IPUAVNP Chapter 128

Episode 128

 

The man watched with amusement as Brody’s face hardened like a corpse, realizing that she had figured out his identity. His eyes gleamed with exhilaration.

“Leonit Baldwin. Even a rabbit living in the remote mountains must have heard my name, right?”

Brody felt her body stiffen with fear, her paws clenching tightly.

This man was the eldest son of Ascal Baldwin, the leader of the lion clan.

Of course, Brody knew who he was.

In the original story, his name frequently appeared in descriptions of his deadly encounters with Kyle—clashes that constantly troubled Roden.

Finally, the pieces fell into place.

Leonit Baldwin had suffered numerous losses at Kyle’s hands. Naturally, his retaliation involved abducting Brody, who was rumored to be Kyle’s lover.

Realizing this, Brody’s mouth went dry. Leonit clearly intended to use her to cause trouble for Kyle and Roden. That couldn’t be allowed.

Though her body trembled, Brody bit down on her fear and spoke in a steady voice.

“I’m supposed to be Kyle Roden’s lover? Your information must be wrong. I have no relationship with him.”

Unfortunately, Brody was unaware of what had transpired between Kyle and Leonit just hours earlier.

At her words, Leonit burst out laughing. “Pfft, hahahaha!”

But before his laughter subsided, his expression turned cold. Without warning, he grabbed Brody and flung her across the room.

“Ahhh!”

Her body slammed into the wall before falling to the floor with a thud.

As she struggled to regain her composure, Leonit approached, placing his foot firmly on her neck.

“Who do you think you’re fooling? No relationship? Then are you saying Kyle Roden rushed into my territory, desperate to save someone he has no connection to?”

Brody flinched at his words.

‘Kyle… came here to save me?’

Leonit sneered as he continued, pressing his foot down harder.

“He showed quite the display of love, I’ll give him that. So, I made sure to crush him completely. Like this.”

“Ugh!”

As his foot dug into her, he spoke coldly.

“So don’t even think about lying or trying to pull tricks. Unless you want to end up like that *****, you’d better behave. There’s still a lot we can squeeze out of Roden through you.”

After his threat, Leonit lifted his foot and turned to leave the cell. But as he was stepping out, he felt a faint tug on the hem of his pants.

Turning his head, he smirked. The rabbit had crawled over, clutching his pant leg with trembling hands.

“What… did you do to Kyle? What have you done to him?!”

Her voice was desperate, but her plea didn’t reach him.

Leonit simply looked at her and mocked,

“How touching.”

With that, he shook her off and left the cell.

The heavy door slammed shut with a bang, plunging the room into darkness.

“Cough, cough!”

Brody groaned in pain from being kicked and thrown into the wall. Yet all she could think about was Kyle.

*‘Unless you want to end up like that *****…’

That one sentence sent her into a complete panic. Her body began trembling like a leaf in the wind.

‘Kyle… he’s not… he’s not really dead, is he? He must have just been bluffing, right?’

Even as she tried to steady herself, fear gnawed at her, and tears threatened to spill.

Just then, a quiet voice called out.

“Hey, rabbit!”

Brody’s drooping ears perked up instantly.

It was a familiar voice.

“Hey! Are you there?”

The second time she heard it, she recognized the voice. It was Kernels’s.

“K-ern… Ugh!”

Trying to turn toward the window where his voice came from, Brody winced as sharp pain shot through her shoulder.

Hearing her groan, Kernels shouted urgently from outside.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

He tried to peer inside, shoving his head between the bars, but the narrow window wouldn’t allow it.

Frustrated, he called out again, his voice filled with concern.

“Are you okay?”

Whether out of affection or frustration, Kernels seemed genuinely worried about the tiny rabbit enduring such harsh conditions.

Eventually, Brody managed to respond weakly, her voice trembling with urgency.

“Where’s Kyle? Is Kyle okay?”

At her immediate concern for Kyle, Kernels let out a sigh.

Seeing how both of them prioritised each other’s safety, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

He swallowed his rising emotions as he thought of his gravely injured master but forced himself to reply.

“Kyle is fine. Don’t worry about him.”

“Is he really okay?”

Brody’s doubtful voice cut through his answer, and Kernels realized that any further reassurance might give away the truth.

Avoiding her question, he quickly glanced around and spoke.

“I don’t have much time to talk. Here, take this.”

Reaching into a hidden pouch under his wing, he pulled out a small metal pick and pushed it through the bars.

“What… is this?”

