31 – I’m Not the Villain Here
The grandma spun around, resting a hand on her chin. “Built like a small fridge, eh? Looks like you’re still confused from the punch my youngest gave you yesterday... Speaking of my little boy, where is Stoneface?”
1 of the 2 men who brought Billy in replied, “Mama, Stoneface left to get more Engines in the town.”
“Hm… Right, where was I before… Yes, I remember—”
A faint tremor shook the floor, snapping everyone’s eyes to the main door.
An explosion… It’s probably Sharon or Tuesday that psychopath, to think after such a stealth walk, I was too close… Just my luck.
Billy darted his eyes around anxiously, then said, “Mama... It’s true... The small-fridge guy is probably there, in the black powder area. You sensed the explosion… right? I-I can be useful, he is dangerous and I can go first, If I’m going to die anyway, please, let me compensate you, Mama, for everything you did for me…”
“Hm, you don’t need to be dramatic, I was not going to kill you… now.” She approached him and said, “[Heal]”
She gave a nod to the two men flanking Billy. They hauled him up, and as Grandma left the room, they followed close behind, dragging him along.
“Mama… I can walk there alone… haha, no need to carry me like—”
“You reap what you sow, Billy… don’t sow a quicker death by talking. You’re pushing my patience to the limit...”
Billy didn’t say another word, leaving behind only a foul-smelling trail of drops on the floor as he was dragged away.
Looks like this is the last time I’ll hear anything about Billy... Well, this explosion ended up working in my favor, but time is running out. I’ll wait until they get a bit further away, then I’m out of here to rescue the girl. Honestly, I wanted to help everyone; I abhor slavery, but I don’t know if I can pull it off. From what I saw earlier in those factory-like cells, what were there? Probably over a 100 people... Well, one step at a time. Let’s see how it goes.
After the main door was shut and big Grandma’s heavy footsteps could no longer be heard, Crow waited a little longer and stepped out of the wardrobe.
Right, this time it’s actually happening. There’s no way another problem pops up to stop me from going through this door, right? Better not talk too much about it, wouldn’t want to raise any flags... Well, looks like the coast is clear through the keyhole. But it’d be a shame to move on with just that. This office has to have something in it, there's no way it doesn't. I’ll quickly check her desk.
He carefully scanned the stuff on the desk, found nothing useful, and moved on to check the drawers, keeping an ear out for any sounds that might mean someone was approaching the room again.
Nothing useful... Let me check this other one. Locked. Nothing a little brute force can't fix... There. A wooden desk with protection like this makes no sense. Well, I guess her gang members wouldn't risk opening it even if it wasn't locked... Either way, I can't read a single word on this paper. Looks like I'm illiterate in this new world. Although, I did understand a few things back there, so is this a new language? Well, I'm taking it with me, just in case there's something useful written here.
After slipping the papers into an inside pocket of his coat, Crow moved to leave. There was practically nothing useful there besides grandma-style clothes and basic office supplies. Only the text might hold some value, like plans or something similar.
It would be pretty hilarious if this turned out to be a cake recipe... for real.
Crow didn't spend much more time there. He checked through the keyhole once again to see if anyone was coming, and after confirming through both sight and sound that the coast was clear, he moved to open the door; well, it was locked, but nothing his STR couldn't handle, and then he made his way toward the secluded section of the underground base.
Without a doubt, it’s here. If I wanted to hide something priceless where no one could take it from me, it would definitely be somewhere out of easy reach. And given how corrupt her subordinates are, there’s no better spot than somewhere you have to pass right through her main room to get to, where anyone stepping inside without her around would already be risking treason.
The hallway wasn't very long, and there were no side paths. Reaching the end, he saw a steel door similar to the one at the place where he was interrogated, and the thugs were talking about something related to pizza.
