Chapter 7

A New Beginning

“Ssh, she’s awake.”

Ugh, so bright…

I open my eyes just to be blinded by a bright light. Behind that light, there’s shadows, figures of people.

“Holy crap, you’re right! She’s finally awake!” a second voice came.

“Shut the bloody hell up, Lui. Do you want the whole kingdom to go after us? Why do you think we’re going through the forest in the dead of the night?” said the first voice.

“That’s right, Ricket. We’re in the middle of a forest in the dead of the night, who do you think would hear us here?”

“Lui, you damn fool. Don’t underestimate the guild. Who knows if they’re listening in right now.”

Ow, my ears… so loud. Who are these people.

My eyes slowly adjust, and I finally see that the bright light is actually just a dim oil lantern.

Ugh… I feel like I just woke up from a long nightmare. My head is still spinning, and my stomach is hurting.

…Wait, I know this feeling. This is… I’m hungry?

While I’m still in the middle of processing all this, another light is lit just outside the small cage I’m in.

“Well, well... would you look at that.”

A third person appears. The elderly man is dressed in dark, thick robes with subtle but fancy-looking embroidery sewn on it. He raises his lantern to get a better look at what’s behind the wooden bars… wait, bars?

…It’s a cage. The three of them are looking at what’s inside the cage. Which is me. Because I’m inside the cage.

“Asleep for three bloody nights, and now she wakes,” the first guy spoke with chaff, then addresses me, “got a name, girl?”

“Stop. It has no need for a name,” the elderly man said harshly.

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry,” the first man backs off from the cage, giving more space to the old man.

…Is this real? I’m finally out from that place?

Even if I try to remember, my memories from there are hazy. That dream from earlier… it was so vivid, so real that it’s unreal. I was back to when I first met Hadda, and… Thorne? Was that his name? It was so long ago. And now I’m finally free… well, sort of. Now I’m in another, albeit much smaller prison that’s made of wood. Did these people put me in here?

Bloody fucking hell. Out of the oven and into a frying pan. At least give me some time to breathe, will you?

Just now, I hear a whimper and when I look towards it, I see another cage. Actually, there are multiple cages with people inside, all of them young females, except for that one with a dark-skinned man inside, heavily chained up even though he’s caged.

“This one’s yours, right?” the old man points at my direction.

Huh? Me?

“Indeed, I found her yesterday when we were going through Falreas,” the first man answered. “It’s a shame she’s in that condition, but I believe we can still─”

“Actually, would you mind if I borrow it? It’s so saddening to give away something like this before trying it out myself. After all, how often do we run into a faean like it?”

“Eh? But her value‒”

“What value? It’s already broken, anyway.”

“That may be so, but still…”

While the two of them argues about god knows what, one of the lads, the one called Lui, is just staring at me. He comes up close to the cage and speaks in a low voice that couldn’t have been heard by the other two.

“You have beautiful eyes, missus,” he said with a slight bow and a smile.

Err... what?

“May I ask, the humble me, for the grace of your name?”

No, go away.

“Tch, fine! I’ll pay you a rate of the selling price! Happy?” the old man shouted. The other two are still at it, apparently.

“But... that’s not all! We have to ensure her well-being, especially because she was unconscious for a long time. At the very least, I need to check on her health first.”

“Then do it now!”

“I... I’m not qualified to‒”

“I’ll do it,” Lui broke in.

“...Can you?” the old man asks with a glare, clearly annoyed.

“Yeah.”

With that settled, the other youth hands Lui a key.

“If you don’t mind, missus?” he smiles again at me, a smile so bright I can’t believe in its sincerity.

With the other two watching behind him, he opens the cage and reaches out his hands towards me. His blue eyes, coupled with bright blond hair as well as youthful, well-defined features, seems out of place in this kind of business. Or maybe he was the one to ensnare the girls using those looks -- tricked them into these cages to be sold or whatever?

He begins his “checking” of my health. Trapped inside the confining cage, I can’t really do anything but to let him put his hands on me.

