NOVEL WEB Chapter 85.2
Stage 3-19. Shall We Go Rescue The Captive Princess?
And then, the moment arrived.
“…That concludes today’s check-in. We’ll inspect the items before the auction begins.”
“There were some high-quality women this time. Man, I’d love to have a go at one of them, just once.”
“No kidding! Damn, I’m so sick of those cheap, ugly prostitutes we see every night.”
“…Your conversations are as vile as ever.”
“Shut up, boy-lover. Nobody wants to hear it from you.”
The crude voices of three men and the sound of the back door slamming shut reached our ears.
We immediately exchanged glances and began to move.
“[Gear Change].”
I infused my blood with magic, circulating it through my entire body to enhance my physical capabilities by accelerating my heart’s function.
“Hngh!”
I ripped off my handcuffs and forcibly widened the loops of Reina’s cuffs until they were useless.
After that, I returned my hands behind my back, making it look as if I were still restrained. It was a swift escape.
Positioning myself in front of Reina to conceal her freed leg restraints, I whispered softly, yet clearly enough to be heard.
“You three are nothing but scum. Idiots.”
A moment of silence. Then, anger-laced voices reverberated through the cell.
“…Sounds like someone’s asking to die, huh?”
“…I’ll gladly grant that wish.”
“Hey, wait, you fools! Don’t forget, they’re merchandise!”
Hook, line, and sinker.
Two of the morons stomped toward us, their heavy footsteps echoing as they ignored the spectacled one’s warnings.
The men reached our cell and unlocked the door with a loud clink. Just like moths flying straight into a flame.
“Hey, kid. You’d better brace yourself for some pain… Huh?”
“Too bad for you. You’ll never even touch another cheap hooker again.”
As soon as they stepped inside, I shattered my leg restraints with a loud snap.
A slave, supposedly captured, broke free from iron chains. The sheer shock created a fatal opening.
I swung my leg with all my strength, aiming for the man’s groin.
“…Gah… Gop!…!”
I felt the satisfying crunch of his pelvis breaking under my kick.
Unable to endure the unimaginable pain, the man collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
“Reina.”
The moment I called her name, Reina slipped through the gap left by the fallen man.
In the next instant, the spectacled man screamed.
The plan was practically a success at this point.
“Damn it!? You bastard, how dare you!”
The brute who had been boasting about his strength earlier swung a massive punch, winding up exaggeratedly.
No speed, no sharpness. I caught his sluggish blow, producing a light smack.
This level of attack didn’t even warrant using [Limit Break]. I could easily crush him with pure physical strength.
“Wha-!? He caught my right straight!?”
“Don’t be so surprised. There are thousands of people in the world who can do this.”
Twisting his captured fist, I began to bend his arm backward.
180 degrees, 190, 200… slowly, letting him feel every ounce of pain.
The man dropped to his knees, tears forming in his eyes as his earlier bravado vanished.
“Ow, ow, ow! Stop! Any more, and my arm will rip off!”
“Don’t worry. The human body isn’t that fragile.”
“That’s a lie! Please! I’ll let you escape; just stop!”
“Let’s keep going. …210.”
With a loud snap, his joint dislocated.
“Ahhh!? You bastard!!”
Summoning his remaining strength, the man launched a desperate punch with his left arm.
“Listen. A proper right straight should look like this.”
Drawing my fist to my side like pulling a bowstring, I charged up, then released.
When our fists collided, his left arm crumpled, the bones shattering and puncturing through his skin.
“Gaahh! My arm!!”
“And to quiet someone down, you do this.”
“Gyuh… ugh… ah…”
I mimicked the technique they used to silence slaves, delivering a powerful blow to his temple.
The impact shook his brain violently, and he collapsed unconscious, eyes rolling back.
With the muscleheads dealt with, only the spectacled one remained.
“I-I don’t know anything! I swear I don’t know anything about that person!”
“Is that so? What a pity. Well then, you must be exhausted. Have a nice, long rest.”
“No! Please! I don’t want to—gah…!”
Lightning burst from Reina’s fingertips, striking the man. His body convulsed violently before he slumped over, unconscious.
“Ouga-kun, they were just low-level hires, paid by the Andraus family.”
“…Figures. Someone this weak wouldn’t be told anything important.”
As expected, the outcome was no surprise.
Unfazed, we moved to the next phase.
“H-Hey, you two! Help us, too!”
“P-Please! Me as well!”
With the threat gone, the slaves became noisy, clamoring for rescue.
It was understandable—they’d glimpsed hope—but their commotion wasn’t ideal.
When I pressed a finger to my lips and went “Shh…” the more astute among them immediately quieted down.
Searching the spectacled man’s body… there it was. The keys.
“Can you follow my orders?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Good.”
I used the keys to unlock the cells and removed each slave’s restraints, explaining as I went.
“If you want to be saved, get on the Verette family’s carriage waiting outside. They’ll take you to safety.”
“V-Verette family!? Then… you must be…!”
“Ha. Do you really think someone like the man you’re imagining would be here?”
They seemed to have realized my identity.
The commoners’ faces turned pale as they trembled, overcome by a mix of relief and dread.
Brief joy snuffed out, realizing they’d been saved only to fall under the thumb of the infamous Verette family.
But there was no room for complaints now.
“Say nothing more. Move quickly and quietly.”
“…!”
Despite their reluctance, they obeyed without resistance, filing out of the cells.
Humans, in moments of crisis, are quick to rely on others’ decisions, their fear sharpening their desperation to escape.
Every single slave left the room.
Heh, once we return to the Verette domain, I’ll have to check on each of them personally.
They’ll become essential cogs in the machine that drives my future.
“Shall we, Ouga-kun?”
“Yeah. Let’s go rescue the princess in distress.”
Turning our backs on the emptied cells, we left the holding area behind.