Chapter 239

Chapter Twenty-Six Eyes

What?

What did he say… What does that mean…

I was a bit disoriented, my small head still not fully awake from the drowsiness. I just stared blankly at the drunk man in front of me, my hands unconsciously covering my chest, my eyes filled with a sense of helplessness and bewilderment.

The man continued to advance in my line of sight. His face, yellowish like wax paper, was muddled by alcohol and the dim light of the tavern, constantly changing colors. His large pores were densely packed on his pitted cheeks and nose. I felt a chill, stepping back another small step.

Seeing my movement, the man in front of me opened his mouth and laughed.

“Haha! Miss, don’t be afraid. I am a knight, a warrior of the royal city!”

He spoke as if he had a lisp, suddenly hiccupping mid-sentence. The strong smell of alcohol, mixed with the stench of rotten fish, hit me. I quickly held my breath, raising my hand to cover my mouth and nose.

“Hehe.”

The man chuckled again.

His breathing was heavy, his bloodshot eyes fixed on my face, a strong and urgent desire in his gaze… as if he wanted to devour me.

“Please come with me! Give me a chance to… to show affection to this beautiful lady…”

Bang.

I had already retreated to the bar counter, my back lightly bumping against the edge.

Show affection…

My sluggish brain took half a second to understand what he meant.

What kind of joke is this… This guy wants to…

I widened my eyes in shock, my mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word.

Damn…

Every hair on my body seemed to stand on end.

Even though I had long accepted my current gender and identity, unbeknownst to myself, I gradually came to accept the fact that I, known as Peylo or Sylvieja, could live safely in this world.

Even so, I never imagined that one day a man would express love to me.

And it’s this smelly drunkard.

This feeling is truly repulsive. It’s like swallowing a mouthful of flies, leaving only a sticky, nauseating sensation, making me want to vomit.

Too disgusting.

Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting…

Suddenly, seeing me standing still, the drunk man grinned and spread his arms, lunging towards me.

What is he doing… He wants to hug me!

“Ayaaaaa—!!!”

My entire body trembled, my mouth wide open, letting out a frantic scream.

I was genuinely terrified.

It felt as if my scalp was struck by a powerful electric current, “buzzing” with shock. Shocked, angry, humiliated, and frightened… all these complex emotions erupted from my chest like a volcanic eruption.

Everything in front of me suddenly slowed down.

In my vision, the detestable face of the drunk man twitched slightly with his movements. The plump woman behind the side bar was about to come out but froze, her face showing an expression of shock. Nearby, the guests who were sitting, standing, or preparing to cheer had their hands holding bacon beer, their faces frozen in surprise and excitement.

I closed my eyes and swung my fist forward.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

Clatter—

After a brief groan, all I heard were the loud sounds of overturned tables and chairs, the clattering of dishes and glasses breaking on the floor. Time seemed to flow again, and the entire tavern exploded in chaos after a moment of silence.

“My God!”

“What? Am I drunk? What did I see…”

“Just one punch, and John the drunkard flew away…”

“Thank the gods, who is this girl…”

“Hey, isn’t John dead…”

“Who should report this to the Arbitration Bureau…”

I slowly opened my eyes.

The drunk man was nowhere to be seen. Instead, several overturned tables and chairs lined up in a straight line. Next to the chairs, a few people lay sprawled, rolling around in the spilled soup and debris.

He was moaning. At the end of the overturned tables and chairs, there was a man leaning against the broken wall of the tavern, his head hanging down as he sat motionless on the ground.

I recognized him as the drunk man who had been standing in front of me just moments ago.

I attacked him…

The previous blow was merely an instinctive reaction caused by my extreme resistance.

I didn’t mean to…

But I was frightened, and I wasn’t sure if I had held back or not.

“John!”

His friend rushed over, lifting his body and then flipping open his eyes, trembling as he extended two fingers to check his nose.

“He’s still breathing…”

My heart relaxed, and my tense shoulders slumped.

“Miss, you…”

I heard the slightly trembling voice of the fat woman. I turned around to look at her face, now distorted with shock and fear, and lowered my head slightly.

“I’m sorry.”

Buzzing…

My mind was in chaos, like countless insects were buzzing inside my consciousness, and the images before me began to blur.

My body felt hot, as if I had been thrown into hot water.

“Miss, your eyes…”

?

I shook my head hard.

What about my eyes?

I reached out to rub them, blinked forcefully, and looked closely. The fat woman’s face became even more blurred.

“My eyes… they changed color… they’re blood red…”

The fat woman seemed very afraid.

The men in the tavern were shouting continuously, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Their voices gradually sounded like they were coming from a distant dream, indistinguishable between reality and illusion.

I didn’t know what was happening to me. But I knew I couldn’t stay here any longer.

“Boss…”

I took a few gold coins from my purse and placed them on the bar without counting.

“This is compensation. I’m sorry… I have to leave, I feel too awful…”

I really felt terrible. Staggering toward the exit of the tavern, I stopped and turned back after taking two steps.

“That man.” I pointed to where the drunk man had fallen and said to the fat woman, “Take him to the church and tell them… Silvija, please treat her…”

After saying this, I continued walking forward.

Whoosh—

As I passed, those men who had previously mocked me as a weak lady now seemed to see me as a fierce beast, frantically retreating. I even heard the sound of dishes and glasses breaking.

No one dared to stop me.

I stumbled to the door of the tavern, and just as I raised my hand to push it open, I suddenly heard the fat woman call out behind me.

“Miss, your deer leg! Take it with you…”

The deer leg had just finished cooking.

The fat woman still seemed a bit scared, trembling as she handed me the wrapped large piece of meat. I couldn’t see her expression, but I could smell the aroma of roasted meat.

I reached out to take the deer leg, holding it close to my chest, and bit into it without caring about the heat, tearing off a few pieces and quickly running out of the tavern.

“Are you! Miss Silvija—”

I heard the fat woman’s brave shout from far away, but I wouldn’t answer her anymore.

I was already dizzy and exhausted beyond measure.

My whole body felt like it was burning, so hot that it felt like flames would burst out if I opened my mouth. I ran quickly, swallowing the unchewed meat in my mouth, opening my mouth wide and biting down again.

I couldn’t even see the shape of the deer leg clearly. The streets of the royal city appeared hazy to me, the city lights blurring into vague patches of light. It felt like I was running through a mirage.

I want to go home… Quickly go home…

Plop.

Something tripped me up, and my body flew up uncontrollably, falling to the ground. The deer leg in my arms slipped out and flew far away, with one landing in the drainage ditch by the sidewalk.

“Mmm…”

My knees burned with pain.

I struggled to get up, picked up the remaining dusty deer leg, took a bite, and continued running.

By the time I returned to the mansion, even my breath was starting to tremble.