Chapter 95
“You're going to make the head of the family you say?”
Vale contorted his face.
It was his first ti eting the silver haired boy who had entered the prison.
“Yes.”
“Have you lost your mind because you're so scared?”
“I'm perfectly sane.”
“A sane guy blurts out such nonsense in a prison?”
The boy entered the narrow cage and took a spot.
The girls sat near him shortly after.
One of them looked familiar.
“Haven't we t sowhere before?”
Tania gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“It's been a while, Lord Vale. I'm Tania Rainwood. We t in the past at a banquet hosted by the Colley family, didn't we?”
Vale's eyes flashed.
mories of the past surfaced upon hearing her explanation.
Back then, she was only nine years old.
“You've grown up beautifully.”
“Thank you.”
“Were you caught by them too?”
“Yes.”
“How did it happen?”
“It's a long story to explain.”
Tania naturally guided his gaze back to the boy.
They were clearly together.
“Are you a noble too?”
“No.”
The boy shook his head.
“Did you say your na was Joshua? I feel like I've heard it sowhere.”
As he racked his brain, the na of a family ca to mind.
“Pallarion, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you introduce yourself like that from the start?”
“I didn't think it'd be of any help.”
“……Is that so?”
Vale let out a sigh.
It was sothing his past self wouldn't have understood.
But now that he was abandoned by his family, he felt like he could understand the boy's position.
“Sohow I feel like I know your mood. I'm also in a position where I was abandoned by my family, so I can't go around calling myself a Glover anymore.”
He murmured quietly and tried to empathize with the boy's feelings.
However, Joshua contorted his expression as if he were displeased.
“It's different.”
“What?”
“If I were in your position, I would've sold the family na everywhere. It's just a sha Pallarion doesn't have that kind of power. Since telling people would only be embarrassing.”
“Do you consider your family a disgrace?”
“Yes, it hasn't helped one bit. It's actually only been a hindrance.”
Joshua answered quite shalessly.
The watching Vale gave a dry cough in disbelief.
“I'll correct myself. It seems our positions regarding how we treat our families are very different.”
The boy shrugged his shoulders.
“Aside from that, what do you think about what I said at first?”
The boy changed the subject as if moving to the main point.
Vale let out a long breath.
He was misunderstood.
He was the legitimate eldest son of the Glover family.
If the position of family head beca vacant, he should naturally take the seat as the first in line.
The boy seed to believe in that.
“It's impossible.”
“Is it because your younger brother snatched the position of family head?”
“You, how do you know that?”
“And being dragged here was due to falling into a plot by the current Lady Glover.”
Vale's heart pounded.
The sound of the heartbeat was delivered vividly to his ears.
It was a recent event that the master of the Glover family had changed.
It wasn't to the point where rumors would have spread far.
Above all, the boy seed to know the process of how he was caught and brought to prison.
“Senior, what do you an by his position being snatched?”
Tania, who had been listening silently, couldn't hide her curiosity either.
“It's a simple story. Even if one can't have concubines, it's a society where remarriage is possible if the wife dies. The current Lady of the Glover family is the third wife of the forr head.”
“Then did the wife trap Lord Vale to seat the child she gave birth to?”
“That's about it.”
Vale hung his head low.
He wanted to hide in a mouse hole if there were one.
He hadn't added a single word, yet he felt like his bare face had been exposed.
“How pitiful.”
Tania looked at him with a sympathetic gaze.
“You, how do you know all that so well?”
Vale finally raised his head and asked the boy.
“I just pieced it together roughly.”
“Piecing it together was that accurate?”
“That's not an important matter. The important thing is what choice you're going to make.”
The boy's eyes were infinitely serious.
It wasn't a joke.
He was preparing to move to the next step depending on his answer.
“Why are you trying to seat as the family head?”
“I'm looking for an ally with a solid foundation.”
“If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to be friendly with the current head rather than seating ?”
Joshua spoke again with a voice mixed with a bit of irritation.
“He's a noble who has a city and a castle in a world crawling with monsters. He'd surely think of himself as a king. I have no intention of cooperating while catering to such a person's whims.”
“Do you see as different?”
