Ch. 136

“Yay! My name is… oh, right, you said you weren’t curious. I nearly made the mistake of being rude beyond my station. Imagine wasting a noble person’s memory like that.”

The member with Ador perched on his head was bowing deeper and deeper as he spoke.

“What’s with you? Why are you acting like that?”

[It only takes ten minutes to know Master is scary.]

“I am not! I’m always the victim here. A decent, law-abiding citizen!”

[From that man’s perspective, Master is a slightly crazy woman who talks to herself a lot, commands snakes, and uses magic without incantations…]

Right, he’s probably strangling the snake right now.

With one hand gripping Rai’s neck tightly, I glanced over the confused people around me.

“What… happened here?”

“Are we allowed to leave? What about the slave traders?”

“If we get caught while escaping, we’ll be killed.”

“What do we do now?”

They had no idea what was going on.

It didn’t even cross their minds that I had saved them, and honestly, I preferred it that way.

It’s not like I had the generosity to look after every last one of them.

“Since it’s raining, all of you should run away from here.”

At my calm voice, dozens of eyes turned to me at once.

I wasn’t one for the spotlight, so the attention felt uncomfortable.

“And you are…?”

“That’s none of your business. But if you don’t want to die, you’d better get as far away from here as you can.”

“Sorry?”

“A tidal wave will be coming soon.”

“Was this place near the ocean?”

“You’re telling us to escape, but how? There must be guards outside.”

They were still flustered, but my plan had become simpler than before—find Annie, then level this entire area.

Like burning down a house to kill a cockroach—brutal, but clean.

If there were over a hundred Blood Wing members, why waste time killing them one by one?

A single wide-range attack would be much more efficient.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t do it. I could.

“Just follow this man here.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Well, I’m one of the slave traders’ men…”

Crackle—Ador loomed dangerously close above his head.

“I may be one of them, but I can betray them. I’ll do whatever you say. You want me to get everyone out safely, right?”

Now that his life was on the line, he understood quickly. I gave a slight nod.

“Lead them to the nearest wall. That shiny guy above your head will break it down. Since it’s storming, no one will notice.”

“Um… could you please get this thing off my head? I’m feeling a very real threat to my life…”

[From my experience, that’s not happening.]

“No.”

While the nameless member wore a look of despair, Rai’s cheerful voice brushed past my ear.

He really did take after me—there was a part of him that enjoyed other people’s suffering.

[Muhahaha! I know Master well. That human slave trader must be learning firsthand what it feels like right now.]

“That makes it sound like you know what being a slave feels like, Rai.”

[Hey, you rascal! What are you doing, not rescuing people already!]

Typical Rai, talking nonsense.

It wasn’t like anyone else could hear him.

Still gripping Rai’s neck, I watched the slave-trader member line people up.

I kept an eye on him in case he tried anything, debating whether to kill him later.

“Headcount complete! We just need to get out now!”

“Hmm…”

“It’s two minutes to the nearest wall!”

“Chances of escape?”

“I’m the one on patrol in this sector at this hour, and since I’m here… 80%! Plus it’s raining!”

I could practically hear the sound of ‘loyalty.’

So this was the extent of scum’s allegiance. Stroking my chin beneath my hood, I asked,

“So… you want to live that badly? Enough to try and impress me?”

“Of course!”

“And what will you do with your life?”

“I have plenty to do…?”

“But you’re still a slave trader, aren’t you? I was going to kill you for that.”

Did you really think I’d spare you? That shocked look said it all.

Slave traders were the kind of people I hated most.

I wanted to kill him right away, but then he wouldn’t cooperate, so I decided to dangle a carrot first.

“Here’s the deal—help everyone escape and help me find Annie. If you’re still alive after that, I’ll let you live.”

“That doesn’t sound much like you’re letting me live…”

“You heard right. But you’ll grab at any straw, won’t you?”

I smiled and patted his shoulder. He shivered, his expression stiff.

Maybe he felt a chill. It was a cold, rainy day after all.

“And before you head to the wall, tell me—where’s the second prison?”

“On the opposite side, right in front of the main gate. It should be easy to find, but unlike this side, it’s heavily guarded. This side is more secluded.”

“Got it. Then you all go ahead.”

“And you?”

“Go.”

Thinking I’d answer was a mistake.

I wiped the smile off my face and spoke flatly. The member with Ador still holding him hostage led the slaves away in a near-run up the stairs.

Following them up, I met their anxious gazes and closed the iron door to the prison myself.

