I’d been thinking about who would come through that door, but I didn’t expect the man himself to make a special appearance.
Us being important merchandise and all.
I could sense Aira trembling right behind me.
“…What do you intend to do with us?”
Because now that we’ve come to this point, it’s stupid to keep up appearances, said my tone. I fixed my glare on him.
Don’t come any closer, it warned.
“…Hmm, in all my experience, you are the highest in quality, but that tone will not do.”
“Ha–, no one asked you.”
(Big Sister?!)
(Chris, you can’t!)
Their two voices tried to restrain me. But having come this far, I couldn’t back down.
In the meeting, no one gave any instructions on what we should do after getting inside. Didn’t even want to say something as vague as ‘play it by ear’. That was clear. 1
Earlier, I still held myself in check because of the soldiers. But now, it was just one guy. Easy.
“Hohhoh, it seems you are the only one in need of education.”
Guibenague came closer, wearing his habitual smirk. I slowly lowered my hips, waiting for him.
When he was within one step of me, I sprung into action.
“Eat shit!”
Whatever my strength, I knew how to move from experience. If so, by aiming it correctly, I could knock down this bald asshole.
Twisting my upper body with all my might, using my left leg as the pivot, I swept my right leg toward Guibenague.
My body moved perfectly.
Like a whip, my right foot,
Bap–
failed to connect with Guibenague’s head.
“Wha–?!”
In the end, Guibenague casually protected himself from my leg with his hand.
Before I could change my posture, Guibenague grabbed my ankle and yanked me over with a strength I couldn’t believe. Then, he dangled me upside down like a chicken. With just one arm.
(Chris!)
Hanging in midair, I could see Palmira running toward me in the corner of my vision.
I didn’t even have time to tell her it wouldn’t work before Guibenague’s quick, casual kick sent her flying backward.
“Palmira–!”
“Ohoho. Good grief… I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from making extra work for me… It’s tiresome. Shall I have the two of you go first?”
With an infuriating ease, Guibenague held onto me with one hand and pointed the other at the mystery door.
“ジ.”
(What!?)
Then, he said that word. The incantation to activate magic.
To my surprise, one of the innumerable rings on his fingers emitted a red light.
“…Aira! Palmira! Get away from that do–guh–”
My instincts screaming that the door was dangerous, I tried to warn the two people behind me, but Guibenague driving his knee into my stomach interrupted me partway.
“Hold your tongue.”
(God — damn it…)
Before my eyes, Guibenague’s fingertip started to shine too. With it, he sketched a symbol in the air, in far less time than Irene.
On the other side of the door wasn’t the opposite wall, but rather some wave-like thing with a yellow glow that filled the room.
“Kyaaaa–!?”
“Chris…!”
Without even the time to turn around, they were absorbed into the light, leaving behind only their voices.
It all happened within the space of a breath. I couldn’t even cry out. All I could do was reach out with my bound hands.
With no time to spare for shock, I immediately fired off a telepathic message.
(Irene! Aira and Palmira were sent away somewhere!)
From my memories as an adventurer, I recognized it right away.
Kickstarted by Guibenague’s magic, it teleported the pair away from here.
Seeing it with my own eyes just now, it dawned on me. Of course no one could figure out Guibenague’s method of transport. It was this device at work.
(Wait! I’ll have their posi–)
(…?! Irene?!)
Irene’s response came back as quickly as I expected, but it cut off midway.
Why? What’s going on?
“Now then, let’s train you thoroughly.”
While my mind was spinning, Guibenague, still holding me upside down, took a step in a different direction.
Expecting to be underestimated as just a young girl, I had conversely underestimated my opponent as just a fat bald man. It was too bitter a pill to swallow.
I didn’t know why our connection got cut, but had Guibenague been responsible, it would have been beyond the worst-case scenario.
(Irene! Irene–!)
I called out to Irene again as I was being carried along, but I got nothing back. I expected as much. Did the magic just wear off by itself? Wasn’t it supposed to last for a full day?