“Does it hurt?” he talks again in a suspiciously low voice, as if to prevent the others from hearing him.

What does?

“You seem so calm,” he sighed, “I don’t think you realize the situation you’re in.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

No, I think I get the gist of it.

Obviously, we’re not in some kind of happy trip. Judging from the cages, and the girls inside them… people-trading, maybe? Hadda talked about this before. People treated as things. Slaves, he called them. Judging from the merchandise, they’re probably a specialized kind that only trades specific slaves for a specific business. Sex business, to be exact. Which means, what that old man meant by “trying it out”, is…

“You’re a silent one, aren’t you?”

As he says that, his hands begin reaching for the more intrusive parts. Meanwhile, I can see the old man watching the little show with hunger and anticipation. Much to my comfort, Lui stops before his probing before it gets too private and the old guy silently groans in disappointment.

Lui locks the cage and turns at the others while sighing and shaking his head dramatically.

“...So?” the old man impatiently inquired.

“She’ll be fine, but I would refrain from touching her for now. She needs rest.”

The old man turns to me with longing in his eyes. “…I don’t want to hear that.”

“Now, now, my good sir. You wouldn’t want to harm your precious faean, don’t you?” Lui brazenly pats the old man’s shoulder, “I suggest you try again at dawn. Besides, look at how quiet she is. I’m sure she’ll be livelier after a little rest. Don’t you like it better that way?”

“Hmph. Dawn, huh? That’s still a few hours from now. We’ll also be departing later in the morning...”

“And I’m sure that’s enough time for you, no? The few moments you’ll share with her will be even more precious.”

“Hmph. Better than no moment at all, I suppose. I can deal with that. Meanwhile... You, let’s discuss its rates with me.”

Fortunately for Lui, the old man seems to have missed the insult in Lui’s voice and casually walks away, dragging the other guy with him.

“...Fucking old pervert,” Lui muttered under his breath before he looks back at me with a smile plastered on his face.

...I don’t think you have the right to say that, though.

He’s a fake doctor. He wasn’t really doing anything other than feeling me up before, when he “checked my health.” He’s a fake pervert doctor.

“Finally, now that they’re gone, it’s just you and me. Should we have fun?” he winked at me.

See? I told you. He’s up to no good.

“Hey, I’m just kidding. Don’t look at me like that. Well, jokes aside, you really should rest, you know. Dawn is coming, so you’d better be ready.”

Ready for what? The old man?

“Just sit tight, alright? Things will get a little… hot at dawn,” he said seriously, then turns and walks away from the cage.

Wow, what a hateful guy.

I start looking around to get a grip on the whole thing. Unless I’m wrong and we’re still in that place, it’s currently nighttime in the middle of the forest. The weather seems cloudy because there’s no source of light other than the few lanterns and fires lit around the camp.

That’s right – a camp. There’s a number of wagons and tents, as well as people sitting by the fire, dozily watching the darkness around them. They seem to be soldiers or, more likely, mercenaries judging by their attire. They huddle together around the fires to keep warm in the freezing air, while the people inside the cages are left shivering in the cold.

On the wagons are cages much like mine, having two to three girls inside that are either sleeping or whimpering, perhaps from the fear or just from the cold. The only cages with only one person inside is mine and that man’s cage.

Speaking of “that man”, it’s really weird how they excessively lock his limbs when he’s already inside a cage. He’s also the only male, and that muscly built doesn’t really suit the sex business like the rest, so why is he here? Some kind of special order for someone? Some lady with a kink for muscles, maybe.

No, more importantly, I need to get out of here, because… there’s something I must do. Something… something important...

If you want to save them…

The deal, it was…

If you want to save them, play your part in Mer.

…I remember now. My deal with him.

Hadda…

I unconsciously call out, driven by an indescribable feeling pressing down on my gut.

Eretz… Yammu…

Those three… gods, they’re still down there and I… I left them…

“…uu...“

It’s the same whimper from before. The sound came from the cage next to mine. There’s two girls in it. One is sleeping soundly with her face hidden, while the other is silently crying.