I'm here. I’ve never seen this room before, but without a doubt, this is where the girl is being held. Other parts of this place are made of various materials, but here... I don't know what material this is, but it's definitely way more fire-resistant since it's still standing. Then again, even if the girl escaped, that old woman is resistant to fire, and her class is Cleric, so she could just buff herself and heal her wounds. There wouldn't be much a fragile mage could do to beat her.
He turned the wheel on the room's armored door and stepped inside. The space was poorly lit, with only a light coming from the back where a strange mechanism stood, glowing material being tossed inside it. As he drew closer, he realized it was a set of bars; a cell just like the others, except the entire area was encased in some kind of metal. Up on the ceiling, a small vent allowed the smoke to drift upward.
“Come to bother me again? Just get it over with...” It was a little girl's voice.
Yeah, the voice sounds similar. It's her. While I was outside, it wasn't possible to hear the burning sound from here, but even so, it's better to be safe and not use the sword; cutting metal isn't as easy as bending it.
He didn't wait long and approached the bars. "Yeah, I will get it over with..." He placed his hands on the bars and tried to push them apart, but he couldn't move them.
Maybe I thought of myself as too strong because of how easy the last few days were... Well, how do I get her out of there? My Claymore is already ruined, and the Zweihänder, if it doesn't cut through, will make a huge noise without a doubt. Come to think of it, I'm not even using my enhancement skill, no, it's more like a type of aura. When did I use it, only in the tournament? And since there's no one besides the girl nearby, they won't sense the presence... yeah, it's worth a try.
“O-over with?! I was only joking! Don’t do this, I will work! Say something please…” The little girl stopped what she was doing and leaned against the metal wall at the back of the cell with her palms flat on it, as if she were looking at the boogeyman.
How do I use aura again? Better check.
[Status...]
[...]
Let's see..
[Grim Reaper Manifestation – Channel a fragment of your class's true power, wrapping yourself in an aura of dread and surging physical might. Consumes mana continuously; as duration increases, your power and mana drain scale up exponentially. Over-extending your mana pool will force an immediate, involuntary deactivation and temporary penalties. If pushed past your limits while maintaining a frail existence, it could result in permanent penalties.]
Hm, that doesn't answer my question. Well, if I remember correctly, just by focusing on using the maximum possible strength and thinking about the skill, it worked somehow.
“Is this a new method of torture? Why aren't you saying anything...”
Crow stopped thinking for a moment and said, “Relax, I was just deep in thought... Soon you won't have to suffer here anymore.”
Grim Reaper Manifestation…
He realized that she was scared, and that his skill increased the fear of anyone nearby, so he replied to calm her down. "I came to rescue you, you don't need to be afraid."
She sat back on her legs and closed her eyes, and slowly, a few tears could be seen streaming down her face.
For real? Well, to be honest, this skill generates a stronger aura of fear than the passive skill, and it's dark in here, so... it makes sense for a little girl to act like that, I think. What a situation... I don’t know what to say, I’m not good with words.
The girl, still with her eyes closed, continued. “At least... make it quick.”
He didn’t think too much; he needed to say something, hesitating could cause more problems, just like as happened before with Tuesday. “I know it's hard to trust me, but... if I wanted to hurt you, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to have the key to this cell instead of trying to force it open?”
With his stats boosted thanks to the skill, Crow managed to bend the bars, wide enough for him to pass by it; the situation finally seemed to be heading in a favorable direction.
“I-I know what you want… Y-you are from the other gang, the old—cough, the Grandma lost the war, and now you want to loot everything here, and me too! I don’t want to be a slave anymore, so please, just… let me run away…” Tears began to drop faster.
Oh, c’mon. I’m not a villain... Ah, I’m working under Alice... so maybe I am? And it’s not because I want to... Nevertheless, I’m not the ‘villain’ here. I’ll just brush it off and ignore it
He bent down and broke the chain around her feet. Her leg wasn’t in good shape, so he picked up the crybaby and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“I-I knew it…”
Ha….
He looked to the side and saw 2 bowls on the floor, similar to the 1 he had at his old home, the cat’s food bowl. And on the other side, a small hole in the ground.
