“Okay? This is what’s called a right straight punch.”
I draw my fist back to my side, drawing the bow like a spring, and release.
Fists colliding, his left arm is crushed, the bone breaking through the skin.
“Gyaaah! My arm, my arm!!”
“I believe this is how you quiet them down, right?”
“Gah…ugh…a…”
Mimicking how he silenced the slaves, I strike the man’s temple with force.
The violent rattling of his brain within the bone causes him to collapse, eyes rolled back.
The muscle-heads are done. Now, the thin-glasses one remains…
“I-I don’t know! I really have no idea about such a person!”
“I see. That’s unfortunate. Well then, you must be tired, so please rest easy.”
“No, no! Not the electric shocks agai–!”
Reina’s magic spell strikes him directly. The thin-glasses man convulses violently before losing consciousness.
“Ouga. They’re just lowly hired hands, working for the Andraus family for money.”
“…It’s no wonder they don’t know anything substantial.”
The predictable outcome.
Unfazed, I move on to the next phase.
“H-hey, you guys! Save us too!”
“Please, help us as well!”
With the threats gone, the slaves suddenly become noisy.
It’s understandable they’ve seen a glimmer of hope, but I don’t appreciate the ruckus.
Placing my finger to my lips, the clever ones quickly quiet down.
Searching the thin-glasses man, aha, there it is – the jail keys.
“Can you all follow my instructions?”
“Y-yes…!”
“Then, very well.”
I use the keys to open the slaves’ cells, breaking the handcuffs and shackles one by one as I explain.
“Those who want to be saved, board the wagon of the Vellet family waiting outside. They’ll take you to a safe place.”
“The Vellet family?! Does that mean you’re possibly…!”
“Hehe…You’d think I’d be the kind of person you imagine, in a place like this?”
They’ve realized my identity.
The commoners are suddenly struck with awe, trembling as they look down.
Their joy is fleeting – just when they thought they were saved before falling into the hands of nobles, the one rescuing them is the infamous scion of the Vellet family.
But I won’t allow any complaints.
“Don’t say another word. All of you, move out quickly.”
“…!?”
They seemed to want to say something, but I silence them and force their relocation.
Humans are the kind of beings who rely on others’ judgments most in crisis situations.
Their overwhelming desire to escape this place as soon as possible robs them of calmness and narrows their vision.
The slaves all file out without exception.
Hehe, I’ll have to go check each of their faces once we’re back in Vellet territory.
They’re potential gears to keep turning for my future.
“Well then, Ouga.”
“Ah. Let’s go rescue the imprisoned princess.”
Turning our backs to the door the slaves exited through, we leave the empty cell behind.
“There they are!?”
“No, it seems to be a miss.”
“Then, let’s head to the next one.”
“Yes…!”
With the door left open, we dash through the underground passageway.
The underground facility is a maze of interconnected small rooms, and we’re methodically searching through them all.
The reason we chose to search the underground rather than the surface is multifold.
On the Island, Frone also had a factory for the “Physique Enhancement Elixir” underground.
It wouldn’t be strange if the Andraus had hidden Alice in a similar way.
And I wouldn’t choose to simply leave someone as powerful as Alice on the surface where she could easily escape.
But that doesn’t mean we carelessly open every door either.
“…Isn’t this odd, Ouga?”
“Ah…there’s no one here…?”
It’s possible we’ve simply drawn a blank.
But some of the rooms we’ve opened so far still had signs of habitation.
The signs of recent human habitation were evident – a rumpled blanket, an unfinished liquor bottle on the table, and a framed photo of someone in a black outfit smiling back at us.
However, our paths hadn’t crossed with anyone yet.
“What’s happening here?”
“We can still turn back if you’re uncertain,”
“No, we’re almost there. Let’s keep moving,”
There was no room for hesitation. We had to remain steadfast.
We were aware that Andraus might have laid traps,
but we had entered the enemy’s territory nonetheless, bracing ourselves for the worst.
Suppressing my anxious thoughts, I cautiously pushed open the door before us.
To my surprise, only one door remained, leading onward.
“This must be it…”
If Alice wasn’t here, our mission would fail,
Andraus would has successfully outsmarted us, and Alice will fall into the clutches of Flone’s evil.
“Please let her be here, Alice!”