“Lord Vale's attitude might change too once you take the seat. So I'll set restrictions. On the day the deal ends successfully, I'll take asures so you can't betray .”
Vale swallowed hard.
The boy explained all the burdens he'd have to bear in the deal.
He could tell instinctively.
That it was the boy's unique way of building trust.
“Do you intend to use as a puppet?”
“I can't say no. I'll involve myself a lot in matters related to survival. Depending on the case, I might choose thods that Lord Vale doesn't want.”
Vale fell into thought while closing his eyes tight.
The raiders wanted to get a ransom through him.
But that wouldn't happen.
The current Glover family has no reason to spend wealth to help him.
Once they realize the truth, the raiders will be enraged.
He would die.
Even if he survived, he wouldn't experience anything good.
“You approached after understanding my position.”
He had no choice but to accept.
The boy knew he wouldn't be able to refuse.
His pretty face felt terrifying.
He agonized for a mont.
There was no value in himself, who was kicked out of Saint Stalia.
He couldn't handle a sword like the students before him, nor had he learned magic.
If he wanted to achieve sothing through him.
And if he could survive through that, could there be a better result?
“Lord Vale.”
“Yes?”
“There's no need to think about it too hard. Try to be faithful to the emotions you feel right now.”
Joshua advised.
“If you die like this, nothing will change, but if the plan succeeds, the family head and the wife who tried to murder you will fall.”
“They will fall?”
Just thinking of their faces made his anger surge.
If only he could get revenge on them.
Being used by the boy wasn't even a disgrace.
He hardened his resolve and slowly opened his mouth.
“……What do I have to do?”
* * *
When morning ca, Berken visited.
He poked his face close to the bars.
“There was a eting this morning. Cyris wants to see you.”
“Okay.”
“You won't experience anything dangerous. She hates it very much when the goods are damaged.”
“Any other information?”
“People were sent to the Glover family. It seems they made contact to get a ransom.”
“How long will it take?”
“Unless they co out to et them from that side, it'll take at least fifteen days.”
Fifteen days.
It wasn't a short amount of ti to organize the situation here and escape.
“What's for breakfast today?”
“Huh?”
“Since we're in Room 1, you're going to give us food, right?”
“I'm not in charge of als, so I don't know.”
“Go find out the nu.”
Berken's complexion turned pale suddenly.
“Surely, you aren't going to kill because the food is bad, right?”
“Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
He couldn't answer that he didn't.
He was clearly terrified.
“Rest easy. It's just because I have sothing to check.”
“Understood.”
Berken left the spot.
Once he disappeared, Serena, who had been watching, approached.
She had a hard ti communicating because she had left the notebook she used for writing with Adela.
“Use this at least.”
I reached out through the bars and picked up a twig that was on the floor.
After handing the twig to her, I gestured toward the floor.
She smiled brightly and began to write.
[I thought I was going to die from frustration!]
“It can't be helped. There's a chance they'd take it away if they inspected our belongings.”
I had also left all my equipnt, like the staff and dagger, with Leo.
[Can we escape even without equipnt?]
“I have a plan. In the worst case, I intend to summon Luna and escape.”
Serena nodded.
She giggled and stared at blankly.
[Did you sleep well?]
“Yes.”
She looked clearly tired, as if she hadn't.
[It was a bit hard for . I'm not getting used to sleeping on the bare floor.]
“It's like that for anyone. You're just enduring it.”
[I should find a way to improve it.]
“It'd be good if we could get portable mats.”
[Wouldn't it be hard to carry around?]
“I'll have to research ways to reduce the volu. If I can just reduce it, I can carry it in my subspace backpack.”
A trivial conversation went back and forth.
It didn't feel like a conversation between people locked in a prison.
I hoped the atmosphere wouldn't turn dark.
Since debuffs often occur when one is swept away by the environnt.
[You believe that Lord Vale can rise to the position of family head, right?]
“Yes.”
[By the ti we arrive at Saint Stalia, wouldn't Lady Glover have taken control of the people inside?]
“If she's not a fool, she'd be exerting her power.”
[Then there's no one to help us.]
“No, there is.”
The other companions, including her, believed I had thought of this plan spontaneously.
Half was right and half was wrong.
