100 Episode 99 Cages and Lords

I'd appreciate it if you'd keep quiet.

What I was brought to was a kind of dungeon.

Inside, there was a metal cage labeled "For Wizards", and I was locked in it.

According to the tentacle plate, the bottom of the cage seems to be a very thick piece of metal.

I wonder if they increased the weight of the cage to protect it from item boxes.

I'd rather have you steal as much of my lord's stuff as you want, and I don't mind if you break out of jail. But if you want to run away, do it after we're gone. They'll blame us and we'll end up in jail.

I don't think I heard a guard say that. Is the lord hated by the guards as well?

"Domur. If any of the lord's men hear you say that, you'll go to jail for it. ......

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're not being asked, are you?

At the very least, there seems to be no one else in my tentacles but me, the two guards, and the guards.

The guards are also laughing at what I'm saying, so they're probably not 'the lord's men'.

Maybe he didn't hear you. And if what I just said is true, please leave quickly. You can't break out of here.

I said, and the two guards looked at each other and laughed.

"Then we'll take your word for it. I hope you get out of there alive. And while you're at it, steal some evidence of embezzlement from your lord.

"Domur, you'll get caught soon enough. ......

The guards are trying not to laugh. He thought it was a joke.

Then, when the guards made sure the cage was locked, the guards waved them out.

The guards seemed to be waiting around the corner from the cage.

I can't see the guards from my position, and they can't see me from theirs.

I guess it's a double defense, with handcuffs that are supposed to block magic and a structure that is impervious to projectiles.

Just as I was thinking about this, I heard a cracking sound from my hand.

Ah!

I looked and saw that the part of the handcuffs that connected the left and right sides had been split down the middle and separated from each other.

They couldn't even be called handcuffs anymore. It's just an eccentric shaped bracelet that weakens the magic just a little bit.

Incidentally, the guards must have heard my voice, but they showed no sign of moving.

In addition to the fact that he seemed to be unwilling to do anything, the cage seemed to be sturdy, so he must have a sense of safety as long as he kept the key in his hand.

Well, it's not safe at all.

I put my hand on the cage.

It seems to be made a little heavy, but the capacity of the item box depends on MP.

And right now, my MP is a number that makes counting the digits a chore.

I reminded myself, and the cage was easily stored in the item box.

After confirming this, I head further into the prison.

It seems that the only way to escape from here is through the guard's place.

However, there is actually another route to somewhere else in this prison.

That route is covered with a lid, and the lid seems to be disguised to blend in with the surroundings, but the tentacles clearly indicate the existence of another route.

I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going to go there.

If something looks bad, we can turn back, and maybe we'll find something interesting.

You put the lid in the item box and walk through the unlit underground passage.

After about thirty meters, you come to a dead end.

On the ceiling of the dead end is a disguised lid, just like the entrance.

I stopped ...... when I tried to put the lid into the item box.

From the top of the lid, I heard what sounded like a door opening.

Then there was a human-like reaction on the tentacles.

One is quite fat and the other is relatively thin.

"Well, that's quite a feat.

They seem to be talking inside. I can hear their voices.

I wondered about eavesdropping, but then I realized that the room connected to the prison was not normal.

There is no way that a bandit's hideout ...... could be located in the city, but it is possible that it is something similar.

If it is a bandit's hideout, that's a good thing.

We can take them down and escape without worry.

Right?

No, not at all. But this success was only possible because of the reports of my men. And that's .......

Of course I haven't forgotten. The adventurer who came to save the dastardly Dilmir... ...... Kaede, is it?

Kaede, sir.

Hmm?

I don't know why I'm hearing my name.

It's so annoying. If only Dilmyre would go under, we'd have a monopoly on selling Seewool.

"Well, don't say that. That's nice of you to say. You came all the way from Basis to take the blame for the money I embezzled!　Ha ha!

Ha-ha. 　Indeed. Haha.

.......

You're telling a very interesting story.

I mean, isn't this the lord's mansion above the passage?

What they're talking about fits perfectly, and it makes sense that the lord would have a hidden passage.

Maybe it's an emergency escape route.

"Good. I'll make a new ledger for the wizard, and you can help me.

