Chapter 5
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: 2. Escape (2)
"Hwaaaaaang~~"
As I burst into tears and flung myself into the guard captain's arms, he was the one who ended up flustered.
"Uh... Charlotte! What the hell happened to you!?"
There was a subtle undercurrent of anger woven into his words.
Men, by nature, have this instinct to protect their women.
Even though I wasn't really his woman, we'd shared a bed more than once, and with how stunning I looked, his protective instincts were bound to kick in.
Especially when that woman showed up at his door in the dead of night, practically naked.
"Hic... Hic... Do you happen to know... about how I nearly died a few days ago...?"
First things first, I needed to gauge what he knew.
"Of course I do! I had you booked the day before yesterday, but you canceled because you were sick. In all my memories, you'd never been sick once—you were always so sturdy—so I figured something must've gone down."
As he spoke, he rambled on about how much of a regular he was and how much he cared about me.
Come to think of it, he was someone from my memories.
It's just that with over ten customers a day, it wasn't easy to remember someone who only came once every couple of weeks.
"The truth is... they're trying to kill me at the brothel..."
"What... What did you say???"
"Hic... A few days ago... I said I wanted to quit... Hic... Ever since then, they've been beating me nonstop, threatening me, and last time, when threats didn't work, they tried to kill me... Hwaaang~
And they've had me locked up for days... until I finally escaped... Hic."
'Fuck, I poured my soul into this performance. If he doesn't buy it, I'm screwed.'
Charlotte forced out some tears and buried her face in the guard captain's chest.
In truth, there weren't many tears, so she kept her head down to avoid getting caught if he saw her expression.
"Damn it... Is that for real? Even if you're a whore, how could they do that...? And to a free citizen, no less..."
He must've noticed I was a free citizen because there was no slave mark on my neck.
'If this pissed-off guard captain goes complaining to the brothel, my lie's gonna get exposed and it'll all be over. Time to go all in.'
"Hic... Could you please sneak me out...? I think nobles up top are involved too, so even if there's an investigation, nothing will come of it..."
Charlotte spoke in the most pitiful, heartrending voice she could muster.
'Just let me go, you fucker! Don't do anything stupid!'
"Damn... Is there really nothing I can do?"
'No, just let me go right now!!!'
Every minute and second counted, and I was dying of frustration inside, but I couldn't let it show.
I just clasped my hands over my chest and gazed up at him with the most pathetic, pleading expression.
Just as the guard captain was wrestling with his dilemma,
the sound of several people running our way echoed through the quiet night.
The streets were deserted at dawn, so the thudding footsteps rang out loud and clear.
Damn, this world really hated me.
Or maybe it just wanted to see me getting railed by a guy and moaning like a bitch.
"Hey!!!! Hanson!! Why the hell is that woman there!?"
They were familiar faces at a glance—the brothel's guards.
And they even knew the guard captain's name was Hanson, which suggested they were on friendly terms.
'Fuck, they noticed this fast? Did they install CCTV or some shit?'
'Will Hanson really protect me?
If he does, can I slip out the gates safely in the meantime?
But who's gonna open the gates?'
It was a do-or-die moment (for this guy's dick, anyway).
In the end, I hid behind Hanson and cried out.
"Eek! Th-those guys... They're the ones who beat me and tried to kill me... Hic."
'Haha! A woman's tears are all the proof you need, you bastards!'
"What the fu—"
"You scum!!!!!!! How can you wear human skin and commit such atrocities!!!!!!!"
The brothel guards looked dumbfounded, like they had no idea what he was on about, but as Hanson drew his sword with a sching!, they shut up like they'd swallowed honey.
I didn't know the details, but Hanson must be quite the skilled fighter in his own right.
The brothel guards drew their swords in a fluster too, but realizing the gravity of the situation, their faces hardened.
Thinking back on how the brothel guards had always treated me decently, it pricked at my conscience, but what could I do?
'Sorry... But you guys fucked me all the time and passed out snoring, so I bailed.'
Charlotte had loved it back then, but I sure as hell didn't, so guilty as charged.
"Everyone, please open the gates quick!! I'll repay the favor someday."
I called out to the other four guards who were standing there like idiots, watching the drama unfold.
'Anyone can see I'm the victim here, so just listen to me for fuck's sake...'
But the four guards just shuffled their feet in place, not knowing what to do.
'Fuck, these useless pieces of shit.'
I was about to lose my mind from frustration, but I couldn't snap at them.
Up front, the three brothel guards were facing off against Hanson,
and whether it was because Hanson was no pushover or not, they didn't charge all at once—instead, they sent one guy back.
Probably to call for backup.
But against my expectations, instead of running off to report, the guy in the back pulled a signal flare from his pocket and shot it into the sky.
Pheeeew~!! Boom! Boom!
'Fuck, a signal flare? Why?'
Seeing that, both Hanson and I grew grim.
Hanson spoke in a resolute, serious tone, like he'd made up his mind.