The brown-haired girl, who seems to be the youngest here, wears what little is left of her actual clothing. The numerous rips on what used to be her robe makes it obvious that she was assaulted. Through the holes, I can see red marks and gashes.

Hey...

I try to get her attention by knocking on the wooden floor. On the second try, she hears the sound and her face turns towards me.

You there, can you tell me where we are–

Wait, I didn’t really think this through, did I?

And now we’re just staring at each other, so I just awkwardly smile at her.

“You…,” she stared with a trembling voice, “why are you smiling like that? Don’t you know what he’s going to do to you?!”

“OY! Quiet there, slave!”

After someone by the fire warned her, she goes back to her silent sobs. Before I even try to get her attention again, though, her face is already turned towards me.

“I’m sorry… even though you must be scared as well...”

Beneath her wet face and her long, messy hair, I can still see her lovely face. The pair of amber eyes that stare back at me shone in the darkness, all swollen from crying but still lovely nonetheless.

It’s alright.

I know she can’t hear me, but I say it, anyway. If anything, I do it to ease the heaviness in my chest, even by just a little bit. Although, for some reason, it seems that the girl has calmed down.

It’s going to be alright.

I feel like… I’m doing the same thing someone did for me, long ago.

By now, the girl has stopped crying and is just staring back at me.

I’m going to get us out of here. I promise.

“Gods, finally you stopped crying,” the girl I thought was sleeping suddenly spoke out.

“I... I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“Yeah, you sure did, you wuss. And you too, whitey. That she suddenly burst out like that is your fault,” she said, sitting up as she turns her attention to me.

Huh? Me? Who the hell is Wythee?

“S‒Stop that. She was picked out by the lord earlier, so—“

“’Lord?’ What ‘lord’? You mean that old pervert? So what, you think she should break down and cry like you did? Do you need me to call for your mum?”

“...They killed my mother,” she replied with a voice so soft that it’s a barely audible whisper. “I’m... the only one that’s left. Everyone’s gone...”

“Oh, really? Keep on crying then. I’m sure she’ll be very proud,” the other girl bites back with a snark.

“What… N–No, why are you...!”

“Well make her proud, then. Should you rightfully live your life in her memory is the greatest honor you could do for her. Else, there’s nothing left of them. Not your mother, not your family, nothing.”

“Hey, I said be quiet! Noisy slaves,” a man by the fire shouted at us.

“...Tsk, ‘slave,’ my arse...“ the girl cursed silently, and a solemn silence continues after.

The fiery girl gazes at a distant flickering campfire, her clear blue eyes slightly reflecting the light. Her long, lustrous dark hair seems neater than it should be along with her clothes, very unlike the girl whom she shared the cage with.

Needless to say, she’s the kind of girl that turns heads. Along with the wuss‒ I mean, the brown-haired girl, the slavers seem to have some kind of standard with their, uhm… merchandise. I honestly don’t know how I should feel about that.

“...I’m not supposed to be here. I have something important that I must do,” the dark-haired girl spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. “I’m from a noble family, but it was such a coincidence that I passed through that lodge while in plebeian attire.”

“Plebeian attire”? Even though it looks even nicer than the old man’s?

“A noble? T‒Then... wouldn’t you be released if you tell them that? And perhaps, you can also tell them to release us–“

“Oh, sure. And they’ll blindly believe everything I say, listen to my every demand, and everyone gets to go home happily. Think before you say something, moron. And besides,” she nods towards me, “I think she’s got a plan.”

“Eh?”

Eh?

And now they’re both looking at me. Great.

“You’re being strangely calm. Luis– I mean, that man from earlier said so too. Most girls would freak out when they know they’re going to get special care in the morning, but not you. Because you wouldn’t let them do that to you, would you?” she said with a rhetoric smile on her face.

“Is… is that true?” the brown-haired girl asks me with big wet eyes.

Oh, what the hell. Don’t look at me like that.

