The fox was dragged along helplessly.

Her body felt strange.

Her head spun, her legs wobbled, and even her vision struggled to focus.

It seemed she had been injected with a sedative.

It was a common method used to transport unruly slaves.

‘Damn it.’

The drug was potent enough to knock out even a bear beastfolk in an instant.

Naturally, Irene’s consciousness was unstable.

She forced her eyes open, fighting the drowsiness that threatened to overtake her.

Through her blurred vision, a new scene came into view.

“…”

What she saw were rows of iron cages.

A prison for slaves.

Even though it was within the ship, its scale was vast.

It seemed to occupy an entire floor, packed tightly with what must have been hundreds of slaves.

The fox quickly began to think.

‘There’s no time.’

There was no room for hesitation.

If the ship set sail as it was, everything would become irreversible.

No one would be able to find her.

‘Or… maybe it’s already left.’

That was the most despairing thought.

She didn’t know how much time had passed since she lost consciousness, but she could only hope it hadn’t been long.

Her only chance for escape was now.

And fortunately, the hound had left the area.

‘It’s worth a try.’

The guards flanking her appeared complacent.

They seemed to trust in the sedative’s effects.

Even if she were caught trying to escape, with the merchant’s orders, they couldn’t kill her.

At most, she would take a beating that wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

If that was the only risk, it was a gamble worth taking.

*Hoo…*

She exhaled slowly, focusing on her senses.

The pounding headache blurred her vision, but she needed to shake it off now.

Irene abruptly shoved the guard to her side.

*Thud!*

“What the…?!”

*Crash!*

One guard fell over while the other unsheathed his sword and lunged.

She knew it was just for intimidation.

That’s why she didn’t back down.

She charged forward, exploiting the openings in his stance.

Surprise flashed in the guard’s eyes.

‘Got you.’

A sword that isn’t drawn fast enough becomes shackles on one’s own hands.

No one would dare disobey an order.

“Damn it…!”

The guard dropped his sword in frustration.

He tried to throw a punch, but he couldn’t be faster than the fox who had already closed the distance.

Her foot shot out and struck his solar plexus.

“Gah!”

He let out a groan and collapsed, stumbling backward.

A clean hit.

Irene immediately started running.

A sword dropped by the guard was now in her hand.

With a few quick slashes, she cut the ropes binding her body.

“Damn! The merchandise is escaping!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

Several guards chased after her.

Ignoring their sharp shouts, Irene pushed off the ground with all her might.

She needed to find an exit somewhere.

---

Meanwhile, the hound in the reception room heard the news belatedly.

The very fox he had captured only a few hours ago had outmaneuvered the guards and was causing chaos.

Swallowing his rising anger, he rubbed his temples.

“Those incompetent fools… Can’t even manage a worn-out fox?”

He bit his lip.

It made no sense.

He had given her a sedative strong enough to put a bear beastfolk to sleep instantly.

Under normal circumstances, a beastfolk shouldn’t wake up for at least half a day.

‘Did I let my guard down because of that?’

The hound clicked his tongue lightly.

As he let out a sigh of annoyance, a voice spoke from across the room.

It was the "guest" he had arranged to meet today.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Mind your own business.”

“You don’t look well.”

“It’s our issue. Even if we’re allies, know when to keep your nose out of it.”

“I see. I apologize if I offended you.”

The guest bowed his head politely.

He was a young man, impeccably dressed in a suit, with neatly styled green hair and glasses that framed his face perfectly.

His tidy appearance was striking.

“Still, this may be a matter that involves me.”

“What?”

“We are allies, aren’t we? And from what I understand, most of the cargo on this ship was ordered by my lord.”

“So what?”

“I mean that any commotion on this ship is something we have the right to be involved in.”

“…”

His precise, measured words were annoying.

The hound stared at the guest, then stood up, as if to signal he was done talking.

He was heading out to catch the runaway fox.

“I’m stepping out.”

“Are you going to handle the issue you mentioned earlier?”

“And if I am?”

“Then I’ll come with you. I’ll assist if needed.”

“I told you to mind your own business… Ah, fine. Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

The two left the reception room slowly.

As they walked at a measured pace, the guest, walking alongside him, asked curiously.

