Author's note: Couldn't come up with a fitting title, feel free to suggest a better one for this chapter. I also read through some older chapters and found a bunch of embarrassing typos, missing words etc. >.

Chapter 15: Still in the Mine

Paul decided to conduct a quick search of the room. First, he checked the corpse of the witch and found a silver necklace with a blue stone and a plain silver ring on her.

There were a few silver and copper coins on the table and Paul collected them into his own bag, along with the jewellery. The documents on the table looked like a ledger and some notes, but nothing that looked interesting on first glance.

He then went to the chest and opened it. At first, he was disappointed, because there wasn’t much in it, but he took out the items and arranged them on the bed. There was a silver dagger in a sheath, wrapped in soft leather. The handle had an intricate silver design of a rose on a shield, and the sheath had a matching crest on it.

There was also a golden ring with a similar crest, but it was even more detailed and mirrored compared to the one on the dagger. Although he had never seen one before, Paul assumed that it was noble’s seal.

There was also a small coin bag with a few gold coins and a several large silver coins in it. Jackpot! He removed most of the coins and put them in his own pocket, then collected the books from the bookshelf. There were only a handful, and most had no description on the cover. He would check them out later.

The closet was mostly empty, except for a few spare robes and simple clothes that didn’t seem to have any magical properties. He took two robes with him. Paul looked for any hidden stashes, but couldn’t find anything noteworthy or suspicious.

He did not expect to have a more opportunities for looting after freeing the prisoners, so he went back to the bandits he captured earlier. Brian was still not moving, but the interface told him that he was still alive and not losing health anymore. He would probably have a bad concussion though.

Elisabeth looked up at Paul when she heard him entering the room. Paul first the books he was carrying into a medium-sized leather bag, then sat down next to the female bandit and removed the rope and cloth gagging her. Even if she screamed, no one would come. She kept silent though, and was still [scared].

“So, let me tell you first that you two are the only lucky survivors of your gang. There is no one else left” Paul waved knife that still had some blood on it in front of her. The bandit looked scared, but more like she was afraid of the knife than by the fact that the other bandits had died.

“What I want you to tell me, is if there are any valuables hidden around this place. Before you answer, know that your life depends on whether or not you are helpful to me.”

Paul had no intention to hurt the terrified girl any more than he already had, but he rather put on an act now than prove a point if she decided to defy him.

After a few seconds, the girl started talking “Please, I will tell you everything I know. Just… please don’t hurt me.”

“As I said, it depends on what you can tell me. So better think hard. Even if it is something you think is unimportant, I want to hear it.”

“Yes… you want money, right. Most of the money is collected by our leader, Rosalie. She keeps track of everyone’s belongings and if you need your money, you can talk to her and she will give it to you.”

It struck Paul as a rather smart system. The leader was acting as a bank, so the bandits wouldn’t be able to steal from each other. If someone was killed or captured, the money would stay with the group. Paul wondered if he had already found the stash, or if there was more hidden in the leader’s room. The coins he had found were definitely more than just a few, considering the size of the coins and everything he learned so far, he estimated to have around 400 or 500 small silver coins worth of money in his bag.

“Everything else is basically stashed here in this room, but it is mostly equipment and food. Some of the members of our group might have secretly hidden some valuables around the area, but I don’t know where. I have all my money with Rosalie” Elizabeth seemed to be eager to tell him what she knew.

Paul patted her on the head. “Good girl. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? What do you know about the bandits’ contacts in Prozor?”

Elizabeth looked puzzled “I know that sometimes items were sold and bought in the town nearby, but I never left the forest after I joined. That’s all I know, I swear.” She started crying.

Paul patted her on the head once again. “It’s OK. Just wait here for a bit, I will be back soon. And I won’t hurt or kill you or your friend over there if you continue to behave. If he wakes up, make sure to tell him.”

“Yes, I will.” The scared bandit was definitely submissive. Paul thought about training her as a pet later, but after being reminded of the terrible state of the girls in the dungeon, he dismissed the thought, grabbed the two robes and went to the girls next door.

The wolf girl had seemingly calmed down after Paul freed the other girl, and was now indicated by a yellow dot on the radar. She looked up at Paul when he entered the room.

“I’m back. There are no more enemies around, so it is safe now. I have also brought clothes for you.”

“Untie me, so I can take care of the young mistress” the wolf-kin spoke to Paul. Paul cut the rope on her wrists, then the rope on her feet. He handed her both robes.

