Chapter 4.2

A rusty iron door at the end of a stone staircase creaked open. The only light in the dark, cramped underground steps came from small candles set into one wall here and there.

‘……Where is this?’

Brienne was pushed along by the man behind her, hesitantly descending the old stairs. The situation was dire. After being caught by those in robes at a dead end, she had been blindfolded and loaded into a carriage, transported all the way here. She had no idea how much time had passed or how far she was from the capital.

The only relief was that she hadn’t been left alone.

“Hey, we’ll walk on my own, so take your hands off the lady.”

A fierce voice echoed through the chilly underground corridor. The man shoving Brienne flinched, checked the owner of the voice, and quietly backed off. Garzen shook his wrists, which were tied tightly behind his back.

“Hah, how did I end up with scum like this…….”

He had let himself be dragged along because he couldn’t fight while carrying Brienne, but their carelessness was excessive. They’d only tied his hands and made the hostage walk themselves, even showing their backs as they descended the stairs—especially careless.

There probably wasn’t a single person here who could handle proper martial arts.

‘It’s so sloppy, it actually makes me nervous…….’

Garzen scanned the men, who looked weak even at a glance, weighing his chances. If he waited for an opportunity, escape seemed possible, but if he acted carelessly, Brienne might get hurt……

“Do you know where we are?”

Meanwhile, Lusell, who was at the very back, closed the distance and whispered. Garzen glanced at the dim exterior and frowned.

“No, not at all. If you don’t know, how would I?”

“……I figured as much.”

Lusell sighed deeply, as if he hadn’t expected much. Garzen glared at his loyal subordinate and lowered his voice again.

“Lusell, whatever’s going on, keep your wits about you and look for a way to escape……”

“Hey, open the door!”

Just then, the man leading the way down shouted loudly. Someone came running from inside the securely locked bars, apparently the boss of this place.

“Wow, you’re here already! The woman? Everything went smoothly, right?”

“What are you asking for? Of course it was a success.”

The boss, swaggering, pointed his chin at Brienne. As she stepped back nervously, a subordinate grinned and pulled out a set of keys.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll open it right away.”

While this happened, Lusell watched the subordinate’s movements, figuring out the location of the locks. Amidst the rattling metallic sounds, Lusell whispered quietly.

“……They’ve hidden everything tight. Even if we try to escape, there are already more than three locks to undo.”

“Exactly. If only we could just smash the whole thing.”

Garzen groaned. At that sound, the subordinate looked up at the stairs, eyes wide.

“W-wait! Who are those men? The higher-ups said not to let just anyone in……”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Those guys are just lunatics.”

“Huh?”

“You know, the ones who’ve been snooping around us for days! Lucky break, huh. Caught two rabbits at once.”

The boss shoved the subordinate inside and flopped down on a worn sofa. Looking over Brienne’s group, the boss bared his teeth and laughed aloud.

“Ah, not just two. One, two, three……. Three rabbits, huh?”

He pointed at Brienne, Garzen, and Lusell each, and the subordinate’s eyes grew round. After a moment’s blinking, the subordinate clapped as if he’d realized.

“Wow, what a windfall……! Then I’ll report to the higher-ups right away…….”

“Hey, forget it. Just throw them all in together. Let’s wrap up for today and go have a drink.”

“Huh? Boss, but the report……”

“report, at this hour? You know how long it takes to get down to the village? Stop whining and just do what you’re told. I’ll handle everything.”

The boss’s face hardened, and the subordinate shut his mouth. With the boss’s gesture, the other subordinates opened the cell door and quickly surrounded Brienne’s group. Brienne, watching carefully, took a step into the cell.

“Uh, w-wait……”

Just then, the subordinate grabbed Garzen’s arm.

“I sense some magic power.”

“What? Magic power?”

“Yes, I think it’s this guy……”

The boss, surprised, shot up and strode over. Standing before Garzen, he yanked the pendant hanging from the subordinate’s neck.

“Then don’t just stand there! Use that magic device or whatever it is. Rookie mage.”

