Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Unconscious Flag Planting
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To cut to the chase, Sor's game never even got started.
Crack!
"Oof!"
El's fist smashed right into Sor's face.
"Gahk!"
Thud crash!!
El cracked her knuckles while looking down at Sor, who tumbled backward with a twisted face, spewing blood from his nose.
"W-what the hell! How'd you break free from the bindings?!"
"You think I haven't been adventuring as a formless nobody for over half a year with all my abilities, mana levels, and body sealed?!"
El's icy glare pierced Sor.
Her mind flashed back to all the hardships she'd endured since leaving the Graize family.
This little bitch was nothing compared to that ordeal.
"I ran away from home, sure, but at least I've survived on my own strength. You're a criminal, but you haven't accomplished a damn thing on your own power, have you? Don't lump me in with a punk like you, even if we're both runaways."
"Urk...! Eek!"
Sor tried to get up, but another slap across the cheek sent him sprawling helplessly.
"I have no idea why a moron like you is pulling this stupid stunt, but your cocky mouth is all you've got—nothing else to back it up."
"You...! Hey! Help me!"
Thud.
Sor's tattoo glowed red, forming a shape.
An emoticon-faced golem.
El flinched into a defensive stance, but the golem was blindingly fast.
Whoosh.
The stone ropes slithered like snakes and surged toward El.
She tried to dodge, but they were too quick—she ended up wrapped up again and collapsed.
[Didn't expect you to break free from that! Well, I did tie you up pretty loosely back there.]
"Ngh...!"
El glared at the golem, but its face remained a beaming emoticon.
In the meantime, Sor staggered to his feet, huffing and puffing.
"You're... dead! I'll smash that pretty face of yours until even your parents won't recognize it!"
[Enough.]
Surprisingly, it was the golem that stopped Sor from marching toward El.
"What? Enough? Didn't you see me get hit?!"
[I've put up with a lot already. All that crap about organizations and trouble... I helped you out even when you were in danger. Those girls are sacrifices for me alone—don't touch them anymore.]
"You...!"
[What?]
The golem's indifferent reply was enough to pressure Sor. She hemmed and hawed before kicking at the ground petulantly.
"Graize bitch!! See you at the ritual!"
Then she stormed out toward the entrance.
The golem watched her go, let out a sigh of pity, then suddenly stared blankly toward the entrance—or rather, somewhere below it.
[Hmm~ With that guy's power, he might actually break it!]
The golem muttered something incomprehensible.
Soon after, it followed Sor out of the entrance.
Whatever this ritual was and whenever it would happen, peace had returned for now.
"Ugh..."
"El!"
Ashita sniffled as she watched El lean against the iron bars.
"You're such a crybaby, Ashita."
"Sniff... Sorry... It's all because we got caught..."
"I got caught too. Anyway, what happened while I was out?"
"We got betrayed."
Clarit answered.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Before the three girls were dragged here.
Right as Dre was sent flying like a baseball smacked by the golem's attack and Bat's bat, Sor lunged at Ashita.
Having subdued her, Sor held a knife to her neck and demanded Clarit stop moving.
Normally, that would've been the end—no way out.
But an unexpected twist occurred.
The golem that sealed Clarit's abilities and boasted overwhelming close-combat prowess—most of its upper body had been blown away, and the mysterious energy suppressing the Ten Families' power vanished. For a brief moment, Clarit regained her abilities.
Clarit's ice enveloped Ashita, completing an absolute defense.
Flat might've turned the tide if he'd fought back... but he was no match for the bandit crew's elites and ended up fleeing with El over his shoulder.
Sor didn't bother chasing them.
She figured she could deal with a minnow like him anytime.
Ashita asked in a hollow, disbelieving voice.
"Sor... why... why are you doing this?"
"Obvious, isn't it? If you were just selling us out to save your own skin, that'd be one thing. But I heard there's a collaborator from Milf Village in the bandits. You're in on it together."
Clarit's glacial eyes fixed on Sor.
"How utterly dimwitted."
"What? Dimwitted?"
Sor burst out laughing.
"Traitor? I've been their boss from the start."
Sor dropped the bombshell.
Ashita's mouth fell open.
Sor grinned smugly, savoring the shock.
"Not just me—the top dogs in our class, no, our whole grade, answer to me."
Clarit's eyes widened in surprise.
"You mean... students from the academy are in league with the bandits?"
"Something like that."
Sor smirked leisurely, dropping all pretense and showing her true colors.
She slammed the ice.
"Me and Ashita! Out!"
Ashita trembled in fear at the menacing aura.
"W-why..."
"Why?! Because you strut around relying on that pretty face, you bitch! If you didn't have your disgraced daddy's looks, you'd be nothing!"
She pounded the ice for a while, but it was futile against Sor.
About five minutes later.
Sor asked the still-repairing golem uncertainly.
"Hey. You okay?"
[Ugh... seriously... what the hell is that guy?]
Now fully repaired, the golem spoke in a peeved tone.