"All right. How much shall we pretend that maple stole?

"Right. The amount he embezzled and ...... he's a famous wizard in the other side. I'm sure he's got a lot of tell.

Shall we pretend that the tell in the warehouse was stolen uprooted?

No. His item box is probably not that big. He's probably got a hundred ...... gold pieces and ten million tells.

You've got a good eye. I'll leave it at that.

That's a great idea.

The weight of a hundred gold coins is nothing but an error, and I'm not a wizard, I'm a wizard-swordsman.

And by the way, a hundred gold pieces are a million tell. A hundred thousand tells is a lot of gold. 　Are you okay?

So, this Kade, he's locked up in a wizard's prison, isn't he?

And I'm not sure he knows my name yet.

It's no wonder I can't remember the value of a gold coin.

By the way, I don't know who Mr. Kaede is, but if you're talking about Kaede, you're not locked up anymore.

"Yes, of course. You're strong, but you're still a wizard. With those handcuffs and the heavy cage, you won't escape.

You can escape.

The handcuffs have little effect on magic suppression, and the handcuffs are not strong enough.

If you're a Decibatore, I'm sure there are some pure wizards who can break them.

If you are a warrior, you can break them just by hooking them on your index finger and pulling.

...... What can I say, there are so many things to complain about, I'm getting tired of it.

I'm not sure what to say. I paid a lot of money to build this. Even if there are no guards, you won't get out until you die.

Exactly. If you can get out of there, I want you to get out of there.

...... Hmm.

Apparently, the lords want me to come out.

I'm getting tired of eavesdropping, so I'll live up to your expectations.

"Hello, villainous lord. I'm Kaede.

I politely removed the lid of the hidden passage and walked up to the room with a polite bow.

What?　Who are you? ......

Why are you here?

Didn't I tell you to come out?

Apparently, the lord did not know my face. I even politely introduced myself.

Of course he didn't. It's Mr. Kade, isn't it?

"Why?　That cage is .......

The one who was puzzled was the skinny guy.

From what he said, he might be a subordinate of the lord.

In addition, there were two men in the corner of the room who seemed to be guarding him.

Incidentally, they were all treated as bandits by the [Information Manipulation Analysis].

You mean this?

I took out the cage I had stored earlier from the item box.

The floor sinks under the weight.

"Huh!　How many pounds do you think that thing weighs?

And these handcuffs are defective.

I raised my arm and showed him the shredded handcuffs.

The security system here was absolutely terrible.

They even provided a route to the scene of the false accusation, which was a nice touch.

So, can you please die for now, ......?

Heee!

When I stepped towards the lords, they threw away the documents in their hands and tried to run away.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, and what you can do to help.

I'm not going to go after them and kill them.

I don't think it's a good idea to kill a lord of another country out of the blue.

But I don't want him to escape, so I put up a warding spell under his feet.

Gah!

Buh!

The invisible wards caught their feet, and they fell down with the momentum they had started with.

They would have been knocked to the floor, so I kindly put up a ward near the ground to catch them.

Incidentally, the warding magic is much harder than the carpet on the floor.

It was an expression of my kindness to catch him firmly.

If possible, it would be best to have them investigated and brought to justice in this country.

Dumping them in the sea around Desibatore is also an option, but it is not a priority.

You could tie him up in the main street with the evidence of injustice, or prevent him from moving and deliver the documents to another lord with a good reputation. That's the way to go.

Well, I don't care as much about Seuil's grudge (I don't care as much about Seuil's being caught. I don't care as much about being captured as I do about Ceille, and I'm sure it'll be over soon), so there may be some mishaps when we capture the lord.

When I was thinking about how much pain ...... or even how big the accident is likely to be, the lord suddenly opened his mouth.

Now!　Do it!

Hearing those words, the guards in the corner started running towards me at the same time.

Both of them seemed to be a bit bigger than the adventurers in ...... Decibatore, but they were not as good as the others.

But the lord seemed convinced of his victory. He points at me and gets into a mocking stance.

"You fool, you've let your guard down!　I don't care how many adventurers you have, a wizard with his magic stolen can't beat a swordsman!

Apparently, the misconception that I'm a wizard has not been cleared up yet.