a loot box."
If Samira died, their interaction level would stop increasing, and he'd lose the loot box that was just within reach.
Her second use was to serve as his "double agent."
"I've changed my mind."
Chen Ce loosened his grip, and the rope wound around Samira's hands—but not yet tightened—slid free.
"I'm going to let you go."
"Huh?" Samira was taken aback at first, then suspicion surfaced on her face. She didn't believe the Resistance Army soldier in front of her would let her off.
But Chen Ce's next words forced her to believe it, despite her boundless fury:
"I want you to find out who hired you to kill me. In return... I won't go after Indali."
"You're threatening me?" Samira glared at him, eyes wide with anger.
"Yes. A completely blatant threat." Chen Ce nodded frankly. "If you don't carry out this assignment for me, I'll kill Indali—but I won't kill you. Heh."
"...You bastard!"
Enraged, Samira attacked him—she even forgot she was no match for Chen Ce.
Thud!
With a single move, Chen Ce mercilessly pinned her to the ground. His powerful hand clamped around her neck.
"Mind your manners, Miss Samira." Chen Ce smiled brightly as his arm gradually tightened. "I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
"..." Samira struggled to breathe.
Just before she lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, his hand finally let go. "Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."
"Call me a demon or a bastard, I don't care. Either way, I'm giving you only one chance to choose."
Chen Ce brushed the dust off himself, showing off a victor's arrogance and contempt to the fullest.
"Agree, and you and Indali can both live. Refuse, and for the next few decades, you'll have to visit Indali's grave every year."
"I'll deliberately spare your life, so you can spend every day consumed by guilt and regret. You could have saved your benefactor, but you chose a selfish path instead. Indali died because of you."
"You'll hate me forever. Then you'll train day after day, until you're strong enough to stand before me again... and then I'll knock you down once more. Like crushing a bug."
"Well?"
"..." Watching his increasingly deranged smile, Samira was thoroughly panicked.
Chen Ce kept up his performance.
"A weakling like you isn't even worthy of being killed by me." He gently grasped her chin and lifted her bowed face. "Do you hate me? You despicable invader... hate me. Use what little wretched life you have left to hate me."
"You foolish weakling. If you want to kill me, then curse me and damn me. Then go on living in your ugliness, running away again and again just to stay alive... Live forever in fear and hatred of me..." A classic quote from Itachi came in handy at just the right moment.
"...Devil!" Samira's back teeth were chattering.
Seeing her reaction, Chen Ce knew he'd achieved his goal.
The system notification sounded at just that moment:
[Hero [Samira]'s desire to win +20, current interaction level: 27] [Hero [Samira]'s hatred +30, current interaction level: 42]
Huh? Even that hadn't been enough to reach 50?
Chen Ce was a little surprised.
It was then that Samira finally spoke. "I... I agree...! I'll help you find out who hired me... I hope you keep your word...!"
She struggled to her feet, dragging her battered body, then quickly backed away.
"If you so much as touch a hair on Indali's head... I'll kill you, even if it costs me my life...!"
"Fine." Chen Ce shrugged indifferently, his eyes full of mockery and contempt.
Samira gave him one last glare, then gradually disappeared into the forest.
Chen Ce didn't chase after her.
It was a shame that he was only eight points short of opening the loot box, but there had to be limits to everything. If he pushed Samira too far, she might lash out and drag them both down with her, which would be counterproductive.
Besides, her resentment toward him would only deepen as time passed. Even if he did nothing, he'd probably reach fifty interaction points eventually.
With that thought, Chen Ce calmly turned around, ready to deal with the Noxian soldiers who were dead or wounded.
But the moment he turned, he saw countless pairs of eyes fixed intently on him.
They weren't enemies. You could say they were allies.
They were the villagers who'd come out hoping to help, only to find that the battle was already over.
They'd witnessed the whole "If you won't do what I say, I'll kill your captain and humiliate you" act.
He could only say... it hadn't looked like acting at all.
The little girl who'd been terrified of Samira earlier clung to her mother's side and asked timidly:
"Big brother, you're so twisted. I love it..."
"..." This time, Chen Ce was the one left speechless.
Chen Ce had wiped out the Noxian squad all by himself, and the village got busy in the aftermath.
Chen Ce was responsible for writing a letter to call for reinforcements from a nearby Resistance Army camp. The villagers, meanwhile, were responsible for tying up the Noxian soldiers who were still alive and tossing them into the pigsty to keep watch over them. Everyone had something to do.
That was why nobody noticed the faint rustling in the woods outside the village.
