Chapter 14

“Really, it was that bad?” a child’s voice giggled.

“Yeah, it was! Even though it was a fake snake, the music teacher was so scared that he screamed, ‘Squeaaal!’ and ran away. He always acts so dignified, but look at him now.”

Their childish chatter was completely out of place in this dark, damp underground prison, and it was grating on my nerves.

“Hehehe! ‘Squeaaal!’ It sounded like a pig getting slaughtered.”

“Right? And then, another teacher…”

“Shut your mouths right now, or I’ll slit both your throats right here.”

“……”

My elegant warning, which interrupted my meditation, quickly silenced the two of them.

These brats were making it impossible for me to focus! I only have about 60 mana left… Wait, what’s that?

“It’s done!”

“Huh? What is, Geenie?”

I quietly estimated how much mana had just drained out of me.

About 10%? So now I have 50% mana left. That should be enough to hold out until Undine returns!

If my guess is right, Undine should have arrived at the inn by now to deliver my message.

Forcing Undine’s voice to be heard in the physical world, which normally only a summoner could hear, must have consumed some of my mana.

“Undine delivered my message to someone! Now, all we have to do is wait.”

“Really? When are they coming?”

“Well… I don’t know exactly, but considering how fast Undine went, the inn must not be too far from here.”

“Hmm, I see. But…”

By now, my eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness, and I could see Ilrujeh right next to me, tilting her head curiously.

“What is it?”

“Now that I think about it, where are we?”

“…”

Is she really a genius? Or is she just pretending not to know?

“Why are you looking at me like that? I am a genius, Geenie.”

“Oh, really? If you’re curious, why don’t you ask your new friend over there? The self-proclaimed prince! I need to get back to meditating.”

Ignoring Ilrujeh and her mind-reading antics, I closed my eyes. It’s best not to talk to her.

“Are you jealous, Geenie? Because I’ve been talking to Ash more?”

No, I’m not.

“Shh! Someone’s coming.”

Suddenly, the so-called prince, Ash, whispered. What? Someone’s coming? I don’t sense anything…

Clang!

“Get out here, you noisy brats!”

A burly man swung open the heavy iron door and shouted.

But none of us moved.

As light poured in from the open door, I finally got a good look at Ash’s face.

Jet-black hair and vivid golden eyes that contrasted sharply with it.

This was the first time I had seen black hair in this place, and for a moment, it reminded me of my past life.

“Not coming out? Then I have no choice. Hey, drag them out!”

Oh no, this isn’t the time to be staring at someone’s face! Please, Undine, come quickly!

At his order, two more hulking men stepped forward from behind him.

They were smaller than the man who opened the door, but they still looked plenty intimidating to us children.

With bulging muscles and menacing faces, they tried to drag out Ash and Ilrujeh, while the man who had opened the door approached me as if to drag me out too.

Why does the loudest one have to come for me? Should I resist, or just let myself be taken for now? I was debating when I suddenly heard Ash’s voice.

“S-stay back! Don’t come any closer!”

Ash, speaking while retreating backward, seemed terrified.

“Hah! Do you really think I’ll stop just because you said so? Don’t resist and come here!”

Ash narrowly avoided the brutish man’s grasp.

The way he dodged the man’s hand so skillfully made it clear that his claim of having learned swordsmanship wasn’t a lie.

But so what? He’s so scared that getting caught is only a matter of time, and he wouldn’t be able to stall for long.

I should save my mana. Maybe it’s better to just let myself get caught for now.

“Gotcha!”

“Let go! Let go, I said!”

Just as I expected, Ash was quickly caught by the man, who started thrashing about wildly.

What a fool, doing something so pointless.

I decided that it was wise to let myself get caught without resistance, so I raised my hands in surrender toward the approaching man. But suddenly, a piercing scream echoed through the room.

“Aaaah! Aghhh!”

Startled, I turned to see Ash biting down hard on the man’s forearm that had grabbed him.

For such a small kid, he’s got some guts! He was biting down so hard that blood started to seep out of the man’s arm.

The enraged man raised his fist to strike Ash, but the man coming for me spoke up.

“Don’t damage them too much. They’re the main merchandise for today.”

“Ugh, this little… this little brat!”

Thud! Thwack! Thwack!

The man, who had momentarily paused, raised his fist again and struck Ash on the head.

One, two, three times.

