Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Straw Doll Substitute
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Billy spoke with a look of genuine regret.
"If he'd been alive, I would've set him up instead of a straw doll. What a shame."
"Set him up... for what?"
I replayed his words in my mind, doubting my own ears. Dead? Had he perhaps died under torture, unable to endure it?
That thought suddenly made me acutely aware of the kind of man this gentle-looking guy standing before me really was. It felt like only yesterday I'd heard the tales of his past as the embodiment of terror, and yet I'd momentarily forgotten.
How could I forget?
I figured it was because the Billy I saw every day was so utterly different from the one described in those stories.
But somehow, he didn't feel as terrifying as he once had. At least, I now believed he wouldn't act like the rumors said—at least not toward me.
"How did he die?"
I braced myself to hear the cause of the zebra's death. But the answer that came back had nothing to do with what I'd imagined.
"Someone cast a spell on him. It was set to kill him instantly if he spilled any secrets."
"What? Who would...?"
"We're still looking. I'll share any leads as soon as we find them."
The grim topic cast a heavy pall over the mood. To think that the zebra who'd attacked me like a madman might actually have been under someone's control...
I'd assumed it was just the Horse Family harboring grudges against me. But a nagging premonition told me this could be something far bigger.
Just then, Billy clapped his hands as if struck by a brilliant idea, eyeing my sunken expression.
"Perfect timing. I just thought of something great to use as a straw doll replacement now that he's dead."
The middle floors of the Magic Tower saw only sporadic visitors trickling into the magic supply shops.
A man with a sullen, greasy face was grimacing as he vigorously swept the floor. He was cleaning up the debris from a wall broken during the mages' experiments.
"Damn it, damn it."
Muttering curses under his breath so quietly no one could hear, he straightened his perpetually bent back for a brief moment.
"Hey! You taking a break right now?"
"No, sir!"
"Hurry up and sweep that broken wall debris, then go to the magic supply shop and carry those boxes."
"Yes, sir!"
But the moment he straightened, a sharp rebuke forced him to bend over again.
Resuming his sweeping, the man was none other than Jeb Horse, who had lost his position as leader of his territory and fallen into slavery at the Magic Tower.
When Billy had sent him to the Forest of Darkness, only to be summoned back by the Tower Lord, he'd clung to the hope of freedom.
But Nick had immediately slapped a mana-suppressing collar around his neck and turned him into a slave doing all the menial chores.
Why the hell do I have to put up with this?
He simply couldn't accept his situation. It irked him that they made him do physical labor for tasks a simple spell could've handled.
To anyone watching, it was obvious they were inventing work just to torment their slaves.
He thought of the other beastkin slaves working at the tower. At first, he'd assumed they were all vile criminals, but he'd learned some were innocent. That realization hit him hard.
The Magic Tower just grabs any beastkin they don't like and turns them into slaves.
No wonder all the rumors about this place are so terrifying.
He kept that thought to himself, too afraid to voice it, and kept his hands busy. He needed to finish cleaning here and head down to the magic supply shop.
That was when it appeared—a black circle right in front of him, the mere sight of which triggered his trauma.
"Wh-what...!"
Before he could finish, a muscular arm shot out from the circle, grabbed his collar, and yanked him inside.
Jeb was helplessly dragged through the black portal. Blinking his eyes open after squeezing them shut, he frantically scanned his surroundings.
"Lami Morton?"
There was the unwelcome face he hadn't seen in ages. Beside her stood Billy Rub, the Family Head of the Rub Family who'd sent him to the tower in the first place.
Billy opened his mouth calmly, as if Jeb hadn't even grasped the situation.
"Practicing on a real beastkin should help your skills improve faster, right?"
Seeing Lami's wide eyes fixed on him, the wooden practice sword in her hand, and the battered straw doll toppled nearby covered in hit marks, Jeb pieced it together.
What the hell is that crazy wolf talking about!