“Please wear those. I’m sorry for not freeing you earlier, but I was afraid you might walk around and get hurt needlessly.”

“…I can take care of myself…” The wolf girl spoke. Paul was tactful enough not to remind her that she was captured and incarcerated by the same guys earlier. Judging from her sad looks, she seemed to have remembered that fact by herself.

“Let me introduce myself again, my name is Paul. May I ask your name?” he already knew that her name was Kana, but it would have been rude and suspicious not to ask first. He also knew that the other girl was called Charlotte Rosenheim, a rare case of a person with a surname. Her level was a ridiculously low 4, but she was still rather young, 18 at the very best.

The wolf girl had first carefully dressed the other girl with one of the robes, then stood up and spoke to Paul in a polite tone, “My name is Kana, a bound servant of the honourable house of Rosenheim”

Paul was didn’t know where to look, because Kana faced him while still completely naked. While wondering if beast-kin in general were not concerned about wearing clothes or if this particular girl just had a nudist streak, he noticed a small tattoo around her belly button. It was about 10 cm in diameter and looked somewhat like a magic circle you would expect in an anime or fantasy game, but without a pentagram in the middle.

Beneath the circle was the name Rosenheim written in the common letters of this world.

“I thank you very much for releasing the young mistress and this servant” Kana continued.

“Ahh, no problem. But please, you can wear the robe I gave you. I don’t want you to catch a cold”

Kana got dressed and picked up the young noblewoman with ease. Paul had carried the girl over earlier, so he knew she was light, but the wolf girl carried her like it was nothing. Paul was impressed and glad that he didn’t carelessly free her while she was still hostile.

“I want to leave this place as soon as possible, Mr Paul. Did you also free the master? He should have been somewhere nearby.”

“No, but I think I saw something like a prison earlier. Do you want to follow me?”

“Yes, please lead the way”

Paul picked up the lamp sitting on the table. He took a brief moment to look at the wolf girl Kana again. Apart from the black eye, she also had a split lip and a thin red scar running across her forehead. It gave her a kind of scary air, but she was still beautiful. She was only a bit older than the girl she was carrying, in her late teens or early twenties, but looked several times more mature.

Paul held open the curtain, so Kana could step into the main mineshaft. Paul went towards the part of the mine where the three yellow dots were shown on the minimap. There was a room with a sturdy looking wooden door that was locked with a metal bar. Paul signalled the wolf girl to wait, then knocked against the door.

“Hello? Anyone inside? I will open the door now” Paul pulled back the metal bar and opened the door.

He was greeted with a terrible smell. Inside the room were three men. One was lying on the floor, his leg and torso wrapped with dirty bandages, another one was sitting next to him, with a bandage wrapped around his head, covering one eye.

A third man was sitting down, leaning on the opposite wall and looking at him with an angry expression. His name was Herbert Rosenheim, Level 9 Human. He was middle aged.

All of the men were somewhat dirty, but the clothes of the older man looked expensive. While the other two seemed to have been wounded in battle, the older man looked like he was on the receiving end of a light beating, but otherwise unharmed.

“Hello, my name is Paul. I guess you are the “master” Kana was speaking of.”

At the mention of the wolf girl’s name, the man’s expression changed. He stood up and approached Paul. “Have you found my daughter? Those beasts have taken her somewhere, but wouldn’t let me see her or even speak to her since we came here.”

“Ah, yes… Your daughter is right here in the hallway. She doesn’t seem to have any major wounds, but I guess you should see for yourself. Please step outside”

Paul took a step back and the man came out of the cell. At his sight, Kana lowered her head, looking at the floor. The man made an angry expression for a second while looking at the wolf girl, but then focused on his daughter, who was carried by Kana in a princess-carry.

“Oh, Charlotte, what have they done to you?” He rushed over to his daughter and stroked her hair, tear welling up in his eyes. The girl was looking back at him was a somewhat dull expression, but seemed to recognize him. She did not show any expression, but it seemed like she wanted to say something, but then didn’t.

“Mr Paul, those savages have captured me and my daughter on the way to Prozor. My name is Herbert Rosenheim, a baron serving under Sir Callum Webster, Earl of Prozor. I would like to leave this hellish place as soon as possible.”

