Chapter 393

Rafael clutched his head and retched, spitting the meat from his mouth. All the energy seemed drained from his body as the snake continued to wag its tail. The snake looked vaguely familiar, but before he could place it, it lunged, striking his face and sending him flying. He crashed to the ground; the snake vanished in an instant. Before he could react, a searing pain shot through his other leg.

He panicked. This surge of pain felt like a punishment. He had raped women, peeped on women, and even attempted to defile Freya. Now the snake had castrated him, gnawing at his most prized possession. Blood dripped from his wounds, the pain unbearable. His left leg was broken, and now his right leg was succumbing. He had never felt so utterly lost.

"No! Odalys, save me!" Rafael cried, his voice hoarse with pain.

Odalys watched from a distance, a mocking smile on her lips. "Why should I save you?" she said calmly. "People like you deserve to die. Recognize that snake? It's the same one you tormented with a stick back in the village. Too bad I saved it. I'm guessing this little snake's visit means the giant python wants you dead."

Rafael’s face paled at the mention of the giant python. If that creature was involved, death would be the least of his worries. He thought, No wonder the snake seems familiar. It's from my village. But isn't that giant python supposed to be a guardian spirit? How could it let the snake out? Impossible. How could it come to Crownridge? It's so far away! He panicked, breathing hard. The surroundings felt eerily terrifying.

"Of course, it doesn't know the way," Odalys said with a playful smile, "but I left it your scent. It can find us by following it! You delivered yourself to my doorstep. It saw you, got excited, and took a bite."

Every word stung like a needle. At that moment, Rafael realized Odalys was the most dangerous person he had ever met. Before, he'd dismissed her threats as childish; now he was terrified.

"If you save me, I'll tell you anything you want to know! Just save me!" he pleaded, panicked.

He tried to stand, but his right leg was numb and agonizing. With a loud thud, he fell again, vaguely hearing his right leg bone snap. He realized his leg was useless. "No! How could this be? My leg!" he cried, clutching it in despair.

Freya felt a surge of satisfaction watching. Looking at Odalys, then into the darkness, she asked excitedly, "Odalys, did that little snake… was that lump of flesh… Rafael’s dick?!"

As soon as she finished, Francis strode forward, stripping Rafael to reveal the bloody wound. He frowned. "Checked. That thing is definitely gone. It was probably what the snake took."

Stellan, unable to contain his curiosity, moved closer. Seeing the bloody truth, his mouth twitched. He had a hunch the snake had a bizarre appetite. It went straight for Rafael's crotch. After biting it off, it spat it in his face. The thought made him clench his thighs. Offending women and snakes seemed like a death sentence.

"Let me see," Selah said, running over and craning her neck. Stellan quickly covered her eyes. "It's not a pleasant sight," he said irritably.

Selah rolled her eyes. "If the thing's gone, how bad could it be?"

Stellan fell silent, realizing she had a point. He wanted to retort but couldn’t.

"Well, do you feel better now?" Odalys asked Freya.

Freya smiled, throwing her wooden stick at Rafael. "Now I am finally over it. I didn’t expect him to end up like this, but why did he come and scare us in the middle of the night?"

Odalys explained in a low voice, "This man is useless to me now. I released him last night, thinking he would meet someone, but he was probably abandoned. Edie wanted to set me on fire this morning, but she failed. She probably contacted him to deal with you. If you're defiled in Film Capital, it'll make people think this place is haunted. Edie wants to get rid of everyone connected to the Stewart family. What he used was a Summon Spell, summoning wandering ghosts and inserting them into paper figurines. It's a lost, forbidden technique. I suspect the same person who made the Love Spell for the Bennetts made this."

The others were silent.

"Should we follow the clues, catch Rafael, and find the person who contacted him?" Francis asked.

Odalys said, "He's worthless. It's impossible to find the person behind him using him. Knowing he worked for Edie is enough. This man preyed on women, raped and killed. His legs are broken, and he's bitten by a snake. Though he won't die from poisoning, the bite will rot and stink. He'll go blind. Death is only a matter of time. We can punish him, but we don't need to kill him. Everyone has their own fate."

For Rafael, death would be a relief. The poison would blind him, and his body would rot and stink.