I just woke up, for god’s sake, and now you’re going to rely on me for escaping? Well, she’s not wrong, though. I don’t think what I have in mind qualifies as a “plan”, but it’s true I have no intention to stay, because I also have something important to do.

That’s right. I have to save my friends.

I quietly nod at them.

“Hah. What, you’re a mute or somethin─”

“Really?!”

“Ssh! You moron, they’ll hear us” the black-haired girl slaps the other girl’s head.

“S‒Sorry! So, umm... what you’re going to do? Can you tell us?”

Uh... that would be hard.

I shake my head at them.

“She’s right, wuss. We can’t risk them hearing us.”

Well, the truth is, I don’t have any plan. However, even now in this situation, I don’t feel hopeless at all.

Not exactly a plan, but there’s always the aether.

My attention draws to the crackling campfire.

Fire. Fire always works. Using them should be easy enough, but since we’re in the middle of the forest, I might end up starting a wildfire if I’m not careful.

“Hey, you. What’s your name?” the noble girl asked.

“I‒It’s Farica, milady.”

“’Milady?’ What am I lady of, the cage? Just call me Latasha.”

“It’s… umm, an honor, milad—I mean, Latasha.”

“There you go.”

Oh? They seem to be getting along.

“And how about you, whitey? Mind telling us the word your mother identified as you?”

I close my eyes, sit in a meditative position and start constructing a plan.

“Hey, I know you can hear me.”

…….

“What’s your story, anyway? How did you get here?”

I’d like to know that myself.

“And what’s with your looks? You look like a ghost–” she stops speaking with a troubled expression, as if realizing something. Then she continues in the same unabashed manner, “Did you wash your hair in too much milk? Oh, and where did your brows go? Did you lose them?”

“I–I think she’s beautiful. Being different doesn’t mean it’s wrong,”

“Hmph, fine. Then, freakishly beautiful. You know, beautiful, in a freaky way.”

“That’s so mean,” Farica giggled.

These girls... it’s good that they’re lively and all, but they might be forgetting their current situation.

“Anyway, I’ve read about people like you before.”

...People like me?

I finally open my eyes and answer her gaze.

She smiles seeing that she finally got my attention. “Some say it’s because of a curse, others say it’s a gift. One book said they live in caves and are afraid of the light. There’s even one that said they can cure diseases through intercourse.”

“Eh?”

“Their limbs sell for quite a lot too in certain places. They use it for rituals and stuff.”

“But that’s absurd!”

I concur!

“Yeah, I guess I’ve been reading a little too much,” she snickers at us.

--- --- ---

...Alright, I think I got it.

First thing’s first; I need to get out of this cage.

If I can make the wood decay to the extent that I can break them, I should be able to kick my way out. Heating them up should do the trick, and the nearest source of heat is a lantern hanging on a nearby tent. Lucky.

“Hey, Whitey, what are you doing?”

“Ssh,” I’m trying to focus here!

Eretz taught me about it once. Something called thermal decomposition – using heat to break down material while depriving the process of air to stop a fire from forming.

Using mana, I create a passage of mana between the lantern and the cage and through it, I carefully guide the energy emitted by the lantern towards the wooden beams in a continuous flow. Meanwhile I also create a vacuum bubble around the bar the passage is connected to. Once the flow is stable, I increase the pressure, significantly raising the heat applied on the bars.

Since it’s not a perfect vacuum, there’s a chance a fire might form if it’s hot enough. Whenever the wood seems like it will catch fire, I decrease the thermal flow to let the heat cool down, then continue on with that limit on heat. After several iterations, I finally find the sweet spot -- the rate of the thermal flow that creates the maximum heat without a fire forming.

After a mere couple of minutes, the wood starts crackling and I start choking.

“You alright there, whitey?“ the noble, Latasha asked me without a hint of worry.

“Umm... what is she doing?” Farica asked.

“I don’t know, but I think she’s trying to get out. Look at the wood.”