Realizing exactly why he'd been summoned, Jeb scrambled backward. On his butt, clawing at the grass to retreat, something bumped into his hand.
Turning his head to see what it was, his expression hardened even more. In his hand was Ed's shoe.
Lifting his gaze, he met Ed's displeased glare, arms crossed.
"I came to see Lami, but I didn't expect to run into another unpleasant face right away."
Ed whined to Lami in a sulky voice. Surrounded by the nonchalant Billy, the annoyed Ed, and the flustered Lami, Jeb's mind went blank.
Then Lami adjusted her stance, pointing her wooden sword at him.
"Wait, wait! Aaaagh!"
For a while, the training grounds echoed with Jeb's screams and the dull thuds of impacts.
I returned to my room with a deeply satisfied expression.
Is it because I practiced on a real beastkin? I think I have a better sense now of how to swing a sword properly.
I'd gripped the sword so tightly without realizing it that blisters had formed on my delicate palms. They looked better than ever.
"Mee?"
The moment I entered and spread my hands with a grin, Mimo cocked her head, looking at me oddly before slowly backing away.
"I'm fine. Don't look at me like I'm some weird beastkin."
After scolding Mimo, I quickly washed up and changed clothes. I'd worried about catching a cold from outdoor winter lessons, but thanks to Billy's magic, it had been toasty warm—no sniffles in sight.
Just then, Anna brought snacks, so I filled my belly while my mind kept drifting back to Jeb Horse's plight.
It felt good, sure, but a Magic Tower slave? The original story never covered that, so it was news to me.
If I hadn't gotten involved, Jeb never would've been dragged to the tower as a slave, so without the marriage fiasco, I'd have lived my whole life oblivious.
"Anna, when you went to the Magic Tower, did you ever see any beastkin workers?"
"Workers? Hmm... I'm not sure. I only browsed the magic supply shops, so I don't know about other areas. Why?"
"Oh, I just spent some time beating up one of the tower's hardworking laborers."
"...Pardon?"
After hearing my explanation about Jeb, Anna's face stiffened briefly before she relaxed, clapping her hands.
"Ah! So that's what the others were talking about. I wondered what they meant by the zebra turning into a straw doll."
"The rumors have already spread...?"
"Yes! Probably the whole estate by now."
Anna replied brightly to my flustered question. There had only been Billy, Ed, me, and Jeb at the training grounds—who had seen it and spread the word so fast?
As I reeled from the lightning-fast gossip, Anna suddenly grabbed both my hands and stared straight into my eyes.
With a wolf holding my hands and those golden eyes locked on mine, my legs turned to jelly. But I sat still, desperately hiding it.
"Thank you so much for punishing him like that, Lady Lami."
I instantly knew what she meant. She was grateful I'd thrashed the guy who'd kidnapped her brother and turned him into a magic slave.
Jeb had reminded me of Anna, but I'd also used him extra well to vent my own grudges.
Receiving thanks like this made a corner of my heart twinge uncomfortably.
I'll make sure he gets proper punishment later.
Wearing a mana-suppressing collar as a tower slave, it was the perfect time to make him pay for his crimes more than ever.
I slipped my trembling hands free like I had a tremor and flashed a bright smile. Anna didn't seem to mind me pulling away.
"I hope you get a chance to punish him yourself someday."
I meant it. Someday, I wanted to tie up Jeb and the other beastkin who'd used magic slaves in a public square and let their victims have at them.
Anna nodded, her eyes briefly flashing with a murderous glint, as if she'd caught my sincerity.
While Anna stepped out to clear the dishes, I slowly recalled my visit to the Magic Tower.
I don't remember seeing slaves like Jeb Horse there...
Suddenly, I recalled a beastkin wearing what looked like a choker around their neck. I'd thought it was just fashion, not realizing it was something so sinister.
Okay, Jeb aside—what did the other beastkin do to end up like that at the tower?
I shook off the mounting questions and headed out faithfully for Billy's sword lessons over the next few days.