Even after three blows, Ash continued to bite down on the man’s forearm, but by the third blow, he let out a pained groan.

“Ugh!”

The man’s ruthless blows were so brutal that I couldn’t help but flinch and shut my eyes.

Seeing Ash groaning in pain, tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Stop it!”

But my small voice seemed to go unheard by the angry man.

Only the man who had been coming for me snickered at my plea.

My remaining mana was probably around 45% now? Undine used 30% to get to the inn, and assuming it takes another 30% for her to return, that would leave about 15% remaining.

That means I don’t have much mana to use. What should I do? If only Rai were here.

Thud!

“Agh!”

With another heavy blow, Ash let out a groan that sounded like he was about to pass out.

I hate this. I really hate it! Why do I have to watch this happen?

Tears that I had been holding back finally started to spill out, but I forced myself to hold them in.

Should I call for Adol? But if I don’t save at least 10%, I won’t be able to stay conscious, and with only 5% of mana to use, what could I even do?

Something inside me, something I didn’t think I had, like a sense of justice, seemed to stir. I wanted to call out for Adol right away.

But the frantic calculations in my head were telling me it was pointless.

Just then…

“Stop hitting Ash, you stupid pig!” Ilrujeh suddenly screamed, catching everyone off guard.

“What the…?”

Even the men, including the one who had been hitting Ash, turned to look at her.

Ash was still biting down on the man’s forearm.

The man, seeing that hitting him wasn’t working, grabbed a fistful of Ash’s hair to pull him off.

“Don’t hit Ash! You stupid mutt! Why are you hitting him?”

“You little…!”

The man, his arm dripping with blood, approached Ilrujeh.

Seeing this, the man holding Ilrujeh let her go as if pushing her away.

The man who had been holding Ash’s hair now grabbed Ilrujeh’s pink hair instead.

“Ouch!”

“Oh ho, looks like this little one wants a beating too.”

“Don’t leave marks on her face!”

The man who had been holding Ilrujeh stepped back, folding his arms.

The man coming for me did the same, offering a curt warning.

Nodding, the man yanked Ilrujeh up by her hair.

“Aaah, it hurts! Let go!”

Ilrujeh’s shrill voice echoed through the cramped space.

My mind was torn between stepping in to stop them and the cold logic that if I did, I would end up just like them.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Aaaah! Blood! There’s blood everywhere! You brats are…!”

“Eeeee!”

Bam!

The screams that followed made me open my eyes with a wince.

Ash had finally let go of the man’s arm and spat out something that looked like a piece of flesh.

The man clutched his forearm, howling in pain, while Ilrujeh collapsed against the wall, seemingly thrown there.

“Damn it, Adol! Adoool!”

[Hmm? What’s up, Master?]

In the end, I couldn’t overcome my emotions this time either, and tears streamed down my face as I called forth Adol.

The moment I summoned him, about 5% of my mana disappeared.

The previously dark room lit up brightly. Adol darted around the cramped space as soon as he was summoned.

“Damn it, kill them all… Kill all those bastards. Waaah!”

[Huh? Why are you crying, Master? And besides, killing them all isn’t possible, you know? There’s not enough mana! You have to feed me to get me to work.]

Useless thing. Just do what you’re told already. I know it’s pointless. But I still called you! The kids are getting beaten up!

“Do something, anything. Pleeease…”

[I can’t. Not even sure if I can kill one.]

At Adol’s appearance, the thugs’ eyes widened in surprise, then turned toward me.

It looked like they didn’t take kindly to the talk of killing them. Makes sense, I suppose.

Already looking menacing, they began to approach me.

“Don’t come any closer. Waaah! Rai, Rai! Where are you, you idiot? Waaaah!”

It was a truly desperate situation.

It seemed like I was always facing crises.

In my past life, I burned to death; after being reborn, I nearly drowned, and now I was on the brink of being beaten to death.

For some reason, the only thing on my mind right now was Rai, and I was wailing, crying out for him with all my might. But the men closing in on me showed no mercy.

“These brats are making a scene! What’s the meaning of all this?!”

Thud!

“Kyaah!”

The man’s hand, as large as a pot lid, landed a solid blow to my right cheek.

The entire right side of my face went numb. It was one of the most intense pains I’d felt since arriving here.

How many of these hits did Ash take? Seriously?