So by this point, the hem on my one article of clothing — the sack-dress — had rolled down, stopping just short of my waist. The only saving grace was that unlike before, I had underwear on, but that didn’t change how humiliating it was to be in this state.
“Shit–! Let me go! You bald bastard!”
Guibenague had moved away from me, so I cursed at his back.
The truth is, with the restraints still on, I couldn’t do anything other than wiggle my body around. This had no effect other than hurting my bound wrists, but even though I knew it wouldn’t do any good, I couldn’t help but put up a fight. I could imagine the future implied by the word [training] all too easily.
“Now, I don’t want to injure my merchandise too much, so I’ll go easy.”
Guibenague returned with something in his hand.
At the end of the handle, it split into several individual tails of hide. It seemed vastly preferable to the other torture devices, but even so, the sight of that vicious black whip made me take a sharp breath.
But I didn’t have the slightest idea of how much damage it would do. It went without saying, but I didn’t have any experience in this area.
“Well then.”
Without waiting for me to respond, Guibenague wielded it carelessly. It whistled through the air.
The next moment, he swung it down on my rear.
Wuh-pash!
“Gyahaah–!”
I screamed in pain, without regard for shame or honor.
The moment it hit, I felt as if my skin were being stripped away. A heavy pain that dug under my skin followed after. It shot through my head, making me arch my hanging body.
I didn’t find myself pathetic. It just hurt that much.
“Oh my, it’s only been one so far, you know? For you to yield to me after only this much… I’m embarrassed.”
“W–Wait! Wait!”
Seeing Guibenague mercilessly raise up the whip, I screamed for him to stop. I screamed with everything I had. And yet…!
Wuh-pash!
“Gyaaa–!”
With the new pain over the old, my back arched again. The restraints on my legs clattered.
It hurtsithurtshurtshurts–!
As the pain seeped deeper, I bit my lip.
I’ve never experienced this kind of pain, even in my time as an adventurer.
I can’t take th
Wuh-pash!
“Agahh–!”
With one blow, my consciousness seemed about ready to fly away.
And I wished from the bottom of my heart that it would. As soon as possible.
–
Splash!
“Uh…aahh…ggh–!”
My consciousness re-emerged from pitch-black darkness. The pain returned at the same time, and I moaned.
I’d been splashed with water. The droplets trailed down my body, my face, my arms, and dripped onto the floor. Plip plop. Plip plop.
“Have you woken up?”
“Ah…aaaah…”
At the sound of that voice, talons of fear seized my heart.
I’d blacked out, and yet it still wasn’t over. Nothing had changed.
“To have you faint that quickly, I’ll be troubled… this is still just the fifth.”
Those words had an authority that left no room for hope, as if they came from the Devil himself.
Then, fwap, he hit his palm with the whip.
Again… it’s coming again.
“P…please.”
Just let me go.
My mouth tried to speak on its own.
Even so, some part of me stopped it.
But it was definitely there.
Aira.
My thoughts turned to them.
Leon.
Next time we meet, I have to list off all my complaints.
My willpower returned.
Burn. Burn higher.
Now!
“Uaaaaaah–”
Flipping my torso up, I grabbed the hands of a surprised Guibenague.
“Wha–!?”
When I didn’t immediately steal the whip from him, Guibenague pulled it back.
But that wasn’t what I was aiming for. I grabbed the tip of Guibenague’s finger and pulled my target off it in one smooth motion.
“ジ!”
Gripping the ring I took, I wasted no time reciting the monosyllabic incantation.
Sure enough, a red light began to shine from inside my hand.
“Magic!?”
The spectacle shocked Guibenague. Seeing this, I grinned triumphantly.
But I wanted to scare the shit out of him. I wanted to see that sorry look of shock on his face.
That’s all.
In my hand, the ring’s invocation stone linked up with the one absorbed inside me. 2
And, when light radiating from between my fingers disappeared, I knew it was done.