It came from the direction Samira had fled, but Samira wasn't the one making the noise—
First, a fluffy white tail poked out from between the leaves.
Then...
Eight more identical tails appeared.
"So hungry... smells so good..."
Chapter 23: Discussing the Meaning of Life with the Nine-Tailed Fox
The innkeeper had never imagined that one of the guests he'd casually taken in would turn out to be a hero of the Resistance Army—the young man named Chen Ce. He was strong, modest, courteous, and had even saved the entire village.
Without his help, the Noxian bastards might have burned the village down, and the villagers might have...
It was too awful to think about. The innkeeper turned away, looking at the feast on the table.
There were desserts, wine, and stewed meat... delicacies that people usually couldn't afford to eat much of. Now they were all going to be sent to that hero.
Everyone was glad to do it. It was just a small token of their gratitude.
The innkeeper lifted the more than a dozen dishes piled on a large serving tray, preparing to take them to Chen Ce, who was writing a letter upstairs.
But the moment he turned around, a stranger appeared at the entrance to the hall.
The stranger stood backlit, her face impossible to make out, but her figure made it clear that she was a woman.
More precisely, she was a woman with an absolutely stunning figure.
To be even more precise... she was a Vastaya woman with an absolutely stunning figure and a great many tails.
"Are you looking for a room?" the innkeeper greeted her warmly, but didn't set down the tray in his hands. "Or would you like something to eat? Um... could you wait just a moment? I need to take these things upstairs. I'll be right back."
The Vastaya woman standing in the doorway shook her head, then stepped forward.
The sunlight no longer fell behind her. Instead, it slanted across her profile.
She had a pair of fluffy, pointed ears. They looked a little like cat ears, but also a little like... fox ears? But if she was a fox, then there probably wasn't a single Vastaya of her kind anywhere in Ionia.
Beneath her ears was a flawless, lovely face... skin as white as snow, a permanent blush on her cheeks, and exquisitely delicate features. Her beautiful eyes were amber-colored. They weren't deep, but they were as clear as the lakes of Rainbow Scourge Valley, making anyone who looked into them want to lose themselves in her gaze.
She was far too beautiful.
The innkeeper had seen countless beautiful female guests in his life, but never anyone this breathtaking... She was like the most perfect creation of the Creator.
"I'm not looking for a room..." Her lips parted slightly, and her gentle, melodious voice soothed everyone who heard it. "I'm here to find someone."
"Find someone? Who?" The innkeeper even found himself looking away, afraid to stare too long.
"Find... Chen Ce, I think that's his name." The Vastaya woman raised a slender, fair finger and gently rested it against her exquisite chin. "Could you take me to him?"
"Chen Ce? Are you looking for that great hero too? That's wonderful, but... he's busy right now. Could you wait a little?" The innkeeper remembered Chen Ce saying not to let anyone disturb him before he started writing his letter.
"It won't take him long."
"Uh... maybe you should wait anyway?"
"But I don't want to wait. I'm hungry."
"Hungry? Then I'll prepare some food for you."
"No, you don't understand..." The Vastaya woman shook her head and took another half-step forward.
She looked directly at the innkeeper.
Confused, the innkeeper raised his head and met her impossibly beautiful eyes.
The next moment, everything around him began to spin.
The innkeeper felt as if the world were turning upside down.
He could no longer sense anything. Only her gentle, melodious voice lingered by his ear:
"Take me to Chen Ce, and then... say whatever I tell you to say."
"Yours sincerely... best regards... done."
In a room at the end of the second floor of the inn, Chen Ce finally finished writing the letter he planned to send to the Resistance Army. He'd also tucked a token of the Resistance Army into the envelope to prove his identity.
With that done, he was ready to pack up and leave.
All the Noxian soldiers had been wounded, and the villagers had chained them up and thrown them in the pigsty. Someone was also taking watch in shifts around the clock, so the odds of anything going wrong were close to zero. After all, without someone like Samira, a top-tier agent, a "miraculous prison break" was basically impossible.
Well, even with Samira there, escaping probably wouldn't have been easy.
This wasn't a movie. There wouldn't be any ridiculous stunts like escaping because the chains weren't fastened properly or picking a lock with a toothpick.
Honestly, you were lucky if the chains didn't strangle you to death.
"Next stop... hmm... this way."
Chen Ce drew a circle on the map as he gathered the things on the table, settling on a route.
But just as he finished packing his things, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
The innkeeper's slightly weak voice followed. "Lord Chen Ce, someone's here to see you..."
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