Conforming with Latasha’s words, the wooden bars I’m heating starts to give out vapor and blackens at several parts.

“But, how...?”

“She’s a pyromancer… aren’t you, Whitey?”

Well, I don’t know anything about being a “pyromancer”, but this would indeed allow me to escape. Now that at least three beams have decomposed enough, I can kick my way out.

After I stop the heating, I lean back and position myself to kick the decayed wood. With a deep breath, I ready myself.

Here we go.

Hiyaah!

As I kick them, the beams creaks and bends, yet still stands in place.

Latasha whistled at me, “Easy, tigress.”

Ignoring the pain on my feet, pull my legs in and kick again.

Urryah!

I broke through! I think I got a big splinter stuck on my feet, but that’s not important right now. Promptly, I climb out through the gap and raise a thumb at the other two.

“Whitey, you numbcod, you were heard!” Latasha warned me, nodding her head towards the campfire.

Eh? Oh... shite.

As soon as I see the approaching light, I jump off the wagon and quietly run to the front of it.

“...Quack.”

Uwah?! The heck are you?!

On the front of the wagon is a big, feathery bird-like animal, with big, puffy body and small wings that are obviously too small to fly with. It has a bill like Hadda’s, but not as sharp and looks flatter. The legs are short and stumpy, but the claws on its feet are large and, along with the legs, seems like they’re made for jumping.

Holy crap, it’s a giant duck–

“Whitey, hide!”

Oh, right.

Excuse me, birdy. I promise I won’t take advantage of you...

“Quack! Quack quack!”

“Shh! Shh!” Please be quiet!

“Whitey, the hell are you doing?!”

Hell if I know! I haven’t even touched him yet!

Umm... not that I was going to touch him.

“...What’s going on there, Fanny?” a man’s voice came.

Ah, curses. I can hear footsteps approaching.

So your name is Fanny, huh?

“Quack!”

Listen, I need you to be quiet. Can you do that for me?

“Quack! Quackquackquackquackquack!”

Oh, for the love of god...

I clamp his mouth shut with my hands, bring my face to his and stare at him right in his gleaming black eyes.

Shut up or I will roast you for breakfast.

“.........”

Good boy.

“Anyone there?”

The sounds of boots and the clanging of metal tells me that he’s already near the wagon. There’s no way he won’t spot me if I run now. As soon as he sees the broken cage, he’ll wake the others up and things would be much more complicated then.

What to do...

“What the hell?”

I can hear the sound of him jumping onto the wagon. He’ll see that one cage is broken and empty…

“What happened here─ eagh?!”

Eagh? Is that him acting surprised, or…

I take a peek, and find the mercenary leaning his back the two girls’ cage… wait, no, Latasha is strangling him! She must’ve reached out at the man, and is now choking him with her arms.

...”Tigress”, huh?

So she’s not just talk, then.

“Quick, his sword!”

I jump up the wagon and approach the struggling man. Latasha is wrapping her arms around his throat and arm, while Farica is holding the other. Carefully avoiding his kicking legs, I grab the hilt on the man’s hip and… try to pull the sword out.

“You’re kidding me, right?!” Latasha shouted upon seeing me fail.

Umm, crap…

Even after a third try, the furthest I can pull out is half, and the man tussling about isn’t making it easier. Why would anyone use longswords, anyway!

“Just knock him out, Whitey!”

Oh, good idea.

I step back and launch a kick at the man’s face.

“Wait, I’m─ Gghaagh!”

Switching legs, I kick him again.

“Uagh! Stop, I’m not…“

Here comes another!

“Gagh!”

Have a taste of my feet!

“… - gurgle- “

“Whitey, I think he’s…”

I kick him again. And again. And again.

--- --- ---

“Oh, my gods…” Farica brought her hand to her mouth.

“It’s still too early to say that.”

“I‒Is he dead?”

“Probably not. But someone probably will before dawn comes, so don’t go pissing on yourself now, wuss.”

With the man unconscious, Latasha pulls out the sword effortlessly.