Not used to such pain, I collapsed to the ground, and the man seemed ready to kick me. I instinctively covered my face with my hands and shut my eyes tightly.

“Ugh! What the…?”

Sniffle, why didn’t the kick land?

When the pain didn’t come, I opened one eye slightly.

[Oh! Master, did you call for me?]

A thin, long snake was coiled around the leg of the man who was about to kick me. It was none other than the irritating, annoying, and oh-so-hateful Rai.

You idiot… I already got hit once!

Sniffle.

Tears started to flow.

“Rai~!”

As soon as Rai appeared, I immediately unsummoned Adol. Useless thing!

[Wait! Hey, Master…!]

Adol seemed like he had something to say when he sensed his dismissal, but it was too late. I’ll deal with you later.

“Huh? What’s a snake doing here?”

“It looks like a white snake. Perfect for making snake wine.”

Two of the men turned their attention to the suddenly appearing Rai.

The man who had slapped me harshly tried to pry Rai off his right leg, but Rai didn’t budge.

“Ugh! What is this? It won’t come off!”

[Master! Master! Can I break this leg?]

At Rai’s question, I glanced over at Ilrujeh and Ash.

Ilrujeh, who had collided with the wall, seemed to be unconscious, while Ash, though not unconscious, was halfway out of it.

It seemed the warning not to leave any scars had gone unheeded, as Ilrujeh’s head was bleeding from where she’d hit the wall.

Ash, too, had blood on the corner of his mouth, likely from an internal injury.

Their faces were a mess. Both had bloody noses, and the violence inflicted on these children was excessive.

I turned back to Rai.

Knowing that life after death existed, I thought I was relatively indifferent to death compared to others.

Still, seeing someone die was never pleasant, especially when it was someone you could have saved. And it wasn’t just about dying; getting hurt was the same.

But that only applied to humans.

“Break it. All three of them.”

[Ooh, great! Alright, here we go!]

Snap, crack!

“Ugh, aaargh! Aaagh!”

No need to treat these sorts of people like human beings, right?

But seeing a perfectly fine leg twist and splatter blood all over wasn’t particularly pleasant, so I turned my head slightly away.

“What are you waiting for? Get that snake off him!”

One of the men who had tried to grab me shouted, clearly frightened by Rai’s strength after seeing him turn a thick leg into a bloody mess.

But the man who had been trying to grab Ilrujeh stepped back and tried to leave the room instead.

Having finished one task, Rai quickly leaped through the air and wrapped his long body around the retreating man’s neck.

“Wait! Not the neck, Rai! He’ll die!”

[Aww.]

Rai reluctantly loosened his grip and instead wrapped himself tightly around the man’s shoulder and upper arm. When it came to quick movements, Rai was exceptionally fast.

“Aaagh! No! Get it off, get it off!”

The man panicked and tried to pry Rai off, but it was a futile effort.

Rai wasn’t affected in the slightest by the man’s desperate attempts and promptly crushed the man’s arm.

Crunch, snap, crack!

“AAAAHH! Uggghhh… m-my arm… aaagh!”

The man’s shoulder and upper arm twisted grotesquely as he let out a scream before foaming at the mouth and collapsing. Rai was now covered in blood.

Lye’s normally pristine white body was now splattered with red stains that stood out vividly.

The cramped room was now filled with the smell of blood, and the only ones still conscious were me, Rai, and one remaining man.

“Rai, you can kill that one.”

[Got it!]

I said as I rubbed my still-tingling cheek.

Striking a lady on the cheek? I ought to kill him. No, I will. And look, there’s a bump on the back of my head, too?

I felt a familiar sensation rising within me, one I’d experienced before. My mind cooled, and my heart seemed to freeze over.

Rai flew through the air again. How well he flies for a snake, I thought. You’re a snake, Rai, not a flying squirrel. You’re supposed to slither along the ground.

“Grrk!”

The man narrowly dodged Rai as he lunged toward him.

But Rai didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, he grabbed hold of the man’s hair with his tail.

Rai was unintentionally avenging Ilrujeh, though he probably didn’t realize it.

Using the momentum of his tail wrapped around the man’s hair, Rai spun around and wrapped himself around the man’s head.

“Ugh…”

“Argh…”

The groans of the fallen men echoed faintly.

But soon, the sound was drowned out as Rai tightened his grip, and the sickening crack of the man’s nose breaking took center stage.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

The man’s nose was the first to go. Fear flickered in his eyes.

