Soon, Ilian activated the warp magic in his magic stone. At that moment—

“The young lady has disappeared.”

As soon as Ilian finished speaking, Lerrhagen vanished without a trace. After watching Hasis leave with a warning, Ilian sighed.

Ah, I should have known better than to get involved with those of noble blood.

Shortly after, he too disappeared from the corridor.

* * *

‘Where am I?’

The men who had attempted to kidnap me—or rather, the men who had failed at kidnapping me, forcing me to pretend to be kidnapped—were taking me somewhere.

[Parallel Sight.]

As I silently cast the spell, the surroundings became vividly clear in my mind despite my closed eyes.

‘This place… is it an underground waterway?’

It was quite damp, with rainwater dripping steadily. Moss grew everywhere, and I could even see insects crawling about.

Surely they wouldn’t just throw me in here. If they did, I’d snap their necks immediately, I thought. Just then, the man walking ahead of me opened a door and unceremoniously tossed me onto the floor.

‘These bastards.’

“Hey, keep a good eye on her. Got it?”

“W-what are you going to do with us?”

“Well, you’ll have to ask His Excellency about that. Though it probably doesn’t matter. He’s a merciful man—he’ll kill you all without pain.”

With those words, the two men snickered as they left the room.

The door slammed shut with a bang, and I opened my eyes.

‘Ah, my head. If they wanted to knock me out, they should have done it properly. What a mess.’

I let out a deep sigh. Despite their seemingly amateur behavior, the surroundings were all too suitable for holding prisoners.

Suitable.

I couldn’t help but laugh at my own thoughts. Just then, someone gently tugged at the hem of my cloak.

“Um…”

Turning my head, I saw a boy who appeared slightly younger than me.

He had dark brown hair and wore relatively neat clothes, though they were somewhat disheveled.

“Did you come alone?” he asked, fear visible in his eyes.

“You?” His question seemed odd, so I asked in return, “Aren’t you alone?”

“I’m… with my mother…”

When I looked where he pointed, I saw quite a few people.

Most were elderly or young adults with mobility issues. Those who seemed physically able were mostly emaciated and appeared too weak to exert any strength.

There weren’t many children. To be precise, the only children around my age were this boy and myself. The rest were old enough to be considered adolescents.

In short, most people in this room were those commonly referred to as “the vulnerable.”

“There, that collapsed person is my mother.”

Indeed, at the end of his pointing finger lay a woman. Unlike her son, she was dressed in tattered clothes and showed no signs of movement.

Just then, one of the gathered elders suddenly spoke up.

“Child, come over here. It’s cold over there.”

His voice was already trembling considerably.

It had felt somewhat chilly since earlier. Perhaps because we were underground?

I checked the ring on my finger. Like before, black energy continued to swirl within it.

“How did everyone end up here?”

Honestly, I knew my behavior wasn’t exactly normal in this situation. A seven-year-old child calmly assessing the situation in such circumstances? How could that make sense?

However, most people here would likely never cross paths with me again, and with hostages involved, I needed to resolve this problem first.

“I smelled a strange scent, collapsed, and found myself here.”

“M-me too.”

“I was just walking down the street…”

The responses varied widely.

Then, the boy tugged at my cloak again.

“W-we were eating, and my mother couldn’t pay… She was going to work to pay it off… but they said no and suddenly brought us here.”

“Which restaurant?”

“I don’t know. Just a small restaurant.”

I furrowed my brow.

That gives me no clues at all.

As I was thinking this, someone suddenly mumbled.

“We’re going to die.”

“…”

“We’re all going to die. They said so earlier. Everyone here will be fed to magical beasts. We’re all going to die.”

Fed to magical beasts?

“What nonsense is that? Fed to magical beasts?”

“Don’t you understand? This room, do you know what’s in this room?”

The speaker was a small-framed young man about Rigan’s age. Covering both ears with his hands and trembling, he muttered:

“We’re all going to die. We’ll all be food for magical beasts. This is a monster den. They’re demons…”

I inwardly sighed.