[Didn't sense anything special, but that attack carried destruction attributes... And it wasn't a skill—some bizarre strike. Nearly lost this body.]
Destruction attributes—a term any magic-savvy person knew—left everyone speechless for a moment.
But Sor soon sneered.
"Still, he's dead, right?"
[Doubt it. He blocked it at the last second.]
Sor was at a loss for words.
The golem glanced at the bandits and said,
[You lot chase him and you'll just die. Not stopping you, though.]
The bandits froze as they were about to move.
It wasn't mercy—the golem was just stating facts.
"...Whatever. I thought the idiot we were gonna frame croaked, but if he's alive, works out fine."
Ashita and Clarit were carted off by the bandits, leading to the current situation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"What? That guy actually suppressed it, even if just for a moment?!"
El couldn't close her gaping mouth.
"Yes. We bought time thanks to him. People can have unexpected talents."
"Outsider has tons of talent!"
"Why are you so proud of him, Ashita?"
Ashita giggled, seeming a bit more spirited.
But she soon hung her head.
"Ugh... A place where magic doesn't work... The signaling magic tool probably won't help either..."
"Signaler??"
Clarit looked shocked.
Ashita hesitated, then explained about Apiz and the operation.
She expected Clarit to be mad about getting dragged in, but Clarit calmly accepted it.
"Good thing you have a signaler. Modern ones are sturdy—pre-enchanted magic circuits should work fine even here."
Ashita clasped her hands and beamed.
"Ah! Th-then...! Someone's coming to save us soon!"
"It might not be sturdy enough. I doubt Apiz would carry junk, but... mind if I see it?"
Ashita rummaged through her pouch.
And... kept rummaging, mouth agape.
There was a gaping hole in the pouch.
Probably torn in the chaos.
"...Ashita?"
"......"
Ashita was speechless, but Clarit pieced it together.
She gave a reassuring smile and turned to El.
"So, El. How'd you end up captured?"
El explained what happened in the village.
Ashita was the one floored.
"Outsider's really going all out."
He'd mentioned being framed once before.
Clarit nodded, deeming his actions justified.
She assessed the situation.
"So, they know we've been kidnapped."
"But not the hideout's location."
Clarit's ice might hold, but when it melted, that'd be the end.
"It's fine! Dad'll come! And Outsider too!"
"Why? If I were him, I'd be done with this place by now."
Clarit had a point.
Right after arriving, he saved them, only to get falsely accused and nearly killed today.
Any normal person would've ditched Milf Village.
But Ashita shook her head.
"He's a good guy. He'll come."
"Good guy? Why think that, Ashita?"
Clarit asked curiously.
"Um... gut feeling?"
"Gut feeling? That's too vague... Wait, didn't you say you partied with him? Since when? You never party with guys."
That was true.
Ashita always hid her identity and face from guys, and even then, only joined once in ten invites—if pressed.
The reason? Her stunning looks.
She drew constant male attention and fights wherever she went.
So she avoided partying with men.
She downright disliked them.
Her current boyfriend was just a 'mutual convenience' deal.
She'd let eager guys do stuff for her once or twice, then ghost.
Yet she'd actively sought a party with Dre.
Ashita pondered El's question.
"Not just gut—several reasons. Biggest one: I was hunting Little Rumrats with some party members once, and a Red Rat popped up outta nowhere. They all wiped... but he took it down for us."
"That Red Rat?!"
El's voice held fresh shock, but that wasn't the point for Ashita.
"I begged for help, but he ignored me and just walked off."
"Sounds like a cold dude."
Ashita shook her head at El's baffled tone.
"I chased him desperately back then. I'd burned all my mana hiding from the Red Rat, so normally I'd have fallen behind."
But she didn't.
Exhausted, chased by a monster, slowing down—yet the distance to Dre stayed constant.
He was matching her pace.
"He forgave Yulis in the end too. He's a good person. That's why I wanted to party with him."
Outsiders had their selfish sides.
Yulis wasn't entirely wrong.
Outsiders started timid but often acted like they owned the place later.
Ashita had good judgment, and Dre seemed different.
El thought of Dre hearing Ashita's words.
She recalled how he brushed off her provocations and helped her, even calling her name.
"...Yeah. Maybe. He's straightforward."
"Hehe. Right? El, you like Outsider too, huh."
El had endured long-term stress.
Since running from Graize.
Poor lifestyle, hardships, skipping academy for half a year... Only her love for Flat kept her going.
So she'd been prickly to everyone but Flat and that 'Remi' trailing them.
Dre's laid-back face, taking her attitude in stride.
Remembering it, El smiled faintly—then startled herself.
"Still not as a guy!"
"Yeah~ Reliable, but not romantic."
El and Ashita shared words that would've pissed Dre off.
Clarit asked next.
"So, El. What's so great about Flat?"
"Huh."
El pondered the sudden question.
"He's... handsome?"
"...Tacky, El."
Ashita and Clarit's eyes turned crab-like.
"Whoa... no way."
"You ditched duty and family for a face...?"
El flushed and shot up.
She wanted to point accusingly but couldn't, bound as she was.