His gaze shifted to the other men who had fallen to Lye—his attention drawn to their legs and arms, broken and mangled, bone shards protruding like grotesque meat sculptures.

The trembling fear in his eyes shifted toward me. It seemed he’d realized that Rai was acting on my commands.

“P-please, spare me. I beg you…”

His voice quivered.

Rai paused and looked at me, as if asking, ‘What should we do?’

The man, who moments ago had been cruel and savage to Ash and Ilrujeh, now pleaded desperately for mercy.

But…

“In your next life, try not to be born as a human.”

The world wouldn’t suffer from having one less person like him. In fact, it might be better off.

Rai began to tighten his grip again, and the man’s eyes filled with despair and pain.

“Stop!”

[Why, Master?]

Rai questioned in confusion.

But my eyes were already on the mysterious woman who had just entered the room, holding Ilrujeh against the wall with a dagger to her throat.

“Oh my, I was going to ask you to stop, but you did it on your own… How considerate.”

“No need to thank me.”

After all, my allies will be here soon.

“Ugh!”

I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth.

Though Undine’s presence was close, and mana was draining slowly, without meditating and with the mana used to summon Adol, I barely had just over 10% left.

Undine’s upkeep would cost another 5% mana.

“I don’t know why you’re so confident, but could you release my subordinate first?”

The woman had fiery red hair and orange eyes, appearing to be in her early thirties.

She had an undeniably sexy aura, but all I felt was a strong sense of danger from her.

“What if I refuse?”

“Oh dear, that won’t do. Your friends are over here, remember?”

“You’re the ones who kidnapped us, aren’t you?”

Damn it, just five more minutes… no, three minutes, and my allies should be here! I just need to buy time.

“Why ask when you already know?”

“Why did you… kidnap us?”

“To sell you as slaves, of course. A girl with pink hair and a noble-looking blonde girl… you’re prime merchandise. And black-haired boys are all the rage for male lovers these days.”

“You have no intention of… letting us go, do you?”

“Of course not! Stop wasting time and release my subordinate!”

I needed to stall for time… My insides were throbbing, and the blood kept coming up; I felt like I was going to die.

Using more mana than I could handle was pushing me to the limit. I needed to say something more, but my vision was spinning.

“Let Ilrujeh go.”

“Wait, you’re up to something, aren’t you?”

Damn it, how did she know?

“No, nothing at all!”

Where did this woman even come from, making everything so difficult?

I couldn’t send Rai at her; she was constantly watching him.

This nuisance Ilrujeh! And that slowpoke group! Do you want to see me spit up blood and die? Hurry up already!

I grumbled internally. Damn it, if I ever roam around outside with weaklings again, I’m no human, I swear!

“…You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

Her probing question made me flinch, and I hastily opened my mouth to deny it.

“Ah… no, not at all.”

[Master, it’s written all over your face.]

[Really?]

[Absolutely.]

Seems like I need to practice my poker face. Maybe it was the overuse of mana or the mounting fatigue, but even Ilrujeh always seems to know what I’m thinking, which probably means I’m not good at hiding my emotions.

“Whatever you’re planning, just remember, I have a hostage here.”

I wish I could forget.

My remaining mana was dwindling faster now.

Hurry up, hurry! I glanced toward the door, hoping for a way out, but it was blocked by several burly men who had suddenly crowded the entrance.

“Cough! Haah…”

When did they all get there? They weren’t there earlier. And why didn’t Rai, who’s supposed to be good at sensing movement, notice them?

I struggled to keep the blood from spilling out as I clamped a hand over my mouth, glaring at Rai.

[Rai, didn’t you notice her approaching? Isn’t that your specialty, detecting people?]

[Sorry, Master. I got a bit too excited seeing those brutes that looked like Kenta… I let my guard down.]

[You idiot!]

Looked like Kenta? Where? Just their bulk? You snake-head!

As I berated Rai while spitting blood, the burly men at the door suddenly started murmuring amongst themselves. One of them cautiously entered the room.

“What are you doing? I told you not to come in—it’s dangerous!”

The woman’s sharp reprimand made the man flinch, but he still approached her and whispered something in her ear.

[“The knights have stormed the entrance. They’re conducting a forced search. It’s only a matter of time before they find the hidden door. The guests in the underground auction house are in a panic,” or something like that, Master. Did I do well? Hmm? Master~.]

