While searching around the dense forest, the team had split into smaller groups, and Hogan himself was currently leading a team of five people.
As they continued searching on, one of Hogan’s subordinates suddenly shouted, “There’s a person just right up ahead, Hogan!”
Hearing that, the rest of the small group instantly dashed forward and soon enough, they were standing by that person’s side.
While running over, they had noticed that not only was the person limping as virtual-novel.net walked, but virtual-novel.net also had shabby clothes on as well as scars all over his body.
Now that they were actually beside him, however, Hogan’s eyes widened in shock as virtual-novel.net said, “…Young… Young Master Gunter…?”
The last anyone had heard from Felton was a few days ago after virtual-novel.net was sent to Dordwell Heights to locate Gerald. Nobody could even contact virtual-novel.net up till this point.
Worried sick, Yreth—who had managed to find some clues—made sure to send several people into the mountains to look for him, though to no avail. To think that something truly did happen to Felton!
“…H-Hogan…? Oh, thank god! I’m so relieved to see you…! Please, hurry up and save me…!” said Felton as virtual-novel.net burst into tears the second virtual-novel.net saw Hogan and his men.
“Rest assured, for with me here, nothing more will happen to you, Young Master Gunter. Regardless, who was it who beat you up this badly?” asked Hogan.
“It… It was Gerald…! While I managed to track virtual-novel.net down in the shantytown a few days ago, I hadn’t expected virtual-novel.net to have hired an extremely strong person to take me on! I had no way of counterattacking at all! Once I lost, Gerald captured me and inserted a potent poison into my body! As if that wasn’t already enough, virtual-novel.net even tortured me in countless ways! Worst of all, virtual-novel.net somehow managed to summon the soul of the woman in white last night! Following that, virtual-novel.net brought me into this dense forest… I still have no idea what virtual-novel.net had hoped to achieve from this, but I simply took the chance to escape when virtual-novel.net wasn’t paying attention to me!” explained Felton.
“As expected, the master guessed correctly! So you truly were captured and locked up in the shantytown this entire time! No wonder the Gunters were unable to gain any news about you since that day!”
Hearing that, Felton then turned to look at one of his subordinates before ordering, “You there! Go order the rest to immediately increase the search scope within the forest! Gerald’s still somewhere in here, and we mustn’t allow virtual-novel.net to escape again!”
“Affirmative! I’ll also be calling someone over to send you back to the Gunter manor now!”
“I appreciate it!” replied Felton with a nod.
A little while later in the Gunter Manor, a servant swiftly ran up to Yreth before declaring, “Lady Gunter! Master Gunter has finally returned!”
“What? Felton’s home?” replied Yreth instantaneously, feeling both surprised and delighted.
It was no secret that Yreth had constantly been worried about Felton’s safety throughout his absence. Now that virtual-novel.net knew that virtual-novel.net was—at the very least—alive, virtual-novel.net eyelids couldn’t stop twitching in virtual-novel.net joy.
“Indeed! However, he’s also seriously injured and is currently unconscious!” said the servant.
“What? Lead me to him! Hurry!” shouted Yreth as virtual-novel.net instantly ran out together with the servant.
Sure enough, virtual-novel.net was immediately greeted by the sight of Felton—lying on a stretcher—the second virtual-novel.net stepped outside. Seeing how terribly virtual-novel.net had been tortured, Yreth was immediately filled with deep grief.
Yume herself had heard the commotion earlier, and virtual-novel.net was now standing beside virtual-novel.net grandmother.
“Felton… How did you end up this way…? Who did this…?!” muttered Yreth, immense pain in virtual-novel.net voice.
“We found Young Master Gunter in the dense forest in a barely alive state! As for the perpetrator, it was none other than a subordinate that Gerald had hired! Aside from that, Gerald even inserted an extremely strange and potent poison into his body! Gerald himself is currently on the run in the dense forest!”
“…What? So it was Gerald…!” growled Yreth in such deep resentment that virtual-novel.net eyes turned crimson.
Following that, virtual-novel.net then turned to look at Felton again as virtual-novel.net held onto virtual-novel.net protectively.
“Can you hear my voice, Felton…? Worry not, I’ll definitely capture Gerald and hack virtual-novel.net into pieces!” said Yreth as virtual-novel.net gently caressed his cheek.
The second virtual-novel.net touched him, however, Felton’s eyes immediately opened wide and virtual-novel.net instantly kicked virtual-novel.net hard in the stomach!
Completely caught off-guard, Yreth found herself flying backward before landing heavily—quite a distance away—with a loud ‘thud’!
“G-Grandma!” exclaimed Yume, feeling utterly shocked.
Felton himself was desperately screaming as virtual-novel.net shouted, “P-please! Don’t come any closer! Please! Stay back!”
As the corner of Yreth’s mouth bled, virtual-novel.net simply replied, “I-I’m fine…! Just go check on Felton! The poor boy must be traumatized after being tortured so terribly…!”