"Charlotte."
"Y-yes..."
This time, Hanson whispered.
"Run... Hide in the slums and bide your time. I'll come find you for sure."
It would've melted a woman's heart, but in Charlotte's current predicament, it just made me sigh.
'No, just open the damn gates and I could escape fine...'
"Sorry, but I don't have the authority to open the gates at night... At minimum, it takes a noble or an authorized city official."
Hanson said apologetically.
'You fucking idiot, why tell me that now! The other guards acted like they had no intention of opening them either when I asked. We're totally fucked.'
But I couldn't break character at this point.
"O-okay... I'll wait... Please..."
I replied as wistfully as possible, then bolted rightward along the walls.
And not long after I started running, a massive voice cleaved through the air.
"Are you the one who kidnapped Charlotte!!!!!!?"
'Fuck, that's Jack already? Please buy me some time, Hanson.'
Jack must've misunderstood that his favorite Charlotte had been kidnapped and come charging in like a madman.
On the flip side, Hanson would see Jack as the villain who tormented and tried to kill her,
so if they just talked it out a bit and bystanders explained, the misunderstanding would clear up,
but that'd take time—so escaping in the interim was the best play.
Luckily, they were both too riled up for words; I heard the clash of steel and bangs as they fought.
Ignoring the sounds of their brawl, Charlotte ran without stopping.
'Head to the slums first. Even if Hanson doesn't come after the misunderstanding clears, that's probably why he suggested it—the best place to hide...
But where the hell are the slums?'
Off to a great start.
Two days later.
Charlotte was still inside the city.
For two straight days, she'd been dodging pursuit squads nonstop, and by sheer luck, she hadn't been caught yet—but this was it, the end.
She'd finally reached the slums, but the brothel's trackers were blocking the front, and the city guards had her pinned from behind.
Whenever paths ahead or behind were cut off, she'd used her natural physical prowess to scale nearby walls and buildings to escape, but this time, she was surrounded by squat shanty huts,
and on top of those, brothel guards had her encircled.
The brothel had hired professional tracker mercenaries to capture Charlotte, and the city guards had joined the hunt too.
The reason? Turns out the local lord was one of Charlotte's regulars and had ordered the guards to bring her back ASAP so he could fuck her.
With that many people turning the city upside down like rats in a trap, it was only natural she'd get caught soon.
'Fuck, so this is how my manhood ends. If I just apologize and say I fucked up, maybe they won't beat me too bad.'
"Um... Everyone? I'll come quietly, so could you be gentle...?"
Charlotte was utterly exhausted, body and soul. Two days without sleep or proper food while fleeing had taken its toll.
Truth be told, for a regular person with decent physical stats, evading hordes of trackers—including mana users—for two whole days was nothing short of a miracle.
All that frantic running had shredded her clothes; the chest part was completely torn, so she was barely covering her tits with her hands, and a thin scrap of cloth barely hid her lower half.
"Ptoo! Fucking bitch, why didn't you just come quietly? Where'd you think you were running to? I deserve some reward for all this trouble—though not the usual kind."
A man who looked like the mercenary tracker captain spat those words as he strode right up to Charlotte.
He'd let her slip through his fingers right in front of him multiple times, so he had a serious grudge built up.
'Uh oh... Fuck, is he gonna do me right here?'
Not giving her a moment to think, the tracker captain ripped away the flimsy rag barely covering her pussy and tripped her, sending her tumbling backward.
Charlotte hit the ground without resisting, legs splayed wide, her pussy pointing straight to the sky.
"Kyaa! ...Ugh! W-wait... Stop! This isn't right—if you wanna fuck me, go to the brothel, register, and pay up!"
She wasn't just about to get beaten; she was about to get merged with a dick, so she desperately played the whore card, but it was pointless.
"Shut the fuck up, you cock-sucking slut! I'm gonna wreck that pussy so bad today, it'll fit a goddamn head.
You're not moving a fucking inch until you've drained every cock here, you filthy cumrag."
With that, the captain dropped his pants, pulling out his massive cock.
He pinned her arms down to stop any resistance, sat right in front of her, and rested his dick atop her pussy.
"Hoo... Fuck, this bitch's cunt looks delicious."
The cock atop her pussy twitched harder, growing erect again.
Truth be told, fucking Charlotte once cost nearly a regular person's entire salary, so he figured he'd snag the premium pussy while he could.
'Fuck, my first time's gonna be a gang rape... Should've just stayed put at the brothel and fucked Jack.'
Seeing the captain about to shove his dick into her pussy, Charlotte couldn't bear to watch and turned her head aside, squeezing her eyes shut.
'Huh...? Why isn't the bastard thrusting?'
Just seconds ago, it looked like he'd ram it straight in, but after a few moments with no movement, Charlotte cracked her eyes open slightly.
And what she saw was
the tracker captain's neck, head completely gone,
spraying blood like a fountain straight upward.