Knowing I was furious, Rai tried to appease me by relaying the information.

If Rai was right, the woman’s face turned pale as the blood drained from it.

But it didn’t take long for her to regain her composure. Realizing that I was the cause of this whole mess, she glared at me with eyes full of rage.

“Pfft, serves you right.”

My honest remark didn’t sit well with her; she, who had been calm moments before, suddenly became agitated and shouted.

“You bitch! What did you do? How the hell did you manage this?!”

“Hey, watch your mouth! Calling someone a ‘bitch’ is rude!”

“Argh! I’ll kill you!”

Somehow, we ended up in a similar situation to earlier. As the woman stood up and took a step towards me…

Snap!

“Arrgh! Aaah!”

The one who screamed was the man caught in the middle.

Lye’s body was still wrapped around his head. Breaking the man’s neck would have been easy, but Rai seemed to be using him for intimidation instead, tearing off one of the man’s ears.

The woman, startled, halted in her tracks.

[Master, I did well, right?]

[Why don’t you just eat it?]

[I can’t eat stuff like that, Master.]

I wondered whether to scold Rai for acting on his own or praise him for stopping her approach, but before I could decide, the woman spoke with her lips pressed tight.

“Release my subordinate! Let him go! He’s going to die!”

The woman’s eyes were misty with tears, but it seemed excessive to be out of concern for a subordinate.

My suspicion was quickly confirmed by the man in Rai’s grasp.

“S-sister… Ugh…”

“You… shut up! You idiot…!”

Aha, so that’s how it is. Even though the younger one looks older, they’re siblings.

Unable to suppress the laughter bubbling up, I snorted. Stupid little brother, giving away such valuable information!

“Heheh, no wonder… I was wondering why you’d go to such lengths for just one subordinate! Haha. Cough! Spit! Now, shall we renegotiate? Let me ask you: who’s more important, your brother or your friends?”

“Damn it…”

The situation had quickly turned in my favor.

Unlike before, I now had the upper hand. The knights appeared to be just above us, and I had her brother as a hostage.

A brother and sister working together in the slave trade? Maybe I should just kill them both.

[Master, should I kill this one? Hmm?]

Rai, seemingly restless, spoke up.

While I couldn’t kill him because we both had hostages, a bit of provocation for the sake of negotiation wouldn’t hurt.

“Hey, still thinking it over? Now’s not the time for hesitation. If it’s that hard to decide, I can help you make up your mind.”

“…I don’t need your kind of help!”

“Oh, I think you do. Rai, it would look weird if he only had one ear. How about tearing off the other one as well?”

[As expected of Master! A brilliant choice!]

Rip!

“Aaahhh! Arrgh! Aaaagh!”

Rai was fast when it came to things like this.

The second ear was quickly torn off and discarded on the floor. The man clutched the sides of his head, writhing on the ground.

They say that after a certain level of pain, you stop feeling it, but that didn’t seem to be the case here.

“Grark! Let Grark go! Or I swear, your friend will meet the same fate…”

The woman gritted her teeth as she spoke.

“Are you sure about that? If you do that, you’ll see your brother’s brains splattered all over the place.”

I had about 6% mana left.

My stomach felt like it was turning inside out, and my vision was spinning. Struggling to keep my organs from spilling out, I saw the men at the door starting to flee.

At the same time, Undine entered through the door. Ah, my dear Undine!

[Master!]

“Well done. You did good, Undine.”

[Yes! Hehe, I was a bit late because I had to find the door.]

“Alright, go back for now.”

Undine nodded and disappeared. Immediately, the draining of my mana stopped as well.

If any more mana had been used, I might have died…

“A summoner, huh? You caught us, but you only managed to bring in trash. Useless bastards. Anyway, fine. I’ll let your friend go. Just release Grark!”

The woman, cursing the men who had already fled, offered a deal, but I wondered if there was any point in negotiating now, with the knights just moments away.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong? Changed your mind already? You’ve taken over my place, isn’t that enough? Just let Grark go! Otherwise, I’ll be forced to kill this girl!”

Tch, Ilrujeh is still a problem. Reluctantly, I decided to accept her terms.

“Fine, we release them at the same time. I’ll release your brother, and you release my friend.”

The woman nodded, her face set in determination.

Thud, thud, thud!