“…What did… no, I was surprised…”
Guibenague, ready for something to happen, calmed down once the light disappeared, and he relaxed his guard.
I was far from done.
“!?”
A moment later, a blue light ignited on the back of my left hand. The design I saw that night emerged again.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
I might not have anything lined up after this, but right now, I’m going to make him shit his pants.
Light flowed out from the design. Just as it had before, it ran up my arm, to my shoulder, then my back.
A large labyrinthine design. Turning round and round.
So.
My mind raced as I watched the spinning circle.
If so, what should I do with it?
The power to break out of this situation. The power to protect. That’s — .
“U–U–aaaaahh–!”
An image forming in my mind, I howled.
Then, the outermost ring stopped.
“Aaaaahh–!”
Crash–!
“Guhoh–!?”
I could tell that something was being released from my body.
At the same time, I suddenly dropped to the floor.
“Ow–!”
Though I instantly covered my head, the forceful impact of my back against the floor left me fainting in agony.
There was no question that this was my doing, but I didn’t know what exactly had happened. After groaning in pain for a short while, holding my head in a daze, I slowly got to my feet and surveyed the area.
The chamber was in shambles.
Relying on the light of a candle that just barely managed to survive, I scanned my surroundings.
Guibenague had been thrown into the wall in the same way. Now, he was keeled over on the floor, blood flowing out. I didn’t know if he was still alive.
Though the iron bars further in hadn’t been torn from their sockets, everything inside the cell had been dashed to pieces.
“…Did I — ”
Did I — do that?
Dazed as I was, I could see the remains of terrible devastation.
But the marks of destruction, radiating outward from me at their center, were irrefutable proof that this was my doing.
This power, or possibly, this body. What was it?
The result: I turned female.
Those were definitely substances imbued with ancient magic.
But was that really the case?
Was that enough to explain everything?
If that were all, I might have been able to agree. To be honest, I’d thought that way.
But now, more of the truth was emerging.
It doesn’t tire.
It absorbs invocation stones.
It manifests a mysterious power.
Aren’t these things too strange to be explained away by just a few magical potions?
…Right now, I still don’t know.
But it looked like I’d need to sit down and think about it some more.
(…Chris, Chris!? Can you hear me?)
While I was at a loss for how to proceed, Irene’s voice suddenly echoed in my ear.
Why had it cut off? And why had it reconnected? I had questions, but first, now that her voice had reminded me of the situation, I answered in a hurry.
(Irene, is that you!?)
(…Thank goodness. I suddenly couldn’t reach you, I didn’t know what to do… Are you okay?)
(No problems on my end. But Aira and Palmira — )
That’s right, the location of the two who disappeared through the door was far more important. Assaulted by the same power as the rest of the chamber, said door was now in a rather sorry state.
(They’re alright. You were the only one I couldn’t reach, and I could track them, so… They’re already back under our protection.)
(Is that so…)
That’s a relief. I didn’t have the faintest clue where they went, but at any rate, they were safe.
(For the time being, I’ve pinpointed your location, so sit tight for just a little longer. I’ll be there soon.)
(Got it.)
Once I ended the link, I realized I could hear a commotion coming from outside the door.
A lot happened, but right now, I was sincerely happy that everyone made it out safely.
That aside.
“Man, what a pain.”
Perhaps because of that power, I was left without a stitch of clothing, not even underwear.
Being seen in my birthday suit wasn’t a big deal, but given the kind of room I was in, I wasn’t too thrilled by the idea of people drawing the wrong conclusions.
Left with no other choice, I reluctantly stripped the clothes off Guibenague’s fallen body.
Author’s Notes
I wonder if in trying to write this chapter, it still turned out badly.
Footnotes
2. What’s 伝わってくる in this context? Are the stones… communicating or something? 指輪に付いた降魔石が、俺の中に吸い込まれるのが伝わってくる ↵