It's true that hearing information from Berken was the start of the plan.
However, I didn't put such a large scale plan into action without any foundation.
There were people in Saint Stalia who would help .
Lady Lucille and Osmond.
And even Sir Rodwell.
It was now ti to aim for a bigger reward with the people I rescued.
“You wouldn't know since you joined from the mine, but there are relationships I built while staying at the tower. Since the seeds were sown, it's fine to harvest them now.”
Serena showed a slightly sad expression.
[I'm jealous.]
“What do you an?”
[I wish I could've t you a bit earlier too.]
“If that happened, you might not have been able to et the other kids.”
She kept a smile on her lips, as if sothing were very pleasant.
Bang bang!
The jailer who was guarding the prison returned.
He was full of spite, perhaps because he saw us from afar.
“What's so good that you're giggling when you're just hostages?”
“Should we have expressions like we've lost the world?”
“You're acting tough, aren't you? Surely you haven't forgotten your position.”
“Regarding the position, it seems you're the one who doesn't know.”
The jailer scowled.
He stared down at intently with sharp eyes.
“We're goods. Don't do sothing stupid like devaluing the state of the goods.”
“This bastard, I've had just about enough!”
He kicked the bars this ti.
A sound louder than before echoed through the entire prison.
Because of that, Vale and Tania, who were asleep, woke up.
“W-What's going on?”
Tania looked around while rubbing her eyes.
“I think I have to go out for a mont.”
“Huh? What do you an by that?”
Before she could understand the situation, other raiders appeared from behind.
They were the ones who had co to check the new goods to be taken to Cyris, the boss.
“What's the commotion?”
“This guy ticked off!”
“I should've told you not to mind the hostages.”
The jailer broke into a cold sweat.
The rank of the raider who ca to get us seed to be higher than his.
“Open the door, the boss is waiting.”
“O-Okay.”
I left Vale behind and stepped out with the other kids.
I was led sowhere by the raiders.
The place we arrived at was a large tent located not far from the prison.
When we went inside, a woman was sitting in the seat of honor.
She had a hulking build and a large height, no less than a man.
She looked this way.
Serena and Adela trembled at the high pressure atmosphere she gave off.
“They look fine even from a distance.”
Cyris wore a satisfied expression.
“Who caught them?”
“It's the bastard Berken.”
“How did he bring them in so cleanly with his skills?”
“According to the report, he captured them alive while they were asleep.”
“He got lucky.”
She gestured.
Then the raiders on both sides told us to walk forward.
“Glad to et you, youngsters. I'm Cyris, the master of this mountain fortress. You already know, but we're the bad guys. I plan to catch you and hand you over to other people. Would it be easy to understand if I say we're slave traders?”
I scanned Cyris's face.
There was a large scar on her cheek crossing her nose and eyes.
Not just there, such traces were easily visible on various parts of her body.
Tania and Serena, who didn't look away even when facing zombies, hung their heads before her.
“Hey, you.”
Cyris called .
“Please speak.”
“Aren't you afraid of ?”
“I've survived until now while facing walking corpses. There's no reason to be scared just because there are a few scars on your face.”
“Oho.”
“By the way, I want to ask you, the boss.”
Cyris's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“What is it?”
“I heard Room 1 is a place where only the best goods are gathered, but the managent is quite poor.”
“Do you an soone harassed you?”
“That's right.”
“Hmm, depending on where you're from, this problem could beco serious or it could be sothing we just overlook. Your back seems very stiff, are you soone special?”
“I'm not, but you should treat this friend beside well.”
I gestured toward Tania.
Bewildernt spread in her eyes.
“Because this child is the lady of the Rainwood family.”
The inside of the tent was stirred up.
The Rainwood family was the elite of the elite among nobles.
In terms of the family's influence alone, even Vale's Glover family wouldn't be a match.
“……Um, senior.”
She, whose na was sold, pulled on my clothes and resisted.
I was a bit sorry I couldn't let her know in advance.
“How do I believe your words?”
“If you're Cyris of the Hungry Fangs, you'd know even if I don't bother to tell you.”
I wore an expression full of composure.
I knew what kind of reaction Cyris would show if I provoked her this way.
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