Brody lifted her head to look at the pick that fell in front of her.

Kernels whispered urgently.

“Listen to me carefully from now on…”

He then began to relay the instructions he’d been given by Alexander and the elders.

Brody’s face hardened as she listened to Kernels’s instructions from outside the window.

Everything he explained were tasks she would have to accomplish alone until Roden’s people arrived to rescue her.

After hearing everything, Brody looked at Kernels outside the window with an uncertain expression.

However, her vulnerable state wasn’t visible to Kernel, who spoke coldly,

“You have to do this without a single mistake. Did you understand everything I said?”

Failure wasn’t an option. 

Reluctantly, Brody responded,

“…Yes, I understand.”

Even though she lacked confidence, she repeated it ¹Failure was not an option.to herself as if trying to convince herself she could do it.

At that moment, a voice called out to Kernels, who was hanging by the window.

“Kernels! The scouts will be here soon! You need to get down now!”

Kernels looked down at the towering prison wall.

Far below, a meerkat was gesturing urgently for him to descend.

This meerkat, a spy from Roden’s forces who lived in Baldwin’s plains, had been the one to locate Brody’s prison and lead Kernels there.

The meerkat’s gestures were frantic. Though worried about leaving Brody alone, Kernels knew he had to return to Kyle as soon as possible.

He quickly said his goodbyes.

“Stay alive until we meet again, rabbit.”

“Wait, Kernels!”

Brody called out. But before she could ask more about Kyle, Kernels had already flown off, disappearing from sight.

A sigh escaped her lips as she watched him leave.

“Kyle…”

Brody’s face clouded with worry.

She was terrified of her current situation and what lay ahead, but none of that outweighed her concern for Kyle.

She hoped with all her heart that he was safe.

She didn’t care what happened to herself—she just prayed that Kyle was unharmed. That was the only wish she had in this moment.

 

***

 

The next morning.

“Lord Abel!”

Kernels flew in a hurry toward Abel, who was preparing to depart on horseback.

He had a heavy envelope in his claws.

“A letter from those lions has arrived!”

As soon as Kernels received the letter, which had been delivered to the council, he had flown straight to Abel.

Handing it over, Abel tore it open and began reading the contents atop his horse.

As expected, Baldwin had written down his demands in excruciating detail.

As Abel read through the absurd requests, a bitter laugh escaped him before his expression turned into quiet anger.

Ascal Baldwin had once again made unreasonable and shameless demands.

He not only sought to reinstate previously nullified agreements but also demanded unrestricted passage through Roden’s lands and ownership of the western territory they frequented in the summers.

It was a letter anyone else might have torn to shreds upon reading, but Abel remained calm, eventually setting his emotions aside.

“Still no word from Father?”

Kernels nodded glumly.

Alexander, who had gone north on a covert mission, had yet to return, so they had to hold off on responding.

Abel folded the letter back into the envelope and spurred his horse onward. He was heading to a small cabin on the outskirts of the village of Nort.

Upon arrival, he dismounted and entered the cabin.

The air was thick with the smell of unfamiliar herbs.

“You’re here.”

A middle-aged man in a black tunic greeted him, stepping out from behind a curtained area.

Abel asked urgently,

“How is my brother?”

The man, a mage with dark circles under his eyes from tending to Kyle’s injuries all night, replied quietly,

“His overall condition isn’t good. The wounds are all stitched, but he lost too much blood… He’ll need to remain bedridden for at least two weeks to recover.”

Abel walked to where Kyle lay.

Pulling back the curtain carefully, he saw Kyle lying on the bed. His body was drenched in cold sweat, and although the wounds had been closed, they left deep, gruesome scars behind.

The sight made Abel clench his eyes shut. Kyle’s labored breathing filled the room, making Abel’s heart ache with unease.

Sitting by the bed, Abel buried his face in his hands and let out a painful sigh.

He was deeply worried about his brother.

Kyle would never admit it, but Abel knew how much Kyle cared about him.

It was genuine.

That’s why Abel had stood by Kyle’s side, raising his voice against the lions and helping to punish them to save Brody.

Of course, a big part of it was because Brody had once saved Zelda, but equally significant was the fact that she was the one person Kyle loved. The only one who brought warmth to his brother’s heart.

That was why Abel had been so determined to rescue her.

Even if Kyle would never realize how Abel truly felt, Abel didn’t care.

After a while, Kyle stirred slightly, his heavy breathing easing as he whispered weakly.

“…Abel.”