“...That’s a big sword,” Farica commented as her mouth forms into a big O.

“Yup. It’s a two-handed sword. You don’t see them around much, nowadays.”

“C–Can you use it?”

“Of course, I can,” she answered with a confident smirk.

Uh, the weight of it aside, you won’t even be able to swing it in that small cage, you know.

Despite my doubts, Latasha positions the sword to a jab and with a quick thrust, she pierces the thick beam to a good depth, arousing big Os from both me and Farica. Then she assumes the kicking position I did, but instead of the bars, she kicks the hilt of the sword, breaking the beam the sword was attached to.

“Hold on.”

Then she proceeds to strike an adjacent beam. This girl...

I thought she said she was a noble?

As Latasha works on it, there’s movement in the tents. They probably heard the wood breaking or, earlier yet, the ruckus for the sword. With the second bar gone, both of them climb out of the cage.

“Shall we?” Latasha smirks at me, dragging the longsword behind her.

Yeah.

“We haven’t got a lot of time, though.”

She’s right. Lights are being lit inside the tents, and there’s sounds of people rousing up. We might be able to get away if we use the darkness and go now.

“The others...”

Farica’s words reminds me of the other slaves here. There are five other cages, with at least ten girls and one man. My method of breaking the cages takes too long, and the all the keys seems to be held by one person, which is inside the biggest tent along with Lui and the old man as well as tons of guards. Which means, all we can do right now is to…

“Whitey!” Latasha grabs my shoulders, “you’re a pyromancer, right? Can you make a bigger fire?”

Eh?

“Hurry up and answer me!” she starts shaking me furiously.

I nod at her.

“Oh, by Athyra’s twat—why won’t you just talk? Whatever, I’ll take care of the other cages. See if you can do something about the baddies. Use the fire or whatever!”

Wait, what…

“Oh, and see that guy?” she nods at the cage with the man inside. “By the looks of it, the slavers see him as someone dangerous. Who knows? He might draw the attention off us.”

Wait–

“Wuss, you’re with me. I need you to coordinate the girls, make them listen to you. Do whatever you need to do, yell at them, cry with them, whatever.”

Umm, listen–

“Eh? M‒Me?”

Hey, hold on a sec–

“We’ll use our wagon to escape, so meet me back there, Whitey!”

Then Latasha is off to the direction of the other cages, dragging Farica behind her.

…Seriously? She’s going to rescue the other slaves?

I stare at their backs as they go for the cages. By now, some people have come out of the tents and are warily watching the surroundings. I lower my posture and start crouching stealthily in the darkness. I should be able to get away like this–

“There! The faean girl!”

“How the hell did she get out?!”

...Of course. I forgot that I practically glow in the dark. Oh, well, looks like I have no choice now.

Now then, Latasha asked me if I could make a bigger fire, but how should I go on with that? Let’s see now...

Do you know what water is made of?

It was something Yammu had taught me about.

Even though there’s no water, humid air is basically water in the form of air, so the same principles should apply.

I start by disintegrating some of the humidity, breaking it down into rudimentary gases. As people start pouring out of the tents, I create a line of combustible gases between me and the slavers, with the campfire at the center.

That’s right. Come at me.

Following the shouting, more people come pouring out from the tents. Some of them are making their way towards me, something they’re going to regret soon enough.

Here we go! Flame barrier!

--- --- ---

…Umm, first of all, you didn’t hear that thing I said out loud.

At any rate, the effect was… beyond expectations. Rather than a barrier, all I did was make an explosion as the rate of combustion was too quick to maintain the flame. How did this happen? Did I mess up with the energy exchange somehow? Even the people standing at a distance were blown away, including myself. The wagon the three of us were on were caught as well, so there goes our meet-up point.

Wasn’t that unconscious guy still on it? And not just him. The people that were nearer to the explosion… they couldn’t have survived it.

In the past, I might’ve felt something, asked questions like how many, or if they deserved it or needed to die. But after all I’ve experienced, I…

…I felt nothing. Because it was justifiable. They were the one coming for me.

