Cuteness Gets a Pardon, But the Hunter Stays Locked Up
I really didn't want to rot away in here. "Haah... what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Time dragged on endlessly in this jail cell. At this rate, my clear score was going to tank with no hope of recovery. First place on the rankings was probably out of reach anyway... If things got too messy, I could always retry the challenge, so for now, I needed to focus on taking out the Black Mage and grabbing those extra rewards.
'First things first, I gotta get outta here...'
"There are plenty of ways out, so no need to rush it," said Kim Ha-yeon in her usual laid-back tone, cradling me in her arms and stroking my head nonstop. I naturally tilted my head up to meet her eyes.
Anyone with a schedule would've freaked out in this indefinite limbo, but Kim Ha-yeon acted like she had Bill Gates money to burn.
...How the heck did she even clear floors with her party before?
"Kim Ha-yeon, don't you usually tackle the tower with your party? You cool just camping here?"
"Oh, I told them I was taking a quick break and dipped. I'm not climbing without the mage, y'know?"
"...?"
No matter how common it was to babysit newbies in games, this level of dedication was overkill. She wasn't some endgame vet who'd cleared all the content...
But her hunter rank was B-rank—plenty of work left for her.
"Doesn't matter... You're so squishy and nice to pet..."
Her stroking sped up double-time. Her unusual obsession with me felt a bit off, but it wasn't my place to meddle anymore, so I kept quiet.
Still, we had to bust out and nab that Black Mage. I wasn't planning to live in this tower forever.
I called out to the vigilante guarding the jail.
"Excuse me. What happens to us now?"
"You tried breaking into a house, so that's trespassing plus property damage."
"..."
How serious was that? I'd never broken into anyone's home or smashed their stuff, so I had no clue.
"Can't say for sure till the verdict, but usually it's about 500 days dredging canals followed by exile from the oasis."
At least it didn't sound like we'd be locked up somewhere. No need to bust through walls, then.
"But the house you broke into belongs to our village's sage. Penalty's gonna be heavier."
"No, that's not—"
That wasn't the sage—it was the Black Mage! There were corpses on a magic circle, plain as day. If he'd been legit, why hide when people showed up?
As I opened my mouth to explain that the "sage" was really the Black Mage, someone entered the jail. He looked elderly, and the guard's reaction suggested a higher-up.
"Ahem. These the ones who trashed the sage's house?"
"Yes, sir."
The old vigilante approached the bars, eyed me intently, and declared, "Let the child go."
"...But they said it was a duo who got caught."
"No way a little kid planned and pulled off a crime."
"Fair point."
"Kids need care and attention. Poor thing looks like an outsider. Let her out."
While Kim Ha-yeon and I floated question marks in confusion, the young guard opened the cell door, pulled me out, and shut it behind us.
I didn't fully get it, but they figured my babyish looks meant I couldn't be guilty.
"Send the child to the orphanage."
Er... The situation was weird, but at least no reputation hit. Nice?
Kim Ha-yeon clearly hadn't seen this coming—her chill vibe vanished the second I slipped from her arms.
"Huh...? What about me?"
Before she could say more, the iron bars slammed shut. The young guard had let only me out and locked her in.
"Obvious culprit right there. Probably tricked the kid into helping rob the place."
"Spot on, sir."
I hadn't said a word, but they were already nodding along like it all fit perfectly.
"No way...! Why am I the only one stuck?!"
"Crime demands punishment, you vile criminal."
"Aigoo!! This is so unfair!! I didn't break anything!!"
Leaving Kim Ha-yeon's wails behind, I followed the old vigilante's lead outside.
This could screw her over, and I wouldn't be able to help...! I glanced back worriedly, but she didn't seem like someone to fret over.
"I... can't wait long!! Lee Ha-neul! If you don't get me out, I'll smash this place to bits!!"
"Whoa, what's her deal all of a sudden?"
The suddenly raging prisoner—once so calm—had the young guard panicking.
I gave a small nod to show I got it, then let the old vigilante lead me to the orphanage.
"Oh my~. What a cute little girl."
"She's an outsider, but we had to pull her from the thief. Could you watch her for at least a year...?"
I waited quietly while the old vigilante chatted with the orphanage director.
This mess happened because of poor recon. To gather intel, I needed to play it cool.
'Slip out of the orphanage when I get a chance...'
First, figure out how the villagers saw the Black Mage.
I tugged the director's hem a few times and asked innocently about his hideout.
"Um, who lives in that house?"
"Oh~. That's where our sage lives. He's a blessing to us. One spell from him makes crops grow even in this barren desert..."
"To think you wandered in blind, led by a thief, not knowing whose home it was. He promised that with faith, no one would suffer..."
The moment the Black Mage came up, they started rambling. Madness gleamed in their eyes.
The orphanage kids gathered as they listed his "deeds."
...No way?
"The sage watches over us..."
"This village will thrive in peace under his hand..."
Even the kids spouted the crazed lines, closing in on me.
...Time to bolt.
"Gotta pee real quick!"
I shoved past the director and old vigilante with my built-up Strength stat and dashed out. The fence kept kids in, but I buffed my legs with Body Reinforcement and leaped over effortlessly.
"...What the hell was that?"
Brainwashed by the Black Mage, all of them? Even kids acting loony confirmed it.
Gathering info from locals might be impossible...
'Wait till night, assassinate the Black Mage, and bail?'
He might flee by day, Kim Ha-yeon's patience could nuke the village, or he might not go down easy... But with things this bad, it was the best play.
"Um..."
"...!"
Lost in planning, I missed their approach—a man and woman.
After the orphanage, assume all villagers brainwashed. I tensed up, ready for anything.
"You're the outsider who stirred trouble at that suspicious house, right...?"
"Huh?"
If brainwashed, they'd call it the sage's—not suspicious. Maybe a trap, but worth hearing out.
"Saw you smash that wooden door barehanded. You know something's off about it too, huh."
They'd seen my power despite my size—hence the polite speech.
"So, what's up?"
"We had a daughter. She went missing recently..."
No zeal for the Black Mage in their dull eyes—they seemed free of it. How? Grief over their lost kid, probably.
'Brainwashing's likely mental attack. A huge shock like that could break it.'
"We asked around, but no sightings."
"Ppi! Ppii! Ppi!"
"Huh? Ina?"
Listening quietly, Ina chirped excitedly, relaying what she'd seen.
"Ppii! Ppi! Ppippi!"
"Hm... I see."
"C-Could that fairy be giving a witness account?!"
"Yeah... but..."
What Ina saw was grim reality for them. Not easy to spit out.
"..."
"We half-expected it."
This scorching desert—long-missing folks rarely returned intact.
"...We need to head to the Black Mage's house."
"Anything we can do?"
"Obviously."
I needed their help now. Dodging villagers' eyes and cracking mass brainwashing solo? No way.
I sketched a plan in the sand with a stick: They'd play visitors to distract him; I'd sneak in and expose his atrocities.
Light returned to their eyes for the first time.
"The Black Mage's brainwashing is a mental attack. Hold fast with your resolve to uncover the truth. Or avoid eye contact and keep distance."
"Got it."
Sun at its peak—high noon. Finish before he bolts.
The couple knocked on the Black Mage's hideout. I watched from a controlling distance.
He opened the door with a friendly face, ushering them in.
As the door eased shut, I slipped inside undetected.
They desperately kept his gaze forward; his wife glanced my way and nodded once.
'Good. Operation start.'