“Uh, yes. Yes……”

The subordinate, his neck pulled, coughed and removed the pendant. The bright light pouring from the pendant lit up the dark cell.

“Stop, what do you think you’re doing?”

Sensing something wrong, Garzen scowled. But the subordinate, glancing at the boss, simply brought the pendant toward Garzen. Soon, the light that had filled the cell flickered out.

“I-it’s done. Now the mana circuit……”

“……Ha, these lunatics.”

Garzen scowled and cursed.

He wondered what they were up to, but to forcibly shut down the mana circuit—using a magic device to forcibly close a circuit was illegal across the continent.

“Pretty bold. Well, they’re the kind of people who’d kidnap nobles in the heart of the capital, so of course.”

Garzen sneered, leaning toward the subordinate. A large shadow fell over the subordinate’s face.

“So what……! Even if you talk about what happened here outside, who would believe it?”

The subordinate, face pale, retreated. Garzen stepped closer, undeterred.

“Hah, seeing you tremble, you must feel guilty. But what now? I’m much better at fistfights than magic.”

“I-I’m just following orders……”

“Back off! If you open your mouth again, you and your crew won’t get away unscathed.”

At that, the boss, who had been watching, blocked Garzen. Inside the cell, Garzen spotted Brienne and Lusell, huddled together, and sighed. Suppressing his anger, Garzen flashed a chilling smile at the subordinate hiding behind the boss.

“……Fine, let’s make sure we meet again outside.”

Garzen kicked the bars and squeezed into the cell. The cell door creaked and locked tightly behind him.

* * *

“A-are you okay? Are either of you hurt……?”

A musty smell stung her nose. Only after the noisy voices of the men faded did Brienne look around the cramped, filthy cell, checking Garzen and Lusell.

“We’re fine. But are you really okay, Miss? Did those bastards do anything on the way here……?”

“N-no, I’m completely fine! See, even my hair ornament is untouched. It’s all thanks to you, Zen and Lusell, for helping me.”

“Hah, really……”

Relieved that nothing had happened, Garzen and Lusell sighed. Brienne glanced at the bars and asked quietly,

“But what do we do now?”

Only one guard remained in front of the cell after the boss and subordinates left. There might be someone else out of sight, but it was easier to talk than before.

“First, we need to think. Why did they target you, Miss, and how do we get out of here?”

“A way out……”

“Everything feels sloppy and odd. Why would they only tie our hands, risking so much?”

“Maybe they don’t have enough people. Or it’s their first time doing this.”

Garzen frowned, recalling the loud boss and his clueless subordinates. The men of varying ages had tried to act fierce, but Garzen noticed they were all slightly nervous.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Normally, they’d tie up the whole body and stuff you in a sack, not leave so many gaps.”

“Exactly. If we weren’t outnumbered, those guys would’ve been dealt with ages ago……”

‘……A sack?’

Thinking of the large sacks used to hold ingredients, Brienne shuddered. She’d only seen such things when preparing for banquets, never imagined people could be put inside. With trembling eyes, Brienne asked,

“W-wait……. A sack? Have you two ever experienced this before?”

“Yeah, maybe three times?”

“…….”

“So don’t worry too much, Miss Brienne. Escaping will be easier than you think. For now, let’s look for anything useful inside.”

Lusell smiled reassuringly and began searching the cell. Brienne, standing to one side, quickly followed.

“Ah, then I’ll help too!”

However.

“It’s fine, just leave Lusell alone. He’s always been the expert at this sort of thing.”

Garzen slightly turned his body, abruptly blocking her path.

“Instead, why don’t we talk about what we mentioned earlier? Honestly, even if we’re thinking about escaping, I find this all rather suspicious.”

“…….”

“I mean, what kind of connection could there be between you and the heretics, Miss?”

“……Excuse me?”

“Well, I don’t want to suspect you, Miss, but… honestly, it’s a bit strange. This must be your first time in a situation like this, but you don’t seem all that scared.”

Garzen’s words left Brienne momentarily speechless.

How could anyone not feel fear in such a situation? Of course she was scared. She was simply trying not to show it, not wanting Garzen or Lusell to get hurt because of her.