With the exit sealed, I turned to see the stairway descending into thicker darkness below.

Peering into the black without Ador’s light, I raised my right hand.

Rai slid from my fingertips and vanished soundlessly down the stairs.

“Eat it all.”

Even if I didn’t say it, he’d know exactly what I wanted and carry it out. But I said it aloud anyway.

“Leave nothing.”

Devour every bit of metal in the prison, even the parts buried deep in the ground, until it’s like nothing was ever there.

—

On my way to the second prison, a sudden drain of mana came, followed by a thunderclap so loud my ears rang.

That told me Ador had successfully broken through the wall.

He wasn’t the best at following instructions, so I had been a little worried. Glad to see it worked out.

The rain was coming down harder and harder.

Not a single drop touched me, though—there was no umbrella more ergonomic and supernatural than Undine floating above my head.

A few guards with spears crossed my path, but they became Undine’s prey before they could make a sound.

Meeting a Spirit Mage of water on a rainy day could be proverb-worthy for how unlucky it was.

“Graaaah!”

If you trapped someone in a droplet and released them right before they drowned, you’d be left with a barely conscious, half-dead body.

Without immediate CPR, they’d likely end up in a vegetative state—but whether they lived or died didn’t matter to me. I left the rolling-eyed members where they lay and moved on.

I had no concern for the lives of people I planned to kill anyway.

After wandering the rain for a while, I finally spotted the pitch-black main gate. It was massive and solid, clearly meant to keep anyone from getting out.

Even from a distance, I could tell the iron was thick. To me, though, it looked like an automatic door.

I adjusted my hood and scanned the area.

There should be another prison nearby, but with the heavy rain, my visibility was poor.

Even sensing presence was difficult.

“Hmm… he said it was right in front of the main gate.”

[Master, I sense about the same amount of metal there as in the last prison.]

“Oh, really?”

I’d have to give Rai a new nickname—metal detector. Perfect for finding coins buried in the sand.

It’d probably work for gold mines too. Diamonds, even?

[Why do I suddenly feel…]

“Hm?”

[Like Master’s greed just spiked.]

“Money’s always good to have.”

The mining could wait. First, I’d loot the prison.

The second prison was set up directly opposite the main gate, probably to process slaves immediately upon capture.

It too had a sturdy iron door, locked twice over, but all Rai had to do was touch it, and it swung open easily.

Opening doors was as easy as breathing for me.

Locks meant nothing—I could be the continent’s greatest thief if I wanted. Not that I would.

“Mining would be more profitable anyway.”

[Why are you suddenly so fixated on mining?]

“Because I just realized your new function.”

Humming a little tune, I descended the steps to the prison like I was out on a pleasant stroll.

It wasn’t until I reached the underground level that I wondered why there were no guards here.

I realized it just as a guard at the prison threshold thrust a spear at me.

Ah, right. The rain masked their presence.

“Argh!”

Not that it mattered with Rai around.

The guard who had lunged out from the darkness saw his spear melt like water before his eyes, then felt Rai whip around his neck.

Rai’s red eyes glowed against his golden body as he squeezed, and a short sound rang through the dark prison.

Crack.

The sound of a neck breaking.

I watched the burly man collapse to the floor, unable to even see his face clearly, and muttered in disbelief,

“…You killed him?”

[I… it was an accident…]

For a moment, an awkward silence fell. Maybe Rai had misjudged his strength, like an elephant stepping on a chick.

If anyone knew it wasn’t intentional, it was me.

“What do we do now?”

[Well… it wasn’t on purpose…]

“I was going to make my first kill Grak, you know!”

[Oh, that’s the problem?]

“Nothing ever goes as planned.”

[Didn’t you make your first kill at ten? The bees—you forgot them?]

Apparently deciding there was no need to keep watching my reaction, Rai brightened and slithered back up my body.

From ankle to leg to belt to shoulder—it was second nature to us.

If anyone tried to hit me, Rai would already be there.

He was basically a mobile piece of armor.

One big reason I could walk around without fear was because of Rai’s formidable defense.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. But that was different. I didn’t directly kill them.”

[And now?]

“If you kill someone, it’s the same as me killing them.”

[Hmm… well, it’s already done, so what now?]

“Eh, nothing we can do. I was going to kill them all at once later anyway, so don’t worry about it.”

I dug a finger in my ear, then shoved the dead man’s body into a corner with a lazy kick.

Better luck in your next life. If you’re reborn, make sure you become a slave.

Maybe it was just me, but I never felt sorry for slave traders, even in death.