"Hey, can this girl really be sold?" a rough and heavy voice asked inside the cabin.
"Look at her face," another man replied.
"Hmm, she does look pretty good, but she is too young. Not my taste," the rough voice said with a dismissive grunt.
"Who cares about your taste?" the second man snapped back. "This girl is one of the Eastern people, a race that fled long ago and is nearly extinct now. She might be one of the last of them. If we sell her to the perverts in the Royal Capital, we will definitely get a high price."
"But this girl's father didn't look like one of those Eastern people," the rough voice muttered.
"That is why her mother is the key, you idiot," a third voice said. His tone was hoarse and clearly irritated. "You almost killed her earlier because you panicked."
"Is that my fault?" the rough voice shouted defensively. "If Lord Digg's deal fails, which one of you can take responsibility?"
The room fell silent.
After a moment, a fourth man finally spoke.
"Enough arguing. Once the rain stops, we leave immediately. After that..."
Knock. Knock.
A sudden knock echoed from the door.
Outside the window, I slowly inhaled and drew an Enchanted Arrow from my quiver. My fingers tightened around the bowstring as I listened.
Inside the cabin, the men fell quiet for several seconds.
Then the door creaked open.
"Kid, what are you doing here?" the rough voice asked suspiciously.
"It's raining and I got lost in the forest. I saw this house so..." Eren's voice answered.
"Ah, little friend, wandering alone in the forest is..."
The man suddenly stopped speaking.
"I understand. Thank you, Uncle," Eren said politely.
The door closed again.
I drew the bowstring fully, exhaled slowly, and tensed every muscle in my body.
Then everything happened at once.
"What?!"
The hoarse man shouted in alarm. Footsteps rushed toward the door.
The door swung open.
"Jax!" Eren roared.
A sharp sound followed, the unmistakable noise of a blade piercing flesh.
I rose instantly beneath the window. My spiritual focus locked onto two targets inside the room.
The bowstring snapped forward.
Crash!
The arrow shattered the glass and shot straight into one man's skull, entering through his right temple and exiting the left.
Without stopping, the arrow curved through the air and buried itself into the throat of the second man.
I did not even watch them fall.
My hand flicked forward as I threw an Exploding Talisman Card. The blast shattered the remaining glass and cleared the opening.
I leaped through the window.
At the same moment, my hand drew the dagger from my waist. I threw it with full force at the third man.
The blade pierced directly through his head, dropping him to the ground instantly.
Three enemies fell in a single exchange.
A triple kill.
Ignoring the bodies, I stepped forward and helped Mikasa sit up. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and used the sharp tip to slice through the ropes binding her wrists.
Then I pulled her into my arms.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I came too late."
Mikasa burst into tears. Her small body trembled against me.
"Jax... Father and Mother... they..." she choked out between sobs.
I tightened my arms around her.
"I know," I said softly. "But you still have me."
Footsteps approached behind us.
Eren walked over and handed the dagger to Mikasa.
"My name is Eren Yeager, son of Dr. Yeager. You might remember me," he said. Then he glanced toward the corner of the room. "One of them is still alive. Do you want to take revenge yourself?"
Mikasa slowly lifted her head and accepted the dagger.
I gently released her.
"Go," I said. "Avenge your parents."
"You think just the two of you can stop me?" the wounded man groaned as he forced himself upright. He leaned against the wall, clutching his bleeding stomach.
His face twisted with hatred as he glared at Mikasa.
"Do you dare?"
Mikasa took a frightened step backward. She gripped the dagger with both hands as tears continued streaming down her face. Her whole body shook uncontrollably.
"Fight!" Eren shouted. "Think about what he did to your parents!"
Mikasa screamed.
Her foot slammed into the floor, shattering a wooden plank beneath it.
In the next instant, she rushed forward and drove the dagger straight into the man's heart.