Yeah, I can understand why the girl was like that before she died... This is a tough world.
He walked out of the cell with her, and after opening the door, he spoke again. “Well, I accidentally ended up here... and found you, so I decided to rescue you. There’s no way to prove that with words, so I’ll start with actions… by getting you out of here, and that’s that.”
She didn't say a single word, and as he walked back into Grandma’s office, reality set in...
And now? What do I do? I don’t remember how to leave… Right, right. I just need to find someone to ask “nicely” where the exit from this base is, yeah, that is a good plan.
“I-I can walk, my leg isn’t great at the moment, b-but I can walk.”
He put her down. The girl was covered in something that looked like charcoal and smelled a bit bad, poor thing.
Alright, it's quiet outside. Maybe because of the explosion, most of them went over there? Perhaps I can try going through the main area and free the people. Even if I get detected, as long as I can capture one guy and force him to lead me to the exit, everything will go smoothly. I think I'm going to do that.
Crow looked back at the girl and said, “Maybe we’ll need to run; can you do that?”
“Probably… I think.”
He walked up to the main door of big Grandma’s office and checked through the keyhole to make sure no one was really there. So he tried to open the door, but it was locked. “Of course...” He placed his other hand on the handle, forced it down, and slammed his shoulder against the door, shoving it open.
He looked back and motioned for the girl to follow. She stepped closer and whispered as she reached him, “I-I don’t know if trying to escape is a good idea… You’re strong, but you don’t know her. She can kill someone with her bare hands! Oops… sorry for raising my voice, w-what if she comes back? I don’t know... I think she would kill us.”
“Nah, I’d win against her... with difficulty, of course. And I didn't come alone. I’m trying to go in quietly because I’m trying to rescue the others, so don't worry, it's not because I can't win if we're found out.”
After speaking, he kept going down the empty hallway, this time taking the route he had previously avoided once he realized everything was quiet and deserted. After a brief walk, he reached the area where he had seen the prisoners being held, only this time, he was on the ground floor, right on the same level as the captives.
As Crow walked past the first cell on the right, an old man stared at him and said, “Psst, hey, you... I’ve never seen you around here, and what are you doing with her? Isn't she the main Engine? Are you from another gang? Ah, sorry for all the questions... please open this up, if you can. It doesn't matter if you're from another gang, just... just get us out of here. We can help in a fight... yes... yes we can help. If you let us out, we'll help you, so it's a win-win for you, right? Right? Guys?”
He didn't even answer; he just stepped up to the thinner bars and bent them aside. They were much more fragile compared to the ones holding the girl.
The old man continued, “What… er, thanks?” He left the cell, and the others did too. Then Crow moved to the next cell and did the same thing.
[Buddy, let’s leave this place. It isn’t worth it. You didn’t see what happened when we got separated, but I found a guy who was almost as strong as you. We’re wasting time…]
Relax, I know what I am doing here… Just to make sure, the guy is named “Stoneface?”
[How did you know? He left right when I sensed the guy, but he was way too strong... said something about picking up more Engines. That was a while ago, so he's probably almost here.]
He's definitely strong, but remember, I didn’t come here alone, once I find Sharon, we can easily fight them all.
“Er… mister, can you say something? I’m getting anxious…” the girl said, staring at him as he bent the bars apart with his bare hands.
Crow glanced to the side and said, “I know it’s a tense situation, but focus on getting out; we’ll be clear of this place soon. There’s no one patrolling this area since the explosion on the other side, so we’re relatively good for now. I swore they’d take a few hostages, but it looks like they didn’t grab anyone from here.”
He looked to the side and asked, “Does anyone here know where the exit is?”
The old man replied, “Well, if you, who just got here from the outside, don’t know... what chance do we have, when we haven't seen it in years?”
As Crow looked at the captives, a voice spoke from behind him, “I know where it is.”
The old man, staring past Crow, slowly raised his eyes and passed out, collapsing onto the prisoner behind him.