“Aren’t you taking this a bit too casually? It seemed like an urgent matter.”

“It’s fine.”

The hound responded with irritation.

“She won’t escape anyway.”

“True, that’s likely.”

“If the grunts herd her to one side, we just need to show up, rough her up a bit, and capture her.”

“Is it acceptable to hit her? I heard she’s a top-tier product.”

“Who cares? If the boss complains, so be it. Just don’t kill her.”

“I see. I’ll respect your approach.”

They exchanged light conversation.

For a while, only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the dim corridor.

---

Irene ran.

She crossed wide spaces, sprinted down long hallways, and leapt over staircases.

She didn’t look back.

She only focused on propelling herself forward with all her strength.

Her wavering consciousness threatened to make her collapse, but she forced her trembling legs to stay steady.

One wrong move and everything would be over.

*Huff, huff…!*

She panted heavily.

Moving while sedated required immense mental strength.

Irene clung desperately to her slipping awareness.

“There she is!”

“Stop her! Don’t let her through!”

Running wasn’t all she had to do.

Guards kept appearing to block her path.

Every time her way was cut off, Irene changed direction or raised her sword to cut down those in front of her.

It was the fierce, relentless pace of a fugitive.

“Damn it…!”

The ship was as large as several passenger liners put together.

Its wide space allowed her to change directions frequently, but that didn’t mean she could avoid every confrontation.

Clashes were inevitable.

“Damn it! Why did this have to happen on the day we’re understaffed?!”

“Stop talking and chase her!”

“She’s heading for the opposite stairs! Block them!”

Two guards appeared from a side corridor.

The stairs in the opposite direction were already blocked.

This time, she would have to break through.

Irene readied her sword calmly.

She adjusted her stance.

Slowing down was not an option.

She prepared a series of light strikes instead of her usual powerful ones.

Following a swift movement, the tip of her sword gleamed.

*Clang!*

The first clash came lightly.

Without hesitation, she deflected the guard’s blade and spun, slicing through her opponent.

The feeling of her blade cutting through flesh sent a tingling sensation up her fingers.

*Shhk—!*

The cut was shallow, but it didn’t need to be fatal.

What mattered now was not victory, but escape.

“Damn it…!”

The fox’s movements were almost too fast to see.

By the time the stunned guard reacted, her sword was already piercing his arm.

*Thud—!*

“Aaagh!!”

The guard screamed, the blade lodged deep in his arm.

Irene released the hilt without hesitation.

She grabbed the sword the man had dropped and continued running.

Her hands were slick with sticky blood.

“Huff, huff…!”

The chase had already lasted thirty minutes.

Her body was pushed far beyond its limits, and exhaustion set in faster than she expected.

The only relief was that she was near the exit.

As she remembered, the ship’s exit was on the top deck.

Her memories were hazy from how brief they were, but she recalled an open space outside, so she just needed to cross the top deck to find it.

The ship had no way to check outside.

For such a large space, there wasn’t a single window.

“Haa…!”

Irene pushed aside the distracting thoughts and kept running.

She prayed the ship hadn’t set sail yet.

That it was still docked.

Even if it had already left, she could swim back if it was within a reasonable distance.

Irene continued her intense battle.

Finally, an exit appeared before her.

It was more like the ship’s rooftop than an exit, but anywhere that allowed escape would do.

She cut down the last guard blocking her way.

And then, she stepped outside.

But—

“Well, well, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“So you’re finally here.”

The sight that greeted her was none other than two figures.

One was the hound in the gray robe.

The other was the young man in the suit.

Irene had no choice but to stop running.

“…”

“Why the long face? Did you really have hope?” the hound mocked.

His smirking lips dripped with scorn.

“I told you, there’s no escape.”

“…”

*Whoosh—*

The sea breeze rustled her red hair.

Irene’s eyes shook.

Irene's gaze was not fixed on the two men standing before her, but on the expanse of blue that lay beyond them.

She let out a small sigh.

“Ah…”

Surrounding her were the endless waves of the ocean.

Her eyes darted around, searching for any sign of land, but there was none to be found.

Indeed—

*Whoosh—*

The ship was already far out at sea, drifting in the middle of the vast ocean.