Rigan, I’m sorry. Now that I think about it, among your peers, you’re truly level-headed and rational.

But it’s also ridiculous to expect much from ordinary citizens who’ve likely never been involved in such crimes.

Rather than questioning the young man further, I stepped back slightly and extended my hand.

[Layer Shining.]

Instantly, the room brightened. The black energy in my ring continued to ripple.

Ignoring it, I looked around.

What could possibly make this place a den of magical beasts?

As I surveyed the surroundings, I suddenly noticed shadows flickering within the wall where people were leaning and my face hardened.

“No way.”

An absurd hypothesis flashed through my mind.

I slowly approached the wall.

“Step aside, please.”

After speaking, I grabbed the wall. It yielded like fabric, and I pulled it aside.

At that moment, an unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.

“G-gasp!”

“Kyaaaaa!”

Amid people’s screams, what appeared before me were dozens of iron cages.

Stacked layer upon layer like a tower, each cage contained unidentifiable creatures that I easily recognized as magical beasts.

‘So it wasn’t a wall, but iron cages stacked together and covered with fabric. This room was a storage place for magical beasts.’

But why? By whom?

Around me, chaos had erupted. People were either wailing or screaming, and some had even fainted.

Just then, the elderly man who had called me over earlier hurriedly grabbed me.

“C-child, come here. T-those are dangerous.”

He still had the presence of mind to worry about me in this situation?

I calmly surveyed the surroundings.

I had only pretended to be kidnapped to see if this was connected to black mages, but things were turning out to be far more serious than anticipated.

“It’s alright.”

“C-child.”

“Let’s find a way out first.”

Surprisingly, seeing the magical beasts made my mind even more rational.

It made sense. Most people in this room appeared to be commoners, and it was clear that anyone with magical abilities, swordsmanship skills, or means to protect themselves wouldn’t have been captured in the first place.

This meant I was the only one who could fight in this place, and I alone could save these people and get them out.

However…

‘I can’t just leave with the people. If those criminals release these magical beasts in the capital, or anywhere else for that matter, it would be disastrous.’

I stared at the iron cages stacked so high that I couldn’t see the top. Where did they get so many magical beasts?

Or were they even acquired?

If my memory served me correctly, black magic had the power to modify life itself.

Those who could resurrect humans would find creating magical beasts trivial.

‘Who would dare bring such things into the imperial capital!’

I gritted my teeth as my thoughts gradually organized.

First, I needed to eliminate all the magical beasts here. Then capture the criminals outside and take them to the imperial palace for punishment, before escorting everyone here to safety.

“C-child, quickly come here.”

“Step back.”

“Huh?”

“Wait, child. Are you a mage?”

“No, sister! Even if you’re a mage, you can’t handle magical beasts!”

Already calling me sister after just meeting? Are all kids these days so friendly?

Despite the voices trying to hold me back, I quietly stepped forward.

Of course, magical beasts were too much for an ordinary mage to handle alone. Even Viole couldn’t face magical beasts by herself.

However, these beasts were completely confined in cages. Though there were dozens, they couldn’t move freely, and most importantly…

‘Black magic might be different, but dealing with physical magical beasts is my specialty.’

After all, I had obtained my magical powers by venturing north alone.

Unlike others who systematically learned magic under masters, all my magic was self-taught through killing and handling creatures myself.

As a result, my magic was crude and unorthodox. Had scholars from the Academy or Magic Tower seen it, they would have questioned how I could use such techniques.

‘But isn’t magic just about effectiveness? Who cares if it’s not orthodox when I’m stronger than traditional mages?’

[Apodemium.]

I stepped forward.

Sorry, Dad, but in this situation, my abilities seem more useful than your whip.

While a whip is suitable for fighting moving opponents, it’s not the most appropriate weapon for dealing with caged creatures.

With that thought, I extended my hand.