#103

I stared at Keinhrih in utter bewilderment. Now that he knew he had kidnapped his lifesaver’s wife, shouldn’t the logical thing be to let me go?

Apparently, Keinhrih’s logic didn’t align with mine. He even tilted his head in confusion before rebutting,

“This carriage is mine now. And since you were riding in it, that makes you mine, too. So where do you think you’re going?”

…What kind of nonsense was this?

It wasn’t even mine to begin with, but because he stole it, now I belonged to him, too?

…What kind of dogshit logic was that?!

The pleasant atmosphere between me and Keinhrih shattered instantly.

I had been under the illusion that we understood each other. I was wrong.

“Fine, let’s say that’s how you usually think. But I’m Zerakiel’s wife. Are you really going to repay kindness with betrayal?”

Instead of looking guilty, Keinhrih let out a hearty laugh.

“Of course! That’s the best kind of war trophy! To take the most treasured person of the one I wanted to defeat—what could be better than that?”

Yep, this world was beyond saving.

I took a step back and glared at him coldly.

“Well, I get what you’re saying. But just so you know—you’re making a huge mistake.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Like you said, Zerakiel is obsessed with me. The moment he finds out I’ve been kidnapped, he’s going to come charging in at full speed. In short, to him, you’re nothing more than a speck of dust. Or maybe a piece of snot.”

“…Why are your comparisons so degrading?”

“Because to Jabis, everything outside of Jabis is insignificant.”

“Oh… Now that you say it, that makes sense.”

…He understands that?!

I had been trying to insult him, but he just agreed with me. I looked at him in disbelief.

He was an oddly naive bandit—I had no idea how to deal with someone like him.

“Anyway, if you so much as lay a finger on me, I will make you regret it.”

“Oh, so you want me to wait until you reach adulthood?”

“Even if I were an adult, I wouldn’t ever marry you, not even in my wildest dreams!”

“Grrr!”

Ella, who had been listening quietly, growled in agreement.

Keinhrih turned to her, suddenly intrigued.

“Come to think of it, what’s with that rabbit? Is it your pet?”

“She’s my bodyguard.”

“…Eh?”

His expression screamed, That’s supposed to be a bodyguard?

Before I could retort, Ella bared her teeth and lunged at him with a sharp hiss.

Keinhrih dramatically staggered back as if he were actually threatened.

I stroked Ella’s head, trying to calm her down.

“She hasn’t been able to transform into her human form since you ambushed the carriage.”

“Whoa, so she’s a beastman? Man, she must be really weak.”

Keinhrih, clearly uninterested in anything weak, lost interest almost immediately.

A moment later, he gave his subordinates an order.

“Take her underground.”

“Yes, sir!”

His underlings saluted and began dragging me away.

At least they weren’t throwing me in the same cage as the Hebel knights—small mercies.

I let them lead me silently, watching as they took me toward what seemed to be a tunnel.

A dungeon built underground, huh?

I wrinkled my nose at the damp, musty air when suddenly, Jonathan’s voice echoed in my mind.

— Oh ho, now this is a well-made tunnel.

‘Can you actually see the structure? Even with those sunglasses on?’

— Tsk! The sunglasses are for style, kid! Style!

After dramatically clearing his throat, he continued.

— Anyway, tunnels are my specialty! Of course I can see the layout.

Jonathan, despite his grumbling, never missed a chance to brag.

I mean, what place could be more familiar to a mole beastman than an underground tunnel?

Until Zerakiel arrived to rescue me, escaping on my own seemed impossible.

But now—

A glimmer of hope.

I brightened up and asked eagerly,

‘Hey, old man. Wouldn’t it be easier to modify an existing tunnel to create a new exit rather than digging a brand-new one?’

— Of course! That’s basic logic! Plus, my tunneling skills are the best on the continent. A little tunnel modification is nothing!

‘So making an escape route should be no problem for you, right?’

— Naturally! I could make one in three days! But… altering someone else’s tunnel is—

‘Are you seriously worried about tunnel etiquette now? They kidnapped me. You think that’s morally okay, but us making an exit isn’t?’

Annoyed, I snapped at him, making Jonathan chuckle sheepishly.

— Ha, well, even if they were in the wrong, that doesn’t mean we should—

— Unless you want to drown, you’d better get to work.

— Eek!

Taby, who had been listening silently the whole time, suddenly cut in.

Jonathan immediately flinched, his breath hitching.

From the way he instinctively covered his mouth, it was obvious he had suffered at Taby’s hands before.

I took advantage of the moment to drive the point home.

‘Three days is too long. Make the escape route in two.’

— Hah, what a terrible young’un, working an old man like this.

The sapphire on my bracelet flickered before vanishing.

He might grumble, but he was going to do it.

— Alright, alright. I’ll do what I can.

With that, Jonathan’s presence faded away.

* * *

I spent an entire day in the prison cell, sprawled out like it was my own home, annoying the guard until his uniform nearly burst from frustration.

Complaints about the food, the bed, the smell—I whined about everything, and soon enough, just hearing my voice made the poor guard want to bolt.

“Just behave, will you? If you get on Lord Keinhrih’s nerves, you won’t even have bones left to bury.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now, hurry up and bring me food. I’m starving!”

The guard stared at me in disbelief as I lay dramatically on the prison bed.

“An inmate sure has a lot of demands.”

“Well, judging by how you keep fulfilling my demands, I’d say Keinhrih told you to give me whatever I ask for.”

“I told you to call him Lord Keinhrih!”

“Yessir, yessir.”

I shrugged, flashing him an annoyingly smug grin. His face turned red with rage before he stormed off.

Clearly, he figured it was easier to just shove food at me and shut me up.

Not long after the guard left, a commotion erupted near the entrance.

Still lazing around on the bed, I propped myself up slightly, peering toward the cell bars.

It seemed Keinhrih had found himself another valuable war trophy.

Wonder which unlucky beastman got caught this time.

I figured it wasn’t my problem and was about to lose interest—

Until the captured person spotted me and called out.

“Lady Cersia?”

…Huh? That voice?

I shot up from the bed, eyes wide in shock.

I wasn’t supposed to hear that voice in this place.

I dashed toward the bars, gripping them tightly as I took a closer look.

When I finally got a clear view of the person being dragged in, my mouth fell open.

“…Victor Orban?”

“It is you, Lady Cersia!”

Victor Orban greeted me with a bright smile, looking utterly relieved to see a familiar face.

He must have been terrified after being dragged to some unknown place, so running into someone he knew was a huge comfort.

Of course, if I hadn’t already learned from Ella that Victor was a traitor, I might have been just as relieved to see him.

He clearly has no idea what kind of situation he’s in.

If he was really on the run from Zerakiel and Zakari, his first reaction upon seeing me should’ve been panic, not relief.

Feigning surprise, I raised my voice excitedly.

“What are you doing here? Did Zerakiel send you? Did he tell you to check if I was here?”

Playing dumb, I acted completely oblivious.

Victor, without missing a beat, launched into a lie without even blinking.

“A-Ah, y-yes! That’s right! I just happened to be gathering rare medicinal herbs in the area, so I got here first! I was so worried that Lady Cersia might be trembling in this dangerous place, so I rushed over. But, uh… I got caught in the process. Haha…”

Oh, wow.

Not a single drop of hesitation. He spewed that nonsense so naturally, as if he actually believed it.