In Another World, All Milfs Will Be Mine-Chapter 131: [ - - ] - Rat coming out of the hole

Chapter 131: [Chapter - 131] - Rat coming out of the hole

The secret escape tunnel beneath the Lord’s Keep smelled of damp earth, rat droppings, and panic. It was a narrow, claustrophobic passage that had been carved centuries ago for emergencies just like this, though it had likely never seen a Lord run through it with such pathetic desperation.

"Move!" Lord Caelum screamed, his voice echoing shrilly off the low ceiling. "Faster, you incompetent mules! If the monsters breach the keep before we are clear, I will have your heads!"

He was sweating profusely, his expensive silk robes stained with cobwebs and dirt. He wasn’t carrying anything. He was letting his personal guard do the heavy lifting.

Behind him, six guards struggled under the weight of heavy iron-bound chests filled with gold, jewels, and artifacts looted from the city treasury. They were panting, their boots slipping in the muck, sweat stinging their eyes.

"My Lord," one of the guards wheezed, pausing to adjust his grip on a heavy crate. "What about Lady Aliana? And Lady Seraphine? They aren’t with us. Shouldn’t we wait? The rendezvous point was—"

"They aren’t here!" Caelum shrieked, spinning around. His face was twisted with fear. "If they aren’t here, it means they are already dead! Or they are too stupid to survive! We do not wait for ghosts! Move!"

The guards exchanged dark looks. They were soldiers, trained to protect the Lord and his family. Hearing their liege abandon his wife and daughter without a second thought... it put a cold knot in their stomachs.

If he can leave his own blood to be eaten by monsters, the guard thought, gripping the handle of the gold chest tighter, what is he going to do to us when we get to the capital?

"But sir—" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I said MOVE!" Caelum kicked the guard in the shin. "Do not question me! I am the Lord of Auravale!"

The guard gritted his teeth, swallowing his rage, and heaved the crate forward.

Caelum turned back to the dark tunnel ahead, his mind fracturing. He was muttering to himself, a stream of hysterical nonsense.

"Malcom... oh, Malcom," Caelum whispered, wringing his hands. "Why didn’t you come? You said you’d be right behind me."

He pictured his beautiful, young Steward standing bravely in the Great Hall, directing the household guard to hold off the horde so his Lord could escape.

"My brave love," Caelum whimpered. "You sacrificed yourself for me. I will build a statue for you in the Capital. A gold one."

"Don’t look back," Caelum muttered, repeating Malcom’s final words to him. "Just run. Save the lineage. Save the gold."

The tunnel began to slope upward. Fresh air, cold and crisp, drifted down to meet the stale stench of the underground.

"The exit!" Caelum gasped. "We made it! We’re out!"

He scrambled up the final incline, slipping on loose stones, clawing his way toward the light like a rat climbing out of a sewer.

He burst out of the concealed cave entrance, stumbling into the late afternoon sun. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with freedom. They were a mile north of the city, hidden in a rocky ravine. The sounds of the monster raid were distant echoes here.

"Safe," Caelum laughed, a manic, high-pitched giggle. "We’re safe! Load the wagons! We ride for Ironhold!"

"Going somewhere, Lord Rat?"

The voice was casual. Relaxed. And completely terrifying.

Caelum froze. The laughter died in his throat.

He looked up.

Leaning against a large boulder near the exit, arms crossed, one leg crossed over the other, was a figure dressed in black. He had a piece of straw in his mouth, which he chewed on lazily.

It was Leo.

He didn’t look like a man who was worried about a monster apocalypse. He looked like he was waiting for a bus.

"You..." Caelum breathed, his eyes widening.

Leo took the straw out of his mouth and flicked it away.

"You guys are slow," Leo said, checking an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes. I almost fell asleep. Is that how you march? No wonder the city is burning."

"You!" Caelum screamed, pointing a shaking finger. "You bastard! You curse! I knew it! I knew you were a bad omen the moment you walked into my hall! You brought this plague on us!"

Leo laughed. "Me? Nah. I think you did that yourself when you decided to be a useless leader. I’m just the cleanup crew."

The six guards finally stumbled out of the tunnel, dropping the heavy chests with loud thuds. They drew their swords instinctively, but when they saw who it was, they hesitated. They knew this face. They knew the stories.

"Bandit Slayer," one guard whispered.

Caelum didn’t hear them. He was too busy vibrating with rage.

"You think you’re clever?" Caelum spat. "Standing there, judging me? I know about you, commoner. I know what you’ve been doing."

He took a step forward, trying to look intimidating.

"I know about the nights," Caelum hissed. "I know you’ve been sneaking into my wife’s bed. Do you think I’m blind? Do you think the servants don’t whisper?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. He didn’t look ashamed. He looked amused.

"Took you long enough," Leo smirked. "Though, to be fair, she was screaming pretty loud. I’m surprised they didn’t hear us in the next kingdom."

Caelum turned purple. "You admit it! You defiled my house! You touched my property!"

"Property?" Leo scoffed. "She’s a woman, Caelum. A woman you ignored for years. I just... picked up the slack. I provided a service you weren’t capable of."

Leo pushed off the boulder and took a step toward the Lord.

"Speaking of services," Leo said, his voice dropping to a mocking tone. "Where’s Malcom? Shouldn’t he be here holding your hand? Or did he realize the ship was sinking and grab a life vest?"

Caelum flinched. "Do not speak his name! He is a hero! He is holding the line!"

"Oh is that so?" Leo corrected brutally. "But tell me, Caelum. I’ve been dying to know."