At the same time, I could hear multiple footsteps rushing towards us and voices calling out for me and Ilrujeh from afar.

This place must be like a maze; the voices were coming from behind.

“Lady Crowell! Lady Feyru! Where are you? Answer us!”

The woman, making eye contact with me, moved the dagger away from Irurze’s neck. Then, she carefully set Ilrujeh down on the ground.

I spoke up as well.

“Rai, come here. Let that guy go. And protect Ilrujeh.”

[Yes…]

Rai reluctantly uncoiled himself from the man. Moving reluctantly, he made his way over to Ilrujeh.

Freed from Rai’s grip, the man approached the woman. His nose was crushed, and both his ears were torn off—his face was in a terrible state.

“Grrk… S-sister…”

“Grark!”

The siblings had a tearful reunion, but I found the scene rather irritating for some reason.

Seeing that she was asking to be let go, there must be an escape route somewhere.

After sending her injured brother through the door first, the woman turned back to look at me.

“What…”

“Die, you little brat!”

For a split second, I saw something glinting in the woman’s hand.

She’d thrown something. Was it the dagger she used to threaten Ilrujeh? Rai was too far away! Damn it, this time I couldn’t even close my eyes. Was it because I was too shocked?

Squinting was the best I could manage. Is this really the end?

“Argh!”

Just when I thought I was done for, something appeared before my eyes.

A small human hand. Not my own, but a scream pierced my ears.

At the same time, I saw the blade poking through the hand. Black hair…

“Ash!”

Somehow, Ash had reached me in time, throwing himself in the way of the blade.

He landed on the ground with the momentum of his jump, clutching his pierced hand and crying out in pain.

“Aaaagh!”

“Hey! Why did you… Are you alright? Huh?”

Panicking, I rushed over to Ash. He was trying to pull out the knife with his trembling hand.

“Ugh…”

“No, don’t pull it out!”

I quickly stopped Ash’s hand from pulling out the knife, and once again, tears began to well up in my eyes.

Earlier, I cried because I was on the brink of death. But now, tears were flowing from the relief of being saved and the overwhelming gratitude and guilt I felt toward this boy, who had just met me today and still threw himself in harm’s way to save me.

As I held Ash hand to prevent him from removing the knife, I glanced toward the door. The woman was gone. She must have fled immediately after throwing the knife.

“Rai, go after her.”

[What? But I can’t hear her footsteps anymore.]

“Don’t argue, just go after her! You know which direction she went! If you don’t bring back those siblings’ heads… I won’t forgive you for today!”

[Hisss~. Alright, alright, I’m going.]

Rai groaned but obeyed, slithering away with his blood-stained body.

“There it is! It’s Lady Crowell’s snake!”

Thanks to the rescue by the 5th Knight Order and the Wind Knights of Elan, we were able to return to the inn.

Once there, a healer was urgently summoned, and we were all examined. Fortunately, Ilrujeh had only suffered minor bruises, and though my internal injuries were more severe than expected, I was told that I would recover fully with about a week of rest.

The real problem was… Ash.

“He should be able to live a normal life, but his hand’s grip strength will be compromised. If the nerve damage is severe, he might lose the ability to move his hand altogether.”

I felt a mix of guilt and gratitude, and hearing the healer’s words made me tear up again.

I realized I’d been crying a lot lately, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted to become an adult as soon as possible.

That way, I wouldn’t cry so easily due to emotions, and I wouldn’t end up in difficult situations like today.

Quickly, I needed to become a strong adult.

But before that…

[Geenie Crowell! How on earth do you manage to cause so much trouble wherever you go? From now on, you are not allowed to leave without wearing your uniform! Understood?]

I would need to graduate from all this nagging first…

“Yes…”

I pouted as I reluctantly answered the headmaster’s voice coming from the communication crystal.

Come to think of it, if I had been wearing my uniform, this situation wouldn’t have happened, right? The ribbon on the uniform had a tracking spell.

[Ilrujeh Feyru! The same goes for you. How could you even think of suggesting going to a monster market as a duchess? Do you realize how dangerous that is? Look at what happened as a result!]

“I’m sorry…”

[Miss Feyru, the same goes for you—no going out without your uniform! Understand?]

“Hmph…”

Ilrujeh seemed just as displeased.

[And with the tournament approaching, I expect you both to put in your best efforts! His Majesty, King Dikel III, will personally attend, so aim for good results!]