“Fuck! She’s a magus!”

“Get back, all of you!”

Along with the shouting, I can hear groans and coughing through the smoke. Eh, maybe this isn’t a bad effect after all? They won’t dare make another approach before the smoke dissipates. I can’t see them like this, but at the same time, they can’t see me nor can they see the slaves. This should buy some time for Latasha.

In the meantime...

I turn towards the lone cage, and now that I’m this close, I inspect the man inside properly.

His dark skin suggests that he came from the south, or maybe his ancestors did. The dark, unkempt hair, matching his scruffy facial hair, implies that he had been in captive for a long time. He wears no shirt, just dark trousers that he seems to have worn for weeks or even months. There are scars on his body, some new and some faint. His sharp, black eyes had been staring back as if to intimidate me.

On conclusion, he seems dangerous. There has to be a good reason on why he’s so locked up, but this isn’t really up for debate right now.

The wind seems to be catching on because the smoke is starting to clear out. Talk about bad weather. Really, how am I supposed to get him out in time, and even if I manage to do it, he’s still... oh?

When did they get the cuffs off him? Actually, with the way they’re lying on the floor, I think he got it off himself.

“You going to get me out, or you going to keep ogling?”

His voice is raspy and weak, but still had a sense of threat in them.

I could try blowing up a side of the cage, but… you might get a few more scars. You wouldn’t mind, right? One more to add to the collection.

“What’re you doing?”

Getting you out.

I make another “fire bubble” and compress it, thinking that it would lessen the range of its explosion. Unlike earlier, this one is much smaller in both size and concentration, but still highly explosive. With a prayer, I ignite the invisible bubble.

--- --- ---

Bloody shite…

I hold my wobbly head, cursing myself for being careless again.

It was bad enough that I almost blew myself up once, and now I almost blew myself twice. The explosion was small as intended, but the force of it was so big it had taken me off my feet. Even now, my ears are still ringing from the loud bang.

With my back on the ground, I wait until my sense of balance returns before trying to stand up. Before I could, however, someone jumps on top of me, straddling me with his hands on my neck.

It’s the man in chains.

He’s… choking me. Why?

I can see anger in his eyes, along with killing intent.

He wants to kill me.

Stop!

I try to break free, my arms clawing at his arms and face, but… crap, the difference in weight is just too great.

Ugh… gah… someone...

He’s free, and I was the one who got him out.

I shouldn’t have freed him.

“Let her go!” someone called out, but the man strengthened the choke instead.

“She’s a victim too! Let her go!”

Something appears on the man’s neck. A steel sabre, threatening to cut his throat.

“She got you out. Let. Her. Go.”

I’m on the verge of consciousness when his fingers finally loosen. As I painfully cough, I touch my fingers on my neck and feel the bruise that has formed.

“I thought I told you sit tight, little miss.”

It’s a familiar voice.

…Lui?

It’s really him. The fake pervert doctor.

I get up on my shaky knees, staring at the new adversary. He only has one sword and at the end of it is the dark-skinned man, leaving me completely unguarded. A mistake on his part.

“Stand down. We don’t want to hurt you,” he said, aiming the words at both of us though his eyes especially lingered on the other guy.

Meanwhile, I focus on creating a compressed bubble of air. Lui notices something is wrong and threatens me with a glare.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, stop‒”

Before he can complete his sentence, he’s blasted away into the darkness. As I’m about to run, however, more people suddenly charge in from the darkness of the forest. They move swiftly with trained movements, surrounding both me and the formerly caged man, pointing their sabres and guns at us.

As if on cue, sounds of gunshots reverberates from beyond the smoke, followed by the clanging of metals and people shouting. It only lasts for a short while and after a few dying screams, the forest is quiet again.

“Phew, you sure pack a punch.”

Back on his feet, Lui walks back to us while being supported by one of his friends.

“It’s alright,” he smiles at me, the same eerie smile that he had before. “We’re with the guild.”