War God’s Gentle Vow のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 39

The man on Drake's right stepped forward. He cracked his neck to the left. Then to the right. Then he cracked his knuckles, slowly and deliberately, one hand at a time. He looked at Andrew the way someone looks at a problem they have already solved. "You are lucky today," he said. "Most people never get the honor of dying by my hands. Consider yourself special." Andrew took a slow breath. His heart was beating faster than he wanted it to. He kept his face steady, lowered into his fighting stance, and moved first. He crossed the room in three fast steps — and hit nothing. The man was not there anymore. Andrew stopped. He looked to his left. To his right. Then he heard a voice directly behind him. "Looking for me?" Andrew spun around. The man was standing right behind him, his hands relaxed at his sides, with no sense of fear on his face. "So," the man said. "How would you like to die? The Voss family is giving you a choice. That is more than most people get." Drake sat back i

Alexander arrived at the Voss residence a few minutes later.He had barely reached the entrance when Ryan pushed past him and spun around, pointing. "You just wait right there—" He turned toward the door, already calling out for Drake's men to come and put this man on his knees before he set foot inside.But Ryan was stopped at the door before he could get through."I'm sorry, sir. You are not permitted to enter."Ryan stared at the guard. "I have been here twice already. Do you not recognize me? I am Young Master Drake's friend.""Young Master Drake did not mention you, sir. You will have to wait outside."Ryan opened his mouth to argue. Alexander stepped forward." All of you, I am here to settle an account with your Young Master," Alexander said. He looked at the guards one by one, slowly. "That has nothing to do with any of you. But if you decide to get in the way—" he paused, "don't say I didn't warn you.""How dare you—" one of the guards started.Then a group of men came out fr

Drake stepped forward with both hands in his pockets, shaking his head slowly. “I have never met anyone as arrogant as you in my entire life. He didn’t wait for a reply. His right hand shot up, fast and hard, aimed straight at Alexander’s jaw.” But the blow never landed. Alexander caught his wrist mid-swing — not with effort, not with strain, but with the kind of lazy precision that made it look like he’d known before Drake had even decided to throw it. His fingers closed around Drake’s wrist like iron. Drake stared at his own hand, held there like it had hit a wall. “You are standing in front of death itself,” he said, his voice dropping low, “and you are still pulling this? What is wrong with you?” Behind Alexander, Nadia was pinching him in the back, hitting him with her knuckles, whispering urgently. “What are you doing? Do you not value your life? Do you not care about any of us right now?” Alexander didn’t answer her. He didn’t even glance back. His eyes stayed locked on Drake —

At the Meridian headquarters, the mood had shifted from impatience to something closer to suspicion. The contract should have been on their desk by now. It wasn't. No call, no update, no explanation. Ryan Cole — heir to the Lucas Cole, heir to the Meridian Group and son of Raymond Cole, had just set foot back in the country since the last time he left. He had held onto his father’s promise—that Elena would be brought to choose him willingly, rather than being forced into his arms. He had returned believing he would be officially taking his place beside his bride. Instead, he stood here looking as though the journey to win her heart had not even begun. He sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the empty space in front of him. "Why hasn’t she come?" he muttered, leaning back slowly into his chair. "The contract was simple. All she had to do was sign it. A single day should have been more than enough." He turned the thought over in his mind, the silence of the room only feeding his frustr

"Let's check a few things we can buy for Grandpa," she said, easing the car toward the old quarter."Go straight here. Then at the junction ahead, take the road on your left."Across the city, Ryan had been at the window long enough for the drink to go warm in his hand. The door opened behind him. "Young master."He turned slowly. He had waited all day for this man to come back with something, and now that he finally had, Ryan made him stand a second longer."Speak." He tipped the glass and drank the rest of it down.The agent kept his eyes on the floor. "I think your fiancée just got married, sir. They signed the papers this afternoon."The glass left his hand before he knew he'd moved. It burst on the marble, shards skating across the floor, liquor spreading dark toward the couch. "Who." He said. "Who dares look down on me? Whoever he is, is he begging for a grave?"The agent swallowed. "Sir. I heard they're preparing a banquet for the grandfather's birthday. For the grandfather's