What? The king is coming? I was planning to feign illness and have Leona compete instead, but this complicates things…

“Pfft! The king is so mean. He makes us travel for over ten days, but he gets to come here instantly. Hmph…”

[Miss Feyru! Mind your words! The teleportation circle at the palace is only for His Majesty!]

There is a warp circle in the palace.

But that warp circle, typical of Dimitri’s inferior magic technology, could only transport a small number of people and needed at least a day to recharge after each use.

Therefore, it was reserved for a select few: the king, the queen, the royal family members, or in very special circumstances.

Although Drikke students were treated with great importance, they were not considered important enough to use the royal warp circle.

Even if it were used, transporting a delegation, including around 60 knights, would be quite a strain, especially with a maximum capacity of seven or eight people per trip and a one-day cooldown.

But to express dissatisfaction aloud… Ilrujeh was truly something. It meant more nagging was inevitable.

Ilrujeh and I, under the supervision of Teacher Iritho, had to endure a two-hour-long lecture from the headmaster in the communication room.

Oh gosh, my ears hurt. And I bet the communication fees will be no joke after two hours.

After the headmaster’s lecture ended, we left the communication room, each holding onto Teacher Iritho’s hand, and headed back to the inn.

Three knights were escorting us from behind. Tsk, looks like I won’t be going anywhere without an escort from now on.

And Hansen and Philo’s faces were a sight to behold. They looked like they had taken quite a beating for losing us, and I felt guilty. Maybe I should compensate by treating them to something?

“Geenie! Geenie! Where have you been?”

As we entered the inn, Bright ran over with a flushed face. For some reason, I didn’t feel guilty towards him at all.

“We were just having a little talk with the headmaster…”

“We got scolded a lot. Hehe, but isn’t the headmaster too harsh on patients?”

“It was our fault, actually.”

“Is that so?”

I always feel this way, but Ilrujeh has a way of being shameless.

My stomach still felt like it was flipping, and exhaustion was washing over me. I wanted to lie down, so I headed towards the room. But Bright quickly called out to me.

“Wait, Geenie! The guy who came with you today… um, that person… huh?”

“Do you mean Ash?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Prince Ash.”

“Prince?”

I made a face as if he was speaking nonsense, but Bright shook his head rapidly and said.

“While you were away, people from the royal palace came. They were from the Wind Knights and the Royal Knights or something? They suddenly barged in and forcibly took Prince Ash away, even though he didn’t want to go. They said he’s a prince—the second prince of Elan Empire, the current Emperor Aron de Khan Megaloprofis’s second son.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Wait a second.

I suddenly recalled the conversation between Ash and Ilrujeh. So, it was true?

“Wait! So, Ash isn’t here now?”

“Yeah, he returned to the palace. They said a reward will be sent later…”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

When I shouted, Bright widened his eyes and stuttered.

“Why, why are you mad, Geenie? Why are you shouting? Oh, right, that boy… I mean, Prince Ash told me to thank you! For saving him.”

“What? Why is he thanking me? I haven’t even thanked him yet. Waaah.”

Just a few hours ago, I thought I had been crying too much lately, but here I was, getting teary again.

At least this time, it wasn’t enough to be considered a full-blown cry.

More importantly, why did Ash leave in such a hurry, with a hole in his hand? I haven’t even had the chance to thank him properly. Does he even know that he might not be able to hold a sword anymore? The doctor advised keeping it a secret until he was stable.

I wiped away the tears welling up in my eyes with the back of my hand.

“What’s wrong, Geenie? Don’t cry, come here, let me—”

“Eek!”

[Ssshhh!]

Bright, who was trying to sneak up and embrace me, shrieked and bolted away at the sight of Rai’s appearance. Seems like he learned his lesson after being bitten once.

“Ah! Rai~!”

[Ugh! Ilrujeh!]

Ilrujeh squealed in delight upon seeing Rai, and Rai shuddered at her reaction, but thanks to my command not to leave my side without permission, he couldn’t escape.

After having shown up late and failing to capture the siblings, Rai was being ignored by me lately.

First, I needed to find Ash.

I had to thank him and apologize to him.

After all, I wasn’t even deserving of his gratitude. The person I intended to save was Ilrujeh, not Ash. He was just an afterthought. And more than that, Ash ended up saving my life instead.