“I understand your wish, but although the town is not very far from here, we are within a deep forest and it is currently night time. Given that both your daughter and what I assume are your servants are in no shape to travel, I advise you to spend the night here” Paul took a glimpse into the dirty cell “although you should change rooms. Please allow me to prepare a more suited place”

He thought about the options. He could lead the group to Prozor right away, but it would be more convenient to travel tomorrow morning. Paul was sure that there would be no more bandits coming, so it was safe for now.

“Well, I will respect your advice then.”

“I already have a place in mind, but… given the circumstances, let me clean it up first. I will be back right away” The baron nodded, and after leaving him with the lamp, Paul headed towards the Rosalie’s room. He took the ledger and stashed it in his bag. He didn’t want anyone to ask for the money later.

Paul carried the dead and surprisingly light witch towards the barracks, put the corpse in a corner and picked up several of the bedrolls.

He then called for the baron and his entourage and led them to the larger and more comfortable room. The baron’s daughter was laid down onto the bed, while the relatively lightly injured servant prepared the bedrolls.

Paul went to the storeroom to bring his captives over to the prison-room and pick up some clean bandages for the baron’s guards. Elizabeth looked at him with pleading eyes after being hit by the smell, so Paul did at least put the bucket with the human waste out in the hallway. He had also untied her feet, so he thought she should feel grateful.

While Paul went back to Rosalie’s room, he could hear the baron shouting.

When Paul entered, he saw Kana kneeing on the floor with her head lowered. Her hands were trembling, even though they were resting on her thighs.

From where Paul picked up the conversation, it seemed like Kana was his house’s maid, but her main duty was serving as his daughter’s bodyguard. After realizing the miserable state of the young noblewoman, he lost it. Paul could somewhat understand his anger, although he had no children of his own. The baron mostly wanted to vent his anger on someone and the woman in charge of his daughter’s protection, who then failed to protect her, was in a vulnerable position.

“I never should have let a stupid dog take care of my precious Charlotte. You can be glad if I just throw you into a kennel and lose the key.” The baron looked like he would retort to physical punishment next, so Paul decided to provide some distraction.

“Dear Sir, sorry to interject. I have come across some items that I believe are rightfully yours.”

He pulled out the dagger and the ring with the seal and handed them to the baron.

“Yes, those belong to my house. You have my thanks yet again.”

Paul didn’t remember to have been thanked before, but he didn’t say anything. The baron had been through a lot.

“I also found some coins next to it, I believe those may be yours as well.” He handed him the coin pouch that Paul had mostly emptied before. There was a little less than 1 gold in silver coins left. It would have been a fortune to Paul just 24 hours before, but now he had several times as much stowed away in his own pocket.

The baron emptied the pouch into his hand and looked disappointed, but didn’t say anything. Paul had a feeling that there was still a treasure around somewhere. He should have made the baron and his entourage stay in the barracks and thoroughly searched this room once more.

“Dear Mr Paul, I feel embarrassed that I have nothing to reward you with” the baron slightly bowed his head. Paul took a look at the money the baron was still holding in his hand. The baron then continued. “You have done much for my family in this situation. Please know that I will ask the Earl to reward you in my stead when we get arrive in town.”

Paul nodded. Refusing a reward would have been the righteous thing, but a reward from the Earl was tempting. Paul wanted to go to the capital at some point soon, so having the gratitude of some minor noble from a small town would be more or less meaningless, a physical reward would be more helpful.

“I just regret that the culprits of this crime have met an easy death” Paul felt like the baron would soon go back to punishing the poor wolf girl, so he decided to leave him with a different target.

“I do have taken two of the bandits as captives. I will hand them over to the town guard, so I am sure they will get a just punishment.”

“What?! Where are those bastards?” The baron’s way of speaking felt unbefitting for a noble, but Paul did not care.

“They are in the prison room. I am sure the Earl will let you decide partake in deciding the punishment. Although I have not met him personally. I have to say that one of the prisoners is currently unconscious, so questioning them might be fruitless.”

The baron’s expression was looking a little softer now. “Mr Paul, I have to say you have handled this matter splendidly, although I am deeply disappointed in this dog over there.” Kana had been motionless until now, but was visibly tensing up when she was mentioned again.

“She has been nothing but a disgrace in this whole matter. What would you say, Mr Paul” the baron seemed to have come to a conclusion, and had a slight, evil grin on his face “could you make use of her? I don’t want her around my family anymore.”