The doorman turned around, guiding us into the building.
"Hey, old man."
"Nh, what's wrong?
"Why are you still here? The money will be assessed by Dalkan and paid later... that's all you heard, right? You can go now."
"Hey, I've never been here before, so I was wondering if you could show me the basement after school...."
"Stupid, you can't show me. Come on, get out of here."
The doorman shook his hand in a hassle. Apparently, Morrison has come this far. Morrison soothed his face as he was driven away.
"Hehe, I wanted to take a look at it once, but it's impossible after all. I don't know, I'll be around then...."
With his head down many times, Morrison rode back in the carriage. I suppose the only thing I looked at for a moment was that I left it to you.
In advance meetings, I also heard that if the situation permits in the future, reconnaissance will also be conducted on the premises. You look more like a spy than a knight.
I don't think it's the role of the Knight Commander to do this kind of work, but maybe Mia's worried about me... Oh, no, I don't think so.
"Come on, get down the stairs. Don't resist now.
As I was about to hold my head in my imagination, the doorman twisted his mouth with a sheath of sword on his hips. I feel like everyone here is going to be able to do it alone, but of course I'm not going to make things rough until I make sure the people in the dungeons are safe.
As we were driven from behind by the gatekeepers, we went down the stairs in silence. Esther is just looking around without hiding her curiosity, but she doesn't seem to care.
There is not a cell immediately after you descend the stairs, but you go further down the aisle. The tunnel is higher than I thought, and the width of the road is wide enough to be different if the two carriages can afford it.
Floors and walls are seamless and topless, so it was probably made using earth magic to build this tunnel. It seems that some craftsmen do civil engineering with earth magic, and it seems that if only money and time could be spent making this kind of thing. Magic is amazing after all.
But let me tell you, the surface of the wall is still rough, and Mana still seems to be missing. If I were you, I'd finish it up and knead more mana to make it sturdy.
As I walked down the tunnel illuminated by magic lamps while valuing the work of others, I saw a sturdy door with an iron lattice. Perhaps this is the destination.
"This is your home from today. Come on in."
When the doorman unlocks the door and opens it heavily, he pushes us in and shouts at us.
"Hey, new guy. I'm sure you'll be leaving soon, but get along.
When I closed the door, I walked straight to the front of the aisle without turning back. He said he'd notify Dalkan, and apparently this underground passage leads to the main residence.
When the gatekeeper left, I looked again at the prison. It was a common room as if I had cut out a room in a common household. And a woman in a plain but clean dress sits on a chair and looks at me while eating some interesting pancakes.
When I was 15 to 6 years old, was it about the same as Ester? I was just imagining a bit more tragic conditions in the dungeon, but this is where kidnapping victims are locked up, right?
As we stare at the woman without a word, the woman who has finished eating pancakes opens her mouth.
"Newcomers, don't stand there and sit over here."
The other hand is pinching a new pancake on the table, tapping Peshipeshi and the chair next to him.
"What's more, you look fine... Are you sure you're a bandit and trapped here?
You still wondered, when Mia asked to confirm, the woman licked the cream on her hand and then returned the word.
"Yeah, that's right. How many months ago? I used to live in a village near the territorial capital. When I went to the nearby forest to pick up the wild vegetables, I thought I had been taken by a sudden man and put on a carriage, and I was pushed into this room. I've been living here ever since."
I don't seem very sad about that. The woman continues to wonder if our thoughts were on her face.
"Even if you're sold as a slave, if you look like you're going to die of galling, you won't be able to sell high enough, so I'll give you enough food, clothes, and shelter. Thanks to you, I'm here to eat something I've never eaten in my village. I guess I'm a little fatter than when I was in the village.... well, in a few days, a dark auction will begin, and it seems that you and I will be sold there as well. You guys are so hungry, you should eat it up. They'll bring you as much food as they want."
Such a cheerful tone of tone was behind her back, and with eyes as if she had seen something, the woman smiled with a distorted mouth. Then Leah approached quickly and firmly grabbed the hand of the woman who was sticking with cream.
"Rest assured. We came to help you. We'll take care of the rest. We're gonna get you out of here!
"Eh, help... what do you mean...?
We decided to reveal our identity and purpose to the Kyotong lady. The woman (named Kati) was silently listening, but when Mia finished explaining, her body trembled and withstood something.
"Well, I can go home. I see....."
When she whispered so loudly, only the sound of her nose echoed in the jail for a while.
◇ ◇ ◇
"--Have you settled down? The mountains want to slow you down, but we don't have enough time right now. Will you help us?
Mia scratches Kati's back and calls out. Now Esther, who is good at detecting signs, is watching for someone near the door, but it is not strange that she came now depending on Dalkan's mood. Soon Kati, with her red eyes, raised her face.
"Zuzu, that's right... Yeah, tell me anything I can do."
"Thank you very much. Can you show me that collar?
With permission, Mia began to look into Kati's dark circle around her neck. I wonder if this is the magic tool to enslave people.
"There are no keyholes..."
"Ah, a parent like Gamma Frog bragged that it was a special order. Once you put it on, you can't unlock it without the magic equipment you have, and the pain when you disobey orders is not the ratio of ready-made items."
Did you remember that time? Kati answers with her eyes down. The black magic stone fitted into the center of the iron collar glistened, indicating that it was still active.
Incidentally, magic equipment is originally something that cannot be operated without magic, but it is a type where the wearer unintentionally sucks a small amount of magic from the wearer, and thus operates for a long time. This is what Grandpa Skebe Tori told me in Shrutoria.
"Mia has unlocking skills, so it would have been the quickest way to unlock it... in that case, you'll need to steal the key magic equipment from Dalkan..."
I put my finger on my chin with a face that seemed difficult for Leah. It is not very realistic to seize the unlocked magic equipment Dalkan is wearing or has stored somewhere. Then you should give up unlocking and think of a plan to get out of here now.
But there was only one thing I wanted to do. That's what Tori told me.
Um, can I have a moment?
"Oh, Marie-san, what's going on? Serious face and beauty... no, nothing."
…… There's one thing I want to try. Can you show me that collar, too?