I silently prayed as I opened the door before us.
Beyond lay a vast underground shelter, carved deep into the earth.
We emerged onto a catwalk,
surrounded by bare gray walls resembling a prison.
And there she was, in the center – the very person we had been searching for.
“Alice!”
As I called out to her, she looked up.
Thankfully, she seemed conscious.
Disaster had been averted.
Eager to share my relief, I moved towards her, only to be met with Alice’s sword hurtling towards me.
“Huh?”
“[Lightning]!”
A lock of my hair danced in the air. Had Reina’s spell been a moment slower, it wouldn’t have just been my hair in the air but my head too.
The possibility of my own demise sent a shiver down my spine.
“Are you alright, Ouga?”
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Reina landed beside me.
Her gaze towards Alice was a mixture of anxiety and hostility.
Alice, too, held her sword ready, glaring sharply at us.
“Something isn’t right. She’s not restrained as a prisoner…”
Wait, what was happening?
The only words my bewildered mind could utter were her name.
“Alice…?”
“Alice, Alice. Who is this person you keep talking about?”
It felt like I had been struck in the head.
Her words hit me hard, making everything painfully clear. I understood now.
This wasn’t the Alice we knew – her behavior was unlike anything we’d seen from her. We knew what could cause such a change.
“Dark magic.”
Had Flone already…? No, we couldn’t have missed Flone’s presence.
Then how? Could Andraus have…?
Questions and possibilities keep coming up. The brain refuses to understand the current situation and tries to escape into thought.
Reality, however, is ruthlessly confronted us with only facts.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chris-Ragnica, the sword of Lord Jude-Andraus. As a knight, I will eliminate you intruders.”
The once vibrant crimson eyes now bore a murky darkness.
“Ouga! Stay with me!”
“…Ah, I’m fine now.”
A firm slap on my back snapped me out of it. Thanks to Reina’s encouragement, I regained my focus.
Before us stood the renowned master swordsman, a formidable foe far beyond our capabilities.
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She is also far superior to me in physical strength.
For me and Reina, there could be no more formidable enemy.
We will never win this fight if we are distracted.
We will die here for sure.
…Time to regroup.
Accepting that Alice was under mind control was the first step.
We had two options:
render Alice unconscious or use [Magical Burial] to dispel the dark magic.
Either way, a direct confrontation was inevitable.
“Heh heh… Close combat with Alice, huh.”
This wasn’t like our usual training; Alice would be deadly serious.
But I had an advantage
We’re going two-on-one with the support of my trusted sister.
“Reina. Can I count on you?”
“Without a doubt. I was afraid you’d forgotten about me.”
I’m motivated. It’s not a matter of if I can or not.
We had to do this to save Alice.
…It seemed our final, daunting mission lay ahead.
“I don’t have any [power Boost Elixir] left. Lightning magic is all I can use.”
“Understood. Let’s see how far we can go with this challenge.”
Saying that, I lightly tap my open palm towards Alice, keeping a steady rhythm by lightly bouncing.
This way, my muscles don’t stiffen, allowing me to respond instantly to my own timing or match hers – an all-purpose defensive stance.
“… Has the strategy meeting concluded?”
“I’m grateful you waited for us.”
“If you still need time to repent your sins, I’ll wait…”
“That won’t be necessary. There are no such plans in the future.”
“Then… become the rust on my sword.”
The pressure from the released killing intent. A stinging sensation throughout my body.
So this is the might of a serious Alice.
“Fast!”
The speed and momentum of her charge are almost disorienting, as if time has been sliced.
In a mere breath, she’s closed the distance, her sword swinging from the left, intent on cleaving me in two.
“Phew…”
I can’t take a direct hit. The bone in my arm would be taken with it.
I minimize contact, deflecting the flow of the sword and neutralizing the attack!
Following the sword’s trajectory, I slip my left hand inside, palm-striking the blade to change its angle from horizontal to vertical.
The redirected force of Alice’s attack results in the floor being split.
“…Tch!”
I involuntarily swallow my saliva. Even a glancing blow from that would be instantly fatal.
What’s terrifying is that this isn’t even the full extent of her sword skills – it’s just a regular attack.
Stamina-wise, I can’t keep this up indefinitely.
So I won’t waste the opportunity as she pushes the attack…!
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