How to Stop the Villain from Going Crazy
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 19 - Who would be stupid enough to choose him? (1)
A sharp whistle came from the camp followed by a mass of bright light as if a serious fire had broken out.
The fog was getting thicker. The grayish-white fog looked tangible enough to swim through the tall cypress trees.
In less than a moment, the fire on the other side of the camp was hidden by the fog, and only a faint light could be seen from here.
However, that didn't necessarily bode well for them. The thicker the fog, the closer it was to dawn.
Bo Li regretted giving the pocket watch to the trainer to return to Mike. If she still had the watch, she could at least check the time.
Moreover, Erik didn't receive an apology or compensation after the watch was returned to Mike. People still thought he was a freak.
They were getting close to the stable. There were over ten horses stabled there, but most of them were draft horses and pack horses. Those horses were tall, bulky, and relatively slow. They were used to pulling carriages.
There was only one good horse in the circus. The manager called it Cesar.
It was a lean, powerful, white Arabian horse. Its physique was strong, healthy, and elegant. Its fur was as exquisite and smooth as satin. Under certain lighting, its hair even had a beautiful pearl-like luster.
Bo Li had gotten close to the stable boy and fed Cesar a few times. The horse was as spoiled as a pampered dog. It would only eat the juicy tips of carrots. It was also given fruit to eat after its main meal. A privilege that most humans in the circus didn't have.
After several attempts of trying to win Cesar over, she gave up on the idea of riding it to escape from the circus.
It was too spoiled. If it became unhappy, it might throw her off while running away.
And yet, Erik was able to easily lead Cesar out of the stable.
Bo Li couldn't believe her eyes.
The reason why she thought the horse was like a dog was because it would grimace like a dog when it ate something it didn't like.
The stable boy had said Cesar had bitten off the stable keeper's ear in a fit of anger.
From then on, she didn't dare to approach Cesar whenever she saw it bare its big, neat teeth.
But now, it seemed as if the horse sensed how dangerous Erik was. It didn't even dare to snort and let Erik tie the backpack to the back of the saddle.
Bo Li saw the shadow of herself in Cesar. They were the same; both afraid that Erik would stab them to death without warning.
Out of sympathy, she stroked its head.
Cesar didn't refuse her touch and even gently nuzzled her palm with its nose.
Erik didn't even look at them. He had already gotten onto the horse.
Bo Li was hesitant. She didn't know how to tell him that she had never ridden on a horse and had no idea how to get onto one.
Before she could think up a perfect pretext, Erik leaned over, placed his hands on the sides of her ribs, lifted her up, and onto the front of the saddle.
He rarely interacted with others and didn't know how to control his strength.
She felt fiery pain from his forceful grip, but she didn't dare to cry out in pain lest he increase his strength.
They couldn't continue like this. If they were going to partner up, he had to accept socialization training.
She didn't expect them to have conversations. She just wanted him to learn to control his strength when touching her. If their relationship got better, she would ask him to take a bath and what not.
Erik flicked the reins, and Cesar began to gallop.
Bo Li hastily grabbed the horn of the saddle. She was terrified that she would accidentally fall off. If the horse threw her off, Erik would never pick her up.
Meanwhile, the circus people seemed to realize they had stolen Cesar and fired several warning shots into the air.
It was only then that Bo Li understood why people in Los Angeles were so sensitive to loud sounds. People who hadn't been shot at would never understand the feeling of hearing guns going off behind them. It felt as if her heart had been whipped.
Bo Li comforted herself with the knowledge that guns weren't accurate in this era. Even if they were in a brightly lit place, the shooters might not be able to hit them. Moreover, the fog was so thick.
That thought had only flashed through her mind when she heard a few gunshots followed by a bullet that hit near the side of the horse's hoof.
Under Erik's control, Cesar only neighed in fear and didn't rear back to throw them off.
Bo Li's back felt clammy. She felt like her heart had leapt up to her throat and blood was frantically rushing to her temples. She almost collapsed back into Erik's chest.
Having gotten to this point, she didn't care what Erik was thinking. She turned around and burrowed into his arms, treating him like a meat shield to block the bullets.
Surprisingly, Erik didn't push her away.
She could hear his heartbeat. His eyes were cold and empty, but his heartbeat was fast and powerful. It was like a powerful hydraulic machine that unceasingly transported hot blood to every part of his body.
She actually felt warmth and safety in his arms, but that mood was quickly broken.
A horse-drawn vehicle suddenly appeared in front of them. It wasn't a carriage, but a cart used to transport goods. It blocked their path.
On the cart, a guard aimed his gun at them and shouted, "Stop! Stop or I'll shoot!"
For a few moments, Bo Li's mind went blank. She felt like she had fallen into icy water. Her hands and feet felt paralyzed, and she couldn't react.
Her mind couldn't process what was happening. No matter how much she tried to stay calm or how quick her mind worked, she was just an ordinary person. She didn't have the ability to deal with the current situation.
She could only watch as they were about to collide with the cart when Erik suddenly yanked the reins.
Cesar reared back on its hind legs and neighed. The scene in front of her spun. She could only tightly hug Cesar's neck in panic.
Cesar was panting and sweating. It seemed as panicked as her.
However, Erik repeatedly pulled the reins, leaned forward, squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, and actually calmed it down!
Bo Li was just about to sigh in relief, but what happened next was something she would never forget.
Erik threw out a rope as fast as lightning, lassoed the guard's neck with incredible precision, and violently yanked the rope back!
No one knew how he controlled the rope or how terrible his strength was. He actually tore off the guard's head!
Bo Li hated that her vision was so good. She could see the guard's neatly broken neck and the exposed bright red muscles and white spine.
Erik's eyes were calm as he slowly drew the rope back.
Bo Li saw a piece of flesh stuck on the rope and almost threw up.
She closed her eyes, turned her head, and tried her best to not look at that bloody scene.
She had watched so many horror movies, but witnessing such a frightening scene was still too shocking. The splattered blood was so real, so dark, and so warm. She could hear the blood spurting out. It was being carried by the wind and congealing like gelatin.
Erik appeared calm, but she could hear his heart beating extremely fast. He seemed to be indescribably excited.
Bo Li tried her best to weaken her presence. She was afraid that he would discover there was a living creature in his arms and snap her neck.
Erik didn't look at her. He was looking at the rifle that had fallen next to the guard.
After many seconds had passed, Bo Li tidied up her horror and was barely able to regain her composure. "Do you want to pick it up?"
Erik didn't answer, but he dismounted and picked it up.
She watched him quickly and professionally release the magazine and reload the gun.
Even though she had seen this sort of thing many times, Bo Li still felt shocked. His ability to learn was beyond ordinary people. His brain was amazing.
Just as it was written in the original work, if it wasn't for his strange appearance, he could become a world-famous inventor and magician.
Bo Li didn't want to be so lacking in courage, but she was really glad that he only expressed his thoughts with a dagger when they first met instead of ripping off her head.
After Erik finished checking the gun, he began to check the guard's pockets.
Bo Li didn't know how long it would take him to finish. She was afraid and wanted to get off the horse and go to his side.
But unfortunately, she didn't know how to dismount.
She didn't have any training in horse riding. If she recklessly dismounted, it might scare the horse. If that happened, the lightest consequence would be losing her backpack. It was very likely that falling off the horse would break her neck.
She didn't understand why Erik left her on the horse. Was he testing her?
Was he testing to see if she would turn the horse around and abandon him?
But, she had no idea how to ride a horse!
T/N: Next part will be posted on August 19th at 11:15 PM EST.