"W-what! Clarit, your fiancé was picked for his family too! Ashita, you toy with easy guys—you got no right!"
"Mine was arranged. Doesn't mean Ashita's sneakily nasty personality gets a pass."
"Ehehehe."
"Not a compliment."
El sighed heavily.
"Our families are such a mess—no one approaches with pure intentions."
"Flat doesn't strike me as pure."
Ignoring Clarit, El continued.
"Still, Flat saw the real me. Not Elisica Graize of the Graize family—just Elisica the girl. And he eloped with me for love."
Love-blinded or not, El had sharp people skills. She was probably right.
Even so...
"Falling that hard over a fresh attitude and eloping? You're easy, El."
"Shut up."
"Looks more like infatuation than love. Bet you'd switch if a better guy shows up."
"What?! Temporary love? Don't talk nonsense."
Ashita jumped in to stop their bickering.
"Anyway, Flat'll come save El."
"H-hope so..."
Could he even find this place?
As negativity crept in, Ashita moped.
"I didn't know... Sor and the others hated me that much..."
Her classmates from Milf Village despised her.
Ashita valued girl friendships over guys—it hit hard.
Her carefree facade cracked; she sniffled.
"Sor was... my friend."
She never imagined the vitriol.
Clarit looked sympathetically—she knew jealousy well.
El empathized too.
"...It's okay. I know you're a good person."
"El... You're the best. Worried sick not seeing you at academy for half a year."
Ashita smiled, saying she never expected meeting like this in Milf Village, but was glad.
El smiled back.
They gazed warmly.
Clarit cut in coldly.
"Still, hearing you, Flat, and your personal maid in a love triangle? Nearly broke me."
Silence.
Ashita shrieked.
"Eh, ehhh?!"
The Graize lady in a triangle?
Shocked, even laid-back Ashita gawked. El blushed and yelled.
"Q-quiet! Love comes in all forms!"
"No way... you two got physical?"
"N-no!!"
"...I did?"
Ashita and Clarit froze.
"Uh, that's... curious but scary, not something I wanna hear."
"El, you're... naive about romance. What if that guy and the maid are using you?"
"N-no! I asked first!"
After the chaos, Clarit turned serious.
"Bonding over stories is nice, but shouldn't we figure out how to escape?"
She was right.
The three beauties brainstormed escape plans.
El groaned.
"No matter how I think, only reinforcements can get us out."
"El, can you use your sealed powers again? Revert your body or something?"
"Nope. Even my original seal from Dad, plus that stone on top."
El frowned, rubbing her modest chest.
"That golem's power. Luckily, its magic suppression doesn't affect active spells—why my ice holds."
"What even is that thing?"
Clarit murmured.
"At least upper demon lord class... or equivalent."
But the golem mocked the 'True Demon King'.
No demon would.
What was it really?
"D-Demon lord?!"
Ashita freaked; El nodded plausibly.
"Only that level can seal Ten Heroes' artifacts. If it's a real demon lord, this violates the treaty."
"Whatever it is, we need to focus on escape. Hope whoever's invading draws attention long enough."
Clarit recalled Jag leaving at the intruder alert.
El thought, then spoke.
"Bandits we can handle, but not that golem."
"Hey... what if it's reinforcements?"
Clarit furrowed her brow.
"Dunno. Felt like one or two. Rescue party's too small..."
"Ah! Outsider and Dad?"
Those two could crush bandits.
"No. Apiz maybe, but that guy took heavy damage from the golem—can't move today."
Then Sor burst back in, panting.
The girls flinched silent; Sor screamed.
"Hey!! Heyyy!!! Where are you!!!"
Desperate voice.
She saw...
Jag sprawled out.
And staring at her... the demon who'd tormented her today.
Instilled fear gripped her.
"Hey! Your turn!"
Sor scanned wildly, biting her lip anxiously.
Clarit sniped.
"If it's the golem, it followed you—didn't meet up?"
"Shut up!"
Clarit schemed.
One girl? No threat. Break the barrier, subdue, escape.
But if acting?
A ploy to make her dispel magic...?
Even as hostage, bandits or golem might not care.
Sor was likely contracted to whatever controlled the golem—not expendable, but not precious.
Footsteps echoed from the cave.
Intruder couldn't have dodged the golem and wiped bandits that fast. Enemy.
Clarit sighed inwardly.
'Escape's impossible for now.'
Sor faced the narrow entrance first.
Cold sweat trickled down her cheek.
El and Clarit noticed.
"I'm here!!"
That voice.
Not his usual polite tone, but familiar.
A silhouette emerged from the dark.
Ragged starter rags—black, hard to see at first. But his face sharpened into view.
El, Clarit, Ashita gaped in shock.
"Figured the deepest or highest spot was worth a blind shot. Nailed it."
"Y-you...!"
Dre ignored retreating Sor, scanning around.
Finally spotting the three girls.
His frank gaze—familiar, comfortable, lacking sleaze.
"Outsider!!"
Ashita waved like greeting.
Dre had arrived.
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