Leo looked the Lord up and down, eyeing his soft hands and silk robes.

"In that little relationship... were you a giver? Or a taker?"

Caelum sputtered, speechless with indignation.

Leo shook his head, making a ’tsk’ sound.

"Actually, don’t answer that," Leo chuckled. "Looking at those hips? Definitely a taker. You don’t have the spine to give anything to anyone."

"KILL HIM!" Caelum shrieked, his voice cracking. He turned to his guards, waving his arms frantically. "Cut him down! Cut his tongue out! I want his head on a spike! Kill him now!"

The guards shifted. They gripped their swords. They looked at Leo.

Leo didn’t draw a weapon. He just stood there, looking at the six armed men.

[Skill: Dragon’s Presence - Activated]

A wave of cold, heavy pressure washed over the ravine. It wasn’t magic; it was pure, distilled killing intent. The guards felt it in their bones. They felt like prey standing in front of a predator that had eaten things much bigger than them.

"Think carefully, boys," Leo said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the air like a knife.

He walked slowly toward them, ignoring Caelum.

"Look at this man," Leo gestured to the Lord. "He’s running away. He’s leaving his wife, his daughter, and your families to die in a burning city while he smuggles gold out the back door."

"Do you really want to die for an asshole like that?" Leo asked.

The guards glanced at Caelum, then at the chests of gold.

"I’m giving you a choice," Leo said. "A generous one. Because I’m a nice guy."

He pointed back toward the city.

"You can drop those swords. You can turn around. You can go back and fight the monsters. Maybe you’ll live. Maybe you’ll die. But if you survive, you’ll have your honor. You might lose a limb, sure, but hey—disability pension, right? You’ll be heroes."

He paused, his eyes narrowing, the crimson ring of his Draconic Bloodline flaring faintly in his irises.

"Or," Leo growled, "You can listen to the Taker over there. You can try to fight me."

He spread his arms wide, exposing his chest.

"But I promise you," Leo whispered. "If you raise a blade against me, I won’t just kill you. I will shred you. I will take you apart so slowly you’ll be begging the monsters to eat you. You will remember the pain in your next life."

The silence stretched.

The guards looked at Leo. They saw the monster that had killed the Blackfang Elites.

They looked at Caelum. They saw a sweating, hysterical coward clutching a bag of jewels.

It wasn’t a hard choice.

Clatter.

The first guard dropped the handle of the gold chest.

"I have a sister in the city," he muttered.

He turned and started running back toward the tunnel.

Clatter. Thud.

The rest followed. They dropped the loot. They sheathed their swords. They didn’t look at Caelum. They just ran, fleeing the presence of the Dragon to fight the army of the dead. It seemed safer.

"Wait!" Caelum screamed, chasing after them for a few steps. "Come back! That is an order! I am your Lord! I pay you! Come back, you cowards!"

They didn’t stop.

Within seconds, Caelum was alone. Alone with the gold he couldn’t carry. Alone with Leo.

Leo stood amidst the abandoned treasure, shaking his head.

"Well," Leo said. "That’s embarrassing. Even your payroll hates you."

Caelum turned slowly. His face was a rictus of terror and psychotic rage. His mind had finally snapped.

"You..." Caelum hissed. "You took everything. My wife. My guards. My city."

He looked around wildly. He spotted a discarded short sword one of the guards had dropped in his haste.

Caelum grabbed it. He held it with two shaking hands. He had no stance. No skill. He looked like a child holding a stick.

"I will kill you myself!" Caelum screamed.

He charged.

It was pathetic. He ran awkwardly, his robes tangling in his legs, the sword wobbling in the air.

Leo watched him come. He didn’t even draw his daggers.

"This is just sad," Leo muttered.

Caelum swung the sword—a clumsy, overhead chop.

Leo stepped to the side. He didn’t dodge fast; he moved just enough. The blade hit the dirt.

Leo reached out and slapped Caelum across the face.

SMACK.

"That’s for Isolde," Leo said.

Caelum stumbled, his cheek burning. He swung again, a wild slash.

Leo caught Caelum’s wrist. He squeezed. Caelum shrieked as his bones ground together. The sword dropped.

"That’s for Seraphine," Leo growled.

He headbutted the Lord.

CRACK.

Caelum’s nose broke. Blood sprayed over his silk robes. He fell backward, landing on his ass in the dust. He scrambled backward, crying, blood bubbling from his nose.

"Please!" Caelum begged, holding up his hands. "Mercy! I have gold! Take it! Take it all! I’ll make you a Baron! I’ll give you Aliana! Just let me go!"

Leo walked over to him. He loomed over the fallen Lord.

"I don’t need you to give me anything, Caelum," Leo said cold. "I already took it."

He grabbed Caelum by the front of his robes and hauled him up to his feet. Caelum’s legs dangled uselessly.

"You’re not a Lord," Leo whispered. "You’re just a glorified accountant with a crown."

He spun Caelum around.

He drove his knee into Caelum’s stomach.

OOF.

Caelum doubled over, retching.

Leo grabbed the back of Caelum’s head.

"And this," Leo said, "Is for the bad hospitality."

He slammed Caelum’s face into the side of the stone boulder.

THUD.

It was a solid, final sound.

Caelum went limp instantly. His eyes rolled back. He slid down the rock face and collapsed into a heap in the dirt, unconscious and bleeding.

Leo stood over him. He checked for a pulse. Still alive. Just broken.

He looked at the chests of gold scattered around the clearing. He looked at the unconscious Lord.

He dusted off his hands.

"Task complete," Leo said.

** ** ** ** **